Triceratops

Rehearsing this morning before the school show...

At the show...

"This is a triceratops.

It's name means three horned face.

It uses it's three horns to defend itself.

They lived in big herds and each one was as big as a bus.

They made a noise like this..."

Six Years Old

Today our baby is six years old. We’re both proud of the wonderful little boy he has become. The sparkle in his eyes is full of wonder and this wonder is what prompts splendid conversation on a wide array of topics. He shows a penchant for design and construction and his concentration has blossomed this past year. His favorite treat is a donut, and cookies & cream has replaced vanilla as his flavor of choice in ice cream. At times he still likes to cuddle and requests to be made cozy “in a tight space”. We’re grateful that as mommy and daddy we haven’t been classified as “uncool” , however, he is showing reluctance with too much public display of affection (e.g. a kiss at kindergarten drop off). He likes to laugh and run and anything associated with speed is captivating. A cheetah is his favorite animal because it’s fast. The past year he’s remained consistent in his declaration to be a “race care finish line person” and a “daddy” when he grows up. Although he has clarified that “I will always live with you Mommy” and this innocence regarding what it means to grow up melts my heart. To this day, the quote I saw hanging on the wall during our first visit to the pediatrician is my favorite:

"Making the decision to have a child - it's momentous. It is to decide
forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." —Elizabeth
Stone

As he grows and become more independent, I feel this even more so.

Galactic Enforcer Day Two

My prediction of an "early" rise for Roo turned out to be an understatement. He left his bed at 5:00am and diligently worked on the construction of the Galactic Enforcer until it was complete at 1:00pm, reluctantly taking bathroom and food breaks. With only an occasional request to help locate a unique piece, or attach a tricky door, Roo assembled this 825 piece spaceship by following the 85 pages of instructions in the two manuals. I'll admit, I'm amazed. And proud.

Galactic Enforcer

"I can hardly believe it!". These were Roo's words tonight when he opened his birthday package from Grandma and Grandpa. Completely ecstatic that he received the LEGO Space Police Galactic Enforcer, he patiently put 1/2 together this evening. I'm certain he'll be up early to finish the job. Having watched reviews of this item several times on YouTube, he's well versed in the features and accompanying mini figs.

Origami

Wednesday, my friend Michelle and I attended a lesson in origami, the Japanese folk art of folding paper to create something decorative or useful. Below you can see our first go, a simple pencil, followed by a more complex item, a card holder.

I'm reminded of our first trip to the Children's hospital when the physician asked Roo, amongst other appropriate age level skill questions, to demonstrate how to fold a piece of paper. I wanted to blurt "we don't teach our four year olds origami" but before I could, Roo successfully made a crease. Wednesday's teacher explained that the skill is taught to children to improve concentration and because it is believed that using all fingers in a dexterity exercise stimulates brain activity.

Interestingly, we learned that during the era of the Samurai, it was considered rude to give a gift unwrapped. Oddly, the wrapping wasn't meant to conceal the item. In fact, it was suppose to be very obvious by the shape of the wrapping what was inside. And, if the giver incorrectly wrapped an item in order to deceive the receiver of the contents, the giver would have no option other that to take their own life. Fortunately, the appropriate etiquette with modern day origami is not so extreme.

Mosquitoes

Roo is quite the chatter box. I must admit, I don’t always catch all he says in his continuous and rapid topic changing rambles. I try, but can’t always follow along. Yesterday, he caught my attention when he started talking about mosquitoes. As he explained, “when a mosquito bites you, they go to the bathroom on your skin and when you scratch, you’re really scratching their wee wee.” My reply, “really?” I looked it up, and sure enough, I learned that mosquitoes must rapidly urinate while they are feeding on your blood in order to fly away and avoid fluid and salt overloads. I’m reminded of Dr. Hinohara’s message (click to see older post) to allow small children the opportunity to teach. They learn not only by receiving, but by talking and teaching others. As I’m learning, a child can be quite good at sharing information.

