Another year and another round of holidays. As much as I love the holiday season it really is a gauntlet of gift giving, cooking and celebrating starting with Thanksgiving followed by Taizo's birthday, Mayu's birthday, Christmas and finishing with the New Year. Needless to say, I'm always ready to get back to work in January.
All that being said, it was nice to have some stability during this year's festivities. Two years ago we moved from Monterey and last year Taizo was born so at least the family is moving in a positive direction.
This year we spent a few vacation days at my parents time-share in Williamsburg. As you can imagine, Taku was more interested in the pool than the history of Colonial Williamsburg. The photos speak for themselves. On Christmas Eve, Mayu and I brought the boys back down to Virginia Beach to prepare for Christmas. My parents drove in from their timeshare the next day. At this point Mayu and I exchanged our only real gift to each other...a Nikon D60 DSLR camera.
This Christmas was the year of trains. Gifts included lots of Thomas the Train items to include a, train whistle, Nerf-like train for Taizo, train puzzle, wooden Thomas trains and the Ride-On Thomas the Train featured in the below video and pictures.
After thirty plus minutes of gift opening chaos the family enjoyed a big meal of blueberry pancakes, had fun watching the boys playing with their toys and prepared our Christmas dinner of dry rubbed rotisserie turkey on the grill, stuffing, focaccia, sweet potatoes and cranberry relish. Unfortunately I have not entirely outgrown my inability to follow directions and I mistakenly combined the sweet potatoes with the cranberry side. The good news is that it was a serendipitous mistake worth repeating next year.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
Pre-Xmas Picture and Video Post
I really just want to push out the pictures and video I've taken of Taku's Holiday Program. There's nothing like listening to three year-olds belting out Holiday tunes.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Deck the Halls (and the Neighbors!)
Just a quickie to spread the holiday joy that our neighbors have been "kind" enough to share with Casa di Cesari!
Sunday, December 7, 2008
The Cesari's 2008 Holiday Season
It has been a long (and messy) holiday season. Everybody has been incredibly flexible considering the massive home renovations to the three bathrooms, kitchen and the den. Hopefully by the end of the holiday vacation all of the construction will be complete.
Regardless we have found time for fun. Over Thanksgiving we had Ryan and Christian Brewer over for the weekend. All the boys got along really well. It also provided Mayu and me with some insight into how much effort goes into having a child to parent ratio above 1. Yoinks! More importantly we enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner at Andy and Kelly Fortmann's house.
As guests at the Fortmann house we were lucky enough to run into my Naval Academy friend Pat who flew into the Virginia Beach area on a Navy C-130. Why he had to fly on Thanksgiving is a longer story. The next morning we all went to the airport to sit in the cockpit and check out the cargo area. Needless to say, the boys went crazy. After visiting the plane Steve, Kathy, Bruce, the Brewer Boys and Taku all went to the waterfront trails (aka "Pirate Island") at Botanical Gardens. The rest of the weekend was filled with meals, naps, trains and bedtimes. Good times.
Apparently Mayu didn't believe that Halloween, Thanksgiving, her birthday, Christmas and New Years were enough celebrations in two months so she decided to birth Taizo in early December just to spice things up. This last weekend we celebrated his first year in Casa di Cesari. He enjoyed the pumpkin apple cake and kept himself busy with his five birthday balloons.
Regardless we have found time for fun. Over Thanksgiving we had Ryan and Christian Brewer over for the weekend. All the boys got along really well. It also provided Mayu and me with some insight into how much effort goes into having a child to parent ratio above 1. Yoinks! More importantly we enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner at Andy and Kelly Fortmann's house.
As guests at the Fortmann house we were lucky enough to run into my Naval Academy friend Pat who flew into the Virginia Beach area on a Navy C-130. Why he had to fly on Thanksgiving is a longer story. The next morning we all went to the airport to sit in the cockpit and check out the cargo area. Needless to say, the boys went crazy. After visiting the plane Steve, Kathy, Bruce, the Brewer Boys and Taku all went to the waterfront trails (aka "Pirate Island") at Botanical Gardens. The rest of the weekend was filled with meals, naps, trains and bedtimes. Good times.
