After the party store, we came home to get Alex (he went down for a nap right before we left so I left him with Daddy) with the intention of leaving relatively soon and meeting up with a bunch of the neighborhood girls at the mall so the kids could ride the Christmas train.
Once Alex was ready and we were preparing to leave, I stopped to help Janal put the cover back on Ronan's carseat which I'd promised to do since she wanted to wash it. As I was doing that, Josh came outside to tell me that he was going wake-boarding with a friend and he asked me to put sunscreen on his back. Since I hate the way my rings slip and slide when I have lotion on my hands, I took my rings off and set them on the small table outside our door intending to put them right back on after using the sunscreen. Instead, I walked across the porch to grab a wet wipe to clean my hands and was distracted enough to forget the rings and take Alex to the car to leave. Before pulling away, I realized I wasnt wearing them and ran back up to the porch to get them but they were GONE!!!!
There were quite a few of us outside when I set them on the table and I think perhaps one of the kids picked them up and then dropped them somewhere once they lost interest in them. I certainly hate to think any alternative. Everyone helped us searched EVERYWHERE we thought they could possibly be. We tore up the grass, we ruined the shrubbery. I finally decided to go to the mall like we'd planned and on the way home stopped to rent a metal detector from a retired Navy gentleman who is coming out tomorrow at 8am to search again since we had no luck with the one I rented.
I've felt sick to my stomach all day about it. Well, that and some other issues a few of you may know about. It's just one of those days that forces me to be thankful that it's a material item that's missing and not my son. Things can always be worse, right? My poor husband is pretty upset about having to pay thousands more dollars on something we don't even have anymore but he's not taking it out on me. He has been really sweet in spite of the fact that I know he's really frustrated. That's how I know I picked the right guy. =o)
Here is a shot of the kids waiting in line for the train. Cute as buttons, aren't they? That's Madalyn standing up and you should already know Liam and Ronan. Tyler is the one with the huge smile in the brown shirt. He's Amy's son and he's 5. The cutie in the yellow shirt is Jolene's son, Ryan.
Amy brought over some train toys that Tyler doesnt play with anymore and they're adorable. Josh and I thought about buying Alex some train stuff but it's so expensive I decided we would wait. Alex loves it tho. Now we just need a train table to put it on.
I guess I'll do the responsible wife thing and clean up the kitchen before I crash.
New Years Eve, tomorrow!!!! What's your New Years Resolution going to be?
