Japanese Summer Camp

This post is a little late, given my blogging hiatus, but I thought it would be nice to show you some pictures of the summer camp Maia attended at her language school last summer. 

This is Tai's funny face.  I think I told him to smile, and this is what I got!

=

The children all love this particular play structure, as you can see in this photo.

The children all outside with Noriko-Sensei, their amazing teacher. 

Noriko-Sensei says, "This kimono is tight!"

Tai did not really attend the camp, but he's very much a part of the action.

The children did a little performance for the parents.

This little girl's mom is Japanese, so she's pretty fluent.

Maia clearly enjoys the spotlight.

Noriko-Sensei is great with the kids and makes everything fun!

Tai happily watches the older kids.

They are all so adorable.

A traditional Japanese tea ceremony

Noriko-Sensei explains what is going on the audience.

Everyone gets to try the tea!

Maia was brave!

Hmmm.... Not bad?

Throughout the week, the kids made things to sell to parents at an outdoor sale.  They included wind chimes, bookmarks, and origami.  They look enthusiastic, don't they?

Everyone surprised Maia with cupcakes for her birthday.  Since her birthday falls during the summer, this was HUGE for her.   She's never had any kind of school celebration.

A very happy Maiachan!

Speaking Japanese

We are very lucky to have a language school in our area.  One of the languages offered is Japanese, and Maia has been attending classes once a week after school for two years.  We really want Maia to be bilingual, but so far, English is definitely her dominant language.  Since her dad is consistent about speaking only Japanese to her, she understands a lot, but she is hesitant to speak.  She's also studying Spanish now in first grade, and I've noticed the same thing.  My theory is that she hesitates to speak because she does not want to make a mistake. 

When I taught French, I noticed there are two types of language learners.  The first type wants to understand all the grammar points and needs to pronounce everything perfectly, and the second type learns the grammar and pronunciation through their desire to communicate.  I am definitely more the second type, and I think Maia is the first, which is not necessarily a bad thing.  She just processes language differently and needs to understand it before she uses it.  Tai, on the other hand, is more like me in this regard.  He eagerly repeats anything he hears and says lots of phrases in Japanese although his dominant language is also English.

If all goes well, we are planning a trip to Japan this summer.  We are excited to see what effect being immersed in Japanese will have on Maia and Tai's language skills.  Since I'm not fluent in Japanese, I'd like to "disappear" for a bit so the kids won't rely on speaking to me in English.  Perhaps I can take a Japanese course somewhere or just go read books at coffee shops.  It sounds like an amazing plan to me!

Halloween 2011

Maia was a snow princess and Tai was a triceratops.  We had one of Maia's friends come over and everyone went trick-or-treating together.  It was tons of fun!

Shhhhh....

This is one of those pictures that begs for a caption.

Blog? What blog?

Hello Friends... It seems like I've neglected my blog for over 3 months now!  How could I have let this happen? I'll get busy updating before the end of the year.  Today I spent some time showing old pictures and videos from the blog to Maia and Tai.  They thought it was pretty hilarious.  It reminded me that someday they will enjoy looking back at all of my crazy updates, and that I should post more regularly to give them plenty of material to remember fondly when they are all grown up. 

Preschool!

With Maia in school all day, it seemed like a good time for Tai to venture off to preschool.  We do a lot of fun things while home, but he definitely misses his sister.   Preschool for the two year old set is short--2.5 hours for 2 mornings a week.  That's the perfect amount of time to run to the grocery store or do some studying for a graduate class.  It seemed like a good deal to me.


I must confess that I wasn't sure about sending Tai off to school before he turned 3, so I left the decision up to him.  Last Spring, I would ask him every so often if he would like to go to school like his sister,and he always answered, "No!"  Since he did not seem interested, I did not plan to enroll him for this fall, but over the summer something changed.  When I was getting Maia's lunch ready for her summer camp, Tai wandered into the kitchen and asked, "Where's my lunch?"  I explained that he would be eating lunch with me at home, and he didn't seem very happy about that.  Then, when we dropped off his sister in her classroom, Tai ran off with the older kids and started playing with the toys in the room.  I had to drag him away screaming, and that is when I knew he was ready. 


