Japan Family
Eric's Soccer
Thu, 2010-03-11 18:03 | by Erin
Eric's Soccer
Erics soccer clubs send me more mail than anyone I know and most of the time it is anoying silly stuff. I would ignore them but if you do not reply they call the house and ask "Why haven't you replied to our mails?" To which I say "I was busy."
Here is a sample of 1 weeks worth of mails.
Erics soccer clubs send me more mail than anyone I know and most of the time it is anoying silly stuff. I would ignore them but if you do not reply they call the house and ask "Why haven't you replied to our mails?" To which I say "I was busy."
Here is a sample of 1 weeks worth of mails.
Snow Day
Mon, 2010-02-22 13:15 | by Erin
Late
I was a little late for work the other day. It had snowed for the 2nd time this year in Tokyo.
Eric woke up early and got out there and started working on a snowman. I was a little under the weather from a late night.
He was pretty excited and when I did get out there he was doing pretty good on his own so I helped him out. I took me about 15 minutes that I did not really have to help him get done.
But it was well worth it. Click the image at the right to see more pitctures of Eric building his snowman.
I was a little late for work the other day. It had snowed for the 2nd time this year in Tokyo.
Eric woke up early and got out there and started working on a snowman. I was a little under the weather from a late night.
He was pretty excited and when I did get out there he was doing pretty good on his own so I helped him out. I took me about 15 minutes that I did not really have to help him get done.
But it was well worth it. Click the image at the right to see more pitctures of Eric building his snowman.
Bay Blade
Thu, 2010-02-04 19:01 | by Erin
Bay Blade
Eric is supper into Bay Blade. Basically it is just tops that you spin against each other to see which can knock the other out or make the other stop. Funny thing is it 2010 tech tops.
They are made up of 4 different parts. The face, the metal wheel, the truck, and the bottom. The way you combine the four pieces decides how it will react when you spin it. Some combinations are for attack, others are for defence. I really do not understand how the configurations work but Eric does completely. I wish he paid that much attention at school. Maybe I can take some comfort in the fact that "it is a geometry thing" and he will get something out of it.
But I wonder/worry about him and his kind of obsession mind set. Everything that comes along and is "cool" for the moment, he is so into, Pokemon, Nintendo DSi, etc. They all occupy a intense, INTENSE, interest for a moment in time and then quickly fade away.
The affect on my wallet is usually substantial but survivable, but I wish he would get "more" out of these experiences. Recently I have been thinking he should do some other activity like Judo or learn to play the
guitar or other individual thing where he can express him self with out the influence of all his classmates and friends.
I like all; well most of his friends, so the problem is not them, I just wish he would learn to be more of a individual, and less of a follower.
Either way he is a good kid, not perfect but, as close as a 8 year old with as many life hurdles as he has can be.
Finally, as a Dad with as many problems as I had as a kid, I do not think I could ask for a better son.
E./
Eric is supper into Bay Blade. Basically it is just tops that you spin against each other to see which can knock the other out or make the other stop. Funny thing is it 2010 tech tops.
They are made up of 4 different parts. The face, the metal wheel, the truck, and the bottom. The way you combine the four pieces decides how it will react when you spin it. Some combinations are for attack, others are for defence. I really do not understand how the configurations work but Eric does completely. I wish he paid that much attention at school. Maybe I can take some comfort in the fact that "it is a geometry thing" and he will get something out of it.
But I wonder/worry about him and his kind of obsession mind set. Everything that comes along and is "cool" for the moment, he is so into, Pokemon, Nintendo DSi, etc. They all occupy a intense, INTENSE, interest for a moment in time and then quickly fade away.
The affect on my wallet is usually substantial but survivable, but I wish he would get "more" out of these experiences. Recently I have been thinking he should do some other activity like Judo or learn to play the
guitar or other individual thing where he can express him self with out the influence of all his classmates and friends. I like all; well most of his friends, so the problem is not them, I just wish he would learn to be more of a individual, and less of a follower.
Either way he is a good kid, not perfect but, as close as a 8 year old with as many life hurdles as he has can be.
Finally, as a Dad with as many problems as I had as a kid, I do not think I could ask for a better son.
E./
New Do
Tue, 2010-02-02 10:01 | by Erin
NEW HAIR CUT!
