9-1-1

Well, I've aged about 5 years in the last 45 minutes. After the boys woke up from their nap, I put on their socks and shoes and sent them to the backyard to play. I then put on Sofia's socks & shoes, and went out with her.

The boys were gone. Really gone.

I ran over to the side of the house to check the gate, but it was closed. I thought maybe they snuck inside and are eating toothpaste somewhere upstairs. Did a quick check in all the usual hang-outs, but with no luck.

By this time I'm really starting to panic. I think maybe they somehow got the gate open, went out front, then closed the gate, so I run out front and do a quick scan up and down the street. No toddlers running and giggling with glee. I run back out to the backyard--still nothing. I grab the phone and dial 9-1-1 as I'm re-checking all the rooms inside.

After giving the operator my information, she dispatches a police officer and I stand outside, pacing furiously. I stare at the face of each driver going by in their car, trying to see if they are looking at me like they know I've lost my children. I'm sure someone has seen two little boys running down the sidewalk, and can tell me where they are. But no one slows down, no one brings my boys home. I can't leave the house, because I have Sofia there, and just in case the boys really are hiding somewhere in the house or in the back. I do sprint across the street and up the other street, checking likely places the boys would be, but I can't see any sign of them.

It seems like forever before the police officer arrives. She takes a description of the boys, and tells me that she will be there day & night until they are found. They will send up the helicopter immediately, because of the age of the boys. I'm relieved and panicked at the same time. A helicopter? Day & NIGHT?? But she goes to call the info in, and I run back to the house to do another check. I send Sofia up to check their favorite hiding spots, because by this time she's feeling scared and needs a distraction. I run out back again to do one last check.

After I had called 911, I called Filipe, who was driving home from Houston. He had mentioned checking to see if they had crawled through the fence somehow. So when I went out for my last check, I had that in mind. I checked the outdoor shed, behind the shed, and by the garden. That's when I noticed one of their Tonka dump trucks sitting in the back corner of the yard. Right next to one plank of fence that was pulled slightly out. I ran over there and shoved the two loose planks aside.

There were my two boys, sitting in our behind-us neighbor's yard. Apparently, they have a Barbie ride-on jeep that the boys thought was very cool. I had to do the "count to three" trick twice before they reluctantly scooted through the fence. As Sam passed through, he looked up at me with his big brown eyes and said, "No time out Sammy. No time out." Don't count on it, kid.

I hauled those boys out to the front porch and sat them down, and went down to the police officer to let her know I found them before they sent up the helicopters. She came over to take a look at them just as another police officer arrived. The boys were very excited to see the police cars. Me, not so much. But we told the other officer the story of where they were, and they took my information down and left. As they got back into their cars, Sofia looked at me with disappointment and said, "oh... I thought we were going to get to ride in the police cars." Not unless they're taking me to Child Protective Services, I thought.

So that was my adventure for today. My heart is just now returning to normal, whatever that is. So the moral of this story is The toys are always more fun on the other side of the fence.

The End.