Around the Corner

Melissa and I had been wanting to do something special for our two main classes and schedules aligned this week for us to take them out to lunch across the street. Thursday was my Kindergartener's day, so we rounded up one adult per child (except I got two...Josiah and Henry!), met up after their morning classes finished, and then all walked over to village restaurant nearby. The kids eagerly stabbed their little packages of a plate, cup, spoon, and rice bowl (dishes are always shrink-wrapped here for sanitary purposes) with chopsticks, making a loud POP! and then proceeded to arrange, stack, and clang together said dishes until the food arrived awhile later. Then they dug in heartily, drinking big glasses of coke (which we had ordered for the adults!), piling their plates high with food, and chatting away excitedly in Chinese (I SO wanted to understand them!). The kids at our table kept looking over at me with huge grins and saying "Annie, yummy!" I got to get the food for my two charges, help Josiah pick up his little fried shrimp with chopsticks, laugh at JJ's silly faces, hear my name called over and over, and bask in the smiles and glowing faces of my nine precious "kids". I don't know who enjoyed it more...me or them! On our way back I topped off their afternoon and maxed out their sugar intake for the day by stopping in the little store for popsicles and we all walked back, hand in hand, to Shepherd's Field. One by one we returned them back to their houses to finish nap-time, drippy-faced, but smiling from ear to ear. This lunch out was probably the most fun time I've had with my Kindergarteners so far!

Josiah

Henry

Sara and Brent..they have the sweetest little mommy-son relationship <3

Eric, Melissa, and JJ

Josiah, Henry, and I!

Hannah and Moses

Joy

JJ!

Fried mini shrimp...you eat the whole thing...antenna, shell, and all!

Eric

Josiah

Brent saying "yummy, Annie!"

Becca, Hannah, and Ayi and Zhang Laoshi (the kids' regular kindergarten teacher) supervised one room with Tyler, Moses, Kennedy, and Joy.

Becca and Tyler

Moses

Kennedy

Zhang Laoshi and Joy

Our room! Henry, Sara, Brent, Eric, Melissa, JJ, Linda, Josiah (and me!).

Yummy sweet corn and green beans

JJ eating flatbread

Eric

Sara and Brent

Eric and Brent modeling Sara's new hat!

Kennedy and his ayi

The whole gang, with Shepherd's Field in the background!

Kennedy was so excited by his double popsicle!

JJ

Brent

Henry...have you seen a more excited face?

Eric, Melissa, and Moses

Joy

Zhang Laoshi and Joy walking home!

Bye, Bye, Brent!

Tyler and Eric off for naps!