Easter 2013

Easter this year was a little different. Nic was working in Roosevelt and so the kids and I did the Easter celebrations solo. This is not unusual, but this particular time things went very wrong. We met up with our friends Camille, Jackson and Jayne (also egg hunting sans husband) and went to the Farmington easter egg hunt. There were hundreds of people, but we kept the kids close and they had a great time finding eggs. After the hunt we got a frantic call from Camille's sis in law that she couldn't find her daughter. So we started to walk around looking for her. A few moments later we got another frantic call from the same sis in law that her son had eaten a peanut (he is allergic) and moments later we saw an ambulance driving into the park. With their daughter still missing, we kept looking. I had Jonas in the Ergo, Sage on one hand, and I had Mason hold Sage's hand on the other side. It happened quickly. On second Mason was there and the next he was gone. It thought maybe he had gone to play on the playground equipment near by (not like him to not tell me, but maybe the lure was just too strong). So I circled that equipment looking for him and calling his name. He wasn't there. So I started walking through the fields calling his name. He wasn't there. I was starting to panic. I mean, what better place for creepy kidnappers to go than a park full of hundreds of kids. I was dragging Sage around trying to hide the sheer and utter terror from my voice while I yelled his name. Fifteen minutes passed. FIFTEEN! I was on the verge of calling the police when I saw a woman holding his hand coming from a parking lot (on the other side of a set of buildings). Apparently he had lost me and ended up a random parking lot. I have always told him if he gets lost to find someone who works there or a mom to ask for help, but he had a hard time identifying the people running the egg hunt and when he couldn't find anyone to help him he ended up just sitting down and crying. When the lady brought him to me I was sobbing, he was sobbing, Sage was sobbing, and eventually the lady was sobbing too. She hugged me and I thanked her. One of the scariest experiences of my life. Camille's sister in law also found her daughter and her son ended up throwing up the peanut and therefore lessening any reaction he had. So it all ended well.

 

Despite the egg hunt from hell, we had a very nice Easter. 

Here are some pictures before everyone was crying and frantic.

Easter baskets.

 

Mason made sure I didn't feel left out and wrote me one of his famous stories.

 

Easter Sunday in their Easter duds from Grandma Hall. Sweetest kids ever. So grateful to my Father in Heaven for trusting me with them. Even if I did almost loose one.

Mason's Rides on 2 Wheels (Yes, in March.)

Back in March Mason learned how to ride his bike without training wheels. It was a pretty cool experience for all of us. I knew I wouldn't have the chance to blog about it as soon as I wanted, so I made sure to write down the experience before it left my mind. Here is what I wrote:

Mason hasn't been too interest in his bike lately. He loves his scooter. Nic came home and Mason saw two kids ride by on their bikes (2 wheels) and he said, "if they can do it, so can I. I'm 5!!" So he ran in and asked Nic if he'd take off his training wheels. That was that. Nic worked with him on starting and stopping and he ran next to him while they rode around the block 3 times and to his preschool once. Mason was beaming. He came in and gave me the biggest hug and was so proud. nic kept telling him how awesome he was and Mason would almost squeal with happiness. He couldn't contain himself. He said, "I'm so happy I could laugh my head off!" and "I just feel like I'm going to punch my face I'm so happy!" We kept telling him to remember this feeling because its worth more than all the money in the world. It was true happiness. It was an instantaneous feeling of accomplishment and it was so cool to see how absolutely thrilled he was with himself. He came in and wrote a note that said, "Thank you for helping me drive my bike mommy and daddy. Love, Mason". When we told him to remember this feeling, I said he can feel like kind of happiness again. He said, "Yeah, like when I spend time with my family." I always imagined these kinds of experiences when I imagined my future family. Teaching your kid how to ride a bike is almost a right of passage for a parent. But today was more than I ever imagined it would be. It was a really special experience. I loved seeing Mason that happy. To see him set his mind to something and then bask in the glory of accomplishment.  It made my heart feel so full it could burst. I hope I get to see him that happy lots more in his life. I hope I can teach him where true happiness comes from and he will actively seek to find it there.

St. Patty's Parade

(We have been having too much fun this summer for me to stay caught up on this blog of mine. I refuse, however, to let it die. This is how I journal, so bear with me as I post some things that happened a very long time ago.)

 

Nic had to work over St. Patrick's Day so the kids and I headed down to the Gateway to celebrate our Irish heritage.

 

Jonas fit right in with his vibrant red hair.

 

Sage had an episode of the grumps and had to take a break in the car seat.

 

She eventually cheered up.

 

I love this snuggly baby.

 

Mason front and center for the motorcycles. They were loud, but it certainly didn't deter him.