Kevin just called me from San Francisco. Yes, he is back on US soil and I am so very happy. If all goes smoothly, he'll be walking through the front door sometime this afternoon and it won't be a moment too soon. Of course, he's been up for 14 hours straight and has another 10 to go before bedtime so I'm guessing he'll be a bit punchy but I don't think the kids will care. I know I won't.
We had a minor breakthrough at preschool this morning. For the first time, Leina ran into the classroom and then turned to me and said, "shoo shoo mommy." No crying or fussing. No hand-holding and anxious eyes. Just excitement and eagerness to get started fingerpainting. That's what I've been waiting for!
After drop off, Kulia and I headed home for some tv and snuggle time. Leina normally dominates the remote so for sister to get to pick her favorite shows is a real treat. Her current favorite is Yo Gabba Gabba which totally freaks me out. Why do kids love such strange shows?? Thankfully, the little laptop works on the sofa so I'm not forced to watch it. I do love the snuggles though. I have to sneak in as many as I can because once Kevin is home, I'm going to be playing second fiddle. I can hardly wait!
They say you shouldn't drink and blog but I just wanted to recorde the 1st time in recent memory (ie. at least 8 years and probably more) I've actually staggered home in less than "pretty sober" condition.
In fact, it probably hasn't been since grad school when I have actually flown this many sheets to the wind. But I digress.
My Japanese co-workers took me out to a delicious dinner tonight highlighting the many tastes of Japan. Fortunately they took pitty and didn't go too nutty on me. The craziest thing - aside from the fully tempura'd jumbo shrimp, complete with little beedy eyes and antanae - they gave me was some sashima that was either raw beef or 'fatty' tuna. It was delictable so I'll decide it was 'fatty' tuna.
Still it was the second bottle - really a small dewar - of Saki that put me over the top. Luckily for me when your walking in the middle of a group it's pretty easy to end up where you're supposed to. Also lucky for me I didn't fully understand the question about Japanese bars. It's only now - several hours later - that I picked up on the fact that a "japanese" bar has dancing girls that aren't necessarily single japanese women (if you know what I mean). Let's hear it for being clueless.
While it was a wonderful meal to end my time in Japan, it's only more sweet 'cause I fly out tomorrow.
Sayonara Japan.
Kevin has a return date! Yes! He has promised me that he will be home sometime on Thursday. No more delays, no more push backs - he's coming home. Phew. I don't know how much longer I can keep up this song and dance routine.
I tried explaining to Kev that it's kind of like running a race. They tell you it's a 2 mile race so you pace yourself and it's tough and you're hurting but you see the finish line up ahead. But then, right before you reach it, they take it down and tell you, "sorry, our bad". And so there you stand, exhausted, no longer at the end of the race but somewhere in the middle. When you ask how much farther you have to go, they just shrug and say, "we're not sure, just keep running and we'll let you know." The last few days, I've been running along with no idea when the course will end. Kevin knew he had to stay longer but he had no idea how long. Now that they've re-strung the finish line, I feel a little pep in my step again. I now have something to shoot for. Of course, there's always the possibility that they'll move the line again but I prefer to take the optimistic route. The end is in sight. I just have to hobble a little further and then, relief!
The girls are doing much better than I am. Every now and then they'll moan for their daddy but for the most part, they seem to be pretty unfazed. Of course, once they see him, I'm sure they will just melt into his arms and forget all about me. Sigh. It ain't easy being mom. The up side is, I'm betting I can leave Kevin and the girls home this weekend to re-bond while I get to actually go somewhere without kids. Can I just tell you how excited I am about the idea of using a public bathroom without two small children watching and questioning my every move? Just the idea of peeing in privacy sounds wonderful.
Probably too much information, huh?
Thursday, you can't get here soon enough!
Yup. That's right. Kevin has been delayed. Things are going poorly. So poorly that he has pushed out his return date until who knows when. Ugh. I'm running pretty low on spirit right now. I'm just tired and there's always more to do and no one to help me do it. The girls are doing ok. They are beginning to say that they miss their daddy more and more and I can only agree.
So I'm in the process or re-setting my mental picture. Kevin will not be home tomorrow as planned. This means I must find the strength and energy to last another week without him. Where, you ask, will said strength and energy come from? Well, Liza dropped off a pint of Haagen Das cookie dough ice cream which definately helped. A few more of those, and I'm sure the week will fly by, right?
Unless..... hmm... anyone out there interested in taking my kids for a week? Anyone? They're really cute and they don't eat too much.
Yeah, I didn't think so. But you can't blame a frazzled mom for trying, right?
So today was the big day.
The first day of preschool.
I have to admit, the morning was a bit rough. Kevin usually runs the show in the morning so it was pretty strange getting breakfast ready for the kids by myself. Leina was nervous and barely ate anything. She'd vacilate between excitement and anxiety at the drop of a hat. Add to it the fact that we had to be heading out the door by a little past 8am and the morning was a blur.
Luckily, once we got her to her class, she jumped in with both feet. I watched her for a while but then filed out with everyone else. Leina just smiled and gave me a little "shoo shoo" sign. She went on to have a great first day but Kulia and I spent the morning moping.
"Where Leina?" Kulia would ask me every few minutes. "When we get her?" was the second most asked question of the day. Even a pink frosted donut with sprinkles and a trip to the toy store couldn't satisfy her. She wanted her sister back. Poor thing. We were both wandering around a bit lost without Leina to chatter to us. However, when I went to retrieve Leina at the end of the morning, she announced that she wanted to do it again. I just know she's going to love this school thing. Now I just have to figure out a way to fill the hole she leaves behind!
I guess Kevin really liked island life because he's continuing his island tour. As we speak, he is on a 13 hour flight to Taiwan and a few days later he heads to Japan to finish his island hoping. Only this time, instead of sitting on a beach watching his kids frolic in the surf, he'll be suited up and working in a clean room. Poor guy.
Yes, that's right. For the next two weeks, it's just me and the girls. And boy are we going to be busy. Tomorrow is Leina's first day at school and she is so excited. I'm not so sure how I feel about the whole thing. I know she's ready but I'm still holding onto those apron strings pretty tightly. Sniff. I know she'll have a blast but still......
So while Kevin is gone, I have a whole host of projects lined up to keep me busy. First and foremost is finishing up Leina's halloween costume. Last year, I was up against the wire so this year I decided to start early. She has selected Tinkerbell as her costume dujour and I'm sewing away. I'm quite proud of it actually. I didn't realize how much I've improved during the last year but comparing last year's costumes to this year is astounding. It actually inspires me to keep on plugging away. I'll do my best to get some photos posted once the last hem is stitched so stay tuned!
And we're home.
Sigh.
It's strangely cold and quiet here. Where's the sound of the surf when you need it? I've powered through 27 loads of laundry and shopped for 12,000 hours to restock our fridge so things are pretty much back to normal. That 3 hr time change is still making me a bit groggy but all in all, I'm back.
I had a strange craving for baked goods today so after lunch I rumaged through the pantry and found a box of cake mix. Cake seemed to formal so I was about to go for cupcakes when I spied a recipe on the side of the box for cookies. Yes, that's right, you can use a cake mix to make cookies! So I took my chocolate cake mix, added some chocolate chips and voila! Cookies! I'm pleased as punch with this discovery and they are quite delicious. Now, if I just knew how to post pictures on this web site, I'd show you how yummy and gooey they look. Yum.
Can't blog anymore. They are still warm and calling my name. Maybe I'll even make up a fresh pot of Kona coffee. Hmmmmm.