This past week our family went to Kansas City!
Sunday evening we hit the park & we enjoyed a pool party all together! We watched Mikela freak out when Jose threw her in because she didn’t want her hair wet….then later we watched Mikela push Jose in the pool fully clothed! 🙂
Then we separated! Jose, Momma Gigi, & I stayed with our friends the Harris Family…..and the kids stayed with Marla!
We SO thoroughly enjoyed our time with Dan & Lori! Momma Gigi got to experience her first Baseball Game. That was an adventure! We were an hour into the game and Momma Gigi still couldn’t figure out why there were two different uniform colors on the field! LOL!
Jose, Momma Gigi, & I went to the movie theater 3 days in a row – WITHOUT KIDS!!! Had no clue they still made non-animated shows! LOL! 😉 She also got a pedicure- she was pretty excited about that!
We were also blessed to meet up with some very special friends & we also got to make new ones!
While we enjoyed our time – the kids had “the best vacation ever” at Marla’s House! 🙂 I think now that they are all older – the people they see, the things they do, the connections they make….it’s on a much deeper level now. They are beginning to really appreciate the blessings & people they have in their lives.
The kids did EVERYTHING!! They arrived to a house FULLY stocked with food, drinks, & people. They went to the zoo, they had a huge picnic, they laughed, they got to be guest speakers at a High School French Class, they attended a soccer game, they laughed, they got their hair done, they saw where milk is made & got to try specialty flavored milks, they learned how to play gaga ball & ping pong, they went to Fritzs, they laughed, they went to NY City (the boys think they went there), they got to see some tourist spots, they laughed, they danced, they played cards, they played games, they got new KC shirts, they ate everything, they got to drink as much sprite as they wanted, they laughed, they loved, they saw good friends, they made new ones, then they cried when they left……phew….that was a mouthful!
We pulled out of KC Thursday and drove 2.5 hours to Columbia, MO where we met up with more for their College Friends at Chuck E Cheese! Our van began to act up and we were not sure we would make it on home. Our friend Laura Mueller met up with us as a surprise for Rosie! Unfortunately she spent most of her time with Jose at a dealership trying to figure out what was wrong with the van…. while the kids spent 2 hours playing with their friends. So thankful for her and for this special group who prayed over us as we headed home.
We were told NOT to drive the van and get a rental car. They said it was a 50/50 chance it would breakdown on the way. We were 6.5 hours (if normal speed) from home and every rental place was closed. The dealership we stopped at closed at 8pm and told us they couldn’t help us until the morning. The kids had doctor appointments at 9am the next day in KY – and we could not reschedule.
The problem with the van was that it wouldn’t go more than 60mph and when you went up a hill it dropped to 40mph pretty quickly. Not great for the interstate. Without any real options we took the chance and started heading on home. It took us a lot longer but driving at night was safer -there was barely any traffic. We drove through the night and made it home just before 6am.
I loved hearing all the stories from the kids about their adventures this past week. They were REEKING of love – from head to toe.
One of my biggest fears for my children is that by being missionaries in a foreign land- they would somehow feel unloved – unseen – unimportant – forgettable. We don’t have a lot of foot-traffic in the Mole…not very many groups come now. So when they meet people – they latch on tightly…and then they grieve deeply when they leave.
This week beyond a shadow of a doubt – those fears were unfounded. This week they were loved, important, seen, & remembered! Thanks to everyone who sacrificed their time, energy, efforts, funds, sleep, & saniety so that 6 kids could experience unconditional & unbridled love.
A Brief Look At Their KC Take Over….
