September: highs and lows

September is turning out to be a month of highs and lows. In the extreme sense. The good news is that the highs are winning over the lows and it should have a happy ending!

A visit to the Japanese Gardens.

To start with the lows, on labor day Gwen was in a near drowning accident at our cousins pool. The images of her unconscious are still haunting me but we are so so thankful she is ok. There are a few details about the experience that I sort of want to remember. The rest of it I'm trying hard to forget but I'm pretty traumatized. In the ambulance all I could think to do was keep talking and singing to her. At this point she was alert but lethargic. When we got to the hospital as we were being wheeled through the emergency room I started describing the murals on the wall. I told her to look for the whales and she said, "Maybe it's a humpback whale". I was so excited to hear her speak, knowing that she was not brain dead and remembered humpback whales!! The other thing I want to remember is her waking up in the morning (not that there really is a morning in the hospital. Day and night is kind of the same.) and the first thing she said was "Mom, can I have breakfast?" Anyone who knows Gwen knows she LOVES food. And her asking for food was a very good thing. Yes, baby! Anything you want for breakfast!

How is that for a low? Now for a high, in the same week we bought a house. We are so excited and have been waiting for this for a long time. We have some work to do to it and are hoping to be in by Christmas. It still doesn't seem quite real.

Harvesting basil for pesto.

Other more normal occurrences (thank goodness) that have been happening this month: Kate started another year at preschool. She is back in the same classroom and loves her teacher and friends. I miss having her home in the mornings, but the routine is good for all of us. Gwen and I are doing a Joy School with a few friends. I just finished up a month long bootcamp that I loved. Getting up early to exercise in the sunshine did a lot for me! Paul has been traveling a lot for work, but is happy to not be waking up at 5:15 am this year to teach seminary. And we like having him around for breakfast. We've got more excitement coming up this month and after a rough start, are trying appreciate these fragile lives and moments that may seem ordinary but are all that matter.

p.s. Gwen is finishing up her second week of survival swim lessons. She's almost mastered the back float. I don't care how much it costs. And I threw Kate in the pool with her clothes on last week. Three times. Kind of mean, but I had to make sure she could get back to the side. She passed. :)