Ready, Set, Go!

My wish list for 2008!
* A winning lottery ticket.
* More time for play, reading, exercise, and creating.
* A new President we can be proud of!
* Continued good health.
* Happy News.
* Peace to All!

Top 7 of 2007

I have had a crazy year, one that has tested my personal strengths, values and limits. But, thanks to supportive family, friends and students, different trials have brought rewards. As the year rolls to an end, here is where I stand: I am in the middle of 4 different insightful books, divas with guitars still rock my world, my daughter still remains the center of our little threesome universe, and I now carry my husband's hand-me-down digital camera everywhere I go. In the mode of my parents, who always love to ask, "What was the best part of ~your trip, your holiday, your year?," I'll give you my Top 7:
1. An extended family trip to Miyazaki in March.
2. Lucy's tap dance recital in June.
3. Visiting Montana family and friends in September.
4. A Sexy Six Girls Tour de Utah, Seattle and Portland.
5. Visiting a friend's pottery kiln firing.
6. Tuesday nights downtown.
7. Lunches with girlfriends.

Christmas concert

Lucy's school had their Christmas concert yesterday (Christmas Eve). Their first spot on stage was this dance, a tap dance to Frosty the Snowman. They weren't always in sync, but were trying so hard and seemed to be having so much fun. Her class is a mix of twelve 3, 4, and 5 year old kids, with a class of smaller 2 and 3 year old that they get to play with often too. I think she is learning a lot of social skills, and picking up a wonderful curiosity, constantly vocalizing questions and offering her own ideas of why things are the way they are. The best thing about the school she is at now is the supportive group of parents that have become a pillar of support and friendship for us. Merry Christmas to my dear family in the USA, and to our cushion of friends here!

Nine little pigs!

They did a cute version of The Three Little Pigs. Lucy was Will, who built the brick house and cooked up a soup for the pesty wolves to fall in when they tried to sneak down the chimney.

Hand bells!

At age 3,4, and 5, her class is learning to recognize musical notes, and played a near perfect "Joy to the World" for the finale of their Christmas concert. So impressive!

Joy to the world!

This is Lucy playing the "mi" note on the hand bell. They played the song "Joy to the World." and were amazingly good. She already has a sense for music, and its definitely not from my DNA! For this hand bell song, she and her classmates learned the song by singing it as "Do si la so fa mi re do so la la si si do,etc" (which I had to just have her recite to me since I have NO clue!) And having learned this, she can sit down at the piano and play it! She started piano lessons just two months ago and has had just about 6 lessons in total, so I am so impressed. We are negotiating now to try and get the piano from her grandparent's house that never gets used for her to have here to practice. Her father seems to have the same ear for music, so he will have to do the coaching!

Winter Break is here!

I had my last classes on the 21st, and have holiday until the 8th of January! Just knowing that I don't have to be up and out of the house by 7:45 (with Lucy in tow) lifts my spirits sooOOO much! Eiji is not so lucky. Instead of Christmas cards, everyone here sends New Years Postcards which have to be pre-sorted(starting this week) and ready to deliver brights and early (about 4 or 5:00am) New Years Day. So, Mr. Mailman Eiji starts a 10-day long marathon of going in early and working late, with no holiday until January 3rd. Lucy is also off from school, so I have entertainment duty for the next two weeks! We have a few plans, including lots of dinners or visits with family and friends. We had a pre-Christmas party yesterday at a friends home, and had Eiji`s whole family at our home this evening for steak and my version of Shephard's Pie. Tomorrow, Lucy's preschool will have their Christmas concert and short English plays (she is the brick-house pig in The Three Little Pigs!). We will have a party with some of the parents and kids following that. Christmas day may be quiet, then we have another Christmas Potluck party with students on the 26th. Then, our vacation will begin. Lucy is getting a new bicycle for Christmas, so maybe we will try to master the no-training wheels riding over the holidays. Japanese usually do their annual big house cleaning the last few days of the year, so I might try to convince Lucy we should play "cleaning ladies" instead of the usual "play house" or "play school." Merry Christmas to anyone who happens to read this on the 25th!