The Wizard of Oz: Zion`s Last Undoukai

The Wizard of Oz, Zion Preschool Parent/Child Field Day

We are nearing the end of our life in Japan. In just a few weeks it will all be over. Everything familiar to us and the children will change when that plane lands.

One of the unique events in Japan as I have posted previously is Undoukai or the Field Day. At Manna`s preschool it is even more unique.  They have a story theme added to the day`s events and at the end one of the characters from the story shows up and they have a parade.  The children also dress up as characters of the story.  This year was the Wizard of Oz.

A quick snapshot of the food we brought for Manna`s Undoukai.

At the Undoukai it is tradition for families to eat lunch together usually in a picnic style outside, and usually lunches are homemade and have a lot of food for everyone. However, the little kids don`t eat that much so we made this much, and even that had plenty of leftovers.

Typically extended family members attend showing their support and cheering on the child in the number of competitve events held on that day. It was just Yumi and myself with kids though

We are certainly going to miss the little things like these events that have their own unique flavor and always leave us with a smile.

One Last Trip to the Beach

With all the chaos that has happened our summer fun time this year was pretty limited. Usually we would often go to the beach about a 2 hour drive away during summer vacation but not this year.

On a warm autumn day we took one last trip down to the beach of the Boso Peninsula. Still the fear of another tsunami had me planning escape routes as the girls pounced around the seashore. We have taken the children to very few places this year, especially involving the outdoors for obvious reasons. Radiation being another one of them.

The girls love the beach and love the water and it was difficult to keep them from jumping in.  Although they did get their feet quite wet. Afterward we warmed up in Ashi-yu or in other words took a foot bath. 

It felt very nice. Ahhhh I want to go back

Cana enjoying the warm foot bath after walking on the beach.

As this video shows the girls were very excited and I am trying to make sure they are okay, especially Cana who is always trying to keep up.

We ate dinner at the restaurant over looking the ocean and stayed till the evening.  We dined on fresh sushi and shellfish from the water below and counted our blessings as we enoyed the meal and atmosphere.

We are certainly going to miss places like these...

Growing Girls

The girls on the lawn by the outside food area at Costco, Japan

The girls are getting heavy, I carry them to bed sometimes and it really is getting difficult. They do more, eat more and energy seems to be unlimited. Meanwhile mommy and daddy are trying to recover our strength whenever we can get the chance. 

When they play together it feels like heaven, when they are fighting, or annoying one another and making messes it feels like a nightmare. Guess which one we experience more often.

All three girls are at different ages and different stages. It is quite difficult to manage and rarely do we have solo time with them to check on their "progress". The way mommy and daddy treat the group versus one on one is quite different. In a one on one opportunity we either discipline, encourage or instruct and this happens occasionally.  However, most of the time the girls are in the same room and it is somewhat hard to tell whether they are playing together or seperately.  Well unless somebody starts crying and the parents have to once again investigate. They go back and forth freely making a team of three and then two and then playing by themselves. It is like watching some sort of chemical reaction with a lot of energy being released.

The girls playing a pogo stick jumping game at an arcade in Yachiyo, Chiba

Just as they are growing I too feel like I am growing in my capacity as a parent and my understanding of the dynamics of raising children.  Growing children are always learning and teaching each other as well. Even if it is mistaken. Children enjoy teaching each other things and sometimes I have great joy in watching them tell each other stories or teach a song or dance to one another.  And isn`t that what life is all about?

"GROWING"



Manna, in her own world



Manna is the middle child and since being born has probably suffered the most out of all our children.  She had to have surgery to open her tear duct before she was even one year old.  She has suffered from asthma and was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia before turning two years old.  She has fallen down the stairs more than once.  She has fallen chipping teeth, scraping and bruising her very white skin more times than I can count.  Recently she had a bad accident and had to be taken in an ambulance to the hospital to stitch her Achilles heel. A week later she had chicken pox all over her face and her body. She still has a way to go to recover...

It has been hard to see her go through so much, she is still only 4 years old!  She sometimes prays for it to go away, or for her sisters that they won`t get sick or hurt like her.  The experiences of her life already have put her in an almost completely different world than other children. 

She is still silly and loves to dance and run around and jump on her daddy`s back.  Yet she knows real pain, real suffering for a four year old.  She has empathy from it already.  I hate to watch her suffer, but I hope that somehow it can be used and be a blessing to many.

She is growing in her understanding of her own world.  And with that understanding there is a special wisdom.  At times she can say the most encouraging of things even to me.  The other day she told me that she can give her best because she sees me try my best everyday.  She told me not to worry about her because she would give her best effort not to cry because she doesn`t see me cry even when it hurts.