Day 1074. Yesterday we had the joy of having Sonja with us for much of the day. It was so great to hear her and the kids laughing together downstairs again, while having the freedom of doing whatever needed to be done without having to worry about the kids. Randy ran to the grocery store, while I was teaching a lesson.
This morning we did not have to get up at a certain time for the first time in days, and it was really nice. I did have a 10 am lesson, though, and I did have to watch the time as we got up a little later than we have been.
Randy and the kids went downstairs after breakfast, while I was getting ready for my lesson. There were some technical issues, which meant that I had to wait for 30 minutes for my student, and so I added a few minutes in the end. With the post-lesson work, it was after 11:15 before I knew it and time to go to the kitchen to make lunch. At noon they came upstairs to eat. After pasta and icecream, I cleaned them up and dressed them, but as time was short, we did not go downstairs. Instead they stood in Emmy's bed and were watching the kids' songs they enjoy so much on YouTube. Just before 1 pm I turned it off so they could go to bed, and of course they were all upset about it. And really, it took them much longer than usual to fall asleep. I actually remembered that I had a webinar to attend at 1 pm, and so Randy took my place, but it wasn't working, and so I took my computer with me to the chair by their beds. It was over at 1:30, and then I left with my computer. Tammy wasn't quite asleep yet, but I was able to leave.
I went back to work and never closed my eyes. It wasn't long until 2 pm anyway, which is when it was time to get started on getting ready to leave at 2:15. Randy woke the kids up, who were not happy, having slept less than an hour. We were able to get everyone and everything ready to leave on time.
It was another really hot day. We walked to the train station, where we waited for the regular train that was a few minutes late. We got on, rode for a few minutes to the next stop, got off and took the bus. Then we walked the rest of the way to the school, where I was happy to find out that we were in the better exercise room today than where we have been. The one where their class had taken place during the year and where they have the big mat, the big balls and the mirrors and bars on the wall. It was a whole different ballgame with the additional equipment, and the kids were having SO MUCH fun with it all.
The first tihng Emmy and Tammy did was to jump on the balls, while I was pushing them against the wall with my legs to keep them in place. All three also enjoyed the trampolin and the bench that functioned as a slide. There was also a little see-saw that all three went on, and they all played on the thick mat for a little bit. But most of my pictures are of the tunnel they went through. Tammy and Emmy lay down inside it, and then Sammy came to join them, and he also crawled through. I also swung all three indivually while inside it.
The teacher went through her usual routine, where she just switches up the action songs a little bit. Emmy participated really well in all the songs, Tammy not quite as much, and Sammy also had fun with them. When it was time to put away the mats, they each lay down on a separate mat, and we pulled them through the room. I ran with Tammy won the mat. Randy had Sammy, and Tammy went over there to pull Sammy. We did a few more songs, and then the class was over.
We put their shoes back on, and Tammy decided to push Emmy who was on the tricycle, but not for very long. Walking to the bus stop, we crossed the street to see whether the slide had been returned to the playground, and it had, but was still cordonned off so you couldn't use it. We continued walking, passed the lake that people were swimming in, and then did a little detour as Randy thought we should go to where water was coming out of huge nebulizers, as he had not wanted us to go into the lake. The kis ran to them and stood on the metal bar to get closer to where the water was coming out. Soon all three were covered in water droplets. They were having great fun. Then Emmy spotted the water fountain and ran there, while we were following him. It was hard to pull the lever to make the water run, and so I did it for them. It was so cute how Tammy and Emmy were both trying to drink the water at the same time. Sammy joined us in the stroller, and soon all three were making the water go every which direction, having the greatest fun. It took very little time for them to be completely soaked. We finally needed to move on, and Sammy was very upset about that.
We needed to go into the grocery store before getting on the bus. The kids got a little pull-basket that they put the items in that we were buying. We mainly wanted to buy icecream, as Randy had not be able to find it in several grocery store trips, and we were unsuccessful again. The kids saw some hoops and wanted to have them, and we ended up buying two. They have lights flashing, when you use them, which is the most fun of course. We bought a few more items, paid, and left the grocery store. We crossed the street to get to the bus stop, and the bus arrived right away. We rode it to the end and then decided not to go into another grocery store. Instead we got on the subway to go home.
We got home just before 5 pm. I immediately took their wet clothes off and then took them downstairs. They had been asking to watch Peppa Pig for a while, but now they wanted to watch something else they saw and was age-appropriate. I lef them downstairs and went upstairs to get some work in before 6 pm, but it wasn't much I could get done in the short time. Once again my 8 pm class was postponed - for about the 10th time.
At 6 pm I started making their dinner, and Randy already came upstairs with the kids. He got the paper out of the hoops that kept the batteries from working, and so the kids saw the light for the first time and enjoyed them. I also showed them a video clip of how to hula hoop. Just after 6:30 we sat down to eat. Once they'd had enough, the left to go to the bathtub, but tonight they did not eat much in the bathtub either, for some reason. In the end they were already in bed by 7:30 tonight, which is earlier than it has been in quite some time. Given their short nap at lunch time, I thought they were gonna fall asleep fast, but that was not the case. On the contrary, they were giving me a hard time. It was somewhere after 8:15 before I was able to walk away. I returned to work until I got too hungry to go on. I got something to eat, then continued working. And today It's gotten a little (too) late, as it's already 1 am, and I have two lessons in the morning.
