Listen Up, Rabbit!

Doesn't Periwinkle look enthralled? Who wouldn't be? Japanese history in Nutkin-speak is pretty interesting!

I often find him "reading" to the rabbit. The best part is when he holds the book up so that Periwinkle can see the illustrations. That's our Nutkin!



Spanky thinks reading Japanese is pretty tiring.



I have a new button in the sidebar to the right. It's black and says, "Fed your brain today?". If you click it you will be taken to a page on Ann Voskamp's blog that has lots of cool links for "hungry brains". There are cool things like Today's Biblical Art, Today's Vocabulary Quiz, Poem a Day, and much more. Check it out, and challenge your kids - and yourself!

This and That

With all of the commotion over Bouncer's broken arm we forgot about carving our pumpkin. We don't "do" Halloween, since Trick or Treating is not a tradition in Japan, and it's not really a favorite holiday of mine anyway. Surprisingly, it has gained popularity over the past few years here. I think it must be from all of the English schools using a Halloween party to attract potential students - that, and all the Halloween themed candy at the import shops.

I do love to have a pumpkin for fall decoration now that they aren't so hard to find here anymore, and the kids have wanted to carve it for the past couple of years. We were going to do it the evening that Bouncer broke his wrist, but just got around to it yesterday - two weeks late!



I think he turned out really cute. Today he will be cut, steamed, skinned, and mashed for pumpkin pie. I've never made a pumpkin pie that wasn't from a can, so I'm kind of excited about trying it. Besides, that was the agreement I made with my husband in front of the pile of pumpkins at Costco, since he didn't see why we needed to buy a pumpkin just for decoration!


Crazy salt and some butter made for some yummy roasted pumpkin seeds.


Yesterday we had a fun surprise in the mail. Books! Is there any more appreciated gift in this house? My kids were beside themselves! My brother, Randy, and his wife, Cheri, are two of the most thoughtful gift givers. They know what it's like to live overseas, too, and what kind of things are really appreciated by expatriates!


I have been wanting to read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever to my kids for the past couple of years, but it's always checked out from the Christian Academy library before I can get my hands on it. I am so glad we have our own copy now!



Periwinkle is growing bigger, and becoming more attached to us day by day. Even Tono has a soft spot for the little guy, and likes to buy little things for him. We picked up this "pet grass" (so it was labeled) at the store the other day. I think it's wheat grass. He loves it, and has given it quite a trim.



Nozomi
I wish I had a great update on our dear Nozomi. She is still fighting, though, and when I talked to her father on Sunday he seemed pretty upbeat. We went together with a few other families and bought her the Bible on CD. We pray that she will be encouraged.

I found out that she actually has two different diseases going on in her body. The one they discovered most recently is Aplactic Anemia. It is an autoimmune disease where the white blood cells attack the bone marrow.

The other disease that she was originally diagnosed with is called Adult Still's Disease, which is a form of rheumatoid arthritis (thus, also autoimmune). The Still's Disease is causing the rash, inflammation, and pain. I'm not sure about the hair loss, but it may be a side effect of all the steroids she's been taking. Apparently the combination of the two diseases is very rare, and of course, making her condition that much more serious and difficult to treat.

Your continued prayer is much appreciated!

I did it!

All around the blogging world, beautiful fall photos abound. I have been drooling over beautiful photos of apple pies, pumpkin recipes, and other delicious delights. This post is not about any of those.

Fall in Japan means lots of yummy fall fruits, roasted chestnuts and sweet potatoes, and the like, but it also means sanma! No, I didn't misspell samba. It's not a dance. It's a fish!



This fish is called Pacific saury, in English, but I had never seen or heard of it before coming to Japan. They are abundant in the fall, which means they are cheapest and most delicious at this time of year. Since I am trying to be a frugal wife, buying food in season is important. For the past few weeks we have enjoyed our sanma the most common and easiest way.


I just wash them off, throw on a little salt, and toss them onto our built in fish grill. (One doesn't notice how much the area around the grill needs wiping until one takes a photo of it - oops!) When they are cooked in this fashion the person eating it must navigate the guts by himself. Besides being yucky looking, they are very bitter tasting. Some people do eat them, although the only person I have ever seen do that in real life was my host-father. When he was done eating there would be nothing left but the skeleton. I think it's supposed to be the manly thing to do.

