Madeline's Elementary School's Opening Ceremony

By Jennifer Partin

Today was the first day of the new school year for Madeline. I didn't fall asleep until 2:00AM because I was so nervous and excited for her. These are pictures taken from the opening ceremony this morning. As you can see, the Japanese tend to wear black for formal occasions. (Madeline is wearing her pink Easter dress so she is pretty easy to spot!)

The ceremony lasted about an hour and a half and she was pretty excited about getting all of her new school books and school supplies today, not to mention getting to meet her new teacher and also meeting her new classmates.

Enjoy the slideshow! (with more to come over the next couple of days)

Madeline's Graduation Ceremony

By Jennifer Partin

Beware! This post has tons of photos.



Madeline graduated from Japanese kindergarten on March 20, 2009. (You can see her school bus in the background----there are no such things as yellow school buses here in Japan.)



Madeline's teacher was beautifully dressed in her kimono for the occasion. Here she is on stage calling the names of the graduates from Madeline's class.



In this photo, the principal is addressing the students and the parents----giving them their farewell speech and hoping that the kids will treasure and keep the fond memories of their kindergarten experiences with them.



Madeline is getting ready to walk the "red carpet". Each of the graduates made their appearance on center stage as the teacher called their name at the beginning of the ceremony and walked the aisle to join their class.



Here is a glimpse of the red carpet. Madeline's class is straight ahead. (there were 4 graduating classes) The walkway is raised and I was surprised that no one fell off. :) The ceremony is held in the school gymnasium. (you can see the basketball hoop in the top corner)



Here is Madeline getting her certificate. Bowing is a sign of respect here in Japan. And yes, the principal is wearing a tuxedo. Apparently, graduation is a big production and entering 1st grade is a big deal too.



The graduation ceremony was over 3 hours long! Poor Brett had taken the day off from work so that we could attend as a family. But, on the way there Mattea threw up in the car all over herself so he went home with all the kids. (In a way, Mattea getting sick was a huge blessing becuase I don't think they would have lasted through the entire ceremony!)The first half was very formal as the children got their certificates from the principal and the second half was a bit more light-hearted.



This was a song skit held in the second half. And yes, the midget in the middle is the very same principal who was just wearing a tuxedo earlier! The kids and parents roared in laughter during this presentation. It was too funny.



I had to take this photo because I think it's great that the children have to carry their own chairs back to their classrooms. This is true after every event that they have at the school and even the children in the younger classes (3, 4 and 5 year olds) have to carry their own chairs too.



Some of Madeline's classmates in their classroom after the graduation ceremony. Can you see the trophy that the boys are holding up? Madeline's class was crowned "the 1st place champs" in the dodgeball tournament held during the last week of school.





Here is Madeline with her two best friends (Chinachi and Kayo) from school. Unfortunately, each of them will attend different elementary schools at the start of the new school year on Monday. However, Madeline and Kayo will still get to see each other since the two of them will continue their art lessons once a week at this school.



Madeline and her teacher Tsubakihara sensei in the courtyard after the graduation ceremony.



Can you tell how much Madeline loves her teacher? Such a sweet photo, isn't it?



This is Madeline with the current and former principal of her school Tamagawa Kindergarten.

Good-bye Tamagawa yochien! 1st grade here I come!

Long Time No See

By Jennifer Partin

Wow, it has been a really long time since I have posted anything-----my excuse has been that I haven't had much time lately between the puppy and Baby Mason.



Speaking of Baby Mason, he had another febrile seizure a couple of weeks ago. It was the scariest one I have experienced with him yet. I hate to be overcome with fear but I feel so helpless when Mason has these episodes.



The Japanese school year officially ended almost two weeks ago for Myles and Madeline. We have been enjoying Spring Break. (although Megan and Madden start their Spring Break on Monday since they attend American school). It's kind of strange following both an American and Japanese school calendar since their vacation time never seem to overlap.

The big news right now is the fact that Madeline will start Japanese elementary school. She has chosen to continue on and press forth in the Japanese school system. She will be the only American in a school of 500+ kids! I have had to find a tutor and a translator to help me with all the school paperwork and homework that Madeline will bring home. (I am hoping that I can study alongside of Madeline since she will be having to memorize a lot of kanji in her first few years). The new school year starts next week with an opening ceremony on Monday.

We've also had company staying with us. Brett's friend flew in from Korea to run the 3rd annual Tokyo marathon that was held on March 19th. It was a short but nice visit.



