Thanksgiving Highlights In Boise

We left on Tues and headed to Boise for the weekend.  It is great to live closer to family.  The 7 hours in the car is not my favorite part but that comes to an end. Some of the highlights of the weekend included an unforgettable trip to the mall-  in a not so good way, Turkey day with family at the Reeces, a not so great Black Friday, family pictures and a drive home.  

So, if you are still reading this you might be wondering about the mall,  Well, it goes like this. WE LOST BRECKIN and I THOUGHT HE WAS GONE FOREVER!   If you saw the cute pictures you know that Breckin is adorable.  Here's what happened.  We went to the mall to go to Build A Bear because the boys had earned some money from their report cards.  They were really excited to get their animals and accessories.  After making the bear and dinosaur, washing them dressing them and making the birth certificates,  we made it to the checkout.  At the same time Breckin said he needed to go to the bathroom.  My brother Jake was with me so I asked him to take him.  My niece Cascade also said she needed to go so I sent her along too.  (sorry Jake)  After several minutes we left the store and headed toward the bathrooms outside of Dillards.  My brother was coming towards us and asked if we had Breckin.  I said no so he want back to the bathroom.  After several minutes I figured he had found him and they were making their way to us.  He never found him.  I was freaking out.  I walked back to BAB and looked all around and told the ladies if they saw him to have him stay there.  They also called for mall security.  I paced all around that wing of the mall looking for him.  Jake waited with the other kids on a couch.  I walked to the women's bathroom, shouted into the mens, checked the hallway (you know those spooky long empty mall ones)  He was gone.  I went back to BAB and the security guys were there.  I gave them a description.  6 years old, red shirt, dark jeans, very shy.  The man proceeds to follow me and checks the candy store.  I said he is so shy.  He is not one to wander off.  We checked the bathrooms again.  I came back by the couch and told all the kids to say a pray.  This is the part where I know that prays are answered and the it really is a miracle that it didn't take hours of worry to find Breckin.  The thought came to me,  go check the car.  Seriously, why would he be in the car.  I headed down the escalator with the mall guy following me.  I kept saying out loud,  "this is really bad."  I could imagine some crazy seeing my Breckin outside the bathroom and taking him.  My brother told him to wait but I guess he didn't hear him and thought my brother had already left.  I looked in all the car windows and didn't see him.  I was in a major panic.  I started walking to go back into the mall and heard a faint "mom" and a tap on the back window of the Expedition.  It was of course my Breckin.  I unlocked the car and held him.  I  told him how scared I was and proceeded to tell him all the safety things I thought he already knew.  RELIEF!  We went to get the others and get out of the mall.  Here's the kicker.  How did he find the car?  He showed me the door he exited the mall from and it was 2 doors away from the one we went in.  He also told me he saw the fake santa.  That means he was all over the mall.  He said he went to BAB and we weren't there so he tried to go back to the bathroom and got lost.  We must have just passed each other.  How he found the car is a miracle.  Before we went into the mall my brother put his Dr. Pepper can on the tire so we could run it over when we left.  Well,  Breckin said he found the Dr. Pepper can and then used the keypad to unlock the doors and get in.  He was in the back hiding and crying.  So scared.  He knew that we would eventually come back to the car.  The next day I gave him hug after hug.  he asked,"why do you keep hugging me?"  In my head I would reply,"  Because yesterday I thought I had lost you."  I guess we always need to refresh the kids memories of what to do if you get lost.  

As for Black Friday,  for the past several years I loved it.  I would go at the crack of dawn with friends.  This year I didn't even set an alarm to get up.  I did go out later in the morning but it was pretty uneventful.