Well, I have to share a story with you ... but first, AVERY IS RIDING HER BIKE! I am so proud of her! I thought to myself yesterday morning... it's so sad that none of our kids know how to ride a bike. They are on their scooters all the time. Well, low and behold (what does that mean anyway) Avery tells her daddy that she wants to learn how to ride her bike after church yesterday. SHE GOT IT. She is riding on TWO WHEELS today. Now we realized... she needs a bigger bike. She is almost 8 and she is TALL.
Today, on the home school front, in our home economics class (not really... I just like to name every day things we do), Avery made us lunch. She is all about the kitchen and she is all about decorative food. She made SHAPE LUNCH.... Wait, that's home economics PLUS math! YES... CHECK and CHECK. She is so sweet!
Aidan is movin' right along with phonics and played on starfall.com (GREAT WEBSITE) for a while this morning. We still have math to do today.
Now for "the story"
Yesterday, I experienced THE WORST moment in my parenting history (which is about 7 3/4 years long). Ted was out cutting the grass and I was inside working on lesson plans. The older two were inside with me and the younger two were outside with him. (Abel loves his outside swing). I got finished and went outside to say hi to Ted. While I was out there, I got Abel out of the swing and brought him in. I started doing a few chores around the house and Ted came in and said "Tracie, you have to come and see this" (no, it was not a bear - haha - see post below). So I go outside and Avery is riding her bike. I rejoice with her and then think... I have to take pictures of this. So I come inside. As I am inside I am doing a mental check of where all the kids are. Avery is on her bike. Abel is now sitting in the front yard. I saw Aidan... Where is Addie? So instead of grabbing my camera. I call out to Ted.... "Where is Addie?" He said "I thought she was inside." I come inside calling her name. She sometimes will fall asleep in her bed if she is feeling the need for a nap. I go in her room. No Addie. I look in her bed, Avery's bed, then I walk into Aidan's room. Not in his bed either. I go to my room... not in our bed either. I call her name. NO ADDIE. My stomach drops. I felt sick.
I go back outside and say "Ted, she is NOT in the house". He starts screaming her name. I start screaming her name. So many things flashing in my mind. Ted walks next door and looks in their pool (again, my stomach drops). She wasn't there. He knocks on their door (because she loves going to their house). Not there. One little girl that was in our yard went and knocked on the door on the other side of our house. We went across the street to Gail's house (good friends). NO ADDIE. By this time, I can hardly breathe. Her precious little life flashing before my eyes. Aidan is hysterical ... crying... WHERE IS ADDIE? (He loves her so much). Avery is level headed just like her daddy and is doing a check list ... where could she be. I can tell Ted is feeling sick too.
I come back inside and look in closets and touch the beds to make sure. How could I miss her? Our house is NOT BIG. She is NOT HERE.
I imagine the police at our house and news reports (yes, I am a bit dramatic but it was SO REAL). It was the longest 4 to 5 minutes of my LIFE!
As we are inside, Aidan says "Mom, I am going to look under my bed". I thought to myself "that's silly" but I said "ok". I am frantic at this moment and then I hear the most precious words "MOM!!! MOM!!! I FOUND HER!!!" He found her. Under his bed. ASLEEP. She crawled under his bed and fell asleep.
The funny thing is, when I was cleaning, I went in his room probably 4 or 5 times and thought... "Aidan must be looking for something" because the storage boxes that hold some of his toys were out from under the bed and he has asked me earlier if he could dump his toy box. He had put the toys back but the boxes were out from under his bed. He has bunk beds and I would have never dreamed she was under there. She was all the way up against the wall.
My reaction is one she will probably never forget (she might have to "re-live" it in counseling one day :-). I was crying SO HARD. I held her so tight and kept saying over and over. THANK YOU GOD. THANK YOU GOD. SHE IS OK... THANK YOU GOD. Then I just kept saying "Do you know how much I love you?" Then Ted came running in and I broke down even more.
All is well. Made me realize a lot in those minutes... what really matters in life!!!!
Thank you JESUS for these treasures you have given me! Especially the treasures kept under the bed :-)
Today, on the home school front, in our home economics class (not really... I just like to name every day things we do), Avery made us lunch. She is all about the kitchen and she is all about decorative food. She made SHAPE LUNCH.... Wait, that's home economics PLUS math! YES... CHECK and CHECK. She is so sweet!
Aidan is movin' right along with phonics and played on starfall.com (GREAT WEBSITE) for a while this morning. We still have math to do today.
