Family Picture by Kara

It's been a busy few weeks... we started moving our things into the new house and I haven't had much time to take photos. But Kara drew a great family photo to share. Hope you're having a joyful holiday season!

Happy Birthday to our Girly-Girl Kara!

The one thing Kara asked for this year was a Barbie cake and she said the best part about it was Barbie's dress.



To start off her birthday morning, Kara got specially made pancakes on the special red plate. And the best part about breakfast was that Kara saved the best pancake bites (with strawberry jam and blackberry syrup) for her mommy.



Kara was excited to wear to new birthday dress and shoes to school. What she likes best about this outfit is the sparkle (of course) and being able to take off the jacket, which she's watched herself do in the mirror multiple times today.



To finish off her birthday, Kara had an ice cream cake with what kind of ice cream? Pink strawberry, of course.

Kara says the best part about her birthday is celebrating with her family. Can she please stay five years old forever?

Happy, Happier, Happiest Birthdays to Ben!

Ben's birthday celebration began on Thanksgiving when he had a dinosaur cake...



He was a little shy and didn't like all of the attention the first time around, but he was agreeable to a few photos with his "3".



To prepare for his preschool birthday celebration, Ben helped make happy-face cupcakes. On the drive to school he said, "Make sure the candies don't fall off of my cupcakes!"



For his birthday dinner, Ben asked for gyoza. He loves the orange garnish they serve at restaurants, so his dinner wouldn't be complete without them. How can you not feel special when you've got the red plate and am embelished birthday crown?



To cap it all off, Ben had an ice cream cake and blew out his "3" candle, making a wish. I'm sure his wish was that his next birthday wasn't so far away.

Thanksgiving in San Francisco

The Kozuki and Higuchi families gathered in San Francisco to celebrate Thanksgiving. It was such a treat to have everyone together...



While in the city, Ben saw a fire truck up close! Thankfully, no emergency. Just some hungry fire fighters.



The kids took their first trip to Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 for the best fish and chips Sho's ever had! When leaving the city, Kara said, "I love San Francisco" and was glad to know that we'd visit again.





When we got home and were ready for bed, I asked Kara and Ben about the best part of their day. Kara said it was having our whole family together... Ben's was having a lollipop!

Hope you enjoyed time with family and friends and we are thankful that you care about us and that you're checking out our blog :)

Too cute not to share

When I got back into town after being away for a few days, Kara surprised me with the picture she drew of herself, me and her baby brother. As you can see, Kara is learning to sound out words and spell. The days of spelling out words to communicate things we don't want her to understand might soon be coming to an end.

He's looking at me.... No, he's looking at me!

We've been trying to get pictures of all three of the kids together... looking at the camera... and smiling. I know this is asking a lot! I asked them to sit on the couch to take a picture and it turned into Kara and Ben arguing over who got to hold Jason. They also argue over who Jason is looking at or who gets to sit closer or who gets to touch Jason. At least we know he's loved!



So Kara got to hold Jason first and then Ben decided he was fine to just do his own thing. Our cute, little independent thinker.

Goodbye to Nat's

For a few years we've been going to eat breakfast at Nat's in Sherman Oaks and earlier this week, we had our last pancakes and waffles with our friends there. It was sad to say goodbye to the people who have kept our tummies happy and watched our little ones grow up...



The waitresses knew our usual order, but before we left, Kara and Ben discovered their hot chocolate with whipped cream and they were happy to finally order their own "coffee" in a mug.



Like all of our friends and favorite southern California spots, we'll miss you and we'll be back to visit soon.

Happy Halloween!!

The kids chose their own costumes this year, and thanks to Grandma, we had a hula girl and a dinosaur.



Just for picture purposes, we decided to have Jason be our sumo-baby, complete with a huge meal.



Kara and Ben had a great time trick-or-treating!



We weren't sure how long Ben would stay in his costume...



but with a little help from Daddy, he managed to gather enough goodies to keep a dinosaur happy for a long, long time.

He smiles!!

Here it is! A smile caught on camera... a camera phone, but at least you can see what makes us smile every day...

Pampa's Pickers

The kids have been asking to pick peaches and grapes, so Pampa took them out to pick their own fruit.

