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.
