The Life of Aki

Skating for my life

2011-12-28T14:21:00.000-08:00

I would just like to say that ice skating may be the most fun (and funny) thing to do on the planet. I had SO MUCH FUN! I did not ever want to stop. we skated the full hour and a half allowed and I was not ready for it to be over.
I also want to point out that my sister made mention of me falling down a lot....as if I was uncoordinated. I did fall down a lot....ON PURPOSE! Every time it made my mommy laugh and laught and it made me laugh, and it made all the spectators watching me laugh....and I do like to put on a good show. Despite my best tries, I did not ever get the chance to pull my mom down with me though....party pooper!

Zoo lights

2011-12-26T23:48:00.000-08:00

We went to see the christmas light show at the Oakland Zoo tonight. It was chilly...but we still had tons of fun seeing the lights, getting hot chocolate and generally being very goofy!

It's Christmas!

2011-12-25T22:14:00.000-08:00

Oh My Gosh! Santa delivered! What an amazing Christmas. We woke up this morning to Santa's sleigh all decked out. Mrs. Claus even made us a gingerbread house....with her very own hands. Santa left us a note! I can't believe he gave us his sleigh. He's the greatest guy ever!

Apart from the sleigh and gingerbread house, Santa stuffed our stockings with new automatic toothbrushes (I LOVE it) and bath products. I also got a really cool pirate ship and a remote control car, some great books, my very own seatbelt (really just a regular belt, but I insist on calling them seatbelts and have been DYING to be a big boy and wear one). Clara Shei got a kitchen set and I got stuff to cook and Clara Shei got pirate accessories. I think it's my mom's way of ensuring that we share our toys. Each of us got one big thing but the other one got the accessories to go with it, so if we want to fully play with out toys we need to work together and SHARE. It's ok....it's way more fun to play WITH someone anyhow...and Clara Shei and I usually are more than happy to share.

After opening our gifts, we got to play for a long time in the afternoon and then had a yummy dinner all together. I LOVED our Christmas this year! Merry merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T16:32:00.000-08:00

I can't believe its already Christmas Eve! Today was full of all our traditions. Mommy took us out for our special lunch and gave us our Christmas letters. She also gave us the gift of a rhino! That's right...we added a Rhino to our family. Her same is Silio. She has to live in Kenya at the Rhino orphanage...but each month we get an update on how she is doing. We are so excited by the new addition to our family.

Tonight, we had Christmas eve service at church. I've come a long way since last year when I behaved so poorly in church. This year, both Shei Shei and I did a very nice job in church. Mommy was so proud of us and I know Santa was watching. I can't wait for tomorrow!!

Maxi takes San Francisco

2011-12-23T16:20:00.000-08:00

Today an old pal from Cradle of Love came to visit. Her name is Maxi and she looked after me with some other volunteers when I lived in the orphanage in Arusha before I found my forever family. It was so fun to see Maxi again...even though I don't really remember her from the first time. You have to forgive me...I was just a baby! I'll remember her now though....my friend, Maxi!

Tis the Reason for the Season

2011-12-23T11:40:00.000-08:00

From Thanksgiving to Christmas....we enjoyed our season to the fullest. From decorating the tree, to a seasonal trip to Disneyland and San Diego, to our first grown up outing to the San Francisco Ballet's Nutcracker to a trip to the north pole on the Polar Express. It was really an amazing season this year! What a way to end the year...

Trimming the Tree..

Disneyland

Hotel Del Coronado

My preschool Christmas show...I behaved TERRIBLY!

The Polar Express

Ballet Dancing!

Tilden Park lights

Santa

2011-12-17T16:44:00.000-08:00

We got to meet Santa tonight. He was sooo nice! I asked for a sleigh....Santa wasn't sure he'd be able to deliver it since he needs it. I have faith though...he'll work it out! See you soon Santa, I'll be listening for those bells!!

My Stage Debut

2011-12-16T16:25:00.000-08:00

At my stepping stones preschool Christmas pageant. I'm the one throwing a tantrum in the corner. I think I have a future in the theatre!!!

Our First Nutcracker!

2011-12-14T16:53:00.000-08:00

We got to meet some of the ballet dancers before the performance! We also got teddy bears and cookies and treats at intermission. I loved seeing the dancers and Clara Shei and I sat through the whole performance. We were so big!!

Birthday and Thanksgiving rolled into one

2011-11-26T00:38:00.000-08:00

Clara Shei's birthday is right around Thanksgiving. This year, we celebrated her birthday all through the month and thus, it got mingled in with Thanksgiving. The big news of November was that mommy took Shei Shei and I on a trip to Washington DC to visit her friends and see Georgetown where she is now teaching a class. What fun we had. We returned on Thanksgiving Day and spent a lovely weekend home with the family before we headed back to school.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-16T22:47:00.000-08:00

The autumn has been full of so so many activities....too much to do and too little time to blog about it.

Here are the highlights!

End of summer trip to the pier merry go round!

End of art class~with Summer, Sabrine and Logan!

Visiting Ardenwood's harvest festival

Pumpkin Patching with the best of them!

Apple picking...working hard!

Enjoying nature!

Yo ho Matey....I'm a pirate for Halloween!

Halloween parade and party at Stepping Stones Preschool

The actual event!

Celebrating Shei Shei's third birthday at Safari West...it's a family adventure!

