I love Coke!

While we were getting a Japanese Coke out of the vending machine (it tastes better - they use cane sugar instead of corn syrup), Adam exclaimed, "I LOVE Coke!"

"I LOVE hot Coke-co (cocoa)!"

Not even close to the same thing.

Inappropriate

Lottie was the queen of inappropriate behavior tonight. She was feeling her oats after a fun Guam party this afternoon - getting ideas from the big kids! First she pulled out the dog's bowl and bone. Not pictured: when she then chewed on the disgusting dog toy just like a dog.

Then she used Daddy's legs to get a better view of Mommy's magazines. Burgers, yum!

Slumber Party

Adam's other birthday request was a slumber party, complete with movie and popcorn. Calum and Jesse were excited about the movie, but Jesse was not down with sleeping over. They all played trains (with very little fighting), then ate some pizza. Then came the special "popcorn" cupcakes. Of course, the boys ate mostly the tops and left the cake.

Then it was time for the popcorn and movie! They picked The Three Musketeers (Disney version). Jesse headed home soon after, but Calum slept in the "big" (guest) bed. Adam and Calum were excited to eat pancakes for breakfast, then got in another round of train playing before Calum's daddy picked him up. Best party ever!

Huggling Nani

Adam saw Nani blissfully (alone) sleeping on the couch, and thought it would be a good idea to terrorize her. Death by huggle! Nani says, "HELP!"

Back in Season

Japanese baseball is back in season. The Yokohama Baystars had a special game in Sagamihara (where we live!), so we had to check it out. So much better than taking a train for an hour each way. The park even had free parking! Adam (and Lottie) enjoyed his "Japanese Cracker Jack." He decided that he did NOT like the Bay Stars' mascot, which he creatively named "Starhead." He did wave to him every time he came out though.

Sagamihara Stadium is much smaller than a normal pro baseball stadium, which was nice and cosy - for Japan, anyway. My favorite thing about the stadium was that the scoreboard listed the umpires' names. (See in the middle?) WHY?

It was a great game. Yokohama was playing the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters (love that name!), and Yokohama was doing really well, until their pitcher tanked. When we had to leave early (kids and their sleep), the Ham Fighters had tied it up. Exciting! We'll have to see who won tomorrow.

Ma'ohi Nui

On Tuesday, we had the opportunity to see Ma'ohi Nui, a Polynesian dancing group. The club also offered a luau dinner menu - kalua pork, teri chicken, rice, and potato salad. Dinner was better than expected, and the show was awesome. Adam and Lottie loved it - they were clapping and bouncing around the entire time. Lottie is now attempting to say "Alo-ha."

The Tongan spear dance.

These dancers thought Adam and Lottie were super cute.

Adam wants to dance like this dancer!

Azaleas

On Memorial Day, we took a quick trip to Sagamihara Park once the weather cleared up. The zoo was closed, but we managed to find the creek - they put up maps! We found some beautiful azaleas at the creek, and a nice rock for a perch. Adam and Lottie had a great time feeding and chasing the ducks too.

DisneySea

Adam's birthday request was a day at "Dis-eh-ney." The Sommers and we had booked rooms at the New Sanno Hotel for Memorial Day weekend, a full year ago. So we packed up and took the kids to DisneySea on Friday. We did NOT take all of Adam's birthday presents to show Mickey, as per his other request.

Adam and Calum had to take the Disney train. You can see Cinderella Castle in the background.

Lottie and Tate were excited too!

Adam and Calum in front of Mount Prometheus.

The kids took a break after the carousel (two stories!) to check out Jasmine's garden and fountain in the Arabian Coast.

While we were there, Aladdin showed up. Adam was shy, but not scared.

In the Lost River Delta, we found Goofy (in full safari gear). Adam was a little unsure and Lottie wasn't sure at all, but we managed to get a family picture.

We found Chip and Dale too. They were all decked out in Mexican garb. Adam wasn't scared of them at all. Maybe because they were smaller?