I had my birthday and it was kind of a non-event. We had a cake and sang Happy Birthday. After this weeks rugby game, in which I played quite a bit, we had another little
,
for Joffa, Warren, Paulo and I who all have birthdays with in the same
week or so. Actually Warren and I have the same birthday. After the game I met Satomi in Kichijoji and took Eric to get his haircut. I decided to get one too. It was a time for a change, so as I sat in the chair I told my barber, shave it off. He asked 4 times if I was sure that is what I wanted to do, then said "Hai Ikimasho!" or "Lets get started!" Eric seemed pretty shocked but really excited. Here is what I looked like right after. I need to get some clippers to maintain it I think.
E./
Techno Baby
Mon, 2010-02-01 21:03 | by Erin
Anna-chan "Techno Baby"
Anna goes nuts every time I get out my phone or camera or any other piece of technology. Most of the time I think it is cute so I just give her the phone and let her have at it. She is really into the lights and colors that seem to come alive when she starts hitting the buttons. I know she does not completely understand what they mean but she likes them all the same. This time however she called my dad in America and left him a message, at 5 AM his time.
Anna goes nuts every time I get out my phone or camera or any other piece of technology. Most of the time I think it is cute so I just give her the phone and let her have at it. She is really into the lights and colors that seem to come alive when she starts hitting the buttons. I know she does not completely understand what they mean but she likes them all the same. This time however she called my dad in America and left him a message, at 5 AM his time.
Hawaii
Thu, 2010-01-14 19:01 | by Erin
Hawaii
From Wikipedia "Hawaii's natural beauty, warm tropical climate, inviting waters and waves, and active volcanoes make it a popular destination for tourists, surfers, biologists, and volcanologists alike. Due to its mid-Pacific location, Hawaii has many North American and Asian influences along with a vibrant native culture. Hawaii has
over a million permanent residents along with many visitors and U.S. military personnel. Its capital is Honolulu on the island of Oʻahu."
What can I say about my family trip to Hawaii. It had all the ear-markings of a disaster in the making. I invited my Dad with out consulting my wife. I did not really do any planning about what we would do and how we would do it when we got there. I remembered to leave my pocket knife in my carry on, but forgot the battery charger for the camera. Heck I was not even sure what island we were on till the last day.
We arrived after a quick 6 hour flight and caught up with my Dad at the rental car agency.
The trip moved along pretty quick from there with shopping at Walmart, Target and the Mall. We got out of Wakiki a couple days after that and drove to the North Shore and Kailua Beach Park the next day. Around Wikiki we walked and tried some of the local foods and shops.
In all it was a good fun trip. The highlight for me was seeing Eric Surf like a pro after only a few minutes of lessons.
The food was good old American food with big rich portions. A initial argument I had with Satomi was "The hotel includes breakfast." To me this was no big deal, but I forgot how nice it is to start the day with a omelet pancakes and sausage and bacon. Get the breakfast buffet at Dukes, it is worth it.
Also having my Dad there to drive us every where was both convenient and irritating, but well worth it. He has a tendency to get a little too close to the car in front of him, which drove me completely insane and caused more than one argument, but other than that he was pleasant and easy to get along with the whole time, and Anna really seemed to like him.
All in all it was a good trip. I would do it again, but would change some things along the way. A quick list would be;
Do's:
Don'ts:
View Larger Map
From Wikipedia "Hawaii's natural beauty, warm tropical climate, inviting waters and waves, and active volcanoes make it a popular destination for tourists, surfers, biologists, and volcanologists alike. Due to its mid-Pacific location, Hawaii has many North American and Asian influences along with a vibrant native culture. Hawaii has
over a million permanent residents along with many visitors and U.S. military personnel. Its capital is Honolulu on the island of Oʻahu."
What can I say about my family trip to Hawaii. It had all the ear-markings of a disaster in the making. I invited my Dad with out consulting my wife. I did not really do any planning about what we would do and how we would do it when we got there. I remembered to leave my pocket knife in my carry on, but forgot the battery charger for the camera. Heck I was not even sure what island we were on till the last day. We arrived after a quick 6 hour flight and caught up with my Dad at the rental car agency.
The trip moved along pretty quick from there with shopping at Walmart, Target and the Mall. We got out of Wakiki a couple days after that and drove to the North Shore and Kailua Beach Park the next day. Around Wikiki we walked and tried some of the local foods and shops.
