Day 2050. I set my alarm for 10 am this morning but there was no chance coming even close to that time as the kids kept coming to me for something. I finally gave up trying to sleep and got up and helped the kids to get ready, as well as getting myself ready.
At 10:30 we all left the house and walked to the subway that we took downtown. It was a cold and windy day. We reached the music school just after 11 am, which is when the Easter Party started. On the way there, Tammy had slipped and fallen and bloodied her knee under her white tights, so she took them off at the school, then they gave us disinfectant and a bandaid for her. Finally, they were ready for the party and the fun.
There were only two rooms where activities were set up, contrary to the Christmas party. We went into the first room where there was bowling. They had bottles set up inside a cardboard box with an opening. Emmy was enjoying it and kept coming back there, doing it several times. Sammy then did it too and had lots of fun. Tammy only did it later. She went straight to the other room with crafts. She drew a rabbit face, cut it out and glued it to a card. Then she added some feathers and confetti to the card. Later Emmy also came to make a card, and Sammy sat down to play with playdoh. The room with bowling also had a ring-throwing game set up that the boys did.
There was some food there, and we were there a couple of times. I got to talk to the founder and director of the school there. We had done everything and were ready to go inside the big room for the next part of the party. Finally, they let us in. We sat down in the back, while Tammy and Emmy went to the first row. The director greeted everyone, and one of the teachers was the MC. They had the poster on the wall where those wanting to play had written their names, and Emmy was the first one on the list, followed by Tammy.
And so Emmy was the first one to be called up. He went to the front, where he was asked to say his name and what he was playing, as well as bow. Then he sat down at the piano. He was clearly too far away from the piano, but played anyway. The director came over and moved him closer, while he was playing, and Emmy didn't even miss a beat over it. He did pause at one point, thinking about what comes next, and it seemed like an eternity to me. Then it came to him, and he finished the song. He had played it by heart. He got up and bowed and sat back down.
Tammy was next, and she climbed up to the stage to say her name and what she was playing. Then she sat down. I had told the teacher in advance that the music stand was too high and too far away for her, and so she held it closer for Tammy, which helped. Tammy did a great job playing; she just slowed down when she got to the hardest part of the song. She got up, bowed, and sat down.
More kids followed, then the party was over. The director gave her closing words, when the Easter Bunny suddenly hopped into the room and interrupted her. It was one of the teachers. He was hopping around and saying he had hidden eggs everywhere, and they could go find them. Immediately all the kids ran out the door and started picking up eggs off the floor. Randy was helping Sammy. I helped Emmy unload his eggs, so his hands were free again, and Tammy got a cup from the buffet for her eggs. They also went to talk to the Easter Bunny, which was funny. Unfortunately it was too late, when I tried to take a picture. The Bunny had disappeared behind a door. Out came the teacher, and all the kids said to him that he had been the Bunny, which he denied.
It was 1 pm and the party was over. The pizza they'd had at the end was gone so fast that none of us had had a piece. So we were all hungry. I then ordered some food to be delivered to our house, then we left the school to go home. We walked to the subway and took it home. The kids were not happy as I had told them yesterday that we would go eat icecream at the icecream place nearby. I told them we could still go there after having eaten at home.
By 1:30 pm we were home, but it took the pizza and chicken wings until after 2:30 pm before they were delivered. Everyone was crying hungry by that time. I had lied down after getting home and had brief moments of falling asleep in the midst of the noise they were making.
We then finally all sat down to eat and enjoyed our food. I was ready to lie back down plus I had some Mali work to do, but the kids insisted we'd now go to the icecream place as promised. A promise is a promise, so we all got ready and left the house.
We took the subway back downtown, then took another subway for one stop and walked to the icecream shop. My grandfather had already gone to that place, when he was a kid, and it's the best icecream in town in my opinion. We found a table that was available, even though it was packed full, even in the cold weather. Then the kids chose children's icecream cups - or so we thought. I came to eat what I've been eating there since I was little and can't get anywhere else.
When the waitress brought the icecream, our eyes all got big, when we saw Tammy's cup. It was huge! It was on the children's page, but it was clearly not for children. It was vanilla and chocolate icecream with chocolate milk. And Tammy ate it all. Emmy's and Sammy's were clearly for kids because of their bowls, and they did not finish theirs. That's what Daddy was there for.
After we were all done, it was time to leave. They were rather loud and rowdy, while all the people around us were older people and clearly not everyone was happy. We walked back to the subway and went home, where we arrived at 5 pm.
I finally got to lie down and take a nap, while Randy went downstairs with the kids. I was woken up just after 6 pm by their noise. I got up and went downstairs to do piano practice with them. It went fine with both of them, no drama. Then we went upstairs, where I went straight to the kitchen to make dinner for them. They all ate, then went into the bathtub. While they were in the water, Paul called and wrote there was an emergency, but I only saw it later. After the kids had come out of the water, we got them ready for bed. I put Sammy to bed with a prayer, then read stories to Tammy and Emmy. I prayed for them, and they left to brush their teeth, while I called Paul. Then they went to bed, while I went to work. I wasn't hungry yet anyway. I wrote a short email newsletter in three languages and sent them out. At 10 pm I finally got to go to the kitchen to make some soup for myself. After having eaten, I went to work on today's pictures. Now it's nearly 1:30 am, an I have yet to load the dishwasher.
