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Bam! Boom!

I went in to check on Osamu's nap time and found that he sleeps with a gun. It wasn't loaded, though.


It’s like a revolving door of reptiles at our house. Yesterday Kenzo came home from Friends Club feeling extremely proud of himself because he caught another lizard and this one is pretty big and also pretty surly. He’s definitely not happy about being in the possession of a six year old boy. He’s also a biter. 

This morning Kenzo was getting all his things ready for school and the last thing on his daily preparation list is his lizard box. Now that he’s got one that he caught all by himself he was super excited to take him to school and show his friends. But of course he can’t resist the urge to open the box and take the lizards out and play with them before he takes off for school and then bam! That big new surly lizard made a break for it. He ran underneath one of the air conditioner units next to the house. Kenzo was reaching under trying to grab him, but that scaly misanthrope was fending off my son pretty well. 

Then he ran somewhere and we couldn’t see him anymore. I helped Kenzo as he frantically looked behind planter boxes and all around the side of the house. Then he started to cry. The other kids were leaving for for school.

Papa found the lizard and I was like, "Kenzo! Grab him quick and put him in the box." Kenzo was upset so he said. "No papa you do it!" And I was thinking if it was the other lizard, the nice one who doesn’t bite, I’m perfectly happy to be a reptile wrangler. Kenzo was getting more and more upset. So I took a chance and ran back around to the front door and grabbed a glove that I keep over there to take on walks for picking up litter.  I quickly hurried back with my reptile-catching glove on and snatched that guy right up and called to Kenzo, "Open the box! Open the box!" 

And boom! Just like that the lizard was back in custody. Kenzo was off to school. Happy as ever. 

As expected, when Kenzo got home, he skipped asking mama about it because he’s already realizing what mama's standard responses are to things like this particular request. He came straight to my office and said he wanted to go to go 5-Chome Park to meet his friend Ruan. He said Ruan had a present for him.

As I was talking with Kenzo about it Eri came in and was listening. We made eye contact and I told Kenzo that today is not a play day and that he should tell his friend that he can’t go unless he talks to his mama and papa. Eri kind of tilted her head and locked eyes with me. 

I told Kenzo to step outside my office and close the door while mama and papa talk privately. It’s the first time I’ve done that. I don’t think it’s the last time. It was a good move. 

Eri and I discussed the strategy we should employ here and I proposed that Kenzo could go to the park and meet his friend and see what this mysterious present was, and I will follow soon after and we'll walk home together. Eri was mostly concerned about Kenzo‘s friend's "present." She was afraid that Kenzo was going to trade one of his lizards for one of Ruan's really big frogs.  Eri tolerates the lizards, but if Kenzo brought home some big ol' toad to keep in a box anywhere near our house she would probably run off and join the circus. Immediately.


When Eri texts me and says she's tired so dinner's gonna be super simple I get excited. Her "super simple" is always exactly what I love. Tonight it was okra tempura and sashimi and a chilled seaweed salad.


Kenzo has discovered the humor in milk mustaches. This is one of the only ways recently to get him to smile for a picture. He knows he's being mischievous and he loves it.

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