Chapter 16

The morning light gently filtered through the window as Lily slowly opened her eyes, snuggled under the cozy warmth of her blanket. She could already smell something delicious wafting from the kitchen. With a sleepy yawn, she climbed out of bed, rubbing her eyes and clutching her favorite stuffed bunny.

David, hearing her little footsteps, looked over from the kitchen and smiled. "Good morning, sunshine! Ready for breakfast?"

Lily gave a big nod. "Yes! Is it something yummy?"

David set down a bowl of steaming rice with savory side dishes on the table. "We've got eggs, rice, and a little bit of soup—just right for a chilly morning."

Lily climbed up on her chair and dug in, her face lighting up with each bite. "Dad, this soup is soooo warm!" she said, smiling as the warmth spread through her.

After breakfast, David helped her get into her winter coat, making sure her scarf was snug. "All set for the day, Lily?"

With a final hug, they stepped out, ready to start the day.

Lily arrived at daycare with David, bundled up in her favorite scarf and mittens. She spotted Joon arriving a little later, his cheeks pink from the chilly air as he hopped off the orphanage van, waving at her eagerly. The other kids filed in, each wearing their own unique combination of winter wear, scarves flapping and hats pulled down snug.

Ms. Choi chuckled, watching the scene with amusement.

"Well, look at all of you! Winter fashion stars!" Ms. Choi grins, noticing Lily with two scarves wrapped around her neck and Joon wearing one neon green glove and one red.

"Look!" Lily twirls, letting her scarves float out dramatically. "I'm wearing two scarves! Extra warm!"

Joon lifts his mismatched gloves proudly. "And I have different gloves…on purpose!" he says, as if announcing his style choice to the world.

Ms. Choi laughs and gives them both a thumbs-up. "Well, you two definitely brought some extra color to winter today!" The other kids giggle, looking around and noticing their own quirky mismatches.

As they make their way inside, Ms. Choi claps her hands to gather everyone. "Alright, my little snowflakes! Who's ready to make snowmen?"

The children's eyes light up as Ms. Choi brings out bags filled with cotton balls, buttons, pipe cleaners, and bits of fabric. She places the craft supplies on the tables and explains the task, her voice full of excitement.

"Today, you're making indoor snowmen! Use whatever you want—make them funny, make them silly, make them yours!" she says, encouraging their creativity.

The children dive into the materials, chattering excitedly as they work. Giggles break out as they start assembling their creations, adding their own unique touches.

"Mine has the biggest nose!" Joon announces proudly, holding up his snowman with a huge button for a nose, as if it's the snowman's best feature.

Hyun grins, adding a few more eyes to his snowman's face. "Mine has four eyes—super snowman vision!" he declares, waving it around proudly.

Ms. Choi laughs, admiring the quirky creations. "Wow, these snowmen have more personality than a whole snowstorm!"

Lily adds a crooked smile to her snowman, gently patting its "head." "I think mine's smiling," she says with satisfaction, showing it off to Joon.

Joon peers at it, nodding approvingly. "Looks like a happy snowman to me!" They both smile, sharing a quiet moment of pride in their creations.

After they've finished their snowmen, Ms. Choi claps her hands again. "Now it's story time! I've got a winter tale for you—but I think it could use some fun twists. Who wants to help me make it even better?"

The children raise their hands excitedly, their eyes wide with anticipation. Ms. Choi begins, "Once upon a time, in a magical snowy forest, there was a bear who…" She trails off, looking at the kids with a mischievous smile.

Lily raises her hand, eager to add her idea. "The bear tried to eat a snowflake, but it melted!" she exclaims, giggling.

Joon joins in, his eyes twinkling. "Then he slipped on the ice and rolled into a snowball!" he adds, making everyone laugh.

Hyun raises his hand, bursting with excitement. "Then he decided to take a snow bath!" he shouts, his face full of joy.

The room fills with laughter as each child adds a twist, the story quickly becoming a silly tale about a clumsy bear who slips and slides his way through a snowy adventure. Ms. Choi laughs along with them, enjoying the creativity and humor of her little storytellers.

Once the story wraps up, Ms. Choi announces the next activity. "Alright, time to make some puppets! Today, we're creating our own winter friends." She hands each child an old sock and a set of fabric markers.

Lily's eyes light up as she starts decorating her puppet, giving it an "ice crown" and coloring its "face" carefully. "My puppet's the queen of ice!" she says proudly, holding it up to show everyone.

Joon grins as he ties a piece of string around his puppet's "neck," fashioning a tiny scarf. "And mine is the king of snowballs!" he declares, speaking in a funny "puppet voice" that makes everyone giggle.

The kids laugh as they make their puppets "talk," creating voices and personalities for each one. Ms. Choi chuckles, watching as they build a whole "royal winter family" out of socks. "Looks like we have quite the winter kingdom here!"

Soon after, Ms. Choi turns on some upbeat music. "Who's ready for a winter dance party?" she calls, clapping her hands. "Let's warm up!" She starts shimmying and wiggling, and the kids follow along, copying her silly moves.

"Look! I'm doing the snow shake!" Hyun announces, stomping his feet and wiggling his arms.

Lily spins around, her arms stretched out. "I'm a snowflake!" she declares, giggling as she twirls and pretends to "melt" to the floor.

Ms. Choi tries to hold back a laugh, her face warm from all the silly dancing. "This might be the silliest dance party yet!"

When the music stops, Ms. Choi brings out trays of roasted sweet potato slices, their sweet scent filling the room. The kids settle down, eagerly reaching for the warm, comforting snack.

Joon picks up a slice and holds it in his hand, grinning. "Mine looks like a tiny yellow pillow!"