Apparently Mayu didn't believe that Halloween, Thanksgiving, her birthday, Christmas and New Years were enough celebrations in two months so she decided to birth Taizo in early December just to spice things up. This last weekend we celebrated his first year in Casa di Cesari. He enjoyed the pumpkin apple cake and kept himself busy with his five birthday balloons.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Autumn '08 in VaBeach
I will keep the verbiage to a minimum. It was nice to get a day away from the kitchen and go to brunch with Mr. Andy and Ms. Kelly. After brunch we went to Taylor Farms here in VaBeach.
Although we were a bit disappointed to find that there was not an actual pumpkin patch as much as there was just pumpkins out of a tri-wall box laying in a field. Oh well, they had plenty of things to play with, wagon rides and a jump house.
Taku, your favorite thing was driving the wooden monster truck over your mother and me. I hope that is not foreshadowing. The funniest (or scariest) thing for us was your laugh when we would actually go down under the truck.
Although we were a bit disappointed to find that there was not an actual pumpkin patch as much as there was just pumpkins out of a tri-wall box laying in a field. Oh well, they had plenty of things to play with, wagon rides and a jump house.
Taku, your favorite thing was driving the wooden monster truck over your mother and me. I hope that is not foreshadowing. The funniest (or scariest) thing for us was your laugh when we would actually go down under the truck.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
VaBeach: Summer of 2008
I'll keep it simple but the summer of 2008 is almost over. Mayu and I have been working most of the summer in preparation for the kitchen, den, powder room and guest bathroom we are starting on Friday (29 Aug). We have been back and forth with contractors but they have all been either too expensive or not interested in doing the work we actually wanted. For example, we took my parents cabinets out of their house in Annapolis and many of the contractors didn't want to be involved in a kitchen renovation inwhich the cabinets were not purchased through them. Sometimes I wonder if some of these knuckleheads are going to survive the bottom of the housing cycle.
Regardless, a friend and I are going to work for two weeks and I have a professional coming in to finish whatever is left. Hopefully we will all be sane when it is over. The good news is that Taizo is probably too young to care and Taku loves when we work on the house as the video below so clearly illustrates.
Regardless, a friend and I are going to work for two weeks and I have a professional coming in to finish whatever is left. Hopefully we will all be sane when it is over. The good news is that Taizo is probably too young to care and Taku loves when we work on the house as the video below so clearly illustrates.
Taku Tows "Cabinets"
This next slide show is pretty much from all the random things that went on this summer. There are a few specifics worth noting though. Taku loves taking pictures and he has a nack for it because he gets such genuine reactions out of his subjects.
Also, for my birthday Taku and I went to the NSW Foundation Camp Out over at Little Creek Naval Base. There is a little park there along the water. They had an inflatable jump house, obstacle course, food, lots of other little kids, junk food, t-shirts, the Little Creek Water Park/pool, Zodiac boat rides and a whole bunch of other stuff. It was almost more stuff than Taku (or I) could handle because by 4pm he was dragging, but maybe that was the sugar shock of eating an ice cream bar, a cookie and M&M's.
After hanging out by/in the tent and blowing bubbles from his Superman chair he came into his second wind. We had some dinner but Taku was mostly interested in the cookies. Despite all the sugar I was able to get him down around 8:22pm after laying in the tent with him, the glow stick lights the foundation gave him and his airplace, which he carrys everywhere. We slept on memory foam mattress which makes for a very comfortable camp out but Taku moves all over the place at night so I was woken up at all hours of the night in order to watch Taku conduct his "midnight ballet" all over the tent.
Anyway, this morning went smoothly we woke up, had a light breakfast and then he ran around with the other kids (like Lord of the Flies) while I cleaned up camp and sucked down luke warm coffee.
