Justin's Fall School Carnival

On the same day as Amanda's Carnival, Justin had his too. His grade went in the afternoon. Justin decided to go as a 'Greaser'. Trying to get his hair to stay gelled back was quite the challenge! He had a blast playing the games & jumping on the bounce castle.

Cool dude........

Justin's 3rd grade class

A few of Justin's classmates

Justin's teacher, Mr. Gerlach

Amanda's Fall School Carnival

Amanda had a Fall Carnival at school. She wanted to be a ballerina! She cracks me up with her decision making skills at times. Everyday she dresses as a princess and walks around saying, "Look mommy, I'm a beautiful princess". So, I thought she would dress in one of her beautiful gowns for the Carnival but nope, she wanted to be a ballerina - a simple ballerina! She didn't want to do her hair, add a hairpiece, wear one of her 'dressier' ballerina outfits - just plain & simple was how she wanted it. How her mind can not be persuaded once she has it made up!!!!

Grace & Amanda

Amanda's Kindergarten Class

Amanda, Crystal, Grace & Sarah Jane

Grace, Crystal & Amanda

Candle Making

A group of us went to buy some candles at a factory & had the privilege of being able to see the area in which they make the candles. One of the ladies that came with us spoke Chinese & translated what the owner told her. It is amazing to see the detailed work they do with very little equipment. The factory is large but filled with tables & people - making it a crowded environment to work in. The workers were very excited to see a bunch of expats watching them.


Candle molds

Some pretty poor working

conditions

Big tanks of hot wax

These ladies inspected each candle for defects

I had such a great time seeing how the candles were made in this part of the world. It amazes me that with such little equipment & poor working conditions, that they can produce the most beautiful candles for a fraction of the cost.

Amanda's Birthday Party at School

Amanda had a little birthday celebration at school. She was allowed to bring in a treat to share with the class, of which she picked rice krispie treats - good girl....haven't figured out the oven here & trying to find ingredients to make 'normal' treats is a bit difficult!

She also had to fill a cork board of pictures of things she likes to share with the class. She did such a great job explaining the pictures to her class.

I can't believe my 'baby' is 6.....how time flies!!!!!!!!!

Hockey in China?

Yes, there is hockey in China. Here in Shanghai we have the China Sharks, part of the 7 team Asia League. A mix of Canadians and Chinese skaters, they are beginning the effort to grow the sport here with a brand of hockey that was suprisingly good. Certainly not the Red Wings or the UM hockey, but not bad for the middle of China. We went sporting our local colors and had a good time. Of course there were cheerleaders and very loud (too loud) music as there seems to be at most sporting events. After the game, the boys got a chance to meet some of the team and get autographs.

Cinderella Play

For Amanda's birthday present, Ron & I took her to see Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella. Lea Salonda, who won a Tony Award for Miss Saigon and was the singing voices for Disney's Jasmine & Mulan, played Cinderella. This version of Cinderella was not like the book Amanda has read many times but none-the-less, she was mesmerized as the story unfolded. Two friends ended up getting tickets also, which made for an even better night! Enjoy the pictures!!

Pumpkin Carving

To keep with the tradition we have of carving pumpkins, we signed up for an activity that was hosted at one of our favorite restaurants, Cafe du Monde. For 75rmb per child you got a pumpkin of your picking, a carving set, popcorn, chocolate chip cookies, jello & pop. It was a bit of a rainy day but the restaurant has a nice set-up outside with an overhang. The kids had a blast carving - with this year being the first year Tanner actually carved his own pumpkin, and Justin & Amanda did their own drawings. This will be the closest we get to 'Fall' traditions in China! Oh, how I miss the cider & donuts......