October 29, 2012

lost

I kneeled down in the dirt to be eye-level with my three year old.

He was trudging his feet at the pumpkin patch and kicking up as much dirt as his little converse could kick up.

"Twain", I said sternly, "You need to stop kicking dirt". 

"Yes mama", he said nodding his head up and down. But not meaning a word of what he said.

This child is giving me a run for my money these days. I finally know what it's like to have a kid that 'gets into things'. He wrote on my wallpaper wall. He colored with ballpoint all over my couches. He's always climbing high onto furniture and jumping off of everything. 



When I stood back up, my eyes quickly scanned the pumpkin patch for my 5 year old. In the few seconds it took to reprimand Twain, Ollie was...gone. Just like that. Lost.

"Ollie...OL-LIE!", I called. My eyes quickly scanning the hay bales and tractors for Ollie's rust-colored shirt.

I refused to let my mind panic. After all, it had just been a few seconds. How far could he get, right?

I grabbed Twain's hand, so I didn't lose him too. "Ollie...Ollie!"

No sight of him anywhere.

By now, I am running around every nook and corner of the pumpkin patch.

I'm sure my eyes look wild as they are darting too and fro...

I think of the child with the disorder who is gone without a trace.

And now I am shouting "OLLIE!!!!!!"

I am starting to feel that frantic feeling of panic rising. But really. My child was just there a minute ago. I just couldn't believe he could be gone that fast. Still I felt half-crazed as I watched random people lounging around casually chatting with friends.

Finally I spot his rust-colored baseball tee across the entire patch. Playing happily amongst a bunch of pumpkins. I let out an enormous sigh of relief. Thank you Lord! When I get to him, he's like "what?"





Never so happy to see that little face. Now that I've recovered from my fright over losing Ollie, I realize how insanely in love I am with this boy!

"Oliver John! You must stay right next to mama! You were lost!" We had a good long chat about not running away from mama.

"Ok mama", he said happily as he skipped obliviously right into the dirt parking lot.

"Ollie get back here!" I am now shouting. I literally drag my boys to the van, shaking, and strapped them into their seats as fast as I could.

It had been a loooong morning at the pumpkin patch.

It started off chipper enough. We went with Ollie's preschool, which included dear friends {and neighbors} Patty and her sons.




We had a bit of trouble getting through the corn maze. "Keep right, keep right", they instructed.







But right after right after right...and circling over half an hour, it started to feel like we were the Isrealites wandering in the desert.








Finally, when we could take the claustrophobia no more, Patty hacked her way out through the sides of the corn stalks to daylight. And we followed, not too close behind. Phew!





After the corn maze the preschoolers are allowed to pick a pumpkin.


But Twain is cranking out and throwing a fit about his raisins--apparently the ratio of raisins to nuts was not high enough. Ridiculous. He was screaming so inconsolably, that the owner of the patch started to twitch, and told me "Give him a little pumpkin. It's on the house".

The tiny pumpkin just made him scream louder. Stinker.
It was snack time, and one of the mom's from the preschool started handing out cookies.

Twain stood there with his hand clutching a chocolate cookie, and crying with his mouth open. You know you are DONE when your kid has a cookie in his hand and he's still crying.

Normally I like to go back to the patch with the whole family, but I think I'm good this year. That was exhausting.

Besides. I just can't do it all. We just got back from our church beach camping trip and I am buried alive in laundry. Just wanted to pop my head out from the piles to say boo.

16 comments:

  1. davi, your images and post-processing could not be more beautiful. some of my most favorite yet!!
    i would be terrified losing cruz for even a second too. your screams were well warranted, in my opinion. glad you found him, glad all was well, glad you found your way out of the corn maze, glad twain keeps you on your toes ;)
    xoxo

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  2. Oh kids! That's happened a few times before. The panic, the crazy looks from strangers, wandering mind. The world is a dangerous place and that's what fuels it. A girl not far was here was kidnapped and murdered by two neighbor teenagers, you might have heard of it her name was Autumn. Her parents were just relieved her body was even found. Makes me keep my kids even closer and pray harder.

    On a positive note, lovely photos! If you don't mind me asking what camera and lenses do you use? No need to share though because I'm cautious with sharing that info :)

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    1. i bought a refurbished mark2 a year ago. now that the mark3 is out i'm sure the mark 2 is cheaper. i use a canon 50mm wide angle lens 1.4mm L series. I love it and will use it till it dies!

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    2. Nice! I'd like to get the 1.4. I just have the 1.8. It was cheap and gets the job done.

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  3. Must have been the scariest feeling ever! Mine haven't wondered away yet, but I won't be surprised if they do. Some days like are exhausting. I've had similar moments when I wonder why I even bother at all to go to the trouble of the 'fun day,' but then I realize...it's worth it. Totally. And they'll remember the good parts.

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  4. i used to hide in clothing racks as a kid...gave my dear mom more than a few heart palpitations ;) hoping you find rest and are able to catch up on all that laundry! i HATE laundry and i only have to do my own!

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  5. Worst feeling ever! Glad all was well. Did you know the pumpkin patch closed today because they ran out of pumpkins???!!! Crazy, huh?! So now you can use that as your excuse. :) Oh, and I'm drowning in laundry too. BLAH!

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  6. I found your blog recently and just wanted to say I loved your recap although not the scary missing your boy because it's so real. I just posted about our pumpkin patch trip and it was exhausting too although you wouldn't know by my post. I was just trying to get pics up but I'm inspired by the nitty gritty authenticity you write with.

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  7. the worst!!! glad it has a happy ending....and for such a tough time at the pumpkin patch you sure took some pretty pictures:)

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  8. I had a similar experience at that pumpkin patch, recently. Ethan kept wandering, not too far, but wandering and the owner kept reprimanding me about it. Henry was a mess from teething and a cold. He also fell out of one of the wagons that morning. My allergies were unbearable. That maze was insanely long. I don't know, I see from all the beautiful backdrops and light why people go there, but my experience was not one that really made me want to go back. I just felt overwhelmed and judged and made to feel like I was this crazy person that couldn't get it together.

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  9. ugh I HATE that feeling of not knowing where your child is and trying not to let your mind wander to how horrible of a place he might have run off to (or been kidnapped to!). I lost Swee'Pea at Costco when he was about 18 months. I was crying and crying. Turns out he had shimmied in between the rows of medicines and shampoos and was trapped behind the big pallets. Some high school girls found in him for me. Whew! What a relief. Glad you found your boy and he was safe and sound!

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  10. I found your blog a month or so ago and couldn't help but fall in love with your stories. I am also pretty sure we live in the same city! We love going to that pumpkin patch and also had a similar experience with a child running off. I was so happy to find her and find that she wasn't in that pond! Glad you guys had fun!

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  11. Sounds like a day that would require chocolate by the end of it for me!! ;) On a serious note, I'm glad everyone's ok and "found"! That is such a scary feeling :(

    You are a great story teller! And some day it will be so neat for you and your boys to look back on these stories and pictures. It also makes me feel less alone in my crazy days with my two little goobers...so thanks for that!!

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  12. Awful! Reminds me of when Emily got lost at the zoo, and she thought she was going to belong to the lady who found her. Worst feeling ever!

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  13. your boys are so stinking adorable. seriously, the cutest :)

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  14. oh that is the worst feeling. lost. my son got " lost" in chuck e cheese even after we talked and talked about staying close by.

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