Yesterday we had a Christmas party for eight of the children in Owen’s class. My friend Atsuko hosted it…and the event, which started at 11:30 am (they were out early from school) lasted until we were the first to leave after 5 pm! Moms love to hang out, and the kids don’t have any objections. Annie and Olivia had fun too. We did a gift exchange with all the kids, had lots of food, and the kids loved playing together…and seemed to really like the snowmen cupcakes I brought, too…

I loved two particular things about the party:
1) It was the first time that Owen really really seemed to fit in…His Japanese has improved dramatically in the last month– it was fun to watch him run around with swords and play “ghost” games with his friends and really be as one of them.
2) I knew where Atsuko’s spoons belong. I helped her make bibinbap (sp?) for the moms and macaroni and cheese for the kids…it was the fourth or fifth time I had been over. And I knew where she keeps her silverware! (see previous post Golden Fasts). Just as Owen is fitting in more…shared expereinces are helping me to do the same.