What's New?

What's new with us, besides work and school? See below!

Bye Bye, Mama!

Someone couldn't wait to get to Peter Pan today. No tears, no hesitation... I almost didn't get a goodbye kiss! What a difference an easy transition makes to the start of the day. Way to go, D!

End of Eight Months

Today was my first day back at work after taking eight months off. My days as a SAHM have come to an end. How do I feel about this? I have to say, it felt good to be back at work among all my colleagues (ah, adult time!). However, I have a hunch that I'll soon miss my days at home with Denis. We'll see...

Denis started back at Peter Pan today. Only this term, he's going all day, everyday, and he'll be at our school - right across from Jon's office, as a matter of fact. Last semester, he only went once a week for half a day at the campus near the River Mall. So, even though the program and some of the teachers are the same, his routine has changed quite a bit. He cried this morning when we dropped him off. But by the time we picked him up in the afternoon, he was all smiles. We'll see how tomorrow goes.

***I've added a video clip of Denis singing to the post about my parents' 50th anniversary. If you're interested, scroll down! Canada posts yet to come...

Big vs. Small

Lately Denis has been trying to distinguish between big and small. "Big bike? Mall bike?" he'll ask when he wants to know whether he's riding on my bike or his. I'll reply, "Big bike." And, just to be sure, he'll confirm, "Yea, big bike."

The other day he transferred the use of big and small to other parts of his day. He came to me in the morning, patting his back side, then raising his hand up as high as it would go, and said... "Big poo poo." Trying not to sound too horrified, I clarified, "Big poo poo?" And he reassured me, "Yea, big poo poo." Oh, great. Right in the middle of my breakfast. But, lucky for me, it wasn't so big. If I recall, it was fairly normal looking in size, color, consistency...

Today he came to me, patting his front, then pinching his index finger and thumb together and said... "Mall pee pee." Ha! Now that's funny! Between guffaws I managed to ask, "Small pee pee?" And he replied ever so seriously, "Yea, mall pee pee."

I think he and Jon are having a little (or mall) talk tonight. Apparently, as a guy, there are certain things you just never say...

New Neighbors

In about 12 hours, we'll have new neighbors! We have two sets of good friends (from our days in Peru) moving to Kobe this year (tonight!), and one set will be our downstairs neighbors. We can't wait to see all these old friends - and have Denis meet some new friends - and show them around their new stomping grounds.

Hope you enjoy the beat-the-middle-of-the-night-jet-lag-munchies banana bread D made for you. It's been his favorite beat-the-middle-of-the-night-jet-lag-munchies snack this week, and he thought he'd share some with you.

Welcome to Japan, nuestros amigos!

Home Sweet Home

We've arrived back in Japan. It was a long 24-hour journey, door-to-door, but we all held up fairly well. I'm happy to say that Denis seems to be a traveler! He handled three flights and one bus ride as well as any two-year-old could be expected to, and I actually think he enjoys being on the go. Which is a good thing, considering our lifestyle.

For anyone out there looking for a great way to kill a few hours on a plane with a toddler, check out some of the wooden toys by Melissa & Doug. Their Latches Board was a lifesaver on the long flight. Denis played with it for hours! Which really isn't surprising considering how fascinated he is by opening and closing all manner of hooks, latches, and locks. Is it too soon to predict that he'll be a mechanical engineer when he grows up?

It's 3:30 AM and we're all awake with jet lag. Finally, some time to blog! Hopefully, I'll be able to catch up and write about the rest of our summer holiday over the next couple of weeks before I go back to work - preferably during the day and not during the wee hours of the morning. Jet lag, be gone! 

All for now. Time to go play Thomas the Tank.