July 9th was a very special day for our family. A few days before then (the 6th), Katya turned the magnificent age of eight, which means that in our church she can get baptized! Grandma Lorraine made her a white dress just for the occasion, and she was out-of-this-world excited to wear it.
We tried to get some nice family shots just beforehand.
I think they turned out okay.
I remember when Katya was in Primary classes at church, I used to watch the older kids as they were baptized and I imagined what it would be like to one day baptize my oldest child. Besides realizing that means I'm getting older too, it was the most wonderful feeling as she came up out of the water and I gave her a big papa-bear hug.
The program was sweet and simple. Katya chose a few people who were important to her to participate in various capacities. She had one of her Primary teachers and her favorite babysitter to give talks. Alex and I sang a song while Lyana accompanied (Alex, by the way, did an excellent job). Everything was as it should be. I hope she remembers this day forever. I will.
On the way home we drove up the hill near our home for a quick photo shoot. No need to tell her to smile. She was made for the camera.
Later we went out to dinner to celebrate. We found this, out of the way (actually, it's on one of the main streets in town), curry shop. Some friends told us about it, and we've tried to go there before but it was closed then. It's difficult to find not because of it's location but because it just looks like a little house on the corner. It's a quaint cafe with a few tables (some you have to kneel at, Japanese style, but I'm not into that anymore . . . not with 3 kids anyway) and a bookshelf with all kinds of books -- all in Japanese, of course, but the children's books had enough pictures to keep the kids occupied almost until the food came.
Here's what it looks like from the outside, complete with a random American family standing in front of it.
Then we went to beach. Summer is military PCS (Permanent Change of Station) season, which means that the bulk of moving in and out occurs at this time. Last year only a few of our close friends moved out. This year almost all of our friends are leaving, moving to all parts of the world. This day we met a few of them on the beach for a final hoorah. It turned out to be perfect beach visiting (not swimming) weather.
It's just one gigantic sandbox, when you’re a kid.
I can't imagine this group ever being together again.
So in the end it was one fine day -- full of special moments and good memories.
Robert
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