Monday, June 30, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
Ella Smiles...
Ella is almost two months old. As Shelley noted in her blog, Ella is a few weeks away from travelling back home to see the rest of the family, including her two namesakes.
Ella is growing quickly and is starting to give us some smiles. We've taken some video of Ella starting to smile...click on the picture below to check it out.

Thursday, June 26, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
It's 4:30 AM
Some people look forward to the weekend because they get to sleep in. That thrill doesn't exist for me anymore. Not because we have two kids and they wake up early...though I think that would be a factor if it wasn't already bright at 4 o'clock in the freaking morning. That's why I can't sleep. Japan doesn't have a daylight savings time, which is super smart for a country that is full of people who aren't morning people! So let's waste some sunlight so that when it's time to go home, it's already dark. That's good for the psyche.
Japan used to have daylight savings time after WWII and it was jettisoned soon after Japan regained its sovereignty in 1952. I say, bad move, Japan, bad move indeed.
In case you don't believe me, here is a picture I took after waking up at 4:30 AM one morning. It's cloudy, but it's bright.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Realities of Ex-Pat Life in Tokyo
Despite a desire to show people around our new home, Shelley and I have to face the sober fact that we won't be getting many visitors while we're in Tokyo. But that's Ok. Shelley and I have been really blessed nevertheless. We are starting our second month of a six month period where we get to see a lot of family and friends.
Just as an aside, I consider myself TREMENDOUSLY lucky that I get to visit LA for a month. Tokyo in the summer time becomes a three-month male pity party. All the women and children flee for their mother lands the very minute school lets out. The men are left behind to endure Tokyo summers alone. But I digress.
These visits have been special to us not because we're out seeing things, but simply because we're spending time with each other. The pictures in the gallery I've linked to are simply that - pictures of us spending time at the pony park, the aquarium, at restaurants, on the train and at home, etc.
Monday, June 09, 2008
Anthon, Santa Claus, The Easter Bunny and Jesus
So Anthon and I are watching the movie Cars while sitting on the couch. Well, we're not actually watching Cars. We're pretending to watch Cars on Shelley's pocket sized electronic Japanese - English dictionary. It's pretty useful, not just for looking up words. Anthon also uses it to 'check his email.' Anyway, it flips open kind of like a portable DVD player. I typed in "car" into the search field and the resulting Japanese translation served as our movie. Anthon kept shushing me if I would talk. And it wasn't over until he said it was over. And so we just stared at the screen for about ten minutes...not talking for fear of being shushed again by my son.The movie "ends" and it's at this time that Anthon sees a framed needle-point picture of Christ in our room and we have the following exchange:
Anthon: "Dad, I got so many presents from the Easter Bunny. I got so many more presents from Santa Claus. What does Jesus give me?"
Me: "Well, you can get Eternal Life."
Anthon: "I like Eternal Life."
Me: "Me, too."
Labels: anthon, anthonisms, jesus, parenting
Friday, June 06, 2008
Ella's Baby Blessing
Certainly to us as Mormons, the blessing not only has meaning to the child, but it has tremendous meaning to her family. It's one of the great blessings of being a father to be able to hold your child in your arms and pronounce a blessing on this life that is so new and full of hope and promise. And to have my parents there, and my father to help me bless her, was a great thing. What a great reminder of the importance and eternal nature of families.
I should say a few things about the dress...because that too has a significant family tie. The dress was made by Shelley's Mom, Sally. As legend has it, the dress was made from 37 yards of lace. That's a lot of lace. And it was beautiful.
Here are a few pictures from that day. Click on any of the pictures to see the gallery.
Labels: baby, baby blessing, ella, family
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Our Neighbors, the Harajuku Girls
Certainly these girls come to be looked at. They come to hang out with their friends. Some are there as part of the "free hug club" and freely want their pictures to be taken. The more hardcore set, oddly enough, can be hostile to having their pictures taken. While they themselves won't stop you from taking pictures, they either turn away from you, decline a picture request, or have one of their old-guy fans (also a photographer) tell you that you can't take their picture. Let's see...public place, girls dressed to shock and get attention. Gee, sounds like people who don't want their picture taken! Though it's not made explicit, my Dad thinks that perhaps a few yen will increase their cooperativeness. Though admittedly, no one likes a gothic sell out. So I choose to grab a zoom lens and shoot from a distance. Click on any of the pictures to see the gallery.
There will be more pictures to come. I'm certainly going back with Anthon to not only gauge his reaction, but to also see if he can't interact with some of them. Should be some classic moments.
Monday, June 02, 2008
Ella at one month
Sorry for the lack of updates.
Ella hits one month tomorrow and we've learned a little bit about her as a person during this time.
1. Ella's eyes are actually blue...my recessive genes are busting through.
2. Ella loves sleeping with Shelley...but sleeping in her her crib and with Dad? Not so much.
3. Ella seems to have a milk protein allergy...just like Anthon did.
4. Great eater.
5. Prolific pooper. And I mean forceful.
6. Can't stand the binky...much to our chagrin.
I've uploaded a few more pictures of Ella. Click on the picture below to see more.










