"It's Just An Accident!"

So it was one of those days. We all have them. This time around, everything was RED, and no, it was not a good red. Everything was going wrong!

As a little background, it was my special time of the month. Ladies, you know what I'm saying. And I haven't had one of these weeks since 2005 when we got pregnant with Emma. So it's been a while, and it was bad.

First of all, Callahan threw up all over, and it wasn't pretty. We had strawberry pastries for breakfast, so it was all over. Poor kid. We wonder if he's allergic to something that is making him do this so much. Because after he threw up, he was fine and acting like his normal cute self again.

Anyways, so Dave went to Cabela's with a friend that morning, so I thought it would be a perfect time to have a fun day with the kids. We went to the library for Discovery Time first. Things were going pretty smoothly at first, but then Callahn just started crying and crying. He was so red in the face, and everyone kept looking at me like "Can ya please get that baby to shut up?" we just left. As soon as we got back to the car, Callahan was fine, so we decide to carry on with our plans.

We went to the new Chick-fil-A restaurant that just opened in Riverdale for lunch. Yum! Even Callahan was munching down the delicious food. And Emma had a fun time playing on the play gym they have there.

After we ate some lunch, I though we'd go to the store to get the rest of the things we needed to finish making Dave's present and a few other Christmas projects. So we drove a little ways to Michael's. The parking lot was a nightmare! Cars were parked everywhere they shouldn't be. Luckilly, I found the last parking spot right next to the exit. We went into the store and found everything we needed on our list. The kids were pretty well behaved. Things were turning up.

So we finished at the store, and we got the kids buckled up, I backed up, pulled up a little, looked right, looked left, looked right again, and then it happened. A red Honda Accord ran into me and I ran into that car. It's a hard thing to explain, and I'm such a visual person, I'd have to draw an explanation. But I did not see her. Technically, she had the right of way, so it was my fault. I was in shock! She gave me a crusty. I looked at her and said sorry, and immediately got out of the car. I noticed she had a little baby, so I asked if the baby was okay. She checked on her baby and she was sleeping. My kids were okay, we weren't going fast enough to do them any harm. But her car will need some work, as well as ours. I told her I was so sorry. I felt SO bad I was tearing up. This was my first accident. We moved our cars out of the entrance, so people could get in and out. They both ran okay, just the head light covers were damaged, and they needed new paint jobs and got some dents.

When I got back into the car, Emma said "Mom, it's okay, it was just an accident!" What a sweetheart! We always tell her that, because she is kinda hard on herself sometimes, and we have to remind her it's okay. Then she asked,"So is there a big hole in our car now?" "Not exactly, just a few scrapes and it's a little broken on front, but it will run fine."

What she said helped to lift my spirits a little. But I got back out of the car again and had an even hard time hard time keeping my emotions to myself. We exchanged information and everything, did what we were supposed to. And I couldn't stop crying. I felt like such a baby, but it really shook me up. I take after my Mom, so even if I cry for a few seconds, my face is red for an hour. Luckily, I didn't wear any makeup that day. I just had a rough time and felt bad she had to deal with this, and I wasn't sure how we'd pay to get it fixed, being unemployed right now. I think that's really what it was that was getting to me. Not having a job like this for so long has been so draining to everyone in our family. And this seemed to be the last straw, you know? But the girl who I collided into turned out to be very nice in the end, and we even hugged at the end, which is wierd, but that hug made a big difference. I was so worried she wouldn't be very happy, and it would show. But she was very good to work with in the end. I judged her by that first look she gave me. I shouldn't have done that.

When I got back in the car to drive home (no more errands today, I was scared to even drive home!), Emma said, "Mommy, it's okay! Don't cry Mom!" And then she said "Mom, at least WE'RE okay!" And it just made me so grateful that she was there to put things in perspective. Sometimes I think these things I go through are so huge, when really they're nothing at all. I was still bawling like a baby, though this time it was in gratitude for such a wonderful family, all of who were safe and healthy. I was also still sad that I had to put everyone through this during this time of year. So my hysterics were a mixture of a lot of emotions going on.

When we got home, Dave immediately sensed something was wrong, before he even saw me. He was very sweet and helpful through the whole ordeal. I am grateful he is so understanding, a good listener, and he always gives great words of comfort and advice. And for my little girl who helps me to remember what's really important in life. I need to do a better job remembering that sometimes "Crap happens" as Dave says, or sometimes accidents happen, as Emma reminded me. And we just need to look up, put a smile on our face, and go on with life, doing the best we can!

Emma always has a smile on her face. She is such a little sweetheart. But notice the red shirt (and food on her face)? I tell ya! Red haunted me this week!

Here's a picture of Dave applying for job after job. (It's red, yet again!) Several every day, everywhere he can. He's working so hard, yet nothing yet. It's so frustrating. But we've got to have hope. Oh how I love him.

And Cal doesn't have much to say, ever except for "Ma Ma" or "Da Da". But he's a little cute "stinker". Another quick story. Dave was with the kids while I was at Enrichment. A lady asked Emma what her baby brother's name was. She said "My little brother's name is Callahan," and the lady wasn't quite sure what name she said, as it isn't very common, so she looked to Dave to clarify. Dave reiterated what Emma had said. Then Emma looked at her, "Or Stinker! That's his other name." It was pretty funny! I wish I was there! From the mouths of babes...