Ringing in the New Year!

We were invited over to the Arakawa's on New Year's Eve, which was fun because I haven't celebrated a New Year's with Andrea since high school! Kara loved the chocolate fountain...



... so much!



And though it wasn't midnight, I never miss a chance to give Jason a big kiss!

Happy New Year!!

Christmas Catch-Up

It wouldn't be a Kozuki Christmas without sugar cookies! This year, Ben and Kara decorated all of the cookies and managed not to make too much of a sugary-mess!



Kara is really into patterns, so many of her cookies had a similar color scheme.



Fun Uncle Todd helped supervise the decorating while Tantie Miwa was rolling out dough and cutting out the cookies.



On Christmas day, the kids opened presents and stockings and we headed over to the Hiyama family gathering for a little B-I-N-G-O because it wouldn't be a Hiyama Christmas without it!

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.