My first thought was that a wild animal had gotten into our trash (this has happened at least 3 times before). I didn't want to open the front door and be face to face with a hungry raccoon, so I just turned on the outdoor light and peered out the window. I could see nothing, but I could hear something moving around the side of the house.
I tiptoed into the bedroom and woke Jer. He too thought it was just an animal, and told me to check and see if the noise I heard was the trash can tipping over and everything spilling out. I gathered up the nerve to open the front door. Nothing! The trash can was sitting in it's spot, undisturbed by furry paws.
Upon finding nothing wrong and hearing no more strange noises, I went to bed. I awoke the next morning, the crashes and footsteps no longer on my mind. (Even the dream I had about a giant squid knocking over my Christmas tree and taking over my living room was quickly fading.)
I took Kade to the Post office and the grocery store, and spent the majority of the day doing chores and sewing. Kade and I went to our neighbor's house for a quick visit. She gave us some GIGANTIC Fugi apples to take home with us. I mentioned to Kade that the apples were almost as big as his head, and he wanted me to take some silly pictures of him with the moster apple.
After the silly photo session, we headed to Grandparent's house for a New Years celebration. We returned back home around midnight. As Jer pulled his car into the car port, he noticed something strange.
SOMETHING was missing.
OH!! Kade's Harley Davidson Power Wheels that he got for Christmas last year! Just gone.... That is when I realized that those noises I heard the night before were not raccoons at all. It was some thief STEALING a little boys favorite toy, just a few days after Christmas.
Very upset, we put a sad Kade to bed and started putting things away. Jeremy went outside again and spotted something across the yard next to the fence-
the Power Wheels!
We followed some large adult footprints across the snow to the bike and brought it back. We figured that
1. The thief saw the light turn on and heard the door open and got scared away. (Yay me, I can scare away burglars. Good thing I did not open the door face to face with HIM! I don't scream in panic situations, I freeze, sucking in a huge breath of air and just holding it in. Screaming comes later, perhaps when I run out of air and actually have to breath again!)
2. The thief did not realize how heavy it was, and possibly being alone, could not lift it over the fence in as much of a hurry as he would have liked to.
I was SO glad to find the bike. It is one of Kade's favorite things. Who steals kid's toys right after Christmas? Really?
We brought the bike inside and put any other "valuables" that were outside into the shed and pulled the car up close to the door. We now have padlocks, and will not ever leave anything outside again!
I also feel rather silly that I didn't notice that huge thing gone earlier, considering Kade and I were outside a few times that day. I realized later that I even caught a picture of the missing bike. Look at the fourth Kade + Apple photo and you will see it behind Kade in the background. Why didn't I see that before?! At least it turned out alright in the end! Considering our car was stolen from our driveway a couple years ago, and now this, I think we have had our share of Thiefs in the Night!
