Sunday Sam Snap Week 33

Here he is, dressed as a bee, giving out trick-or-treat outside the playhouse.

Week 33: Backyard Halloween Fun

A nice week off, with plenty of playtime with the kids and Hesty. Now back to the grind...
Here are some more photos from Halloween.

Bib from Nana

Daddy had a chance to see Anya's swimming lesson too- though I missed the beginning of her jump:

Daddy's Birthday in Kyoto!

There is nothing better than waking up to a little girl so excited to get you out of bed to see the birthday cake she has decorated with Mummy...

... except for that morning to be a Monday morning off and for the cake to be breakfast!

Here is the cake-y masterpiece.  Hesty baked it, Anya decorated and Sam stuck his hand right in as we remembered (at the end of the first round of 'Happy Birthday'), that the candles were still in the drawer.

She wrote this all by herself as the World Cup final was on.

Today's trip was to Kyoto. We hopped on the train and went up to check out the shrines at Inari and have a wander about the city. By random chance we bumped into some of Hesty's gang of Indonesian ladies and then had dinner at the falafel place on the island.

"Sutiban wa san-ju-ichi saidesu" (Sutiban is 31 years old) From Google Translate.

 I have a lot to be thankful for.

Sunday Sam Snap Week 32

Week 32 - At Osaka Castle

We had a lovely day out at Osaka Castle today. Although we didn't go inside, we went all around the grounds and felt the Sunday buzz about the place. Lots of families out, musicians practicing, stalls set up and dogs.

In front of the castle. Photo by random passerby.

Sam wondering where his food is.

Cheese!

It's half-term ("fall break") here, so we're planning a few day trips. Daddy needs to get caught up on the relentless piles of work too.

It's water under there, so the whole things sloshes around.

All fun and games 'til another kid jumps on.

Yesterday we headed out to play in the local soft play area. The plan was to let Anya play by herself, but Sam got very excited so we brought him in too. He's clearly saying "A-ya" now, and had a go at "panda" and "koala" after learning this song in his swimming lesson.

Clearly he was exhausted, as he fell asleep in the bike seat:

Sunday Sam Snap Week 31

Week 31 on the school playing field

Hesty took him for his first swimming lesson this week, which was fun!

Cool boardies from Aunty Louise

He's been making some recognisable sounds too: "Dada", "A-a" (Anya), and sometimes "Hug". He is very funny at kissing right now - big wide-mouthed cheek slobberers.


We had a very funny night this week. Anya is trying to read, and Sam find it very funny. Here's a clip from "Happy Halloween, Biscuit."





It was Sports Dat at school this week, too. A lot of fun, and an exhausting day for Anya. Here she is with her class and Freddy the Falcon.

 There are more photos in a private album.

Anya's Bike-Riding Video

On Saturday morning we took the training wheels off and practiced for a little while. She was nervous at first, and wouldn't let me let her go. After a short while, she was able to a few rotations before I needed to catch her.

Yesterday, after a little bit of practice, she refused to let me hold her and away she went.

This video is from today, after sports day at school, which was fun but exhausting. She still had the energy to ride the bike when Daddy got home, and here she is. She can do speedbumps, stop with her brakes, adjust her balance (a bit) and is learning to turn already. Yay!

Nana and Grandad, get a better quality video by clicking on the '360p' at the bottom and changing it to '720p' and then make it fullscreen.




Then this evening, just to prove herself more, she decided to read the story herself - and she really is recognising some of the words from their letters. About half an hour ago, when she should have been in bed, she came into me with a sheet of paper. She wanted to know how to write 11-upwards. She'd already written out 1-10, and once I showed her the system for 11, 12 and 13, she worked out the rest.

Can Mummy and Daddy keep up?

Sunday Sam Snap Week 30

Sam is loving the new bike seat...

Anya took off her training wheels and rode by herself this week!

Check out the new ride

Awesome!

Sunday Sam Snap Week 29

This one was taken up above Kobe - at the Herb Gardens. We decided to have a family trip out and the weather was lovely. More photos to follow in the 'New Life in Japan' album.  Anya loved the cablecar ride to get up there, and Mummy loved the authentic nasi goreng at the top! Daddy just loved to be out with them all for the day...

Week 29 at the herb gardens! The warm clothes are out.

Don't let that cheeky face deceive, though. This week he has kept us awake most of most nights. After taking him off the formula he started last week, it seems to be getting better. Last night, when Anya was having her story, he crawled commando-style from our room to Anya's, just to see what was going on. Hooligan.

Tomorrow is a special day for Anya - Mummy's coming to her class for cooking!