Oh, dear. We lost our kids again today. We’ve had a few scary times when Wes has been missing, including from our own backyard and from a hotel in London, England. It is never a good feeling to realize your kids are gone.

Today I have a cold and everyone was in bed. I was going to lie down, too. If the kids woke up before me I didn’t want them to go into the baby’s room while she slept (as they sometimes do) and either wake her up (as they sometimes do) or pile blankets on top of her (as they sometimes do), so I went downstairs and took the child-proof doorknob cover off the door leading to the garage to put on the baby’s room door. It gave me peace of mind to know the baby was safe, so I could rest.

I actually never fell asleep, but what I didn’t know is that my two kids never fell asleep either. I just thought, “Gosh, they’re being quiet” as I lay in my bed in the room next door. After about a half hour I went to check on things and discovered 1) no kids in bed, 2) the baby’s door room was open (baby was safe), 3) the kids were nowhere in the house, and 4) the door to the garage was open AND the garage door was open. Escape opportunity.

Cue the panic, cue the “what-if” thoughts, cue the worst-scenario images racing through head. John was home so I called to him and we ran out in search.

I called a neighbor who kindly interrupted her day to take her two little boys out and help look too. I ran toward the park that’s a block away, John was a bit ahead of me, and I arrived in time to see him walking back home with both kids in his arms.

Relief.

Carissa was crying because she had two owies on her foot (no shoes, either of them). It seems like they exited our house and followed our side-street in the less-busy direction (thankfully; the road right by our house is very busy). My neighbor who was helping look said she thought she noticed a “trail of Wes” in the form of her lawn decorations pulled out and strewn across the grass. That kinda sounds like Wes. So at least they probably weren’t near a very busy road, and once they saw the park, obviously they went there. It’s probably a good thing Carissa hurt her foot because it made her sit down and cry, and Wes stayed near her.

Disaster averted. Each got a stern talking to about how they are not allowed out of the house without Mommy or Daddy. I think Carissa understood. I don’t think Wesley gets it. It’s hard to tell.

So. We get another day with these guys.