3 years 2 months 28 days

Day 1184. Today the alarm went off at 8 am, and we had to get up right away to make it out of the house at 9 am, which we did. We took the 9:20 train and then the tram to get to the swimming pool for their weekly swim class. We changed and sat down on the side of the pool to wait for the previous class to end. Once they were leaving, we got into the really hot water. I knew that that hot sauna water would be beneficial for the colds several of us were battling .

Today the twins were the only other kids in the class. Our kids only get two swim rings any more, as they are doing so well, and at some point she even reduced them to one, but that's still very hard for them. They were swimming through a tunnel all by themselves, and all three did great doing so.

Today she did something new - swimming on the back. Sammy has always loved it, but there is an age where kids can't take it. Thankfully they're now over that age. Sammy was still enjoying it, Emmy did okay with it, but Tammy resisted quite a  bit at first. In the end they all did great.

They were also diving again today. Emmy was determined not to, so he was left out. But then she had them sit on a board and threw them into the water, and Emmy did that and went a little under in the process.

They were all having fun, and so the 50 minute class was over in no time at all. They all had red cheeks. We showered and went back upstairs to change back into our street clothes. I changed Tammy and Emmy, and Randy Sammy. Then I took them all out to where our shoes were, while Randy got dressed himself. I put their coats and shoes on and put them into the strollers, ready to roll. Then the twins' Mom came with her boys and was stunned to already see us ready to leave. She said she didn't know how our three were already ready, when she had only just arrived with her two.

We left and made our way to the McDonald's across the street for our weekly meal there. Last week Randy had forgotten his wallet at home, so we were glad we had money today. It was harder finding a place to sit, so we were a little crammed. Tammy and Emmy went with me to place the order, and were excited to see the Hot Wheels that they're now including with the Happy Meals. And so we had three different ones in the end, but they had to wait until home so Daddy could put them together. As they put cardboard on them for the different looks, they're not gonna last long.

We had a good time eating and then left to head towards the subway. The caroussel was right there, and I already had 3 tickets in my pocket, ready to use them. However, there was a sign saying "Be Right Back", which was disappointing. Randy wanted us to leave, but the kids wanted to ride. And then the guy was back, and the kids had their chance for a fun ride. Tammy and Emmy went into the teacup again, and Sammy into a car. He could actually have been in that car by himself, without Daddy right there. Tammy and Emmy were laughing the whole time while they were going round and round, having the greatest time ever. That's why I love making things like this possible for them.

Then we left to take the subway to go back home. The kids were watching Paw Patrol all the way home. It takes us a while, taking two subways and riding quite long on both of them. It was 1 pm, when we got home, and bed time. I put them straight to bed and sat down by them. The boys were asleep first, Tammy needed a little more time. Then I sat down by my computer to get ready for my two afternoon classes. I really wanted to sleep, but time was short until Christine's arrival at 2 pm. And since she could not ring the doorbell with the kids sleeping, I had to keep an eye on my phone and let Randy know once she was standing outside our building, which was the case at 2 pm. Randy had to go outside to open the door for her and let her in.

When I told him that Christine was outside, that little sentence was enough to wake up Emmy, and then Sammy woke up as well. And so they were both up, when Christine arrived just after 2 pm. She then went downstairs with them, while I finally got a chance to close my eyes. I was still not feeling well, though it was not as bad as yesterday, and I still had to have a tissue in my hand most of the time. I was thankful to fall asleep, but it was a rough awakening, when my alarm went off at 2:45. Only to find out that my 3 pm student was sick and the lesson canceled. At about 3:15 I woke up Tammy, and she went downstairs as well. At 4 pm I started teaching a lesson, and at 4:30 Randy left with Tammy and Emmy for their piano class. I was done just before 5 pm and continued doing some work on the computer. At 5:45 Christine came upstairs with Sammy, who was excited to see me. We talked until 6 pm, then Christine had to leave. I put Sammy into his chair, and as he wanted to do his favorite thing which is pushing buttons, I put him by the light switch, where he was having found turning it on and off over and over again. He was still there, when Randy and the kids returned at 6:30. I found out that they had not behaved very well during class. Next week I'm the one going to class with them.

Dinner was ready, and so we sat down at the table to eat. Then they went into the bathtub, where they continued eating while playing. By 7:40 they were in bed, and I still had a few minutes to read them a bedtime story. I had Tammy on one leg, and Emmy on the other. Then I prayed for them, and they went to bed. I could not stay as I had an 8 pm lesson, even though I was not feeling great. At 8 pm I went downstairs, while Randy sat down by the kids. I then taught from 8:10 until just after 9 pm, and had a good time. It was Business English, and I really enjoy that adult student. I then went upstairs and to the kitchen to start making my salad. After I had eaten it, I started working on today's pictures. I was writing this report, when Emmy came up to me and wanted me to sit by his bed, so I continued writing there. Now it's 12:30 am, and time for me to clean up the kitchen and go to bed.