Memorial Day Weekend

It was so nice having a three day weekend. We woke up early Saturday morning and went to Tessho's grandfather's gravesite for the Memorial holiday. Then we headed down to San Diego to spend time with my parents. On Sunday, our friends Juan and Kisha, had a Tiki Taco party. That was really fun. They had a guy come out and make tacos. They pressed their own tortillas, they cooked the Carne Asada, fresh on the grill. They made their own guacamole. I have to admit, I had 5 tacos. They were so good! We got to sleep in on Monday, which was really nice. That's why it was great having that extra day to catch up on rest.

During our stay, my parents surprised us with a bunch of toys and clothes for Tesshin. A lady they know has some type of connection to a lot of new/used toys and clothes. Apparantly, she knows a lot of Japanese families that are only here for a while and when they have to go back they're eager to get rid their stuff. So, he's got a bunch of toys. We brought back the one with a basketball hoop (of course). He's getting better at putting the balls in the basket. Tesshin has also taken a liking to the walking toys. He's pulling himself up all of the time now. So, he likes to get up and hold on and walk forward a few steps. I think he realizes that he can get there a lot faster if he crawls, but he does give it a good effort.

Another hot weekend

We hung out at Wendy's house today for a barbeque and to get some relief from the heat. It's been so hot these past couple of days. Long Beach hit a record of 93 degrees on Saturday. We also used this opportunity to get Tesshin into the pool. I can't believe how stingy I am with myself but when it comes to Tesshin, I just can't say no. I got him some new sunglasses, Little Swimmers pants, daiper swim pants, sunscreen, a floatie, shorts (yeah, I know). Anyway, $60 later, we got him all set up to go into the pool. He loves taking a bath so we thought that he'd like the pool too. He had a confused look on his face the whole time. He may have snuck in a smirk from time to time but it was very short lived. I have to say, I'm glad he doesn't cry in the water. He kept splashing the water and getting water in his face but he didn't mind. (I actually started pouring water over his face during his bath so he can get used to that. Don't worry people, it's not a whole bucket of water or anything. I read that you should get them used to water in their face so they can learn to close their eyes and not be scared). All in all, I think he had a great day. We definitely look forward to more pool days. I better start getting out in the sun. I noticed that Tesshin is getting a nice tan and I'm white as a ghost.


Here's a picture of Tesshin and Natalie

Take me out to the ballgame

Okay, so we didn't quite go to the game but we went on a Dodger stadium tour instead. It was actually a lot of fun. The Long Beach Jr. Chamber of Commerce put the tour together. It was hot as heck but we got to learn a lot of great Dodger history and most importantly, behind the scene views of the stadium. We got to go to the briefing room, Vin Scully press box, luxury suites, etc. We got to see the organ that Nancy plays during the game. There was a lot of cool pictures and memorabilia to look at, too. Best of all, we went down onto the field and hung out in the dugout. Like I said, it was a hot day but Tesshin did great through all of it. We also had a great lunch at Phillipe's afterwards. Pork sandwich - YUMMY!

Here are some pics with Tesshin & Dad

Here's a picture of the group (L to R: Tessho, Me, Tesshin, LeAndre, Matt, Amber)

#1 Rock Band Star

During our weekend in San Diego, we visited Tessho's brother, Jeff. Now that Tesshin can crawl around, he gets himself into some pretty tight spots. He still loves the bathroom. He loves hanging out underneath coffee tables. But we realized he also likes putting himself among all of Uncle Jeff's Rock Band equipment. He won't be a drummer, he won't be a bassist, but instead, he'll be the lead singer.

LBC to NYC

We were in New York last week to attend a funeral for our friend, Scott Catania. Tessho and Scott were friends since he started school at Long Beach State. They were in the same dorm together (Q-Building, VL for life!) He's probably the tallest guy I know (standing at 6 ft. 9 in) and he's got the biggest heart I know, too. He always showed love to his LBC friends. He always flew out from New York every summer with Erica, he came out to attend our wedding, he also came out when we said goodbye to our Seal Beach hangout. He was also here for our first ever Tanksgiving. I remember that he requested that we bring Pickled cabbage (as our potluck contribution). This was the first time I had even heard of pickled cabbage. He probably ate the whole jar himself. I think I'll bring a jar of pickled cabbage to our Tanksgiving from now on so he can still join in on the festivities.

We love you Scott. Thank you for being such a great friend. You'll always be with us, in our hearts, but I sure am going to miss that Long Island accent of yours.

(This is a picture of Scott, Erica (his fiance) and Tesshin in November 2007.

Kodomono hi (Children's Day)

In Japan, they celebrate Boys' Day on May 5. This is a day where the Japanese people pray for health and future success of their sons by hanging carp streamers and displaying samurai dolls, both symbolizing strength, power and success. Typically carp streamers are hung outside. The samurai/warrior dolls are displayed inside the house. Unfortunately we were in New York on the 5th but we still celebrated when we got back. We took the picture of Tesshin with the kabuto (samurai helmet) at Sky's house. Then we took the picture with the sword and bow & arrow at our house.