Kara helped cut grapes from the vine...

while Ben waited with his bag, like it was Halloween.

Pampa's fruit is always a treat!

Pumpkin Patch

We went to the local pumpkin patch, which I haven't been to since high school, and we were amazed at what an attraction it has become! Ben and Kara road on a steam engine, enjoyed watching miniature trains circle around, and just walking the grounds was fun... a suspension bridge, corn fields, a real tree house...

And kettle corn! It was worth the trip, despite the heat.

Hope it cools down by Halloween or our dinosaur-to-be is in trouble!

Do I see a smile?

At almost nine weeks, Jason is a sturdy little fellow. I've seen one fully awake smile and it made my day! I know more are coming soon...

The kids went to their first Reedley Fiesta this weekend. They both enjoyed watching the parade and playing in the kids' area, but I think the big winner was the kettle corn!

And who doesn't love ice cream in a blue or purple cone? Hope you had a delicious weekend as well!

Only six weeks?

Jason is growing fast! Recently someone asked how many months old he was... only six weeks! Yes, he is a big boy. He's lost his neck and is starting to get the rolls, chubby cheeks and thighs. He's scrumptious!

Everyone is doing well... Kara and Ben have started to play more interactively together. It's great because they can keep each other occupied for quite awhile. The dinosaurs say hello and go to parties with the Barbies, they read books to each other.

Kara and Ben both love being near Jason. Since he is looking around so much and noticing things in his environment, they now argue over who Jason is looking at... Even Grandpa asks, "why isn't he looking at me?" We all want to feel the love :)

Life on the farm...

We're spending some time in Parlier at Pampa and Grandma 'Rene's house, which means daily walks on the ranch, feeding the koi and giving treats to Rolo, the dog. Kara and Ben love to feed the fish and Ben is always on the look out for the large white "shark" that lives in the koi pond. Kara was very proud that on today's walk, she picked her first Asian pear apple all by herself. If you look closely, you'll see it on the rock beside her along with the leaf and flower she picked up along the way.





Jason has found his time in Parlier to be very relaxing... Oh, what I would give for a nap!

Growing... growing

Because of Jason's jaundice, he went to the doctor at two weeks and three weeks... At his three week appointment, he weighed in at 9 lbs. 5 oz. and the nurse and I were both shocked. He's a good little eater, this one!





We're all loving baby Jason... his soft skin, the little noises he makes when he eats and sleeps, his big eyes looking at us, the sweetness of being a baby.

Party of Five

Even though we feel like life has changed a lot, some things have stayed the same... Kara still enjoys reading books and will quickly correct you if you miss a few words in an attempt to expedite the story. She's been making jewelry and has quite a collection of necklaces and bracelets. Kara likes helping in the kitchen, whether it's baking or peeling hard boiled eggs.

Ben goes back and forth between playing with his cars and dinosaurs and loves this dinosaur application on the iPad... he's learned a lot of the dinosaurs names and says he's a T. Rex (we sometimes call him B. Rex) and that Sho is a Boceritops (also knows as a Triceritops).

We've been to the Natural History Museum a few times in the past month, but this week, we took our first family trip to see the dinosaurs and when we got our Dinosaur Hall pass, it read "Party of 5" which I think is so cool :)

That's my brother!

We wondered how Ben would do with a new baby at home.... and we're happy to say that Ben is so gentle and sweet with Jason. Ben asks to hold Jason and then will sing him songs, or comfort him by saying, "Don't cry, baby."

Ben is very protective of Jason and makes sure other kids don't get too close... he recently told a little one and a half year old girl, "No, that's MY brother." This morning he went up to Jason and called him "cute pie", but most of the time, Ben calls his brother "JJ".

Kara likes to tell other people that she has a new brother and says, "He's really cute."

Jason is doing great - he's gained weight, is awake and has his eyes open for longer periods of time and likes to hold his head up and look around. Can't believe he's going to be three weeks old soon!

A little more Jason...

We were able to bring Jason home on Tuesday and though we're both getting less rest, it's great to be home with the rest of the family.

Like most babies, Jason's enjoying the good life, as his day consists mostly of eating and sleeping. But when he opens his eyes, he loves to look around, hold up his head for a moment and then it's back to sleep.

Hope your day has some magical moments as well!