Christmas Photos

We've been trying to take a Christmas photograph of the family on and off for about 4 months, but to no avail.  Usually, we would forget to bring the camera when the weather and Emi-chan were co-operating.  Or we would be running errands and by the time we're done, Emi-chan would be napping.  

Finally, we were able to try a couple of times with my Bro Jeff being photographer.  Needless to say, things didn't go quite as planned.

 Too Far Away

 Emi-chan looking away,

plus Rick doesn't look right

 

Too fuzzy,

and lighting is wrong 

Emi-chan going for the nose

Emi-chan eating her hair

and I look like a fat giantess 

 Emi-chan is looking at the camera

and smiling, but 

Rick and I look pretty bad

Poor Jeff had to put up with us for a couple of afternoons and we're not going to use these photos.  

Bionic Woman

Hmmm.  Something is odd about the microwave.  What is it?  Something is missing from the microwave.  What is it?  Why can't I open it?

 And why is the handle of the microwave laying on the range?  Hmmm.  Could it be that Linda broke off the handle while microwaving a burrito?  Could it be?   

If you answered: Linda broke it, then you are correct.  And yes, I was microwaving a burrito.  Rick said I needed to be careful whenever I used my bionic arm.  

Happy, Happy Halloween!

Rick and I spent quite a bit of time the past 2 to 3 weeks getting Emi-chan ready for Halloween.  Last year, she had a very hard time dealing with walking around in the dark, strangers, and weird costumes and decorations.  She had a much better time this year around because of 1) videos and TV shows that explained Halloween in a very gentle, child-friendly manner (thank you Sprout and Nick Jr.!) and 2) maturity level.  She was able to deal with the strangeness much better this year.  

 There were quite a few events we took Emi-chan to this year.  First was to a small pumpkin patch by our home.  There were jump houses, pumpkins and Arrgh! an inflatable pirate ship she was fascinated by.  I wasn't surprised that she wanted to try out the jump houses.  I was surprised that she, at least at first, wanted to try the giant slides.  She did fine the first time she went up to try the slide, but the next 2 times, she chickened out.  Emi-chan did well, but she was soon overwhelmed and had a tantrum when we left.  

Hello me hearties!

So many punkins!

Last week, there was a Harvest Festival at her preschool and parents and family were invited.  It was cute seeing her classmates march around the school in their costumes.  There were at least 12 princesses and a bunch of Iron Men.  Emi-chan had changed her mind at least 6 different times when it came to what she wanted to be for Halloween.  A pirate!  No, a ladybug!  No, a fairy princess!  No, a ballerina!  No, a pirate!  and on and on it went.  Finally, she decided to be a ballerina.  Then, 20 minutes before we had to leave for school, she had a little tantrum and said no to the ballerina.  So, she went as Abby Cadabby, which she went as 2 Halloweens ago (thank goodness the costume still fit!)

 The parade is about the start!

 Making pumpkin prints

This afternoon, we went to a different pumpkin patch and we had a blast.  The jump houses were much for little kid friendly and there was a small petting zoo.  Emi-chan was in heaven!  She loved the baby chicks and the ducklings.  She was fascinated by the turkeys.  She also spent a lot of time in the jump houses, jumping.  She even wanted to try the hay ride, so we went.  I think Rick was stressed out, though.  

 Hello duckies!

 

 Wheee!

Tonight, we decided to take Emi-chan trick-or-treating in our complex.  Surprisingly many people were home waiting for the trick-or-treaters.  Because there weren't many kids out, the people were very generous.  A couple of people gave Emi-chan handfuls of candy.  We went to only about 10 homes, but her bag was about 1/3 full. It was a very fun day. 

Birthday Parties

Emi-chan was invited to 2 birthday parties recently.  The first one happened late last month, for twin boys, and the second one was for Little Girl A.  

The first one was for a family we recently became friends with.  They had the birthday party for the boys at a local park.  Other than the family, we didn't know anyone else, but we had a good time.

Emi-chan's lunch was a huge chocolate chip cookie

(see evidence on her shirt)

 

 Boo!

The second one was for Little Girl A.  She just turned 3 years old and is a HUGE Dora the Explorer and Go Diego Go! fan.  There was TONS of people at the party.  Emi-chan did great considering how many people were there.  She didn't participate in all the activities, but she did in a couple and had a ton of fun.

 

 Parachute!

 

 Petting Zoo

Emi-chan was in heaven

 So, do you want 

chicken katsu or chicken kara age?

The happy birthday girl

(I think she's tired of smiling for photos) 

 Gasp!

Emi-chan ate frosting and cake!

At the same time!

The Artist

Lately, Emi-chan's drawings are becoming more like what they're supposed to be.  Usually, she just scribbles.  But recently, she began bringing home pictures she's drawn at school that look more like this:

 

    

I wonder if this is supposed to be me or Rick?

Happy Hallow Zoo

I realized I haven't finished posting the fun things Emi-chan and I did during the summer.  Here is one place I forgot to feature.

Just before Emi-chan started school, I took her to Happy Hallow Park and Zoo.  We had tried to go there a few months before with some friends, but Happy Hallow had just reopened and trying to get in was, well, a zoo.  We couldn't even get into the parking lot a mile away.  Needless to say, we ended up going somewhere else, and Emi-chan had a major meltdown.  This time, it was no problem getting in and we had fun exploring the place.  

