Sledding Near Fuji

Today we went sledding on Mt. Fuji with the Cooper Family. It was quite the adventure to get there but a ton of fun once we finally arrived there. First we missed our exit and had to take a short detour but no problem. We got back on track and were about 10-15 minutes from the sledding hill and my cell phone rings asking us to pull over ASAP. Poor Charlie had vomited in the Cooper car. He was cleaned up and changed and we headed off again. We finally arrived at the hill. Much to our disappointment, it was barely covered with snow but we were not about to disappoint the kiddos. So we persevered and hit the slopes to give it a couple tries. It started to flurry out and IT WAS A BLAST! The kids had a great time sledding down the hill and running back up over and over. The adults had fun too.

It was Scarlett's first time sledding and she had fun. First she would only sled down with me but then she only wanted to go down with Emily. Emily did a fantastic job keeping them balanced and protecting Scarlett from falling out of the sled. Scarlett even got so spoiled that at the bottom of the hill she would immediately flip over on her belly in the sled and wait for Emily to pull her up ... it was hysterical to watch. In the end Scarlett went solo a couple times with little success and a few wipeouts.

It was cold out and the kids' cheeks were red and so we headed in to get a bite to eat. Ramen and delicious mushroom soup. But we did head back out for a few more runs before going home.

A fantastically fun day describes it best.

Indoor Playlands

Yesterday Quinn, Scarlett and I met up with his yochien friend Kaho and her family. We headed to Hinode Mall to an indoor playland. We even ran into another classmate of Quinn and Kaho. Most malls and large department stores in Japan have play areas that you pay to play in. When Quinn was little we used to go quite a bit but this was Scarlett's first time. Her favorite was the room filled with balloons and a fan that continuously blows them around. Simple concept that equals hours of enjoyment. I wish I had one set up in my house on some days. These playlands are great especially on a cold day. Then we had lunch at a very crowded McDonald's due to the New Year Holiday (and every Japanese person with the day off) ... but a bonus day for the two Martyniak children, none the less.

Merry Christmas 2010

Another Christmas raced up on us and was over before you know it. But it was a very Merry Christmas because 2 small children continue to be spoiled by family and friends. Quinn had a Super Mario Bonanza day that included the entire bedroom linen set, curtains and matching wall stickers; as well as a new T-shirt, figurines, and Super Mario Bros. Wii! Plus a whole lot of other non-Mario goodies. The Mario obsession continues....

Now Miss Scarlett got quite a few Hello Kitty items, purses/wallet, dolls, clothes, a ladybug trunki suitcase and Baby Stella accessories including a backpack baby carrier. She was excited to unwrap presents and was adamant about helping Neal and I open all of ours.

We had a quiet day at home which was perfect after the previous weeks' craziness. Many thanks to Grammy, Pepere, Grandma, Grandpa, Forsley family and Davis family for adding to the spoiled-ness of 2 cute kids.

Christmas Eve at Showa Park 2010

Every year we go to Showa Park for Christmas Eve to look at the Christmas lights display. This year it was very cold out there. Quinn fell asleep on the ride to the park and was not happy about waking up and walking in the cold. We ate some yummy Japanese food... hamu-yaki (grilled ham on a stick)... a new favorite and drank Hot Ichigo Milk (strawberry milk). Then checked out the lights quickly, took some pictures, and headed home per Quinn's request because he was cold and Scarlett agreed. The lights were beautiful as usual and put us in the Christmas mood.

Cookies For Santa

Santa loves peanut butter cookies (at least our Santa does). So every year the kids and I make peanut butter kisses cookies. This year the kids were assigned the task of unwrapping the kisses and Scarlett took her work very seriously. She unwrapped the entire bag and kept saying,"Cookies for Santa, Right Momma" Quinn liked the concept of eating the chocolate kisses more than unwrapping them.

Unfortunately the kids fell asleep on the ride home tonight and didn't get to put the cookies out tonight. But I'll be sure to stage it just right with the bowl for the morning.

Who Needs Presents...

Quinn and Scarlett would have played with the boxes that the presents were mailed in for weeks.... if Daddy hadn't thrown them away.

Highest Point in Akishima

Yesterday we finally went geocaching again. It has been a long time ... Neal's schoolwork is putting a damper on our social life. But yesterday was too nice a day not to go out into the woods and play. We found one out of two caches. After a nice day out, we ate at CoCo Curry's and you can see by the picture Scarlett had a full belly and was ready for a nap.

Thank You Grammy and Pepere!

A Home For The Boy

This morning Scarlett, Quinn and I decorated a gingerbread house. Quinn kept stating that it is the house for the Gingerbread Boy and how much he was going to like living there.

Each child got a side of the house and a corresponding roof to decorate. The front side was a team effort. Now we have to keep Neal away so he doesn't start breaking off pieces after a day or two. (This is what happened last year and Quinn was so upset. I guess I didn't prep him that the house could be eaten.) Guess we will see how long the house will last this year.
Check out the video of Quinn singing "Jingle Bells" in Japanese.