In all it was a good fun trip. The highlight for me was seeing Eric Surf like a pro after only a few minutes of lessons.
The food was good old American food with big rich portions. A initial argument I had with Satomi was "The hotel includes breakfast." To me this was no big deal, but I forgot how nice it is to start the day with a omelet pancakes and sausage and bacon. Get the breakfast buffet at Dukes, it is worth it.
Also having my Dad there to drive us every where was both convenient and irritating, but well worth it. He has a tendency to get a little too close to the car in front of him, which drove me completely insane and caused more than one argument, but other than that he was pleasant and easy to get along with the whole time, and Anna really seemed to like him.
All in all it was a good trip. I would do it again, but would change some things along the way. A quick list would be;
Do's:
- Plan excursions more carefully
- Rent a car Stay longer than 5 days if possible
- Rent surf boards and other necessities away from the beach front hotels
- Take surf lessons (especially for kids)
- Rent a weekly apartment a little further from the beach front hotels
- Picnic/BBQ Kailua Beach Park Bring a good camera for pictures of surfing on the North Shore and at
- Diamond Head Hike up to the top of at least 1 volcano, to see the sunrise if possible.
Don'ts:
- Spend whole time in Wakiki
- Go on the Suicide 12 hour tour of anything
- Eat at expensive restaurants in Wakiki
- Go shopping on the first or second day, then the last day for any items you may have missed.
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Charlie Brown Christmas Tree
Tue, 2009-12-22 17:49 | by Erin
Charlie Brown Christmas Tree
When I first saw our Christmas tree this year I thought it was ...... great. It was crooked, and had huge bare spots, but in a land of no Christmas trees it was perfect. Just like a block head like me needs to feel in the Christmas spirit.
Here is the finished product, one Charlie Brown himself would be proud of. The tree itself is in a pot and I thought it would be better if we did not cut it, maybe we can use old Charles next year.
When I first saw our Christmas tree this year I thought it was ...... great. It was crooked, and had huge bare spots, but in a land of no Christmas trees it was perfect. Just like a block head like me needs to feel in the Christmas spirit.
Here is the finished product, one Charlie Brown himself would be proud of. The tree itself is in a pot and I thought it would be better if we did not cut it, maybe we can use old Charles next year.
Happy Birthday Anna-Chan
Fri, 2009-12-18 14:05 | by Erin
Anna's First Birthday!
Anna was born a year ago on a cold December day (16th) and since she has been in my life she has brought me so much joy.
Comparing the 2, when Eric was a baby he was difficult to say the least. Anna has been completely the oposite, even when she fell off the couch and broke her collar bone she hardly cried. She is always happy and genki.
I really think that not only has she helped me but she also has helped Eric. Eric is more responsible and seems much calmer these days with his sister around. Thank you Satomi for giving us Anna. Thank you Anna for being the happy little center of all of our lives even amid all the chaos and problems.
Anna was born a year ago on a cold December day (16th) and since she has been in my life she has brought me so much joy.
Comparing the 2, when Eric was a baby he was difficult to say the least. Anna has been completely the oposite, even when she fell off the couch and broke her collar bone she hardly cried. She is always happy and genki.
I really think that not only has she helped me but she also has helped Eric. Eric is more responsible and seems much calmer these days with his sister around. Thank you Satomi for giving us Anna. Thank you Anna for being the happy little center of all of our lives even amid all the chaos and problems.
Sad Reddiit Baby
Wed, 2009-12-09 10:28 | by Erin
Sad Reddit Baby
Anna with her reddit baby shirt on.
I think she looks so cute but so sad in this picture. Actually she is just watching TV.
Anna with her reddit baby shirt on.
I think she looks so cute but so sad in this picture. Actually she is just watching TV.
Eric at Tokyo Tower
Mon, 2009-12-07 10:55 | by ErinEric at Tokyo Tower
Eric posing with the view from Tokyo Tower in the background.
It was a great day out for us, but it got a little tense when we started running out of cash. I had originally just planned to go to Pokemon Center, but then lunch and Tokyo Tower, pretty soon we were down to our last 3000 yen and I was kind of eager to get home.
Either way we were all pretty happy how the day turned out. Good family fun.
