Japan- Day Four

After our trip to Sensoji Temple, I came to a realization that this trip was not going to be like what I was used to. When I toured with Disney on Ice I traveled all over the world. I was able to see things I would never have imagined being able to. We would go sightseeing whenever the opportunity arose. I don't ever remember it being difficult to navigate. The hardest time I had was when I had to drive a stick shift for the first time, on the wrong side of the road, from Birmingham to Bath/Stonehenge, England (it's a pure miracle I survived).

I am not sure if it's the triplet factor, the four kid factor, or just having kids in general that made it different. At first I would say that having the boys in strollers made it hard to navigate around. I couldn't go in many places because taking them out of the strollers was out of question. However, it wasn't just them. Leigha was tired of walking by the time we got anywhere. I tried to hold back my frustration as long as possible, but it slipped out every so often. It also brought back memories of sight seeing with Noe; he's not always one to enjoy taking your time to do things. Finally, there were my two step daughters. I don't think they knew what this trip would entail with four kids. We were all frustrated and it was evident.

It was at this point that I decided I wasn't going to do everything I had wanted to do while in Japan. I was here to see Noe, those few moments when he wasn't working, and that was all that mattered. I made a deal with the girls that I would need their help every other day and then they could go out on their own on the days between. That was the best compromise I could come up with. I hate being dependent on others. I have been doing everything with my kids alone since they were born. Noe and I worked opposite of each other and I had no choice but to take all four grocery shopping and everywhere else I had to go. This was different. I wasn't able to bring my triplet stroller, which meant I can't push two strollers at the same time. I didn't have my van, which meant I had to get through busy train stations with two strollers. It just wasn't going to happen!

The girls had taken a walk on the second day and found that there was a nice park area in back of Noe's apartment building (part of their property). The girls took us down there in the afternoon. It was beautiful! Unfortunately, more frustration and sadness hit me. The park looked fun, but not for Matthew. It was on a lot of small pebbles and it was all climbing. Two things that he can't participate in without getting hurt or being in pain. Matthew can do so much, but I hate when something gets in his way of having fun. I decided to just head everyone down towards the water.



They have this beautiful wading pond area. It slopes down gradually, but never got very deep. Leigha was in heaven!



Robert took off right after Leigha did. He had no fear of the water, either.



Noah and Matthew were a little slower to appreciate the water. I took off their sandals and let them wade into the water. Noah wasn't too sure of the water, that is until he started making bubbles!



Unfortunately, Matthew was still not liking the water. I had held his hand and walked him into the water for a few minutes. I realized he really didn't like the feeling of bottom on his feet so I gave in and let him go in with his shoes on. He was okay for a few minutes, but then he wanted out.



Robert and Noah ran around the park area for awhile. They took turns "driving" the stroller. The paths had one large circle with a few different paths leading off of it. They ran around and around, which to me was perfect--let them get their energy out now!



Matthew took that opportunity to start playing in the water with his feet. I figured his shoes were already wet, so what was the big deal. He started splashing himself and cracked a few smiles.



Noah and Robert eventually got back in the water, probably just to get a rise out of Mom since they were almost dry. Noah started kicking in the water; I think he was quite proud of himself!



While the kids were playing, Adri and Val plotted their day. Friday was their day to go out on their own. Noe had told them of a few areas where the younger people hung out and there was lots of shopping. I think that hooked them right there!



Matthew and Val


It was hard to talk the kids into leaving, especially Leigha. We had been out for a long time and it was getting close to dinner time. I was happy that the kids were able to get out of the apartment and just run around. I knew running around wasn't going to be a big part of their trip to Japan!

Japan- Day Three

On Wednesday we were going to attempt our first big sight seeing trip. Noe was going to try to get off early so we could all go out together. We just hung out around the apartment until he came home. Once again, I realized the girls were not going to be early risers! They tend to roll out of bed around noon, or sometimes later, even though they went to bed hours before me. Ah, to be young again! Wait- I didn't do that even when I was young!

Adri caught up on lost time with the kids. They were enjoying a good 'ole tickle fest. Adri was the prime target. It was definitely more entertaining than watching cartoons in Japanese.





Val helped us out by looking up where to go on the internet. She was searching relentlessly for something amazing to see. Actually, she was just chatting with friends, but I thought I would spice it up a bit!



Noe got held up at work (shocker!) so he didn't get home until around 3 p.m. After he relaxed for a few minutes, we got ready for our first big adventure. Noe has spent a total of 18 months in Japan (two previous tours with Disney on Ice) so we just let him lead the way. WHAT WERE WE THINKING?! I forgot Noe hadn't had any time to do anything but work since he had been there. I shouldn't have assumed that he knew what he was doing. I swear we were on the trains, too many to count, for hours. We also didn't realize that the boys were free (we learned that on the next trip).

