forgotten 2/2: Evie runs

The second thing I forgot from 2011 was when Evie ran away in July. She was just 3 years old and it was a very hot and humid afternoon. I can still remember what she was wearing - pink Croc shoes, short little purple shorts and a pretty long white Mexican shirt that some friends who are missionaries in Mexico gave us.

Here is the whole story.

Terry was up at the Building with Noah printing some t-shirts (the Building is where youth group occurs and where Terry's t-shirt equipment is stored. it's probably about a mile north of our house.). I stayed home with Evie and Samuel b/c it was nap time. The plan was to for us to head up to the Building once the kiddies were awake and I was done nursing. I got Evie up from her nap and told her that daddy and Noah were at the Building and that we would go after Samuel was done. Then Samuel and I went in my room while Evie played downstairs (I always went in there for peace, quiet and less distractions). Evie stuck her head in and asked something about going to the Building. I told her, no, we would go when I was done and not to go anywhere.

Twenty minutes later when Samuel was done and I exited my room, I called for Evie. She didn't answer and it was right then that I noticed humid feeling air in the house. I could see that the door leading to the garage was ajar. I assumed she was outside in the garage playing, or perhaps in the yard. So I put Samuel in a stroller and called for her outside. She didn't answer and I couldn't find her around the house. I ran inside and checked every hiding place I could think of, yelling her name. I went back outside and looked and called louder. No answer.

Alarmed, I called Terry and he thought we should call the police so he did or perhaps he didn't get the chance - it's all a blur, even then. I went to our neighbors house and asked if she'd seen Evie. Though she hadn't her nephew had a while before. Panic started to mount inside as I quickly walked up the street. As I looked at the houses along our road, I was thinking that she could be in any of those houses and I wouldn't know. Someone could have snatched her off the road. I kept thinking, What if I never see her again?

About a block or two up the road a woman stuck her head out of her door and asked if I was looking for a little girl. She had seen her walking up the road a little while ago. At the same moment Terry called. A college student that had been helping him finish the t-shirts had seen Evie on the last street in town that led to the Building. People drive fast on that street. A woman organizing a garage sale on that busy north street had stopped and kept Evie as she walked by and she called the police. Terry got there before the police did and they waited together to give their story to the officer. Evie had been only a few blocks from the Building.

So we got her back safe and sound, except for the blister on her hot little foot and being pretty thirsty. She didn't seem to understand she had done anything wrong or had been in danger, even though she disobeyed me when I told her not to leave. She was disciplined. The strange thing is that I had just talked with Noah and Evie about strangers, etc. not long before this.

Hopefully she never does anything like that again.