Now that the kids are getting older, Nutkin and Spanky can each eat a whole sanma, so I have finally started gutting the fish myself. We used to have a neighborhood fishmonger that would do it for me when I bought my fish from him, but he went out of business a few years ago. So, to make the fish a little easier for the boys to eat on their own, I have taken up the challenge.



Yesterday, though, I felt like preparing them in a different way. I found a great looking recipe online, but it called for cutting the fish into fillets. "Can I do that?" I asked myself.




Why, yes, I can. It did take longer than I would have liked, but I was trying hard not to waste any of the meat. The whole time I was flashing back to high school biology class. I had two male lab partners who both refused to dissect anything. I was so proud of myself for doing all of the dissections myself while they looked on squeamishly.


Ta da! Those of you who have already mastered this task, please indulge me.


Once that was done, I dredged them in flour, browned both sides, and then removed them to a plate. I added 1/4 cup each of soy sauce, sake, mirin (sweet rice wine), and sugar to the frying pan, boiled it a bit, then added the fish back in. It tasted just like the sauce we eat on eel (for those of you who know what that tastes like). It was a hit with everyone.

Please give me a virtual pat on the back!

Beware of Falling Books!

Now it's time to get really... real. I am about to reveal the fact that I am a klutz and a spaz.

It seems this kind of thing is going around these days, although I actually know the reason for my current battered looking state, unlike my friend, Jeanne. (Go ahead, click the link. I'll wait).

It all happened because of a neck ache, and my determination to not allow it to interfere with our schooling. If I took off educating my kids just because of achy joints we'd never do anything!

So, I was reading US history to my kids. The Landmark History of the American People to be exact. Those of you who are familiar with that book can testify that in spite of being paperback it is very large and heavy (at least an inch thick).

Well, I was reading it while lying on my back to save my poor neck the strain of leaning forward over the book. There I was reading, balancing the large book over my face, when it slipped and "wham" hit me right below the eye. OUCH!!! It really, really hurt. Very much.



I bellowed for an ice pack, and whimpered quite a lot. After taking some minutes to gather my wits, I continued reading with one eye - in an upright position.

Now you know. I am a hopeless klutz.

Would you please pray?

A wonderful eighteen year old young lady from our church, named Nozomi (Noh-zoh-mee), is in desperate need of our prayers. She is the eldest daughter of friends from church. She is an amazingly mature and faithful young woman. She loves God so much, and it shows in her modesty and demeanor, and her willingness to stand up for her beliefs.

She went up north to start medical school in the spring, but soon after started getting sick. The doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong. She had to leave school and come back home, and over the summer was finally diagnosed with a rare auto-immune disease. I'm sorry I can't remember the name. She is only one of about 1000 people in Japan to have this disease. It is literally ravaging her body.

She is in constant pain, she cannot get up out of bed at all, or even sit up at this point. Her skin is covered with rashes and she is losing her hair. When she loses hair her scalp bleeds and won't stop, and she has lost too much blood. After putting it off as long as possible they have now started giving her blood transfusions. She has been on dangerously high doses of steroids. The doctors have determined that they have to reduce the steroids, which is why she is now completely bed ridden with all of the effects of the disease. I'm not sure how high a possibility at this point, but there is the possibility that she will not survive.

Because of the nature of the disease she is at high risk for catching other viruses and colds, so her parents cannot even see her more than a couple of times a week, and her three younger siblings almost not at all. She has been in high spirits for the most part until recently, but understandably she has started to struggle with depression.

This girl has such a sweet, pure faith. Please pray for her with us whenever God brings her to mind. Please pray for healing, but also that God will restore her hope. Her name, Nozomi, means "hope".

Please pray for her dear, struggling, frightened parents and siblings - that they will be able to cling to Christ.

Thank you, dear friends!

Autumn has donned her colorful coat!

These bright trees catch my attention so many times every day. I took this picture from our balcony just before dusk yesterday. They really are stunning in the afternoon light. Please ignore the electric lines. I have gotten to where I don't even really notice them, but they seem to show up glaringly in a photo.


I so hate to say it, but I have been sick again. However, as my friend Linda said, if it has to be at least it is coinciding with Bouncer's convalescence. We can't really do our regular things anyway with his arm in the condition it's in. Unfortunately, He seems to have the same kind of thing I do. Maybe we picked it up in the ambulance or hospital that fateful night!

