Day 1440. I had set an alarm for 8 am, but Randy got up before that. Sammy was then the first one up, then Emmy got up. We let Tammy sleep for as long as possible, then she got up as well. Randy took them upstairs to give them breakfast, while I finished packing our suitcases. Once I was done, I went upstairs to be with the kids, while Randy started loading up the car. The goal had been to leave at 9:30, at the latest at 10 am, but everything just took time, and so it was nearly 10:30 am, when we left.
We had a 90 minute drive ahead of us, straight west, to go to Topeka, KS, and meet with our friends there. It was a little disappointing to get there so late, just after noon, knowing we didn't even have an hour to stay there. It was great seeing my good friend and former classmate again after over 5 years, and she enjoyed meeting our kids. They got some toys out for them to play with, and Sammy immediately connected with the Dad. Then we went outside, and Tammy and Emmy ran to the trampoline as soon as they saw it. They enjoyed jumping on it, while I was talking with my friend. Then Randy and Sammy came as well. But we didn't stay outside for long, as it was time to leave already. We took a picture together, then we said our good-byes and left.
It was 1 pm already, the time we were supposed to be at the pizza restaurant, but then it was only 7 minutes away. It was once again a pretty hot day today. We walked inside the restaurant and found our friends in the big room we had to ourselves in the back. It was great to see them again. They had asked a few other people that know us to come as well. There was pizza and spaghetti, and I immediately got the kids some plates. However, they didn't very much, as has been typical for them recently. I then let them have the tablets to occupy them, so we could talk. Randy was feeding Sammy, who then also got his tablet to play with. We enjoyed the fellowship and getting to talk with our friends, and so time flew by. At 3 pm it was time to say good-bye once again.
It was 3:20 before we actually drove off, and it took us 3.5 hours to get to our destination. It was nap time right away, so no tablets, while I encouraged them to sleep and was hoping for some shut-eye myself. I sang for them, then Emmy fell asleep. Sammy was asleep for 5 minutes at the max and already up again for good. Finally Tammy also fell asleep, and she and Emmy slept longer. But it was annoying that Sammy would not, and it meant no sleep for me either. We drove through the Kansas countryside, seeing lots of cows and horses, stopped once at a little gas station to go to the bathroom, then stopped again to get gas. In the end it was nearly 7 pm, when we arrived in Wichita.
And we had never met our host family before. They were our secretary's friends who were so gracious to let us stay with them for 3 nights. Before we got there, I told the kids their names, and Sammy liked the name Shirley so much that he laughed every time I said it, and then he started saying it himself. He then really liked Shirley a lot and wanted to be with her, and she played with him. She was sitting on a chair, and Sammy was standing and walking to make it turn, which he thought was lots of fun.
They had triplet grandchildren that were 10 years old, and one of the three was there, when we got there. She immediately started playing with Tammy and Emmy who were having lots of fun with her. Sammy had been cranky in the car, but was the opposite now, laughing and eager to move and participate, and he wanted to play ball as well. Then the other triplets arrived with their parents, and now they were all having fun together. The other kids were now sitting on the other spinning chair and let the triplets make them spin and spin and spin. They were all playing hard together, then we wanted to take a double-triplet picture, and we did. All our kids played with everyone, including the grandparents, as if they'd known them forever.
And they also took them outside to collect blackberries off the bushes. Once the rest of the family was gone, we sat down at the table to eat and had a good time together.
But it was already pretty late and time for them to get ready for bed, even though they were still very energetic and making up for having sat a lot all day. The house was just gorgeous, and so was the bathroom, and for the first time since we got to the US 6 weeks ago, they got to go into a bathtub. They were having so much fun, and Tammy and Emmy kept putting their heads unter water to show that they were not afraid of it any more but actually enjoyed doing so. Sammy was also having a blast in the water and was very upset, when he was the first one to be taken out.
After they all had their pj's on, I still read them a story, then I prayed for them and put them to bed. It was 9:45, so once again rather late. Sammy was asleep right away, but the other two needed some time. As for me, I turned my computer on to work on the pictures and report and prepare a little for tomorrow, as I'm preaching in the morning. Now it's going on 1 am and so it's time for bed.
