5 years 9 months 27 days

Day 2126. My alarm went off at 9:30, and I got up to get myself and the kids ready to leave the house at 10 am, which we did. Tammy, Emmy and I walked to the subway, rode it downtown, then walked to the music school for the last piano class of this semester. While they were in class, Randy and Sammy went to a store buy a few items.

All regular students were present today, our two and the other two. The teacher started with the greeting song after having talked about the party/concert tomorrow. The other two kids are not going to be there. Then it was time for the finger warm-up. Next we all did "Grandpa's Clock", first singing, then clapping, then playing it on the piano. As Emmy is going to play it at the concert tomorrow, he went up front to the teacher's piano to play it there. He played it perfectly, without making any mistakes.

Then we did the same with "Brother John", and this time it was Tammy who went up front to play it for everyone. She did make two mistakes.

Next we did the last song of the semester, the hardest of them all. We've been practicing it at home. At first, she taught them something new, telling them about the three parts to the song, beginning, middle and end, and they had to mark in their books where those parts started and ended. Then they played the left hand first, while the parents were supposed to play the right hand. As I couldn't play on two pianos at the same time, Tammy went up front to the teacher and did it with her. Then the parents were to do the left hand and the kids the right hand. And she had the kids go one after another, each one doing a few measures. Our kids did well as they had practiced plenty at home.

Next it was time for the songs. They sang the two songs with actions they're going to do at the concert tomorrow. Then it was finally storytime, which they love. After that, they grabbed their sticker books and assignment books and ligned up to get their stickers and stamps. Then she did the good-bye song.

They were suppoesd to get their certificates and report cards as we won't be there next week, but she didn't have them ready. She said she'd email them to me. And as for their gifts, they'll get them at the party tomorrow. What they did get today was the coupons as a reward for having done the concert downtown a few weeks ago. We waited at the reception for her to be available to give them to us, when we suddenly saw Tammy and Emmy on the video screen there. It was a video and picture from that same concert, and there was a big picture of just Tammy smiling and holding her arm up with a victory sign.  We then got a 10€ icecream coupon and five free rides in the Prater. 

We left the music school and took the tram to the subway, and then the subway to the swimming pool. We met up with Randy and Sammy at the McDonald's there. It was already 12:15 pm, and they had already been there for half an hour. Sammy had been hungry, so he had already eaten some food. I then ordered all our food, and we sat down to eat. We had a good time eating and having fun, then we got our stuff together and left to cross the square to the swimming pool.

We paid and walked around the building to the wheelchair entrance. We were let in and went to the changing room, where we got ready for swimming. Then we walked straight to the children's pool with warmer water. We still had over half an hour until their swim class was to start at 1:45 pm. And we had lots of fun in the water. Sammy had been looking forward to playing with me again, and we were role-playing again. We were going to the grocery store and then the icecream store. Even Tammy, Emmy and in the end Daddy joined our role-play at some point. When it was time to go to their class, the three of us got out, while Randy and Sammy stayed in the pool.

We walked to the big pool with cold water, and the teacher then did the greeting song with Tammy, while I had Emmy. Then she gave Emmy a swim noodle, while Tammy didn't need one, and she gave two kids a block to tag other kids with, and then the tagged kid would have to take the block and try to tag another one. 

After the game, she gave them something else that they had to swim to the other end with. They then put it up there. Tammy was the first one there. The kids were then allowed to jump off the 1-meter board into the water. Emmy clearly does that best of all. But his swimming technique is still not great, so he had to keep the noodle to the end. She tried to improve his leg movements again. 

Today they only swam one length there and back. Then she pulled them through the water with a rope. Then she had them dive up items, which is also one of the things they have to be able to do for the next exam, the seahorse exam. The class was over, so we did the good-bye song. Emmy was cold, and so he was more than ready to go to the warm-water pool again.

We all went there and continued having fun together, while Randy was sitting on a chair watching us. After a while we all got out and returned to the changing room to change back into our clothes. Then we left the pool for the last time.

Because of the icecream coupons they had received, we had decided to go there and cash them in. So no playground today. We got on the subway and got off at the nearest station to there, but it was still quite a walk to get there. While there were lots of tables outside, they were all occupied, but we were still able to get a table. We ordered our icecream and all enjoyed eating it. Tammy even got sprinkles. Mine was huge, especially the glass it was served in. After we were done, we paid and walked back to the subway.

We rode it for one stop, then got on the subway taking us home. Sammy wanted to sit on a seat by himself - a new thing - but started crying when his tablet's battery was dead. It's hard to comfort/distract him, when he's like that but I'm the only one who can do it.

By 4:45 pm we were back home. I was pretty tired but never got to rest. I set up Sammy to watch on the projector, while his tablet was charging. Randy got our suitcases out and worked on getting our three carseats into three suitcases which took quite long. I also started on preparations for our trip. Tammy then was the first one to say she was hungry, so I made a sandwich for her and for Sammy, later for Emmy as well. I also cut up fruit for them later. As they had spent plenty of time in water today already, we skipped the bathtub. They just washed their hands and faces and changed into their pj's, then we gathered on our bed to finish looking at the US photobooks. I then prayed for them and put Sammy to bed, then I still read a story to Tammy and Emmy. It was already 8:45 pm by the time we were done and they went to bed. By 9:20 pm Emmy was STILL awake.

I was not hungry yet, so I continued working. I was scanning teaching materials I'm going to need in the summer while we're in the US until 10:30 pm. Then I made myself a simple soup and took a break. After that, I started working on today's pictures. Now it's 2:20 am and high time to go to bed as I have to get up even earlier than today tomorrow.