The day started with the girls playing really well together...so much so that Soph hesitated wanting to do 'preschool' stuff, so...I let them keep playing, until they started getting antsy. But they were occupied in their 'houses' for quite a while. Love those little hands and feet.
On Fridays I read Sophia one chapter from 'A Child's History of the World'. We may read this through every year as a supplement. Really short chapters and well written. She probably doesn't hang with me for most of it, but then she will pipe in and ask a question. And today, the question was about war. (it was talking about the ancient civilizations of India, China, Egypt, and Mesopotamia and about wars). She said: 'I wonder when China will have another war...' and then I said I hope never, we would have to leave....she said 'when there is a war do we have to dig a hole and hide in it?' (I have no idea where that idea came from, but not bad), and then she said she was scared. I allayed her fears, with various comforting words and we moved on. The previous chapter she giggled every time I said the word 'berber'. I love teaching these chillins.
While Soph was at school I gave Tobin a bath....this boy:
he looks like a little man in this pic?!!!
Then I put Bella in the baby bath tub, she was begging, and I thought it would ease my night, so in she went. And because it was a baby bath I could be in and out and get stuff done. She did great. Then we ran out to get flowers for our tea party tomorrow.
Tomorrow is National day here in China. Here is how self absorbed I have been, I completely forgot what the date was. I asked our helper if she could work tomorrow afternoon. She hesitated and said yes (I knew she did not want to). Then K called and asked what I was doing with the week for Ayi, was I giving her off? The light bulb went on...oh my!
I immediately turned to her and said I am so sorry, I completely forgot, of course you can have tomorrow off, what about next week, do you need it off too?! OOPS. She was completely understanding and was happy, then we talked about what they would do to enjoy the holiday...
Sophia made some tang yuan at school today, have no idea what this is in English, sugar balls, round things that you make with dough, dip in 'sauce' and cook. Sophia loves them, they are 'okay' to me, and daddy, you better believe she is saving some for you. She also wants to save you some of the pumpkin gingerbread K made for us, but.....not sure it will last the day. Sorry.
For dinner I grilled chicken on the foreman:
this was marinaded in Dales's seasoning, yum. Kids love it.
Ayi stir fried broccoli, the only way to eat vegetables (except in a smoothie).
The meal looked pretty healthy, this is 'brown' rice from Thailand, have never found it here. Sophia quotes her cousin Anna every time we eat broccoli (which is often): 'we must eat the leaves off the trees.'
oh yes, yesterday Sophia got bit by a girl at school. From Sophia: 'my friend bit me. I was helping her tie the string on her dress and she bit me'
'did you cry?'
'yes....then the teacher made her cry'
'is she still your friend?'
'yes, she will always be my friend, I will always forgive her'
BUT today the 'mean' girl that Sophia often talks about came back up in conversation:
'she is always mean'
'to everyone?'
'yes'
'maybe she needs friends'
'she has four friends....but she won't let me play with them....I try not to look at her because I just no she will always be mean, so I just look away....but one day at dance when she saw we had the same shoes she was excited and played with me but not after that'
'what do you think about this, are you sad when she is mean, or what do you think?'
'I just don't know what to think about it' (she states this very matter-of-factly)
This was a great dinner conversation. Then we went outside to play, all three kids, from 6-7 p.m. (I have tried to do this every night)
'And that's a full lid' (David, I know you know what I am quoting here, anyone else want to guess?)
