This past month has been a genuinely odd one.
Our oldest, age 8, boarded a plane with her mama about a month ago and headed across the Pacific. One week later, Mama came back but Mimi stayed on with her cousins and grandparents. For the past three weeks she has attended school in Japan, eaten a ton of ice cream, and occasionally, sleepily, FaceTimed with her family back in the states.
There are, sadly, no pictures of her departure. We simply dropped Mama and Mimi off. We had considered walking in to the terminal, but given how much time they had, and the fact Mari was screaming her head off that she wanted to go on the airplane, drop off was probably the best choice.
We naturally had some reservations about sending Mimi away for a whole month at such a young age, but the time with her family, and experiencing a different culture for an extended time far outweighed those fears. We knew it would be a challenge, but we also knew she was up for it. So far, it looks like she's risen to the occasion.
Mari and Kuri took Mimi's absence in stride. They were happy but knew something was a bit off. Kuri never cried about it, but for the first week or so, at least every other day, he'd look up at me and say, completely unprompted, "Papa, I miss Mimi."
"I know, buddy. Me too."
As Mimi stormed Japan, we had a bit of our own fun back here. The first week was tough with just the two kids and me. Few pictures of this time survive, though both kids and their father made it through relatively unscathed.
I had a bit of help that week as one of my best friends from elementary school, John, came down with his wife Jen for a visit. We met up with our friend from intermediate school, Mike, as well as his wife and kids, for some serious pinball action at the Pinball Museum in Alameda. That little boy in blue is Kuri and Mike is right behind him. Note the level of concentration on both faces. Given Mike's a pretty damn good pinball player, I think the boy will go far.
As John, Mike, Jen, and Cassandra play on the left, you can see Kuri still working away on the right. I was amazed by his concentration. He tried machines until he found one that clicked with him and then kept with it. Seeing his potential that day, I've come to the conclusion that it really isn't fair to such a child, with so much innate pinball talent, to have only one machine at home. Getting at least one or two additional machines here on which he can hone his skills really makes a lot of sense. Otherwise, I'm just not letting my child explore his potential.
Back at home, Mari exploited the two new visitors. Mari walked all over Johnny...
...Kuri played soccer with Jen (sadly, our backyard was in no shape for this activity, so the living room had to suffice),
and Mari continually sought out ways to cuddle with Johnny. I think, in her mind, she claimed yet another new boyfriend.
We ended our stay at Le Garage restaurant in Sausalito. This is a great little Marin restaurant. Right on the water with excellent food and a relatively chill atmosphere. It was also great for me because, for the first time in years, adults actually outnumbered the kids. Eating was actually possible!
Eventually John and Jen left, but they were quickly replaced with Sumie. It was nice to have the family back...mostly. We headed out for the one event Mimi was most sad to miss: the Marin County Fair. I've posted on this in the past and it remains one of my favorite things about this county. It's small, local, and perfect for younger kids. When it comes to rides, Kuri isn't all that adventurous, but at least he was able to get on a Jeep.
We had a ton of fun looking at the animals, eating fried food, and popping balloons for prizes (Kuri popped 3 on 5 darts!). This being Marin, we got to meet with Darth Vader!
Kuri impersonated Lord Snoke.
And the whole family took a picture with some Star Wars greats.
Before camp started I had some extra time with Kuri during the day. This meant a lot of extra Lego building. Kuri is obsessed with Voltron, so one day he asked me to build the Castle of Lions.
Not to be outdone by his papa, he constructed his own.
With Mimi gone, we had a few chances to swap in Mari for Mimi's usual swim lessons. Unlike Mimi and Kuri, Mari naturally loves the water. Since finding Hiroe-sensei, Mari and Kuri now look forward to swimming lessons, but Mari eats them up. She's a water baby.
As the weeks went on we kept to our normal schedule. One weekend, with Sumie off call, we were able to sneak out to brunch on a Sunday. We came across a pretty amazing car. Very proud to announce that even my two year old can spot a Ferrari.
Work is continuing on our yard. We have not had a driveway for the past two weeks. At least Mari and Kuri got a huge kick watching it being torn up.
With Mimi taking on such a brave adventure, I wanted to give her a nice surprise when she returned. I racked my brains and then inspiration struck thanks to a severely underpriced, and on special, Salvation Army find. Mimi has her own little Raspberry Pi computer, but the screen is small and the battery runs out quickly. With this, we finally have a family computer that the kids can use. I'm hoping to install Minecraft on it for Mimi. She's obsessed with it, but I don't feel that bad. She's creating constantly. It now takes 45 minutes for her to show me the world she's built.
Last week Sumie's oldest brother came by (he was on a work trip) and Sumie's sister, brother-in-law, and the cousins stayed over. Once again, we snapped very few pictures (the children took over), but at least we got a snap of the amazing nabe Sumie prepped and Eddie cooked.
July is Mari's last month at her daycare. This is a pretty momentous occasion. We have been sending our kids to the same daycare, up until they hit two, for the past six years. Even moving to Marin couldn't break this cycle. It's very bittersweet. Mari is definitely ready for preschool, but with her moving out, we'll miss daily contact with someone who has become a member of the family. I know we'll make visits, though, whenever we can!
We're all excited to see Mimi this Sunday. And while she's had an amazing adventure, I think she's also ready to come home. After all, she's only 8. Still, I'm tremendously thankful we've been fortunate enough to provide her with this opportunity. I didn't leave the country until I was in my mid 20s. Mimi's embracing her Japanese side, whole-heartedly, both here and in Japan. I hope we can do the same for the the whole family. It might be a stretch, but I think, in the long term, it will be worth it.
