It is January 29th and, with a month fully past, I think we have recovered from the holidays. It was a wonderful time, filled with friends and family, but it was also beyond busy. I modest home was host to 16 people, all under the same roof. Sumie's entire family was coming to stay, so we had to get ready.
Thankfully, we had two elves to help us with the housework. Kuri took to sweeping.
By the time he finished, the area behind the couch was quite clean, but not much else. Such are the limitations of a one year old who cannot walk.
As Sumie and I cleaned, Mimi and Kuri kept us entertained with their antics.
Naturally, their animated play lead to the occasional head bonking, which neither particularly enjoyed.
Early on Christmas Day, we met Sumie's brother's family at SFO and then headed to the Dumpling House. Not a traditional Christmas breakfast, at least in my household, by any means, but very tasty.
Mimi and her cousins, Shuhei and Asuka, approved.
Sumie's parents arrived later that afternoon. By early evening, we were all back at our place, where the kids discovered the Christmas surprise: a trampoline!
The trampoline was a wonderful addition to the back yard. With up to 8 kids staying over at the same time, we needed something that would contain them and their energy.
Even Obachan and uncle Genta got into the spirit, though the kids were quick to ask for their turn back.
Given that our home is a Japanese household, there's a no-shoe policy. As such, the door out to our back yard looked like this for days.
Everyone slept in most days, but when it was time to get up, the energy was flowing. Even the kids helped with cooking breakfast.
And with the extension, we were somehow all able to fit around the dining table.
After a day with just Sumie's brother's family and the grandparents, Sumie's sister brought her family up to join in the celebration. Nana and Shuhei, the two oldest cousins, took turns playing the piano.
That night we had present time. It was complete mayhem.
I have to say I was quite proud of Mimi, though. She waited quite a while to open her Christmas presents. In fact, we didn't get to all of Mimi's gifts until January 6th or so!
There were some quiet times with everyone here. The girls cuddle up to watch movies...
and Sumie's sister Kae counseled the children on the trampoline, looking vaguely like the Dalai Lama (at least from a distance).
Grandma and Grandpa also came by, while the whole family was here, to take part in the fun. Here Mimi is enjoying a story with both Obachan and Grandma.
Eventually, most of the family transferred to Sumie's sister's house, and we took a day to decompress. Mimi and Mama relaxed in the December sunshine on the now relative tranquil trampoline.
Of course, with Mimi, there's never really any such thing as quiet time. Even without her cousins, she was keeping us busy.
It was a wonderful holiday. Sadly, many of us were sick during this time, and after, as a massive flu-like cold rampaged through the kids (and their valiant parents), but that didn't dampen our spirits. It was truly special having the entire family under one roof. I was also proud of our little home. It is, indeed, quite modest, but it housed us all and kept us comfortable, making for a wonderful Christmas and New Year.
It's been a busy January, but hopefully, now that everyone is healthy and back on track, I'll be able to keep up with all that's been going on. A happy belated new year to you all!
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