6 years 19 days

Day 2210. Week 2 of school is over. They learned the letter "i" in the first week, and "o" this past week, and they all still love school.

On Wednesday I went to the gym after dropping Sammy off at school, then I went home to work. I picked Sammy up from school at 1:30 pm, and had a student at 2:30 pm. Randy and the other kids got home just after I had started teaching. And they all left before I was done teaching as the kids had an eye doctor's appointment at 3:30 pm. I had to go back to Sammy's school for a parents-teachers meeting at 4 pm, so Randy had to take them there by himself. And then Randy got checked as well, and they found out that he had cataracts that need to be operated. That was a surprise.

The meeting with the teachers was good. I got to meet some of the other parents of the kids in Sammy's class. They are only 7 kids. And it was interesting to meet all the teachers and hear what they had to say. The meeting lasted an hour, then I went back home. When I walked through the door, Randy  and the kids had just arrived home as well. I made their dinner which started our evening routine.

On Thursday I went straight back home after dropping off Sammy at school as I had a 9 am student. After I was done teaching at 10 am, I continued working on the computer. At 1:30 pm I picked up Sammy from school. Randy picked the other two up at 1:50 pm and took them to their tennis make-up class. They were making up for the last tennis class before the summer when we were already in the USA. The class went from 3 to 4 pm. Sammy and I were home but left the house just before 3 pm to go to the tennis center. We got there about 15 minutes before the class ended so I got to watch them for a few minutes.

Sammy was very happy to see Daddy. After tennis class, Randy left with Sammy, going to the playground and then taking two busses to go back to the neighborhood of Tammy's and Emmy's school where Sammy's wheelchair kids class is every Thursday afternoon. It started at 5:15 pm. As for me, I took Tammy and Emmy home by train and subway. By 5 pm we were back home.  I made their sandwiches and gave them to them, then I sat down at the computer to teach at 5:30 pm. After I was done, we went downstairs for piano practice, like every day, then I cut up their fruit for them to eat. Randy and Sammy returned home at 7 pm. After they had eaten their fruit, they went into the bathtub, then we got them ready for bed. After a story and prayer, they went to bed while I sat down at the computer to teach from 8 to 9 pm.

Yesterday, on Friday, I also taught from 9 to 10 am, and my 11 am student moved his lesson to Saturday. I picked up Sammy from school at 12:30 pm, while Randy picked up the other two at 12:50 pm and took them straight to their regular tennis class from 2 to 3 pm. Sammy and I stayed home and waited for their return at 4 pm. I was scanning teaching materials while Sammy spent much time on the projector, but also playing with other toys. Once the others were back home, I went downstairs with them to do piano practice as well as their homework from their maths club on Sunday. Back upstairs, I gave them their sandwiches for dinner and some fruit. Then I taught from 5 to 7 pm. After I was done, they went into the bathtub, then story and prayer time as well as bedtime, while I sat down at the computer to teach from 8 to 9 pm.

Weekend! A chance to sleep in! While I had to work hard on trying to get Emmy and Tammy out of bed at 6:45 am yesterday, they were of course up early this morning when they could have slept in. As for me, I needed sleep bad but they were loud. At 9:25 am my alarm went off, and I got up to get ready to leave the house. 

Just before 10 am I left with Tammy and Emmy. We took the subway downtown, then walked to their music school. It was their first piano class of this semester. They had practiced the last song of last semester all summer, especially the past two weeks, and were ready. Emmy could play it really well, while Tammy needed my help. She had decided that she did not want to play it for everyone in class after all, and I told her that was fine.

We got to the music school early and waited for 10:30 am to come around. We did greet the founder and the kids' teacher; it was good to be back. Then the class started, and all the students from last semester were there again, plus a gifted girl who used to be part of the Thursday class. So there are 5 students in this class now. After the greeting song, the teacher asked everyone what they had done in summer. Then it was time for the finger warmup. After that, she handed out a paper, and they all had to sing the notes then play the simple scale. Next it was time for the song they'd been practicing all summer. She went through it step by step, then she asked Tammy and Emmy whether they wanted to play it for everyone - together, at the same time. I was surprised when Tammy said yes. I stayed with her to help her, so she did okay, but somehow Emmy failed miserable even though he had done it perfectly at home. It's part of their homework this week, so he'll have another chance next Saturday. And she gave them two more papers each to look at and practice this week. She also told us that they'd be progressing faster this semester and needed to practice more than last year. Puh!

It was time for the sticker for this week, then she grabbed two ribbons and told everyone that Tammy and Emmy were getting those for having practiced so much last semester, and that everyone else could get them as well if they practiced this semester. She put them on the kids, then everyone clapped and the class was over.

We left, walked back to the subway and rode it to McDonald's where Randy and Sammy were already waiting for us. We had a good time eating, then I left them as soon I was done to get home quickly as I had a 1 pm student. Once I got home, I still had time to make their sandwiches to take with us later. Then I sat down at the computer to get ready. Randy and the kids returned home before I started teaching, and they went downstairs for the kids to play. I then had two students, teaching from 1 pm to 3:30 pm. I was so very tired all day today, but teaching invigorates me.

After I was done teaching, we left right away to take the 3:50 pm train, then we took the subway. After we got off, we still had to walk a bit to get to church. It was a special service, and we hadn't been to this location of our church in a long time. I though the service was starting at 4:30 pm, and we got there at 4:20 pm. However, we then found out it actually started at 5 pm. I went to the sanctuary to get two seats for Randy and me, then returned back downstairs where the kids'
 program was going to take place. At some point the guy leading it arrived; he had a younger assistant. They said that only 13 kids were registered for childcare, and just ours were three. I asked them whether they'be be fine with Sammy, and they said yes. We got him out of the wheelchair and put him on the floor, where his siblings were also getting building blocks out. We told Sammy we'd be back, then we left. And Sammy was fine for the next over 90 minutes. The kids had a good time at their program.

Randy and I went to the sanctuary for the celebration of 500 years of protestantism in Austria. All the evangelical churches of Austria had organized this event together, so there were people from lots of different churches there. I was surprised that I didn't run into more people I hadn't seen in a long time.

We sat close to the back in case we were called to go to Sammy but that wasn't the case. It was an interesting service, learning about how it all started 500 years ago, and worshipping God in unity. It was supposed to end at 6:30 pm but that was not the case. As we'd been told to pick up the kids at 6:30 pm, we left and went downstairs. Sammy was very happy to see us. We then stayed downstairs where they had set up little snacks for everyone, and soon people started coming. 

I wanted to talk to one particular person who'd actually spoken at the service and who I hadn't seen in years, so Tammy and I went back upstairs to the sanctuary. We said hell to a few people on the way to the front, then got to talk to that old friend of mine which was nice. Then we left again, returned downstairs, and then all five of us left to go home.

Just after 8 pm we were back home, and it was time to get the kids to bed. Then we were able to get something to eat as well. After having eaten, I started working on the pictures, and not having written a report in days, it was overdue today. And so it's 12:15 am now, and I still have to do the dishes. I have been going to bed earlier, around 11 pm, but I'm just as tired in the morning.