Are we really on vacation?

Sho and I were talking about the word vacation and that it seems to imply relaxation... it seems like June has not been vacation at all!

Ben finished his month of daily swimming lessons and he had his swim meet on Saturday.  We were so proud that in his first race he was able to swim across the entire pool with no help what-so-ever!  His second race was kickboard and he cruised to the wall with a big smile... he knew it was the last part of finishing his lessons for the year.

Kara was old enough this summer to participate in Medaka no Gakko, a Japanese cultural summer school program which Grandma started many, many years ago.  She learned several Japanese words and phrases, did a bunch of great craft activities and she participated on Team Ao (Team Blue) for the Undokai competition, which always ends in the water relay.

Through the month of June, Jason has been a trooper, spending two hours at the pool each day watching Kara and Ben at swim practice... I think we did as many laps chasing him around as the kids did in the pool.  And with such hot weather, Jason is happy to be in the driver's seat with some AC.  Yeah for air conditioning!!

Speaking of vacations, the Morita Dea family was kind enough to travel to Kingsburg to spend the weekend with us... in the 108 degree heat!  I'm sure they were also thinking... this is vacation??  

Good friends is always a good time... Good thing!  We had a great time and hope we'll visit under more pleasant conditions next time.

July is looking more like vacation... we'll see!

Fun on the Farm

Jason loves spending time at Grandma and Pampa's house... he likes to watch the ants and when wearing his boots has kept his toes free from ant bites.

He watched a huge machine pull out the grape vines across the street from the house and now the mailbox looks so lonely out there, he had to pay it a visit.

It's always fun to ride around on the driveway, but most of the time Jason prefers to push the tricycle instead of ride.

But the best part has to be all the yummy fruit that is left sitting on the counter, just waiting to be eaten. 

We ask, "who gave that fruit to you" and Jason replies "Pampa" in a soft voice.  "Is it so good?" and Jason responds by rubbing his tummy which is his way of communicating "oishii" (yummy, tasty in Japanese).  And then he says thank you by clapping his hands for Pampa...

On the day this picture was taken, I think he ate two plums and a nectarine by himself... He was so happy.

I think Sho had the privilege of changing his diaper later that day... not so happy.

You can do it, Ben!

Before he started his swimming lessons, Ben was able to put his face in the water and swim a short distance to us.  We thought we were in good shape... so we go to the first day of lessons and since he could put his face in the water without crying, he was promoted to the deep end.  And then there were tears...

So we went through almost two weeks of lessons with some amount of crying each day because Ben was fearful of the deep water.  Understandable, but we assured him that the teachers would be there to help, that swimming in water 4 feet deep or 10 feet deep didn't matter - it was all the same, and that he needed to keep telling himself that he could do it.

I think Ben finally turned the corner because yesterday he swam at Grandma and Pampa's pool and asked to go swim to the deep end...

Without prompting, Ben would say "I'm going to swim to you" or he would just start swimming...

And today at his lesson, he swam the 25 yard length of the pool with minimal help from his teachers.  And no crying.  With two weeks of lessons left, we're excited to see how much more he'll improve.

The best part is when we get in th car to head home after lessons, Ben says to us, "thank you for supporting me." 

What a week!

It may be summer vacation, but Kara's first full week out of school was a busy one!  She started the week with a three day soccer camp, which she loved, even though there were only two girls in her age group.  Kara really liked her coaches, Helen and Stephanie, and is now eager for fall soccer to begin.

Kingsburg Seawolves swimming started in May, but this week was the practice meet and the first real swim meet of the season.  Kara agreed to swim this summer but said that she didn't want to race... to our surprise, she had a qualifying time in her first 25 yard freestyle swim!  So it looks like there will be more swim meets in our future.

On Friday, there was dress rehearsal for her recital.  Months ago, when we had to commit to purchasing the costume, Kara was unsure about doing the recital because she worried that everyone would be looking at her... but she decided that the costume was worth any nervousness she might experience.

With only four girls in her class, it was hard not to have eyes on her, but she knew her dance so well, that she wasn't even nervous to perform on the big stage.

Watching Kara perform with her big smile was so much fun... it was the perfect ending to a great week.

"I wish I was 5"

Today was Kara's last day of school and to her delight, she received a medal for having perfect attendance for the entire school year!  And for the record, we did not send her to school sick, she actually was able to stay very healthy this year.

Kara has had a wonderful first year at Clay... she's learned a lot, met a lot of wonderful friends and she's had a lot of fun.

Before Kara started at Clay, everyone told us that we would love Mrs. Harrell... and we do.  Soon after the school year started I asked her how many more years she planned to teach because I wanted to make sure Ben and Jason would both be in her class in future years.  As luck would have it, I think it's going to work out.

At dinner a couple of days before school ended, Kara said, "I wish I was 5 still."  I asked her why and she said, "because then I could still be in kindergarten in Mrs. Harrell's class." 

Summer is almost here...

With just three days of school left and 100 degree heat, it feels like summer already.  We spent the afternoon at Grandma and Pampa's pool, which was great on a very warm day.

Kara is on a swim team, so she's working on her freestyle, backstroke and diving skills.  With an hour practice every day, she's already getting very tan and her endurance has improved a lot.

Ben starts swimming lessons tomorrow and since he's swimming short distances without any tears, he feels like he's ahead of the game and can take it easy for now...

Jason is a quick learner and eager to get going... He's learned from his Daddy that having all of the gear is not only necessary, but a key part of the mental preparation for a sport.

I think there will be a lot of pool time and sunscreen in our future... and hopefully Jason won't grow up and be upset that we allowed him to wear Kara's swim caps and then take photos... he's growing fast.  When I ask him now if he's still my baby, he replies in the cutest voice, "no, no, no" and then laughs.  It's cute, but really, it's my reminder to just soak it all up.