It worked out perfectly. My uncle's birthday party was Tuesday night, and since he lives about 1 1/2 hours away (closer to the beach), and we were heading to the ocean that night anyway, we stopped and enjoyed visiting with family for the celebration. My aunt told me that the pool would be open, but I planned on not having the kids swim, so I wouldn't have to take wet clothes with us. I just thought it would be easier. Plus, they were going to be playing in the ocean the next day anyway, so I figured it would be fine.
When we got there, we pointed out the pool, which is not fenced in, to all the kids (including Riley) and told them to stay away from it. And, all night they did great. Scott and my brother, Adam, were outside most of the evening anyway, so if they did try to get close, they would be there to see what was going on. There were no problems during the party at all, which was great.
We decided to leave a little before it got dark. I had to run out to the car with Jillian, and I asked my mom to kind of heard the kids in the house and help me get them ready to go. They all came in and all was fine. My mom had to use the bathroom, so she went in there. I was out front helping my dad move some of his luggage into our van. When my mom came out of the bathroom, she heard some people talking, saying, "something's going on at the pool." Then she heard some screaming, looked out, and saw Riley (who will be 2 in Sept.) in the middle of the pool on his back flailing around. She immediately darted out the back door, ran down the steps of the deck (which was a miracle in and of itself because of her bad knees), and jumped in the pool to save him...literally. The kids were all on the side of the pool screaming, and he had somehow managed to get himself in the middle of the pool. How he stayed above water for as long as he did amazes me. Honestly, there MUST have been an angel holding his little body up and his head out of the water. He was crying, but as soon as my mom got there, that's when he started to go under. She got to him just in time.
Meanwhile, I came casually walking around the side of the house with Jillian and saw her in the pool. My thought was, "Mom, this is not the time to swim- we are leaving. What is she doing in the pool???" Then, when I saw my aunt standing there crying, I knew what had happened. To my surprise, I was really calm, and wasn't even shaken up at all. I guess it's because by the time I got there, Riley was calmed down and everything was already fine.
But, the part that made me want to cry was after we were thanking and praising my mom for saving him, Max walked by me, and I felt that he was wet from the waist down. I asked him why he was so wet and he said, "I tried to go in after him and save him, but then I thought, what am I doing? I don't know how to swim!" Now that's something for a 7 year old.
Man we were fortunate that night! God saved Riley for a reason. My cousin said I need to sing the song "I am a promise" to him. That is his song now!
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2 comments:
Oh Amy! How scary and how smart of Max! What if he had, with good intentions, gone in after Riley and both of them needed help and...
I was tense just reading and imagining this scene. I am rejoicing with you that Riley is okay and that Max used such good judgement in a scary situation.
So glad your mom came out when she did and was able to get to Riley! She's a hero! You can always tell Riley how she saved his life and how God kept him safe until she could get there to save him!
Wow!!! What a great story that you will be able to share!
We encountered Divine help when Rachel was 17 months old. She got REALLY sick right at the worst part of an awful blizzard. Everyone was told to stay home & our neighborhood was a mess!
Unfortunately, Rachel was having great difficulty breathing (gasping to the point where her chest seemed to meet her back because of how hard she was straining for air) & we knew we had to get to the hospital. Our street had just been plowed (which is a miracle in of itself as we NEVER get plowed) so we all hopped into the car & headed to the hospital.
We made it all the way to the highway & got stuck on the on ramp for Rt 100. Tony was prepared & used his shovel several times. But we were stuck!
Finally, after several attempts to shovel us out, he got into the car & prayed, "Lord, please move this car." All of a sudden, it began to move without Tony even giving it gas or steering. WOW!!!!!
As soon as we were on the highway (which had been plowed completely), Tony was given control of the car & we made it to the hospital safely. Rachel had her breathing treatment (she had an awful case of croup) & after a few hours, we were able to go back home.
Isn't God amazing? I love being able to tell that story!
I'm so happy that Riley is fine. Give your mom extra hugs for a while. I guess I will be hearing her version of that story when we return to Ladies Bible Study!
Hugs & kisses!
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