When you don't want to leave

Yesterday our good friends came over to play. Will loves, loves, loves to play with his buddy Eddie. They can become quite adventurous together. They spent a solid 4 hours outside cutting down trees and branches in our woods, including the poor pine sapling pictured below. We did convince them to come in for lunch but otherwise they played outside the whole day. We would periodically go out and check on them and they are usually fairly responsible, so no big deal.

Jill yelled out the door at about 1:15 that they were going to be leaving in 15 mins. We packed up the baby and her things and she headed out to the car. A couple of mins later she came in and said she couldn't find Will and Eddie. I went outside as well and we started yelling for them. No response. I put on my tennis shoes and started walking around the edges of our woods while yelling for them. No response. I went down and checked the creek, the fort, even Will's secret hideout. No response.

By this point, I am having to talk Jill out of calling 911. I go deeper into the woods, still yelling their names. No response. I check the neighbors pool, still calling them. no response.

Take every thought captive---don't panic. Where are the boys??? Lord help us find the boys.

After a solid 20 mins (which is a very long time to not know where your child is) I finally catch a glimpse of Will's yellow shirt and hear them. They are deep in the woods hunkered down behind a log, underneath some brush.

"Boys, did you not hear us calling you?" "We don't know. We didn't want Eddie to go home. "

So there they were, hiding in the woods, with their acquired treasures they found on this hike-a dog leash, 2 golf balls, a beer pitcher, and a plastic plant container-- so that he wouldn't have to leave.

Good grief. About gave these mamas a heart attack.

Lets just say there was some discipline that occurred as a result. I love that Will wants to play outside in the woods. It's one of the reasons we moved to this house. But for heavens sake, answer your mother when you hear her and see her frantically searching the woods.

Boys!