The last 36 hours have proven to be quite a roller coaster of emotions. Excited and thankful, brokenhearted, frustrated, fear and relief… I’ve been through it all.
Yesterday we got some great news and a huge answer to our prayers… Ray was given a much-needed and well-deserved raise at work! You know, with the rising cost of food, feeding six growing children (who always seem to be hungry) is not getting any cheaper!
We had plans to see the World Vision Experience at a nearby church (I’ll blog about it in more detail later), and we had all eaten a very late lunch, so we decided to go out for ice cream to celebrate and eat dinner after the tour at 8:30pm. Sometimes it’s okay to do things backwards!
The kids were thrilled to be allowed to have such a treat before dinner, were enthralled with the tour through Africa, and managed to make it through a very late dinner. Ray and I were happy that they all fell asleep on the way home, however, since it had been quite a long evening and we were inching towards midnight with every mile home.
We parked in the garage, Ray pulled a sleeping baby out of his carseat and handed him to me, as I made a bee-line for the door, only to discover we were LOCKED OUT!! Being locked out of your house with six sleeping kiddos and no one to call to bring a spare key is not a good feeling.
After about a bit of trying we decided it was no use and called a locksmith, only to discover it would cost way too much to have one come out at such an hour. Scratch that idea. Ray called his brother, who just recently moved his family into a house just down the street, and we crashed at their place for the night. Very nice of them to put us up, but it wasn’t home so the baby and I didn’t sleep too well… Ah, it could have been worse, huh?
After donuts and coffee this morning, we headed to Lowes and Home Depot, while we waited for the locksmith (who was only charging half the amount this morning as they would have last night, by the way). We picked out some plants and flowers for our backyard, but we were all so tired that patience was low and the little ones were crumbling. I could sense the glares, and witnessed the stares, as we let the kiddos hang on the carts, holler back and forth at eachother, and push the stroller not-so-closely behind us.
We checked out at Home Depot and walked out towards the parking lot, only to discover WE LOST BEN! I thought Ray had him. Ray thought I had him. My heart sank. It was a totally helpless feeling! I ran up and down the aisles. I yelled out his name. I begged strangers to help me find him. I asked everyone I saw if they had seen a little blond two-year-old. It felt like ages, as I scoured the garden department for my quiet little baby, when in reality it had been only minutes before he came running down the aisle, towards my voice and into my arms, not even realizing he had been lost!
We finally got in to our house, all safe and sound, at noon today… Thank God!
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh my goodness, what great news but then a rough thing to come home to. You know, people glare at us if my daughter so much as goes “aaaahhh” in a restaurant. What can I say, I have a child and I’m not going to lock myself in my house until she is 10 years old. The people who glare must not have kids. Glad you guys finally got home.
Maybe you should leave a spare key with your brother in law or even hide one somewhere in your car…
We have one buried in our yard, just in case!
I heard you tell this story a few times and you said that you almost left Ben at the store but it brought tears to my eyes as I read the part in this that Ben came running down the aisle into your arms… Even though it was a few minutes I am sure that the amount of time you didn’t know where he was seemed like forever and you held onto him tight! Thank God you are all safe after such a long night. Love you!
Oh wow, what a range of emotions in one post. Congrats to your hubby on the raise, and I’m glad that you were able to finally get back in your house. And that your little one was found safe and sound!
We were just talking about that awful feeling of losing your little one from view. I could feel it as I read. I’m so glad that Ben is ok! Congrats to Ray!
Oh no……what a day…..
OMG what a 24 hours you had. I hope Ray’s brother now keeps a spare set of keys at his house for you.
Wow! What a day.
I totally forget how I came across your blog, but it is great!
Glad to hear everyone is better….a lost little one is definitely enough to scare the crap out of ya!
What a rough day! Glad to hear that you all made it home safely!