Our own Super Hero

So, yesterday morning, as we were frantically trying to get out the door to church, Eli's inner super hero came out. 

You see, as I was buckling Silas into his car seat on one side of the minivan, and Jared was buckling in Eli on the other side, I threw my phone and keys on the front seat. As I did, I accidentally pressed the lock button on my key.  I heard the van lock.  I saw the van lock. I knew the van was locked.  Yet, at the same time, I didn't think twice about swinging the door shut on Silas after he was buckled in, officially locking both my children into the van, safely buckled into their car seats. Crap!  And, both our phones were also locked into the van.  Our only hope was Eli, who has had a little bit of anxiety since we moved, and does not like being too far from us, and really doesn't like being locked in his car seat without us right near.

So, we asked him to lean forward and unlock the door.  He couldn't reach.  We told him to undo the top buckle of his car seat, and action which we have threatened his life with if he does.  Then he could reach the switch, but couldn't pull it up.  He was crying. I was trying to stay calm.  Jared was trying to figure out how to break into the van himself.  So, I sat there on our drive way, yelling through the closed door, instructing Eli in how to get out of his car seat, so he could crawl to the front seat and press the button.

He had to take off his jacket, then learn how to stick his finger into the car seat to pull the metal lever to release the straps, then push up the neck guard things, that I even have trouble with, so he could release the straps, then wiggle his way up and out of the leg straps (because he couldn't undo that buckle).  It was really miraculous! 

And, thanks to a few baby blessings, we even got to church in time to take the sacrament! 

We came home from church where we thanked Eli with a "Hero's Lunch."   He was all smiles all day.  And, as we were putting him to bed later that night and thanked him again for saving our family, he said, "I'm really proud of myself today!"  Me too, little man!