He is now sitting on my lap waiting impatiently for me to finish this blog so he can watch "airplanes take off of ships (aircraft carrier ops). He loves watching that on youtube. Here is his favorite clip which he calls "brutha's gonna work it out". Link
VaBeach Summer 2008 Slide Show
One last item. This is a movie I took yesterday of Taku having "fun" with Taizo. As you can see I struggle with the appropriate time to "draw the line" between fun and danger. I may have failed on this one but Taizo was having fun and nobody was hurt in the end.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Weekend in Annapolis & DC
We went up to Annapolis to grab cabinets out of Grandma and Grandpa's house before the renovations began. Things started off easy enough but finishing the cabinets and loading up the truck on Sunday was an absolute beast that lasted well into the night. (Links to the Kitchen Renovation Blog Entry/Slide Show). After the weekend the family spent Monday and Tuesday in Potomac as I attended meetings in and around DC.
Regardless, we had lots of fun. Taku, you had your first taste of the Severn River and I was shocked out how long you stayed in the water just hanging out. Hershey, as you can imagine, was loving it too. It has been since Monterey since I have willingly brought him to the water for a swim. It was a lot of fun to see the dog and my son playing in the water together. I forgot my bathing suit but on the second day I caved and went in with my shorts. We played for awhile and then you crawled on my back and we swam to the dock together. The wind picked up, you became cold and we headed back. There are a bunch of random photos and those are you (Taku) working on a potential career as a freelance photographer.
Regardless, we had lots of fun. Taku, you had your first taste of the Severn River and I was shocked out how long you stayed in the water just hanging out. Hershey, as you can imagine, was loving it too. It has been since Monterey since I have willingly brought him to the water for a swim. It was a lot of fun to see the dog and my son playing in the water together. I forgot my bathing suit but on the second day I caved and went in with my shorts. We played for awhile and then you crawled on my back and we swam to the dock together. The wind picked up, you became cold and we headed back. There are a bunch of random photos and those are you (Taku) working on a potential career as a freelance photographer.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Taizo Stands
After seeing some of Taizo's peers (Leo mostly) standing up on their own I decided to prop him up and let him fly. He did pretty well. Below is video and some pics of the event. There are a few other pics in there from the park this morning.
A Day at the Air and Space Museum
Since we were up for a weekend in DC we decided to take all the boys to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center which is an annex to the National Air and Space Museum. They boys sucked down lunch while we drove from Rockville to the Dulles Aiport location. A poignant moment came for Mayu and I when we came across the Enola Gay, which is the B-29 responsible for dropping the 1st atomic bomb on Hiroshima. I've always thought it both ironic and reassuring that in one or two generations we have gone from Mayu's mother fleeing Tokyo during a firebombing raid by US B-29s to her daughter is living in America, married to a US Naval Officer with bi-racial grandchildren. On a personal note, I was hoping Taizo would be born a day later (7 Dec versus 6 Dec) just for the full circle irony of him being born on the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Oh well, it is still a very interesting turn of familial events.
Back to the present, although Taku was a bit cranky he still enjoyed himself. Especially at the end when Mayu took him and Tetsutaro on a air/space simulator on hydraulics. As for Taizo, he passed out in the backpack soon after arriving and stayed asleep almost the whole time. Tetsutaro set a good example as he was a stinkin' little angel. Evidently all the planes and spacecraft wore the kids out because they slept all the way home, despite the fact that we got lost and then had to sit in rush hour traffic for almost two hours. As for myself, I had an hour or so walk around with Taizo on my back and geek out on the exhibit while Mayu took the boys to the in-house McDonald's. All in all it was a good day and I recommend the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center to anybody with the slightest interest in aviation.
Back to the present, although Taku was a bit cranky he still enjoyed himself. Especially at the end when Mayu took him and Tetsutaro on a air/space simulator on hydraulics. As for Taizo, he passed out in the backpack soon after arriving and stayed asleep almost the whole time. Tetsutaro set a good example as he was a stinkin' little angel. Evidently all the planes and spacecraft wore the kids out because they slept all the way home, despite the fact that we got lost and then had to sit in rush hour traffic for almost two hours. As for myself, I had an hour or so walk around with Taizo on my back and geek out on the exhibit while Mayu took the boys to the in-house McDonald's. All in all it was a good day and I recommend the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center to anybody with the slightest interest in aviation.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Taku and Glen's Big Canoe Adventure
(Click on the pic for a larger version of the route)(June, 22nd 2008)
What a great day. It was 81F with a light breeze.
