i love ichi-nensei

i still didn't post those dance pics. over the weekend, craig will be gone so i should have lots of time to get them up...but in the meantime...spent lots of time with first grade this week...here are some moments...
-walked into a class this a.m. and was mauled by successive hugs...so much love...it feels great to be hugged
-while planting tulip bulbs, one small boy called out, 'katy-sensei, you can have some of my dirt.'
-the same boy later on his paper explaining what we had done, drew a picture of him and i planting. he drew my heart and it filled my whole chest. what a compliment...
-during lunch, we discussed how i sometimes make my husband's lunch. one little boy came up almost an hour later, 'katy-sensei, your husband is craig-sensei, right? and you make craig-sensei's lunch right?'; i answered affirmatively and looking satisfied, he pivoted and went back to his seat...huh???
-i played house at lunchtime with two girls on weds. they were my 'kids' and decided 4 years old was the perfect age to be. i agreed. then they pronounced me, 'mom', and i was supposed to be 20. huh??!! kids these days...
-later my fleece pockets were filled with leaves (money) and we were the richest people in the world and went around buying and eating cake and cookies. oh the life...
-the naughty boy at today's school took lunch clean- up time to secretly take the dirty chalkboard erasers and smear pink chalk dust all over the wooden floors of the classroom

also, i found this website with funny japanese mistakes. http://www.mangajin.com/ezine/bloopers.html
some of you might be able to relate. today i was trying to join a cooking conversation (something i am usually really good at) about variations of nabe. i thought i heard the word 'shochu' which is a kind of liquor usually made from potatoes. we make alcoholic nabe! i thought, gee it is really going to be cold this winter if they have eat alcoholic dinner around here...the word was actually one that meant often, pronounced with a small 'tsu' inserted...