The Calendar!

Yep, I should be napping now, but I can't bring myself to it when there is so much to be done in the house....am I doing any of it? No, but I am thinking about it(Plus I've worked dang hard this week and Clark is teething again!). So while I think about what I should do, here is our episode of Japan Cool!(I think I should do a few of Japan Sucks! just to even things out a bit...so stay tuned).

This week is all about Japanese Holidays. The last two weeks in a row Masaki has had Monday off because of national Holidays. This Monday was to celebrate Fall Equinox. For a complete list, visit wikipedia.

(This is at a party at Church during this holiday weekend)




He will also get Monday off in two weeks to celebrate Health and Sports Day. There was a law passed a few years back that if a holiday falls on a weekend, you get the following Monday off. How sweet is that?!?!?! The Japanese also get more national holidays than Americans(haha) and they have created a holiday in May just to make the official holiday week (aptly named Golden Week) so that everyone gets more time off.

Oh and get this, we may not get Christmas off, but we do get the current Emporer's Birthday off, which happens to be December 23rd( LDS - what famous LDSaint was born on Dec 23rd?)

Ok, so what about Thanksgiving? It turns out Nov 23rd is a national holiday......soooooooo....we celebrate it on the 23rd. Last year it was a Thursday, so that worked out splendidly, Friday will be pretty awesome too.

The sucky thing is, the traffic...everyone travels on the holidays, so be prepared for traffic. Oy!

Here is what we did on our last holiday weekend with Obaachan and Ojiichan. We took a trip to a sushi restaurant so Clark could stare at the fish.

tagged

Ok, so Hatsuho tagged anyone who wanted to do this and I want to do this...so there!

It is cute

1) Where did you meet your husband?
I met him twice..kinda, both times at church. I had just moved to Japan and decided to go to the local Church instead of the English one all the way in Tokyo, and he was there. He left for Utah 3 days later, and I moved before he got back, but we were still in the same stake so we met again at Stake Conference a few months later, in the English room(it was a broadcast Conference).

2) What was the first thing you said to your husband?
'Are you American?' For those of you who have met Masaki, you know how stinkin' rad his English is. He does make a few mistakes from time to time, but for the most part his English is spot on, so I was surprised to see him far away from the English crowd speaking so well. Turns out, he is Japanese, and just REALLY awesome linguistically.

3) Where was your first date?
At my dad's apartment in Tokyo. I was visiting, and he had just taken the test for his second black belt, so he came to Tokyo and we made spaghetti. Dad was nice enough to go hang out with his friend's and give us some time to talk without doing the akward dad thing.

4) Where was your first kiss?
After our date at DisneyLand. I was getting on the train to head back to my place(a nice 2 hr train ride...yeah!) and right after we hugged, he just kissed me on the train platform in the middle of a cold January night. How romantic! I kinda think all the people on the train must have thought it was a very rude PDA.

5) Did you have a short or long engagement?
SHORT! We were older, my visa was going to expire, and we wanted to see Star Wars Episode III shortly after it came out, so we got married after 3 months or so.

6) Where did you get engaged?
Two places, sort of. We decided to get married after going to the Temple together and praying/fasting about it, but the official engagement started when he gave me the ring on a walk in the park near his parent's house after Stake Conference. We didn't think the ring was going to come in so fast, so he surprised me, got down on one knee near a little stream/waterfall, and viola!

7) Where were you married?
Salt Lake City Temple. Most of his friends were/are in that area or from there and my sister was living in Sandy and had just had Tenna, so it was easier for us to go there and just bring his parents and brother and his wife with us.




8) How did the reception go?
They were great! I loved having a picnic at the park, it was very relaxed. I think other people liked it too. I did get sunburned though. The Japanese reception at our Stake Center was interesting, mostly sitting and watching people entertain us with jokes, singing, speeches. We did do a cake cutting and feeding each other off of a ping pong paddle and a golf club. I got to eat a lot more at the Japanese reception, which was very nice.




