Our stuff is arriving at our front door on Saturday, 4 September 2010 at around 10.30am. Before that, the rental company will come and pick up the rented items (beds, desk, kitchen table and dishes, 2 seater lounge piece, TV and some odds and ends)
LOOKING FORWARD to just settling down!
Will be 10 weeks.
Monday 30 August 2010
Sunday picnic
On Sunday morning we had a lovely church service at Tokyo Baptist Church.
After naps, lunch etc, we took a walk down to the Tama river (about 200m from our place) and had a picnic. Josephine packed an empty fruit box with things she wanted to take to the picnic. Here's her picnic blanket (a bandana) and a little plastic hamburger.
After naps, lunch etc, we took a walk down to the Tama river (about 200m from our place) and had a picnic. Josephine packed an empty fruit box with things she wanted to take to the picnic. Here's her picnic blanket (a bandana) and a little plastic hamburger.
our picnic blankets (beach towels that aunty Liesl gave us!)
Josephine making homes for some ants and just generally digging around
Evie going for a fly!
invigorated and chuffed Evie!
and...home for bathing. You can't see it here, but we had black feet from the dirt!
Trip to the seaside
Oh, Saturday afternoon was crazy wonderful!!!
We were supposed to go to the Mammal Exhibition, but as the kids woke up quite late and it was a bit of a trip, we decided spontaneously to go to the port at Yokohama and see if we could see our ship. Well, the latter part was far from visible - the port is massive!!! Could see some cranes in the waaaay distance. So maybe it was down there. Anyhow, where we landed up was much more fun! Check it out!
We were supposed to go to the Mammal Exhibition, but as the kids woke up quite late and it was a bit of a trip, we decided spontaneously to go to the port at Yokohama and see if we could see our ship. Well, the latter part was far from visible - the port is massive!!! Could see some cranes in the waaaay distance. So maybe it was down there. Anyhow, where we landed up was much more fun! Check it out!
a passanger liner there (seems to be permanently docked here)
Pappa and Josephine
they had set up a temporary splash pool for kids!
one of the two "Redbrick Warehouses" - a sightseeing spot in Yokohama. Nice cool shops inside. Very unusual to "red" bricks in Japan, so it kind of stands out!
and ...a big sandpit with beach sand imported from Australia! So fine and white!!
our girls!
little Evie!
feel the vibe??
our Josephine
the busy sandpit
getting a rinse!
had a harbour cruise! That boat was ROCKING!!! Josephine neeearly fell overboard while getting in...
They were pumping Jamacian type Reggae music...nice atmosphere. So un-Tokyo like though!
some views through the porthole
Evie strapped in against her will. Poor thing!
dreamy Josephine
My happy hubby - I LOVE him soooo much!!
in love!
a lovely picture of Yokohama city at sunset - was a lovely atmosphere
Wow!!
our little redhead! Edible little thing!!!
Pappa and Jozie
I thought this Japanese guy on the bench was a statue. But no, it moved.
some green grass! Wohoo!!!! Must go back there!
some fire trucks doing an exhibition (US navy there too!)
all dressed up!
the best photo of the day...
car shots
On Saturday morning I went to Costco. I went alone as it's about an hours worth of travelling and then another hour's worth of boring shopping (for the kids).
So, here are some pics I took, single-handed (excuse da pun) from the car window
So, here are some pics I took, single-handed (excuse da pun) from the car window
going over a bridge: typical view of blocks of flats
going over another bridge: going over the Tama river
impressive bridge!
a glimpse of the Tamagawa River (the same one 200m in front of our place)
Big Mamma's washing day (every Saturday....out comes the washing!)
Friday
My computer crashed over the weekend - the hard drive, at least. So I've been unable to upload photos from my iPhone. So, here's for trying again...
On Friday at 2.45pm, we had our first parent-teacher meeting at Josephine's new Kindergarten which she is due to start on 2 September. Michael took the afternoon off to be there.
Here we are heading towards the Tokyo school....
On Friday at 2.45pm, we had our first parent-teacher meeting at Josephine's new Kindergarten which she is due to start on 2 September. Michael took the afternoon off to be there.
Here we are heading towards the Tokyo school....
her new school (Kindergarten at separate part)
a spot of shade
her future play zone!
her group's room
Friday 27 August 2010
Ship news
Our container is scheduled to be delivered next weekend on Saturday, 4 September.
We have to see how it will work as another family in our block is moving OUT on the same day...may be a problem with parking trucks, using lifts, etc. It may be that we have to wait then till Monday, 6th Sept.
But basically another week to go...yay!
9 weeks so far.
