Home Safe!!

Yesterday morning I headed over to my husband's Aunt and Uncle's house. I was going over to help another Uncle (Hi, Uncle Rich!!). I had told my boys that if during the school day they needed me, they would need to call their dad's cell phone. The younger kids and I got to the school to pick the boys 15 minutes before school got out. When it did let out-I got out of my car to wave the boys over. I saw them both--called both of their names, but they didn't hear me. Bug had fallen asleep on the way home, and I didn't want to wake him up--but I had to in order to walk and get the boys. From the moment that I got into the car to get the kids out to the moment we started walking to the school--1 1/2 minutes--TOPS! Well, that was just enough. Both of my boys vanished in those 90 seconds! I saw DG turn and head toward the school, so I figured they'd gone inside to wait. Nope--they weren't there. I had them paged to the office. Nope--they didn't come. They weren't on the playground--they were gone!

I was getting worried-but the fact that both were missing meant that they were together--I would have been a MESS if I was only missing one of them. I called my neighbor to see if she had taken them home--but she didn't answer her phone-so it was time to head home to see if she had in fact taken them.

I have to tell you in that instant--I finally understood the crosses on the side of the road where someone has passed away in a car accident. It was so hard to leave that school. I had just seen the boys there, and so they had to be there. I couldn't leave the last place I saw them!

When I pulled up in front I ran in the house calling their names--nothing--they weren't there. I grabbed the phone and kept trying to call my neighbor--she wasn't home yet. Her daughter has gymnastics on Mondays so I was going to head over there--but honestly--at what point am I supposed to call the police? I'm wasting valuable time here!! As I came out the door-I saw that her husband was home. So I ran over there to see if he had heard from her. I knocked on the door, and the blinds in the side window pulled back--and there was DG!

Relief...Tears...Anger...Tears!!! The neighbor can see I'm upset and goes into explanation mode--honestly--I don't give a darn about how it happened--just give me my boys so I can take them home and love and snuggle and BEAT them!!! We got home, and I'm just sobbing--the boys are scared that they are in trouble and I go and sit on my bed. Nothing!! So I call into the living room, "Well, get in here and hug me!!!" Both boys came and melted into tears and hugs and apologies. They had thought that I would still be at the Aunt's house...so they told the son of the neighbors that they were supposed to be going home with him. My neighbor who normally picks her kids up--was at the E.R. and her husband had picked them all up. He wouldn't have taken my kids except that they had informed him that he was supposed to!

Whew!! Moments away from an Amber Alert there!! Oh--and they did bring me a huge bunch of "Sorry Mom" dandelions, hand picked from the back yard! Yep--they've been well taught!!