K-2 Concerts

Each month at SAS there is an assembly for all K-2 students. Each grade level performs and students from each class receive awards. In February, Benjamin was very excited to earn an award for good behavior. Then, in March, his class did a Dr. Seuss presentation. It was pretty cute. Benjamin is the one in all red in the middle group. He really had his moves down!



A slideshow of the preparation for the assembly:



Receiving his award in February:

Molly Turns 4

Molly turned 4 on January 30 and we had a party for her in our apartment. She invited 5 friends, their siblings and parents and we ended up with quite a party. We grilled and talked and ate. At the end, we even had fireworks in the street. It was a pretty amazing site and the kids loved it. Molly was excited by the new camera she got as well as all of the Barbies. She loves playing with her Barbies and acting things out. She is also having fun playing with her new puppet theater! Now, I am hoping 4 is easier than 3.

Chinese New Year

We had a week off during the Chinese New Year holiday and we decided to head downtown for a few days with some friends. We stayed in an apartment/hotel near Old Town and had a great time. We went to Yu Yuan Garden, wandered around the Old Town Area, went to the Bund and went through the sightseeing tunnel and had lunch in Pudong. We even attended a circus and watched in awe as a bike broke away from one of the riders and flew into the front row and landed on a lady in the audience. It was an action-packed few days and it was fun to play tourist for a while.

Chinese New Year

We are looking forward to experiencing our first Chinese New Year next week. The elementary school had two assemblies and Benjamin participated in the primary grade assembly. The kids also made Chinese lanterns, wore traditional Chinese clothing -- Benjamin stuck with his red sweats since red is the color for Chinese New Year. It is fun to see the city decorated for this important holiday. We are looking forward to a week off from school.

Ice on the Pond

It finally got cold enough for a bit of ice to form on the pond. Benjamin and Molly were amazed to see the pond frozen over and spent a lot of time throwing rocks on the ice, breaking off large sheets of ice and shattering them, and even standing on top of the ice at the very edge of the pond. Benjamin wanted to go back to the pond constantly for two days. He filled the freezer with sheets of ice to save for later. Now, if we could just get a bit of snow his life would be complete.

Shanghai Aquarium

We finally made it to the Shanghai Aquarium in Pudong and it was as exciting as we had heard. Sharks and stingrays floated overhead as we rode down the elevator. We saw turtles, penguins, and tons of fish. After the aquarium, we headed to a noodle shop and had our first experience in a restaurant where no one spoke English. We managed to get what we wanted and successfully ate our meals with chopsticks. The kids will try almost anything.

Christmas Season 2008

We decided to stay in Shanghai for Christmas so we could have some time to finish settling in and we could do a bit of sightseeing. We spent the first week hanging pictures, shopping for presents, visiting with friends and getting organized. By the time Christmas came, we were tired, but settled. We spent Christmas Eve at a party with other teachers and their families. On Christmas morning, Santa brought everything the kids were hoping for: Wii, Star Wars Legos, doll house. Grandma, Grandpa, Nanny, Mom and Dad provided most of what Santa forgot: more Legos, doll, Dora stuff, clothes, Ben 10 watch, Bakugan. It was a hectic morning. We headed to SRC for brunch with a few other families and returned home to continue playing with toys. The Wii was a big hit that the whole family could play with. Even though it was cold, we were able to golf, bowl, and play tennis. We spent the rest of the vacation doing a bit of sightseeing, swimming (inside), playing more Wii and visiting with friends. We missed our families and our Dubai friends!

Christmas Photos