Kokeshi Doll Painting Take 2

 Today I went and painted Kokeshi Dolls with Delaney and Rylee.  This time I did not do a doll myself, I just sat with them and tried to assist.  Both of them knew exactly what they wanted to do and they did not want any help from me.  It was an incredible trial for me to sit there and not snatch the paintbrush away and neaten everything.   Delaney did let me paint an extra layer on hers, and Rylee did let me outline her stuff in black, and I was happier after that.

Intense concentration with the first brush strokes.

 Ryle wanted a sparkly pink body.

And she was very intense with her painting. 

Having a good time. 

Looks random to me, but it is a bow and a.... I have no idea.

She did want sparkles in the hair, but she's unhappy because I put them in the wrong spot. Sigh. 

Happy girls and the dolls turned out pretty cute!  Can you tell what Delaney's doll is?! 

 Delaney's doll is a Girl Scout!  And Rylee's is a pretty pink and purple with a flower and butterfly on the front.  They had a really good time.  I was impressed that they worked so hard on these dolls for about 2 hours and did not get bored.

Me and my sweet cutie-pies!

Yochien Picnic

 Rylee's Yochien had it's annual picnic last week.  There was no school that day, just an event where they all went to Kintai for a picnic and games.  Ryle was very excited about it.  I didn't know enough to pack a treat to share, and was a little self conscious, as little kids came up to pass out little candies, and we had none ti give in return.  I also didn't know it would be wise to bring a swim suit or spare pair of clothes as the kids ran rampant in the fountains.  It was fun and Rylee had a good time, and walking back to the car soaking wet and bare-foot was not a big deal to her!

Getting ready for the class photo.

This is nearly all of Rylee's class.  I think 15 of the 16 kids are here.

Each class has a different hat color, so it is easy to tell where they belong when they are all running around the playground. 

 That's my girl!

Picnicking is serious business here.  Everyone has a ground cover and shoes must be removed before sitting down.  This is Rylee's spread.

Yummy. 

 There were bubbles, which provided untold delight!

More bubble blowing. 

Still blowing bubbles! 

Then it was racing around the fountains and in the fountains and it was a glorious and delightful time.

 There were tadpoles in there and Rylee really wanted to catch one.  They were too fast.

Posing with the pretty flowers. I love all the blooming things here!  Spring is so glorious! 

And if we are at Kintai, we must take a picture of the bridge!   

 And Rylee wanted a picture of her with her ice cream cone.  She chose grape flavor this time.

That time again....

 It was the quarterly Award Ceremony at the High School again. Josh had an above 3.5 GPA, so he rated a certificate for High Honors.  Dan and I both attended and sat in uncomfortable folding chairs for 90 minutes so we could enjoy the 90 seconds of cheering for our boy.  Why on earth am I sharing this with you?  Well, I rarely get photos of Joshua.  And he is at that stage where he's shy and growing like a weed.  (Growing like a weed meaning he has outgrown the size 30 waist pants I JUST got him 2 months ago!) I feel a need to document his growth with some pictures and the opportunities are few.

Super zoom across the gym.  There's my kid!

Aack!  He's spotted me!

 Walking down to receive his award.

Going in for the handshake.  

Love this kid!

Eating Out

 What is more fun than getting poked in the eye with a sharp stick?  Eating out with a passel of kids, that's what!   We went out to a yummy restaurant in town with the girls while Joshua was on a scout camp out.  It is really hard to judge how much food you are ordering when it is all in Japanese.  So we ended up with a wee bit more than we could consume.

Delaney with her awesome chopstick skills.

Delicious gyoza. 

 So. Much. Food.  Marian felt the need to recline while eating.  Silly pickle!

And Rylee is just adorbs!

Playing with Dolls... The "Flat Stanley" Project

 My niece, Charlotte asked if we would take her "Flat Stanley" doll around with us and keep a journal for her.  I love that project and we had a good time with her.  Her name is "Kitty" and we introduced her to Japan in style.

She made new friends with some dolls.

She tried on Kimonos. 

 But they were too big.

She went to school with Delaney and hung out during Delaney's Class Read-a-Thon. 

She learned about Japanese currency.  Right now, $1 is equal to 100 Yen.  So the Y1000 bill is really worth a little under $10. 

She tried yakisoba.  It is delicious!   She did have a little trouble with the chopsticks.

We took a little trip to the Kintai Bridge.  She was impressed! 

The blossoms are blooming!  Ooooh!

Kitty celebrated Pi Day with us.

She got a selfie at the famous Zen garden in Kyoto. (It was apparently arranged this way in 1525 and hasn't been changed since.)

She photobombed my picture if the Golden Pavilion which was built in 1397 and is covered with $7 million of gold leaf.

She posed in front of the largest wooden building in the world.

She got her picture taken with a giant Buddha statue.

 She tried out a squatty potty.

And she fed deer.

What a fun trip!
(And yes, Kera, I did put her back in the mail to return home!)