We Thought Abby Got Kidnapped

The week has been going well, and we've gotten more comfortable at the ski lodge, so we've started letting the kids come and go as they please for the most part. The boys ride the bus to the ski area whenever they’re ready to start their day, and Bryce usually comes back for a nap and a snack. We’ve had Abby go with one of the boys or us when she takes the bus. It’s nice to have the freedom to let everyone do what they want—whether that’s hitting the bunny hill, skiing the regular mountain, taking a nap at the cabin, or going to the lodge to warm up. We typically meet up for a late lunch to discuss plans for the rest of the day.

One day, we snagged a table in the lodge and all ate together, talking about what everyone would do next. We agreed we’d get a group photo outside before splitting off. Abby had a cup to return to the cafeteria upstairs, and I was heading to the bathroom. We were going to meet outside after that—at least, that’s what everyone else thought the plan was.

I finished in the bathroom, grabbed my things, and headed outside, but when I got to our table, everyone had already cleared out. I waited for Abby, but she didn’t show up. After a few minutes, I went back to check the bathrooms. No Abby. I checked back at our table—still no Abby. By now, I was starting to get worried, but I figured maybe I was just missing her in the crowd. I tried calling her, but she didn’t answer. Robb and I checked Life 360, the tracking app, only to find that her location had been turned off five minutes earlier. That’s when panic set in.

Bob went to the other side of the lodge to look for her. Caleb went to the bunny hill, Bryce checked if her skis were gone, and I was the frantic mom yelling into every bathroom stall. Robb had Emmy with him and was looking outside. It had been 15 minutes, and we couldn’t find her anywhere. Susie went to talk to security, and by this point, we were all really worried. This was so unlike Abby—she would never just disappear like that.

We kept calling her over and over again, but still no answer. In my head, I was imagining some guy had grabbed her, and she was too polite to scream, especially if he had threatened her. Her location was turned off, and I feared she was being taken somewhere by someone we didn’t know.

Finally, we got a call from Bryce—he had found Abby, happily skiing the bunny hill over and over again by herself, completely oblivious to the panic she had caused. When we found her, I immediately started bawling, and Robb fell backward into a snowdrift with his hands over his face. The last time I felt this way was when we lost Caleb at a Saltdogs baseball game. It’s the most terrifying and helpless feeling in the world.

We had a serious talk with Abby, who apologized but didn’t seem to fully understand how scared we all were. I don’t think she realized the gravity of the situation until Grandpa—who is always so kind to her—told her she really needed to make sure she was listening to the plans and staying where she was supposed to be. Turns out, if you’re always nice to her, any hint of negativity, even when said with love, will make her cry. She felt so bad that Grandpa was worried, and she cried and cried.

I’m still not sure what happened with her location services being turned off, but it made me believe, for a moment, that she had been kidnapped.