A Month Without Mimi

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.

Surviving (?) the Brutal End of Year Rush

As an elementary school kid, the end of the school year is a complete blast. There's less work, more movies, additional parties, extra-curricular activities are winding down, and you have the whole summer ahead of you. It's a special time.

For parents, as I've discovered, it's absolute crunch time. Mother's Day, Mimi's birthday, Japanese school sports day, preschool graduation performance, and parties, parties, parties. Our schedule was already busy, and while it didn't get all that much busier, everything was out of whack. And to top it all off, we started a very major project here at the house, but more on that later.

Mother's Day was a relatively quiet affair, but definitely required a cake from Schubert's Bakery in the city. 

The kids each prepared a gift for their Mama. Mimi's was particularly telling. It says, "I know you love me when you tell me you love me more than Mari and Kuri." Yup, she's definitely an oldest child.

Kuri's preschool had a special Mimi performance for all the moms. Here, Kuri and his friends are getting ready to sing. 

And here's Kuri beaming after he gave Sumie, who ran up from work just to be there for him, a bouquet of paper flowers he put together just for her.

Mimi had waited patiently all year to be the "Star of the Week" in her class. She was the last one of all, thanks to her late birthday. Throughout the week the star is allowed to bring in interesting things to share. Most kids bring in toys, books, or special awards. Not Mimi. She's a big sister, first and foremost. She wanted to bring in Mari - who, come to think of it, actually is Mimi's favorite toy. Kuri came too, but as all the kids already know him, he just hung back and wanted to play with the Legos.

Mimi also performed in her first ukulele concert. We were very proud as she started the class a bit late, but was soon playing songs with the 5th graders. This girl definitely takes after her mother in the music department.

Mimi's actual birthday posed us with a bit of a conundrum. I'd secured an ice cream cake (a nice change from Schubert's given the heat) and I swear that at some point there was a number 8 candle in our junk drawer (every kitchen has one). Well, turns out I was wrong. So, given that we had a 9, a 1, a green clothes pin, and a tooth pick, I turned Mimi's cake candles into a math lesson.

A few days later we continued the birthday celebrations with cousins and grandparents in Pleasanton. Mimi was obsessed with the whipped cream.

As school started winding down and the days started heating up, the kids started to demand more park time.

Snacks at the playground in Marinwood park provided energy for...

...catching fish down at the creek. This is a fabulous park - great play structures, a pool, huge grassy areas, and tennis courts - but the favorite section, by far, is the natural creek down below the playground. It's just a creek, like the ones I frequented as a kid, but it's a total world of wonder for all three of them. Well, at least until Mari kneels down one too many times and her diaper absorbs 50% of the creek water.

Memorial Park in San Anselmo is a favorite of ours as well. It's chock full of wooden houses, forts, and castles the kids can explore.

Mari has her own special hideout in this park. It's perfectly sized for her. And, thanks to some massive weight loss on her father's part, he can actually join her.

The weekends have been quite busy. With school coming to a close for both Mimi and Kuri, there were a bunch of activities. One weekend found us having to divide and conquer. On Saturday, Sumie and Mimi headed down to San Francisco for Mimi's Japanese School Undokai (sports day)...

...while I took Mari and Kuri to a beach birthday party for one of Kuri's friends.

The next day was not a day of rest, despite what the Bible might recommend. Instead, I had to leave the house early to help prepare for the graduation ceremony and performance at Kuri's preschool. He's not graduating this year, but he did play an important role in the performance as "The Sun" in "The Hungry Caterpillar."

With it being so close to Father's Day, the teachers had the kids present each of the dads with a little gift. I was very proud of the keychain Kuri made me. 

While Kuri didn't graduate from preschool this time around, he did have a kind of graduation a few weeks early. One day a week for the past 6 months or so he has been enrolled in a Hiragana class, where he learns to read and write the basic characters of the Japanese alphabet. Like his sister on ukulele, he started a bit late, but worked hard and managed to learn all of the hiragana characters. He's not always the best behaved, but he's definitely the best studier in this family.

With a warm spring in full bloom we enjoyed backyard parties, where Kuri learned that he has an affinity for soccer...

...and pool parties celebrating the end of the school year. This was a special one as Mimi is finally water safe and Mari, while not yet able to swim independently, let us know just how much she loves being in the water. She simply would not get out. And with her swim buddy on, she wouldn't even let us hold her. She just wanted to swim! That's a huge change from Mimi and Kuri.

Of course, when your wife is a doctor, there are call weekends built into all that's going on. This last one fell on Father's Day, so the kids and did something special for me on our own. We ran errands in the Porsche. It was especially fun being able to make Mari giggle as she sat across from me.

 

With Mimi out of American school, it was time to start her intensive week of Japanese school. Normally she'd be taking two full weeks, but she'll have to miss the second because she's flying to Japan to attend school there with her cousins for a full month. She was a bit apprehensive about it at first, but now can't wait to get there.

And, of course, despite everything going on, Kuri and I made time for Cars and Coffee. This time around he got to sit in a beautiful Porsche 356 (my dream Porsche). 

 

It's been a crazy, but rewarding couple of months. I've slacked on my writing, both with this blog and my Keto 50 blog, but that's not entirely just because we've been running all over the place. As I mentioned before, we have a bit of a project going on. Here's our back yard right now.

