Blackhawk!

Last week, my friend, the other Amy (yes, I always seem to have another friend named Amy wherever I go) spotted two Blackhawk helicopters parked at the elementary school near us. Somehow, none of us heard them land... Of course, we did hear them leave - they shook the windows in my house. So we all headed over after Joy School. Adam and Calum checked out the back seat first.

Then they jumped into the front to drive.

Lottie and Adam hanging out in front of the Blackhawk. Only on a military base can you just walk up and jump in a helicopter. Adam thought it was the best day ever!

Mischief

Crazy Eyes posing with his pull-ups. Adam's still doing pretty well with the potty-training, as long as you remind him to go. He's also decided that he doesn't want to wear his pull-ups for his naps. He's been dry both days, so I guess we are on our way to night training too. Yay!

Dirt Faceplant

What happens when you faceplant right into the dirt. She also managed to eat some of the dirt in her panic. Lucky for a baby, scratches heal fast. They are already gone.

Slide!

Just the very end of the giant slide.

Shikinomori Kouen

Last Monday, we headed to Shikinomori Kouen (Park). It's in Yokohama, so not that far from us. Only 7 stations away, with 1 transfer. After getting lost twice, stopping for lunch at Old McDonald's, and having a great 2 hour hike through the mountains, we finally found the park. There's a nice pond at the entrance.

But what we really came for was the giant slide! It's over 100 yards long, and covered in rollers, so you can go really fast. There are about 5 points where it levels off, to slow you down. We didn't get the memo to bring the cardboard (to use as a sled), but we went pretty fast anyway. It took Adam about 1 1/2 minutes to get down, but some kids were hightailing it in 30 seconds.

Even Lottie went, but we're not sure how much she liked it.

The view from the top.

Plum Blossoms

It's plum blossom season here in Japan. The Japanese are very proud of their four distinct seasons, but there are also other "blooming" seasons as well. Right now, it's plum blossoms, later it will be cherry blossoms. Of course, there are also the fall cherry blossoms... The Japanese love to celebrate!

The pink plum blossoms smell particularly good.

Potty Training

Adam finally figured out how to use the potty. I think the trick was that he never saw the urine come out until he started wearing underpants, and wet didn't ever bother him. So, as soon as he started wearing underwear, he was good to go! We've only had one accident when he was too busy playing with his friends, and one when we didn't quite make it to the toilet in time. He's doing great!

Dancing Queen

Lottie loves groovin' to Duffy.

Our Valentines

We had a fun, low-key Valentine's Day. After a fun trip to Grandberry Mall to ride the Thomas trains, shop the Gap Outlet, and treat ourselves to Coldstone, we came back to nap. Then we made special burgers with bacon and onions, topped with Jarlsburg cheese and more cooked onions. For dessert, raspberry white chocolate mousse with raspberry sauce. Adam loved the mousse, not the raspberry sauce (maybe the seeds?). Lottie also loved the mousse. Maybe next year we'll have our special dinner without the kids, but I'm not holding my breath.

Little Feet

Chew Chew

Lottie is taking full advantage of her new teeth! You can (barely) see the two teeth marks on her tongue from when she fell down while pushing her stroller and bit her own tongue. Oops.

Usually, teeth are really fun though. Like when you can chew on big brother's Mickey ears.

Or his baseball.

Winter?

It was a nice day, so after our morning shopping on the Japanese economy and the kids' naps, we went out to play and take some pictures. Separately, they cooperated, together, not so much.

Amy Version 2.0

Lottie at 9 months.

Amy at 10 or 11 months.

Strolling

Lottie started cruising when her Gram and Bapa visited (only a few weeks ago), and has moved on to pushing her stroller and push toys. I'm amazed at how quickly she's progressed.

Crafty

Because the streets and the gates of the train station are so narrow, we have a hard time with normal width American strollers here in Japan. We usually use this Joovy - a sit and stand. Adam can either sit in the back on the jump seat, or stand on the platform. Sometimes he gets tired, and wants to kick Lottie out of the front seat.

So I made this seat back that attaches with Velcro, so that Adam could lounge, front-facing. He just has to put his feet in the basket.

I think it looks pretty good! This was my first sewing project in over a year. Whew. Adam already loves it. Success!

Crazy Adam

After eating a chocolate donut. Actually, after eating only the frosting off a chocolate donut.

While shopping at the Gap (yes, there are Japanese Gaps, but they have more Japanese style clothes, especially for kids), Adam demanded that Dad take his picture with this mannequin. Holding hands, of course.

