Our horrible day. :(

my heart breaks as I write this. Please include me in your prayers b/c I am so upset I can hardly function. :(

yesterday was a beautiful day. I had the pleasure of volunteering at Luke's school and learning what he does all day. On the playground the teacher asked him to get off a bike and allow someone else to have a turn. He stood and watched his friend zoom around, hoping that someone would get off their bike and return the favor. About 2 min before they went in he finally got another short turn b/c the kids got off to help clean up.

At home I thought what a beautiful day to go biking one last time! I wanted him to bike w/out having to "get off"... and just have a really good time together. I'm so paranoid about going places alone so I called my mom and Rich to tell them I was going to the bike trail alone w/ the kids and I would call as soon as we got back. I even prepped Luke on what to do if a stranger approached us.... to be on the safe side. You hate to put that in their head but you want them to know what to do just in case...

so off we went.... we left the "choo choo train" park in Lexginton and headed left over the bridge... JUST past the bridge there was a creek and a steep hill down to the bottom. I was focused on the trail being the perfect place for him to ride his bike b/c it was very flat! well.... not on the edges... his bike drifted off the path just on to the grass... the edge of the trail turned in to an instant hill (hardly ANY room for error) w/ his training wheels on, his bike just turned off the edge and he went straight down that hill...flipping off his bike and somersaulting w/ it all the way down to the bottom. Abby was on the back of my bike (attached in her seat w/ a helmet on) I dropped my bike so fast to run after Luke that she hit her head on the pavement and cried and cried.... (I lowered her about halfway before running.. it was just instinct.. I feel so bad about his..)I slid down the hill on my butt down to Luke... so far down. I could not even see Abby now. :( I picked him up and held him he was crying and crying. I quick sized him up that he was moving and crying and awake and carried him back up the "cliff/hill"... my feet kept slipping b/c it was so steep and it was hard to lift him up...but Abby's cries at the top of the hill encouraged me to move as fast as I could. :( I undid Abby's seat belt and pulled her from the bike that was tipped over... and cradled my 2 crying children in my arms smack in the middle of the path. It was the most helpless feeling being so far away from my car w/ 2 injured children. I kept looking at Luke trying to size up his injuries. It was so difficult to determine how bad he was hurt. He DID have on his helmet and elbow pads and knee pads. THANK GOD! I waved down another biker in the distance... who came to my aide. He thought the kids looked ok.. I carried Luke to the car.. and Abby walked her little legs off as fast as she could behind me. This kind gentleman, (I'll never be able to thank again) went down the cliff/hill and retrieved Luke's bent up bike. He wheeled my bike w/ Luke's bike on top all the way back to the car. I was so shaken up I couldn't even lift it on to the car. He was kind enough to help me load up so I could take the kids straight to the ER. I called Rich on the way.. I could hardly contain myself.. I kept bursting out crying.. poor Luke, he was saying "I'm ok!, I don't want to go to the doctor"... he was braver then me.. I just couldn't get that awful picture out of my head of my baby falling over the cliff. :( The kids checked out fine at the ER... we shook out some dust and dirt... and were on our way. I took Rich back to the park and showed him where Luke fell so he understood the seriousness of the fall, and the miracle that our little boy came out so well.

We stopped to get ice cream on the way home. The kids sat in the family room (a big no no!) eating ice cream and watching their favorite DVD while Mommy recovered...I climbed in bed w/ them last night.. one on each side of me and held them until they fell asleep...I just can't get over it.. I keep seeing it in my head, over and over. I'm so angry that there was no rail on that side of the trail. It was something anyone could do.. the poor guy didn't even have a chance to correct himself and get back on the path.

If you see a child wrapped in bubble wrap... that will be mine for the next year.. It's going to be really hard for me to get over this so please pray w/ me. The nurse at the ER was so sweet and kept reassuring Luke that he should get back on his bike and go again... I was silently thinking HECK NO... he's not getting on a bike anytime again!!!!

I am going to take my camera back to the location of the accident and try to get a picture how high up it was b/c it's just amazing he walked out of this ok. His helmet had a few dents in it. The nurse thinks these marks are like"rug burns" from the straps on his helmet? I'm not sure how Abby got her mark? either from the pavement or the helmet.. her bump went down quickly.
Pastor Pound was kind enough to call and check on Luke last night. Not having any clue the seriousness of Luke's condition, Rich called the church for prayers... Beth :(

PS Rich thinks the cliff/hill was about 25 feet... I had told the nurse 8-12... but was way off... when we actually went back and looked at it.

I forgot to mention in the ER Luke started falling asleep on Rich's shoulder while we were talking to the nurses. I panicked when I saw this.. I was tapping his face trying to wake him.. they saw how he was not responding and fast forwarded us back to the first room... where he just woke up? not sure what that was about.. they think from the trauma of just being upset?! but it was very scary thinking it was a sign of something worse.