Kotatsu (table) fun

Hello All,

Here are the pics of our kotatsu. This is a Japanese table which has a heater built into the bottom. 

Around the edges of the table, there is a skirt (futon) that holds the heat in. You sit on the ground and put your legs under the futon and enjoy the warmth. 

In Japan, houses are not well insolated, and are in fact quite freezing cold. Ours is very drafty, and cold during the winter. A kerosene heater is used in one room generally, to warm the area that is used most often for living. 

Anyways, using the kotatsu is not to expensive,and is a great family building time. Here are some pics of the kids using our new kotatsu. The old one I have up stairs, and I use it when teaching students. They seem to love it, and one is talking about buy a new one for her family. Sad that 9 and 12 year old Japanese kids don't have a kotatsu. That is what I am here for, to remind Japanese to have there Japanese tables again for their kids. 

I love my kotatsu!!! We will try to ship this guy how some time, then you can all love our kotatsu too.

The kids relaxing under the new kotatsu.

Enjoy, Steve

Thanksgiving... mission completed!

Hello all,

Thanksgiving went very well. We ended up with 12 people altogether. And given the small amount of leftovers, it is good that is it. 

Here is a pic of the sweet potatos that I ended up with. They looked like what I usually buy, but purple is what they were. The good thing is they still tasted pretty good, even if they looked a bit funky... but this is part of the fun of visiting a

broad. We started with these before my morning student showed up, and finished them up right after she left. 

Here is the turkey that we bought. 3209yen/95yen to the dollar=$33.78 for this 13lb turkey... WOW! But it was worth every penny or yen as it were. Everyone one enjoyed it, well except the turkey, that is.

Time to make our homemade stuffing, which I was really surprised how easy and fast it was to make. Not to mention, actually really tasted great. I had to tell everyone how to make it, and I am sure that they will make it soon. Bread, butter, celery, onion, herbs, pepper and cranberries... easy and available in Japan, doesn't get better than that!

Next the bad boy gets washed up and stuffed. 

Here is the turkey and our oven, I measured before we bought it, 

but now I was not sure if this was going to work.

Okay, she fit inside the oven. But she did not fit well. This was the first arangement of the oven.

 She was too close to the top elements, and started to brown on the top in 30 seconds. Not to

 mention that she was touching the sides of the

 oven. Well the next configuration was removing the element shield, and lowering the rack. Then I put the foil tent up around the turkey, and we were good. A little touching is fine, and helps cook the turkey faster, right?

Well, it took 5 hours, but the turkey turned out great, and everyone liked it. I think I may be

 repeating myself now. The only thing that I forgot, was about the gravy. How could I

 have forgotten gravy??? Well I sifted some flour, and 5 minutes later, gravy for the potatos and turkey. YUMMY

The turkey really was almost all gone. I had enough left only to spread the remains between 3 almost empty quart Ziplocs. I gave a few drops of gravy and the stuffing to them too, but it was almost not even worth it. They seemed happy to have it though, and Chisato's father and husband say they are going to roast a turkey next year. A new tradition starts... nice.

Carving it up.

Everyone wants to try carving the bird. This is the first time they had the chance. Actually, Chisato's father here, is the only one to have eaten turkey before.

Missing Chisato and Kochun, but this is most of us.

There is what is left of the turkey and all. Just like in the US, this part of of eating a big dinner is the same... 

RELAXATION!

And the kids... 

start watching Elf in English. 

It was interesting for a little bit, but then I think they would have gotten more out of a Japanese version.

But they loved playing with toys, and Hanano fell asleep on mom a little later.

No pics, but Chisato-san bought a pumkin pie at Costco, and it really helped finish up dinner. 

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Hello Everyone,

Just a quick shout to you all to say Happy Thanksgiving. 

It is Friday here, but tomorrow we will have Thanksgiving in Japan. The kids will be home all day, and we will be cooking homemade stuffing, mashed potatos, brocolii, sweet potatos and of course our 13lb turkey. Hopefully it will all come out. 

What are we thankful for.... each other, our children, our families, our friends and that we are able to appreciate all there is in our life. 

Happy Thanksgiving and thank you for being our friends!

