PutUpYourDukes

PutUpYourDukes
Originally uploaded by MinaG.

You see these fists? They're made of steel! We are a nice family, you treat us right, or you'll pay the price! Goo goo gah gah!

CloseUp2

CloseUp2
Originally uploaded by MinaG.

Anna and I went for a quick trip to California Adventure the other day. She just qualified height-wise for this ride (she's 41 inches tall now), the Jumping Jellyfish. It looks innocent from a distance, it just goes up and down, up and down, but travels quite a ways up (for me). It made my stomach jump. Steve will have to go on those roller coasters with her when she's older.

CloseUp

CloseUp
Originally uploaded by MinaG.

Maybe if I had a hobby, like skateboarding, knitting, or basketball, these postings might appeal to the greater masses. Could eating food be called a hobby? Blogging is so much fun, I'll continue as long as I can... can I archive these or print these out?
P.S. Sam is on his changing table here.

QuenchYourThirst

QuenchYourThirst
Originally uploaded by MinaG.

Man, Anna must have had a rough day at school, being as thirsty as she was. Why have one juice box when you can drink from two? She's quite proud of the accomplishment.

Warming Up

warming up
Originally uploaded by MinaG.

Even though Anna seemed excited to become a big sister before the baby was actually here, after Sam was born Anna would state there were only 5 members in her family, Daddy, Mommy, herself, Michi (the dog) and Snowman (the Christmas wreath that stays on our door all year long). Now Sam is included in her family conversations.

Yumi & Anna

Yumi & Anna
Originally uploaded by MinaG.

Yumi and Anna and I went for a brief visit to Disneyland last week. They have this psuedo-parade going on, where characters park it right in front of the castle and do a 10-minute dance. Anna was definitely more interested in the popcorn. The man in blue behind them was sorry he got in the photo and offered to take one of the three of us, Anna wasn't too thrilled about him touching our camera. We did have a very fun time there as usual, it's a nice, safe getaway.

Me Irish Laddie

Me Irish Laddie
Originally uploaded by MinaG.

Ok, so his eyes aren't green, but doesn't he look like a leprechaun here?... I started thinking about his nationality... He's part German, Swedish, Russian, and of course Japanese. And a little bit of English, I found out from Steve today. Anyway, Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Sunshine's Hat

Sunshine's Hat
Originally uploaded by MinaG.

This hat was made for Sam by Ms. Knitter Mari but Anna found a way to claim it as hers (a lot of things quietly find their way into her room). Mari gave her one that was more subtle in color and design but Anna prefers this hat.

Jacob

Jacob
Originally uploaded by MinaG.

I've heard that allowing your daughter to go out on a date is like handing a Stradivarius off to a chimpanzee. Not in this case! Anna and 3-year old Jacob, a kind and gentle boy, had a playdate in the bridal dress shop while the mommies looked over the goods for an upcoming wedding. The atmosphere must have gotten to these kids, as this is minutes within meeting each other for the first time.

Swinging Along

swingingalong
Originally uploaded by MinaG.

Remember how as a child, time could move so slug slow, especially in anticipation of a fun event, a holiday? And even during trying times, tough school days, family arguments... For me, time has moved along at a frenzied speed ever since college. I now want to experience life through my kids' eyes.

Annabelle

Annabelle
Originally uploaded by MinaG.

Maybe Anna was feeling like a bride in this outfit because she asked me, "Am I going to marry (my brother) Sammy?"
I answered, "No, sisters don't marry brothers." Ok, not the smoothest response.
Anna said, "I'm not going to get married."
I told her, "That's ok, you can stay here with us."
Then again, I haven't raised a teenager before.

Sammy

sammy
Originally uploaded by MinaG.

This little boy looks so different in almost every photo, here we can see more Asian in him. I love his round face and chubby cheeks. He is starting to smile. Sometimes I don't mind being up at 3:00 am (like now) just so I can stare at him. He is still such an amazing mystery to me.

The Cat Returns

catreturns
Originally uploaded by MinaG.

Anna has been sick with fever and ear infection, and today at her request we had an all-day marathon of one movie, The Cat Returns, by Hiroyuki Morita. It's a magical film with the cutest characters journeying to the Kingdom of Cats. We watched it in both English and Japanese, with Anna portraying several of the characters, and Anna is now convinced she can speak Japanese fluently. Her version of the language sounds like a mix between Mandarin and Pig Latin.

girl in red

red
Originally uploaded by MinaG.

Scrolling through our photo library, I am reminded of how many photos Anna appears in wearing all red, red pants, red shirt, red jacket. She was in a red phase for close to a year (and yes, she did have several red shirts and pants, not the same ones everyday!) up until last summer, and I remember wondering when it would ever end. Now that she wears just about anything, I miss the little girl in red (sob).

blogging together

blogg
Originally uploaded by MinaG.

Here we are in front of the computer, perhaps a bit too often? Poor Sammy had immunizations yesterday (2 month appt) and was not himself at all, until now, 1:26 a.m. in front of the computer. I hope he grows up to be a computer geek.