Crash.

Dear Kids,

It is 4 in the morning but I can't sleep. So I write.

Last night at 5:45 we were in a car accident. The insurance says I can't talk about it but the public record states that it was right near our house, I "failed to yield" and all of the airbags on the drivers side deployed.

That being said everyone is okay, only Mommy is damaged with only scrapes and bruises and soreness. The driver of the other car walked away as well.

I have learned I was not the cool and collected Mommy I always hoped I would be in that situation. Once I found my glasses, I couldn't find my cell phone because it was in the cupholder. I kept trying to get out and ask someone to call your Daddy but the car was still in drive and therefore locked, and it wouldn't let me out and I might have called the car some naughty words in my efforts.

I finally found the phone and made one fairly incoherent call to Daddy, who was 45 minutes away in rush hour traffic. Apparently the only understandable words were "car accident". Poor Daddy. I then called my good friend Brittany who's husband is our Home Teacher. He was there in 5 minutes and eventually loaded all of you, your car seats, the stroller, the diaper bag, the dry cleaning, and babbling Mommy into his car to bring us home.

Our minivan was towed away. For hours when I thought of the minivan, I would cry. In my old age I have learned that women have emotional attachments to their cars and when things go wrong, it is a season for tears. Maybe from the prospect of having to deal with mechanics, maybe not.

But now I cry from gratitude. That thing is like a tank, I used to complain that it drove so heavy and cumbersome. Never again. It took a really good beating for us and really, we are just fine. The other car crumpled like a tin can, but the cops told me it was designed to do that.

The cops. The emt's. They were so nice. They brought you all cold water and gave you stickers and joked about how much leftover food you guys had stored in the back seat. Seriously the minivan was messier than it had ever been, it's just been so hot for so long that I haven't cleaned it out. I felt like that adage, "Always wear clean underwear in case you get in an accident." I have now changed it to "Always drive a clean car because you never know when 20 medical personal and every single driver on Warner Road is going to see the inside of your minivan."

By 6:45 we were home and by 7, Grandma and Grampa were there for comfort and blessings. Jonah and Marcus, you promptly started playing video games and asked for pizza for dinner. Grampa asked if you were alright and Marcus, this was your response.

"It was like being on a roller coaster at Disneyland. I liked it. But a roller coaster I wasn't supposed to be on. But I still liked it."

You later commented, "Mom, now that the airbags have been popped on my side we can't have any more accidents on my side." Jonah, I could see your response to that rolling around in your head but you wisely kept your mouth shut.

And let me finish with this. By 7:15 the first batch of cookies arrived. (after all, there is nothing that chocolate chip cookies cannot make better) Followed by a visit from our Bishop and wife and more cookies. The last batch arrived at 9:45 pm. Before I went to bed there were 10 texts and countless voicemails, all from our ward members and friends, offering concern, dinner, and help with the kids in the upcoming car-less days.

There are those that say that Mormons aren't Christians. ( I know, right??) This experience prompts my response, How Do Ya Like Them Apples!!

hehehehehehe