Reading!

G started reading yesterday. He saw a sign that said "C&M" for a bank, and he couldn't figure out the ampersand, so he tried again with the "Best Buy" sign. He sounded out "b..e..s..t...best!" We were so proud of him! It wasn't sign recognition, we don't think, because we've only been there once since he was born, I think, and he wasn't there with us. Now Starbucks, Target, and Sam's - those he knows! He's read a couple words since then, but that was the first.

Also, on the way home tonight, I said I was a lot tired, and he said he was "short tired," which he explained was the opposite of "big tired" - he was finding a new way to say "a little", so he chose "short." We think it's really neat that he is using synonyms to be clever.

Keepin' Them Coming

Here are a couple of photos and a video we thought you'd like. Maybe if we do a few every day, it won't be so overwhelming. The first two are at Ryokan Sansui in Hiroshima. This lovely proprietress actually let G keep his carp flag! It now hangs in his bedroom as a reminder of that great ryokan.

This next photo was taken at Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, a Shinto holy area in the southeast part of Kyoto. From the second we entered, it really felt like a holy/spiritual place, and it smelled like hinoki cyprus, M's and my favorite smell in the world. We were fortunate to see several rites being performed, although photos are not allowed during the ceremonies. However, if you watch Bad News Bears Go To Japan, you can catch a glimpse of one of the two that we saw. This place is actually in many movies, including more recently, Memoirs of a Geisha (she runs through the torii as a young girl).

And here is a video of G teaching a young Japanese boy how to cleanse himself at the shrine, because, you know, he's an expert... He actually did get it pretty much right, and we think he did it better than probably 99% of tourists would, especially since he remembered to cleanse his mouth, too.

We's Back

Well, it's been tough to get back to life, much less blogging. We took well over 1500 photos, so it will be a little bit before we get them organized enough to share. Thanks to everyone for being interested in our adventure - it was a really big deal for us, and we will be thinking about it every day for years to come.

For starters, here is a cute photo of the Chipster on Miyajima. Behind him is the Seto Inland Sea, where the famous "floating" torii is.

We will be back in business now that we've "broken the seal." Campai!

Japan Or Bust!

We are headed to the airport in a few hours, so let's just say,"Sayonara" until we return in almost 2 weeks. But before we go...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMILY, MARK, AND BILLY!!!!!

And back to Japan - we had a major success in the big deal side trip we're taking to Tsu. If you are Mom or Laura, go to sleep. Otherwise, read on:

Matt's great-aunt Tyke, aka Sister Margaret Hayes, lived in a convent in Tsu, Japan. She died in 1971 and is buried there. We have spoken with one of her sisters (still the principal of the school, 37 years later!), Sister Madeline, and will be visiting the convent and school to look around. We are going there on the 15th, and it's a surprise for Mom and Laura, not because they're related, but because we thought it would be a fun surprise.

We are also going to try to meet up with one or two other people we know along the way, between Tokyo, Kyoto, Tsu, Hiroshima, and Himeji, and who knows where else the shinkansen will take us?

We'll talk soon - Love, M, P, and G

Matt Likes To Sit On The Throne

Hee hee...

In other news, we mentioned the other day that we got G a Leapster Learning System, which is educational software cleverly packaged as video games. We gave it to him a week before our Big Trip so that he would have time to get familiar with it before the 14h10m flight. He loves it, and so do we.

The built-in software is great, and he also has a Cars game. He's learning about spelling words, following directions, coordination (using the controller), the difference between letters and numbers, and how to use a pen/pencil. The graphics are really great, and he uses the volume-controlled, kid-friendly headphones we got him so that we don't have to hear it. BUT, based on his reaction to his new toy and his constant use of it, we know that we have now lost him. From this point on, he has discovered video games and will spend the next 15 years in his own world. Oh well, we knew it would happen someday...