I got a bit Japanese the other morning and made onigiri for breakfast. As expected, Baby B couldn't get enough.

heading to his helo

I received a special treat recently from Daddyo. Can't think of anything I like more than pictures. Sure is great to see him.


There will be quite a few more sunrises till he returns.


Always in our thoughts and prayers.

Cloud Park is a fabulous place to take the kids to play. Watching aircraft buzz overhead on their approach to the runway makes it all the more fun.


It does get a bit noisy.


But it's amazing how accustomed the kiddos become to it. They just continue on with their jumping.

Life is a picnic. Grandma and Grandpa spent the morning with EJ at photo shoot in Tokyo for Rope Picnic.


It's always fun to see how this:


Turns into this:


They finished with some extra special drinks.

 

Recital weekend finally came to EJ's yochien. The whole school had spent a lot of time practicing for this special event and I was excited to finally see the show. Ours was schedule for bright and early Sunday morning. I arrived at 8:10 a.m. with my number 12 ticket in hand to find our seats. I guess parents had started lining up for seats hours in advance in the past so they had switched to a lottery system. My low number meant I got my pick which was a blessing with two little ones. Close enough to see the show but on the side for an easy exit if needed.


Amazingly the kids were perfect the whole three hours in the seats. Here is EJ's class's portion of the recital.


Three classes performed for us; one at each age level (three years, four years, and five years)

First were the musicals.


Then the signing and band performances.


Having EJ get the experience she has at this wonderful school has been the biggest blessing. I'm so happy our timing works out that she can enjoy another school year with them!

recital flower

I love how strawberry season is at it's height in the middle of winter in Japan. The juicy red berries are the first thing to greet you when you walk into the grocery store. While I love eating a few in the comfort of my home, it's even better getting to eat all I want in a warm sunny greenhouse. As I probably mentioned in last year's strawberry picking post, picking here in Japan means eating as you go.

The kids were immediately up for an excursion to a farm by a friend's house.


 It was a beautiful day for picking. Flowers were in bloom everywhere. I had to keep reminding myself it was the middle of February.


We were given our little trays with sweetened condensed milk and assigned a row in the greenhouse. 


Then we were off to enjoy as many strawberries as we liked in thirty minutes.


Even Baby B got in on the picking. He was covered in red juice by the end with no signs of an allergy.


Fortunately the season lasts for a couple more months so next time should be with DaddyO!

We took my parents to my Dad's favorite restaurant in Japan.


 He got busy making the takoyaki, okonomiyaki, and yakisoba with the kids.

 They love the food.


Baby B sneaked some hugs between bites.