Update

My dad just called and said that 'everyone' is asking him when I am going to update the blog so I figured I'd better quickly jot something down to please 'everyone' (aka dad!).

I know I'm not the first person to ever have two children and a lot of people have more, but I am constantly astounded by how much work it is and how exhausted I am at the end of the day (my main excuse for not blogging and generally everything else I don't get around to doing).

Anyhow, some of the highlights of the last week have been that Henry started his first full day of kindergarten last Thursday - Yay! So he now goes 5 days a week from 8:15 to 2:30. He still loves it. The daily curriculum includes English, Math, Japanese, and Integrated Studies (Science, Social Studies and Health centered around different topics). Then once a week they have PE, PMP (like PE but focussed on motor skills), Assembly, Music, SAFA (not sure exactly what this stands for but I think it's some sort of drama program) and Library. He doesn't tell me a lot about school but is definitely learning new skills. He showed me how to hold a pencil properly and said that "the mommy and daddy (forefinger and middle finger) go in the front seat and that the children (ringfinger and pinky) go in the back." He's also been singing a song about starting to write letters at the top, and seems very fascinated that there were children from grade 5 at the assembly and "they were in kindergarten when he was born."

We're getting back into our routine of activities too. Henry is back taking swimming lessons on Friday afternoons at Spa Shirogane, a Japanese swimming school, and he started tennis lessons afterschool at Nishimachi on Monday. He's also signed up to start Sunday School in the "Angels" class this Sunday.

I'm taking Clair to a playgroup for 6 month to 3 year olds on Wednesdays at Honmura, a local Japanese Elementary school. She enjoys it. She's such a different personality from her brother. He was and still is apprehensive in groups of kids, but she jumps right in. Henry would always share if another child wanted the toy he was playing with, but yesterday an older toddler tried to take the toy Clair was playing with and she wasn't about to let that toy go! I'm also starting a mommy and me music class with Clair in a couple of weeks and will write more about that then.