I got tested for the H1N1 at Tono's request. Because I have an auto-immune disease, and take an immune suppressing drug, it's important for me to get treatment right away if I do get it. The test turned up negative, and while the margin of error is higher with this flu, the doctor said that we will just treat it as a cold unless my fever spikes up higher. So far, so good.

In the mean time, since we can't go out much, Miss Moppet has been taking Nutkin and Spanky outside for a while each afternoon, and it seems she brings a little of fall in with her each time.

We've been making lanterns with tissue paper to brighten the darker evenings. Just cut strips and wrap and glue them around a jar however you like. With a votive candle burning inside they give off a comforting glow.



We've been experimenting with preserving leaves by painting them with watered down white glue (in lieu of the Mod Podge we don't have). They make a lovely garland between our kitchen and family room clipped with mini wooden clips from craft string. I couldn't seem to capture it very well, but you can get the idea.



They make a lovely lantern as well. I found this idea at The Crafty Crow.


In spite of being sick a lot this season, I am enjoying the fall weather and coziness. I was thinking about it today, and I realized that I have always gotten sick a lot during this season because of my arthritis, whether it's catching every cold that passes my way, or just joints flaring up. Yet, I always look forward to the fall. I think that's because my mother always loved this season, too, and always made me feel comfortable, and cared for, and made wonderful memories with me. I am so thankful. Her birthday is November 20. She would have been 74 this year.

So, I feel a little melancholy, yet happy and content, as I think of her and how she always made fall and Advent special, not to mention Christmas. While I'm on that subject, did you realize that Advent is a mere 23 days away?! I'll leave you with that thought...

Blessings!

Grrrranola!

I got this wonderful granola recipe from my friend, Kim. She is a bloggy friend become real life friend, and we've enjoyed getting to know her and her sweet, sparkly eyed daughter playing at the park together. The last time we saw them, she brought some of her yummy granola to share for snack time. Yum!

I have been looking for a good granola recipe for ages it seems. For me, "good granola recipe" means that it doesn't have any ingredients that are too hard for me to get easily, cheaply, and regularly. Kim's granola fits the bill.

Most of the recipes I found also had 1/2 cup of honey or more. I can't really justify the expense of that. Honey isn't cheap here, and we go through a lot already using it on yogurt, and toast. I have one certain 6 year old that would probably eat honey toast and yogurt for every meal if I let him. Kim's recipes only call for two tablespoons of honey. I can do that!

I made her Gingersnap Granola yesterday (photo above), and we all love it. If you are used to the store bought brands you will probably find this granola to be noticeably less sweet. That's the thing I love about it most, since the store bought ones are filled with sugar, not to mention other stuff I don't want to eat or feed to my kids. It's also super crunchy, and addicting - watch out!

I did use honey in this recipe instead of the molasses, since I didn't have any on hand. I can't wait to pick some up so that I can try the recipe as written. As you can see in the photo, I also added dried cranberries instead of raisins. I'm not sure that would work as well with the molasses, but with the honey it tasted great. The kids and I all enjoyed a yummy, filling, healthy breakfast this morning. Thanks, Kim!

Next, I am going to try the Peanut Butter Granola.

Winter Winds A'blowing

Japanese is such a poetic, if at times ambiguous, language. Much of the poetic sense is lost in translation, unfortunately. Tono told me last evening that we could expect the first kogarashi. The translation given in the Japanese English dictionary is "cold, wintry wind". But, if one can read the characters, it literally means "tree drying (or dieing)". The word refers to the cold blast that comes down from Siberia drying up the leaves and taking us into winter. As I have demonstrated, some of the poetry is lost in the use of many words in explanation!

Indeed, we woke this morning to a clear blue autumn sky and chilly wind. The polar bear in me sighed in delight. Miss Moppet kept saying, "oh, I just feel so alive!" My husband, the lizard, said, "brrrrrrr."

Nonetheless, he decided it was a nice day for a walk with two little boys while big brother is laid up.

The torii, or gate, of a small shrine along the road we walk to the drug store up the hill from us.


What's up with this koala? Scary!

We have a wonderful view of those ginkgo trees behind the boys from our balcony. Yesterday they were much less yellow. The kogarashi has indeed brought our leaves closer to death. But, aren't they lovely in their dieing?

Today is Culture Day in Japan, and a national holiday. From Wikipedia I found out that Culture Day is statistically one of the clearest days of the year. Between 1965 and 1996 there were only three years where rain occurred on Culture Day in Tokyo.

