A Portrait 3 Years in the Making

It is hard to document memories when you're busy making them. That has been the reality of the past several months. Family gatherings, family departures (Sumie's brother's family sadly returning to Japan after two years in the states), friends, preschool, work, and the occasional tantrum have kept us on our toes and away from our keyboards.

Mimi, of course, has been the busiest of all. She, along with her aunts, uncles, grandparents, and friends, helped Sumie celebrate the impeding addition to our family at a cute tea room in downtown SF.

And she spent a special night away in Bodega Bay with Mama and Papa in a lodge overlooking the sea.  

 At Bodega Bay, Mimi had but one use for the sea... it was a  place Papa could secure water to make muddy sand. She was busy making Onigiri Pasta (Rice Ball Pasta). We're still not entirely sure what this is, but I do hope to make it for her some day.

 Despite the frantic making of fusion cuisine, Mimi still took a moment or two to take in the sights.

Most of our days have been sent settling into the busy routine of work, commute, dinner, study, and sleep. Two or three times a week we'll stop by the grocery store. Mimi has decided that she wants to be a professional shopper. Today, on the way home, she cried for 10 minutes because her cruel parents had denied her shopping request. Yes, we are tough, but if we went shopping every day, she obviously wouldn't enjoy it as much!

 Mimi has also taken a shine to drawing each evening, and at school. This has taken Sumie and I - both aggressively horrible artists - by surprise. We enjoy art, but never had the aptitude, or even the innate interest to routinely put crayon to paper. Mimi, however, can't get enough it seems. Today, she came home with the following self-portrait.

She also penned this masterpiece:

 I asked her what was going on in the picture above. Apparently, this is also a self-portrait (despite the square jaw, I suppose this is Mimi). The potato croquette looking object (I'm always thinking with my stomach) is a bracelet. The line above Mimi's eyes? That's her forehead. Yes, she's become obsessed with foreheads. I don't recall this stage in my child development textbooks.

Lastly, she came up with the picture below. This is the first one that depicts an actual story. At preschool Mimi learned the following song:

Coo-coo bird sitting in an old gum tree

Eating all the gumdrops he can see.

Stop, coo-coo bird, stop!

Please save some for me!

She loves to sing this song around the house. It's also one of our favorites to hear. So although we were pretty shocked when she showed us this drawing, we had a good idea what it was about.

In voice and on paper, Mimi's beginning to share her own story. Sumie and I are looking forward to hearing the next chapter.