Little Treasures Kindercare

This year, I know I have every reason not to be happy. We've been living in a small, cheap hotel since the house burned down with everything inside. However, I am happy. I'm happy because I have my husband, my daughter and my son here with me. I have our dog here. We're all safe and sound and that right there is the best birthday present I could ever receive. Knowing that my love ones are safe.

The rest...we'll work it out somehow. As long as we have each other, we can face anything.

It's always really nice to share a hobby I love with someone. Daichi is an eager learner and he's been helping me to cook dinners when it's my turn to cook. He's also been insisting he make his own school lunch. It makesd me proud that he loves to cook so much, but it also makes me a little sad because I love making lunches for Ryou and Arashi and him. I even slip little notes into them so they can find them each day.

I need to also start planning some fun fall field trips for my daycare kids. Maybe I'll ask them what they want to see and do.

Happy Birthday, Keigo. I know you'll be busy today, so I'll bring by your gift later on.

I've been having a lot of fun. It's almost like a second Honeymoon. Only with the kids. Both the kids seem to be really enjoying themselves. It's great to see them smiling and laughing and so curious about all the things to see and do. It's fun to help them practice their English. Since I'm a native speaker, I have an easier time and I like to help them learn more words.

The Open has been really amazing as well. They players are just on another level. I'm astounded how far everyone has come.

I'll have lots of things to tell my students about when I get back.

First anniversaries are sort of hard to think about getting things for. I know I really don't have to, but I enjoy when I can give my husband little gifts that I think he'll like. I sort of blame growing up with Keigo for that. Not that that's a bad thing at all.

So I managed to get what I think is the perfect gift. First year anniversaries are called "Paper" and so I gave Ryou a gift of paper. I managed to get us four tickets to the US Open. He and the kids and I will fly to New York. We get to stay in a nice hotel and we get courtside seats for the tournament. This will be the first time our son has seen professional tennis in person.

Which I can happily announce that the last of the paperwork has been processed and Dmitri is officially and legally ours. And after talking a lot with him, he and the rest of the family have decided that he gets two names. His Russian one and a Japanese one. He picked Daichi. I think it's a very good name.

With the tropical storm well on it's way, I feel it's safer for the young children I watch to be safe at home with their families than with me. I will resume normal classes Monday.

I'm going to be an uncle. She called me this afternoon with the big news. In nine months, she and her husband will be having a baby. I know she's been trying really hard to get pregnant so I'm glad for her. It means I have to start knitting gender neutral baby booties.

My new students seem to be doing well. I am really liking the renovations that Keigo did to my daycare and they are too. On nice days, we can play on the little play equipment in the backyard or we can walk to the park and feed the ducks. I think next year, I want to do a little learning lab about ducks. Since they lay their eggs there and we can watch as they grow.

We also played with clay today. I love doing crafts with the children. Each one brought home a little masterpiece.

I made this as a little hint as to the Friday Movie we're watching


I'm a mess though, so I'll have to clean up before I get home. I don't want to drag clay into the house.

After a lot of thinking, I decided that I was going to reopen my daycare. I won't let those men beat me. They might have hurt me and they might now be in the deepest darkest prison the Japanese law could find them, but I won't let them keep me from doing what I love.

I was a little worried though. After what happened, I was sure that my fellow daycare worker wouldn't want to come back. I also worried that parents of small children wouldn't want them to come to such a place. It's not safe anymore. It was attacked. But instead, it's the direct opposite. I thought I had a lot of applications before. Now it's tripled in number. There are little letters from parents praising me for putting my life on the line for the children and how they feel that their sons and daughters would never be safer than with me. It's sort of humbling to real all of that. But it means I have to make hard decisions again as there is no way I can manage all those kids, even with my wonderful assistant.

On this day, one year ago, Ryou made me the happiest man on the face of the planet. One year ago today, Ryou agreed to marry me. One year ago today, he said yes.

Thank you for saying yes to me, Ryou. You have made me so happy.