Tidbits

17 Years

Mark and I celebrated our 17th anniversary on Sat. We had a nice relaxing day...until we thought Bailey got kidnapped (but that's a whole nother story). It's so fun to think back on our 17 years of marriage. So many adventures and memories! I wouldn't trade away a second of it. I've loved the journey so far, and I can't wait to see what lies ahead for us.

Bailey Got Lost
This had to be the scariest moment of my life. It makes me sick to my stomach to just think back on it. On Sat. I got up early and ran 5.5 miles with Kassie. Bailey and Sawyer needed to do the run too, but they didn't want to get up that early. So, later on in the day, we piled everyone in the truck and headed to Freeman Park. Mark took the dogs, and headed to the Greenbelt via the floating docks short cut. I was on my bike, since I had already ran earlier. Sawyer and Bailey were both running. They had to take a lap around Freeman Park before heading toward the Greenbelt. Sawyer was faster than Bailey, so I was just riding my bike back and forth between them. Sawyer got to the point where he had to turn and head out to the road that would take him to the Greenbelt. I told Bailey I would be right back, and I headed up to Sawyer to make sure he knew to turn, and where to go from that point. It was maybe 300 yards in front of where Bailey was running. I couldn't have been gone for more than 45 seconds. When I headed back to Bailey, she wasn't there. I didn't panic yet...I thought maybe she ran faster than I thought, and passed the turn, and kept going around the loop. I took off on my bike to find her. I rode all the way around Freeman Park again, and there was no Bailey in sight. Now I was getting worried. There was one more possibility...maybe she went the same way Mark had gone, and took the floating docks to the Greenbelt. I asked a lady who was standing at that turn off if she had seen a little girl run by. I described what she was wearing, and the lady said she had been there for a long time, and no one had come by. She asked if she should call the police, and I told her not yet. Now the panic was setting in. I rode as fast as I could to Sawyer, who had just caught up with Mark. I told them I couldn't find her anywhere. Mark could tell I was about to lose it. He left me with the dogs, and he took the bike back to try and find her. Mark went one way, and Sawyer went another. I was left walking the dogs back, by myself. This is when I really started freaking out. I thought for sure she had been taken by someone. I was letting my mind run wild on me. Not a fun 15-20 minute walk back. It seemed more like hours. No one was coming to tell me anything, so I just knew the police were on their way, and everyone was still looking. FINALLY I saw Mark coming on the bike. It seemed like he was going so slow. I didn't know if that's because they found her, or because he didn't want to tell me that they hadn't. He finally told me that they found her, and that she was with Sawyer. That's when I lost it. I totally broke down and started bawling. We still don't know exactly what happened. She just kept running around Freeman Park over and over. After a while, she started crying because we weren't coming back. She was smart enough to stay in Freeman Park, because she was familiar with that loop. She saw our truck from a distance, so she headed across the grass toward it. Mark went to the truck first, so he saw her coming. We still can't figure out where she got off the path though, because I had gone all the way around the park on my bike when I first couldn't find her, and she wasn't there. After we found her, we ran around again, trying to figure out where she had gone, and she is sure she never left the path. Strange! For about 30 minutes, I got a small glimpse of what parents must feel like when their children go missing. My heart aches for them in a whole new way. It was horrible! Luckily it all turned out just fine!

Mother's Day

Like always, I got pretty spoiled on Mother's Day. The Young Men and the Primary got to sing a song to the Moms in church, so that was fun. I got a Crop-a-dile (a scrap booking tool that I have wanted for awhile). I was plenty happy about that, but then I got ANOTHER present. I got a gift card to Barnes and Noble. To me, that's like being a kid in a candy store. I was so excited! I didn't have to lift a finger all day. I even had my dinner made for me. I love a lot of things, but being a mom is what I love the most. My 2 cute munchkins make it an easy job to love.

Bailey decorated and sent me on a treasure hunt that she made up. She even made me brownies all by herself.

So silly, but that's why I love them!

Hippie Day
Sawyer had to dress like a hippie to get extra credit in history. I found this funny little hippie shop downtown, and of course I had to stop in to check it out. They had everything we needed to get him all outfitted.

Peace out dude!

Bye Bye Braces!

Bailey got her braces off. She had one day of freedom, and then she got her retainer. She kept a container of all the candy she couldn't eat with braces on. When she got them off, she went to town. I finally told her that she had to put the candy away. What a goof!

Before

After

Bailey won a drawing at the orthodontist office, and won a moose Webkins. She was really excited!

Freezer Jam

I've been wanting to learn how to make freezer jam for a long time. Costco was having a really good sale on raspberries, so me and Kassie got some, and she taught me how to make it. Yum...it's so good!