LaQ

Prior to leaving the house this morning, Roo bookmarked in his LaQ instruction booklet the project we planned to work on after school. If you haven't heard of them before, please check out LaQ. For us, it is a recent fabulous find, and I suspect it will be played with as much as the magnificent Magna Tiles and Lego that have each logged many hours of play time. A Japanese product made in Japan, the LaQ collection contains 7 types of pieces that allow one to construct flat, 3 dimensional, and spherical structures. A fan since he was very small of all things that spin,

Roo's choice for today was of course, the Ferris wheel.

Camping in Nasu

[Written by Ryan]

Roo and I enjoyed a long weekend camping with two other fathers and son’s (Roo refers to this as a “no girls allowed” trip). Our home base was a campground near Nasu, approximately two hours drive from Tokyo in the foothills of Mount Nasu. The campground had several ponds, a stream and a playground - enough to keep the boys busy and moving. We arrived late on Saturday, just in time to set up camp, play and get the fire going. Sunday was a full day, involving playing at the campground, tree trekking (also referred to as a ropes course in the U.S.), taking in an outdoor onsen (i.e. hot bath) as well as a night safari. We all slept well that night. On our way home Monday, we stopped at Nasu Highland Park - - kind of a cross between Disney and Valley Fair. Lego Land was by far the most popular with the boys - - particularly the Star Wars section. The weather was perfect - - summer-like and it was a nice way to relax for a few hours. The drive back to Tokyo was much busier and longer, with a tired Roo asleep in the back for the last hour or so of the ride.

I need to take more trips like this. Not only is it fun to spend time with others, it’s also a cultural opportunity in many ways. This was my first “driving” trip in Japan - - typically we take a train of some sort to get to our destination (we don’t own a car and I don’t have a license to drive here). The freeways in Tokyo for the most part are elevated, thereby offering a perspective of Tokyo I never get to experience. I also found this reinforced the sheer size of the city; it is a bit daunting. Also, with the campground in a more remote area, the scenery was tough to beat. We could see the stars very clearly as well as the nearby mountains. Interestingly, there were many rice patties in this region, often organized in a tiered structure so as to make effective use of the land along gradual slopes as well as in the flatlands. Another great part of this trip was that we didn’t see any foreigners. I put my Japanese language skills to some use (including telling the front desk of an “issue” with our cabin toilet) and welcomed friendly interaction with others, particularly some of the kids who have some curiosity about us.

During our two and a half years here I have developed an appreciation for the civil order to everyday activities. I’ve learned to roll with it and not let it frustrate me - - it’s part of the experience. Keeping in mind this is a very popular long holiday weekend, I thought it was interesting the onsen was not open at 11AM on a Saturday (opened at noon). Also, it was "lights out" at 10PM and literally everyone complied (we received a kind reminder from the staff on this point). I also learned on Monday at the campground that I had used a “closed” hot bath - - interesting it would be closed at 9:30AM (what I view as “peak” time). I had remarked to the other dads that I feared I had done something wrong because the bathroom seemed too quiet to me - - turned out my suspicions were true! Everyday I learn something new and I appreciate that.

World Laughter Day

Today, the first Sunday in May, is World Laughter Day. First celebrated in 1998 in Mumbai India, the celebration is a "positive manifestation for world peace and is intended to build up a global consciousness of brotherhood and friendship through laughter". The founder is also accredited with forming "Laughter Yoga". The idea behind laughter yoga is that the body doesn't differentiate between real and fake laughter and therefore the benefits are the same. Today I went to Yoyogi Park to partake in the laughing celebration. I tend to think the Japanese are very guarded with their emotions, especially in public. It was fun to see so much laughter and silliness!

Book Review: The Help

Today I finished reading a most amazing novel titled “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett. It’s been on the New York Times Bestseller list and is recommended for book clubs. I understand why! In a week my book club will be reviewing, and we’re already talking about how much there is to discuss. Situated in Jackson, Mississippi during the 1960’s civil rights movement, the book is narrated by three woman telling their life story as either a white child raised by a black nanny (one woman) , or as a black domestic helper in a white family (two woman). The story is heartwarming and the lives of the woman painted vivid. Of course there is plenty of sadness and anger in segregated Mississippi. But for the most part, it’s a feel good triumph story that is hard to put down. I’ve read Dreamworks has already made plans to produce the movie.