The day before Easter we took the kids to BYU for two Easter egg hunts.

The first was on the green below the bell tower, sponsored by the Athletic Connection group. They have activities every Saturday during fall and winter semesters that connect people with Down syndrome with BYU athletes. But today it was just an Easter egg hunt.

The day was beautiful, and Wes had a good time.

After the hunt they sat in a circle and played Duck Duck Goose. The adults have as much fun as kids Wesley’s age. And Wes REALLY gets into the game. He can’t wait his turn to race around the circle, but basically jumps up whenever anyone does and makes a few rounds on his own. Nobody minds.

After lunch at Arby’s we headed to LaVell Edwards Stadium for the first annual BYU easter egg hunt. Four thousand people RSVP’d online, including us. The football field was strewn with candy and Easter eggs.

We patiently waited until they were ready to begin. Wes–Mr. Football himself–was in awe of the stadium and kept saying, “Football!” as he gazed across the green.

When it was time for the “hunt” they lined everyone up around the field’s perimeter. We were in the area for kids ages 0-3. There were a lot of bodies. Once they said, “GO!” there was a big rush onto the field.

Wes didn’t mind. He just found a little area and happily scooped up candies. Carissa had a good time, too.

Anyone who knows me knows that I worry about Wesley’s whereabouts. If I can’t see him I can’t be sure he’s safe. Wandering is a common trait associated with Down syndrome (and autism and other cognitive conditions).

When he was a baby and I was first meeting other moms of kids with Down syndrome, I was blown away by all their stories of their kids wandering off and disappearing. Wes was so small that I couldn’t imagine it. I remember distinctly thinking, “Really? Really??”

Yeah, really.

As he’s gotten older we’ve found we need to keep a firm hand on him in public so he doesn’t run off. If we’re in a group of people, such as at a party, it’s easy to lose track of him among so many kids but if I don’t keep a close eye on him he sometimes ends up outside, by himself.

This week he was playing in the backyard by himself. Our yard is fully fenced with a gate that’s always closed and locked. I didn’t worry about him out there. John and I were both just inside, seated at the big window where we could see him. We looked something up online which took our attention away from the window for a few minutes. When we looked back up, Wes was out of sight. I went outside to find him but he wasn’t anywhere in the yard. Since the gate was still shut and locked, it meant he had found a space between the ground and the bottom of the fence and slipped underneath. Which meant he was somewhere by the street, by himself.

We live on a corner, and the street that passes our house is fairly busy. I slipped on shoes and ran out front with John, wondering where Wes would go. There’s a park nearby, so we headed that way. Before we got too far John pointed across the street. There was one of our neighbors, carrying Wesley home. (Which meant that Wes had at some point crossed that busy street by himself.)

The neighbor had been driving by and saw Wes. To me, it seems like such a miracle that out of all the hundreds of people who could have driven past, it was HER. She happens to know our family well and knows my fear of him escaping. Lots of little kids not much older than Wes run up and down the sidewalk along this street by themselves all the time, going to friends’ houses, and just about anyone else who saw Wes out by himself probably would have taken no special notice. But my neighbor knew enough that when she saw Wes she stopped her car, got out, and scooped him up to bring him home.

We’ll always have to watch Wes, even when he’s grown up. Too bad about the backyard; he’ll probably play in it a bit less now.

Both my kids like ice cream. Obviously they get this from me and not their dad.

Carissa eating with her cousins.

Grandma and Grandpa brought Wes and Carissa each a pinwheel last week. They love them, using them as swords in duels, clubs to hit each other over the head with, or as seen here in their proper use as docile wind catchers outside.

At BYU with Grandpa and Grandma.