Pick Up Trip and Homecoming

The brief version of our trip looks like this:
Friday 10 a.m. Kathy and Jessica head to Orlando knowing that many of the kids will fly into a location, probably in Florida, sometime soon.

Friday midnight Rick gets call that the twins will land at Sanford Airport, Orlando (a small airport) at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Saturday 1:00 Kathy andJessica arrive at airport

Saturday 4:30 USAF C-17 lands with kids, kids unloaded

Sunday 4:00 a.m. Parents asked to come say who they are there for.

Sunday 7:30 a.m.(??) CO kids leave, other kids are being released to parents about 3-5 per hour

Sunday 9:00 a.m. Every thing stops

Sunday 2:00 p.m. Wicked man calls group together and says it's his right to go through all of our paperwork and decide if we should get our children. Has plans he doesn't share to relocate kids to a "refugee camp." People think it might be a rumor but find out late that night it was true. Parents frantically calling senators etc.

Sunday 2:45 Group of five taken downstairs to visit group and interview with wicked man. They never return!

Sunday evening Aid from senator's office arrives with another important man--after this long without sleep I can't remember either name or who the second guy is.

Sunday 8:00p.m. or so Finish gathering necessary documents. Find out Peterson is missing so all go downstairs and insist on seeing our children. 28 hours since they landed and we haven't yet seen them.

Sunday near midnight Start showing ID for custom/immigration paperwork. Find out Peterson is at the O. James Louis was sent with Peterson's paperwork.

Monday 1:20 a.m. We clear customs and leave the airport!! 36 hours and 20 minutes from arrival.

Monday 2:00 a.m. Stop at hotel. Kids take bath and eat.

Monday 3:03 a.m. Lights out!!! Finally. Sleep.

Monday 5:45 p.m. Arrive home and do news interview!

Children arrive on a C-17

Parents try to see their kids on video.

Kayla

Kale

Waiting to go

Finally in bed

First time at McDonalds. They loved it--once we got them through the door. We had a crowd watching us trying to get them to come in. By time we got them through the door, about 15 people were waiting behind us to get in! I knew they wondered why kids didn't want to go to McDonalds so we told them it was their first day in America--well, really their third but the first they were out and about. This was on our trip home--six hours so we had to eat.

She caught on pretty quickly

A reporter was there from the local station.

Not sure  how much sense we made.

The kids made posters while they were waiting.

I think they reporter had them make them for the  sake of the segment.

So we are finally home!