So far, Tai really seems to be enjoying school.  He hasn't had any separation anxiety, and always seems happy when I pick him up.  The only concern I have is that his class is very small.  A couple of kids dropped out at the last minute, so it's only Tai and one other little boy.  Yes, the student/teacher ratio is 1:1.  Two teachers and two kids...  While I'm happy he's receiving lots of attention, I know he is very social and wants to be around other children.  I worry a little about that, but when they go to recess, they go out with another class.  At least Tai can run around with other kids during that time.  For now, everything seems to be working out well.


Without further ado, the pictures from Tai's first day!

All smiles!

I wish I could freeze time.  He is at the perfect age right now!

Showing off the back pack

"Let's go, Mom!"

I like that the building has so many different uses.

He is excited to start playing!

Long Overdue Play Set Pics

Yes, I found the camera!  Here is the finished product:)  Yoshi is our hero for building this.  The kids absolutely love it, as you can see from the pictures.

First Grade!

Today was Maia's first day of school! She is officially in elementary school now, and I must confess that letting her go was difficult for me. Kindergarten wasn't as big a deal because it only lasted 2.5 hours, but now she stays at school from 8:30 to 3:10.  That is a long time!  Thankfully, she can come home for lunch if she chooses.  Of course, she thrives on hanging out with her friends, so she doesn't want to come every day, but once a week or so will still give us something to look forward to.

I know I'll feel better in a couple of days, but I feel a bit incomplete right now.  The oddest moment was during lunch, when I realized there was no reason to leave a seat empty between Tai and me, so I sat in Maia's seat.  Then, as if on cue, Tai asked me what Maia was going to eat for lunch and suggested we save some food for her.  I don't cry often these days, but if I were going to cry, that would have been the moment.  It seems like just yesterday that Maia was a toddler.  How has the time passed so quickly?

Little Maia (9 months old)  practicing standing up with her daddy.

Remember this picture?  Maia (3 years old) on her first day of preschool.

Maia today!  How grown-up she looks!

The kids look so big in this picture.  Is it my imagination?

Maia with her teacher, Mrs. Jacobs.   We already love her!

I will miss my sweet little girl, but I am proud that she is so confident and eager to go off to school.  And I'm looking forward to having new and different experiences with her as she gets older.  This is what life is about, I believe.  It's hard to let go, but in the end, it's best for our children to experience freedom and independence.  Although, I must admit, I now completely understand why some families choose to home school their children. 

It's Missing!

Tai likes to say those words, but today it is I who must declare, "It's missing!"  I hid my camera so Tai wouldn't grab it, and now I can't remember where I put it.  That means the pictures of the completed play set will have to wait.  Don't fret, dear readers!  I am sure it will turn up... eventually.

In Progress

Have you guessed yet?

It's an ...

Outdoor playset!

Yoshi worked so hard.

It took a full three days!

He even worked on it every day when he got home from work. 

This is not the finished product.  Stay tuned!

Latest Project

Yoshi's building something made out of an insane amount of pieces. Stay tuned to see what it is!

Maia's Favorite Things

Maia loves:
Riding her scooter
Riding her bike
Playing in the pool
Swinging
Ice cream
All things girlie
PUPPIES
Stuffed animals
Watching TV
Reading books
Playing with friends

Tai's Favorite Things

Tai loves:
Trucks
Dinosaurs
Superheroes
Animals
Playing
Sandboxes
Being read to
Watching TV
Soft blankets
Boys that are a little older
Fun music and dancing

Sweet

Tai and I stopped at Target while Maia was at summer camp. It is different hanging out with only one child. In some ways it is easier, but also harder because there is no entertainment. You're it! Thankfully, Target serves popcorn and lemonade, so Tai stayed occupied long enough for me to grab the items I needed.

The sweetest thing, though, was that whenever we passed a "girlie" item or something that Maia would like, Tai would say,"Stop. Stop. Go back." When I returned to the thing he was noticing, he would say, "How about we buy it [for] Maiachan?" It warmed my heart. Both of my kids have such sweet dispositions and love each other. I feel extremely fortunate and grateful.

Pony Rides!

What makes a kid happier than a pony ride?  I can't think of much.  Maia and Tai had a great time experiencing the pony ride at the Columbus zoo.  Maia has gone on pony rides before, but this was Tai's first time.  He did a great job and reminded me that he is growing up quickly and is no longer really a baby.  After all, babies can't ride ponies by themselves.