(Sorry for the delay!) The first week in October China celebrates it's National Day each year, giving the kids a much-anticipated break from school and a chance to sleep in past 5:45 in the morning!! We spent most of the week getting together with friends. The first picture is of Karis with her brothers and her friend Michelle from school who came over for a play date. Michelle is a precious little girl (who also happens to be a twin and share the same birthdate as Karis--June 17th!) that Karis became friends with last year. She is Chinese, but is a foreign passport holder (she was born while her parents were living in the US), and therefore is allowed to attend the International School. As you can tell by the looks on their faces, the kids all had a great time playing together for the morning!
We also got to spend time with some of our closest friends here--Natalie and Andy and their two little ones (Jenda, who is Hud's age and Blaise, who is Noah's age). You can see from this pic that even Andy got into the theatrical performance that Karis prepared for us all to participate in as our evening's entertainment. The final two pics are of the kids playing horses with their stall being located under the kitchen table. I am continually reminded of how creative kids can be when you let them run with an idea, and am challenged to join in with them in their imaginary worlds.
Kevin and I had a break from class as well, and with the beautiful fall weather and the kids at home I kept busy trying to find the balance between getting a few home projects done and taking time off just to "be" with my kids, playing outside, walking to the local joint to get milkshakes, and finding lots of preying mantis. Which, I might add, I found pretty freaky after I watched one that Eli caught kill and eat a spider that we put in the insect catcher with it! Our down time was a much needed respite from our usual routine and a great chance to be able to spend more quality time together as a family and with our friends!