Unfortunately I had to fight the wind in and out, which is pretty much par for the course with the bike commute as well. The straight line distance on the adventure is 4.05 miles and since I was the only one paddling I was hardly traveling in a straight line.
Portaging across the land bridge (from WP #5/6 and #21/22) was a bit crazy. On the way out the tide was in so it was an easy drop in after I dragged Taku and the canoe through the marsh grass. On the way back in the tide had rolled out and I I had to deal with knee-deep marsh mud. I thought I was going to have to cut off my Tevas. Taku was a champ through the whole thing and wasn't afraid to tell me how dirty I was getting.
Animals we saw on the trip:
2 - Blue Herons
3 - Sea Rays (they freaked Taku out because he was concerned they were sharks.
2 - Birds I will find out their name later
1 – Jellyfish
Multiple - Turtles, Geese, Snails and Crabs. We accessed the crabs by pulling crap pots up by their moorings.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
The Beach at Fort Story
The mercury was up over 95 degrees today so we decided to pack up the truck and head for the beach at Fort Story about ten minutes from our house (see photos for geo-tags). The nice thing about Ft. Story is that there is always lots of free parking and the beach is never crowded.
Taku was a maniac in the water as he spent a full ninety minutes running back and forth from the beach until he was shoulder deep in the water. Finally we fished him out long enough for lunch. I guess he was beat because he did not protest too much when it was time to go.
As for Taizo, he's a champ. He hung out with his hat and surfer outfit all day. He enjoyed sitting in the water and squishing the sand between his fingers. Too bad he didn't realize right away that the sand was not for eating. He was able to drizzle about two handfuls of a one part saltwater, one part sand mixture into his plump face before Mayu and I could stop him. It didn't seem to bother him but I'm sure it will when he ends up with a sandpaper diaper. I'll cut out the commentary now and post the day's pictures. Enjoy.
Taku was a maniac in the water as he spent a full ninety minutes running back and forth from the beach until he was shoulder deep in the water. Finally we fished him out long enough for lunch. I guess he was beat because he did not protest too much when it was time to go.
As for Taizo, he's a champ. He hung out with his hat and surfer outfit all day. He enjoyed sitting in the water and squishing the sand between his fingers. Too bad he didn't realize right away that the sand was not for eating. He was able to drizzle about two handfuls of a one part saltwater, one part sand mixture into his plump face before Mayu and I could stop him. It didn't seem to bother him but I'm sure it will when he ends up with a sandpaper diaper. I'll cut out the commentary now and post the day's pictures. Enjoy.
Early Summer '08
Taku and Taizo continue to crack us up. They love to sit across the table from each other and laugh about the sound of each others' laughter. Things are starting to get a lot easier as well. Taku is out of diapers during the day and almost ready to kick them at night too. Taizo can almost sit up by himself, slept through the night for the first time (6/7 June 2008) and is building up a healthy appetite. In the below slide show you can see him going down town to Chinatown for some food.
Also, the things that roll out of Taku's mouth continue to take me by surprise. This morning it was, "Papa, you're so mean" and "What the hell?". I guess I need to do a better job policing my own language because he didn't get that from Mayu.
Also, the things that roll out of Taku's mouth continue to take me by surprise. This morning it was, "Papa, you're so mean" and "What the hell?". I guess I need to do a better job policing my own language because he didn't get that from Mayu.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Mid May 2008
Taku is an absolute maniac. I can't lay down anywhere without him running in, jumping up and stomping my chest with both feet. So much for the safety of "home base". Additionally, he has taken to finding the highest thing he can get on and jumping off of it to include jumping off the deck from the built in benches into the various bunches of vegetation. Random bruises are starting to show up all over his legs...I swear I'm going to get a visit from child services.
Taizo is doing well. He enjoys being carried around in the backpack and bouncing around in the exersaucer. He is working hard at finding the center of balance but so far no dice. I've embedded the latest pics to include a few here Taku put these stuffed rings on him and Taizo because he thought they looked like earphones. I need to find Taku's stash of psychotropic drugs before things get too out of control.
