Newport Beach in January

I love...
Sam's skinny white legs,
Anna sifting through shells,
and Steve's slim stance. :)

Legoland Part 2

The highlight of the trip was riding on the Aquazone Wave Racer, even Sam joined in on the fun. We were able to ride it several times. Sometimes one of us would control the water blasters as a spectator and get the riders wet. Fun times!

Legoland Part 1

We went to Legoland, the sun was shiny and warm, shorts weather for all. Even though it was the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, it was not as crowded as we expected and we were able to go on several rides. Enjoy!

Flashback...

To earlier in the school year.


Sam during the Canned-Castle Drive at school...


And Anna on Wacky Dress-Up Day.

Anna, Kelly and Jen

Here are some photos from our recent trip to the Getty Museum. Kelly and Jen are super sweet and Anna had a great time with them. Enjoy!

Girl Scouts

Anna is a Girl Scout! Here they are working on a display project for an upcoming event, on their chosen country Kenya. It has been fun co-leading these 4th grade girls.

New Year's Day

Sam was so excited about his Pokemon-themed birthday party. He was happy to celebrate it with the family.


We found a Pokemon tablecloth and party decorations at Party City. I made cupcakes using this recipe. Usually Sam just eats the frosting off cupcakes, this time he ate some of the cake! (Thank you for the presents, from family up north, and down here!)


Yumi made some brownies too. Sam was happy to blow the candles.


We also went to my parents' house for my mom's traditional Japanese New Year's meal.


She made more than a dozen dishes...


My favorite is the ozoni. I think I ate 6-7 mochi. Look at the steam rising from the soup, I can almost taste it again...


Photogenic Julia came over for some bear chair time...


And flying time.


Mari and Rob were hooked on Wii Dance. Looks like they're scoring some big points here!

Happy Birthday Sam!
Happy New Year!

Sam is 6!

Happy birthday to Sam, and Happy New Year everyone!