thankful.

while last Sunday's near tragedy left me reeling for a few days afterwards, and even now continues to periodically haunt me, there's one thing that has kept coming to mind over and over again: and that's Jake's quick thinking that day.  in the face of an emergency situation he didn't hesitate, not even for a second, to run to his sister's aid.

after witnessing such a courageous act, it reminded me once again how great the love between siblings really is.  even though it may seem like these kids do nothing but fight and argue (sometimes to the point where you wonder, gosh, is there even the tiniest morsel of love between them?), when it comes right down to it they would clearly do anything to help the other, even if it involved risking life and limb.  for some reason, this has really touched me to the core.  I don't think I'll ever doubt the love between these kids again.

after Hannah went back to school on Tuesday, of course all her classmates and friends were wanting to know what had happened.  with one particularly large abrasion on her chin and several other scrapes and bruises scattered here and there, it was obvious she'd been through some kind of ordeal, one which begged for an explanation. and so, after receiving the go-ahead from her teacher, she proceeded to tell the story to the entire class, down to the part where Jake jumped in and saved her from drowning. her classmates were so moved by Jake's braveness that they decided to make him a card, thanking him for saving not only his sister, but also their dear friend.  it was a very kind gesture on their part.

as a side note: Jake refuses to make a big deal over it, and if you bring it up he simply shrugs and says, "she's my sister, of course I'd want to help her."  he pauses, and then gives a little wink before adding, "annoying as she is."  ha.    

as for Hannah, she continues to improve every day-- the knot on her head has gone down and the soreness has, for the most part, subsided.  she has no recollection of the fall, except for what we've told her-- which is probably a good thing.

anyway, things are definitely looking up.  Ella has a kindergarten concert tonight, and we're all looking forward to going-- together as one big, happy family.

I couldn't be more thankful.

here's a few pics from our camping trip.  more to follow.

-jessica