4 years 1 month 5 days

Day 1496. You appreciate the weekend so much more, when you have to get up early during the week. This morning it was Emmy who was the first one up an hour later than when we have been getting up. It was 8:15. Sammy was up right away as well, and it didn't take long for Tammy to wake up. I got up and opened all the curtains and gave them what they needed. Randy's eyes were in bad shape, sticking together, and I let him stay in bed and gave the kids the American cereals Randy had just bought at the store. Emmy ate the most, Tammy and Sammy hardly any of it. Eventually Randy got up as well.

The kids have piano class on Saturday morning, and I was going to stay home with Sammy again. However, we ended up leaving the house all together at 10 am.

The plan was for me to go to the playground with Sammy, while Randy goes to piano class with the other two. We took the subway, then started walking in the direction of the music school. There was a pharmacy, and Randy decided to get eye drops for his eyes. So he went there with Sammy, planning to continue on to the playground with him after, while I continued walking to the music school with the other two.

We got there a few minutes before class was to start, but most students were already in class. We took our shoes off and went inside to the last row, where there were still two pianos available next to each other. The teacher started with the greeting song, Tammy being the first one. Then she asked them to the front, where she did a new song with them. They then returned to their seats and got their new books out for the first time. Because they had their make-up class on Tuesday, they had already done the exercise of that page.

And then Randy and Sammy came in. Sammy had been crying for me, so they had come. They stayed a little bit, then Sammy and I left to go to the playground together. He went into the swing first and was loving it, but soon wanted to move on. And so we went from thing to thing, and he was having fun. I then realized that I had the kids' sticker books, so we walked back to the school and I handed them to Randy through the window. We returned to the playground, then returned to the school for the time when they'd be done and coming out. I then found out that Tammy had not done well after I'd left; she had wanted Mommy to stay with her.

Tammy and Emmy also wanted to go to the playground, so we went there again. They were having lots of fun and impressed me with their climbing skills. At about noon I decided it was time to go home. They were hungry, and there were dark clouds in the sky. Just before 12:30 we were back home, and I immediately started getting two pizzas ready and putting them into the oven. It wasn't long until we sat down to eat. After their icecream, they started watching stuff until bedtime.

I was pretty tired and not feeling so well, my ears hurting again all day. I was wondering whether it was still not 1:30, when I suddenly realized it was not 1:20 but 2:20 pm already! Somehow I had lost track of time because we got home so late and ate so late. I immediately put the kids to bed, and they fell asleep right away. Then I lay down myself, setting a one-hour timer, as that was all the time I had until teaching at 4 pm.

Everyone was still asleep, when my timer went off, and I was so tired that I really did not want to get up at all. I finally forced myself out of bed to get ready for my student, and suddenly everyone was up as well. Randy took them downstairs, while I was waiting for my student who was late - very late. After I was done teaching, I continued working. And then, suddenly, the kids were all back upstairs, so working became a challenge again.

Just after 6 pm I already went to the kitchen because the kids were hungry and boiled some corn that they ate. Sammy stayed with me the whole time, having fun, and standing in the kitchen, when we were there. I then cut up fruit and made bread with salami. They ate some, then went into the bathtub, where they continued eating. We had started everything a little earlier than usual. After the bathtub, we got them ready for bed, and I still read them a bedtime story. By the time I had prayed for them and put them to bed, it wasn't even 8:15 pm yet. I left them and got myself something to eat, while Randy sat down by them. They were still up for a little while before falling asleep, and it's Daddy's chance for a nap as well.

I made good progress working, and now it's after midnight and time for bed. Tomorrow morning their swim class starts up again.