the Mama-san bike

This is the great bike I bought from neighbor/friend Amanda.  I will try to blog them before they move. 

 It took Ariel & I a little while to get brave on the bike, but now we are pros.  It's very stable.  Ariel usually falls asleep.  The back seat is for cargo until she gets bigger.  The bike is a bit short for my American legs, but I can put my feet down quickly when we stop.

Shannon was the photographer this day.  She's been busily cleaning and packing.  They leave for their next assignment tomorrow!



just Schmig

Tachikawa

We had an outing to Tachikawa with friends Anna & Noah.  The day was hot and summery, so we stayed cool in Takashimaya department store, exploring the top level restaurants.  The babies loved the different textured floors and view from the top.

zai jian

Bye-bye, Yaoyao and family!  We will miss you!  Thanks for the fun visits & playdates, Chinese books and lunches.  May our paths cross again.

playdate with Crystal

Crystal and family are moving soon, so we had good playtime with them. 

We waited together to adopt.

Crystal's son is delightful, musical, and curious!

We wish them happy travels and adventure in their next assignment.

Chichi no hi

(Father's Day)

Happy Father's Day, Jeff! Only 5 more months until we can have the real you home!

Shibamata

 These photos are from our trip last weekend.  Ariel has fun in the hotel room, especially when we unpack "her star" (Fisher Price Take-Along crib soother with yellow starfish on front.)



Our friends, the Okano family, in Shibamata.  We had a good lunch and shopped a little.

exploring the temple grounds



 the garden at an old house where we had tea

We all got to take our shoes off and walk all around the old house.

 cold green tea!

 Yagiri no Watasi, a famous boat ride across the river to Shibamata.  Only 100 yen! (about $1.20 USD)  Serina spotted a crab on the riverbank.

Tetsuya, Izumi, and Serina

 Guess who climbed into my lap and ate half my dinner?

green donuts for dessert! 

apple

Yum, yum, yum.  Delicioso! (as Dora would say)

The A Report

We had a fun & relaxing weekend sightseeing with our Japanese friends, the Okanos.  Ariel really likes all aspects of travel: riding the bus and train, hotel rooms, new scenery, people, and foods.  We visited the Tokyo Edo Museum (history of Tokyo), rode across a river in a small boat called "Yagiri no watasi", and visited Shibamata neighborhood (a famous movie setting with shops, foods, a temple, old house with garden and tea service.)  It was great to see our friends again.  We even watched some Doraemon cartoon together.  Photos coming soon.  I finally figured out how to increase resolution on my camera.

Here's what's new with Ariel:

• fascinated by numbers, working on learning them and just likes looking at them (license plates, phones, number books)
• also fascinated by learning shapes
• can do sign language for "shoes"
• laughing a lot spontaneously
• ate part of a whole apple while holding it (first time to try it besides apple sauce and apple juice)
• had her first "big girl" meal at Jonathan's (a family style restaurant) - pumpkin, seasoned rice, french fries & ketchup, chicken, carrot & fruit juice
• also had quite a bit of my sushi meal (don't worry, I gave her mostly cooked egg & salmon)
• likes to brush her own teeth now - prefers an adult-size toothbrush, but likes Orajel baby toothpaste with Elmo on the tube

Today we visited Yokota friends who are leaving soon.  They are another China-adoptive family.  I went to the wrong floor of their tower, and ran into a new China-adoptive family!

more Showa Park

 hearing a helicopter

 poppies in bloom

 on the park train

 a full-on run

 on the "sea of clouds"

She took my hat.

bouncy cloud

For my birthday, we went to Showa Park. Ariel was a maniac for the bouncy cloud!

ready to bike

The A Report

• 21 pounds, and 2 feet + 11 inches tall (the weight fluctuates a little - I swear she feels heavier)
• loves tomato sauce and recently guzzled chocolate milk at a "kids' club" dinner on base
• getting into Thomas the Train, Winnie the Pooh, and the Wiggles
• words (or parts of them): Ralph, car, go, "no mine", "no Ma", more (a variation of it), whee, yeah, D (for Dora).  Can do sign language for milk, more, and diaper change.
• enjoys watching Dora so much, she exclaims "D!" when I turn it on
• dances to the ABC song in the kitchen (a magnet toy plays it)
• has new backyard toys we found discarded on the curb (trucks and picnic table)
• avoiding mosquitoes with Avon Skin so Soft
• getting her cuspid teeth - not as painful as previous teeth, but require lots of sleeping!
• has a new Japanese "mama-san" bike that we bought from our neighbor.  Took our first ride today with Ariel asleep in the front baby seat.
• meeting new playmates and their families through our babysitting exchange
• could really use some new coloring books, as the base does not have any.  Sesame Street, Thomas, Pooh, Dora are all good.  We have some Japanese coloring books (Anpanman & Doraemon), but they're a little different.
• could also use a good healthy cookbook for toddlers

Memorial Day part 2



Good food and conversation with neighbors Amanda & Allison (and their husbands, kids, and dog!)

Memorial Day

 To honor all who serve, we joined friends for lunch and play.  First, we basked in a sunny break from rainy weather.

Ariel fell asleep on the way to Lance and Anna's house.



But when she woke up, she was happy to see her buddy Noah.

Even little Sakura gets in on the fun.

Noah is kind enough to share his Cozy Coupe.



stacking cups

 We had an evening with Sarah & Sophie through our babysitting exchange.  They're older than Ariel and live across the street.  They give us new play ideas!  Ariel finally decided to stack her stacking cups, but Ralph found it boring.