The Great Escape

Yesterday, while doing house hold chores..(trying to get some ink out of Gifford's pants where he left the pen in the pocket...another story), Ashlyn and Gavin were sitting at the table, coloring, and watch television. Ashlyn asked if she could go into the living room to watch. Apparently she couldn't see well where she was sitting. I had no problem with that, which left Gavin alone to finish whatever project he was working on.

I was concentrating hard on the work at hand when I noticed things were awfully quiet. I asked Ashlyn, "where's your brother?" She said she didn't know...I didn't think much of it since he is really into "hide 'n" seek" lately, and went back to what I was doing. Then I suddenly got a bad feeling. I started searching in all the usual spots, the closet, the linnen shelf (movie from a few posts back) behind the shower curtain...no Gavin

I then went back into the living/dining room and saw...



Oh no...he unlocked the door, and is out on the balcony...My God. I hope he didn't fall off! I have expressed that fear on this blog before... I looked out....



NO GAVIN!!

I then went out onto the balcony, afraid to look down and saw nothing. By now I was in an absolute panic. I went to all levels of the balconies, NO GAVIN...I search the parking area, the neighboring apartment complex (has a playground) NO GAVIN...after a frantic call to Gifford, I started recruiting my neighbors to help me look for him. After what seemed like hours (I am sure it was about 15 minutes) Ashlyn, who had been on my heels the entire times screaming for him said...Mommy...he's in that car!



Now you have to understand, Gavin has a facination with playing in cars, pretending to drive, playing with the mirrors and pushing and turning all the buttons. To get to these cars he had to have gone down these stairs...



And across hot pavement (he was barefoot), opened the car door and climbed inside. When I finally reached him, he was bright red from screaming...he could see and hear me, but I couldn't him, and he couldn't figure out how to get out of the car. I have never wanted to kill someone and kiss them all at the same time. I have never been so scared!

Needless to say, we have devised a way to double lock the sliding door.

Although it isn't pretty, it is the only way we can do it because the door is put in such a way that the sliding part goes between the stationary glass and the screen.

I know that if anyone out there didn't believe in a higher power, after an experience like this, they truly would. Thank the Lord he is fine... whew! Crisis over!