Close Call

We almost lost Zander last week. It would have been a tragic accident, but thankfully things turned out differently thanks to Stephen changing his mind at the last second.

When we got back from Twin Falls Stephen and I needed to run to the grocery store to stock up the fridge and pantry and get ingredients for the birthday cake I was going to make for Dad for Cherry Hill. It was gray outside with dark cloud threatening to rain. By the time I had Stephen go to the store it started to drizzle a little bit which was nice because it was still extremely hot outside. Stephen left and Zander asked me if he could play with the big box that was in the garage that had been left from the new basketball hoop Stephen got the boys for a surprise when we came back from visiting grandma. He said he wanted to use it to shield him from the rain as he played outside. I told him it was ok and went about minding my business in the kitchen as I waited for Stephen to come back.

Stephen came home about 30 minutes later. He walked into the kitchen straight towards me and said he almost ran over our son. I was confused, and a little dumbfounded at first because I didn't know what he was talking about. This exact scenario has always been one of my worst fears as a mom with my kids next to drowning. Stephen drove the car up into the driveway as he noticed the garage door was open. He remembered closing the door when he left and thought it was a little strange for the door to be open but no kids outside playing. He drove up the driveway to park the car in the garage and didn't notice the box until the front wheel was about 6 inches from the box that had the basketball hoop in it. He was going to run over the box to try and squish it down so we could fit it in the garbage can better because the box was only 12 inches high. It would have been easy to run it over and smash it down, but then he decided he'd better not because it was a thick cardboard and it would be easier to just move it and get on with the day because the garbage can was already full. He got out of the car to move the box and found Zander laying on the ground underneath the box. Stephen was shocked to find him under there. He had Zander move and parked the car and gave Zander a stern talking to about playing in the middle of the driveway.

As Stephen recounted his story my heart sank and tears threatened to fall. We were both scared of what could have been an unimaginable tragic accident. I have talked to the kids about playing in the middle of the driveway countless times. But it was all so innocent--both Stephen and Zander. I had no idea what Zander was going to do with the box when I told him he could use it. I assumed he would've been playing with it on the grass and thought nothing else of it. I think Zander was being looked after that day, and I am so grateful Stephen changed his mind and decided to move the box.