Finally, and most importantly, Taizo is an eating machine. We had our suspicions that he was an eater when he would watch us eat adult food with sad eyes a and a pout. He confirmed this notion when I fed him the other day. He was stuffing the rice cereal into his pudgy pie hole with surprising gusto. By the way, if you watch the video below you can hear Taku calling out for a wingman while he is in the bathroom. What a weirdo!
Taizo is doing well. He enjoys being carried around in the backpack and bouncing around in the exersaucer. He is working hard at finding the center of balance but so far no dice. I've embedded the latest pics to include a few here Taku put these stuffed rings on him and Taizo because he thought they looked like earphones. I need to find Taku's stash of psychotropic drugs before things get too out of control.
Finally, and most importantly, Taizo is an eating machine. We had our suspicions that he was an eater when he would watch us eat adult food with sad eyes a and a pout. He confirmed this notion when I fed him the other day. He was stuffing the rice cereal into his pudgy pie hole with surprising gusto. By the way, if you watch the video below you can hear Taku calling out for a wingman while he is in the bathroom. What a weirdo!
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Virginia Beach: Spring 2008
It has been awhile since I last posted photos. Since the last post I have been up to Annapolis to work on the house and Jill's wedding, trying to complete the project to open up the kitchen to the family room, registering a new car, getting the garden plot ready for summer and a myriad of other projects. Instead of going too far into all of it I will just post the pictures.
Here are some of the better quotes recently uttered by Taku:
To Glen (after tripping on a Taku toy): "Holy Jeeze...relax!"
To Taizo: "Silly Taizo!"
To Mayu: "I'm done with you!"
To Glen: "Let's wrestle!"
To Grandma and Grandpa (at the end of a video chat): "Alright, enjoy yourselves too!"
To Mayu and Taizo: "I love you whole world!"
To Mayu (when she's dressing up for an event): "You're my princess!" and "Mommy, you look so pretty."
To Glen: "Hey big guy!"
To Glen (when I'm helping him move something): "Papa, you're so strong!"
To Glen: "I give you a purple nurple"
Taizo is growing like a weed. At his 4 month well-baby visit he tipped the scaled at 15lbs 3.5oz and was 25.5" long. He is rolling over like a champ, but doesn't know what to do once he's on his stomach except drool all over the play mat.
Here are some of the better quotes recently uttered by Taku:
To Glen (after tripping on a Taku toy): "Holy Jeeze...relax!"
To Taizo: "Silly Taizo!"
To Mayu: "I'm done with you!"
To Glen: "Let's wrestle!"
To Grandma and Grandpa (at the end of a video chat): "Alright, enjoy yourselves too!"
To Mayu and Taizo: "I love you whole world!"
To Mayu (when she's dressing up for an event): "You're my princess!" and "Mommy, you look so pretty."
To Glen: "Hey big guy!"
To Glen (when I'm helping him move something): "Papa, you're so strong!"
To Glen: "I give you a purple nurple"
Taizo is growing like a weed. At his 4 month well-baby visit he tipped the scaled at 15lbs 3.5oz and was 25.5" long. He is rolling over like a champ, but doesn't know what to do once he's on his stomach except drool all over the play mat.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
The Easter Bunny Came Over and Made a Mess!
Taku and Taizo continue to be afraid of any stuffed animal figures bigger them themselves as Taku was not interested in the Easter Bunny that showed up to the party. Additionally we watched Taku's extroversion compete with his "id". This battle manifested itself as he struggled with these competing priorities: hunt for eggs (and treats) or or try to hang out with all his toddler friends who were clearly not having the same dilemma.
So after we wound down from all the fun of watching kids attack an adult sized Easter Bunny we decided to use the rest of the weekend to tear down a wall in between the kitchen and the family room. In the "post breaking the drywall" photos some pipes are visible on the left-hand side. My friend and I moved forward despite the pipes that ran down the middle of the wall but luckily my neighbor is a plumber with a heart of gold and a bomber set of tools. After that was done the frame and cleanup was relatively easy. Hopefully the electric, drywall, plaster, threshold and painting will be just as easy. To be continued...
