Let's start with Yuuki.
He has started junior high school. He decided to join the soccer team at school, and until today things were going ok. Today he had a practice game. We decided not to go since we had a lot to do. As we were headed to the ear, nose and throat doctor (we've been told that Kouna and Kyler have some allergies), Mayumi got a call from Yuuki. One of his team mates kicked a ball while they were warming up, and it hit Yuuki on the side of the face. He had a bloody nose, and he told Mayumi that he had broken a tooth. Mayumi panicked, and started screaming. She doesn't handle things like this very well, and generally goes into a kind of shock and denial when one of the kids gets an injury (whether serious or not). We headed home, and when Yuuki got home (he rides his bike to school, and it takes about 50 minutes) I checked his tooth, and almost overlooked the not-broken chipped tooth. I took him to the dentist, and he glued some cement to the tooth to make it look unchipped, and said goodbye. He also said that for as minor a chip as Yuuki's, there is nothing more to do without damaging the tooth. I still haven't told Mayumi that because she won't listen to anything said about it because she is still in a little shock and thinks it is broken or deformed. Oh well. Someday she will hear what really happened and hopefully accept it. I wish I had taken a picture to show her the "before and after" of the dental work.
Here are a couple pictures of Yuuki. At his elementary school graduation in his school uniform, and at his first soccer game (it was only a practice game, but it was his first one)
Yuuki is also growing like you can't believe. He is almost as tall as me (as you can see in his graduation picture), and he has just turned 13 this year. It is a bit scary and unbelievable that he is so tall, but it is fun to see how much he grows from month to month.
Kyler is doing well with swimming, and has reached the 6th rank in the Japanese swimming rank system. He reached that last month, and began learning the butterfly this month. He is a good swimmer, but will probably quit lessons once he passes the butterfly. He is a creative kid, and likes making things and has a very interesting imagination. He likes sports, but doesn't really play any, and likes to spend his time playing nintendo ds or wii games with Yuuki. Sometimes he and Kouna get along, but they often fight. He is in the 5th grade, but is quite short for his age. Yuuki is the 3rd tallest in his class, but Kyler is pretty much in the middle when it comes to height.
Here are a few random pictures of Kyler at New Years, and in April.
Kouna is our little stud. He has been playing soccer for 1 year on an actual team, and was playing at a local kids club that let's kids learn different sports for about a year before that. Already the coach has taken a liking to Kouna, andhas some very high expectations of him. He is often yelling at Kouna during games, and although Mayumi thinks he is picking on Kouna, I can hear the care and sese the hopes that he has for him. Kouna is one of four 3rd graders in the club who is always called up to play with the 4th graders, and he has even been made the captain of the "B" team for the 4th graders for an upcoming tournament that they will have in a few weeks. Kouna is tall like Yuuki, and that gives him a big advantage. He is extremely impatient, and doesn't take criticism, or critique well at first, but once he calms down you can see him pondering what he was told, and making changes to his style. Last week he decided he wanted to play on the school basket ball team, and went to practice on Friday. The team is actually for the 5th ad 6th graders, but 3rd and 4th graders are allowed to practice and get experience early. He is usually out the door within 5 minutes of getting home from school, and we rarely know where he is, but he always makes it home (often late), and is actually the one we probably have to worry the least about. He is unbelievably caring at times, but when told to do his homework he fights and argues and cries until he falls asleep and then has to be woken up early to fight and argue until he finally does his homework and I drop him off at school.
Here are a couple of random soccer pictures, a picture from April, and a picture from New Years.
Mayumi has a part time job in the mornings and early afternoons at a place that makes clothes. She was hoping to be a sewer, but the older women who have been there forever get to do that, and she gets to do the ironing and lifting, and checking, and folding, and so on. I think she likes it, but would probably prefer to not work. I am glad she does because even though she only makes a small amount of money, it is a big help.
I am busier and more stressed than ever. My company has gone through so many changes over the last couple of years, and it seems I am the only person able or stubborn enough to stick around in management. I am really feeling my age, and whether I am sitting, standing, or lying down I often wonder where the various pains I feel are coming from. Kouna keeps me somewhat active, and the kids classes I teach also give me a bit of exercise, but I still need more. Hopefully I can find the time between work, extracurricular work, and naps to get a bit more exercise and get rid of some of these pains.
I know Mayumi will not be happy about this, but here are a couple of pics of her and the family.
Well, I hope you enjoy these until I get around to making another post...........
