Hamagin Space Science Center (Jan 30)

It was another Field Trip Friday and the weather was TERRIBLE, so I got online and tried to find somewhere (indoors) that was close to a train station.  What I found was a science center just short of Yokohama that was (according to Google) approx 450m from the train station.  So we braved the rain and spent a few hours at the science center.  It wasn't the greatest science center I've seen, but it was very reasonably priced.

Ball land

We all tried to see who could hang the longest.  Tristan won! (and he was so proud of himself for beating Jamie)

robot slide

robots

Fun with shadows

Nishi-rokugo park (Feb 20th)

Fridays are usually field trip days, so yesterday the kids and I (and another mom and her 2-yr old) ventured to the outskirts of Tokyo to visit a park we had read about online.  The trip was over an hour and the train fare was quite staggering but it WAS a cool park!  The entire park was covered in old tires, with sculptures of tires and big concrete slides that you could ride tires down, plus piles of tires that you could climb on.  We spent over 2 hours there but just as were getting read to leave, Jamie slipped on the slide (kids, this is why you shouldn't climb UP slides!) and he crushed 2 fingers on his left hand so bad that I was concerned they may be broken (they swelled up immediately).  So off we went to the english clinic in Yokohama (since we were already near Tokyo, this was on the way home) and while I was there I also had Tristan's cough checked out (he had been developing a croupy cough and I was concerned that it may get worse and I'd be heading back to the clinic).  So with 2 consultations, an x-ray, and some steroids for Tristan, we headed back home for the end of what turned out to be a very long day!  And no, Jamie did not break his fingers, they were just jammed and bruised badly.  Here's our pictures from the park:

The park was right next to the train tracks so of course Tristan loved that too!

You could also just slide on your bottom

Tristan's birthday - Jan 27th

5 years old

On Tristan's birthday we took him to the French bakery and let him pick out a birthday cake.  He also helped me to make chocolate chip cookies for his party.  His birthday meal request was steak, so I made marinated tri-tips with crash-hot potatoes and salad.  Marcus&Gaby ate dinner with us and then some kids in the apartment building came over to help sing Happy Birthday, eat cake, and open presents.  Tristan had a great time, although I really can't believe he is five.  On the morning of his birthday he came to me and asked if he looked bigger now.  He had thought that none of his size 4 clothes would fit him anymore!

We're being so festive with a 100 yen birthday sign!

And our Hello Kitty whiteboard sign too :)

  

Steak - his favorite food

Even mommy orca joins in on the fun

Isn't this exciting?!

This time we get a chocolate strawberry cake.

Abby really wanted to help light the candles

Feeling a bit shy perhaps

He gets them all in one shot!

Present time, with Abby decorated wrapping paper

Legos!

Train tracks

and trains of course

Dinosaurs are good too

So cute - a picture book of cousin Olive and Tristan together

Construction sticker book - you'd think this was a 5-yr old boy's birthday party or something....

And Totoro - straight from Tokyo!