(Darth)Vader has been adjusting well. It's been almost 7 weeks since we bought and brought him home. He is now fully potty trained and growing like crazy! He is almost 10 pounds. We were hoping to get him neutered this month but the vet asked us to push the date back to May. Myles has been the best caretaker of the dog thus far. It's amazing how much the baby and the puppy are alike. The two of them together are double trouble. :)



We went on our first family outing to the local store (the equivalent to a Michael's) with the dog about a month ago. (Oh, and that's Flat Stanley in the picture with us too). My cousin's daughter sent him to Japan for a little visit so we have been showing Stanley around Japan. Here is Stanley at the grocery store checking out the sushi rolls.



The cherry blossoms are beginning to bloom and are looking gorgeous. We are hoping to go on a picnic this weekend and enjoy the blossoms since they are so short lived.

We have also been busy with Science Fair projects too. Science Fair for the Middle School is held tonight and Madden's will be on the 21st of April. Thankfully, Madden's project is already completed since he presented his project to his class last week.

As you can see, there is a lot going on in the Partin household and we've been pretty busy. I'm hoping to have some more posts up so check back again soon!

Volcanic Activity and a Bunch of Flu.

By Jennifer Partin

Volcanic ash covered our cars, streets and lawn. I feel as though I have been beat up. And, everyone in my household are dropping like flies. Thankfully, the new puppy is such a great dog!

Okay, so Mt. Asama (which is an active volcano located about 65 miles north of us) erupted at 2:00AM spreading it's volcanic ash everywhere causing school to be canceled for the day. It was a little freaky and at first glance I had mistaken the volcanic ash for frost.

I woke up on Saturday with a very high temperature and every bone in my body ached as if I had been in a back alley fight with Mike Tyson. I have never been so sick in over 13 years that I can remember.

Yesterday, I was finally able to make it downstairs to discover that Brett (my husband), Madden, Myles and Megan were all down with the flu too. Tonight, it's the baby's turn.

Thankfully, our new 5 month old puppy, Vader, has been very patient and understanding as I try and nurse so many sick members of my family. Potty training the new pup has been extremely easy for the two of us. I think we have only had 2 accidents in the 1 week that we have had him and he's now beginning to bark to let me know that he needs to go poop. It's been fabulous! I'm glad that the Lord has seen fit to give grace to us with the new dog-----especially since we were not in the market for a new puppy. (that'll be the topic of tomorrow's post!)

Anyhow, the volcano seems to be little threat to us. I am feeling more like my healthy self and the others are beginning to perk up. (Minus Mason, of course who just came down with it tonight). Is there ever a dull moment in the life of the Partin's?

I don't think so!

Happy Birthday Matthew!

By Jennifer Partin

Sorry for the long Blog hiatus. Things have been really busy here since Mason began walking. Mason definetly keeps us on our toes-----he's quite the adventurous little boy!

In other news, today is Matthew's birthday. He would be turning 11 years old! Can you believe it? When I think of how old he would have been, it grieves my heart. However, I cherish the few short years that we were able to spend with him.

Ecclesiastes Chapter 3 reminds us that there is a time for everything. Including a time to give birth and a time to die. (vs.2) And our new puppy helps illustrate that truth.



(Yikes! I can hear my mom yelling at me right now all the way from Florida.) Our new puppy (Darth) Vader was born on Sept. 15th, the anniversary of Matthew's death and so we are grateful to have Vader join our family to remind us each day that there really is a time for everything----including a time to weep and a time to laugh. (vs.4)

Happy 11th Birthday Matthew! We miss you handsome boy.

Prayers for Megan Update

By Jennifer Partin

I am blessed to have such wonderful and caring friends and family. Thank you for all of your concern regarding Megan and our family. I am pleased to tell you that Megan is feeling much better. This morning she saw the audiologist and had a hearing test, and there were no significant decibel changes. This is great news considering her last episode of vertigo resulted with more loss of hearing for her.

We have a follow up appointment with the audiologist on the 18th of November and she will also be seen by the ENT Doc. Thank you so much for keeping her covered in prayer. We are grateful to all of you who have shown your expression of love and concern for us.

Halloween Run in Yoyogi.

About 3 weeks ago, the kids and I traveled by bus with the Yokota Striders Running Club to run in the Halloween Costume Race at Yoyogi Stadium. We were going to run as Cat in the Hat and Things 1-6 but when Brett was called into work at the last minute, I let the children run in whatever costume they wanted to since Brett was not able to run with us. The kids ran a 2K (about 1 mile) and were given a medal at the end of the race. I hope you enjoy the slideshow!