As many of you know, especially if you have spent any time around Katie, she missed the memo that she is FOUR years old, and firmly believes she is 24 years old and can do as she pleases. The problem with this belief is that she is FOUR years old and lacks the slightly improved maturity of a 24 year old.
Yesterday was a Thursday so she spent the day at Grandma Linda's house. I picked the kids up around 5 p.m., and was discussing with Linda some pictures I had that she wanted to see. I told her I would return later with the pictures. We went home, I fed the kids dinner, and then cleaned up the kitchen. By then it was around 7:15 p.m. Mark was in the basement playing with his trains, Katie was in the front living room playing in a fort she made and Lauren was on the computer. I told Lauren I was running up to Grandma Linda's house and would return in 20 minutes.
I ran, (or rather drove in my car) spent my 20 minutes and returned home. When I returned home things were just as I had left them. I could hear kids in the basement, which I presumed to be Mark and Katie, and Lauren was on the computer. I continued cleaning the house for another 20 minutes.
I was headed toward the garage to put away a tool when my back door opened and in walked Katie with her pink scooter and my neighbor Kelli. I must have had a really confused look on my face because I thought Katie was in the basement. With her arrival through the back door I realized she was not in the basement and had probably been riding her scooter around the neighborhood ALONE. I asked Kelli if she had been riding around the neighborhood. (Its a 'no no' to ride alone, at FOUR you must be accompanied by Lauren)
Kelli proceeded to tell me that Katie was found with her scooter headed up the hill to Grandma Linda's house. What this means is that not only was scooting around the neighborhood alone, she crossed an extremely busy street, where I nearly got ran over about a week prior because its hilly, and you can't see cars coming, and if they are driving super fast you can't hear them until its too late.
After she crossed the street she was headed up the hill, scooter in tow. An older couple noticed her and realized she was out of place. They stopped to determine where she belonged. She told them her mom was at Grandma's and she was headed to Grandma's. Of course she could not articulate where she lived or where Grandma lived, and with her lisp they couldn't understand her first name only her last name "Vincent."
Kelli was coming home from work around the same time and noticed the couple with Katie. They were far enough away she didn't recognize Katie. The husband, who saw Kelli pulling into our neighborhood, followed her to inquire if she knew the owner of the blond girl with the pink scooter. Kelli knew that all blonde hair, blue eyed children belonged to me, so she said "I think she might belong to my neighbor, let me see her and I will know." One look at Katie she knew I was the owner.
Kelli agreed to bring her back to me and assumed I was in a panic looking for her. Katie said "good bye" to the nice couple, who by the way gave her CANDY, so she thought was all sorts of fun.
My mind raced as Kelli told me the story. I kept thinking of all the things that could have happened to her that didn't and wondered how I missed Katie when I drove the route home that she took heading up the hill.
I thanked Kelli for bringing my child back to me, and noticed her work badge indicating she was an RN in the newborn NICU, which of course explains her kindness. After she left, Katie and I had a "serious" talk about leaving the house. I explained that she could ride her scooter alone in the back yard, but she could not ride in the neighborhood or up to Grandma's without mommy or Lauren. We talked about the busy street and I asked her what would have happened if she got hit by a car. She said she could have a big "owie." I told her she could have died and then she would be living with Heavenly Father and not me. She got very sober at that point, and remained that way for the rest of the evening.
I wish I knew who the couple was that saw Katie, knew she was out of place and stopped. I want to thank them. They were very kind. And had they not stopped who knows how far Katie would have gotten, or because the street she was on didn't have sidewalks she easily could have been hit trying to travel up the hill.
I am so grateful for my wonderful neighbor who was coming home from work just at the right time.
And as strange as this sounds I am grateful that I didn't know she was gone, although I was about 30 seconds from discovering she was gone, because I was about to call the kids for their evening treat. If I had figured out she was not in the house and not in my yard I think I might have been hyperventilating in a paper sack. Lauren would have had to call 911 on ME then report Katie missing. It never would have occurred to me that Katie would leave the neighborhood and head to Grandma's.
Most of all I am thankful that Katie was watched over and protected. I am quite sure that Grandma bear Hertha was looking out for her. It's good to have grandparents in high places.
The kids loved watching them hatch. I thought it was a bit disgusting. They had this red fluid that got everywhere during that hatching process. 
Finally they all hatched. We are keeping them in the butterfly garden for a few days and anticipate setting them free this weekend.
