Baby Likes Bass!

Sorry I couldn't figure out how to rotate the video.

Kenzo chillin' in the parking lot while we waited for daddy...

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve day was spent at our old stomping grounds of Alpine Meadows! We met up with the Hyams and Bell families for some skiing and lunch.










Is it possible to have a "cheesy" smile when your mouth is full of PBJ? Mason says "YES!"

 The Bells: Adam, Kristi & Peyton.

Kenzo and daddy before dinner. Friends Fran, Jeff & Lindsey came over for fondue...yummy hot cheesey goodness!


We hang all the photo cards on our tree, and Kenzo loves looking at all our friends and families!

Christmas morning! 

Kenzo was happy to see his little stuffed dog from when we visited with Santa earlier this month. 

Yes, Oscar was found sleeping on the sofa this morning - at 13 years old, I think he's earned it!

 Oooh, a cool dump truck from Grandma and Jiji!

Noise makers, um I mean, musical instruments from Auntie Yuki & Uncle Alan...

"Whooo hoooo!"  

Someone was having a great time with the wrapping paper!

 A really great time.

Kenzo checking out all the goods.

Thanks everyone for the Christmas presents & cards & cheer! Now if we could just have some snow...

December updates

We've been trying to make the best of this weather: sunny, clear & gorgeous skies, but we'd rather have snow!


Some photos from a couple of weekends ago in Squaw...

Proud mama and her little man!

 No hat or mittens needed with this warm puffy coat!

Playing at Commons Beach in December!?

We actually got a babysitter one night and went out with friends! Dinner at the Northstar village...really fun and festive. 

Skiing with my Squaw Valley ski school friends at a PSIA convention at Northstar.

Bottle? No.
Sippy cup? Meh.
Getting the baby to drink water? Use a water bottle and he'll think it's hilarious!

 The Japanese roots run deep....

Have had the sewing machine out and running... it was time for some new stockings for us!

The coolest baby ever!

Kenzo now says "ON" when he sees the light switches, "HOT" near the fireplace, and "UH OH" when something gets dropped. 

Oh, and we're TOTALLY into Cuties these days! No chance of scurvy in this home!

'Tis the Season

Off to Tahoma tonight for the 30th annual neighborhood holiday gathering! A festive evening with lots of neighbors, hot chocolate, cookies & Christmas cheer!

It was really cold tonight, but luckily Kenzo was well equipped with his sweet Adidas puffy coat - stylin'!!

Someone got his first taste of hot chocolate tonight!

Chocolate milk mustaches were all the rage at tonight's party!

Santa and Mrs. Claus arrived via the Meeks Bay fire truck! The small ones got to visit with the Claus' first and Kenzo did great!

Each little person received a gift from Santa. What a nice community event!

Kenzo was so happy with his gift from Santa! This little doggy will end up in his stocking on Christmas morning for sure!

 Say "bye bye" to the chocolate mustache...

All clean & ready for bed!

Real progress

Kenzo has really wanted to walk more and more (with help, of course) since being at day care and watching everyone else walk around. Here's some photos from last weekend!

Dad and Kenzo...

 Now with mom...

 Using the walker in our room!












 
Going down the stairs backwards. I realize this looks a lot like going upstairs, but trust me on this one.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a great afternoon at Jen & Derek's house yesterday. We are very thankful for such wonderful friends who also happen to be incredible chefs!

 Kjell and his auntie Heather!

Kjell, Eric & Kenzo playing before dinner.

How many people did Jen plan on feeding?! So much delicious food as usual! Note the small pan of pancetta-free cornbread stuffing for Eric...very thoughtful of our hosts!

Kenzo enjoyed the turkey, stuffing, veggies & pie. We are so thankful for our perfect little dude!

Breakfast

We're getting better with using a spoon! Well let's face it, today was just a lucky day :)

Taking the Next Step

 Today was Kenzo's second "trial run" at day care. We found Mi Casita, a home-based day care facility outside of Tahoe City, run by Camila, the sweetest and nicest Argentinian woman! Many of our friends' kids have gone or go there now, so that was a big plus in deciding where to take our little dude.

So far so good! Kenzo loves playing with the new toys and new friends at Camila's and is eating well and napping too. In fact, he crawled right past me when I showed up this afternoon! What a relief to have Kenzo in such great care and to know that he's not fully traumatized by the whole thing :)

No photos of Kenzo at Camila's, as I was too overwhelmed with everything else going on! 

Kenzo has really gotten good with signing "more!" He also does "eat / food," but mostly when prompted. Hmm, then again, his "more" could also just mean "graham cracker"...hard to tell! On another note, Kenzo's facial expressions are really getting animated. Here's his "angry" face....

He loves giving Oscar treats....

And one last shot of me and the babe. He's wearing his fancy KENZO sweatshirt, given to us from friends who went to the KENZO store in Paris....ooh la la! Good thing we didn't name him Yves or Gucci!

 

Happy Halloween

Our little pirate didn't want to wear his head scarf, but he still looked pretty cute! Cute, but tired...the "easiest baby ever" has had a tough week with very little naps. Molars, perhaps?

Watching all the kids pour into the Boatworks Mall in Tahoe City! It was fun to see everyone dressed up and the town buzzing with activity.

Friends Tara and garden gnome Paisley.

Grandma Naomi with bumblebee Sophia.

Fall in Portland

A Fall trip to visit Portland - what a beautiful time of year with all the vibrant colors everywhere!


Kenzo enjoyed the extra attention and affection from everyone!

Thanks to mom and dad for clearing out the office for Kenzo & for letting us take over the rest of the house!










 


An afternoon outing to watch Maya's soccer game. The kids were so cute running around and Maya was really going for it!

Their team name is: Go Bolts Rule The World. No joke.

 Side line action...yes, a bit chilly.

A quick visit with cousins Kaz and Nikko. What a bunch of hams!

And then, it wouldn't be Fall or Portland if we didn't go to a pumpkin patch! We went to Plumper's (Kaz & Nikko had just gone there earlier that week!) and had a fun afternoon.

 Maya coming out of the tube slide!

On the bumpy hay ride!

AND....YES, A PONY RIDE!!!!

I am pretty sure I was more excited than Kenzo, but he did like it and rode that little pony like a champ! Proud mom moment.

Having a great time playing with Naomi, Maya, and their neighbor Mar.

We celebrated Naomi's 8th birthday with a family dinner, complete with an ice cream cake and lots of friends!

Gorgeous morning at a park...

Maya & Naomi enjoying the fall(ing) leaves at Grandma & Jiji's house!

See you all again soon!