9) How was the honeymoon?
Fun, but we were jet lagged and I got sick. It was a lot of fun to see the Grand Canyon, and spend some time in Sin City. Shortly after we got back to Japan, Masaki quit his job because they couldn't pay him anymore, so before we both became gainfully employed again, we had a little over a month to hang out together. That was a nice honeymoon extension. We did a lot of bike riding, went to the beach a few times, and watched a lot of movies. That was a way better honeymoon.




oh yeah and uhm, The Wan fam, mayzaboo and neferstie are all tagged(once again if they want to)

Clarkendous!

Yep....a take off of stupendous. I have a lot of fun thinking these up, well actually I go to a thesaurus, but it is still a fun way to expand my vocabulary(yeah, I know, I'm sick for enjoying vocab expansion).

Sorry it was a rough week, so no pictures, he looked miserable a lot of the time anyway, but I'll try to take some this week. He is feeling better though. His cough is lingering a bit, but he is happy and his appetite has returned, though he still spits out any meat I give him.

Now onto Clark!

New this week: He can sign fish, bird and Jesus(well kinda it is more like brushing his hands together, sticking a finger in his mouth and clapping, but he is trying and he is very deliberate about it). Masaki says he said the choucho(Japanese for butterfly). He can walk pretty well for short periods of time now. Oh, he can sign milk/nurse(which he did when he woke up crying at 1 and 4 am on Friday night). Started saying buu for airplane, because that is the sound it makes. He can turn his baby pushcart around by himself now.

Likes: fish, flowers, airplanes, edamame, Japanese food, dogs, plants, oatmeal, pumpkin muffins, shower time

Dislikes: meat, dogs barking, mommy wanting to sleep in


So if anyone knows any good info on raising a vegetarian baby let me know. I figure if he doesn' t like meat, I'll try again from time to time, but I won't push him and I'll work on a balanced diet for him now. It would probably be good for us to not eat as much meat as well, so I am kinda excited by this challenge.

Yummy Food

I have discovered some GREAT things at the super markert recently. For this week's Japan Cool! I'll share two of my current favorites.

First is something called kanten. It is gelatin made from veggies. No cow hooves or anything here. I got it as an egg substitute so that some of the stuff I bake for Clark will stick together better. The egg susbtitute I got from mom a few months ago has wheat in it, and we recieved it pre-wheat allergy knowledge. So I needed to find something else to make stuff sticky. I can throw in some extra baking powder and a little bit of this powder and viola, GREAT barley pumpkin muffins for Clark. YEAH!


Second is something called dashi iri miso. It is basically miso paste with fish bullion in it. Real miso soup is made with fish stock, but since I have no idea how much to add, this makes my life a lot easier since I don't have to figure out the right proportions for two ingredients.


I know, it is really weird stuff, but it is stuff I will definitely miss it in the States.

ciao!

Nothingtarian Baby

So at first I thought Clark was turning into a vegetarian. He's not a big fan of meat, but lately he just doesn't want to eat anything. I know it is because he is sick(especially since he gave it to me and I don't want to eat much), but I know if he eats, he'll get better faster. Though we have this problem in general. Any tips on feeding a toddler? I want to try a nibble tray but he'll just throw everything around, and I can't leave crackers/cheerios out for very long or they get soggy. ANY ideas would be appreciated.

PLEASE!


Here is documentation of our attempt to get him to eat blueberry yogurt the other day, he picked out the blueberries and left the yogurt, but not before leaving a hand print on his face!





Oh! and our love the earth tip of the week, 'just say no to super-size'. There have been studies(if someone can find it online let me know) that show it actually costs you more to super size it because of the money you have to pay for the resultant health problems, the extra gas you spend to shuttle extra weight around, new clothes, more food to feed a bigger person, etc. So if you are thinking about it, for your health, for your wallet, for your gas mileage, and for the earth, get a regular order. Hey and if you are allergic, sensitive or intolerant to sulfur or sulfa here are some extra reasons to not eat fast food in the first place(I stumbled here afer googling about egg allergies...hmmm life makes more sense now). It was very informative about how much sulfur is used to preserve our foods. I've had reactions to sulfa drugs and dried apricots, but reading how much sulfur is in everything it gives me more motivation to make my own stuff so that I don't have to deal with the artificial sulfur, just the natural occuring stuff. It was fun reading!!!

