Actually, there are now two.
I'll start with the first one...
About 7 years ago, a few months after we moved into our, I was out in the front yard pulling weeds and working on our flower beds. Ashton, who was only 3 at the time, was outside with me playing in the driveway. It was a hot summer day, but the two of us were enjoying the outdoors. I went around the side of the house towards the front door, still working on the flower bed and Ashton was riding her tricycle back and forth from the driveway to the front door.
As I was pulling weeds, I suddenly realized that Ashton hadn't ridden by me in several minutes. I went to the driveway, but Ashton wasn't there. I ran into the street and called for her.
Nothing.
We live in a cul-de-sac, a few houses down from a drainage ditch that leads to a wooded area behind our house, so I ran over to the ditch, beginning to panic, and yelled for her.
Silence.
I ran around all of the houses in the cul-de-sac, screaming for her.
Deafening silence.
By this time, I was so overwhelmed and panicked, I was sobbing uncontrollably. I ran inside our house, screaming to Joey that I couldn't find Ashton. I was sobbing so loudly that he couldn't even understand me, but he knew something was wrong. He came running into the kitchen and I yelled again that I couldn't find Ashton.
"Honey, she's in bed with me. We're watching SpongeBob." She had gone inside when I wasn't looking. She told her daddy that she was hot, so she snuggled in bed with him to watch TV.
I collapsed onto the kitchen floor and sobbed for what seemed like forever. The sheer terror I felt was etched into my mind. I would never forget that feeling, and hadn't felt it again until last night.
That was the second scariest night of my life.
Ashton was up the street at a friends house and Taylor was outside playing with the boys that live on our street. They always come down to our house because we're in the cul-de-sac and they can play outside without worrying about cars. Taylor had been playing with his friends for a while, but it was 7:30 and time to come inside.
I went to the garage, like I always do, and yelled his name. Usually, within a few seconds, he comes running.
Not last night.
I went out into the garage and yelled for him again, but there was no answer. Not only was there no answer, but it was dead quiet. No childrens voices like there always are. In fact, there was no sign of any of the boys.
Slightly irritated, and thinking he had for sure gone into one of his friend's houses without telling me, I threw on my flip flops and ran up the street to one of the boys houses. I rang the doorbell, but when one of Taylor's friends peeked through the blinds, I knew Taylor wasn't there. His friends dad said he had come down to the cul-de-sac about 10 minutes earlier to get the boys and that was the last time he saw Taylor. He told me to check across the street at another little boys house - maybe he had gone there.
Those feeling from years ago were quick to flood my mind. I was terrified. Taylor never goes anywhere without asking first.
I could hardly breathe as I ran across the street and knocked on their door. I could see through the window that they were eating, and I knew Taylor wasn't there. It was the same story from this dad - he had come to get his son about 10 minutes earlier and that was the last time he saw Taylor.
He was trying to help me, but my heart was racing so fast and I couldn't breathe. I don't even remember what he said, but I sprinted back to the house, praying to God that Taylor had come inside and I just didn't hear him. I busted into the kitchen, just like I had done years before, and screamed his name, sobbing hysterically.
"Yeah mom?" I hear from upstairs.
The sweetest sound ever. But I was already gone. I was sobbing uncontrollably and holding Taylor as tightly as I could. I'm sure he thought I was crazy.
I have no idea how I didn't hear him come in, or why he didn't tell me was home, like he always does, but thank you Lord for keeping my children safe. I hope I never feel this way again.
I think I may lock them both in their rooms until their 20.
