911, What's your emergency?

"911, what's your emergency" is one of the longest sentences known to mankind, or a mother that is calling to report that her son is lost.
"My son, my 3 year old son is lost, I cant' find him, it's dark out here and I don't know where he is" is one of the hardest sentences known to a parent.


Luke and I stood in the middle of the dark road at the festival of light in the middle of Tucson looking at each other for answers.
I thought Creed was in the stroller with him and he thought I had him with me as we walked nearly 10 feet apart zig zagging back and forth, down the past 3 blocks of lite up houses. When neither one of us had an answer for the other, we stopped in our tracks. With no words spoken the answers and possiblities that we feared were running through our heads in a flash.
We both, at the same instant, knew the last time we had saw him and it was a terrifying thought.

We realized that when we had stopped at the last "big" display he was with us.
We realized that that last "big" display was roughly 2 blocks back.
We realized that 2 blocks back was about 15 minutes ago...because of our pace.
We realized that the roadways were very dark and in between intersections there were only christmas lights, no street lights.
We realized that he was 3 and could very well be running the wrong way looking for us.
We realized that this was not a normal neighborhood where the roads were straight, but it was like maze. especially at night.
We realized he was alone.
We realized that we were very scared and needed to find him NOW.


The roads are very dark in tuscon because of the Observatory that is nearby...so they rarely have street lights and the ones that they have are the dark yellow lights.To see a persons face, 20 ft in front of you is not gonna happen..you could see their outline, but no faces!
We both ran to the  Y intersection that was 15 feet away and stopped trying to remember what road we came up.
1st...the darkness made it difficult to tell the differences between the roads
2ndly...I was in a bit of a panic, so looking down these dark long roads knowing my boy was somewhere by himself...I could hardly remember what road it was.


Finally, I remember this house with a big sign in front of it that read "casa de los Ninos" and then I knew. As I watched LUke walk off into the dark...my mind started playing games and every thought that could cross it...DID.
I gathered my other 4 kids around me told them the situations and that we needed to stay close. My neighbor, who we were with, came up and I informed her with a panic in my voice.
Then I got a call from Luke...


ME..."you got him?"
LUKE..."no, honey I dont!"
ME..."we got to find him? Should I call 911?"
LUKE..."yes" in the most calm/nervous voice I had heard
When I heard Luke say we need to call 911, I had the most sickening feeling come over me.
At once I called 911 and reported my little 3 year old boy, LOST! What a gut wrentching feeling. I have NEVER in my life ever felt so dark, so lonely, so confused, so cluttered, so sick, so weak, so hopeless, so stupid.
HOW could I do this? How could I leave my child somewhere by himself. How could I be so dumb?


As I talked to the dispatch me and the kids were yelling "CREED" up and down the road. I yelled at people that were passing "HELP me, I have lost my son. Has anyone seen a little boy by himself? Please can someone help me find my little boy?" People passed me like I was some sort of Zoo animal....finally a couple stopped and asked me a few questions that might help them know him better. Everyone else just passed me by.
Me and the girls did see a boy standing 50 yards away looking at some light all by himself so I sent Lainie and Shelby to see if that was him. They were scared to leave my side, incase I were to leave them. I reassured them that I would stand right there and not move...so off they ran to verify if that was their brother. IT wasn't!
By now, 5 minutes, which seems like an eternity has passed. Me still on the phone with the dispatch and the dispatch talking to the police that were in the area on bikes.
Two minutes more pass and I can do nothing by stand there in one spot, just in case he is really on the other side of where we really think he is.


Finally I get a text on my phone from luke
"GOT HIM"was all I needed to read.


I informed the operator but asked that she didn't hang up till I knew for sure. She said that she was on the line with some officers that confirmed a lost boy had found his father.
I grabbed the kids and started running towards where I saw Luke walk off 10 minutes before. Half way down the rd i see luke with little Creed on his shoulders.
Luke told me that Creed was going the opposite way than us and he was across the street about 80 feet from where we last saw him. He had sat down and told Luke "I sat down and was waiting for you to find me". Luckily a nice couple had stopped and asked if he was lost, reassured them that they would find his parents and didn't leave him until Luke got there. I can't express my gratitude to the couple I don't know for being so kind and not being in such a hurry to stay with my little boy.


Later I asked him if someone told him to sit down and not move. He said "NO, I just sat down and was waiting for you".
I asked him if the people with the dog said that he was going the  wrong way? He said "dogs don't talk".


-I can't even think about the what if's
-I can't even think about how that night could of gone a whole different way in a matter of a second...because of the darkness, the houses, the people, the confusion.
-I can't even fathom the thoughts and emotions that parents go through that go home empty handed without their child because of a kidnapping or lost child situation.
-I can't even thank my Heavenly Father enough for the guidance he gave Luke and Creed to find eachother.
-I am so Grateful for the early Christmas Miracle that we experienced.


if you want to know where he was and where I was go here


I was on Bentley & Kleindale
He was on Fox & Kleindale


-don't forget to say your prayers for those that are lost!