 

It's a total redo. And it will be front and back. It's going to be awesome when it's finished, but right now we have people here at the house six days a week, lots of noise, and a construction zone that keeps the kids inside all. day. long. The house basically explodes with kid stuff every couple days. Having gradually moved to bigger and bigger places with the addition of children, I hadn't realized just how vital a role outdoor space played in our lives. And our sanity. Another month or two and we'll have a new play area, and hopefully a more consistently clean home.

Hope to write more often in the weeks to come. Thanks for your patience!

Vancouver: The Best West Coat City, By Far

On fewer than fingers of one hand, I can count the cities with which I've fallen in love.  Born and raised in a cow town in northern California, I initially had little appreciation of what a city could offer. But thankfully, my first long-term city experience was Tokyo. Now that's a city. And from there, it was straight to Manhattan, where I lived for ten years. It's still my favorite. Everything you want within a 5 block radius. Loud, anonymous, intense, but more home than anywhere I've ever been. 

A real city will give you what you need when you look out the window or walk out the door. I found that in Manhattan, Tokyo, and London. And until last week, I hadn't really found that again until I visited Vancouver.

The whole family tagged along with Sumie for a nephrology conference. It was our first international family trip, outside of Japan, and the kids were excited. Rather than booking a hotel (which, with three kids, would have been hell) we researched Airbnb. Sumie found a gem. From the 32nd floor on the edge of China Town, we were met with this incredible view.

After a night's sleep, and waking to an earlier rising sun, we woke to the following... 

...and an hour later, this.

While the city was beautiful, we had plans with nature. Captivated by the Capilano suspension bridges, but too cheap to pay the $40.00 per perso admission fee, we settled on the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge, which is free.

Mari walked a lot, but still needed her mama.

We got a few good pictures in..

...and a few nature pics of the river.

 At the midpoint of our hike, we stopped by a deep pool for a picture...

...and at 30 feet deep, I was tempted to jump in.

Can you spot the Mimi in this picture?

Coming back, there were lots and lots of steps. All of which Mari insisted on tackling by herself.

The sun managed to soak through the foliage...

...as we made our way down the trail...

...and back to our rental.

Yup, that's a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. As it turns out, with how many we saw, it's the official car of Vancouver. And while I wouldn't choose it as a daily family car, I left Vancouver wishing I had one to take out on the weekends, tops and doors off and kids scared to death on a mountain trail.

 When we got home, we were presented with the following:

The next morning, we headed out for breakfast. This was a good call, despite being able to cook on our own. The food in Vancouver was amazing. A block away from our apartment was Chambar, a wonderful little French inspired restaurant. Mimi approved.

Waffles, with chocolate and caramel, were plentiful.

As were winks of appreciation.

I had morning braised ribs with eggs. All part of a Keto diet.

Mari eventually hit her sugar limit and had to be consoled by Mimi.

After breakfast, Sumie headed out for her conference. The kids and I walked out to meet an old friend of mine. On the way, we passed a car spike.

We had a great lunch out with old and new friends.

Mimi and Emmy posed for us...

...and I was able to reconnect with a dear friend from my old job. 7 years is a long time, but with the right person, the gap never seems to matter.

One of the most surprising aspects of our trip was the abundance of supercars, which was a huge bonus for Kuri. On our drive up to the suspension bridge, we came across a caravan of exotics. Tons of Lamborghinis, Ferraris, and a couple Porsches. The highlight, though, was seeing a Pagani Huayra. Holy crap. I never thought I'd see one of those in the flesh. Because we were moving, we didn't get any pictures, but the city had more to offer. We came across a Lamborghini Kuri spotted...

...and then a McClaren I found walking our way back home. Kuri missed Cars and Coffee this week because of the trip, but I think he saw enough to keep him happy.

Vancouver Science World: Canada's answer to San Francisco's Exploratorium. Believe it or not, it's just as good! At our first exhibit, Mimi made the most of the economic driving simulator.

Later, Kuri experimented with shooting parachutes...

...and then sending rubber balls up a pneumatic pipe system.

Even Mari got into the game by re-enacting an early iPod commercial in front of the thermal imaging screen.

There was at least one exhibit, a propeller spinner, that all three kids could experience simultaneously.

Mimi and Kuri had a great time shooting the plastic balls up into the elevated pond to see who got the best score. Not much science going on here, but a lot of good fun.

At the end of the day, Mimi proved tremendously adept at guiding beach balls through hoops with merely a blast of air.

On the next day we met Mama at the end of her conference. The kids explored the conference center...

...but Mari just wanted to cuddle with Papa.

Our last day in Vancouver required a visit to Stanley Park. The trees were in bloom.

Kuri posed for photos...

...even though he was working heavy machinery.

We walked along the beach...

...took plenty of pictures with the flora...

...and made merry at a number of playgrounds.

The highlight for Mimi and Kuri may well have been Beaver Lake. Lots of nature...

...and several rare opportunities for brother and sister photos.

The highlight for the kids was the ducklings we came across.

And for me, it was the reflection of the cloudy sky.

Had a ton of fun playing with the camera on this trip. Here's Kuri in focus...

...and now his big sister (Mari was asleep in the car).

The apartment building we stayed in had a pool, which was a great treat for the kids. The only hiccup was that we had to get Mari some goggles (even though she never placed her face in the water).

Mari was much happier just hanging out on the lounge chairs.

In short, it was a wonderful trip to a surprisingly wonderful city. It might be a while, but we'll definitely be heading back in the future. Maybe once all the kids can ski!