6 years 6 months 3 days

Day 2378. Sammy still stayed home from school on Friday because of his cold and cough, even though he was doing much better. After Randy left to take Tammy and Emmy to school, I lay back down. My alarm went off at 9:30, and I got up to get ready for my 10 am student. I taught until 11, then again from 11:30 to 12:20 pm. Randy left at noon so Sammy had to occupy himself until I was done teaching. 

Randy took Tammy and Emmy to their tennis class from 2 to 3 pm, then took the train downtown. Sammy and I left home just after 3 pm to meet up with them. We got to the subway platform early, where we were waiting for them and having fun playing Kasperl and Petzi. You always hear our kids before you see them, and that was the case again this time. We were reunited for a moment, then Randy and Emmy left to go to another subway line to go to breakdance, while Sammy, Tammy and I took two subways home. 

At home, they went downstairs to play with each other which Sammy was excited about while I sat down at my computer to teach at 4:30 pm. An hour later I was done, and Tammy and Emmy came upstairs. I made their dinner, and they ate, while I got ready for my 8 pm student. Then Tammy went downstairs with me to do piano practice, and she also did reading practice with me. Randy and Emmy returned home just after 6 pm. Thank God starting next week the trains are running normally again after 7 weeks of half the trains not running! After having eaten, Emmy also did piano and reading practice with me. After the bathtub, it was time to tick of chores and pray, and this time it was Tammy who stayed in my bed and fell asleep while I was teaching while Emmy returned to his own bed after a few minutes. After I was done teaching at 9 pm, I took Tammy to her bed and got myself something to eat and took a break.

No 6:15 am alarm on Saturday, yeah! However, the kids were having so many fights and kept waking me up that sleeping was nearly impossible. At 9:30 am my alarm went off, and I got up to get ready to leave the house which we did just before 10 am - Tammy, Emmy and I. We rode the subway downtown but without doing reading practice because I was simply too tired. We walked to their music school where their class started at 10:30 am. Their teacher started with the breakfast guessing game - upon request - then the finger warmup. Next she reviewed two songs they've been playing for weeks and can play really well. Then it was time to go up front and sing their song with actions. After that, Tammy was supposed to tell the story but there was no more time for that. We put our shoes and coats on and left.

But it was not a typical Saturday. We walked to the subway and took a different line for two stops, then got on another line. After we got off, we walked to the McDonald's there that we used to go to frequently years ago when they had their swim class near there. Randy and Sammy were already there, and I had ordered the food on the app so they already had it. We sat down and enjoyed our food and the fellowship. And the kids were excited to reconnect with the nice, African man that works there and that they hadn't seen in over a year and a half.

At 12:30 pm we packed up to leave. Randy and Sammy took the subway downtown as Sammy had his music class at 1:30 pm, while the rest of us got on the tram there to go to a church for an event which is why we met at that McDonald's in the first place. We rode the tram for a while, then walked to the church. We knew the building well as we had attended another church there for a few years.

What was the event? 48 hours of non-stop worship. And from 1 to 3 pm was the children's/family slot. The kids have been invited to join Royal Rangers, and they were meeting there at 1 pm so that's why we decide to go there. We saw the lady in charge on our way there and stayed with her in the beginning but there weren't really any other Royal Rangers kids and everyone just joined in in worship anyway. Tammy went to the front to do the dancing with the other children. Three kids were in the front showing them the movements, and she did a great job copying them and stayed there the whole time. Emmy didn't want to go up front and stayed with me.

After a while, they told everyone to go to the stations they had set up along the walls in the whole room. I went there with Emmy while Tammy wanted to draw on the big paper on the floor in the front. At the first station you could put a prayer request and take someone else's to pray for. Tammy then joined us. Then we walked on. There were umbrellas you could stand under and pray for protection which we did. At the next station, there were little keys with papers attached to them, and you were supposed to write on there what God has for you. The kids did that. 

We walked on to the next station, and suddenly we recognized someone: It was the kids' school teacher! The kids attend a Christian school but we didn't know whether their teacher attended a church or where. It was quite the surprise, and the kids were very excited. They talked to her and sat down at the station she was in charge of. They had to draw an experience they had with God. The teacher then did some small talk with me. It's so weird for me to have to use the formal way to talk to someone who is a sister in Christ. I prefer English where you don't make that distinction.

From there we returned to our seats. Tammy and Emmy then went back up front to draw some more on the big banner on the floor. Then we decided it was time to go home. Emmy wanted to go to the church service at 5 pm (to buy something at the mall really) but I wasn't sure that was going to work, having been out and about all day and being so tired. We walked to the tram stop that is right by a grocery store, and the kids wanted to buy something so we went inside. After that, we took the tram, followed by the train and got home at 3:15 pm. I was surprised that Randy and Sammy weren't home yet. They had gone to the playground after music class as it was such a nice day. 

After a while, I got so tired that I had no choice but to lie down. There was no more leaving the house; Randy was just as tired. The kids played and watched movies, then I made their dinner and prepared for my 8 pm student while they were eating. We still had piano practice (only Tammy) and reading practice to do, and Emmy had some schoolwork to get done. After the bathtub, we prayed but there was no time for a story. Emmy went to sleep in my bed while I started teaching at 8 pm. 

At 9 pm I was done but had some more work to do to wrap up. It was nearly 10 pm before I got to my food and sat down to eat and take a break. Then I went back to work and went to bed later than usual, at 2:30 am.