Lily tilts her head, examining her slice. "Maybe it's a pillow for a snow fairy!" she says thoughtfully, taking a small, careful bite.

Ms. Choi watches with a smile, amused by their imaginations. "Only you kids could turn sweet potatoes into fairy pillows!" she chuckles, enjoying the warmth and laughter that fills the room.

After the snack, Ms. Choi announces another activity. "Now, who wants to build an igloo?" she asks, bringing out a pile of large foam blocks.

The children's eyes widen with excitement, and they quickly start stacking the blocks, working together to build their "igloo fort."

"Only the 'igloo keeper' can make the rules!" Ms. Choi says, pointing to Hyun, who's up first.

Hyun grins, clearly thrilled with his new role. "Only hopping allowed in the igloo!" he declares, bouncing inside on one foot to demonstrate.

Lily hops in after him, a big grin on her face. "And you have to say 'brrr' every time you talk!"

Joon bounces in, trying his best to keep his balance. "Brrr! It's so c-c-cold in here!" he says in an exaggerated, shivery voice that makes everyone laugh.

Each child takes a turn being the "igloo keeper," inventing their own silly rules. The igloo fills with laughter as they hop, shuffle, and giggle, creating their own little winter wonderland.

As nap time approaches, Ms. Choi helps them settle down, handing each child a cozy blanket. "Close your eyes and imagine your own winter adventure," she says softly, her voice gentle.

Lily leans over to Joon, whispering, "I'm dreaming of a snow castle with sparkles."

Joon, already yawning, whispers back, "I'll sled with penguins…"

Ms. Choi smiles as she watches them drift off, the room growing quiet as they snuggle into their blankets. "Sweet winter dreams, everyone," she murmurs, gently patting their blankets.

After nap time, the children wake up and stretch, blinking sleepily. Ms. Choi gathers them around, handing out winter-themed coloring pages. Each page is filled with snowmen, reindeer, and snowflakes, waiting to be brought to life with color.

Joon picks up a blue crayon, grinning as he colors a "hat" on his snowman. "My snowman's wearing a rainbow hat!"

Lily giggles, adding sparkly silver "boots" to her snowman. "Mine has sparkly boots!" she says, holding up her page with pride.

Ms. Choi laughs, admiring their creations. "These snowmen look ready for a winter party, that's for sure!"

As the day winds down, Ms. Choi gives each child a winter-themed sticker to take home. Lily carefully picks out a reindeer sticker, her eyes shining with excitement.

"I got a reindeer! Just like me!" she says, sticking it onto her coat with pride.

Joon grins as he places a snowman sticker on his jacket. "Mine's a snowman—cool as me!"

Ms. Choi waves as they gather their things and head toward the door. "See you all tomorrow, my winter explorers! Stay warm!"

After a lively day at daycare, Lily waves goodbye to her friends and heads home with David. They chat about all the fun she had, her words tumbling over each other as she excitedly recounts each part of her winter-themed day. David listens with a smile, holding her small hand as they walk up to their cozy home. The air is cold, and their breaths make little clouds in front of them, adding to the winter magic in Lily's day.

Once inside, David helps Lily take off her puffy coat, scarves, and gloves. "Did you build a snowman today, little snowflake?" he teases, ruffling her hair.

Lily giggles and nods. "Yes! But it was made of cotton balls. And my puppet was a snow queen, Daddy!" She holds up her hand and pretends her fingers are her "puppet" waving at him. "Hello, snow king!" she says in her "snow queen" voice.

David laughs, playing along. "Well, hello there, snow queen! What do you command of the snow king?"

Lily thinks for a moment, her face scrunching in concentration. "Hmm… the snow queen wants pancakes for dinner!" she declares, bursting into giggles.

David smiles and nods. "A fine choice, your royal snowiness! Let the royal kitchen begin preparations." He heads into the kitchen, rolling up his sleeves as he starts to gather the ingredients.

As he whisks together the batter, Lily climbs up on her little step stool beside him, her eyes sparkling. She watches him, occasionally sneaking little licks of the batter from her fingers. David pretends not to notice, just giving her a playful look every now and then.

"Are you my kitchen helper, or are you just here for taste tests?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Both!" Lily says proudly, scooping up a bit more batter and licking it off her finger with a mischievous grin.

Once the pancakes are golden brown and ready, David piles them onto a plate and drizzles a bit of honey on top. "Presenting, the royal pancakes!" he says, carrying the plate over to the table with a grand flourish.

Lily claps her hands excitedly. "Thank you, Daddy!" She digs in, cutting a piece with her little fork and taking a big bite. "Mmm! The snow queen approves!" she says, chewing happily.

David watches her, amused. "Well, I'm glad, because I don't think the snow king could make pancakes any other way."

They eat together, enjoying the warmth of the meal after a chilly day. After finishing, Lily yawns and rubs her eyes, her energy finally starting to wind down.

"All done?" David asks, reaching over to wipe a little honey from her cheek. Lily nods, her eyelids drooping. "How about a bedtime story before you sleep, hmm?"

Lily nods eagerly, though her eyes are starting to look heavy. She grabs her favorite stuffed reindeer, climbing up onto the couch where David sits beside her, pulling a soft blanket over them.

"Once upon a time, in a snowy forest…" David begins, making up a story as he goes. His voice is soft and steady, painting a peaceful scene. Lily's head rests on his shoulder, her eyes slowly drifting shut as he continues.

"And then the little snow bunny…" he murmurs, glancing down to see her already fast asleep, clutching her reindeer close.

David smiles, carefully carrying her to her room and tucking her in. He softly kisses her forehead. "Goodnight, snow queen," he whispers, turning off the light and quietly closing her door.