Some scary lessons learned... Please Read!

Some things have happened over the last few days that have made me stop and think...

Lesson #1- Always Buckle Up
Many of you may have heard of the car accident here on Wednesday involving two mini vans, that killed a 6 year old Kindergartner (from my neices school). If you'd like to read more you can check out this link:
http://www.azfamily.com/news/local/stories/Chandler-local-news-042909-fatal-wreck-dobson.3c5979c.html

If you don't want to read the article, here is an excerpt:
There were no safety restraints in use by any of the occupants in the Honda minivan. DPS investigators have determined that if the occupants of the Honda minivan would have used safety restraints, it would have minimized or prevented the severity of injuries and prevented the fatal injury.

All the occupants in the Nissan minivan were properly wearing safety restraints. DPS investigators have determined the wearing of the safety restraints by all the occupants of the Nissan prevented injuries.

I have been teased a bit for being a "seatbelt/carseat Nazi" at times and after reading and hearing about this sad story, I am so grateful that I have taught my kids the proper way to use a seatbelt/carseat. Hayden will be in a ful back booster seat until he's 12 if at all possible (pretty sure that won't quite happen but maybe we can get close!) It's funny to hear Hayden getting frustrated with friends who ride in our car if they put the seatbelt on the wrong way (behind the back) because I have worked very hard to teach him the proper way to wear a seatbelt, that is something I am not willing to mess around with. My cousin was killed in a car accident at 15, my other cousin is recovering from serious brain injuries from the car accident he was in 3 months ago - cars are scary things. Please, please, keep your kids safe in the car. Mine are not perfect, just yesterday a motorcycle skid out infront of us as we were turning and I had to slam on the breaks and see if he was OK, etc. Not 1 minute later, I look in my rear view mirror and Brynley had taken off her seatbelt and was standing up! I immediately pulled over and got her back into her seat, imagine if that had been only a minute earlier, she would have flown through the car, scary!

Lesson #2 - Don't Open the Door for Strangers
The doorbell rang, Brynley went running for the door as I yelled at her, "Do not open the door!!!" This is our routine every time the bell rings, sometimes she doesn't listen and she opens the door to a neighbor, or Grandpa... you get the idea. Today she listened and went to the Living room window to look out. I (forgetting to look through the peep whole) open the door, no one was there, but behind my car was parked an older model run-down Saturn. An alarm went off in my head, I slammed the door and locked it immediately. Someone yelled and started forcefully trying to open the door and pounded on it, repeatedly. He must have been right by the side of my door. I run and lock the back door, baby in my arm, yelling at Bryn to get in the Family Room.

I pick up the phone and call 911. The operator is asking me everything I can describe about the man, I see him peeking his head through my front living room window, smiling at me very creepily. I'm totally freaking out trying to describe him to the operator yet keepign a good distance, I only got a look at his face. A few minutes go by and I look out the peep hole, he's not there, but the car still is... I immediately stare out my back windows to make sure he's not in the back yard. Meanwhile the operator is asking me about weapons in the house explaining to me that officers are on their way. I approach the front door at which time I hear the man repeating my house number to someone (on a phone possibly). I look out the peep hole, his car is still there. Within a few seconds I see the car pulling away, I step out on the porch and tell the operator he's driving away, she asks me for a plate number, the car stops, I freak and go back inside, door locked. Eventually he pulls away as I explain to the operator which direction he is driving, the plates were too far away to read. The car is gone. The operator tells me the officer should be here momentarily and hangs up the phone. I am shaken to say the least, and irritated that I couldn't see the plate number, he will probably not be caught.

The police took a full report. They checked the yard, it turns out the guy had gone around to our gate and side yard. Did I overreact? I don't think so, the second this guy tried to open my door and do so forcefully, I did the right thing. If it had been the pool guy, he would have said so. The landscaper, he would have said something. A workman for the house, would have said something. Someone from church, I probably would have received a call from someone apologizing later for the incident right? I hate to think the worst of people but the scenario just didn't add up. I second guessed myself on the phone with 911, but why would this guy stare at me through my window and then not try to tell me who he was? It was obvious that I was home, if he was here with good intentions, he would have explained himself instead of leaving, right?

Please, don't open the door for strangers and please make sure your kids are always buckled! These things have just hit too close to home for me.

P.S. If your husband or someone you know drives an older lavendarish/gray Saturn and he came to my house today, will you please just tell me so I can stop freaking out that he's coming back to hurt me???