Summer Safety

So, I have been debating over whether or not I should share this...and once I pour my heart out, I am sure  you will understand. My best friend Lisa and I have been talking a lot lately about how so many blogs out there ONLY share the good, happy, Kodak moments of their lives (I am NOT referring to anyone in particular at all so please don't be offended or take this personal...it is just a generalization). It is like so many live in a bubble where nothing ever goes wrong and they are the perfect little family with the perfect parents and kids. So many of you have commented to me on different occasions about what a great mom I am and all of that. I thank you for that...but I am FAR from perfect. I make mistakes (big ones) and bad things happen. 

Some of you know that we have an underground pool...living in Arizona it is kind of a "must." I have never been too big on swimming pools (for obvious reasons), but we know that we don't plan to live here for all that long and when the time comes to sell our house, we want as much working for us as we can! And when we were looking at houses, we pretty much ruled out all of the houses that didn't have pools. (Keep in mind we had 28+ CONSECUTIVE days last summer with temperatures above 110.)

So...that being said, let me get back to my story. We have every safety feature available for a pool...all windows and doors have locks above 52 inches so little ones can't get out. Our pool not only is gated (with a lever that opens the gate at the very top so the kids can't reach), but when the gate opens an alarm inside our house sounds. Short of having a lifeguard on duty 24/7 there is nothing more we could do to protect our kids and ensure their safety. We are VERY confident in the safety measures we have taken and there is NO possible way the munchkins could get inside the gate without us knowing.

So yesterday we swam for our second time this summer. Huntler is quite the water lover this year and goes, goes, goes! He has a whale floatie he LOVES and he has really learned to kick and move himself around. When either of the kids are in the water, at least one of us is right there with them.

Gentry is taking a little longer to adjust this summer...by the time we were about done swimming yesterday she was finally ready to get in. We have a large step (a baja step) where the water is only a few inches and there is a bubbler. We put the kids water table on the step and they LOVE to play there. Well, Gentry went from not wanting anything to do with the water to getting WAY too brave in about half an hour. 

Chris was right there...gathering up the pool toys while I was out getting the towels off the gate. Huntler was in his floatie and Gentry was standing on the baja step right at the edge of the pool. In about a two second time frame (it literally happened THAT fast) she walked to the other edge of the step and walked off into 3 feet of water. 

Although it is somewhat of a blur, I remember moving faster than I have ever moved in my entire life. I was in that pool in nothing flat and Chris was reaching to grab her at the same time. He missed her arm and I jerked her up. She was only under the water for literally two seconds...the LONGEST two seconds in my life. It never should have happened, but it did and it brought us back to reality faster than anything else could. Even though she was only under for an instant, I have this image frozen in my mind of her white blonde hair floating on top of the water. You know how when your body is under your hair goes up? I even had dreams (nightmares?) about it last night. I will never forget that moment.

Gentry was "fine." She was of course scared and screaming, but that is far better than not screaming. My heart was pounding and I was crying too, but we are okay. It was a lesson learned the hard way and not one we will soon forget.

So, we have had the safety talk with Huntler (again) and now we know we need to be checking into some sort of swimming lessons. We have known we needed to all along, but now it is even more of a priority.

I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me...that is not why I am posting. Believe me when I say I saw how quickly things can go from complete happiness to extreme fear. I guess I am sharing this so you too will see how things can change in the blink of an eye. Our kids were being completely attended to...you can imagine what happens to those kids who aren't. Watch  your kids around water...bad things can happen to ANY one of us.

And here are some pictures I snapped before all the drama unfolded. We will be back out swimming today, but believe me, our kids will be within arms length the ENTIRE time!

Huntler loves to play hide and seek...even in the pool! Daddy would hide (behind a boulder or the beach ball) and Huntler would zoom all over in that floatie looking for him!

And sassy Miss Gentry...checking out her wrinkly little feet!