They made it and Left out in the cold

It is silently snowing outside, and I am thrilled. It is predicted to add up to 12-15" by the time it is all said and done tomorrow, and again I couldn't be happier. I hope it snows and snows and snows and we can't go anywhere or do anything for at least 2 days. (Then it can melt and we can go back to our lives).

At least Brian and Tritan aren't going camping this weekend. They made it through last weekend's freezing temperatures. I was pretty worried about them weathering temperatures in the teens (wind chill in the single digits). Standing outside for a few minutes while they were packing up, my head got so cold I had a headache. How were they going to survive the night? I should have realized my smart husband wasn't going suffer more than he had to: he bought a propane powered heater that is safe enough to go in your tent, handwarmers, and zero temperature sleeping bags. They made it through the night, but retired to the church to do first aid training after breakfast.

So then Sunday, we took 2 different cars to church because Brian had to drop something off on the way. He took Paris and I took the rest of the kids. We were slightly late and so we hustled in, the kids running ahead, me turning around before I went in to lock the car remotely. Tritan sat with the deacons, Athena found an empty pew, and I slid in to situate myself before church began. I slid my bag under the pew in front of me, and shed my coat. The bishop got up to welcome us to church and I started feeling like something was off. He announced the opening song and prayer and the organ started. I got out the hymnal and found the song. That's when it hit me.

"Where's Apollo?" I asked Athena.

She looked at me with a look that clearly said, You are the Mom, you should know. I looked around. He wasn't sitting with Tritan. He wasn't walking solemnly down the hall from the bathroom. Could he still be in the car?

I bolted from the pew and ran to the foyer just to encounter Apollo struggling to open the church door. He stopped when he saw me, and completely broke down.

"You locked me in the car!" he shouted as I scooped him up.

There was nothing I could do but laugh slightly hysterically as I rocked him in the foyer and said a litany of "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry". Apollo stopped crying to look at me incredulously--really should I be laughing at this?--but it calmed him down and we walked back inside.

He continued to accuse me throughout the meeting--Apollo is not known to let go of a grudge. "I thought I was going to be locked in there forever." "I was all alone." "You left me." I answered with sorrys and reminders: "I came back for you." I'm betting he won't remember that part when he tells the story...