...don't forget, how do I feed my toddler??? He wants to play with everything, and feed himself!

Bento TV...oooooh!

So I wanted to post about nori punches as part of Japan Cool, but didn't find any pictures I liked, but while searching I did happen upon this jem! She teaches you how to make a Japanese bento a.k.a. a lunch in a box. It is quite neat and since I blogged about egg shapers and rice molds she teaches you how to use those egg shapers and rice molds (btw- QS just need to find a box for you and we're good to go!). It is pretty sweet!

Clarkelous

So here is the Clark post for the week...ok so they all are mostly, but this is fun, because it includes the video of him practicing his mad walking skills. Enjoy


New This week: can say and point to a Cat (ka' ka') ok so it isn't new but Masaki keeps reminding me to write it. Tried swimming class, loved it, and was SUPER excited about the timing clocks and kept shouting clock(ga' ga') over and over again at me. He can walk! He ate some bitter root(goya). Using the electric toothbrush(HALELUJAH! it is a toothbrushing miracle! we can get our teeth clean this way)

Likes: Finding Nemo(to get him to sit and drink since he is sick and wouldn't stop and drink anything!), edamame, pumpkin, sweet potato, ham, cheese, books, fish, flowers, airplanes

Dislikes: most forms of meat, getting his nose wiped, being sick

The fast and the furious 4: Baby Tokyo Drift

For this week's Japan cool here is one of my favorite, pseudo old fashioned Japanese toys. It has been helpful in letting Clark learn to walk and gain confidence in his balance without as much fear of falling. I think it has made a big difference. I know there are similar things in the US, but I just like this because it is made of wood, and Masaki had one just like it when he was a baby(only his had bunny's instead of chicks).

Sorry the video is so long, just watching a bit you'll get the idea, but my first time editing, give me a break. Oh and he does scream like that every time he uses it. He's just really excited, it isn't road rage.

Bronchitis

It turns out Clarky has a mild case of Bronchitis. He started getting a phlegmy cough on Wednesday and it has gotten pretty bad, so we took him to the Dr. today to get it checked out. He said it was a mild case and he can still go for walks outside and take a bath. I will be trying to help him get as much rest as he can, which also means, we're skipping church tomorrow so that he can get a good nap in. We got a decongestant and I think an expectorant, which may be helping a bit, but he still is REALLY restless. Masaki went upstairs to check on him and he was completely off the futon in the middle of the floor. Poor guy. The stranger thing is, he is still REALLY smiley!

I wish I could say I haven't been posting because he has been sick, but that is a lie. He's been going to bed super early, so we get in some good TV watching, we're half way done with season 4 of Smallville. Yes, I know that is very behind, but hey we haven't seen it yet.

I'll try to get some stuff up durring nap time tomorrow, or maybe I'll make treats instead. Who knows. I'll try harder next week. Until then, I'm off to cuddle with my sick sleeping baby.

A Day of Firsts

Yesterday we had a lot go on. We went to baby swimming lessons for the first time, which Clark enjoyed a lot. We'll think about it because it is a bit pricey. Then I made my first batch of really good miso soup. I've made it before, but this time it turned out like real miso soup should! YEAH, there is hope. Another first, Clark fell asleep next to Masaki. Usually I lay down next to him, and he falls asleep, but last night he was OK with Masaki there instead, PLUS, he didn't wake up until 5:30. That is right, no nursing at night! SWEETNESS! Of course he was awake after that and wanted to play, but hey at least it was an unbroken night of sleep. We'll have to try that again. Oh and while it wasn't yesterday, this weekend he ate at the table for the first time.

Not much else...ohh hey since I haven't done this yet let me just say, wanna save the planet? Save some water, take a Navy shower. Ok, that is extremely tough in the winter(ohh do I know, I usually chicken out in the winter), but if you shut off the water(you can find special showerheads to do this) while you soap up not only can your conditioner stay in longer for soft luxuriou hair but you save a bucketload of water. I learned this trick from my super thrifty( I say 'cheap' when I'm mad at him) husband. He's way good about it, I'm still learning, but something I'm working on. Good thing for places like, oh, the whole West Coast that is huge swaths of desert.

