Last Week: Tanabata

So, not much to do a week in review last week.  We did some story time things.  I had a blood draw.  Grocery shopping.  World cup final on Sunday.  Not much exciting.

But Wednesday was Tanabata – a Japanese holiday celebrating something like two spurned lovers who were turned into stars and only meet once a year on Tanabata when their stars cross.  Don’t quote me on that.  (Although, I do finally have a book on Japanese holidays, so I at least know when they are the basic rudiments of celebrating them). 

So, the main thing is making wishes, writing them on slips of paper and sticking them on a bamboo tree.  The boys were tired, so we didn’t actually go to all that trouble like in years past (and our bamboo tiny plant looks sad from Joe chewing on it).  Our wishes were:  Katsu – do well on research, Amanda – graduate, Andrew – eat chips, and Seth – dance.  Okay, who knows what Seth really wanted, but he was dancing at the time, so …

In honor of Tanabata, that morning, me and the kids went to the Botanical Garden and especially to the Japanese Garden (okay, so maybe it was more in honor of free Garden Wed. morning instead of Tanabata …).  I tried to take pictures but this ended up mostly a nightmare in the Children’s Garden.  Seth desperately wants to be a big kid and climb up everything.  And keeping track of our diaper bag (I will not leave things just sitting there in a big city), Seth, and Andrew AND taking pictures is well nigh impossible.  Just know this – the Children’s Garden is AWESOME (and free twice a week for STL County residents – so double awesome).

 

We then went to the really beautiful Japanese Gardens and fed the koi, the kids favorite part.  The turtles and birds were stealing most of the food today.

Then, the kids played in two separate splash areas, one next to the Chinese gardens and one in the Children’s Garden.  I love splash areas.  I really really do.  Of course, only my kids seem to be obsessed with trying to drink the water (ick!).  Good thing I am not scared of germs at all.

Don’t you wish you lived in St Louis?  Visiting is always second best :-)