Christmas 2011

It is hard to believe it is December 31st here in Tokyo. I have a post I want to dedicate to recapping the year, but for now, let's talk about Christmas. Boy, is it fun with little ones! Last year Miyako was not to into Christmas. She only opened a couple of gifts and was done for the day. What a difference a year makes! The girl opened EVERYONE's presents! We let her because, well, it was cute and she was having fun, and isn't that what it is all about? I am sure next year though we will have to do some prep work as the K Man might be interested in his gifts as well. We had a lazy morning with a big breakfast. As soon as Miyako was excused from the table, she RAN to her stocking and dove right in, never looking back. Sheer joy and delight. So fun. We bought the K Man an exersaucer. Yes, it is big and takes up WAY too much space, but I was so tired of him just being plopped on the ground and rolling his body half way under the couch or TV stand. And I feel for him, knowing all of the fun goodies Miyako had has a baby and he does not have near like she did. Not that she really remembers, but I sure do. So, I wanted him to have something fun to do, to help him sit upright and see all that is going on. As you can see from the pictures, he likes it. Sure, he gets bored in it after awhile, but it is fun entertainment for him for a little bit and he has a different view and can see what all is going on. Miyako's BIG gift was her piano. It is not a "big girl piano" but it looks like Schroeder's piano. You should see her - she puts her head down like Schroeder when she plays and she wants me to lean up against it like Lucy does in the Charlie Brown videos. Hilarious. After opening presents and talking to family back home, we headed to church for a beautiful Christmas service. They sang lots of traditional Christmas hymns and had the translation posted in English, which made my day. We came home to plenty of turkey leftovers and concluded Christmas 2011.

Kan is now off work for the New Year holiday. We are trying to make the most of his time off, going to fun parks or indoor play areas that are a bit hard to do for mama by herself. Yesterday we went to the 100 yen park before going to friends' for dinner. Miyako loved taking daddy there. Right now they are on a lunch date and I cleaned out her clothes while she was gone. The girl keeps wearing summer pjs or clothes that are too small because they are her favorites. Now they are in a storage bag. In Japan you are supposed to clean during the New Year, so that is what I am trying to do. Before Kan has to go back to work, our big storage closet will be organized, so help me. It is driving me nuts. We plan to ring in the New Year eating soba noodles and preparing for some traditional Japanese New Year's Day foods tomorrow. More holiday posts to come along with some thoughts on 2011. For now, I will treasure the peace in our home and read a bit before the K Man wakes up and Miyako barges back in.