Josie and the Kittens

 Auntie Joan has a bunch of kittens... Four to be exact.  Josie knows all their names.  After school everyday, she goes out an plays with her "friends."

 And her "friends" love her so much that they have figured out how to climb very high in the tree...

I think Josie actually put this on in the tree.

Josie's New Grade 2 Class

 Wow, talk about feeling welcomed into a class.  Auntie Joan took us to meet the teacher.  Josie will be in a grade 2-3 class.  This is what we found on a desk. 

She also has her own bin and a communication book.

 Two of the kids in her group were absent today, but Madison was very friendly and kind.  We met one of the two missing boys in town later when we were picking up school supplies. 

 In seconds Josie was playing with the other kids.  When they finish their work, they have center time.  It was so nice to see that everyone was so friendly.  It really put my mind at ease.  I really think she will like this new life.

 Here is another corner in the room.

 And another.

 And her closet (also with her name already in it).

 And another corner.

Now, scroll back to Josie's first day of grade one.
(Right side of the page --> 2010 --> August)
And compare... What a difference!

Big Changes

 As you all know, we have made a big life move.  I accepted a job in Canada.  Josie and I are here first.  Jevin and Jason will follow after all the things in the house are dealt with.  We had three flights to make it over to Canada.  I wanted to avoid any possible delays due to Air Canada's potential strike, so I chose to fly with Delta which also was half the price of Air Canada.

Here's Josie on the first flight.  She was so bright and chipper... 

We made it to Tokyo and it was all fine and dandy.  We had a two hour layover and made it to our gate with 30 minutes to spare.

When we got to Minneapolis, the delay was much longer. The only flight they had to Saskatoon was at 10 at night.  We arrived at noon, only three hours after we left.  Funny how that works.  We always gain a day flying to Canada.  

Nonetheless, we had a long layover which is a pretty good thing.  The customs line was sooooooo slow.  Then we had to re-check our luggage and re-issue our boarding passes.  It took a good two hours.  Most of that was just standing in lines.  Though comparing LA, Seattle and Minneapolis, I would have to say that Minneapolis was by far the most friendly.  Even the officer with the dog smelling our bags was friendly and chatty.  It certainly eased the boredom of standing so long. 

And I just thought that this police "scooter" was pretty cool.  It went rather fast as well.  Josie saw it moving and told me.  Before I could turn around it was gone.  I just caught the slight flash of white disappearing in the background.
At the airport there were so many information desks... They took one look at Josie and said go to the park.  It was so nice.  They had made a special play area for the kids.  Josie just went wild.  She was such a great girl.  She made friends and they played and I was able to lie down and catch a few winks. 
When we boarded our flight to Saskatoon, Josie passed out on the plane.  She was out the whole two hours.

Crossing Guard - Huatan Elementary

It's nice to know that Josie is protected when she is crossing the street.  At the main gates, there are two volunteers and a police officer helping the masses to cross.

At the south gate there is only one volunteer.

But our favourite entrance was the west gate... Not everyone can say that a vigilante helps them cross the street.

Seriously though, I think they just got the word volunteer and vigilante mixed up. 
It was really cute.  The man thought that I thought he was a police officer and that's why I wanted to take a picture. "No police.  I no police."  I told him that I just wanted to take a picture of his back. :P

Gary Bee's 9/25

 We decided one afternoon that we should try out that new restaurant in town.  It's a Chili's copycat, but since we didn't have to go all the way to Taichung we decided to give it a shot.  Good thing we went at 4 because at 5 there were no tables left.

Jason just had to give the special a try.

 It was HUGE. 

 We were shocked when it arrived.

And yes, he did finish it!

Cinnamon Buns 9/24

Jason tried his hand at cinnamon buns.  He used the bread machine to make the dough and then rolled them out himself.  I must say they were very tasty.  Jevin was all over these things.  He couldn't get enough.  And as proof of their splendor, James, our co-worker, even ordered some for his family.  Jason was soooooo flattered.  For the recipe, email Jason.  They were truly scrumptious.