Day 2197. Yesterday I enjoyed the chance to sleep in - at least after everyone had gone downstairs. I got up at 11 am and went to the kitchen to eat lunch. After lunch, I did some work. Just after 4 pm we left the house to go to church.
We took the 4:20 pm train and then the subway and got there before the service started. I gave the teach guy my flashdrive, and we sat down in the first row. At 5 pm the service started, and Sammy was on the floor clapping along to the song. He likes music. Then he crawled forward and ended up sitting with a friend for a while before Randy went to get him. Tammy and Emmy were sitting on their chairs for most of the time, rather bored. Before it was 5:30 pm, they all left to go to the kids' program. I stayed in the sanctuary.
After worship and the announcement, the pastor called me forward to give my Mali update which I did. I told some great stories and shared our challenges, mainly financial ones. Then I sat down, and after the offering the preaching started.
At 7 pm the service was over and I went outside. I had forgotten to bring all my stuff for a product table but had brought some brochures I put on the table there. Once I had left the sanctuary, someone who hadn't known me before started talking with me. We talked for quite a long time. Then two other people who had heard me for the first time talked with me. That's rather unusal that there are that many new people, so I was even more annoyed about not having brought the stuff for a table.
We talked to a few more people from the church, then left. It was already 8 pm which is normally bedtime for the kids. They were hungry so we bought some Happy Meals on the way out of the shopping mall, and they ate them on the way home on the subway and the train.
By 8:45 pm we were back home, and we got them ready for bed right away.
This morning I got up at 10 am. The kids were already downstairs by then. I then went to work getting their school cones for their first day of school tomorrow ready. The cones were ready, I just had to fill them with candy and with school materials - at least those that fit. Then I put them back into their boxes until tomorrow morning.
At noon we ate together, the leftovers from yesterday. Then everyone relaxed for a while, while I went to work on the computer taking care of some important things. But not for long, as it was time to get ready to leave the house.
We left at 2 pm and took the subway for a few stops, then we had a long walk ahead of us. The kids had brought their new scooters that they had received for their birthday a week ago. It was a good opportunity to practice riding scooters with 2 wheels instead of 3, and it was harder for them than expected. Tammy was not having a good day and was more frustrated than anything, while Emmy was doing pretty well.
After a half-hour walk we reached the part of the park where the end-of-summer festival was taking place that we were heading to. It was a big area with lots of food stands and discussion tents but we headed straight to the kids' area. We know that the magician's show started at 3 pm, so we asked where that was gonna take place and got the answer. Emmy was ready for the rides and wanted to fly in circles, so I bought him a ticket and watched him fly. He had lots of fun. Then we went to the tent for the performance.
Tammy was whining and wanted to stay with me. I was lucky to get a seat on a bench in the back, and Tammy stayed with me. Emmy got a seat in the front, and Sammy was in the middle with his wheelchair and Daddy. Tammy had a bellyache from being nervous about her first day of school tomorrow so I tried to calm her nerves. She didn't even want to go on any ride. She watched the magician somewhat half-heartedly.
After it was over, the kids all wanted one of the balloons that were right under the ceiling of the tent. Some parents reached up to get some for their kids, but the remaining ones were all pretty high. Tammy was able to get the magician to help her as he had done for another kid but it was not enough. She couldn't reach them. In the end we were able to get one from somewhere else.
Sammy had already been on the merry-go-round, in a fire truck, before the show. We knew that Kasperl came next but we still had 20 minutes until then. Still, people were sitting down on the lawn everywhere for that, and we headed there too. We found a good spot for the wheelchair in the middle. Emmy wanted to go on the big slide, so I left with him to buy a ticket and line up with him. The line moved rather slowly, but then his turn had come. The first time, he hesitated as he was a little scared, but then he was fine.
While I was watching and filming him, Randy and the other two kids suddenly showed up. Sammy was screaming and scratching Daddy. I took him and calmed him down. Together with him and Tammy, the three of us walked back to the wheelchair where the Kasperl performance was about to start. I guess the wait time had just been too long for him. He then greatly enjoyed Kasperl, and at times Tammy enjoyed it too. Once Emmy was done, he also found a spot on the ground where to sit and watch.
After Kasperl was over, Tammy suddenly said that she wanted to go on the trampolin, so we bought a ticket and lined up. It was the same price as Emmy's two rides together. And as there were only 4 trampolines, it was quite a long wait time. The others then joined us there too, and soon Sammy started crying because he wanted to jump too which was obviously not possible.
Finally it was Tammy's turn. I watched and filmed her as she was jumping up and down but also way too much forward and backward. She was trying to do a flip, as she was in a harness with rubber bands, but she did her flip after I had left. Sammy was crying so hard that I took him out of his chair and walked away with him. We ended up at a spray-tattoo place where they also had Mickey tattoos so Sammy lit up right away. Once Tammy was done, they all joined us there but we had no more cash left, and they only took left. Once again Sammy was devastated and started crying hard. I felt bad for him.
It was time to leave. We had been there for nearly 2.5 hours, and it was after 5 pm. We started our long walk back to the subway. Tammy was whining a lot and not happy with the scooter. I was glad when we reached the subway.
By 6 pm we were back home, and I went to the kitchen right away to make their food. After they had all eaten, we went downstairs for piano practice. Tammy started crying and left, then Emmy came. Emmy also started crying when I asked him to repeat what he had played, and he walked away. Tammy then came back and finished her practice. Emmy never did. I guess they were all tired.
They then all went into the bathtub, then got ready for bed. I read them a story, prayed for them, and they went to bed. Tammy was still talking about how nervous she was about the first day of school tomorrow. Emmy is more excited than nervous, and Sammy is also excited.
I then got myself something eat, and later went back to work. Now it's after midnight, and I still have to take care of the dishes. Hopefully this night will not be too rough as we have an early morning tomorrow. Emmy is already sleeping in my bed.