Well then, it's a perfect day for walks, and maybe some autumn fruit, and a nice cuppa milk tea in a favorite mug!

Periwinkle has the right idea! He is doing what they call a "flop", and it means that he is content. Me too, Winkle!


Thank you so much for your prayers for Bouncer. He went back to the doctor yesterday afternoon, and the bones look to be in just the right place. He'll need to be calm and still for this week, and if one more check later this week shows everything in it's proper place we are home free.

He had a great fall...

No, this is not a poetic post about my favorite season. Our poor Bouncer has broken his wrist - quite badly actually.

We were enjoying a late afternoon at the park with my friend, Akiko and her kids. Her three have been my kids' buddies since birth. They live in walking distance from one of the best parks in our area, so when her kids aren't too busy with school stuff we drive the 10-15 minutes over and meet up with them.

The announcement that the park would be closing in 15 minutes was still ringing in my ears when Miss Moppet ran up to me, breathless, saying that bouncer had fallen out of a tree. I ran across the green lawn to find him in a heap under the tree. Apparently the branch he was swinging (yes, swinging!!!) from about three meters up was dead, and snapped under his weight. He landed on his back with his arm twisted back under his body.

In true bouncer fashion, he was not really crying. He was moaning, "it hurts" over and over, and he wouldn't let me touch or move his arm at all. Akiko called an ambulance, and Bouncer was gently lifted onto the stretcher by the three wonderful paramedics. We have spent many a night in the hospital, Bouncer and I - mostly for his chronic croup when he was a baby and toddler - but once for a concussion as well. This was our first ride in an ambulance, though. I could have lived without that excitement.

Because the accident happened in the evening on a Saturday the paramedics had difficulty finding a hospital that would take us. They kept calling around only to find that we would not be admitted, or there was no orthopedic on duty, or if there was he/she was in surgery. Finally, they found a hospital, and we were off.

After x-rays, the doctor determined that he had broken both the ulna and the radius right where they connect with the wrist joint. One of the breaks had caused a piece of bone to bend backwards, and I tried not to pass out while the doctor attempted to push it back into place. Thankfully, he didn't try for long before deciding some anesthesia was in order!

It looks like the bones are in place alright, but if it looks like they aren't going to heal in the right position he would have to have pins surgically inserted. We are praying hard that that will not be necessary!

He seems to be in much less pain today - especially when I let him watch Looney Toons on my lap top. Ahem.


We are so thankful that:

1. we have wonderful, trained paramedics (and free ambulances) available in times like these

2. he broke his wrist, not his neck or back (I have no doubt that his guardian angel was there with him)

3. our dear friends are always willing to help, and that Akiko and her husband, Tom, kept our other three kids while we were at the hospital.

Thanks be to God!

Please pray that our Bouncer will bounce back quickly and that his wrist will heal properly! Thanks, dear friends.

Golden Day

Today was one of those days when the sun is so bright it makes your eyes water. Perfect for a little romp in the neighborhood park. Actually, after some swinging and sliding we spent most of our time searching for acorns, gathering sticks, and just enjoying the feel of the sun on our heads.





My babies are growing up so fast. Spanky can say all of his colors, count to ten, and sing the ABC song, as well as some lively gospel tunes that he has learned along with his big sister and brother. Tono has started teaching him some of the Japanese hiragana (phonetic alphabet) - no pressure, of course, just as play. Spanky is very interested and eager. We would never push that on a two year old.


Nutkin is still going at his own pace. He is sometimes nudged forward by his little brother. They have an interesting relationship. I am so curious to see how they relate to each other as they grow older. Even at not quite three years old Spanky is sometimes the baby, yet at other times looks after Nutkin in a sort of bossy, yet loving way.


Other times Nutkin is most definitely the big brother, worrying after Spanky like a mother hen. I am positive that they are a gift to each other. I look forward to seeing what God is going to do - most of the time. Sometimes I feel afraid. That unnamed fear of the great unknown sometimes takes up residence in the pit of my stomach.

But, golden days like today remind me of the words of Psalm 21:1:

The LORD is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the defense of my life;
Whom shall I dread?

We can change the "whom" to "what", I think. Shall I fear the future? No, I must decide to keep giving my fears back to the Lord. Nutkin belongs to Him, after all, doesn't he?



On a lighter note,

This little bundle of gray fur cheers me, so please bear with a few more gratuitous photos!



He has already grown noticeably in the two weeks we have had him. Spanky has made himself the official droppings police when he is out of his cage. He grabs a tissue and picks up each little round pill. Great for his small motor skills, no?