Mouthy and Hairy

Look how long my hair is getting!

Hey, if you don't look, I'll yell so loud you'll have to look!

Life in Japan

Sometimes I get so used to living in Japan, that I forgot to post about things that are VERY different from life in the States. For instance, this is a picture of a restaurant that just had its grand opening. We'd passed it when it was opening, and there was a huge line to get in. Even a few days later, there were giant decorations to celebrate. This is normal for all grand openings; usually they have huge live flower displays too. It smells great!

Most people have heard about the vending machines in Japan. Yes, they are all over the place. Since most Japanese live in small apartments, they don't buy a lot in bulk (even a 12-pack of soda would be a lot to store for them), so they just buy one at a time. So, lots of convenience stores and vending machines. For instance, there are 22 vending machines between our house and Camp Zama. This is only a 10-15 minute drive, driving about 20 mph the whole time. Also, these are only the vending machines that are directly on the road. Crazy, but convenient. Also, the drinks are seasonal - since it's winter, most are hot, while in summer, the drinks will switch to mostly cold. Those Japanese are so smart!

Dog Toy

Lottie can pull up anywhere. She's particularly fond of the little owls that WERE living on the plant stand. They aren't living there anymore. But you can see that she doesn't let a little thing like a full basket of dog toys stop her. She's standing in the basket!

Naked!

Sometimes babies just have to get naked! (Usually right before bathtime though.)

Sibling Fun

Adam likes to show Lottie how to use all her toys.

Sometimes she doesn't play with them the way he wants her to.

But they are usually happy to play together!

Tongues

Apparently, giantly long tongues are a dominant hereditary trait.

Rice

For almost a year, Adam has been going though a picky eating phase. But he does like rice. We didn't realize that he would eat almost anything, if it is mixed with the rice. Fried rice ("brown" rice, according to Adam, with, shhh, PORK, EGG, and VEGETABLES, is delicious. Pork, egg, or any vegetables on their own are digusting. So, we tried carrot rice. Thanks to Rachael Ray for the recipe. Adam loves it. Mom is so sneaky.

Teeth

A couple of good pictures of those teeth. They are still not in all the way, but she has five, and one that is almost through. Four on top, and two on bottom. She's only crawling and cruising now, no more rolling!

Funny Family

We're almost recovered from all of our visitors (for the time being). Adam is back in Joy School - they are learning about decisions and obedience, yay! Lottie is being re-sleep trained. We're back up to 7 or 8 hours straight again, thank goodness. Chris is running the little tax center here. He ran the Fort Riley Tax Center, so he's overqualified! Amy is starting preparations for our summer move to Fort Hood, Texas. Mostly we have to figure out how to get Nani back to Texas, and do it in as stress-free a way as possible, so Amy doesn't get shingles again. Fun!

Rings

Lottie's working on her goal to be an Olympic champion!

New Sanno

That night, Adam and Lottie got to spend quality time with their grandparents (aka, free babysitters), while Mom and Dad went to Wellington's, the fancy New Sanno restaurant. Wellington's runs monthly course tasting menus. January was Pacific Northwest, which meant lots of berries and apples. Amy's steak skewers with huckleberry BBQ sauce were especially delicious. It was great having a wonderful dinner without having to feed/referee the kids at the same time. Plus, Adam and Lottie had a great time eating at the family restaurant with Gram and Bapa. Well, Adam ate his sandwich and Lottie shredded some bread. Thank you Gram and Bapa - we look forward to more free babysitting when we move closer to Arkansas this summer. Ha ha.

Almost ready for bed.

Tokyo Fire Museum

After a good lunch at Kua A'ina (Hawaiian burger chain only in Hawaii and Japan), we headed to Yotsuya to see the Tokyo Fire Museum. There was actually a lot to see, and best of all, it was FREE. There was a whole floor dedicated to fire fighting in the Edo period, when they fought fires by strategically destroying buildings to prevent the spread of the fire. This is one of the fire fighting uniforms worn.

What we thought would be the most ineffectual fire fighting vehicle ever - a motorcycle with two fire extinguishers strapped to the back.

There were many hands-on exhibits. Adam made a new friend while he was driving the fire engine (and set off the siren and lights!).

There were even jackets and helmets to wear.

Driving the fire truck!

There was even a fire fighting helicopter on the roof, strategically positioned near the edge, so it seemed like it was about take off.

Mommy liked piloting the helicopter too.

Daddy, Lottie, and Bapa wait for Adam to finish playing on all the fire equipment.