The Mythica show was highly recommended. It was on the water, and over the top. There were wave runners, loads of floats, dragons, unicorns, and, of course, the characters. Adam and Calum were entranced.

The great thing about going to Disney with adult friends is that we were able to alternate babywatching so the adults could catch a few height restricted rides. We were able to ride Tower of Terror, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Indiana Jones. Adam and Calum were tall enough to ride the little kids' roller coaster (which actually went really fast), and it was their absolute favorite. They rode it FOUR times, and could have ridden just the coaster all day long.

When I took the boys to the bathroom, the girls both demanded to be held. Good thing Chris has two arms!

Everyone had a great time, and the park was so empty that we were able to ride everything we wanted. Adam is ready to go again!

Boots

Lottie enjoys trying on Daddy's boots. She can't walk in them, but she does like posing for pictures.

Birthday Celebration

Because we were going to the New Sanno Hotel on Adam's birthday, we celebrated a night early. Adam requested doggie cupcakes, which he was able to give to his friends after Joy School. We saved some to eat after dinner.

Adam enjoyed singing "Happy Birthday" to himself.

Happy, because he snuck a peek in all the gift bags and already knows what he's getting. Next year, everything is getting wrapped!

Adam's favorite present - another train set. This one is the Enoden Line in Kamakura, complete with Big Buddha and Enoshima Island.

Hanging Out

Hanging out with Daddy is so much fun.

After Dinner Fun

Adam's nightly fun involves playing with his new train set.

Then unrolling an entire roll of toilet paper while he had his "privacy" on the potty. "Look what I did, Mommy!"

Playtime for Lottie

Lottie's favorite toys are currently fans, trains (when she can tear them away from her brother), and books. She also loves climbing on the furniture.

She loves dogs... and barking!

Happy Birthday Adam!

Ha ha ha! Just wait until I turn into this monster...

What a handful! Usually, a nice one though. Adam is one lucky guy - he's getting a trip to Tokyo Disney Sea for his birthday.

Happy Third Birthday, Adam!

Miyajima

On Thursday we took a train to Miyajima, then got on the ferry to Miyajima Island, in the Seto Inland Sea. It's famous for its huge red torii, (gate) sitting out in the water. Erected in 1875 and made of camphor wood, it's one of the largest torii in Japan (more than 53 feet tall). Miyajima is one of the top three most scenic spots in Japan, according to the Japanese.

Lottie and Adam enjoyed the ferry ride.

I checked the tide predictions before we left - success! We were able to see the torii with water surrounding it. Much more impressive than a torii sitting in mud (you'll see that later in the post).

Miyajima is considered sacred as are deer, so they roam all over the island. Lottie is NOT afraid. She wanted to pet all of them.

Adam is also not afraid anymore. He and the deer are friends. He tried really hard to feed them leaves, but most weren't interested. That didn't stop him from following them around with branches, trying to force feed them.

A view of Itsukushima Shrine - the tide is already going back out. At high tide, the shrine also overlooks the water.

Lottie was more interested in the wood planks than the pretty gate.

Once we got to the shrine, Adam starting running a fever and informed us that he was sick. He spent the rest of our time in Miyajima asleep in the stroller, poor thing.

We took a walk, and on the way back, realized that the tide had gotten really low. Here's the torii sitting on the mud. Not as impressive, but then everyone was walking around on the mud/sand.

We headed back toward the ferry station for lunch and found one of Chris's favorites. Lottie had to try it out.

Lottie making inanimate friends.

Then we found the giant rice paddle.

We decided to eat more okonomiyaki. See how much cabbage is piled on to make one?

After lunch, Adam was feeling a little better, and made a new friend.

Once we got back on the shinkansen, Adam and Lottie both started feeling sick again (the train was super hot - Japanese prefer hot to cold). After napping on both Grandma and Grandpa, we decided that Adam would rest better and cooler if he just laid across two seats by himself. Luckily, the train was not too crowded. He's just a little too long to fit - his feet hung off the end! He started feeling better by Saturday, and Lottie felt better once we took her to the doctor who diagnosed her first ear infection. Antibiotics are great things!