5 years 8 months 24 days

Day 2093. What a day! It started early, and special. Randy asked me to set the alarm for 6:15 am. At 6:45 am he came to me, asking me to wake up Tammy and Emmy who were sleeping on either side of me so they could go and have breakfast. It was hard for them to get up that early, and they didn't eat much. I couldn't hear Sammy, which was unusual, and then found out that he was still asleep. Now that is unheard of as he's always the first one up!

At 7 am I got up as well which was very hard. I had gone to bed at 1 am. I got ready to leave the house and made sure the kids were ready, and at 7:25 am Tammy, Emmy and I left the house together. We walked to the bus stop and took two buses and arrived at their kindergarten/school just after 8 am. We had plenty of time for them to hang their coats on their hooks and put their house shoes on. I left my coat there too. Then we walked over to where the school is in the same building.

On September 1st they'll be starting first grade. Today all the future first graders were invited to come spend an hour at their future school. The fourth graders were excited to show them around, and their future teacher was with them as well. Together they all walked off. After an hour they came back with a sheet in their hands. They had counted stairs and chairs and hand prints on the wall and written them down. They had also drawn what goes into a school bag. They said that they'd had fun and that they like their teacher.

After the kids had walked off, all the parents went upstairs into their future classroom where the current and future school director sat down with us, gave us some information and gave us a chance to ask questions. Then they handed out leaves to all the parents, and we had to write something we wish for our kids on there. When school starts, the kids will glue them onto the wall, a tree, and the teacher will read to them what theirs parents are wishing for them. Next, the director had little Bingo sheets with 9 questions to ask of other parents for everyone. Our goal was to find 9 different people who could say yes to the 9 questions. It was their way of getting the parents to meet each other, and I had a few nice conversations. Quite a few of the kids in kindergarten with our kids will also be in school with them.

After an hour, the teacher returned with all the children, and we said our good-byes and left. I took them to their kindergarten classroom and said good-bye.

I wasn't going home quite yet. I'd been wanting to go get a new passport for many weeks but it's so hard to get up in the morning. One time I went to a government office to get it done, and they told me it was a 3-hour wait time which I couldn't do. And so I looked up online which office in which district would be better and faster and found one in the second district which is still quite close to us. I walked all the way to the subway from their kindergarten and rode it to the second district then I had to walk quite a bit again to get there.

I arrived at the old building just after 10 am. The waiting room was full of people. I drew a number and sat down. I was very tired and closed my eyes but opened them every time it beeped which meant another number was called to go inside. After nearly an hour my number was called, and I went inside. I had a nice, young lady who was taking care of me. I gave her my old passport and a new passport picture, she put it all into the computer, I signed a paper, then she asked me to go to the cashier and pay for the new passport. I paid 76 euros, then returned to the lady to give her the receipt to prove I have paid. It's going to take up to five days for my new passport to be delivered.

Just after 11 am I left the building, walked to the subway and rode it home where I arrived just after 11:30 am. All I wanted was to lie down and get some sleep, and that's what I did. It took a while before I went to sleep, and I woke up when i heard Sammy's voice as he had just come home with Randy. I was not ready to get up yet, but Randy had to leave again to go pick up the other two. And so I had no choice but to get up to give Sammy what he wanted - projector,door game or tablet, something different every few minutes. And I went to the kitchen to warm up leftovers for me to eat.

Once my 2:30 pm teaching time was approaching, I started getting ready for that, and a few minutes before that, Randy and the kids returned home. Randy had bought them styrofoam planes today that they were really excited about, and they all ended up going to the nearby park to try them out. They worked very well, and the kids loved them.
I taught from 2:25 to 3:20 pm, then I went to the kitchen to make their dinner sandwiches and got ready to leave. At 3:50 pm all five of us left. We walked to the subway and got on. Randy and Sammy got off before us. They had to take another subway that took them to the private physiotherapist Sammy sometimes goes to. Sammy had an appointment there at 4:45 pm and had a good time.

Tammy, Emmy and I continued on the subway and then changed to another subway, then walked the rest of the way. We arrived at the Robbo Club early. I waved them good-bye and left. I had told them that I was going to the bakery to teach and would come back after. I walked down the road until I reached the little train station, bought a drink and a pastry, and sat down at the narrow table at the bakery. Thankfully I was the only person sitting there. I had forgotten to bring my headset, but it worked out fine without it. Noone was bothered by me teaching there. I taught from 4:45 until 5:35 pm, then I packed up and walked back to the Robbo club. When I got there, I sat down on a chair to wait unti just before 6 pm when you can go inside to see what they'd done.

But today the kids came out early and asked the parents to come in to show them. Today the robot would only move when their hand was in front of the sensor, and would move when the sensor was taken off. I filmed Emmy showing it and then asked him to say it again in English.

They were done, so they packed up, and we left. They ate their sandwiches on the way to the subway. We rode two subways and got off three stops early to make a  bread pickup. Then we got back on the subway and rode it home.

Randy and Sammy were already home, and it was already quite late. Emmy had not behaved well on the subway so he was punished with no tablet. Tammy has been behaving unusually well the past few days, and today she said she would take Emmy's punishment upon herself, like Jesus did for them. She would have no tablet so that Emmy could have his. I was impressed. In the end I told her she could have her tablet because of what she had done.

I went straight to the kitchen to cut up their fruit and gave them their plates. Then I sat down at the computer to prepare my 8:10 class. Then it was bathtub time, followed by piano practice time that we kept pretty short today. Back upstairs, I got their toothbrushes ready and prayed for them, then I sat down at my computer to teach. My student was 10 minutes late so I wouldn't have had to rush that much.

By the time I had finished teaching at 9 pm, I was so very tired that I just wanted to sleep. But I hadn't eaten yet. I got myself something quick, and after having eaten, I felt better. Now it's 12:30 am, and I can barely keep my eyes open. ButI still have to take care of the kitchen. Thank God that I don't have to get up early tomorrow!