Leigha was enjoying the trains (at first). She didn't want to sit, she wanted to try and balance without holding on. Mom was no fun, she made her hold on to a pole at least.


Noe still looked like he knew what he was doing at this point!



I guess we should have realized that he hadn't had any time to go sight seeing since he had been there. He has been working 6-7 days a week, 12-14 hours a day. I think we were doing fine until we had to switch trains for the third time and we knew we were still FAR away from our destination! After numerous threats of jumping in TWO cabs, we finally arrived. It took us awhile to find out exactly where the Sensoji Temple was, but we at least found a Starbucks to stop at and get some hideous drinks and yummy muffins.



Arriving that late had it's advantages. It was absolutely beautiful the way it was lit up at night. We walked around for a while and then the girls branched off to go exploring for a bit.



The one I felt the worst for was Matthew. He was awake the entire trip, that is until we rounded the corner and saw the temple. By that time, he was out like a light.



We decided to take a break, for Noe's sake, and sat on the steps to the temple while the girls were walking around. I really wish I didn't look like a sweaty mess in every picture from Japan. Note to self: don't ever visit Japan in the summer months!



I just enjoyed looking at all of the beautiful buildings. I wish I had known more about the temple prior to going. I really wanted to return to the temple again, but that lingering memory of the trip to the temple was too fresh in my mind. So, I just sat back and enjoyed it while I could.





At least Robert, Leigha, and Noah were enjoying themselves. They were just happy to be running around free, it didn't happen too often in Japan!





Thankfully, Matthew opened his eyes long enough to get really irritated with us. I am sure he was then thoroughly agitated with us when we turned to leave and take a hike back to the train station!



Adri and Val rejoined us and we decided that we were all exhausted and needed to head home and find some dinner. We were only late by a few hours!

What Did You Do on Your Birthday?

During my grown-up years I have learned that I am not "normal." Okay, I knew that already. A lot of my friends really celebrate their birthdays. It's unheard of to them, to let a birthday go by without celebration. I really don't remember any of my birthdays after I turned 16, with the exception of my 21st birthday (even that wasn't wild).

Every year my friends ask my what am I going to do for my birthday. My normal response is that I will be working and taking care of my kids. It's my normal day. My aunt and uncle have always been great to me. They usually bring me an angel food cake or the ingredients to make one for me. They don't let me birthday go by unnoticed (not that others do).

I just put the boys to bed, so I have time to let everyone know what I did on my birthday. For one thing, I didn't have to teach! That should be enough of a present on it's own. I haven't had a birthday fall on a weekend for a long time, at least I don't think (the memory gets worse with every birthday).

After my kids woke me up at 6 a.m., I was forced to be a mom. Considering no one had school, we lounged around watching television while we slowly got everyone dressed. After breakfast I asked Leigha to go downstairs after she got dressed so that she could keep an eye on the boys while I took a shower. Leigha made the hideous mistake of telling me she was going to stay in her room. DING, DING, DING! Revenge was the first thing on my mind. I told her since she was staying in her room, she was not allowed to leave her room until it was clean!

This is a room that has been locked and sealed off to any onlookers for quite awhile. Leigha and her friend had Polly Pockets spread out from the last weekend. Leigha also had a ton of other things spread out from the past 6 months probably. I don't know where she gets it from. It's not like her mother's bedroom looks anything like that (ahem). I realize that Leigha should be responsible for own things, but I knew there were things that she can't reach and someone else (can I blame Noe?) piled up on her dresser.

When Leigha emerged from her bedroom, I asked her if the floor was clean. She responded along the lines of, "I think so." This is when I silently started my evil laugh and ran up to her room. I took great pleasure in loading up anything on the floor and throwing it into the abyss room (used to be Noe's office). Is it wrong I take great pleasure in making my kids upset?





I was very proud of myself. It wasn't even 11 a.m. and I had already accomplished something HUGE! I cleaned off the parts that weren't Leigha's fault, I dusted, vacuumed, etc. Now I could sit back and enjoy the rest of my day, so I thought!

My aunt and uncle came over, arms loaded with wonderful food to make! They brought steaks, french bread, cupcakes, and ice cream. Who could ask for a better lunch!? I, however, made a fatal mistake. While we were getting things started for lunch, I made the mistake of asking my aunt and uncle if it was okay to pull out a gas dryer. For anyone that doesn't remember, we had a little ACCIDENT 18 months ago. The entire Tide detergent container had fallen and busted open all over my laundry room. I was able to clean up the mess, but only in the parts that were visible. My darling husband kept telling me he would move the washer and dryer and clean under it. Did I mention this happened EIGHTEEN MONTHS AGO? This morning I noticed a smell, and I realized it was probably from the old soap being heated up because I was cleaning clothes.

