25 months

Day 762. Last night I went to bed just after midnight. Once again Emmy and Tammy joined us in bed at different times, and then in the morning I got Sammy who was unhappy to be by himself. Today we got up at 7:30 am to have breakfast. After breakfast I took them downstairs, turned worship music on and got their Bibles out. We were sitting on the couch and going through Bible stories. Tammy was listening carefully, Sammy was right there too, and Emmy was off doing something else. When Randy came with this breakfast, I left to finish cleaning up and to do office work. I did the first, but never really got into the second. I needed to go to Bipa to print out the pictures of the new sponsored children so I'd have them at church. And I heard Emmy crying downstairs, so I went downstairs to take him with me. When I took him and started walking away, Tammy started crying hard. She wanted to go too! And so I took her with me as well, after having put clothes on both of them.

We left the house just after 9:30, with them in the double stroller, and started walking in the direction of the store. That stroller is hard to push with two heavy kids, but they were enjoying the ride, nearly one mile to walk. We got to the store, picked up some diapers and snacks, and printed out the pictures of the new kids in Mali needing sponsors. They were both holding a pack of diapers and of snacks each, which looked funny, and I should have taken their picture. We paid and left the store to walk back home. Emmy was getting restless, not wanting to sit in the stroller, so I was glad, when we got back home. Usually I only take one of them with me, and I need to do so again next time. They went back downstairs to join their brother, while I had a little bit time left until cooking to work.

At lunch time, Tammy ate a little bit, but Emmy was so tired he was just crying and wouldn't eat. I finally just put him to bed, and he fell asleep rather quickly, at about 11:45. Since Tammy had eaten a little, I did give her a pudding, which upset Emmy more who wanted one. Tammy went downstairs with Randy, while I put the boys to bed. Since they had fallen asleep fast, it was terribly early for her to lie down just after noon. And unfortunately my concerns were proven valid. She was moving and being loud, and nothing we did could encourage her to go to sleep. And then she woke up Emmy after only 45 minutes, and he was not done sleeping. At that point I hadn't finished eating lunch, but I had no choice. I took him with me and lay down in bed with him, and he fell back asleep quickly. I was able to continue eating, and then working, with him lying there rignt next to me.

While I was doing that, Randy was still trying to get the girl sleep, and in the end, she fell asleep on his chest, and Randy slept as well. Sammy had woken up from all the commotion as well. As they were both sleeping, he was getting more and more upset. I finally went in there, put the sleeping Tammy to bed, and handed Sammy to Randy, who went downstairs with him.

Time was so short. We already needed to leave the house at 2:30, and I had only one hour left to choose their clothes and make their food-to-go and get everything ready. Thankfully Emmy and Tammy slept the whole time. Emmy woke up just at the right time, so I could dress him. The other boys came upstairs as well to get dressed, and then Emmy woke up Tammy for me, so she could get ready. She had not had enough sleep and was pretty cranky until we got going.

We left on time and caught the 2:50 train, then we took the subway and walked to the church who now meets on the top floor of an entertainment building. We were pretty early, but found someone to put up a table for us so we could put our materials on it. Someone also unlocked the baby room for us that we knew we needed. We sat in the last row, when worship started. They obviously can't sit still. Towards the end of worship we went to the baby room. I was disappointed to discover that the TV where the streamed the service was gone, so that we could not follow along in the service. And so I left them right away to return to the sanctuary, after having given them their food.

Right after I returned they played my video presentation, and then I went up front to give an update on the work in Mali and tell some testimonies. It was definitely easier with the little ones being in the baby room. It helps when it's your home church, where (most) everyone already knows you. After I had spoken a few minutes, the pastor prayed for me and let everybody know that he was traveling to Mali soon. Then I returned to the baby room.

I was glad to find that none of them were crying for me. Once I got there, they wanted to go outside on the terrace, and so we did. They were walking around and exploring, and after a few minutes we went back inside, where they continued playing. A few minutes before the end of the service I left to go to our table, and Emmy and Tammy followed me right away, and Randy and Sammy came as well. It wasn't long until people started coming out of the sanctuary and to our table.

Randy tried to take care of all of the little ones, while I was busy with the table. Quite a few people who didn't know us yet came up to me to talk, which was great and one of the purposes. A couple we've known a long time bought some vanilla icecream for the little ones who were excited. They sat at the table behind me, where Randy tried to manage them eating it.

A little later, while some kids were looking at the picture books from Mali, Emmy came up with his icecream plastic spoon and tried to give it to a boy, then a girl, but they all just looked at him, not being interested at all in taking the used spoon. It was just funny to watch.

Most people were gone, and so it was time to pack up. They were also getting pretty tired. It was 7 pm, when we left to return home. When we got to the train station after having taken the subway, a regular train was about to arrive. Even though we had the heavy bag with Mali stuff, we decided to take it, even having to go up the stairs to get into it, as it would take us home over 10 minutes earlier. Someone helped us to get on. There were a lot of bikes there, as it had been a beautiful and warm day. By 7:35 we were alreadly back home.

We took their clothes off and put them into the bathtub with the shower on, as they enjoy it so much, then we put their pj's on and put them to bed. The boys fell asleep fast, Tammy needed me to stay for a while. When the food delivery guy rang the door bell at 8:20, only Tammy reacted, saying "package", as it's usually an Amazon delivery guy who rings the bell. Thankfully I was able to calm her down quickly, and then it wasn't long before I was able to walk away and go downstairs for us to eat.

We enjoyed our food and watched the second half of the movie we started last week. Then I returned to work, starting on the pictures, followed by doing the cleanup, but by the time I started writing my update, I was so tired that I could not stay awake and had to leave it for the next day. At 12:20 am I fell into bed.