Ready for the First Day of School!

I still cannot believe that I am going to be sending all three of my kids off to school tomorrow.   There is a lot of excitement in the air here but I can't say it is coming from me.  We landed just under two weeks ago and I think the kids are looking forward to starting school in their new "home" country.   

This year Ayden is going into a PreK4 program at SAS.  It happens to be full day and she rides the bus with Garrett and Jordan.  It is a toss up what she is the most excited for... her new backpack, the lunch box or riding the bus.    I asked her if she wanted me to drive her the first few days to school.   She was quick to respond, "No, Mom... I am fine taking the bus with Garrett and Jordan."  

So we broke them in quick... walked the .25 miles to the bus stop and off they went....

I am not going to lie... I was far more nervous then they were.  What am I going to do without any of my pals home????

Jordan starting 3rd Grade

Ayden in Pre K 4

Garrett starting 1st Grade

As you can imagine... I take a lot of pictures.   I also have a tendency to be late to just about everything.   The first day of school,  I somehow managed to get the kids to the bus stop 15 minutes early!!!  That lasted one day.    In our spare time, I took pictures.... and as you can see the kids have just about had it with me... and my camera! 

You blink and then they are gone.... 

I did not follow the bus.... as some may have thought I would.... Instead, I walked away with a very heavy heart.... really... I did.  

Okay... I may have skipped...  (Just a little) 

Hard to believe you can find this in the middle of a booming city...

One thing for sure is China is HOT in the summer!  

We were at loose ends last weekend and decided to break away and find us a pool with a tiki bar.  In Florida, we have numerous choices to choose from, but in Shanghai... where do you go???  

The Marriott!   We packed up our bags and headed further into town and found us a roof top pool to play.  You would never know of the hustle and bustle of the city going on below.  With the exception of the nearby window washers precariously dangling from the 80th floor above us, we felt right at home with our lounge chairs and umbrella... and of course the bloody marys always do the trick!

Yuyuan Gardens and Town God Temple

The weekends have taken on new meaning for us.  With no lawn to be mowed, pool to be maintained or "Crusher" to be worked under, we have now found ourselves with considerable time on our hands.  We have finally hired a driver, Mr.Zhu (pronounced Mr. Jew)   and we have found ourselves venturing far outside the compound of our temporary housing.  At first it seemed rather odd to be driven around, but I will admit, it quickly grew on me and I have gotten rather comfortable with my new role of "Ms. Daisy."   

Our adventures today took us downtown Shanghai to a beautiful garden nestled in the middle of  a hustling city.  Yuyuan gardens (We called Yu gardens) is a  famous garden that was built over 500 years ago.  Attached to these gardens  is a beautiful temple celebrating three town Gods.

The garden was first established in 1559 as a private garden created by Pan Yunduan, who spent almost

20 years building a garden to please his father Pan en, a high-ranking official in the Ming Dynasty, during his father's old age.  Over the years, the gardens fell into disrepair until about 1760 when bought by merchants, before suffering extensive damage in the 19th century.  In 1842, during the Opium Wars, the British army occupied the Town God Temple for five days.  During the Taiping Rebellion, the gardens were occupied by imperial troops, and damaged again by the Japanese in 1942.  They were repaired by the Shanghai government from 1956-1961, opened to the public in 1961, and declared a national monument in 1982. 

 Just outside the gardens are a ton of shops and restaurants.

 There was a lot of local foods available.... and as much as Garrett wanted to dive into a lot of these exotic dishes, I wasn't in a place to be a positive role model.

 The temples were beautiful... but as sacred as the place seemed to be for a lot of people,
Chris and I nearly melted from all the flames and incense.  People would light these large sticks that burned similar to incense and wave them in the air.  I am not clear of the significance, but everyone doing it seemed very peaceful after.

 This was Garrett's favorite God in the Temple.  We called him - the
"Youpushtomanbuttons God"

 We had a fantastic day exploring a unique part of Shanghai.

Counting our Blessings! 计算我们的祝福 (Jìsuàn wǒmen de zhùfú)