I don't know what to title this blog post. Yesterday was horrendous. Yet, it ended up okay. We were lucky, and unfortunately there have been many families in our position that did not receive the same outcome. Lessons were learned, my family is safe, and each of us has gained a new perspective on life. Yesterday was the annual swimming party with Mark's family. It was a beautiful, hot July afternoon. We had good food, good company, and the kids were playing in the pool. After lunch I was down by the pool watching the kids swim (Chloe was napping). A few adults were up by the balcony watching as well. A few older children were also in the pool. Mark came down and sat beside me. I told him I was going to go see if they needed help cleaning up in the kitchen. I was there maybe 10-15 minutes when Mark's brother ran inside saying that Caleb was at the bottom of the pool and told us to call 911. My heart dropped and I ran down to the pool. Now before I go on, I should say that the next part may be a little graphic. Not horrible, but you've been warned if you are very sensitive to such matters. I'm just telling my experience. I got down to the pool to see Mark laying a lifeless Caleb down next to the pool. It was obvious he wasn't breathing and his face and skin were blue. Not sort of blue...very blue. I remember yelling, what happened? How could this have happened? I really thought my baby boy was dead. I grabbed him and started a few chest compressions and some mouth to mouth. It seemed hopeless. I stood up and began wailing "My baby's dead." My son James was right there and we went over to the side of the house. My sweet son dropped to his knees and began praying. My sister in law was trying to console me, but I was pretty hysterical. During this time Mark was performing CPR with his father next to him. I remember looking over and seeing Caleb's blue face just foaming at the mouth and wanting so desperating to bring his little body back to life. I began praying the most fervent prayer of my life. Then suddenly, my sister in law grabbed me and said, "look, he's opening his eyes.". Sure enough, water was coming out of his mouth, he started coughing, then throwing up, then crying. Music to my ears!!! Very slowly the color started returning to his face. A few more minutes went by and we heard the sirens. The EMT's arrived with some officers, and rushed in to help. They all looked relieved when they saw Caleb, because from the description they got of him, they feared the worst. They received our information, examined Caleb and amazingly his vitals were okay. However, he was super lethargic and was going to sleep. They took that as a bad sign, but Mark and I have seen him do that before under different trauma's (broken leg). With a little bit of confusion and discussion about whether he should ride in the ambulance or if we could take him, we decided to play it safe and take him in an ambulance to McKay-Dee hospital. At the hospital a chest xray showed that he aspirated some water, so they gave him some breathing treatments, and admitted him overnight. After some visits from his brothers, sister, and cousins, he perked right up. It was a long night for Mark and him in the hospital, but today at around 10am, they released him. He is home, we couldn't feel more grateful, and it took about 2 hours for Caleb to start bugging his brothers. He's running around and even being naughty. We couldn't be more thrilled. He really is the exact same, and you would never have known he almost lost his life yesterday. Let me fill in some details that I learned after everything had calmed down. James is the one who first saw Caleb and alerted Mark that he was on the bottom of the pool. Caleb told us a few hours after that "the blue thing let me go." He was using a blue floatie that apparently he lost and no one saw him struggle. He described his struggle and fall down into the water, and it's pretty sad. It breaks my heart how terrified he must have been at that moment. We have no idea how long he wasn't breathing. Anywhere from 2-5 minutes. More likely 2. Mark really did save his life. Every doctor and nurse told us so. Well, Mark and James. An interesting note...Mark performed CPR in his dental office a few months prior. He thinks that experience prepared him to save Caleb. We also firmly believe in divine intervention. James was prompted to look down in the pool to find Caleb. He says he just looked down, and saw him so clearly. Mark's mind was clear and alert and he knew exactly what to do. We are so blessed and feel so grateful to our loving Father in Heaven. I'm thankful for answered prayers. Especially for the prayers of two little boys earnestly praying for their little brother's life. Mark also gave Caleb a blessing before he was taken to the hospital. During the blessing Mark blessed Caleb that he would recover completely. This was a very horrific experience for my family, and for everyone present. I know we'll get through it and learn from it, but it was pretty awful. James and Drew are pretty shaken up. Words can't express how very thankful I feel to have my sweet little four year old run up to me and give me a hug. I love each of my children so much, and Mark is my rock, my everything. Life is precious and can change in an instant. We were so fortunate to have such a wonderful outcome. I know my family will face many more trials. I know we can face them and overcome them with our faith in God and with the help of our wonderful family and friends. The out pouring of kindness has been great. We woke up with cut watermelon and warm cinnamon cake on our porch. Now go tell your family how much you love them.