Chapter 2
Amy was about to make it known to her children that it was time for dinner, later that day, when a pair of arms wrap around Amy's waist, "I'm home."
Amy quickly sets the garlic bread that she had been making on the count and rushes out of the an turns around to greet Ephram. "Hi." Amy greets kissing Ephram, "how was your flight?"
"It was a flight from Switzerland, it was long." Ephram responds. He dealt in pharmaceuticals and usually had to travel to several different countries a month. "How was everyone's first day?"
"It seemed all right, but they've been coming and going all afternoon. But dinner's about ready, why don't you help me set everything out?"
Ephram nods and takes 9 plates and three plastic bowls from Amy and following her as she carries the huge bowl of bread into the dining room. "So did you get everything sorted out over there then?" Amy asks as she helps Ephram set the table.
"Unfortunately no, I've got to go back at the end of the month." Ephram responds tentatively.
"Ephram!" Amy exclaims.
"I know, but I can't help it, it's hell over there the entire company is nearly collapsing after the president of the company died."
"But is it up to you to put it all back together?" Amy questions.
"You know that's my job." Ephram responds wrapping his arms around Amy's waist, "it's not going to be nearly as long this time, probably only two or three days."
Amy rests her head on Ephram's shoulder, "I know you have to go but I hate it."
Ephram kisses the top of her head, "I hate it to but I don't really get a choice. But we knew when I took this job that even though there was a pay increase I was also going to have to travel more."
Amy nods, "I know. And I know that because you have this job I don't have to work but I still miss you."
"Well I don't have to work tomorrow, why don't you see if you're mom will take the younger kids and we'll go into Denver for the day?" Ephram suggests.
Amy beams at Ephram, "I can handle that."
"Mommy, when's..." Stephanie's sentence trails off as she spots Ephram, "Daddy!"
Ephram grabs Stephanie, lifting her into the air, "hi princess. How was your first day of kindergarten?"
"I loved it!" Stephanie announces, "my teacher is really nice. And we got to paint today, for almost the all day."
"Really?"
Stephanie nods, "I painted you a picture, I'll go get it."
Ephram sets Stephanie back on the ground but before she can run off Amy stops her, "why don't you show Daddy after dinner. Go get washed up and let your brothers and sisters know that it's time to eat."
"Where are the triplets?" Ephram asks.
"They were taking a nap while I made dinner, they were anxious for you to get home so I told them if they took a nap you would be home sooner." Amy responds as Ephram leads the way to the triplets' room.
When Amy pushes the door open she can hear all three of the kids scurry back to their beds and when she looks in they are all lying face down in their beds faking sleep. But Jovana looks up when they walk in and nearly screams, "Daddy!"
And suddenly Ephram is attacked by the three of them, Ephram hugs and kisses each of them individually. "Do you guess want spaghetti?" Ephram questions.
"Yay!" Jovana and Julian cheer.
"Yucky!" Jeneva declares.
"Go to the dining room with Daddy." Amy urges Jovana and Julian and she kneels in front of Jeneva, "let's go get dinner."
"I don't wanna! I don't like 'ghetti." Jeneva declares.
"Jeneva, please sweetie, let's go to dinner." Amy gently coaxes, hoping to avoid a temper tantrum. Out of her sister and brother Jeneva was most stubborn and tended to throw temper tantrums more than either Julian or Jovana.
Jeneva scowls and shakes her head, "no."
"I made garlic bread." Amy states.
Jeneva thinks this over for a second, and if garlic bread makes the whole world better she nods, "OK." And then reaches out for Amy to carry her.
By the time Amy reaches the dining room she finds that the long table 12 chairs, three with booster seats, are filled with the exception of Jeneva and her chair. One thing Amy insisted about in the house, with 11 children she rarely insisted upon anything, but she didn't insist about meal times being fairly orderly. Amy immediately places a small amount of noodles and half of a garlic bread stick in the triplet's bowls and then she begins passing around the large bowls of noodles, spaghetti, and bread around the table.
"How's the football team looking this year, Noah?" Ephram asks once everyone has started in on their food.
"It looks like another winning season." Noah responds, "I think we have a chance of going all the way to state this year."
"That's great Noah." Amy states and Ephram nods.
"That's what the first at cheer practice said today." Laurie states, she was only a freshman in high school but she was one of the few freshman girls in the history at Central to make the varsity cheer squad.
"How's Elizabeth's mother doing?" Amy asks Reed. Reed's girlfriend's mother had been in a car accident a month earlier.
"She's doing a lot better, she was walking around today." Reed responds.
The conversation around the table continues for the rest of dinner and when it's over everyone else once again goes their separate ways and Amy and Ephram take on the adventure of bathing the triplets. It wasn't that they hated taking a bath it was that they loved it to much that tended to cause problems at bath time. It always took two people to bathe both of them and both people and Amy and Ephram's bathroom, with the only tub big enough to fit all three of them, was usually soaked.