All our best,

Steve, Shiho and the kids

Picture of Hanano

Hello All,

Just looking at pictures for our holiday card, and found this one. Hanano is doing this more and more when she does not get her way. It is so cute it is hard to punish her, instead of just breaking out in laughter. But of course, we do punish her! Joe and Miyabi say she is spitting at her, although I believe this is usually dry.

We are all doing well, and now we just have a little cold passing around the family. This is normal, as all of you with kids know.

Hope you are all well, and not too stressed out by the upcoming holidays. After all, it is a time to enjoy loved ones and reflect on those things that are important to us.

Enjoy,
Steve and family

11-20-08 everyone is getting better!!!!

Hello Everyone,

It is 1:30AM here, but a quick note to bring you up to speed.

Well it seems everyone is getting closer to normal towards the end of the week. Still some little (maybe not so little ;) "explosions from below" from Hanano. We actually are going to head to Shiho's mom's house for the 3 day weekend, so things are close to normal.

Today we went to Costco in Fukuoka and got some stuff for a Thanksgiving party we are going to have with some friends next weekend. The turkey we just bought weighs in at about 6 Kilos, and cost 47yen/100grams. So a turkey in Japan is a bit expensive, I guess given the exchange rate we are looking at about $34 for a 13lb bird. Well it is our only turkey in Japan, and what else would we have for Thanksgiving dinner???

It took some time to make sure we got a bird that we thought would fit in our little freezer, not to mention, one that would also fit in the tiny oven on the counter. But once we got home, we confirmed that we got the right one. We did the measurement before we left to Costco, and luckily, we had them right on. Will have to take pics of  our tiny oven, fitting that 13lb bird like a glove. lol

BREAK OUT THE COATS! 

It is getting really cold here. We have the kototsu and kerosene heater going all day long this week. While watching TV, it is hard to find the kids, since they are staying warm under the kototsu futon. Will have to take some picks of this I guess. At night we sleep in a room together, but there is no heat in there, so it is a bit cold. We each (the 4 of us) have 2 blankets, and it is quite warm. Hanano moves from Shiho to me throughout the night, depending on her mood and how warm she wants to be at any moment. It actually snowed here Wednesday, and should snow this weekend in Shimane-ken. It is a good time to go to the hot spring anyways.

That is it for now, hope you are all doing well.

Stay warm,

Steve, Shiho and the kiddies

11-18 more sick kids

Hello all,

After the girls got home from the hospital, Hanano continued to throw-up and never could get anything down. So we ended up taking Hanano back to the hospital on Sunday evening. She got an IV drip, but was still dehydrated afterwards, so she got another. About 9:30, after they started the second drip, I took Joe and Miyabi home. Shiho brought Hanano home just before mid-night, and she was able to sleep the rest o.f the night. This was good for all of us.

Monday Hanano was still sleepy, but was able to keep down her fluids and a fews crackers and some bread. Monday night we all went to bed together, but Joe and Miyabi started to get sick, too. Let's just say, it was an active night from 12 till 5 or so. I was running  Joe and Miyabi to the bathroom, since Shiho ended geting sick as well. But the up side of last night was, Hanano got a good nights sleep.

Tuesday morning was not too bad, with mainly Miyabi sick, then the afternoon reserved for Shiho getting sick, Miyabi sleeping, while Joe, Hanano and I watch TV.

Hopefully this is the last report of being sick, and the next report will be something a little lighter.

The Joy of Parenting

Hello All,

Yesterday I took Joe and Miyabi to aikido class. Joe was able to practice for the first time, and Miyabi did a great job watching quietly. Joe mainly did a lot of rolling around and seemed to have a good time. Hanano was tired, so she and Shiho stayed home.

After practice, we went to 7/11 and got a drink to share, then went to McDonalds for a quick treat. Joe and I had hamburgers, and Miyabi had something called Shaka-shaka chicken (a pressed chicken strip with a powder that you sprinkle on and shake in a bag.) We then shared a little ice cream. 

We came home and I put the kids in bed, where Hanano and Shiho were already sleeping. I sat on the couch and turned the TV on, and the relaxation starts. 

2 minutes later I hear something in the other room, and then I hear Joe coming to the room I am in, and I get ready with my "Joe, I don't care what Miyabi said, it's time to sleep now." The surprise I had when he said Hanano was throwing up... well the night changed course at that moment. 

