3 years 6 months 2 days

Day 1281. Both Tammy and Emmy were in bed with us this morning, when Emmy decided it was time to get up around 7 am. Soon Tammy was up too, and soon they kept asking me if they could watch something, which I said no too for a while until I did turn something on for them. Sammy was also up by then, and he always stands in his brother's bed and watches/listens to children's songs. When Randy got up around 9 am, he put Sammy next to me and started changing diapers. I was having fun with him until it was Sammy's turn. Then they sat down for breakfast. They all wanted hot chocolate again, and so I got up to make some for them.

After breakfast I cleaned them up and dressed them. Then Randy gave me some candy, and I gave him his gift, a teddy bear with a T-shirt that has the first pictures of the triplets in my womb on it. 8 years ago today we got married, and 4 years ago today I found out I was pregnant. Randy is not a gifts person, but the kids loved the little teddy bear. Then Randy and the kids went downstairs, while I turned my computer on to work. I finished one project I needed to get done before the missions conference in two weeks, and then there was not much time to start anything else. At 11:15 Randy and the kids came upstairs, as Randy had to run to the grocery store to get a few things. I had ordered food to be delivered for our anniversary and was surprised, when it was delivered early, before it was even 11:30. Randy hadn't even left yet. We put the food to the side, and the kids started playing or watching, while we were waiting for Randy to return.

When he wasn't back at noon, I decided we'd get started on the food. I took their shirts off, put Sammy into his special chair and spread all the goodies we had received out on the table. I was gonna take a picture, but then decided to wait for Randy who arrived a few minutes later. However, by then I was not thinking about the picture any more. We were all enjoying our food - spare ribs, potatoes, fries, onion rings, chicken nuggets and pizza. There was leftovers! I had also ordered a dessert, baklava, but they are so suspicious of new foods. I finally got Tammy to try it, and then she actually liked it. Emmy only ate one bite, and Sammy didn't eat much more.

I put some stuff away, while the kids were watching videos again. It was 1 pm, when I asked Randy whether he could put the kids down for a nap at 1:15, so I could lie down for a nap early, as I already had a student at 2 pm, which is much earlier than usual. I try not to teach between 11 am and 3 pm, but sometimes there is no other way. I lay down, but it was a long time before the kids got quiet, and it felt like I had only just fallen asleep, when my alarm went off at 1:50 pm. I turned it off quickly so it would not wake up the kids. I was pretty tired, but I got up, took my computer and went downstairs for my 2 pm lesson. Everyone else was asleep upstairs.

When I returned upstairs just before 3 pm, Emmy called to me, asking whether he could get up, which is unusual. I said, of course. From there everyone else got up quickly as well, while I started my next lesson at 3 pm. It was loud for some time, then they all went downstairs to play.

I finished just before 4 pm, then had some time until my next lesson at 4:25 pm, but I used it to prepare for that lesson. I forgot that I had wanted to make some sandwiches and cut an apple to take with us to exercise class.

Randy and the kids returned upstairs just before 5 pm, while I was still teaching, and of course, the kids came into the room for a little bit, then left again. I had asked Randy to get them ready to leave the house, so we could leave right away, when I finish teaching at 5:15 pm. They were not ready, and so we rushed to get them and ourselves ready to leave so we'd make the 5:30 train.  We were running part of the way, and that way we got to the train station a few minutes before the train was to leave. We got on it, and had chestnuts again, once we arrived. The kids now run to the chestnut stand and tell him they want chestnuts. They've done it a few times now. We ate the chestnuts while walking to the school that was just down the road.

We got there a good few minutes before the class started and were the first ones there. The people from the previous class were all just leaving. We took their coats and shoes off, and then went inside the gym with the other parents and kids. There were some new kids, and so there were more kids than ever. It's a class for 3 to 6-year-olds.

The teacher changed things up a little today. He started with balls, asking the kids to throw them at the adults and try to hit them. If we caught them, it did not count. I was outnumbered, as Tammy and Emmy both tried to hit me, while Randy was with Sammy, and they sure enjoyed getting me. A few times I caught the ball, and I also turned around to get them. It was all lots of fun.

Sammy wanted to be pulled with the hoops right from the beginning, and I and Sammy both did, much to his delight. When I stopped, he started crying and banging his head. After the ball game, everyone got a hoop and the kids were inside as the horses, while we held the hoop and ran after them. It was  a race, and today our kids were not last. Next they lay down on the floor and we pulled them back and forth, and Sammy was still enjoying it. I got a  big ball out for him, as he was rather cranky today, to play with him and keep him happy. Randy had him more today, but I also spent quite a bit of time with him.

The teacher then set up cones and split the kids into two teams. The kids had to take a ball and weave between the cones and put the ball inside the hoop at the end, then come back so that the next kid could go. That was a new kind of activity for our kids, and the weaving was a little hard for them. Tammy understood it faster. Emmy then said that it was a baby game, while he had not even been able to weave through the cones. There was another round, where they had to bring the balls back from the other end. Both times our team lost, as we had the younger kids.

Then the teacher finally got the stuff out for them to jump off of, which Tammy enjoys doing. I actually never saw Emmy go up on it even once.  

All the kids were eager to go on the rings, and so Tammy was the first in line to put her legs through the rings and swing. She was loving it. Then Emmy did the same before other kids got their turn. They then lined back up right away. Sammy finally got his turn, and once again he was screaming at the top of his lungs, when I took him back out as he enjoyed it so much that he wanted to stay in it. I kept Sammy and took him to the big ball and made him jump on it to distract him, and soon he was smiling and laughing again.

Then it was already time for the final activity, another race, and the class was over. We put their coats and shoes back on and went back upstairs and to the entrance, where we had left the stroller. Then we started walking back to the train station. We still had 12 minutes to wait for our train so we stayed by the ticket machine that Sammy enjoys touching the touchscreen of.  We then took the 7:23 train and were home by 7:30. As I had forgotten to make sandwiches, I quickly made some and had them sit at the table to eat, bringing them cut up fruit one after another to eat, as soon as I had cut them. Then they went into the bathtab, where they finished their food, all three of them. We then got them ready for bed. Even though it was late, they still wanted to read Bible stories, so I read some, but keeping it short. I prayed for them and put them to bed and sat down by them. I was already after 9 pm, so over an hour after their regular bed time. The boys fell asleep rather fast, Tammy needed a bit more time, but I was able to walk away around 9:15 pm. However, when Emmy noticed it, they wanted Randy to sit with them and for me to open our bedroom door, which I did.

I was not hungry yet, given our big lunch, and so I started working. It was 11:30 pm before I got myself something to eat.  Not it's approaching 1 am, and I still have to clean up the kitchen before going to bed.