Snow

On Tuesday night, we got a lot of snow! We haven't had any snow that has stuck this winter, so Adam was especially excited when he saw it on Wednesday morning. Our neighbors from Hawaii built this snowman the night before - they were up until 10:30 PM making it.

Lottie thought the snow was interesting, but hates her snowsuit. She can't move around very well in it.

We love snow! But, it was all gone by lunch. Now it's time to get ready for spring.

Girl's Day

The 3rd of March is "Hina-Matsuri" (Doll's Festival) or "Momo-no-Sekku" (Peach Blossom Festival), or Girl's Day. It has been celebrated in Japan since the Edo Period (17th - 19th century). On this day, families with young daughters celebrate this event at home to ensure their daughter's future happiness. They decorate Hina-Ningyo (special, beautiful dolls which are replicas of an ancient emperor and empress and their subordinates). These are ceremonial dolls, handed down from generation to generation. They are displayed for a few days in the best room of the house after which they are carefully boxed and put away until the next year. It is considered bad luck to display them past March 3. Peach blossoms, symbolizing a happy marriage, are also used to decorate. The blossoms signify the feminine traits - of gentility, composure and tranquility. We've seen many beautiful treats decorated with peach blossoms in the Japanese grocery stores. We haven't celebrated with Lottie's other baby girl friends yet, but it is customary to have a little girly party as well. Happy Girl's Day, Lottie! We are glad to have a beautiful little girl to celebrate.

Dentist

Adam had his first dentist appointment today. We pretend played about visiting the dentist first, which seemed to make him a little apprehensive, but when he finally got in the chair, he was great! He enjoyed the big chair. He opened up big (like a hippo) so the dentist could count his teeth - he has all twenty. COL Valient (what a great name) said that Adam was a great patient.

Then his hygenist cleaned (i.e., brushed) his teeth. She also let Adam play with the water suction tube, which was fun for a little while, but then he didn't want it anymore. So she only did a little fluoride on his teeth, with the promise that we would put more on his teeth in the future. Then she let him pick a toy from the good patients toy chest. He, of course, picked a car. Because he doesn't have enough of those. Then Grandpa and Lottie, who got to watch, got him a James train from the toy store. Yay!

Time with Grandpa

Grandpa (Chlapowski) came to visit for a few days after his trip to Korea. We tried to ride the ponies at Sagamihara Park, but they were resting (i.e., closed). So we played at the playground instead.

Adam had a great time making friends...and trying to make friends. These older kids ignored him the entire time, but he did his best to get them to like him! He followed them around for a good half an hour, but they were NOT interested.

Curls

I attempted to curl Lottie's hair the other day. Unfortunately, it's like Mommy's, and so fine that the curl fell out in a few hours. But, here are the waves, while they lasted.

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.