The reason for it being a fatal mistake--my aunt said we will just do it after lunch. I think my aunt and uncle are going to stop visiting us on the weekends, it seems I have needed their help with a few things recently! So after our yummy lunch, my uncle and I headed to the laundry room to get started. He moved the dryer for me and I started on the dirty work.

I started off by using a metal spatula to scrape all of the old, dried up laundry detergent off the floor. I had cleaned a great deal of it up before we took pictures.




After the dryer area was all clean, it was time to move the washer. I knew that one wasn't going to be pretty because that is where most of the soap went. I was also not surprised to see the amount of junk that got trapped in the mess! This was downright disgusting!



Now the most interesting part of this journey was trying to figure out what the orangish-yellow mess was. I don't think I have ever had that color laundry soap. I know it wasn't the one that busted open. It almost looked like iodine all over the floor. Unfortunately, that didn't clean up nicely. It's a good thing that the washer will always cover up that stain. I just wish I could figure out what it was!



Thankfully, the rest of the "stuff" came up nicely. I even took Lysol and cleaned the backs of both appliances. They looked good as new!



It was nice to be finished with that mess! I waited and waited for Noe to do it, but I think it was painfully obvious that wasn't happening anytime soon. (Thanks, NOE!)

I was then treated with cupcakes and ice cream! YUMMY! I had told my aunt earlier that I was getting interviewed by my students this week and I told them when my birthday was but informed them that I would NOT tell them what year. I jokingly gave in and told them I was turning 87. The class laughed and then one student stood up and said, "Mrs. Ybarra, you don't look 87--you look like you're 57!" At that very moment I made a mental note to fail him for the trimester. My uncle wasn't much nicer. He kept debating on which numbers he needed to take out of the container. He kept asking if there were two 4's. Then he switched to saying was it 37 or 73. It's a good thing I don't freak out about my age!





I am really lucky to have a wonderful family to share my birthday with me!

First Full Day in Japan

It was very odd knowing we left Sunday morning, extremely early, and arrived in Japan on Monday afternoon. You would think this would have screwed me up. In reality, it was quite the opposite. We all woke up, with the exception of Adri and Val, at a regular time that morning. I really didn't experience any jetlag!

Noe and I had stayed up until late, but we were awoken by some little boys who wanted to see their Daddy! We were able to have breakfast with Noe before he left for his 12-14 hour work day. Unfortunately, Noe was unable to get any time off while we were there. We just enjoyed him when we got to see him! The kids were just happy to have their Daddy!! They were more than happy to "help" Daddy eat his breakfast, even though they had already eaten!



After Noe went to work, we decided that it was time to map out our adventures. Adri and Val always slept in and wouldn't climb out of bed until around lunch time. They immediately started looking up touristy things on the internet, while I mapped out our afternoon shopping trip.

Later in the afternoon, we set out for the grocery store. The store was located in a mall, next to the train station. I am normally a very independent person, but I was unable to bring my triplet stroller or wagon with me. Therefore, I needed help to get to the store. We really had no idea how far the store was from his apartment, or
how long it would take to get there. All I know is that I showered before we left, and I was drenched by the time we made it there. I had two of the boys, and my two step-daughters took turns pushing Robert.

Can anyone feel my frustration when we reached the grocery store?



EVERYTHING, except for maybe two things in the store, was in Japanese. Yes, I realize we were in Japan. However, in all of the countries I have visited, I have never been in a store that did not have any English labels! I am not a dare-devil. When I toured Souteast Asia, I found out why all of the cat tails were stubs. It turned out it was a delicasy there. Needless to say, I don't eat anything that I can't figure out what is inside.

On the other hand, I don't think it would have been too difficult to figure out where the sanitary products were. What more could you ask for? That made Val's day!


As hot as it was, I really enjoyed the trip to the store. We packed up all of the backpacks and hung them on the back of my double stroller.



I found the trip to be great exercise. I know Valerie couldn't wait to do it again, don't you agree?



I am not sure why I ever bothered doing anything with my hair, not that I ever REALLY do much to it anyway. As soon as I left the apartment, I was a soaking sweat mess. Please don't look forward to any decent pictures of myself, it just won't happen on this trip!

I bet you are wondering what gourmet Japanese meal I fed the kids that night! I found the stash of food I sent Noe months ago and made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! Hey, it was on Japanese bread- does that count?



To be continued...

No Big Deal!

Last December/January, our family's lives were flipped upside down. Noe received a great job opportunity that took him to Japan for up to 18 months. Ten years ago that might not have been such a big deal, as we have been separated on tours before. However, when you throw 4 children and a full-time job into the picture, it IS a big deal. At least those were MY feelings on this matter.