Oh and 'cause I love Clark's little gang sign in this pic I'll add it....look where his foot is. He does that all the time.

Top 10 baby!

So my sister made 2 lists of how she has been a good mom and bad mom that day, then my mom did it, and well I have to now too. (By the way, it is a fun 'I have to' not a begrudging 'I have to') I think I'll do mine for this week, because I am too prideful to see all my faults for today.

Bad mom! you...

1. ...fell asleep for the umpteenth time after nursing Clark in an attempt to get HIM to sleep...
2. ...let Clark play with coins, AGAIN, just because you want him to walk again...
3. ...stayed in bed and let him whine for a while at the baby gate because you didn't want to get up and get breakfast going at 6:20am
4. ...gave Clark an edamame off the floor because he saw it and wanted it REALLY bad...
5. ...took Clark for a 2 walks in the rain(hey he was covered)...
6. .. let him stand on the chair at the kitchen table to play with the blender...and then left to get the camera! despite the fact that he fell off the chair on Friday...



7. ...let him play and stand on the counter...
8. ...haven't used the zucchini Masaki got you two weeks ago!...
9. ...aren't prepping dinner...
10. ...haven't vacuumed in almost two weeks, and this week isn't looking too hot either...


Good mommy! You...
1. ...took a walk this morning AND did your rocking Ballet video that left you sweaty and invigorated...
2. ...made Clark finger foods out to whazoo so that he'll start eating again...
3. ...bought Whole milk for Clark...
4. ...didn't feed Clark goldfish no matter how much you wanted to...
5. ...didn't buy the snickers bar that was calling your name at the grocery store...
6. ...took a picture of Clark in his new shirt from Obaachan and sent it to her...
7. ...sent a love note to your hubby...
8. ...earned enough English money to pay for groceries this week...
9. ...printed your voting registration, so you can vote from Japan, and set a good example for your husband and son...
10. ...planned all your dinners for this week(but you're also already deviating from that plan and it is only monday!)...


Hehe, so next person is...well anyone who reads the blog and thinks this looks like a fun thing to do. I will single out the Queen and Kim & Co, if they feel like it.

In pictures here is Clark trying to climb into our ultrasonic cleaner. The concept of size hasn't quite sunk in yet.

We have lift off!!!

Sorry for the slightly cryptic title, but it fits, because guess who walked today?!?!?! Masaki said he took a step yesterday so he started baiting him today. Clark LOOOOOOOVES money, especially the 10 yen coins(he tries to eat the 1 and 5 yen coins), so today Masaki held out a 10 yen coin for him to grab, but stayed far enough away that he'd have to walk towards it...and he did!!!!

This was going on while we were having a primary meeting, so everyone got to cheer him on, it was a lot of fun and he'd take like 5 or 6 steps at a time! He did get tired by the end and seemed to be done for the day once we got home, but we'll try again tomorrow! YEAH Clarky!

Let's go to the Clarktreme!

Yep, that is extreme...

First and foremost, we survived our typhoon. Yeah, didn't make the news anywhere, I mean who cares about a Category 2 storm anymore? It was pretty gnarly though, I woke up to the wind and rain in the middle of the night, even with the storm shutters closed....anyway, onto the purpose of this post...CLARK!

New this week: Can say and use the word 'hot'(ha) at appropriate times on his own, like when his food is hot and includes the sign for 'hot'(well the Tenna sign, which is just holding up your hand like when you say stop), started saying buh buh for bye bye from time to time, ga'ga' for Clock, is obsessed with his ghost book, airplanes, and still fish. He's starting to let me brush his teeth again. He won't let me feed him anymore, he wants to do it on his own. He can pat his mouth while he makes noises so that it sounds like wah wah wah wah. In fact while we were laying down to try to sleep, he lifted up my shirt and started doing that to my stomach! Starting to walk while holding onto me with 1 hand!