We have to see how it will work as another family in our block is moving OUT on the same day...may be a problem with parking trucks, using lifts, etc. It may be that we have to wait then till Monday, 6th Sept.
But basically another week to go...yay!
9 weeks so far.
Josephine
I'm sitting here in the "study" on a mattress trying to avoid my chocolate craving by eating a bowl of fruit which is very lekker! I've just put the kids to sleep for their midday nap. 5 minutes after doing that I can hear those little feet walking down the passage on the wooden floor. Tip tip tip....
Me: "Josephine, go straight back to bed!"
Josephine: gives up on her secret walk and comes sprinting into the room saying "Mamma! I just need to go to da toilet!!! Don't tell me to go back to bed when I need da toilet!" (all with her cute, little girl musical voice)
Me: "Ok, come let's go."
...so off we go.
...while she's sitting on the loo, I'm stroking her back ...
"Mamma, when I get big I will LET my little gerl (girl) go to da toilet. I won't tell her to go to bed. She CAN go. Dat wasn't vewy kind of you, Mamma."
Other words:
"Difficult" = DICCIFULT
"Mamma, dats just too diccifult to me." ;-)
"Houla Hoop" = LOOLA LOOP. (When you hear it you think...yes, I know what she's saying, but something is wrong with that word!?)
General:
Josephine loves climbing. She's always climbing to the top of anything and everything. She really loves it.
She also likes building things: she enjoys playing with lego and is very creative.
She likes taking on the roles of some book/tv heros. Today she's Tommy Zoom.
She is very affectionate and gentle. Busy, active, sporty, but in a peaceful/controlled kind of way.
She likes being at home and is totally sick of going to grocery stores. I always need bribery of some sort for that.
She's actually a fast runner. She really loves it and when her friends come to visit she tries to get them into our nearly empty lounge to "get fit". "Come! Let's go get fit! Let's go do some exercises! Come!!"
When she runs around a corner, she steers her body with her head. Her legs are kind of still going straight, but she turns her head and then starts leaning her upper body into the curve so that her legs are finally forced to follow. A kind of inertia. Quite amusing!
I don't think she's looking forward to starting kindergarten. She says "Mamma, I just want to stay at home wif you and Evie." (in a sad, pleading kind of tone) Aw....maybe I'll send her just 3 days a week (Tue, Wed, Thur or so?)
She loves challenging moves with her body: tries headstands, handstands, cartwheels, does forward rolls, half backward rolls, jumps, plays very beautifully with a hulla loop.
She loves helping me at home - loves spraying foamy spray to clean the kitchen table. Even helps vacuuming. And it's her job to keep the shoes at the front door all nicely lined up.
She does also like to make a mess. She may be looking for a tiny thing in a big bucket and will without first trying to find it, immediately tip the WHOLE lot out saying "Don't wowwy (worry) Mamma. I going to pick it up when I finished. Don't wowwy." (saying it very assuringly to calm me down) ....but she seldom picks it up. In fact, when I remind her to pick it up I'm often greeted with "Dat's your job Mamma. You can do it! (like a sport's coach/cheerleader on the side).
She likes vintage cars. And some days she likes "massive" cars.
She likes to sit in the pram! After the first 2 years of her life of NOT wanting to sit in a pram/carseat, it's a welcome break especially when I just want to fly somewhere asap.
She still loves baking. Licking out the bowl at the end is her highlight. And she likes decorating the biscuits with different things. She's experimenting. Sometimes banana toppings, sometimes marshmallows.
Yesterday, she fell in the loo. She still has to hold on tight so she doesn't fall in, and well, yesterday she got distracted. Wasn't too bad as it had flushed.
She's very caring when other people are sad/hurt. She will go over (with only a very small hint of encouragement from me) and hug them or bring them a toy.
She's also quite confident. Shy, but confident if there ever was such a mix. She's timid with new little kids, but goes up to them with her head tipped lower and walking slower and stretches out her hand with a toy in it for them. Usually they light up and then she gets her encouragement. And then sometimes, even if it's just for a minute, they play a bit together. And she regularly goes back to that child to bring them things during play.
She's very affectionate towards Evie - most times unless she needs "space" while playing a "big girls game" and doesn't want Evie's little fingers to take / destroy something she's busy with.
She's extremely protective of Evie, especially when we're away from home. She's constantly trying to get Evie's attention then. Evie is in this moment so stimulated by a new surrounding that she wants to go in the opposite direction. Josephine's feelings often get hurt then.
Josephine is also very obedient. She's just got that personality and we are grateful. It's nothing we do, and of course, she's not perfect and there are times where she gets her smack bottoms or other training. But generally, she's polite and obedient. I really feel PROUD to take her ANYWHERE. She's my star. I really love her.