Isn't he cute?

Six Things About Me

My dear blog friend Jeanne has passed me this beautiful blog award. It's always humbling to be recognized in this way, but especially since I have been such a slacker with my blog this month! Jeanne is an adventurous Aussie and writes one of my favorite blogs, A Peaceful Day. I am always learning something new from her, and anyway, who doesn't love a fellow bibliophile!


It seems that I am supposed to list six little known facts about myself. I can't tell you how I have been wracking my brain! Well, here goes...


1. I once did over 700 cartwheels in one day. My friend, Carla, and I were having a competition to see who could do the most. We went all up and down our street, and continued into my yard and finally into my living room. We finally decided not to compete, but to just see how many we could do together. I wish I could remember the exact number, but it was seven hundred and something. Obviously, this was in my pre-arthritis days, so I had to have been younger than twelve. If only I were that flexible still... sigh. Since I will surely never do another cartwheel this side of heaven, it's a memory I hold dear.

2. When I was in college I had several friends from South America (mostly Peru and Venezuela). They always called me Gasparin (pronounced Gas-pa-reen), which is the Spanish for... Casper. I even had an Arabic guy ask me once if I was albino! Whenever I tell people that in real life they invariably say, "you're not that white!" Obviously some people think that I am. I was so glad to come to Japan and find that everyone loves my white skin. At long last, no pressure to get a tan!

3. I snore. There, I said it. Numerous sinus infections over the years are to blame. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

4. I was an insomniac for much of my life. I thought I was an incurable one, but I was wrong. When I was pregnant with Miss Moppet I remember telling my mom that I was so sleepy that I could hardly stay awake. She answered, "Umhmm, and it will be that way for the rest of your life." So far, she's right. I really haven't had a problem sleeping since my first pregnancy a little over 12 years ago.

5. When I was little I had an imaginary friend named Denny (I have no idea where I got that). Actually, she was an imaginary little sister, and I spent most of my time with her scolding and ordering her around. That's what big sisters are supposed to do (right Colleen, Shari, and Barbara?).

6. In spite of his less than admirable private life, I am a huge fan of the late Luciano Pavarotti. In my humble opinion, his voice is without equal. It makes me swoon.

There they are. Six things that you could have lived the rest of you life without knowing!


I would like to pass this award to:

Bethany at The Apple Cider Mill
Kathie at A Sparrow's Home
Leila and daughters at Like Mother, Like Daughter
Kim at Starry Sky Ranch
Decadent Housewife at Daily Decadent
TC at Fish in My Hair
and, You at Your Blog!

As Jeanne also said, I follow many blogs - many wonderful ones. I certainly don't mean to leave anyone out, and I hope that you will enjoy meeting some of my blog friends! Some are wise ladies that make me think, some are funny ladies that make me laugh, and some just make me sigh with beautiful photos and wonderful recipes. All of them have a little of each at one time or another. Enjoy!

Did you know...

that baby rabbits move very quickly, and thus are very difficult to photograph?!


So far, since getting our camera back on Sunday afternoon, we have managed only three clear photos out of dozens!

I just couldn't wait any longer to introduce you to our little snuggle bunny, Periwinkle, otherwise known as Winkle, Winky, Stinky Winky, Funny Bunny, and many other such nicknames!




I'm sure that he will be the subject of many photos, sketches, and works of art in the coming months. He is so sweet, and we are learning so much about rabbits and rabbit behavior.



Did you know that rabbits love to read? Just kidding. It is true, though, that they generally are not crazy about being held. Many will tolerate it (and thankfully, Periwinkle is one that will), but since they are animals of prey they prefer being on the ground where they can escape quickly when need be. They do usually enjoy being petted, and they love to explore, sniff, and nibble. We have to be careful about the nibbling part - especially with library books!

We have found that the best way to get him to come and play with us is to do something else and completely ignore him. When we lie on the floor and read he loves to come and walk on our backs.

When we let him out of his cage he does a little leap with a quick twirl of his head. In the rabbit lover's world this is called a "binky", and it means that he is very happy. It is also incredibly adorable!




We had a very busy weekend, but made time to get our fall flowers. My favorite violas are now on the balcony with time enough to grow some before the cold sets in. They always brighten our winter days.



