Now if only he could clean up his own hands/face/clothes and highchair I would be a happy mama!

Joining in over at My Little Drummer Boys.

Over the weekend the local shougakou/primary school had their summer festival. This is the school that Noah & Shion will start at in 2016 and 2017. It is the same school that Shumpei and his brother went to and also Shun`s dad. I thought their grandfather also went but I got that wrong as the school is 60 years old this year but Shun`s father was the 10th person to graduate from the school as he was in the first full graduating class which is kind of amazing!

We didn`t stay long as we were having dinner with the in-laws but it was nice to walk around the playground, see the stalls set up and see the primary school kids running around having fun.

Due to the boys age and the fact that a lot of the hanabi/fireworks this year have been cancelled due to the earthquake/tsunami/radiation so that the money used usually for them can be sent up North to help with reconstruction/survivers, we probably won`t be going to see any fireworks or other festivals this year. There is a festival at the shrine in October though which we will go to. Anyway- I wanted the boys to have a chance to wear their jimbeis which are like a traditional summer house wear but are often worn at festivals etc especially by boys/men.

Shun & I did not wear yukatas this year- it is just too hot!!! Maybe if we do actually go see some fireworks we will but I doubt we will this year.

Here is an OLD photo of Shun & I in yukata though taken at the temple in Asakusa where we went to see the fireworks a couple of years ago. We are eating kakigori in this picture or shaved ice.

Linking up to My Little Drummer Boys for the Aussie Wordless Wednesday!

Last night my husband and I were talking about how young we were when we met. Mainly, how young we “looked”. We were 19 and 23 when the above photo was taken- 6.5 years ago, 4 weeks after we met. We certainly don`t look this young now in fact I think we look older than we are (26 & 30)- I guess marriage, 2 kids, earthquakes and moving (numerous times!) can do that to you.

This morning I found 3 grey hairs. 26 seems too young to have grey hairs but both my mother and grandmother went grey a lot earlier than this so I suppose I should be grateful.

Linking up to My Little Drummer Boys – go check out her blog and wish her older son a happy birthday- he just turned 18! He is almost as old as I was when the above photo was taken!!!!

I am loving my new phone. I take a lot of photos and videos on the run of the boys even if I don`t upload them (sometimes I do to facebook though). It has meant though that my DSLR and even my little point and shoot Olympus have been tossed aside, at least for now while I explore my new gadget.

I love playing around with the photo settings (and I am using a camera app called vignette- I just have the demo/free version). This is a strip photo I took of Shion yesterday while he was having some roly poly time on his kick ass quilt from Amanda in the UK.

I love his expressions (although hard to see as he is sucking on his thumb and fist)- it is a bit like “oh yeah, I will go along with this”, then “what the hell mama?”, followed by “a that is a bit bright isn`t it” before settling on an “okay, I will give you my famous half smile”.

By the way the above is one image- it wsa linked together like that on my phone so you can`t view them separately.

We move in  9 days. I am nowhere near ready. Packing is happening but only a box here and there although I managed 9 boxes in total yesterday while MIL had Noah at the park and a bit more while he was napping followed by another 1 once both boys were asleep. I am excited about moving and nervous at the same time- we will be in a smaller space than we are now for close to a year….But when I think of the money we will be able to save and how nice it will be to have help with the boys if I need it (as the in-laws a just over the fence) I think about how it is a good thing for us.

Today I am having a time out and meeting a Japanese friend for lunch- her boy Kaito and Noah did baby sign class together last year and we have stayed in contact as she lives super close. I imagine after I move we won`t see each other much as much especially now that she has returned to work in the last month as well.  Tomorrow is her day off work and we decided to catch up before I move and get the boys together for a play date so we are going to Green Tulip, the local oyako cafe, where the boys can play and we can eat lunch and drink coffee and chat knowing the boys can run around the cafe and play with the toys and that that is completely acceptable! I love this cafe and I will miss it when we move. It was where we were meant to have Noah`s 1st birthday originally on Jan 9th but of course we had to cancel/postpone when I gave birth to Shion unexpectedly on the 6th. I haven`t been there to eat since last year but am really looking forward to it.

Then Thursday, Friday & Monday I have friends coming in the mornings to help me with Noah so I can get some packing down. I have the best friends in the world. Seriously awesome!!! Sunday is also a complete day at home with no work/no house meetings/no plans and I plan to hopefully pretty much complete most of the packing that day as Shun will be around to help with the boys. I am hoping the weather is nice so that he can take them OUT! I don`t care where. Anywhere is fine with me (He has never taken both boys out by himself- not even to the park. He has watched them both at the apartment a lot though because I work on a lot of Saturday`s).

Let`s hope that come Friday 24th everything that needs to be in boxes is!!!

Linking up over at My Little Drummer Boys for some Wordless Wednesday fun (although we all know I will never be WORDLESS)

Monday we met some friends and took the kids to the park – Noah got to play with water. He was happy!

Yesterday we went to the local park- both boys in summery clothes and hats and Noah (who always wears a hat at the park at least recently) was so excited that Shion was also wearing a hat and sitting in the TOP of the pram. He kept signing “hat” and pointing at Shion and giggling. It was very cute (Shion`s hat is too big- it is a hand me down from Noah)

Noah has decided going down on his tummy his much more fun. Much to my horror.

Loving my new phone for taking photos on the run- the quality is pretty good too!

Linking up to Trish at My Little Drummer Boys.

Funnily enough, my first ever Wordless Wednesday post I linked back to Trish – and I followed along with her blog for ages and have just started following and reading again (She has the cutest 4 year old twin boys!) and she is still doing Wordless Wednesday (Aussie version). There is also a worldwide version here.

I have decided to try and do Wordless Wednesday again. Any of my regular readers will know though that I am rarely, if ever, “wordless”. This week, a photo of Shion making the most ridiculous but seriously cute face- It is hard to believe we are now in June and Shion is almost 5 months old!!

I am not very consistent in participating in wordless wednesday but when you get home at 9:50pm, want to sleep but realize you haven`t yet blogged when you have said you will blog every day for the month well a blog thingy like wordless wednesday really helps you out.

Taken while crossing the bridge near my house to get to the train station. I live near the bay so this creek`s water levels really depend on the tide…

By the way, my wish came true, and I convinced my family to all chip in and get me a DSLR for Christmas. I am going to go with the Olympus E-520 I think as I have been a loyal Olympus user for years and have always loved the cameras. I originally thought the E-420 but changed my mind! So perhaps after Christmas I will become a more regular partcipator in Wordless Wednesday.

Kissing guinea pigs.

Along with missing Japan a lot lately I have found myself missing my old students a lot also. I miss the kids so much and by the time I go back to Japan, while I won`t be returning to teach at that school I don`t think, I am definitely going to have to go for a visit. A lot of my kiddies will have moved on by then though….

Yes it is a miniature horse! Family friends of ours have a large block of land and they keep him as a pet along with three dogs ( 2 of which belong to their son who is currently in Canada so they are playing grandparents) and possibly some chickens (Although didn`t go out the back while i was there the other day)

Over the years they have kept wallabies, a normal horse, a sheep (Gordy!!- who came inside and ran up in down the hallway bumping into things!), geese, lots of dogs, chickens, ducks, turtles, fish and I am sure an assortment of other animals!

Shun has never met them but I am thinking we may take Abbey out there to visit on Sunday- It will be her first time to meet a miniature horse! (Shun`s too!)

For more Wordless Wednesday participants please see here