Naohiro Visits

For those of you who don't know, we have had a Japanese "foreign exchange" student living in our home for the last week. He is from Osaka, Japan, and he attends Nishiyamato School (a private junior high for boys studying math and science). Dennis and I thought it would be a great opportunity for our children to be exposed to another culture, and we have really enjoyed having Naohiro in our home. I think one week is the perfect amount of time (it took a little arranging--Shaylee and Aspen have been sharing a room and Naohiro is staying in Shaylee's room--Aspen sleeps with a night light, Shaylee can't sleep with a light on, Shaylee gets up at 5:15 a.m. to get ready for school, Aspen sleeps until 7:30 or 8:00 a.m.). We've managed to work it out, and the kids have had an amazing time this week. I think Naohiro and Aspen have gotten along the best (probably because they speak English at about the same level, and she is not afraid to drag him around to whatever she wants him to do--come jump on the trampoline with me, sit next to me at dinner, etc.). When Aspen wakes up in the morning, she asks if Naohiro is up yet and then says, "Let's go see him." She already has plans for him to come on our cruise with us and see "dolphins and Mickey Mouse." She is going to be one disappointed girl when he leaves on Tuesday.

Here are some highlights from our week thus far:

Waiting in the car for Naohiro to get off the bus (we had my neighbors, Payton & Paige with us--they also have a Japanese student this week--actually, there are four of us in the neighborhood with students, which made it easier to get them to BYU and back each day--aren't carpools wonderful?):

Our first picture with Naohiro (I was holding Connor, who had no interest in being photographed--I was also trying to get them to scoot together so I could fit everyone in the picture, but Naohiro was not interested in being near Shaylee--every time she scooted over, he scooted farther):

In our kitchen getting ready to set off on his first full day in the good old U.S. of A. (do you like the backdrop of Aspen's preschool art projects?):

Family scripture study that first morning (I think Naohiro hadn't a clue what was going on):

Devin

Dennis (not sure what he's doing)

Wednesday night, Devin and Naohiro went to the corn maze at Hee Haw Farms with the scouts. I had emailed Naohiro previously that it had snowed and was cold in Utah so he should bring a coat with him. Ha ha. Apparently it doesn't get very cold in Osaka, so he did not have a Utah winter coat. We tried to offer him a scarf, gloves, etc., but he insisted he was fine. I think he came back a popsicle, but hopefully they had a good time anyway. :)

In the car on the way to the BodyWorlds exhibit at the Salt Lake City Library. We took my sister Breezy with us (thanks mom & dad for keeping Aspen & Connor!):

It was an amazing exhibit, but I'm glad we had free tickets, because it wasn't worth the $150 it would have cost to get us all in. For those of you not familiar with the BodyWorlds exhibit, it features real human bodies that have been plasticized. The exhibit on display in SLC features the heart, but there are many exhibits around the world. It's not recommended for kids under 10, but I think Aspen really would have enjoyed it. On the flip side, it was really nice that no one had young children, because there was a reverent atmosphere that I think was so respectful of the corpses on display. You are not allowed to take pictures in the exhibit, but I found a few online that I thought I'd share:

Friday night we went to the BYU Chemistry Magic Show in honor of National Chemistry Week. It was held in a lecture hall in the Benson Building and took Dennis and I back to some fun times on campus . . . do we look enthralled?

The guy really liked to blow things up . . .

He put a balloon in liquid nitrogen & shrunk it, then pulled it out and let it "refill."

Elephant toothpaste . . . yum!

He finished with a bang!

Naohiro is in a tennis club at school, so Saturday morning we went out and played tennis at the junior high for a couple of hours (and discovered I still cannot serve to save my soul, but Naohihro & I did smoke Dennis & Shaylee/Dennis & Devin in doubles):

Connor still refuses to walk . . .

That night we headed up to Gardner Village for some festive Halloween Fun:

Do these boys look like they are having a great time or what?

Aspen loved all the witches:

Are they darling?