Harumi Trick or Treat October 2015

Today we organized our Harumi Trick or Treat. We had about 20 kids and a lot of fun. The costumes were awesome and the kids seemed to really enjoy themselves. Three of us live in the same building so the kids got to experience trick or treat via the elevator to our three apartments on the 49th, 48th and 30th floor. For the folks that did not live in our building we walked to the mall next door and the moms lined up and passed out candy. Afterwards we ate dinner at the food court and let the kids run around and play. We came home and ended our night with a few treats and The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. The K Man woke up asking if today was trick or treat, and he went to bed asking when he can do it again. I think it was a huge success. It is a great way for me to help foster community with the friends we have in our little pocket of Tokyo and get to know people better. 

K Man's First Field Trip

On Monday the K Man went on a field trip with his youchien. He had a great time. They went to a park with a huge field and loads of acorns. He returned with a zip lock bag full of acorns, leaves and twigs. He said his favorite part was riding the big bus, but he did not get to touch anything. :) It was so cute watching them leave the school, but the K Man barely looked at me. He had his "cool" face on, which made mama proud and sad all at the same time. I had a teacher conference this week with his teacher. She told me he is doing really well at youchien. He has a lot of friends, but particularly plays with three other boys a lot (their picture is below from our trick or treat today). He loves the singing part of the day and going outside. She said he plays outside for about a hour each day and loves to race and dance. He also likes to watch for his older friends when the elementary school comes out for recess (they share property and outdoor space for recess). She said he is speaking Japanese a lot and seems very comfortable. I am happy the youchien experience has been good for him. He seems to shine with people and is enjoying himself. 

J Man is 8 months

Our little J Man is 8 months old already. How does that happen? He is trying to crawl but more scoots around on his belly. He loves scouring the dirty floors looking for anything to eat or put in his mouth. The kids love him, except for the occasional bite from his big brother (yes, he bit his little brother one day and ran away...I had no idea what had happened until I changed the J Man's diaper and found teeth marks). He is such an easy going baby. We have ventured into solids and he eats whatever I can give him. He is amazing and I am smitten with him. I love the picture below of the two brothers...every Tuesday night Miss M and I go to BSF and the boys stay behind with daddy. They have some great father-son bonding. 

Pumpkin Patch October 2015

On Saturday we had a fun filled day at the Pumpkin Patch. We went with several families from our community group and some other friends. It was a beautiful day and the kids enjoyed dressing up and playing in the greenhouse. Afterwards mama ditched the family and went to get her hair cut and colored while Papa ventured to the mall with all three kids. They enjoyed a Krispy Kreme donut, checking out the dogs (that cost thousands of dollars for a puppy the size of a pea), and made it home tired and worn out for the babysitter while the husband and I went out to dinner to celebrate our anniversary a few weeks early (more on that later). I love fall in Tokyo - the weather does not get too cold too fast so you can enjoy lots of fabulous time in short sleeves, crocs, and picnicing. 

Nature Center

Today we took a field trip to a nature center nearby a friends' apartment. One thing I love about homeschool is the flexibility it can provide. If you need a break from the monotony you can take a break with a field trip. The kids have fun, learn a little something, and everyone feels a bit refreshed with just a one day break. We tend to have lighter school days on Wednesdays because Miss M goes to BSF with me on Tuesday nights and does not get in bed until 10:30. Wednesdays are usually a light day of reading together, doing Japanese homework, and some kind of outside activity. We chose to picnic with friends and enjoy a nature center. Miss M made a craft of a family of acorns and painted them. They turned out really cute. Once we get a hot glue gun we will put them on a twig as she made one to represent each person in our family. We walked around some trees and saw lots of large spiders making their webs, a worm, butterflies, and simply enjoyed the beautiful weather and sunshine. My friend has a baby about a 6 weeks older than the J Man. We attempted to get a picture of them together but it was hard to do. They were not cooperating. Thank you Lydia for a fun day together. We all really enjoyed ourselves.