Some weeks are CRAZY!

And give me grey hair and age me.

This past Monday, Kaitlyn and Sam didn't come home from school.

They walk home together and arrive home between 3:05 and 3:10.  At 3:15 they were not home, I walked outside to look down the street and see if they'd hooked up with some neighbor kids or something but they were nowhere to be seen.

I loaded up the younger two in the van and started to drive the route they take.  NO ONE is around, no straggling kids walking home, no parents parked in cars or chatting, even the crossing guards had gone home.  It was so calm and quiet around the school that I for a split second thought that my watch and clocks were off by an hour.  But they weren't.

I arrive at the school and walk into the front office.  The new receptionist is helping another parent, Mrs. Walker the school Principal is there on the phone.  I calmly wait my turn and say, "Um, my kids didn't make it home from school."  Mrs. Walker told me to walk into the office and things got really exciting really quickly.

The school administrators know my kids, know that they're responsible and this is very out of character for them.  It doesn't make any sense to me, they have a piano lesson after school and know to come right home.

The school was checked, an announcement paging them on the loud speaker went off, their teachers were called to see if anything strange had happened with them leaving, the secretaries and other office staff start peppering me for names of families they might have gone home to or with and they begin making some calls.  No one has seen them, they're not with anyone we're calling.

Kaitlyn's and Sam's teachers come up to the office and they let me know that they left and were a little late leaving but nothing out of the ordinary.  They encourage me that it's very odd and unusual for something to happen to the two of them together.  They make sure that if they do arrive home, they can get in.  Kaitlyn's sweet teacher from last year gets in her car with another teacher and begin to drive the neighborhood looking for them.

By 3:35 they suggest I call Stephen.  I'm losing it at this point, crying and scared.  I call him and as I'm on the phone with him, one of the school secretaries calls my home and Kaitlyn answers!  Oh sigh of relief.  The teachers tell me to go home and love on them but then give them a real talking to.=)

THE STORY:  Kaitlyn has a new friend (Kendall) who sometimes has to walk alone.  She decided to walk her home thus taking a different route and a longer route home.  Sam knew this wasn't a good idea, he tried to urge her just to go home, he wanted a snack, he wanted to practice his piano before his lesson, but he also knew that he couldn't leave her by himself and he couldn't walk by himself--they had to stay together.  

When I arrived home and started laying into them, Sam burst into tears telling me he'd tried to get Kaitlyn to walk home but she wouldn't listen.  He said he even counted to 3 and she wouldn't be convinced.  He was so angry at her.

I think sometimes children at that age just don't realize how their actions affect other people.  I'm so grateful that they're safe.  I can't imagine my life without them.

THEN on THURSDAY, Matthew locked us out of the house.  Each morning we walk together to school.  I don't usually bring my keys or even my cell phone because it's a quick little trip.  I know the code to the garage and use the door from the garage to get back into the house.  This works great, unless Matthew decides to lock that door....

We realized it before we left for school and figured we might as well take the older kids to school since they were ready and there was no use making them late.  I borrowed my crossing guard friend Sharon's phone and called Stephen.  He tells me to check the garage for a possible spare key.  When I got home, I checked.  No key.  By this time a few neighbors are in the mix, and Sharon is done crossing and comes to help.  We check every door and window.  They're all locked.  AND since Stephen's been working off a set of spare keys he doesn't even have a house key that he can leave work to come home and get me in.  I'm going to have to call a locksmith! ($$)

THEN I remembered that my Father-in-law was one able to break into my house using a credit card on one of the doors and we try it and it worked!  

What a miracle.

WHAT A WEEK!