6 years 10 months 24 days

Day 2519. It was another short night - for all of us. The kids have been going to bed very late during the conference and had had to get up really early, today as well, even though the conference was over. When the alarm went off at 7:30 am, it was very difficult to wake up Tammy and Emmy who were at either side of me. Sammy was the most awake of all of us; I had slept the least, only 5 hours, which is the way it has been.

After breakfast we left the hotel later than planned. It was about 8:45 pm, when we drove off. The Peppa Pig park was not far away, just 12 minutes, just like the church. We got there just before 9 am, parked and walked to the entrance. There were a few people in line, waiting for the park to open at 9 am. Sammy was very excited to be there. We went there last summer, and the kids loved it so much that we just had to go there again. The line started moving right away, and we walked in. From last year, we knew about the wheelchair service so we went to guest services and got a pass for Sammy so he didn't have to wait in line.

We headed into the park with Sammy cheering with excitement, took a picture with Mister potato head and headed to the balloon ride. Sammy had asked me to go up with him, so the two of us sat in one "balloon" while Randy and the other two kids sat in another one. Nobody else was in line yet. We had fun going up and around a few times.

We went to the next ride nearby, where the seats were just going up and down. Randy and the kids got on the ride while I waited and took pictures. All three kids were laughing, that's how much fun they had. After it was over, they got to ride a second time right away as there were no other people in line. Then they played nearby - making cans fall and throwing hoops - before it was time to go to the Peppa Pig Meet & Greet at 9:30.

We were lucky that there weren't a lot of people in line in front of us yet. Once we were in the front of the line, the park guy there was really sweet with Sammy. Then Peppa was done with the previous kid and waved us over. Sammy gave Peppa a big hug, then the other two also hugged her. Next it was time for a family picture with her, then we walked off.

They had been talking about the roller coaster so that's where we headed next. Sammy wanted to walk through Peppa's house so we went throughh the normal line that leads through the house. Randy then got into the last car with Sammy, while Emmy was in the first one. Once again they rode it twice in a row. The second time Tammy joined her brother in the first row. And they loved the ride. 

Our next stop was the boat ride. I got into a boat with Sammy, Emmy wanted to be on his own, and Tammy was with Daddy. The boats went round and round and up and down, and Sammy had lots of fun.

A heat wave had just started, and it was very hot at 42 degrees Celsius. Emmy's hair was wet with sweat. We still headed to the dinosaur ride next. Emmy wanted to ride with me but they wouldn't let him. They said he was too big and had to ride by himself which he did. Tammy went next, then Sammy together with Daddy. I was watching them all and taking pictures.

We then headed to the restrooms and back to the ride going up and down. After that, it was time to go to the Peppa show at 10:30 am. Sammy had been looking forward to it. The same black guy from before was leading through it. He was singing and dancing. At first, only Peppa was there, then George joined her, and then Daddy Pig with Ivy came as well. Emmy only danced briefly along while Tammy thought she was too old for it all.

After the show the time had finally come to go to the waterpark and cool off. We found an empty chair and took our clothes off. Sammy was impatient to go play. While Randy left to get changed, I took Sammy to where the water was. We played with the water there, then I let him slide down the small slide a few times which he loved. Next we went to where the water was coming down hard every 30 seconds or so, and he loved every time and had fun. We then went up to the slide, and I went down with him once.

Randy then joined us and took over. Sammy is getting heavy, and it's affecting my back.

I then got my phone and took a few pictures of the kids having fun. After a while, we got changed and walked to the theater. The kids were saying that they were getting hungry. They were watching a few minutes of Peppa and did the riddles on the screen. As for me, I was trying to figure out what to do about food.   

The kids wanted to do one more of the attractions - the hall with the tricycles. Tammy and Emmy grabbed one right away and started riding around the room while Sammy headed to the bus with Daddy. They all played for a while but kept saying they were hungry. So I told them we were about to leave and go eat. But first they wanted to go up and down one more time so we did that first. Then we headed to the car.

We drove just a few minutes to a nearby burger place. I placed the order then we sat down to wait for it to be brought to us. We noticed that the world cup final show was on the screen. It was still over an hour until that final game was to start. It took longer than we had wanted for our food to come out but it was really good. We put the leftovers into a box and finally left - but much later than planned. It was already after 1:30 pm, and we had a 40-minute ride ahead of us.

On the way there, Emmy fell asleep while Tammy and Sammy were playing with each other. At 2:15 pm we finally pulled up at the church I had found online. This one and a catholic church were the only churches that were hosting a world cup final watch party I had found. It wasn't only a way to watch the final with other people but also a chance to meet new people.

Thankfully other people were arriving as well which helped us figure out where the entrance to the church was. We parked and followed them in. A little girl greeted us right away and told us where to go. It was a dark room where the games was on a screen. They had already played 20 minutes. Emmy, Tammy and I sat down while Randy and Sammy stayed outside to play. After a few minutes that same little girl came to Tammy and asked her if she wanted to play with them, so Tammy left and ended up playing with all the kids that were there. Of course Emmy wanted to watch the game. I stayed with him for a while.

I then left the room and had a chance to exchange a few words with the pastor. There was also a very sweet lady that I ended up talking a very long time with. I told her stories, and she told me amazing stories from her family. We really connected and exchanged contact information. She had four children, and Sammy enjoyed some of the children, especially a little one that was not hers.

They had already started playing the second half by the time I went back inside. It was still 0:0, and Emmy was getting frustrated that Argentina was not scoring. In the end Spain won, and Emmy was quite disappointed.

After it had ended, people were leaving quickly. Sammy hugged the little kid he had fallen in love with, and we said good-bye to our new friends. Then we got into the car to drive the 40 minutes back to the hotel. By 6:15 pm we were back.

I was so glad that we finally had some time in the hotel. The kids got on their tablets, and some of them were hungry so we warmed up leftovers to eat. I turned my computer on and started working on pictures and reports. 

At 9 pm it was bedtime for the kids as we're moving west again tomorrow where that's going to be 8 pm. It took them some time to fall asleep. I continued working all night. At 11 pm I started getting so tired that my eyes were closing but I pushed on. Now it's 12:30 am, and I hope to make it to bed soon - especially as I have to get up early again tomorrow.