That Time we Lost McKay

So, I dare say every parent's worst nightmare is having a lost child. My kids have given me a few scares over the years (most notably was when we couldn't find Kyla for an hour or so, only to find her asleep under Damon's blankets), but last night McKay gave me one of the worst. 

We were busy with two soccer games (typical) and Jeff was with Damon on his field across the soccer complex while I had the other three at Kyla's game. The soccer complex is huge, with over 20 fields, a pavilion, a playground and a parking lot. Allie, Carter and McKay were playing with other kids around the field, and I had no problem seeing them. Just as Kyla's game was ending, I looked over and saw Carter. He was fine. I saw Allie. She was fine. I didn't see McKay.

Instantly, I felt that he was gone. I got up and walked over to where Carter was and asked if he knew what had happened to McKay. He didn't. Allie told me she had sent him over to me "a while ago" and she didn't know where he ended up. So I started searching. I checked the street and parking lot first, but luckily he wasn't lying there. After that, I didn't know where to look. There were kids EVERYWHERE, and none of them looked like McKay. A few of the families sitting nearby started helping me look, and Jeff walked over just as Kyla's game was finishing, so he started looking as well.

As the games ended, people started streaming out of the fields into the parking lot, and I really worried that McKay wasn't there. A nice grandma said she would start praying and scrambled around looking. I said a few prayers myself, and tried to take nice, deep breaths, because my freaking out wasn't going to help anything. I ran over to the playground and pavilion to see if someone had found him there, but no luck. I was starting to really worry (it's so hard to keep your mind from going to that "someone must have taken him" place, and I was fighting that urge).     

One of the moms that was helping me look started up the path, and within a few seconds she was calling me over. He had been found! He was wandering around, obviously looking for me. And he had made it a long way! From where I had been sitting, he had probably walked over 100 yards past many fields, without knowing where he was going or what he was doing. It looked like he had been crying (well, he looked worried), but the relief was immediate. My prayers were fervent and thankful that he was okay (even if he was stinky again). The whole ordeal probably lasted 15 minutes, from when I noticed he was gone to when we found him, and those were some long minutes. My heart goes out to those families who have missing children and have no choice but to go home and wait until morning before doing anything else. What a nightmare (literally, that would be my worst dream ever). 

Even thinking about it now, my hands are shaking and my heart is racing. I'm so incredibly thankful that we were able to find him, and the dozens of people who immediately joined in looking for him were angels. I have to admit, today I have been a little nicer and a little more patient with all my kids, but with McKay in particular. If something like that never happens again, it will be too soon. Hug your kids tight tonight. There are some parents who would love to do just that, but weren't as lucky as we were last night. 

More Catching Up

I'm not sure what happened to our pictures and videos from our camping trip the last week of July. I did find a couple on my phone--this was the night we camped at Capital Reef. It was so beautiful and so isolated! Jeff got an awesome panorama shot, I'll have to post it from his computer.

Also from the camping trip, How to Eat an Ice Cream Cone by McKay and Carter

One night while Tara was in town, we had a mini girls night with my Aunt Colleen. We went to dinner at PF Changs and we noticed that the table next to us had a perfectly good appetizer just sitting there when they got up to leave. Tara was brave enough to try one (deep fried green bean) before the busboy cleared the table.

Eric and Kimmy also happened to be in town (randomly), so we met up at my house for a few hours and talked about how much we missed Heather. 

Our raspberry bushes have really been producing lately, and Jeff requested a raspberry pie. It turned out so good, I've had to make two more since!

We spent Labor Day with Jeff's family enjoying one last day of sun. It has been so fun swimming with the Trapnell's and I'm already looking forward to next year! Here are two of Kyla's gorgeous cousins, Aubrie and Macy.

McKay is awesome in his Puddle Jumper

Boys lined up for a jump....

and in they go!

My dad had everyone in the family put in a request for tickets to the MoTab/James Taylor concert, and we managed to get four tickets (two winners out of nine entries). But we had trouble finding one more person who wanted to go with us, so Allie was invited. She loved it! We had a quick bite at Mr Sushi in the foodcourt at City Creek, which we all enjoyed, and headed to the Conference Center for the concert.

Allie told me, "Thank you for bringing me, I love this kind of music!"

I also had the chance to attend Education Week for one day and got to meet up with my freshman roommate, Tiffanie Player. I really enjoyed it and hope that it always coordinates with the first week of school (eg, Jeff's week off because no one wants to get braces on once school starts).

Funnies

I haven't done a very good job of keeping track of the funny things that come out of my children's mouths lately. I need to do better. Here are the ones I DID write down:

During Damon's baseball season, we were watching a game on tv. Kyla said, "Damon, you better watch this so you can learn to be a baseball guy!"

From the "I Never Planned to Say That as a Mother" file: I found myself saying, "Carter and McKay, get out of the dryer!"

Carter walked into our bedroom one morning and asked, "what color is my butt crack?"

We were looking at a picture of Jesus getting baptized during the sacrament, and I asked Kyla if she knew the name of the man with Jesus. She did. "It's John the Baptism."

While we were on our trip to Yellowstone, we listened to a lot of music in the car. During "Sweet Home Alabama," Damon changed the words. He sang, "Sweet home Orem, Utah...Bex, I'm coming home to you!"

We are constantly telling McKay that he is a boy, and that's why he can't wear skirts, put on lipstick, etc. One day I was walking down the stairs and I heard McKay saying to himself, "I a boy, not a girl." I turned the corner and he was holding up a skirt, obviously trying to convince himself that he didn't want to put it on.

I was helping Carter put on his swim suit, and he was having trouble getting his legs in the openings. He asked, "What is that?" I told him it was a little net in his swimsuit. He asked, "Why is it trying to capture me?"

The kids were talking about me in the car one day, and Allie said, "Mom didn't have medicine with me when I was born. Maybe that's why I cried all the time." Kyla added, "Mom did have medicine with me. Maybe that's why I never cried." (Maybe they're on to something...)

Carter, on hearing that we were going to the park, brought me a bunch of toys to put in his "fatty pack" that he planned on wearing.

Kyla told me about some bears that a woman in our ward has. She said that there is one that plays a Christmas song, and then sang it for me, (to the tune of I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas) "I'm singing at the Y."

Another time Carter put his swimsuit on, and came up with a swimshirt on as well. I asked him why he needed that (he rarely ever wanted to wear it) and he told me, "so I don't get yucky things on my nipples."

I often tell Carter, when he is mad at McKay, that Heavenly Father sent McKay here to be part of our family forever. He doesn't like this, and one day told me, "I don't like Heavenly Father, because he gave McKay to us forever!"

And a couple of things I found that Kyla had written down, because I love this beginning literacy stage.

"It's olmost the fouth of Jaly!"

and

"Allie has a crosh on Woltor. Carter has a crosh on Olivia. I Kyla had a crosh on Timey."