Orange garbellas on my table are just the thing for fall. Oops, my spell check didn't like that word. Are these not called garbella in English? I know more flower names in Japanese than English, since I never did much flower buying before the age of twenty-three when I moved here, and if the name is obviously foreign I just assume that that's what they are called in English as well. Maybe not this time! They are lovely, though, whatever they're called!

I hope and pray that you are well, steering clear of the flu, and enjoying this wonderful season.

I'm Almost Trained, I Think!

I can't believe a week has flown by without a post! I am being completely distracted by our new family member. I never expected to enjoy our furry friend so much. I'm sorry for being so coy about announcing his identity, but I just had my heart set on introducing him with photos. Alas, the camera has yet to return.

So, I give you a hint. He is of the order Lagomorpha. No fair googling! Anyone know what kind of animal has me wrapped around his little paw? *sniff, sniff*

Five Things...

I have really been in a blogging rut. I have been partly just busy, and partly uninspired for whatever reason. So, I thought I would just write out five things that I have been up to, or goings on, or thoughts...

1. I have been reading a lot, and enjoying holding those wonderful smelling books in my hands (as much as I love the internet and all, it's just a different sensory experience).

2. I have missed having our camera so much. We finally dropped it off to be repaired today, and I can't wait to get it back.

3. I agreed to help a friend from church with some editing this past week. I truly felt like my head was going to explode! I am very out of practice, and even when I was used to it I was editing letters to parents from kindergarten teachers and things like that. This time it was a translation of all kinds of technical information about an anti-viral spray. Woah! Way out of my comfort zone! I have to admit it was quite stimulating, though.

4. I feel like my head is going to explode even now, because we finally got our new pet today, but we cannot seem to agree on a name. Arg! As soon as I have my camera back I will introduce you to our new, furry family member. He is soooo cute! Now we just have to figure out what to call him.

5. We were so blessed this week by one of Tono's students from last year's class. "K" is autistic spectrum, and has difficulty attending class. His parents were having a very hard time accepting the situation, but Tono had many chances to share with them about Nutkin, and how we love and accept him the way God made him. They began to relax about school, and let him decide more for himself when he felt up to it, and when he didn't. They started letting him really go with his interests during the times he could not make it to school.

As a result, he studied about how to build a computer, and made one himself over the summer (with some help from his father). He decided that he wanted to give that computer to Nutkin! He remembered Tono talking about how much Nutkin loves the computer, and set it up with Nutkin's interests in mind. I am all teary just writing about it now.

We are so proud of "K", and so impressed with the way his parents are encouraging his talents and interest. We are always blessed to be Nutkin's parents, but at times like this we can see so clearly how God is using his precious life to help others. We are so humbled, and so thankful - and looking forward to setting up Nutkin's new, very own computer (all usage monitored by mom, of course)!


So, that's what we've been up to.

Be blessed!

Beautiful, Busy Fall!

This week we made our first apple crisp and pumpkin soup. We have been sampling all our favorite fall fruits, like crunchy, juicy Asian pear, persimmon, apples, and plump, sweet Japanese grapes.

Not a great photo, but these are Japanese persimmons,
and an Asian pear. Japanese persimmons are funny - the only square fruit I have ever seen!

Now that the rains have passed we have been spending a lot of time enjoying the fall weather. too. Yesterday we spent the afternoon at a favorite park with friends. This particular park has a chipmunk sanctuary. It's open air, but the chipmunks are kept inside with high net fencing. We can go in for free and walk the paths while dozens of chipmunks frisk around us, playing and eating, and doing other chipmunk things.

For our nature time the kids all did some sketching, and discovered that chipmunks do not stay still for very long, and thus are very hard to sketch! In the entrance area of the sanctuary they have lots of beautiful photos on the walls and in albums that people have taken and donated. The kids were able to finish up their sketches looking at some of the photos.

We collected berries for fall decorations, the kids played lots of tag (which is actually very good exercise!), and we had a nice tea time together.


Today there was a big city festival. Our kids had been chosen by lottery to sing at the showcase. There were lots of performers doing various dances (lots of hula dancers), and some Chinese kids doing acrobatics, and lots more that we didn't stay for.

Our group did some gospel songs in English with sign language. There were only seven of them singing this time, and I was concerned that they wouldn't be able to sing out enough, but they did a fabulous job. They were so nervous before hand, but once it was over they said that it was a lot of fun, and that they would love to do it again.

I am so sad that I don't have pictures. I can't wait to get our camera fixed!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful fall weekend.