Hello everyone,
After a sort of blogging hiatus, we are back up on the big computer. Jeff's been working hard to get us all set up and connected by phone, internet, and tv. He's done a great job - things have changed a lot in the 4 years since we've been gone. New technology and innovations, new furniture designs and housecleaning tools. Jeff struggled with unfreezing our credit reports for various background checks. He found out it's not so easy. It used to be so easy to move into a new place and set up utilities, but times have changed.
We received our "unaccompanied baggage" last week, which contained our big computer, lots of toys, Ariel's books, linens, office and kitchen stuff. We should get the rest of our stuff in a couple weeks.
Ariel is so busy getting involved in the community. She has preschool on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9-12. She has two teachers and 12 kids (max.) in her class. They all seem really nice. They say Ariel enjoys playground time the most, and we can use the playground again when school lets out at noon. They also have a special music teacher. We feel lucky that she got into the school. The popular thing here is to enroll at one of the many church-based preschools in the neighborhood, and you don't have to go to the church to enroll. The preschools were mostly full, but people kept recommending this one (it's a short walk from our house.) I got her on the waiting list, and she got in the next day!
Ariel also started Music Together last week, also at a church on the corner. It's kind of like Kindermusik, which we enjoyed at Yokota before it disbanded after the earthquake. Music Together is a more lively free-form class, that involves being barefoot in a big carpeted room. The teacher plays guitar and flute, and also teaches Yoga Dance, which Ariel & I joined her for at yet another church. Another lady played violin, and let the kids play with it afterward. At Music Together, Ariel liked dancing around in the center of the large circle of people. I guess she's used to preschool already, because she went up to a couple other moms and held their hands. She liked the boy next to us who had a monster on his shirt, and a mom with galaxies on her tights.
The church had a large wall fresco of Noah's Ark. Ariel was interested in the painted rainbow, and even looked at me and said "rainbow" for the first time. Studying rainbows in her Dora books has paid off.
Monday, she starts a class at JW Tumbles. We tried an intro class at Little Gym, but another mom recommended JW Tumbles, which seems cozier and more fun for Ariel. I think the class will involve lots of movement, somersaults, swinging on bars, and some circle time. I get to participate with her.
We are lucky to know lots of people in the area. One family, the Mins, we knew from Japan, and they now have a little boy who's about 18 months old, and a dog and rabbit. So it's been fun seeing them again and letting the kids play together.
After a sort of blogging hiatus, we are back up on the big computer. Jeff's been working hard to get us all set up and connected by phone, internet, and tv. He's done a great job - things have changed a lot in the 4 years since we've been gone. New technology and innovations, new furniture designs and housecleaning tools. Jeff struggled with unfreezing our credit reports for various background checks. He found out it's not so easy. It used to be so easy to move into a new place and set up utilities, but times have changed.
We received our "unaccompanied baggage" last week, which contained our big computer, lots of toys, Ariel's books, linens, office and kitchen stuff. We should get the rest of our stuff in a couple weeks.
Ariel is so busy getting involved in the community. She has preschool on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9-12. She has two teachers and 12 kids (max.) in her class. They all seem really nice. They say Ariel enjoys playground time the most, and we can use the playground again when school lets out at noon. They also have a special music teacher. We feel lucky that she got into the school. The popular thing here is to enroll at one of the many church-based preschools in the neighborhood, and you don't have to go to the church to enroll. The preschools were mostly full, but people kept recommending this one (it's a short walk from our house.) I got her on the waiting list, and she got in the next day!
Ariel also started Music Together last week, also at a church on the corner. It's kind of like Kindermusik, which we enjoyed at Yokota before it disbanded after the earthquake. Music Together is a more lively free-form class, that involves being barefoot in a big carpeted room. The teacher plays guitar and flute, and also teaches Yoga Dance, which Ariel & I joined her for at yet another church. Another lady played violin, and let the kids play with it afterward. At Music Together, Ariel liked dancing around in the center of the large circle of people. I guess she's used to preschool already, because she went up to a couple other moms and held their hands. She liked the boy next to us who had a monster on his shirt, and a mom with galaxies on her tights.
The church had a large wall fresco of Noah's Ark. Ariel was interested in the painted rainbow, and even looked at me and said "rainbow" for the first time. Studying rainbows in her Dora books has paid off.
Monday, she starts a class at JW Tumbles. We tried an intro class at Little Gym, but another mom recommended JW Tumbles, which seems cozier and more fun for Ariel. I think the class will involve lots of movement, somersaults, swinging on bars, and some circle time. I get to participate with her.
We are lucky to know lots of people in the area. One family, the Mins, we knew from Japan, and they now have a little boy who's about 18 months old, and a dog and rabbit. So it's been fun seeing them again and letting the kids play together.
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