So much to be thankful for...

Pictures will arrive soon from Thanksgiving. We had a blast visiting with the Stephens'. My parents drove out Wednesday night, and made really good time. Eszter was so excited to see Grammie and Grampie. We had yummy pumpkin waffles for breakfast, and then Eszter, Mom, and Dad went over to Steve and Joyce's house to get the meal prepared and play. Eszter got to play with the grandkids (2 teenage girls and 1 1/2 year old twin boys), and help cook the big dinner. Brian got a break to clean out the garage while I finished up the desserts.
We had a nice time to reflect on what we are thankful for, but no moment like the end of the night. Brian and I came home with the twins in the van, while Mom, Dad, and Eszter came behind us in mom's car. We got home a lot faster than they did. We were just standing up to get the babies ready for bed, and I was thinking, "they should be here any second." I was right. There was a huge crash, and then, a few seconds later, there were two more crashes. Brian handed off Josiah and ran out the front door. I heard yelling, much of it angry, grabbed the phone and headed to the front door, unsure whether it was safe to go out. I opened the door, and there were about 20 people outside, including Mom, Dad, and Eszter, still inside their car. It looked intact, but everyone outside was so loud and some were cursing (understandable, but our neighborhood isn't the safest), so I rushed them to get Eszter inside. I discovered there was a hit and run. I called 911, and passed the phone to a witness. Brian had actually chased the truck to see where it went, and someone else had managed to get the plates. Mom and Dad and Eszter were directly behind the truck. Mom said he was driving crazy, so she stopped the car and backed up and out of the way. Nice move mom, because the truck turned directly into a van across the street from us, caught the van, and drug it. Then it backed up, rammed again in effort to turn around, and sped off. Brian chased the truck and watched it pull into it's home, close the garage, and the driver ran inside.
I was struck with how much I have to be thankful for. Thankful that my family was BEHIND the driver and that mom was quick enough to get out of the way, thankful that no one was hurt. Thankful that the family across the street wasn't loading into the van to go home, thankful that no one was in the street. I have never been struck so hard with how much I love and appreciate my family. I hold them close, thankful to have them.