I got some bowls and was really there in time to hold Hanano and help change the sheets. I was sad that I missed the real action (yeah right!!!) Well... I just missed the first act. We had a fun night full of not sleeping very much. Every 10-25 minutes we repeated the first act until 3 or 4AM. 

This morning Hanano was started throwing up, as soon as we gave her a little drink. Well Shiho and Miyabi took Hanano to the hospital, and she got a little medicine, as well as confirmation that she (and a bunch of other kids this morning), have a little flu virus. I got to stay home with Joe and clean up the mess. Fun times for all.

This whole story makes me think of the pain and joy of being a parent brings us fortunate people. The sacrifice of taking care of another human being is really a gift. It is not pleasant at all, and getting past the frustration of not sleeping (etc) is difficult. Yet it makes me believe, that it gives us a better understanding of the human nature. 

For those of us that are parents, I am sure you all have similar stories. For those that have not the pleasure, be happy you will not have these types of experiences, or look forward to these treasured times when you build memories with such wonderful beings as your children are bound to be.

I am amazed and thankful for those that dedicate their lives to taking care of others. It is amazing that some people can be so generous.

Hope you and your families are all well,

Steve and family

PS: Hanano seems to be feeling better now. We are not giving her much to drink yet and she seems to draining from the other end now. 

More links to pics, and eating some cake

Hello All,

On Wednesday, Shiho, Hanano and I went to see Shiho's OB/GYN. They use the 3D ultrasound, and it is pretty cool. This is the first time that we have seen this machine at work. In the US, they only had the 1 or 2 D version. Check it out...

What do you think? This is the right side profile. There is his face, with the left hand in the background. We think it is pretty cool. Before, when I have seen these, I was like... "thats the head... foot... hand... really? I can't really see it." But now, with this, I can see what they are talking about! Too Cool!

Here are the pics from the lake we went to, as well as some taken at home... http://picasaweb.google.com/stephenkenyon/AtTheLakeNov_08#

Here are some pics from a BBQ we had one night last week at the beach, when Shiho's sister came up for a quick visit.... http://picasaweb.google.com/stephenkenyon/BeachBBQOct08?authkey=NWGwmuktODQ#

Oh yeah, I made my first cake last night. It is a all home made 3 layer yellow cake, with some frosting that was purchased. I am going to make another cake for a friend this weekend, since she is having some surgury. That will be a peanut butter 3 layer, with a mocha frosting. This one will be all home made.

Hope you are all doing well. In these some what troubling times, try to keep your head up, smile and of course, have some cake!

Best Regards too you all,

Steve, Shiho and the kiddies

Nov 11th, 2008

Hi All,

Well we went back to the same campground again the next weekend. It was cooler and actually rained the last night. We had some friends come for one night, and had a great fire on the beach, but for only 30 an hour. Hanano and the kids were not that into not being able to walk around and all. It was a good idea, but maybe it will work better when the kids are a little older. 

Pics from both trips are here...

http://picasaweb.google.com/stephenkenyon/2CampingTripsInOct09#

Pics from the trip to Beppu are here...

http://picasaweb.google.com/stephenkenyon/OitaKenTripToBeppuOct08#

Let's see, what is going on now.... not much I guess. We are trying to decide what we will do for Thanksgiving and Christmas, since both will be here this year. Will report when we come up with what we will do, or more likely, after it happens.

Last weekend, we ...

Saturday, we went for a drive in the morning in the mountains. I brought the portable stove, and we cooked some noodles and heated some water for hot chocolate near a resevor. Then went to the video store and rented some movies. We went home and had popcorn and watched a movie before dinner.

Sunday, I had aikido practice in the morning from 9-12, then came home and we had lunch. We went to a friends house later in the afternoon and had dinner. They broke out their dutch oven and lite up the charcoal for a nice dinner in the yard. We had a little hot-pot with veggies, tofu, various meats and noodles. After dinner, we had went nside and made some fresh peanut butter cookies. Fun night for the kids, since our friends have 3 kids about the same age as our kids. 

The weather is getting cooler the last few weeks, and it really feels like fall is taking hold. When we went for the drive in the mountains last weeekend, the fall colors are coming in... before you know it, the snow will be falling.

Hope this finds you all well,

Steve, Shiho and the kiddies