Noe tends to live in a delusional world. His next delusional mistake was when he wanted us to come visit him in Japan. Sounds like fun, right? Heck, we traveled the world for years. We are used to it, right? For three summers in a row, I have driven from Vegas to North Carolina and back so that I didn't have to fly with my children or face all of the issues I would have without my vehicle. Doesn't this sound like a great opportunity to throw three 3 year olds and a 7 year old in an airplane and fly across the world? Noe thought so, a piece of cake!

WHAT WAS HE THINKING!? Even with his two daughters along to help me out, it was still a MESS! Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if we had made this trip prior to 9/11.

On July 27th, we packed up two minivans and headed for the airport. My aunt and uncle were very smart- they left us at the curb. If I were them, I would have done the same thing. We looked like a three-ring circus. We had a great plan in place- grab a few luggage carts and get our stuff in to the check-in counters. Unfortunately, we still had too much stuff to carry. Once we checked in our 6 pieces of luggage, we were ready to head for the gate. There was only one problem, they don't let you take a luggage cart past the security. What can't they make acceptions for people traveling with a bunch of kids? Why can't they have someone help us out like they did years ago? I was livid. It wouldn't have been soooo bad if we hadn't had to take the kids out of the strollers, removing their shoes, etc.

Let me paint a picture of what we looked like:
Double stroller
Single stroller
6 backpacks
rolling carry-on suitcase
3 large car seats
7 year old
3 three year olds

It was a nightmare, but we made it to our gate!


Enough said?


Our first flight was delayed, making us very anxious. We only had 1.5 hrs for our layover in San Francisco and we knew we had to change to international terminal. We finally boarded the plane and we were off.

I was absolutely shocked at how well the kids did on that plane ride. I didn't deal with any tears or complaints. That didn't last long, once we arrived in San Francisco. We started experiencing the true hell we were going to have to go through. The whining started, and that was mostly from the adults! We were given no choice but to have to haul all of our stuff and kids down a few flights of stairs, on to a bus, and over to the international terminal. We were freaking out the entire time, as we had less than a half hour til our plane took off. If there had been an exit route to Corpus Christi, I am sure Adri and Val would have run. I don't think they quite understood what they were getting themselves into when I asked them if they wanted to help me out in Japan!

Talk about a spectacle. We were the last ones they were holding the plane for! Carrying car seats on top of our heads, trying to maneuver through the aisles, we were finally able to situate ourselves in our seats. I really thought the kids did an excellent job of flying! They were whiny a few times, but overall they were great!! I couldn't have hoped for better.





Unfortunately, even though they were great, we were still severely sleep deprived. When we arrived in Tokyo, we had to get all of our luggage again and maneuver our way through customs and immigration. We did find that there were benefits to traveling like a circus. We got to cut a few lines and go somewhere by ourselves.

When we finally made our way through customs, we found the drivers who would be taking us to Noe's apartment. We had to split up into two vehicles and take an hour drive. My brain was toast by this time. I had three kids sleeping behind me and I just wanted to join them. Unfortunately, I couldn't join them. I didn't feel comfortable falling asleep and I was also going through convulsions as I watched the taxi's meter climb. I knew the conversion rate, and I just sat there in disbelief. When we pulled up to his apartment, the taxi rides cost us about $450. That's hideous, but what made it worse was knowing we still had to go back to the airport!

I think Adri and Val were just happy to be out of the airport and didn't mind their trip in the taxi. They are actually smiling here!


Noe got off work early that day (an AMAZING feat)so that he could be there to greet us. I feel kind of bad that I wasn't more exciting, but I just wanted to drop dead. We got everything moved up to his apartment and we started taking showers in attempt to feel better. Noe was wonderful, he road his bike to the grocery store to get food to make us dinner. He even had to go back because he forgot something the girls wanted. We had a wonderful dinner and then we got the little ones to bed. I tried to stay up as long as possible with Noe, but we finally had to call it a night.

To be continued...

Guess What??

I have a little secret to tell everyone. Okay, it's not REALLY a secret, but I wanted to let everyone know that Signing Time will be releasing two more Baby Signing Time volumes!! BST 3 and 4 will be released at the beginning of October. You can take a peak at the Baby Signing Time previews online here.

To make it even better, they are also hosting a Baby Signing Time blog contest. Make sure you enter to win one of the very first copies!

Keep your eyes out for a special little trio of boys in the song "Strollin'" right at the end of the preview. I hear they are really cute, even though the one pulling the wagon looks a bit frumpy!

Baby Signing Time, Volume 3: A New Day



Baby Signing Time, Volume 4: Let's Be Friends


Anyway, I would like to personally thank the Signing Time staff for their wonderful efforts in releasing these two volumes so fast! We can't wait to get our hands on them.

We Interrupt this Lull in Blogging with a Very Important Public Service Announcement

This is your brain.



This is your brain on drugs.



This is a cell phone.



This is a cell phone after a trio of three-year olds (mainly one particular one) places a cell phone in the microwave and proceeds to turn it on, igniting it in flames.








Any questions?