My kids are giving me gray hairs.

We had a pretty big scare Friday afternoon.

I was on the driveway watching Piper scooter around and ride her bike...no biggie.  Then Ryan came home and I helped him unload the car bringing things into the house.  We got distracted inside for a minute.  Okay, truth be told, I went ballistic when Ryan told me how much we owe for taxes.  The joys of working for yourself.  We were inside for literally 5 to 10 minutes tops!  We go back outside and Piper is nowhere to be found.  GONE...just like that!  We start yelling her name looking all over the house and yard...nowhere.  We  look in the irrigation canal, neighbor's yards, and up and down the street...nowhere.  We check the house over and over yelling her name all the while.  By this point I'm in tears, Ryan is on his bike racing all over the 'hood, neighbors are coming outside to help us.  I run to our good friends' house (Piper has ran over there on two different occasions by herself without me knowing), I pretty much barged in, hysterical, racing past their teenage daughter to look in their backyard.  Piper wasn't there.  Their daughter hops on her bike to help, her dad gets in his car to scan the neighborhood.  I was so scared.  I thought for sure someone scooped her up and stole her from me.

I finally ran back to the house about ready to call the police.  As I ran past our car, I glanced over...and there she was...in the closed up car, in the way back, still with her helmet on, fast asleep.  I can't even began to tell you how relieved I was, and how good it felt to have her in my arms.  Of course she was completely oblivious to near heart attack she gave me.  And I'm sure she was confused why her mom was crying and hugging her so hard.  So glad she was okay.

Later she showed us that she got in through one of the passenger doors, closed it on her own and then climbed over the seats to the very back where she fell asleep.  That girl.

What a wonderful place we live that so many people would drop what they're doing without a second thought to help us find our little Piper.  I'm so grateful for them.

Then, if that wasn't enough for one day.  Later that afternoon I was walking with the girls back home from grandma's house.  We were at the cross walk on a neighborhood street.  A car was approaching but stopping, so Haley begins to cross ahead of us.  I have the stroller and Piper is on her scooter so I'm behind her a bit...I look up and see that the driver (a teenager) has his head down texting.  He doesn't even look up while he lifts his foot off the brake and starts to accelerate.  Haley is oblivious and is nearly in front of the car.    I scream at her stop, which she does thank goodness.  The kid had his window down and still did not even look up!!  As he's driving through the intersection I scream at him to get off his phone...still didn't even look up.  He was completely glued to his phone.

I kid you not, if that kid hit my daughter with his car because he couldn't put his phone down I would have gone ape shit on him.  Seriously.

So, that night I was especially grateful that all my children were safe and snug in their beds...and I could finally breathe.