7 years 1 month 22 days

Day 2609. Week 6 of school is over. One more week, then they have one a one-week holiday from school. They had their weekly dictation on Friday, and both of them aced it with no mistakes. 

Today was quite a long day, and a foreshadow of more Saturdays like this or even busier to come. The  tennis winter season has started, and as their new tennis school does not have a hall for winter, we had to go back to the previous tennis school that is one hour on public transportation from our house. Tammy didn't want to continue playing tennis, so only Emmy is continuing, and today was the first session of the winter semester. And so, Randy had to get up even earlier than during the week, at 6 am, to make breakfast so that he and Emmy could leave the house at 7 am which they did. Of course the other kids were up as well, while I went back to sleep. Emmy's tennis class was from 8 to 9 am.

At 8:30 am it was Randy calling me that woke me up. He needed to know what was on the papers that were hung up at the school which was the make-up class for a Saturday where their class was canceled. Then I went back to sleep but not for long. I got up at 9 am, a few minutes before my alarm was to go off.

I got something to eat and got ready to leave the house. I changed Sammy's diaper and dressed him, and just before 9:30 am the three of us left the house. We rode the subway downtown, then waited for Randy and Emmy to arrive, which they did just after 9:50 am. Randy took Sammy and asked the boys whether they wanted to go to the playground but Sammy didn't, so the three boys went home. Tammy and I walked got back on the subway to ride it for two more stops before getting off, then we got on a bus that took us all the way to Saint Peter's church where her choir practice takes place in the basement. 

We got there way too early but were happy to find the door open so that we could already go to the basement where we were the first ones there. In the end, there were more kids than ever (except for the first time). At 10:30 the choir director started his one-hour class. He always brings his two cute little boys with him.

He started with a physical warm-up, then a voice warm-up, then did the first song they've been learning with them. They can do it pretty well by now. The second one also went well. Then they reviewed writing notes on paper. As the choir director is a pianist, he also played some classical pieces that the kids danced to. Tammy was having lots of fun. Then they did "a game". Two kids were in the middle dancing while the rest of the kids walked around them, and they would all sing their songs that they have learned. After a while it was Tammy's turn to be in the middle. However, everyone had either been in the middle or didn't want to go, so she ended up in the middle all by herself. She didn't seem to mind - until after the game was over. At first, I didn't understand what was wrong with her. Suddenly she didn't want to participate anymore. She only told me after the class was over why she had acted the way she had done.

At 11:30 am choir practice was over, and we walked to the subway, then rode two subways to the McDonald's that's halfway between there and home. We got there at noon and ordered, then waited for Randy and the boys to arrive which they did a few minutes later. We had a good time eating, then we walked back to the subway. Randy and Sammy went downtown to go to Sammy's music class at 1:30 pm. He's the only one in the class, and he had lots of fun.

Tammy, Emmy and I went back home where we arrived at 1 pm. I had one hour until teaching at 2 pm. I prepared for the lesson, then lay down for half an hour. I fell fast asleep and did not want to get up when my alarm went off but I had to. Then I taught from 2 to 3 pm. When I was done, Randy and Sammy returned home. At 3:30 pm I had another student for an hour. At 4:30 pm I was done for the day, and then our friends already arrived. 

I hadn't seen my friend and her daughters in over a year so it was good to see her again. They came bringing great gifts of clothes, mainly for Tammy as she has all girls. We then went downstairs to talk, eat cake, and for the kids to play. We all had a great time. At 6 pm they said their good-byes, and we all went upstairs, where I went to the kitchen to make their sandwiches and cut up their fruit. I also made myself a salad and even sat down to eat it as there was still time. Then they went into the bathtub. After that, we still did piano practice as we had forgotten to do it, as well as reading practice. Then I prayed for them, and they went to bed. It was already after 8:30 pm. I then sat down to relax a little before going back to work. Now it's nearly 2 am, and I still have to load the dishwasher.