Little Girl Lost

 

Last Saturday we crossed the mountain to spend the afternoon with Elijah for our celebrate Rob and Elijah birthday weekend.

 

Little girl didn't know exactly where we were going and why, but she knew we were visiting her favorite Elijah and that was good enough for her. When she saw him walking across the parking lot towards us she took off running and threw herself into his arms.

Pure sweetness...

 

With three littles in tow... we decided to do some fun park hopping and check out some Harrisonburg playgrounds.

 

 

The first one had a great playground but an even cooler hill that was just right for climbing and rolling! 

 

 

The second park... it had a massive wooden castle with so many ins and outs and layers and tunnels and ramps and passageways that it was perfect for a great game of hide and seek.

 

Until we lost little girl.

 

Gone.

 

I was close to panic until Rob called out that he had found her.

 

Huge sigh of relief.

 

She was found.

 

I ran over to where she was and decided I would stay with her like glue. To get to her, I had to duck under a section but once I did I called out her name so I could cement myself to her side.

 

She giggled and ran away. fast. A red balloon bobbing merrily in her tight little fist.

 

She didn't own a red balloon.

 

I looked down at a little girl who was staring up at me with tears in her eyes.

 

Did my little girl just steal your balloon?

 

Yes, she whispered.

 

I looked back up and saw that my little red ballooned girl was gone. Vanished. I ran through the section she had just passed through, but she was nowhere to be found. I turned down passageways and cried out to Rob that I had lost her, again.

 

We looked.

 

We called.

 

In a matter of seconds she had disappeared.

 

I've never lost a child that fast.

 

All five of us started looking. We spread throughout the entire castle. Calling and looking.

 

She was gone.

 

We looked at each other in despair.

 

Where in the world could she have gone?

 

Our eyes began to scan beyond the castle into the rest of the park. It was huge. Where could she have gone?

 

Until a couple called out - did she have a red balloon?  Yes. Yes.

 

They pointed in the direction they had seen her running. Far in the distance was a pavilion.  Rob took off running. I gathered the little boys and with Elijah, we watched and waited.

 

Huge waves of relief swept over me when I saw Rob reach down and pick up our little runaway, still clutching that stolen balloon.

 

I wanted to hold her forever and wring her little neck.

 

We walked her back to the little girl and she unhappily handed over the stolen treasure.

 

Our castle time was over.

 

Little girl spent the rest of the day holding Mama's hand!

 

After a lovely dinner together we bid farewell to Elijah and headed for home.

 

 

At John's request, we stopped at the top of the mountain and checked out the view.

 

 

 

I'm glad we did.

 

I not only got some precious pictures of my three littles...

 

 

 

I  got this gem with their Papa.

 

Precious, precious!