So after we wound down from all the fun of watching kids attack an adult sized Easter Bunny we decided to use the rest of the weekend to tear down a wall in between the kitchen and the family room. In the "post breaking the drywall" photos some pipes are visible on the left-hand side. My friend and I moved forward despite the pipes that ran down the middle of the wall but luckily my neighbor is a plumber with a heart of gold and a bomber set of tools. After that was done the frame and cleanup was relatively easy. Hopefully the electric, drywall, plaster, threshold and painting will be just as easy. To be continued...
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Norfolk Zoo Trip and General Update
We finally closed out Taku's birthday by getting him a cake right before I flew out of town. The next day Mayu sent him off to school with cupcakes. The damage speaks for itself.
With the approach of Easter Taizo got his first taste of the Easter Bunny.
Uhhhh...maybe next year. My advanced apologies for providing Taizo with a future of irrational Easter Bunny fears. I had no idea...I swear.
Finally, at the end of the week we decided to take a trip to the Norfolk Zoo for their "Egg-stravaganza". We met up with Taku's friend Aidan and watched those two run mindlessly through the zoo. After the zoo we went to a park to eat lunch. It was a great morning that inevitably ended up with Taku falling apart because he didn't want to go home. "More park, more picnic, no go home!". Oh the joys of parenthood!
With the approach of Easter Taizo got his first taste of the Easter Bunny.
Uhhhh...maybe next year. My advanced apologies for providing Taizo with a future of irrational Easter Bunny fears. I had no idea...I swear.
Finally, at the end of the week we decided to take a trip to the Norfolk Zoo for their "Egg-stravaganza". We met up with Taku's friend Aidan and watched those two run mindlessly through the zoo. After the zoo we went to a park to eat lunch. It was a great morning that inevitably ended up with Taku falling apart because he didn't want to go home. "More park, more picnic, no go home!". Oh the joys of parenthood!
"In this exhibit we see two highly irrational and energetic hominids. Please do not provoke or feed them."
Full Slide Show
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Taku's Actual Birthday and Weekly Update
Despite a crazy week at work and a short weekend with a work trip planned next week we still managed to eat some "birthday waffles" with Taku and grab a few good shots of Taku and Taizo before getting on a plane for Mississippi. I read Aunt Jill's B-day card to Taku and took a short video. You can find it on the video sidebar on the right hand side or immediately below this blog post.
So, a philosophic question: Is there such a thing as too much love? Maybe we should ask Taizo. As you can see below he has excellent insight into this age old question.
How about this one? Taku found my cammie cover, put it on and declared that he was "going to work". My only question is, "When can we expect your paycheck to post?"
Finally this last gem in our three part installment. My parents bought Taku new foam letters for the bathtub. Being a natural born water bug they have only exacerbated an already untenable situation. The good news is that he can almost spell his name by himself. Too bad he can't differentiate the pronunciation of a "Q" (pronounced Quuuuu) and a "U" (also pronounced Quuuuu).
So, a philosophic question: Is there such a thing as too much love? Maybe we should ask Taizo. As you can see below he has excellent insight into this age old question.
Taku Loving His "Baby Brutha"
How about this one? Taku found my cammie cover, put it on and declared that he was "going to work". My only question is, "When can we expect your paycheck to post?"
Taku Donning Glen's Cammie Cover
Finally this last gem in our three part installment. My parents bought Taku new foam letters for the bathtub. Being a natural born water bug they have only exacerbated an already untenable situation. The good news is that he can almost spell his name by himself. Too bad he can't differentiate the pronunciation of a "Q" (pronounced Quuuuu) and a "U" (also pronounced Quuuuu).
Taku the Terrible Tub Trawler
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Taku's 3rd Birthday Party
Thank you all for coming and a special thanks to my parents for helping us before, during and after the party. I can say with a high degree of confidence that Taku had a blast. The fact is that the cake, ice cream, presents or amount of fun he had with all of his friends causes him to blow through his afternoon nap. Needless to say, Mayu and I are bracing for the anticipated evening meltdowns.
Below are the videos and links to the pictures from the party
Thanks again to all those who came. I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.
Below are the videos and links to the pictures from the party
Thanks again to all those who came. I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.
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