Recently Purchased

Sorry I have posted in an eon in the blogosphere. I would at the bare minimum like to post at least once a week, but the days and nights are just getting by me.

Here are some recently purchased items:Lemon sake purchased after a few tastings at the sake breweries across the bridge

Pewter sake cups purchased at Fuji-sans

Bowls I bought when Celia took me to Fuji-san's - a house chock full of antiques in Kobe.

Minpei Yaki bowls- Mid 1800s - the end of the age of Edo

My latest purchase. Really, I think I've talked enough about this problem.


Since I have a pile of pictures on my camera(s) that I haven't downloaded or uploaded. Here's a little September slideshow:

Fi-ya Fi-ya

Max is changing daily and is doing many new cool things now that he's two. Here's a few:

• He loves to YELL: Bye-yi Bye-yi when he's leaving places, especially daycare!
• He's still really into books - we have to cut him off each night, his favorites he'll ask to read OVER and OVER and OVER again, in a row, like Brown Bear, Brown Bear, The Flea's Sneeze, Blue Train, Green Train, The Very Hungry Caterpillar
  
• He's really been eating well and sleeping well which makes Mommy happy!
• He's in love with Anpanman - a Japanese cartoon character.

• He loves to ride his bike or be on the back of my bike
• He still puts EVERYTHING in his mouth - ughhh...
• He still cries when we leave him at daycare, he's only not-cried twice.
• He's saying more and more in English and he'll say "hai" (yes) and "Ohayo" (informal good morning) and "konnichiwa" (hello) and "arrigato" (thank you) - kinda
• He loves trains and bubbles, but he ends up getting frustrated and losing his temper playing with both.
• He has a wicked temper and usually ends up hurting himself because he flails around and throws himself backwards.
• He still likes animals BUT loves things that go - he points out every motorcycle, airplane, helicopter...
• Tells everyone around him he loves them when he's happy. It's cute, but I think it freaks people out a bit. Luckily strangers don't understand him!
  

I have been bad about taking video lately, but I love to have the little snippets so you can really catch a glimpse of his personality (and so I can remember the cute and sometimes not-so-cute things). He started this "Fire, fire" thing lately, from what, we don't know. And as you read above, proclaims his love when he's happy, so he gives his affection to Savannah by showering the picture (which is too big to fit on any wall in our house) with kisses because he's oh-so-happy playing with his cement mixer that happens to put out fires.

When 7:00 PM feels like Midnight-Thirty

It's been a super full week:

• Work
• Shipment arrived
• A visit to the pediatrician for a check-up and TB test
• A visit to the school nurse tonight after school to read TB skin test
• Putting all personal belongings away (Thank God For John Lemley)
• Washing almost all clothing before putting away - PEEE - YOUUUU - mustiness.
  
• Washing all kitchenware before putting away - mold problems

BUT!!! The house is almost put together. I'll post a couple of pictures once it is. All we need now is a TV and to await the arrival of our Apple TV from the states!

The piles in our bedroom once the boxes were emptied and taken away.

A drinking problem

A little mold with your bacon?

Okay, this list doesn't seem horrendous, but this week has been a bit tiring. Max is doing better at his daycare, some mornings not fussing at all, but not being consistent about it. He is off his pacifier and monkey during the day at daycare, so that's good. Unfortunately in a week, there's a Japanese holiday that we don't have totally off and Max's daycare is closed, so he'll have to go to the daycare at Canadian Academy. It'll be nice to have him close, but he's just gotten used to going to Yume Club, so hopefully the transition there and back will be okay.

We're happy tomorrow's Friday. We've made plans to go out on Saturday for Kobe beef. We're trying out a babysitter and hopefully all goes well.

Before The Boat

Tomorrow our shipment is due to arrive at our apartment. Hopefully all goes well after its long anticipated arrival. We've been living off of six suitcases worth of stuff + Ikea purchases + multiple trips to the 100 Yen store since June 26th.

Here are a few pics of our apartment before our many boxes arrive. I wonder if we'll like it more or less after we receive our belongings! Besides wanting our kitchenware and a few more outfits to cycle through, it's amazing what you can live without.

There are a few other photos of our apartment and Ikea purchases from our first couple of weeks here in our Picasa folder.

Our tatami room converted into a dining room.
I'm bummed we had to cover the tatami flooring,
but it needs to be protected from
the weight of the furniture + Max slinging food at meal times

Our bedroom

Max's room

Living green - Our new composter and John's rock garden.

And a few other cute shots I got tonight as I was taking pictures of the house.
These two things definitely make our house a home!

2-3-4

Tonight we had party for Maximo (the 2 year old), Tess (the 3 year old) and Allie (the 4 year old). We lugged tons of food and libations to the River Mall and a good time was had by all (I think).

The new blog photo/title was created by John on his iPhone app: Photogene. It's Denis and Maximo eating lunch last week.

Things I've learned in a Mere Month

• To cross the street only when the light directs you to do so
• To take my shoes off everywhere. I'm trying to point them towards the door.
• To bow for forgiveness, as a greeting, and when you're grateful
• That a rice cooker is a really cool appliance!
• How to make onigiri
• How to use a convection oven/microwave
• How to take the train to Toys 'R Us
• To try to not look at the prices so much, we have to eat!
• That I love not owning a car! And that I love riding my bike/walking EVERYWHERE!
• That looking left then right is burned into my brain, hopefully this won't get me killed.
• That I've been missing out on the 100 Yen store. Dollar Stores just don't compare.
• How to write 'milk' in hiragana (it's the most repeated character I write in Max's book)