There was a lot to see and do.  Emi-chan was initially a little overwhelmed and had a minor tantrum, but after a couple of minutes was fine and took off to explore.  She loved the play structure and spent about 1/2 hour climbing around.  

She was fascinated with the amusement park rides.  Mind you, they were pretty mild, but exciting for toddlers and preschoolers.  She HAD to ride this frog one by herself (she saw a Wonder Pets version on YouTube).  I let her go on by herself, and just as you guessed, she freaked out 2/3 into the ride.  She stayed sitting until the end, but she was really spooked.  She hasn't asked to see the video again.  

We visited the petting zoo and Emi-chan loved it.  She liked, especially, the goats.  You were able to feed them and play with them.  Some of the goats got a little fresh, but most were on their best behavior.  

Emi-chan wanted to ride the merry-go-round constantly.  I think we went on 3 different times.  It was actually a good lesson for her in waiting her turn to get on and getting off without a fuss when the ride was over.

I told her it was okay to buy one item at the zoo store, thinking she would pick out a cute, fuzzy tiger or panda bear or a little white pony.  Did she?  NO.  She picked out the biggest, ugliest, colorful, expensive parrot the store had.  I kept pointing her to the cute and cheap little key chains, but she insisted on the parrot.  So, now we are the proud owners of a huge parrot puppet.  Whee.  

There was much more to see and do, but it was hot, and Emi-chan and I were getting tired.  Maybe we'll take another trip to the zoo soon. 

Happy Birthday To Me!

 

Monday was my birthday!  43 years ago, I was born on Labor Day (or least that's what my mama told me) and she never let me forget.  

It was a low key weekend.  Emi-chan got sick, Sick, SICK and I started feeling a little flu-ish, and Rick was tired, like usual.

Still, he put together a nice birthday for me.  He got me a P-Touch Label Maker, yummy desserts from a local French bakery, and Afghan food.  It was a very nice day (except when Emi-chan was throwing a tantrum in the car because some noisy people in the parking lot woke her up from her nap).

First Day At School

Emi-chan started at her new preschool a few days ago.  We were a little apprehensive because during summer school, she cried and tantrumed everyday for 2 weeks (the class was only 5 weeks).  

 Getting a ride from Papa

Waiting for class to start

(notice Rick's "deer in the headlights" gaze?)

Settling in

See you tomorrow!

Emi-chan actually did really well on her first day.  Since then, every morning when I tell her it's time for school, she says, "No cool (school)!"  but she runs into her class room, laughing.  

Happy Birthday! Happy Anniversary!

It's been a while since I've posted.  It's been a very busy couple of months.  Emi-chan's school schedule and my Bro' Jeff's doctors' appointments have kept me on the go most of August.  Despite the busyness, Rick and I took some time to celebrate our birthdays and our anniversary with some friends.  

We rented a building at a local park and asked our friends to come and share a meal with us.  We didn't want presents, so we asked them to bring a dish or 2 to share with everybody.  It was fun!  We had a pseudo Star Trek theme going, with the colors, the cake, a few fun toys, and of course:

 

It was also Uncle Vince's birthday

It was funny that the kids loved the Star Trek toys.  The boys (predictably) liked the phasers, a couple of little kids were fighting over the TOS communicator, and a teenager loved petting the tribble that actually purred and squealed.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take photos of the kids.  

Next year, Star Wars IV: New Hope....maybe.

Happy Birthday!

Rick just celebrated his forty-something birthday 2 days ago.  Happy day!  Happy year!  Fudge brownies are just as nice as birthday cake!

Catching Up

It's been awhile since I've updated this blog.  A lot has happened this past month.  Here are a few highlights:  

 Here is Emi-chan "fishing" for prizes at 

the Obon festival in Watsonville 

 Emi-chan feeding chickens
at Emma Prusch Farm

Hanging out at
Las Palmas Park

Fountain time

Climbing time

My Bro' Jeff
at Physical Therapy
for frozen shoulder

Emi-chan at her swim lesson

Vacation Part 3

After San Diego, we made our way up to LA-LA Land to visit Ted, Yumiko, and Baby Mi-chan. We didn't go to too many places. We spent a lot of time hanging out, eating, and going to different playgrounds with the little girls.

I did get to have lunch with one of my cousins and 2 aunties I haven't seen in awhile. We had a nice visit at a place called Rye 'n Roll.

Whee!

Girls gone giggly

Boys gone goofy

We had a good time with them. The visit seemed a little short. Emi-chan misses Mi-chan.

Vacation Part 2

The second day in San Diego, we went to the San Diego Zoo. We didn't know that we would be doing A LOT of walking, almost all uphill (I know not all of the walking was uphill, but it seemed like it was). I guess we went on a slow day, because many of the cages were empty. A few had zookeepers hanging out in them. We still were able to see many amazing animals.

Cute Koalas

Cuddly Pandas

Awesome Tigers

Freaky Turtles
(Just like in Hawaii, they followed
Rick around)

Emi-chan was a little afraid at
the petting zoo

...but was okay after a few minutes

Before we left, we rode a
little train around the zoo