Me: "Josephine, go straight back to bed!"
Josephine: gives up on her secret walk and comes sprinting into the room saying "Mamma! I just need to go to da toilet!!! Don't tell me to go back to bed when I need da toilet!" (all with her cute, little girl musical voice)
Me: "Ok, come let's go."
...so off we go.
...while she's sitting on the loo, I'm stroking her back ...
"Mamma, when I get big I will LET my little gerl (girl) go to da toilet. I won't tell her to go to bed. She CAN go. Dat wasn't vewy kind of you, Mamma."
Other words:
"Difficult" = DICCIFULT
"Mamma, dats just too diccifult to me." ;-)
"Houla Hoop" = LOOLA LOOP. (When you hear it you think...yes, I know what she's saying, but something is wrong with that word!?)
General:
Josephine loves climbing. She's always climbing to the top of anything and everything. She really loves it.
She also likes building things: she enjoys playing with lego and is very creative.
She likes taking on the roles of some book/tv heros. Today she's Tommy Zoom.
She is very affectionate and gentle. Busy, active, sporty, but in a peaceful/controlled kind of way.
She likes being at home and is totally sick of going to grocery stores. I always need bribery of some sort for that.
She's actually a fast runner. She really loves it and when her friends come to visit she tries to get them into our nearly empty lounge to "get fit". "Come! Let's go get fit! Let's go do some exercises! Come!!"
When she runs around a corner, she steers her body with her head. Her legs are kind of still going straight, but she turns her head and then starts leaning her upper body into the curve so that her legs are finally forced to follow. A kind of inertia. Quite amusing!
I don't think she's looking forward to starting kindergarten. She says "Mamma, I just want to stay at home wif you and Evie." (in a sad, pleading kind of tone) Aw....maybe I'll send her just 3 days a week (Tue, Wed, Thur or so?)
She loves challenging moves with her body: tries headstands, handstands, cartwheels, does forward rolls, half backward rolls, jumps, plays very beautifully with a hulla loop.
She loves helping me at home - loves spraying foamy spray to clean the kitchen table. Even helps vacuuming. And it's her job to keep the shoes at the front door all nicely lined up.
She does also like to make a mess. She may be looking for a tiny thing in a big bucket and will without first trying to find it, immediately tip the WHOLE lot out saying "Don't wowwy (worry) Mamma. I going to pick it up when I finished. Don't wowwy." (saying it very assuringly to calm me down) ....but she seldom picks it up. In fact, when I remind her to pick it up I'm often greeted with "Dat's your job Mamma. You can do it! (like a sport's coach/cheerleader on the side).
She likes vintage cars. And some days she likes "massive" cars.
She likes to sit in the pram! After the first 2 years of her life of NOT wanting to sit in a pram/carseat, it's a welcome break especially when I just want to fly somewhere asap.
She still loves baking. Licking out the bowl at the end is her highlight. And she likes decorating the biscuits with different things. She's experimenting. Sometimes banana toppings, sometimes marshmallows.
Yesterday, she fell in the loo. She still has to hold on tight so she doesn't fall in, and well, yesterday she got distracted. Wasn't too bad as it had flushed.
She's very caring when other people are sad/hurt. She will go over (with only a very small hint of encouragement from me) and hug them or bring them a toy.
She's also quite confident. Shy, but confident if there ever was such a mix. She's timid with new little kids, but goes up to them with her head tipped lower and walking slower and stretches out her hand with a toy in it for them. Usually they light up and then she gets her encouragement. And then sometimes, even if it's just for a minute, they play a bit together. And she regularly goes back to that child to bring them things during play.
She's very affectionate towards Evie - most times unless she needs "space" while playing a "big girls game" and doesn't want Evie's little fingers to take / destroy something she's busy with.
She's extremely protective of Evie, especially when we're away from home. She's constantly trying to get Evie's attention then. Evie is in this moment so stimulated by a new surrounding that she wants to go in the opposite direction. Josephine's feelings often get hurt then.
Josephine is also very obedient. She's just got that personality and we are grateful. It's nothing we do, and of course, she's not perfect and there are times where she gets her smack bottoms or other training. But generally, she's polite and obedient. I really feel PROUD to take her ANYWHERE. She's my star. I really love her.
Thursday 26 August 2010
Us nutters today
Delight!
A short break...check it out...
Watching Tombili-Boos (with Gwamps and Gwan in UK)
Immersed. Hello? Anybody home?? No.
A cool kiddi pool I found where both Evie and Josephine may swim! "Meguro"
A statute outside.
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