The first week

I can't believe that it's been a week since Yuki arrived. In a way it feels like she just got here, and it also feels like she's been here forever. It's been a very interesting and fun week to say the least.

Monday I had to take Yuki to her school to get enrolled. That had to be the most paperwork I have ever filled out. I think in total I had to fill out and sign 65 different papers. Yuki only had to sign 1. When we got the the office the person in charge of registration asked if she wanted help with English. Personally, I think that Yuki's English is quite good. I'm afraid that they will try to stick her in ESL classes and she really doesn't need them. I think between the two of us, we can help Yuki with anything she struggles with when it comes to classes. If anything she might have issues with English lit classes and the US government class she has to take.

Any who...

After that, I got a bright idea to drive into Cincinnati and go to the Art Museum - Apparently, the art museum is now closed on Mondays, so there went that bright idea. Instead, we drove down the Kroan Conservatory and looked around. It was a short trip, but I still think what is there is worth sharing. I wasn't too keen on doing much outside because it was so freaking HOT outside, so we headed home. I stopped by LaRosa's for lunch and found out the perfect meal size for Yuki - that goodness for kids menus! She said she really liked it and later in the week we got her to try their pizza.

Tuesday wasn't all that amazing, in part because we got some bad news in our family. We pushed forward, had a good day and night of watching movies and made the best of the situation.

Wednesday we picked up Will's sister Liz and went back to the art museum and spent several hours there. Yuki said she liked the hand carved beds and furniture the best. I'm looking forward to going back in October for some of the other special exhibits. They will have one on wedding dresses and (for Will) one on arms and armor. Hey, it's the little things that excite me. I think Yuki might like the wedding dresses because she wants to become a wedding planner in the future. We also spent the evening playing Uno - That was a blast!

On Thursday, Will and Yuki went to see Toy Story 3 while I attempted to do some house work for a little bit. That night we went to a park in Loveland and watched the Perseid meteor shower. We laid out on the baseball field and watched for falling stars. I think we saw 6 that night before we got tired of getting bit by bugs.

On Friday we went to Cesar's Creek Lake with Clayton and Liz and spent the morning and afternoon there. Will and I got sunburned, and I think Yuki's SPF 100 prevented any sort of tanning what-so-ever. That night Will went to the Reds game with his dad and Clayton, while Yuki and I went out with Will's mom and Liz for some shopping for the girls. Yuki didn't have much luck at Plato's Closet so we went to Old Navy and had some much better luck there. I'm a little worried about the ease that Yuki will have in finding clothes while she is here. Yuki said she style of clothing is Mori Girl (or forest girl) - while I am finding some clothing here similar to the style, it isn't what she is looking for. Suggestions for where we could shop would be awesome. That night we had Thai food for dinner, which was something I had never had before. It was really really good, and I hope we get to eat there again!

Saturday we went out for more shopping and running about town. We went to Jungle Jim's and did a little bit of shopping. Yuki bought something called goya (aka Indian bitter melon). It looks like a cucumber with spikes and smells like one as well, but it was the most bitter tasting thing I have ever tasted! She was sitting at the table gobbling it up and Will and I were struggling to eat just one slice. Made rice for dinner and had to serve it in tea cups. I had asked Yuki if it would make someone upset in Japan if I was serving rice in tea cups and she said yes. That was then followed by her saying that she would have her dad send us some rice bowls so I wouldn't continue embarrassing myself when I serve rice.

Today has been more shopping. Tonight we'll go to Will's parent's house for dinner and a game, and then we'll spend the evening at home. We need to go over a few things for school because it starts in a little over a week. Yuki and Will will go to the high school tomorrow to get her enrolled in classes. I just hope she can get all of the classes that she wants and doesn't have any issues. I just need Will to stand firm on getting her enrolled as a senior.

This week has been a very good week. It's a little odd being a parent, but I think we're doing okay. We're starting to talk about rules and expectations for when school starts. I know we're going to screw up along the way, but that's okay.

Regardless, I am really happy that she is with us.