Likes: anything soy based, soymilk, edamame(his secret identity on other blogs to preserve his anemone...er anonimity), tofu(he ate a whole square by himself...that is about 2/3 cup, and kept wanting more..I swear all this fidoestrogen in the soy, he's gonna turn into a girl!), fish, money, his baby walker, books, cat tails, going outside, airplanes, pretty much the same as last week. Chili Beans.

Dislikes: rain ALL DAY and being stuck inside

And now for pictures from this week's highlights.

Yummy yummy soymilk

Today on a very special episode of Japan cool....ok j/k, I just felt like sounding like an afterschool special for a few seconds. Our list is a hodge podge of words and food today.

So I was teaching my neighbor English on Tuesday and she said the word 'money game' turns out it means investing and playing the stock market. I just thought it was interesting take on the whole concept

Number 2 is this yummy drink

I love it, Mixed fruit flavored soy milk, for 90 yen(75cents). It is great, but now when Clark sees it go into the cart, he grabs it immediately. If I want any peace durring the check out process, I have to open it up and he drinks ALL of it. My dang tofu/soymilk/edamame lovin' kid. He ate like a cup of tofu by himself for lunch today!

The last thing is this. I was blessed enough to be able to do a guest post on CW's blog on co-sleeping. Now I know it is not for everyone, but here in Japan, it widely practiced. I also know futons on the floor aren't for everyone(plus they aren't those super thick 'futons' in the US) especially when you are 8-9 months pregnant, but they work well for us. On the nice side, I don't worry about Clark rolling off because he'll only 'fall' 2 inches or so. Anyway, I was looking through a catalogue today and began lusting after this. Only in Japan!

Yep, three, four or five person bed, sweeeeeeet!

See how much fun we have in ours!


our grandma when she visits


mind you these three are also blasts from the past...he's still way tiny in these!

Typhoons are taifun!

Yep, we have a typhoon(Japanese: taifuu) headed our way, almost straight for Tokyo actually, which is something a little different. They usually come up from the south. We just had a MASSIVE clap of thunder that for some reason didn't wake up Clark. The next two days are going to be very wet. Luckily we got our walk in already. Clark was up and fed by 7 today, so we walked Masaki to the train station, which is a good 20 min each way! Plus I have to book it to keep up with Masaki, and wore Clark so that if needs be we could use an umbrella. It stopped raining right after we left the house, so I didn't need an umbrella at all...le sigh.

I got a kick out of the comments on one of Pam's posts. I had emailed Pam about a post a bit back because of the way Andi's pupil looked. I had read up on retinoblastoma a few months earlier and was a bit worried. Turned out it was her softwares way of taking out red-eye. Oy! So yeah, that isn't as funny (and for those with retinoblastoma it is no laughing matter) but I LOVE Sarah's reply to us. I busted out laughing....thanks Sarah!

Return of the Trees

Yep, it has been over a month since I gave you an update on the trees. Summer is comming to a close(though a bit hot still), so I thought I'd give a nice update before the stop growing so fast. The Avocado has seriously grown 3 feet this summer. The mango is doing great and has quite a few leaves. We'll keep it in a pot over the winter and try to plant it in the yard next summer. I am so excited! Even if they never fruit, just seeing them grow so well is a ton of fun. Next year I'm going to try biwa, a.k.a. the loquat, and see how that goes.

For a comparison of the mango tree, read to the end of this post.



It is hard to see the top of the tree, because it is partially covered by another, but it is right above those branches, kind of hidden by the glare of the sun, but if you want to compare, check out this post and see where it used to be in relation to our kitchen window.

Bike-a-thon

Ok, so I'm a total dweeb and want to give another environmental-love tip o' the week, maybe I should really start making it a weekly thing, but I'd probably crack under the pressure.

Anyway, here it is. Grab a backpack, one of those kiddie carriages(like you hook on the back of your bike) and ride to the grocery store.


Not only are you doing something nice the the earth(yeah!! props for you!) but you are exposing your kids to fresh air(hopefully not too much exhaust), giving yourself some exercise and a tan, and only taking a few more minutes each way. Are you worried about stuff staying frozen? Take an ice pack wrapped in a towel with you. You may not be able to carry as much, but then that means you have to ride again tomorrow and gosh darn it, get more exercise! It may even help you decide to eat more fresh veggies when you see them at the market. Have a kid who can ride their own bike, make them carry something home in their backpack too(something light though, no gallon of milk please).

