First Day of School--Hooray!

I mentioned before that the local school didn't work out, but we were happy to find that the Taipei European School had a space for both girls.  They wear these British uniforms (the handbook keeps mentioning "smart" looking shoes, etc.) Several of the neighborhood kids also go to the school, so they have friends on the (7am!!) bus.  We also heard the school has a strong Mandarin program, so we're hoping the girls can pick up where they left off. They like their teachers and all seems well.  There are also German and French sections at the school, and some activities and classes are combined with them.  About half the school is made up of local kids.

For the boys, we've arranged for a babysitter we met at church.  She is a stay-at-home mom, but her son is in 6th grade, so the timing works out for her.  There is even another woman at church who will be her back-up if something comes up.  They both have cars, so they can come to our house, and as long as they can handle two very active boys, we're hoping things are settled.  She starts in September when J's parents go home.  We really couldn't have done this without Tom & Karin.  They've been so patient with the whole settling-in process.