Amy was about to make it known to her children that it was time for dinner, later that day, when a pair of arms wrap around Amy's waist, "I'm home."
Amy quickly sets the garlic bread that she had been making on the count and rushes out of the an turns around to greet Ephram. "Hi." Amy greets kissing Ephram, "how was your flight?"
"It was a flight from Switzerland, it was long." Ephram responds. He dealt in pharmaceuticals and usually had to travel to several different countries a month. "How was everyone's first day?"
"It seemed all right, but they've been coming and going all afternoon. But dinner's about ready, why don't you help me set everything out?"
Ephram nods and takes 9 plates and three plastic bowls from Amy and following her as she carries the huge bowl of bread into the dining room. "So did you get everything sorted out over there then?" Amy asks as she helps Ephram set the table.
"Unfortunately no, I've got to go back at the end of the month." Ephram responds tentatively.
"Ephram!" Amy exclaims.
"I know, but I can't help it, it's hell over there the entire company is nearly collapsing after the president of the company died."
"But is it up to you to put it all back together?" Amy questions.
"You know that's my job." Ephram responds wrapping his arms around Amy's waist, "it's not going to be nearly as long this time, probably only two or three days."
Amy rests her head on Ephram's shoulder, "I know you have to go but I hate it."
Ephram kisses the top of her head, "I hate it to but I don't really get a choice. But we knew when I took this job that even though there was a pay increase I was also going to have to travel more."
Amy nods, "I know. And I know that because you have this job I don't have to work but I still miss you."
"Well I don't have to work tomorrow, why don't you see if you're mom will take the younger kids and we'll go into Denver for the day?" Ephram suggests.
Amy beams at Ephram, "I can handle that."
"Mommy, when's..." Stephanie's sentence trails off as she spots Ephram, "Daddy!"
Ephram grabs Stephanie, lifting her into the air, "hi princess. How was your first day of kindergarten?"
"I loved it!" Stephanie announces, "my teacher is really nice. And we got to paint today, for almost the all day."
"Really?"
Stephanie nods, "I painted you a picture, I'll go get it."
Ephram sets Stephanie back on the ground but before she can run off Amy stops her, "why don't you show Daddy after dinner. Go get washed up and let your brothers and sisters know that it's time to eat."
"Where are the triplets?" Ephram asks.
"They were taking a nap while I made dinner, they were anxious for you to get home so I told them if they took a nap you would be home sooner." Amy responds as Ephram leads the way to the triplets' room.
When Amy pushes the door open she can hear all three of the kids scurry back to their beds and when she looks in they are all lying face down in their beds faking sleep. But Jovana looks up when they walk in and nearly screams, "Daddy!"
And suddenly Ephram is attacked by the three of them, Ephram hugs and kisses each of them individually. "Do you guess want spaghetti?" Ephram questions.
"Yay!" Jovana and Julian cheer.
"Yucky!" Jeneva declares.
"Go to the dining room with Daddy." Amy urges Jovana and Julian and she kneels in front of Jeneva, "let's go get dinner."
"I don't wanna! I don't like 'ghetti." Jeneva declares.
"Jeneva, please sweetie, let's go to dinner." Amy gently coaxes, hoping to avoid a temper tantrum. Out of her sister and brother Jeneva was most stubborn and tended to throw temper tantrums more than either Julian or Jovana.
Jeneva scowls and shakes her head, "no."
"I made garlic bread." Amy states.
Jeneva thinks this over for a second, and if garlic bread makes the whole world better she nods, "OK." And then reaches out for Amy to carry her.
By the time Amy reaches the dining room she finds that the long table 12 chairs, three with booster seats, are filled with the exception of Jeneva and her chair. One thing Amy insisted about in the house, with 11 children she rarely insisted upon anything, but she didn't insist about meal times being fairly orderly. Amy immediately places a small amount of noodles and half of a garlic bread stick in the triplet's bowls and then she begins passing around the large bowls of noodles, spaghetti, and bread around the table.
"How's the football team looking this year, Noah?" Ephram asks once everyone has started in on their food.
"It looks like another winning season." Noah responds, "I think we have a chance of going all the way to state this year."
"That's great Noah." Amy states and Ephram nods.
"That's what the first at cheer practice said today." Laurie states, she was only a freshman in high school but she was one of the few freshman girls in the history at Central to make the varsity cheer squad.
"How's Elizabeth's mother doing?" Amy asks Reed. Reed's girlfriend's mother had been in a car accident a month earlier.
"She's doing a lot better, she was walking around today." Reed responds.
The conversation around the table continues for the rest of dinner and when it's over everyone else once again goes their separate ways and Amy and Ephram take on the adventure of bathing the triplets. It wasn't that they hated taking a bath it was that they loved it to much that tended to cause problems at bath time. It always took two people to bathe both of them and both people and Amy and Ephram's bathroom, with the only tub big enough to fit all three of them, was usually soaked.
