a rescue mission for Patrick

Friday evening Brent and I decided to take the kids to the mall to play in the play area and get some ice cream. 

 Fun Friday family time!!

Austin recently got a sponge Bob Lego Kit, that included a tiny little Patrick Lego figurine!  He was very insistent about bringing it into the mall, so I warned him to be very careful with it and not to lose it.  

Well shortly after entering Sears, he almost lost Patrick's little arms, but luckily we quickly recovered them.  

Our first stop was to the play area and he kept track of his little Lego Patrick very well.  Upon leaving the play area we stopped to wash our hands with the hand sanitizer and I held his Patrick for him.  When he was finished I handed it back and that was the last time I remembered seeing him in the mall. 

We stopped at the coin drop thing.  You know where you drop the coin and it rolls in circles down what looks like a drain.  My kids love dropping coins in there.  Then we stopped to ride a little pony carousel ride, that wouldn't take my dollar so they couldn't ride it after all.  Then we got our Dippin Dots and ate it in the  food court.  

As we were walking back out to our car it suddenly dawned on me that I hadn't seen Patrick since the play area over half an hour ago.  I asked Austin where Patrick was and I felt the outside of his pockets and couldn't feel anything.  Austin immediately started crying and saying he no idea where he was.  He couldn't remember where he put him.  

So we loaded all the kids in the car and I gave Austin the whole spill about not bringing toys in the store anymore, because once you lose a toy in the store you usually can't ever find it again.  

He was very upset, but not out of control upset.  

Austin loved that little Patrick and it was breaking my heart that he was upset about it, so I made Brent drive me around to the entrance near the carousel so I could run in and look for Patrick.  I literally re-walked over half of the mall to no avail. 

 Patrick was no where to be found.  

Patrick was lost forever, or so we thought!

Once we got back to our temporary home and started running baths for the kids, Austin comes running in to the bathroom yelling "Good News Mom!!"

Patrick was in Austin's pocket the entire time. 

 I swear to you, I felt the outside of his pockets and there was nothing inside them as far as I could tell, but I must have missed it.  Either that or we've got some Toy Story action happening and Patrick found his own way back to Austin. 

I really don't care how it happened and I don't mind at all that I walked half the mall looking for a tiny Lego Patrick.  I would do it again in a heart beat.  

Austin's happy, beaming face that night was well worth the trouble.