Piano Coop

It has been 3 months now and Cooper is really enjoying his piano lessons. Now if only we could get him to love practicing just as much! 

May 23, 2010

We thought of you with love today,
But that is nothing new.
We thought about you yesterday.
And days before that too.
We think of you in silence.
We often speak your name.
Now all we have is memories.
And your picture in a frame.
Your memory is our keepsake.
With which we’ll never part.
God has you in his keeping.
We have you in our heart.
-Rose De Leon

Spring Field Trip - Enoshima Aquarium

This year's spring field trip was to Enoshima Aquarium. We're already fans of this aquarium so it was a fun chance for Coop to enjoy it with his classmates. 

Coop, I and G

I didn't take this pic, but had to share! (Thanks, Hallie!)

Posing beside his favorite animal

It's not a trip to Enoshima without a pic in the sub

My babies taking a break with the jellyfish

Spider crabs!! 

 

The aquarium is attached to a beach so the boys played in the sand a little bit before we had to be back on the bus! 

Party like a 4 year old

He was so excited to wake up to cinnamon rolls & Mario cookies! 

A birthday craft while we waited for Dad and Sam to wake up!

Bowling fun with friends

He wore that Mario hat the entire day! 

The incredible looking and tasty Mario cookies from MKJ Cookies!!
The mushrooms were my favorite while Coop adored the Donkey Kong ones!

A Sweet Cakes by J creation - chocolate cake w/ cookies and cream buttercream! Mmmmm!

On a total sugar high! 

Perhaps he didn't want to accidentally spit on to the cake?!

He really wanted to run free. 

Kanazawa Zoo and Slides

We have been seriously missing the San Diego Zoo, and while we enjoyed Ueno Zoo in Tokyo, it is way too far away for a quick trip. We ended up checking out a really small zoo close to Yokosuka called Kanazawa Zoo. Coop always loves to see giraffes (I still remember when he was obsessed with penguins!), and Sam is mainly just concerned with running free.

Almost time to slide! 

Coming back up for more sliding! 

Time to head home! 

Happy Easter 2013

One of our American friends invited us to an Easter egg hunt at the neighborhood park.  It was a really fun, laid back event for the kids and parents. Sam didn't really understand the concept of putting eggs in his basket, and preferred instead to throw them. Cooper took a few minutes to warm up, but once he got into it, he had an absolute blast!

Eggsellent find for Sam!

Cherry Blossoms everywhere

Enjoying the spoils

The Boys

Kyoto & Nara

Justin had a few days off during Cooper's spring break so we decided to take a trip to Kyoto and visit Nara while we were there. Kyoto was the capital of Japan for over 1,000 years and Nara was the capital before Kyoto. It was a little bit rainy, but not too cold. We weren't there long enough to really see a lot of old Kyoto, but Nara was incredibly beautiful and the kiddies really enjoyed interacting with the deer.

Coop being silly while Sam tries to make a run for it. 

"Brother Friends" (according to Cooper)

Imperial Palace

Getting ready to take the bus to Nara

Two mamas with their babies! :) 

 Nara Daibutsu - High five for being so old (752)

Tōdai-ji

There were two huge samurai warrior statues like the one in the background....Well, I'm not sure if they were samurai, but they were definitely warriors of some sort! 

Another torii gate in Nara

I did not know that Sam was putting his fingers in the deer's mouth! Yuck!

Hmm... I'm thinking that I wouldn't want to be here after dark.....

Shinkansen "Bullet Train"

Mother Farm

After taking a short ferry ride (with amazing views!) across Tokyo Bay to Chiba, we made our way to Mother Farm. It's only the second time that I've been on a ferry that actually takes your car along and I was super excited about that (It's the little things!). We got a bit lost trying to follow the signs for the farm, but after many small, winding roads, we eventually made it there. The kids were starving so we immediately followed the enticing smell of roasted meats and veggies to the yakiniku restaurant. They also had a curry restaurant and an outdoor hotdog stand (They sold some kind of sausage on a stick w/o bread or anything which smelled amazing, but looked totally sketch!). 

After eating, the kids wanted to head straight to the horses and then see the sheep. It was such a perfect almost-Spring day and I can only imagine how beautiful the farm is once the flowers bloom! There are so many things to do here. We fed animals, rode the ponies, went on the go karts a few times, watched our friend bungee jump and rode the ferris wheel. The next time we're here, we have to pick strawberries, see some of the shows and maybe milk cows! We ended the day with fresh milk ice cream and then headed home. Can't wait to go back!  

Love my sheep!!

Yummy lamb chops, beef and veggies! 

He LOVED feeding the horses! 

He said that he was just like Woody!

C and I

Sliding together

Happy to take home a cow balloon