This afternoon we headed to Vivian Park with Stephanie, Jamie and their kids. We intended to head up to South Fork, but the kids were having to much fun at Vivian Park that we never left. As we were getting ready to leave the scariest half hour of my life occurred. Gracie had been attached to Scarlett and I had just seen them together when I was getting Cole and Jace in the van. I then went to get Gracie and she was nowhere to be found. Scarlett said she didn't know where she was. So, I quickly went to every place Gracie had been(bathroom, playground, river, etc.,) and I couldn't find her anywhere. At that point Jamie started helping me and some of her kids. I went across the street to the other park and still no Gracie. I started losing it at this point thinking someone had kidnapped her. A young couple was sitting in their car and I started crying, they noticed, so I asked them if they had seen her. They hadn't, but they helped look for her along with 50+ other people. I stopped photographers, fly fishers, etc. to see if they had seen her. I was really loosing my mind at this point as about 20 minutes had went by but it felt like hours. I starting seeing Gracie as a "poster child" missing child, that would forever haunt me. Everyone was so nice. I called Justin at this point(he was at the Manti High School football game) and he told me to call the police. An older gentlemen had decided that it was time to do a formal sweep of the area. The first girl I had help me start looking for Gracie had her arm around me at this point telling me everything was going to be okay as I was hysterical. After contacting 911 and being transferred to Utah dispatch Jace ran up to me saying they had found her. At least a half hour had went by and it felt like an eternity. I asked if she was alive to which he said yes. She was hiding in the back of Jamie's van so that she could go home with them to have a sleepover with Scarlett. When I got her out of the van she was so mad at me for not letting her go to Scarlett's house. What a relief! My heart continued to pound for hours and my eyes still burn from crying. We later found out that Scarlett knew where Gracie was the whole time even though we asked her multiple times. We checked the vans multiple times too, but didn't open up the back of Jamie's, I wish I would have when I checked mine. Justin was on his way back up North to help us look for her when we found her. He collapsed in the parking lot with the news, and his friend at first thought she must have died by his reaction. Scarlett told Jamie she was mad at her for helping us look for Gracie. The minds of 3 and 4 year olds. I am so grateful for everyone who helped us search for her and for this tender mercy for her being found safe and alive.
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