If I could only have known how true the last line from Thursday's post would become.
"I think it is going to be one of those days."
Our day went along just like every other day until about 8:10 p.m. That's when things kinda fell apart.
The kids and I walked across the street to say good-night to their friends when little man got a wild hair and went running like a fool across the neighbor's back yard. He had been all squirlly Thursday and really pushing the limit.
I watched him run across two backyards and I followed when my friend Lori mentioned she had her porch swing completed and I stopped by to take a look. JG was still in sight and ran up along the side of Lori's house, I then went around the opposite direction to cut him off, pick him up, take him home and immediately deposit him in the bathtub.
I got to the front of the house and there was no little man. That was funny I just saw him run up here, maybe he went back down. So, I went back and asked Lori and her husband Paul if JG was there - the answer was no. There was no JG. Confused I began walking around their house yelling his name, still no JG.
I got Lori and Paul and we looked through their house, garage, their playhouse, our house and yard. Still no JG. By now I was getting upset and assumed he had run off a friend's house so I jumped in the car and went to NB and MO houses. No JG. It was like he vanished.
We have never lost little man, in all of our outings, DisneyWorld, Mexico, State Fair many airports etc. I have never lost the kid, but right here less than 50 yards from our front door our son was gone. The neighbors went into action, in less than ten minutes there were 20 plus people looking for JG, yelling for him and looking in every possible place he may be.
The 20 minutes he was gone was the LONGEST of my life. I found myself wandering, looking for him, yelling his name and thinking that this was not possible he wasn't just around the next corner. The longer he was gone the more scared I became. Lori brought me her cell phone and I began thinking I was going to need to call the police, however in my mind calling them was admitting that I had lost him and it wasn't an option just yet.
By about 8:30 I made up my mind it was time to call the police. I dialed 911 and got the dispatch and began to describe what our son was wearing: green shirt and red flowered swimsuit. I told the woman he was 42 pounds, 3'6" and had brown eyes and blond hair. My heart was beating so hard in my chest it hurt and all I could think was "Is this what they put on one of those Amber Alerts?"
Just then someone yelled, "We found him!"
I can't remember running to the front of the neighbor's house where little man stood. He looked so small. He said, "I was just playing. I wanted to play Ghosts in the Graveyard." He saw all of the people standing in the cul-de-sac. "Why are they here?"
I told them they were all looking for him and he began to cry, so did I.
Evidently little man wanted to play a game when no one else knew what he had in mind and took cover deep in the neighbor's bushes. He hid so well not one of the people looking for him saw him, plus he didn't hear the people yelling his name. Finally he got worried, took a peek to see what was going on when two of the neighbor boys spotted him.
It was a very long evening for the Schmidts, one we don't want to re-live ever again. One lesson we as a neighborhood learned was that we pull together well, I could not believe how fast and how many people were looking for JG. Thank you all.
JG has hopefully learned his lesson, he lost his most prized possession his Game Cube for two weeks and we are so thankful to still have our most prized possession safe at home.
"I think it is going to be one of those days."
Our day went along just like every other day until about 8:10 p.m. That's when things kinda fell apart.
The kids and I walked across the street to say good-night to their friends when little man got a wild hair and went running like a fool across the neighbor's back yard. He had been all squirlly Thursday and really pushing the limit.
I watched him run across two backyards and I followed when my friend Lori mentioned she had her porch swing completed and I stopped by to take a look. JG was still in sight and ran up along the side of Lori's house, I then went around the opposite direction to cut him off, pick him up, take him home and immediately deposit him in the bathtub.
I got to the front of the house and there was no little man. That was funny I just saw him run up here, maybe he went back down. So, I went back and asked Lori and her husband Paul if JG was there - the answer was no. There was no JG. Confused I began walking around their house yelling his name, still no JG.
I got Lori and Paul and we looked through their house, garage, their playhouse, our house and yard. Still no JG. By now I was getting upset and assumed he had run off a friend's house so I jumped in the car and went to NB and MO houses. No JG. It was like he vanished.
We have never lost little man, in all of our outings, DisneyWorld, Mexico, State Fair many airports etc. I have never lost the kid, but right here less than 50 yards from our front door our son was gone. The neighbors went into action, in less than ten minutes there were 20 plus people looking for JG, yelling for him and looking in every possible place he may be.
The 20 minutes he was gone was the LONGEST of my life. I found myself wandering, looking for him, yelling his name and thinking that this was not possible he wasn't just around the next corner. The longer he was gone the more scared I became. Lori brought me her cell phone and I began thinking I was going to need to call the police, however in my mind calling them was admitting that I had lost him and it wasn't an option just yet.
By about 8:30 I made up my mind it was time to call the police. I dialed 911 and got the dispatch and began to describe what our son was wearing: green shirt and red flowered swimsuit. I told the woman he was 42 pounds, 3'6" and had brown eyes and blond hair. My heart was beating so hard in my chest it hurt and all I could think was "Is this what they put on one of those Amber Alerts?"
Just then someone yelled, "We found him!"
I can't remember running to the front of the neighbor's house where little man stood. He looked so small. He said, "I was just playing. I wanted to play Ghosts in the Graveyard." He saw all of the people standing in the cul-de-sac. "Why are they here?"
I told them they were all looking for him and he began to cry, so did I.
Evidently little man wanted to play a game when no one else knew what he had in mind and took cover deep in the neighbor's bushes. He hid so well not one of the people looking for him saw him, plus he didn't hear the people yelling his name. Finally he got worried, took a peek to see what was going on when two of the neighbor boys spotted him.
It was a very long evening for the Schmidts, one we don't want to re-live ever again. One lesson we as a neighborhood learned was that we pull together well, I could not believe how fast and how many people were looking for JG. Thank you all.
JG has hopefully learned his lesson, he lost his most prized possession his Game Cube for two weeks and we are so thankful to still have our most prized possession safe at home.