3 years 11 months 3 days

Day 1432. Emmy ended up in our bed, and it was somewhere after 7 am, when the kids got up. We then walked to the breakfast area, where we were the only ones, which was good, as there was little room. There was also less food than at the last hotels we've stayed at, so I used some of our own food. After breakfast we returned to our room, where we finished packing and then Randy started loading up the car. The kids were watching cartoons, while we were waiting for him to be done. Then we all left and went to the car. It was then that we discovered that Tammy didn't have a shirt on. Thankfully that was the suitcase easiest to get out, and I got a T-shirt for her.

It was after 9:30, when we finally drove off. It was only a 15-minute drive to our friend's house, which is why we had spent the night there. I hadn't seen her in 10 years or so, so it was great to see her again. And she had never met Randy before, and of course not the children. It was great to have some time catching up with her. Randy and the kids went outside to a little playground at one point, but soon returned, as it was extremely hot. We then stayed together talking with my friend, and then her husband also came who I had never met before. We had a wonderful time, but had to say good-bye after an hour, as we needed to get to Kansas City. Before we left, the five of us prayed for my friend.

We continued on our way to Kansas City, driving west. After an hour and a half we stopped at Chick-Fil-A for lunch. As has been the case every single time, the place was packed to overflowing with people. People were actually lining up all the way to the outside. The kids went straight to the playground, while I stood in the long line to order our food. Once they brought the food to our table, the kids returned from the playground to eat. After having eaten, it was back to the playground. Sammy wanted to go as well and was cranky as Daddy wanted to finish his food first.

After 80 minutes we left to continue on our way. It was extremely hot, when we went outside. It was 1:40 pm and time for their nap. Emmy fell asleep first, but Sammy was screaming. I don't really know why, except that he did not want to sleep. Unfortunately he's just a little bit too far away for me. Still, I stretched myself as much as possible and held his hand, which was pretty uncomfortable, but after a while he calmed down and fell asleep. I looked, and Tammy was asleep as well. Unfortunately Sammy never sleeps long in the car, maybe 10 minutes. After he woke up, I gave him his tablet. Unfortunately I never get to sleep in the car, as Sammy needs me constantly.

After 2 hours we reached our destination in Pleasant Hill, a suburb of Kansas City. Our friends there welcomed us, and we sat down in the playroom, where the kids immediately started exploring all the toys there were there. Sammy found a few that were perfect for him and that kept him busy. Randy was unloading the car, then I put everything into the correct spot. We had a beautiful, big basement room, and the kids had a mattress on the floor to share. They continued playing and were very happy, when they found out that there were rabbits. They got to pet them.

At 5:30 we sat down to dinner, but we had to leave at 6:15 to go to church. We had a great time eating and having fellowship with our friends, then I got up to get them dressed for church. It always takes a while to strap them into the car, so it was 6:20 before we drove off.

It was great to return to the church that I was a part of for 2 years while attending their ministry school. We got there at 6:45, so there weren't a lot of cars yet. We got the wheelchair out and went inside the building, where I was right away greeted by people who knew me from back then, when we went to school together. Everyone loved meeting the triplets. Instead of going into the sanctuary, we headed to another building, where the kids' ministry was happening. i had to fill out a form, got stickers to put on them, then they had to head inside - without us. They wouldn't allow parents back there, so the teacher took Sammy and carried him off. I was wondering how it was gonna go for him, as he'd never been by himself like that, without one of us.

We went inside the sanctuary and enjoyed the service. They were gonna text us if there were any problems, but I did not have any reception. After 20 minutes Randy left to check on them. He ended up leaving with Sammy whose clothes had gotten all wet for some reason, so that they had given him new clothes. He took him to the lobby, where he played with him, and where I found them, when heading to the bathroom. I then took Sammy and stayed in the back of the sanctuary, while Randy left to pick up the other two kids.

The service had just ended, when they all returned, and more people were excited to meet them. We then got to talk to the pastor's wife, which was great, and she enjoyed meeting the triplets. Then it was time to go, and we headed out. It was already going on 9 pm, and it was 9:15 before we got back to the house. It was high time to put them to bed, but it took until nearly 10 pm before they were. Then they fell asleep pretty quickly. It was time for me to turn the computer on and start working on the pictures. Once again my eyes  have been falling shut while writing; I guess it's the new normal. It's nearly 1 am, so high time for bed.