Now for "the story"
Yesterday, I experienced THE WORST moment in my parenting history (which is about 7 3/4 years long). Ted was out cutting the grass and I was inside working on lesson plans. The older two were inside with me and the younger two were outside with him. (Abel loves his outside swing). I got finished and went outside to say hi to Ted. While I was out there, I got Abel out of the swing and brought him in. I started doing a few chores around the house and Ted came in and said "Tracie, you have to come and see this" (no, it was not a bear - haha - see post below). So I go outside and Avery is riding her bike. I rejoice with her and then think... I have to take pictures of this. So I come inside. As I am inside I am doing a mental check of where all the kids are. Avery is on her bike. Abel is now sitting in the front yard. I saw Aidan... Where is Addie? So instead of grabbing my camera. I call out to Ted.... "Where is Addie?" He said "I thought she was inside." I come inside calling her name. She sometimes will fall asleep in her bed if she is feeling the need for a nap. I go in her room. No Addie. I look in her bed, Avery's bed, then I walk into Aidan's room. Not in his bed either. I go to my room... not in our bed either. I call her name. NO ADDIE. My stomach drops. I felt sick.
I go back outside and say "Ted, she is NOT in the house". He starts screaming her name. I start screaming her name. So many things flashing in my mind. Ted walks next door and looks in their pool (again, my stomach drops). She wasn't there. He knocks on their door (because she loves going to their house). Not there. One little girl that was in our yard went and knocked on the door on the other side of our house. We went across the street to Gail's house (good friends). NO ADDIE. By this time, I can hardly breathe. Her precious little life flashing before my eyes. Aidan is hysterical ... crying... WHERE IS ADDIE? (He loves her so much). Avery is level headed just like her daddy and is doing a check list ... where could she be. I can tell Ted is feeling sick too.
I come back inside and look in closets and touch the beds to make sure. How could I miss her? Our house is NOT BIG. She is NOT HERE.
I imagine the police at our house and news reports (yes, I am a bit dramatic but it was SO REAL). It was the longest 4 to 5 minutes of my LIFE!
As we are inside, Aidan says "Mom, I am going to look under my bed". I thought to myself "that's silly" but I said "ok". I am frantic at this moment and then I hear the most precious words "MOM!!! MOM!!! I FOUND HER!!!" He found her. Under his bed. ASLEEP. She crawled under his bed and fell asleep.
The funny thing is, when I was cleaning, I went in his room probably 4 or 5 times and thought... "Aidan must be looking for something" because the storage boxes that hold some of his toys were out from under the bed and he has asked me earlier if he could dump his toy box. He had put the toys back but the boxes were out from under his bed. He has bunk beds and I would have never dreamed she was under there. She was all the way up against the wall.
My reaction is one she will probably never forget (she might have to "re-live" it in counseling one day :-). I was crying SO HARD. I held her so tight and kept saying over and over. THANK YOU GOD. THANK YOU GOD. SHE IS OK... THANK YOU GOD. Then I just kept saying "Do you know how much I love you?" Then Ted came running in and I broke down even more.
All is well. Made me realize a lot in those minutes... what really matters in life!!!!
Thank you JESUS for these treasures you have given me! Especially the treasures kept under the bed :-)
7 comments:
AWEE! what a sweet story. :')
Had a similar thing happen at Moody's office a few years ago! Amazing how many things can fly through your head. I am a total over-reactor, so when Moody was panicking-- I lost it!
Sorry, it isn't fun at all!
Miss you.
I was feeling sick just reading this...it is amazing how a few minutes can seem like years. So glad Addie is ok and I hope that you get over it too in about a year(that is how long it would take me:-)
So glad you found her. Whew! God is good!
We had the exact thing happen to us with B! We were on vacation and couldn't find him ANYWHERE. The bedroom where we'd left him was next to the locked front door and we were sure someone had kidnapped him. We were screaming and crying, but finally we found him asleep under the bed.
Gets me in the gut every time. God is good and kept your baby safe.
oh my goodness! that would have been so frightening. makes me think of how the shepherd must have felt when he realized he lost one of his sheep. i mean, here he had 99 others, but he was still SOOOO determined to find the one that was lost--because he loves it soooo much he wants to protect it and take care of it.
i'm sooo glad you found her!!
Tears streamed down my face as i read your story... (My after baby hormones seem to bring tears easily :)... I'm so glad you found her... I wanted to tell you too that I love the way you tell stories... I know we only met for a few short days but every time I read your blogs I feel like I'm there with you and your family :) SOOO fun!! Love ya friend, Kacy
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