Sweet memories

My kids are growing up and my memory is growing weak, and as I recount yet another sweet moment in our day to my Aunt Barb and Amy, we are once again laughing until we cry, and once again, Aunt Barb suggests I start writing these memories down before they are forgotten like so many others. So tonight I will start.

As Carter, the four-year-old, was getting ready for bed, and had just finished brushing his teeth, I suggested he try to go pee before bed. He replied that he didn't have to go, so, as I have done with all the kids, I said "try counting to 20" and if you haven't gone by then, then you can be all done. So Carter gamely started to count. "1...2...3...4...5...6...pause...Hey, how did that happen?!?!"

Another moment - Carter is in a ranting stage of life - if he is upset he rants about it. The kids had been fighting, mostly a tired Emma being too bossy, but enough was enough, so all the kids were sent in to get into their PJ's. Carter marched up to Amy`s living room, ranting - what she caught went something like this: "I hate having sisters that fight all the time - it`s no fair cause I always have to go to bed early!!"

Japan Day 2, Nara Part 2

Japan-DAY 1

After travelling just over 24 HOURS from door to door, Mom and I arrived at Reuben's home in Osaka. On Friday, just 16 hours after getting to Reuben's we were off on tour - Reuben says we told him we would "hit the ground running" and he held us to that!!

We took the train to Nara, about an hour from Osaka. Nara was the first capital of unified Japan, from 710 A.D. It is famous for its ancient temples, and semi-tame deer, which in pre-Buddhist times, were considered messengers of the gods.

Now, there are about 1200 of them living in and around Nara Park begging food from tourists and knocking over little children.


This is Yoshi feeding one of the deer.








You can buy biscuits to feed the deer, and they have been conditioned to bow before getting a handout.















Todai-ji Temple



Here, Reuben, Mom and Yoshi are in front of the Nandai-mom, an enormous gate containing two fierce looking Nio guardians. These wooden figures were carved in the 13th century and are some of the finest in all Japan, if not in all the world. They were recently restored. Below is a picture of a foot belonging to one of the guardians - the big toe measures approximately 1 foot high.