Fun in the Snow!

On Sunday we headed up up to Flagstaff to spend some time with the Padilla family. We got there just in time to see the Cardinal's victory. We listened to the game the whole way up but its so much better to see it on TV. That evening we had a "Settler's of Catan" competition. If you haven't played, you should find someone to teach you. It was lots of fun. Mitchell dominated most of the games. He is very competitive.

On Monday we headed off to play in the snow. Although is been a few weeks since it has snowed in Flagstaff, there was still plenty of snow near SnowBowl to play in.

Mitchell and Andrew were inseparable on the snow. This was their first time down the baby slope. The rest of their adventures were MUCH steeper!

Mitchell & Andrew are on a sled at the bottom of the hill. Andrew is tucked safely between Mitchell's legs. This was the fastest hill to to down at this location. They went down this hill a dozen or more times together. I think Andrew may be a thrill seeker like his big cousin Mitchell.

Sledding Buddies: Andrew & Mitchell. Andrew is almost as tall as Mitchell's sled.
Grant had his own sled and pretty much did his own thing the whole time. We hardly saw him the whole time we were there. My super sweet niece, Payten, came sledding with her Dad. However, when her and her dad went down the hill and the sledding devise disintegrated, she wasn't interested in sledding anymore (no one was hurt!!!!) So it surprised me when she wanted to sled down the little hills with me. We took turns with Mitchell's sled. Andrew would go down the hill head first on the sled and then him and Mitchell would haul the sled back up. Then Payten would get so excited and tell me it was her turn and then would ask me if I would sit on her lap. It was super cute. We went down together close to 10 times. After each trip down, she would tell me that it was Andrew's turn and then we could go again. What an adorable little girl!

Andrew, Payten and Daniel had a little soda break. The two little guys were so excited to have a soda. Needless to say, they both had to go and use the outhouse shortly thereafter. Daniel does have good taste in soda; he gave Andrew and Payten a Mugs Rootbeer, my favorite!

Counting Our Blessings

Yesterday, Wednesday, January 14th, around 3:45pm, Mitchell was hit by a car. Mitchell was crossing a major road with 7 lanes. He was riding his new bike and was on his way home. He chose to cross the street at an intersection but it wasn't an intersection at a stop light or with a cross walk. The road was clear for the first 3 lanes that he crossed. When he reached the median to finish his trek across the street, three cars were coming, one in each of the next 3 lanes. Instead of waiting, he sped out in front of them on his bike. In his mind, as he raced across the road, he realized he would be hit by the 2nd car. But he was lucky, he made it past that car and was hit by the car closest to the sidewalk he was aiming for.

The car hit Mitchell's back tire. When it hit, he was thrown off of his bike onto the street. He thinks he landed on his hands and the skidded on to his elbow, hip, and legs. After impact, he got up. The cars all stopped, someone called 911, and Mitchell quickly surveyed the damage. He determined he was alright and just wanted to go home. He looked at the lady's car that hit him and noticed there was a scratch on her bumper. He told her he was sorry and asked her how much it would cost to fix it. She must have been in shock too.

The police arrived and interviewed all of the witnesses. They all said they couldn't believe that Mitchell was walking around. They expected to see a dead body. They all told the police that Mitchell cut across the street right in front of them. This street has a speed limit of 45mph. The cars were approaching an intersection so they may have been slowing down and been going 30 to 35 mph when Mitchell was hit. All of these witnesses were witnessing a miracle.

The fire department and paramedics checked Mitchell out and determined that he was okay. Then they called me on my cell phone at work to let me know the news. I was so grateful he was okay. I arrived at the accident scene right before the lady who hit Mitchell left. Mitchell was pretty shaken up and walked up to me immediately and gave me a hug. He was trembling but still trying to act like he was just fine. He just wanted me to take him home. The fire department released him to me and advised that he get checked out further but that there was no immediate emergency. The police officers gave Mitchell a ticket for "failing to yield to traffic" and Mitchell has to go to court next month for that.

Mitchell and I went to the emergency room and waited for treatment. He had road rash on his arms, check, hip, knees and leg. Nothing was broken. He had a really bad headache but never hit his head. While we waited for a CT Scan, Mitchell finally broke down and cried. The reality of how close he came to death finally sunk in. We talked about how he was protected and that it wasn't his time to leave the earth. We talked about how he has an important work to do in his life which is why he only has scratches.

The CT Scan came back saying there was nothing wrong. So they cleaned all of the cuts and sent him home. Mitchell is sore today and bandaged up. His back rim of his bike is bent so he can't ride his bike.

Mitchell with his bike after the accident and the emergency room visit.

This rim is too bent to spin.

Mitchell is showing his injuries. I am so grateful that he wasn't hurt worse. I am amazed that he has NO broken bones. What a blessing.