Day 1160. I had to set my alarm for 8:30 this morning to make sure I was all done in time for my 10 am lesson. After breakfast I took the kids downstairs, where we read a Bible story together, then I went upstairs to get ready. Today I taught two hours, until noon, which is not typical for Saturday morning. Randy and the kids came upstairs just before my lesson ended, and Tammy and Emmy walked into the room just as I was exchanging goodbyes with my student. They wanted to watch Paw Patrol, so I set it up for them, while I went to the kitchen to make a quick lunch. It was still 12:20 before we sat down to eat.
They didn't eat very much, and so it was only Sammy who got icecream. I cleaned them up, and then they went back to watching videos until it was time for their nap at 1:15. Randy already left before then to run to the grocery store. Before they were in bed, Randy called which is very unusual. He told me that there was a pumpkin event going on in the park near us. Then the kids went to bed, and as usual, Tammy was the last one to fall asleep; it was already close to 2 pm. Then I left and sat down by the computer.
At 2:30 Emmy already walked into the room and stayed with me for a while. I was still looking online to see whether there were any appropriate events for our kids anywhere. We had already made plans for the afternoon, but it didn't seem quite the right thing to do. Randy returned, and then Emmy and Tammy also woke up. But it took us longer than expected to get going, and so it was already 3:15 pm.
It was a foggy, damp day and a good thing we had our winter coats on. I had pulled out some other jackets for the kids that fit well, even though Sammy's was a little big. We were walking to the park, where we could see the tents and people in the distance. When we got there, they gave us two pumpkins and carving tools, and we found a table that had space to sit down at. Randy and Sammy took the spoon to get the inside of the pumpkin out. Then we started carving Emmy's pumpkin, or rather I did. It was the first time in my life I had ever done that, but it was not difficult. Then we carved Tammy's pumpkin. They both wanted a happy face. After we were done, I took a picture of them with their pumpkins.
Then we made our way to the subway. We had planned to cross town to go to the petting zoo, but it was a long trip, and it was nearly 4 pm, and so we were looking for alternatives. Some shopping malls were doing stuff this Halloween weekend, but we wanted to avoid all spooky stuff. The shopping mall closest to us had a nice play area for kids 3 years and up, and so we decided to go there. We rode the subway and made our way to the play area, only to find out that it was a place to drop off your kids so that the parents could go shopping. Adults were not allowed inside, and so we left again.
I had thought we could go to the amusement park and let them do a few rides, and then I remembered that there was a place I had wanted to take them right there - the model train museum. It had a lot of stuff kids would love. And so we got back on the subway to ride two more stops.
We got off and started walking in the direction of the amusement park. Just before we reached the Kasperl theater (puppets) that the kids had wanted to go to (but too much Halloween there), there was the big building the museum was in. It was 4:30 pm. We paid the entry fee and went inside.
The first thing they saw were the vehicles you put a Euro in and then they move. They sat in them, and even climbed on top of them, but we did not put any money in. Then we walked on and saw the little racing track with the electric cars they could ride. However, the cars were barely charged up, and so they moved very slowly if they did at all. Still, they enjoyed riding them and even rode together in one at one time, because it was the only one with some energy left in it. Sammy also enjoyed sitting in the car.
Then we walked into a maze full of mirrors, where you have to find the exit to get back out. It was a lot of fun, and the kids ran smack into a mirror more than once. One time Emmy saw the exit and didn't realize it was a reflection in the mirror and ran right into it. Eventually we made our way out.
Then we went to the kids' play area I had already seen and knew they would love. A big climbing construct with slides and a pit full of balls. They spent a long time there. Emmy and Tammy were climbing around and sliding, while I ended up with Sammy in the pit with balls that he was greatly enjoying. And then Emmy and Tammy also joined us there, and we were all having fun in there. Emmy went to the very top and went down the slide. Tammy then went up there as well but was too scared to go down the slide. That was unusual as Emmy is normally the fearful one, not Tammy.
We decided it was time to move on. Randy took Tammy to change her diaper, and so I went inside the old tram sitting there with the boys. Once the driver's seat became available, Emmy immediately sat down as he had been impatient to do. He started pushing all kinds of buttons, opening and closing doors, and then Sammy joined him there. Sammy just loves buttons. Soon Tammy returned and joined them there as well.
Then we left and took the elevator up to the top floor, where the actual attraction of the museum was. A model of the city of Vienna, with trams and trains and subways and everything else. We walked around it, and there were buttons to push everywhere that brought that area, where we were standing, to life. It was pretty cool. And then it got dark and the lights went on in the city, with dawn breaking again a few minutes later.
On the other side of the room they had set up huge racing tracks for little remote-controlled cars. We got a controller, but it was not easy to do even for adults, so we soon left.
Back downstairs, the kids went back to where we started, to the vehicles, when I saw people going to the photo corner right there. And so we went there as well and took two pictures with different backgrounds. In fact, it was a green screen, and we could choose what background we wanted, and then have the photo emailed to us.
Then it was time to leave. The kids were interested in the toys in the shop by the exit, of course, but we put their coats on and left to go home. Even though it was only 6:15, it was already dark outside. We walked back to the subway, got on and rode it home, where we arrived just before 6:45. It was high time to make dinner.
I was very tired, but I had no choice but to get to work. Tammy and Emmy were watching Superbook, while I was making their food. Then we sat down to eat, and Emmy surprised me when he ate everything on his plate at the table. That never happens, but then their plates were not as full as usual. Tammy finished her food in the bathtub, and Sammy didn't tonight. By the time they were all in bed, it was already nearly 8:30, so pretty late. But we had also read a bedtime story together, for the third time ever, as they've discovered they really like that. I thought they'd fall asleep fast, but that was not the case.
I sat down by their beds. Once Randy was done eating, he took my place, but the kids were not at all happy about that. They complained for quite some time. By the time I was done making my salad and sat down to eat, they had fallen asleep. After I was done eating, I started working on the many pictures of today, and it all took quite long, and so it's nearly 2 am now. It's a good thing that we gain an hour tonight, as we turn our clocks back at 3 am. Tammy has been having quite a restless time the past few hours, as she's coughing quite a bit and wakes up asking for milk frequently. Please pray for her healing.