Wait you say! The store is within walking distance....bring a sling, load up the stroller at the store, and sling the kidlette up on the way home, even more exercise for you, and bonding time with mom....SWEET!

Ok, I know it sounds crazy, but hey it is the way we have to do it here. I know this isn't plausible for everyone, but if it is, give it a shot and see what you think.

Today's Obstacle Course

We are trying to get a morning walk in as many days as possible, for mommy's health, but today's walk was especially trecherous. We were on the homeward bound trails in the forest and I was looking at the path up ahead and thinking to myself 'hey, I don't remember that branch from before.' With a quick start I realized it was a SNAKE! Yep, kinda freaky since Clark in the stroller would have come upon it first. Plus there are signs all over the forest that say to watch out for POISONOUS snakes. Yeah, I was freaking out. In the end we waited and it slowly slithered away and we were back on our merry way until...

...The Jehova's Witnesses. Yep, we had turned up our street when I saw them, I turned around quick and walked up and down a few other streets until they were almost gone. I think they saw me, because I heard a knock on our door a few minutes later, but didn't answer. I feel for them, really I do, I know how tough it is going door to door to share a message about Jesus, but when I say I don't want to hear anymore and they keep talking to me despite the fact that it is obvious that my baby is getting fussy, I loose a lot of sympathy. So now I just ignore them. I don't know which was scarier, the snake or the JWs.


Anyway on a more fun note, Clark had a blast last night. We were coming home from playing with the neighbor kids, like we do every night, when we chance upon our next door neighbor. Clark LOVES her, she is like a grandma that lives next door. He squeeled when he saw her and then they started to play with her hose spray nozzle. About 10-15 min later they were still giggling, but he was totally soaked and it was way past dinner time, so I had to take him in. He loves our neighbors, it is so cute. I documented it in photos, enjoy!

Find of the Century!

We took a family expedition to Costco on Saturday to fill up on some much needed supplies when we came across this gem!



So to all you in America, this may not seem big, but this is the first time EVER it has been in Costco here. Usually a single packet of taco seasoning can go for upwards for $4 in the store. We are cheap and fill our suitcases with them when we hit the States, but this frees up a bit more room for us to bring back other stuff now. I am so excited!!!

On a slightly related note. After reading some of the blogs of my single friends, recently discovered blogs I might add, I have decided my life is a bit boring. I enjoy it, and I'm fairly busy most of the time, but WOW, I have really settled down. Hey as long as I am happy with taco seasoning and ice cream makers though, I doesn't matter if I miss the trips to Mexico =).

Plus it helps that Masaki is DEAD sexy. He was flexing his biceps for me last night. Wow, I am so glad he likes to stay in shape.

Life is so Clarktastic!

Oh I think I am going to have fun thinking up titles like this. What kind of exciting adjective can I use next? A noun would be fine too, I believe. Anyway, after a tiring, but fun weekend, time to post a bit on my lovely baby boy.

Big events this week: Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of the following words, hikouki(airplane), apple, fish, wan-chan(puppy dog), Added buh buh(bye bye) to his active vocabulary, Starting to think about walking, BEGAN SIGNING! he can do food-which kind of means food and water, and more-means more, especially if he likes what he is eating, He is sitting forward facing in the carseat now, Tooth number 8 finally cut through!

Current Likes: Fish, money, barley crackers, cats tails(the weed variety), pictures of cats, our mini-wedding album, ghost storybook, airplanes, playing outside, baby push-walkers, his new straw sippy cup.

Current Dislikes: Salmon(for some reason not a good week for salmon, but white fish is great!), bed time, mommy brushing his teeth(oh the torture for both of us!), not going outside



...and now, since I've changed blog software twice in the last several months, a blast from the past for all new and old readers!





Oh, and one of his 'rejected' passport photos from last year, it was super cute, but didn't fit specifications