5th Birthday Mayhem in Palo Alto - Photo Essay

On Sunday, we all went down to Palo Alto to celebrate the 5th birthday of Shuhei Iwasaki.  That's Mimi's cousin. 

Mimi's birthday was less than a week away, so we figured we'd get as much birthdayness out of this one as we could (we don't have anything planned for Mimi yet).  We weren't disappointed.  Everyone came out.  Here are the two Iwasaki sisters...

...Uncle Ed with his son Haruki...

...and, of course, the birthday boy's parents, Shu and Kayo.  They were the two who always looked busy.

By 2pm it was time to eat.  Pizza, mac and cheese, pasta, and some salads for the brave, vegetable-enjoying adults.  Lilly, Nana, and Shuhei loved the pizza.

Nana even liked posing with it.  Well, to be honest, she likes posing with just about anything.  

After pizza it was time for balloon animals.  Several of the parents were quite adept at this and could make all kinds of things.  Of course, the only thing everyone wanted was swords. 

Even the cute little girls, like Mimi, were sword crazy.  She'd been given a beautiful flower.  She even called it such.  

But within a few minutes, she started running around stabbing people with it.  That's not the kind of flower power San Francisco is famous for.  

There was also lots of painting to be done.  Here are Shuhei and his sister Asuka mixing away...

 as their mother Kayo looks on to ensure the grass stays green.

 Asuka chose a color she liked...

...as did Shuhei...

...and they ran over to join their cousins Lilly and Nana, who were already hard at work.

Earlier that day we'd made a giant "box tunnel."  By covering it with butcher paper, the kids were really able to go to town with the paints.  Asuka did a great job helping her cousins.

All the kids joined in, actually.  Even Shuhei is painting away.  You just can't see him in this picture because he decided it would be fun to paint the inside of the tunnel.  It was his birthday, after all.  

I had my Nikon on hand and with the light nice and soft, Sumie and I tried to get some good shots of Mimi.  She's a cutie but she is also, without doubt, the least cooperative model in the history of photography.  The best pictures we could get were her with a bottle...

...and another with her being "kawaii" and, naturally, covering up half her face.  

Mimi's little cousin Haruki is far younger, but already knows how to take a good picture!

The party was held on the Stanford campus, where there were lots of festivities going on.  We lucked out and were paid a surprise visit by the famous Stanford tree!

Berkeley alums will be happy to note that the tree was quickly slain by a hoard of youngsters with balloon swords.  Oh, the carnage.  

Soon it was time for the birthday cake.  Here Shuhei unexpectedly had to hold his ground against another little boy who saw the cake and decided it was his birthday. 

Shuhei eventually got to dig into his cake.  As he cuddled up with a friend...

...Asuka spent some quality time with Haruki...

...and Lilly and Mimi, being trouble makers, attacked a bowl of colored gelatin balls.  Those specs in the photo aren't dust.  That's water from my overly splashy daughter.  

All told, I think the birthday boy had a great 5th birthday -one he'll definitely remember.  

And Mimi, with all the partying over the weekend, I think we'll ring in her 2 years of life this week with a cake, some songs, and maybe an extra-special evening viewing of her Doraemon cartoons. That should be sufficient.  Especially if she's not going to remember any of it!

Four Very Busy Days - Photoessay from Japan

We returned from Yamagata Wednesday afternoon and headed to bed early.  It had been an amazing trip, but we were still only halfway through our stay in Japan.  We needed to rest up.  After all, we had plans to visit with half the population of Tokyo within the next four days. First off, Mimi needed a bath.

Mimi and I hit the park Thursday morning while Sumie tidied the house.  There weren't any toddler swings, but Mimi did her best on the "big girl" swings. 

Her favorite piece of playground equipment was, of course, one that has been sent to the scrap yard due to safety regulations here in the US.  I miss whirly-go-rounds.  Sure, kids lost teeth and broke bones, but man, they were fun!

Around noon we had our first appointment with Yoko-obasan.  She'd prepared a fabulous lunch for us at her apartment.  Mimi, however, was more interested in making a mess than eating her lunch.  She insisted on opening up the sealed play mats and spreading them throughout the apartment.  That's our little girl.  Always the conscientious guest. 

From Yoko-obasan's place we sped home, so that Mimi could nap, and then met Sumie's friend Rie for dinner at Tsubame Grill near Shinagawa station.  It's a very old-style Japanese take on western food.  Kind of kitchy, but very good.  Mimi was excited by the spread and decided that she'd eat violently.  This is, unfortunately, quite common. 

Rie sat by patiently as Mimi attacked everyone's food.  Even Rie's.  I think a parent knows she has a true friend when that friend is able to tolerate a toddler at the table. 

Upon arriving home, Mimi decided she'd rip up some flooring and make a hat.  We still have no idea why. 

On Friday we had another two visits to make.  Just like Thursday, we'd be taking the trains.  Fortunately, Mimi loved riding the rails in Japan.  Not only did she learn the word "densha" (Japanese for "train"), she couldn't stop saying it.  By the end of our stay she was like a regular commuter.  Just a bit louder and a lot whinier. 

Friday afternoon we met my host mother, Mrs. Hoshino, who had brought me countless home cooked meals when I lived in Japan almost 10 years ago.  We've managed to keep in touch all these years and it was great to catch up.  We gathered at an izakaya (Japanese pub) in Ikebukuro.  We had a small room virtually to ourselves.  

Mimi took advantage of the quiet surroundings and, quite uncharacteristically, was out cold by the time dessert arrived.  

After meeting with Mrs. Hoshino we headed back to Shinagawa to get a little rest before meeting with Sumie's uncle later that night.  Sumie and I tried to nap.  Mimi decided to put a diaper on her head.  Such is the logic of toddlers. 

At Shinagawa station we met up with Yuichi-ojisan, Sumie's father's older brother, and his two daughters Norikosan, pictured here...

and Yoshikosan, pictured here.  Yuichi-ojisan is a remarkable man.  He's 80 years old, but that didn't keep him from playing with Mimi like one of her slightly older cousins.  Towards the end of dinner he actually reached across the table and picked up Mimi to play.  Somehow no glasses were harmed in this maneuver.  Mimi loved it and Sumie and I were astounded.  If only we had so much energy!

Our final outing together in Japan included a trip to Ueno.  This is a fabulous section of Tokyo crammed with museums, parks, and shopping.  Years ago Sumie and I would would often come here to escape the rush of the city, sometimes even taking a rowboat out on the lake, and we wanted to share it with Mimi. 

We made a quick stop at a temple there as well.  Mimi rang the bell and threw in 10 yen for the gods.  Still not sure what she prayed for.  Probably more milk.  

In the evening we met with Shinobu-obasan and her family.  Shinobu-obasan's daughter, Takako, brought her two children along as well.  We had a wonderful dinner.  They even provided pizza for me, fearing I might not be able to eat sushi.  Well, let's just say they needn't have worried.  I finished my sushi well before anyone else!

Mimi enjoyed playing with everyone...

and she particularly liked a certain bunny hat.  This she refused to take off. 

I don't know why it is that my daughter refuses to wear hats outside when it's below freezing but insists on wearing them inside when the temperature is 75 or higher.  

When we boarded our flight on Monday we were sad to leave, but also ready for home.  We'd had a fantastic stay in Japan and I think we'll make it an annual adventure.  If she could say so, I think Mimi would insist on it.