Fall Leaves

2011-10-16T21:39:00.000-07:00

It's a beautifu autumnal day and we went for a walk in the woods...

Stepping Stones

2011-09-01T15:46:00.000-07:00

I starte a new pre school this year. Ms. Stacey is the Director and Ms. Danielle is my teacher. There are 11 kids in my class. On the first day I came home to tell my mommy that I had 3 new friends, Kate, Aiden and Toby. And, unbelievably...my mommy didn't trust that they were actual people. She was very impressed to note that I did, in fact, make 3 fantastic new friends and that I got their names right! (geeze...little faith she has in me huh??)

I love my new school...and I can't wait to go to college and grad school (I've heard it enough from mommy that now I just tell everyone that I'm going to Stepping Stones now and then I'll go to college and then grad school).

Happy First Day of School everyone!!!

How I love the Beach!!

2011-08-26T15:36:00.000-07:00

Monterey Part trois - the Beach!!!

2011-08-20T14:29:00.000-07:00

Well, we did do some shopping and some eating while in Monterey. The eating, I was mostly a fan of (though I did not like fish n chips...I loved our indian food), the shopping....boring! (except that Mommy did buy us both some really cute hats). But...basically, not too much to write about there.

BUT....the beach...now THAT is another story! I love love love the beach. We brought Katy with us and we had the MOST fun.

I wish you all could experience some days at the beach in Monterey....it's a summer worth experiencing.

Monterey Part deux - Playing at the Park

2011-08-20T14:17:00.000-07:00

Monterey not only boasts one of the great aquariums in the world, it also has bragging rights to one of the best parks around. Dennis the Menace Park in Monterey is amazing....with multiple play areas, rock climbing walls, bridges, crazy slides and a real life old steam train to play on. We had such a fun time running and playing together. Mommy even ran into some old friends from her high school days who were there with their kids. What a small world!

Monterey Bay - Part 1, the Aquarium

2011-08-13T11:05:00.000-07:00

This week, we took a super fun summer holiday trip to Monterey Bay! We went to the aquarium....and to the park, and to Cannery Row....AND to the BEACH!

During our time at the aquarium...we saw all kinds of fish, sharks, turtles, sea horses, jellyfish etc. We saw a living kelp forest, and cringed as a wave came crashing over us again and again. Shei Shei and I loved exploring all about the ocean world....we could go back and learn more again and again and again!

Oh, how much fun we had!!!

nane nane!

2011-08-08T12:45:00.000-07:00

Nane means 8 in Kiswahili and nane nane is celebrated on August 8 (get it??). This was traditionally celebrated as a harvest like festival for people to bring their harvests from their fields to market to sell. Now, it is just one of the many Tanzanian holidays (wow, does TNZ have a lot of state sponsored holidays!!). We celebrated our heritage on nane nane by dedicating the day to all things East African. From the animals, to the stories to the food...we remember our heritage on this very fun, very special day!

Stop to smell the flowers...

2011-08-06T22:40:00.000-07:00

Today we just took a bit of time out to smell the flowers. Today Mommy and Bada took us on a monorail ride, to the trolley bus to an afternoon in downtown Walnut Creek. We did some shopping and also took some time to relax in the sun, play in the fountain and smell the flowers. What a happy summer!

Nature Walks, Wild Berries and PIE!!

2011-07-29T15:15:00.000-07:00

This summer we have been out almost every day on nature walks around our house. We go for an hour or so and find adventures in nature. I get the sneaking suspicion that mommy is just trying to get us tired out befre nap or bed, but truthfully....we get lots of exercise, vitamin D and most always discover fantastic things in nature. Some days we might follow a flock of wild turkeys out for their evening dinner stroll....or watch a kitty cat as he hunts for gophers....or explore the different types of trees and leaves around our house.

The other day we happened upon a great find while out on our walk.....wild blackberries!!! The next day we took a picnic and an empty bag and went to pick blackberries. We picked a LOT (OK...mommy picked a lot while I ran around freaking out about the bees in the grass and Clara Shei ate the berries she found....and mommy watched carefully should be need to pump her stomach since she kept eating un-ripe berries. Then we sat down and ate lunch while mommy kept on picking).

After all our hard work, we went home and made berry pie (OK....again, I must fess up. We went home and napped and mommy made berry pie). OH YUM!!! How I love berry pie. Best thing???

Mommy let us have a slice for breakfast the next day. Best breakfast EVER!!!!

All Aboard!!!

2011-07-10T21:21:00.000-07:00

Today we went on a special trip over the Sacramento to the Railroad Museum. We are members but do not get over to Sacramento very often in order to use our membership. If you go on the weekends you can actually take a train ride on a real, old time train with tickets and conductors and everything. It's super cool.

Today we went and took the train ride. The conductor seemed to take a real liking to me and Clara Shei and spent lots of time with us making sure we understood lots of fun train facts and even making sure we saw all the cool things, like the changing of the engine car. He also had the coolest train belt buckle. I was mesmerized and could hardly speak of anything else!

and so to you, I say....ALL ABOARD, come ride with me!

Snapshots of an afternoon

2011-07-05T21:26:00.000-07:00

The Fourth of July

2011-07-04T14:31:00.000-07:00

This was my second celebration of the 4th. It was quite a fun weekend, though incredibly HOT!

From state fairs to community fire works.....we celebrated up a storm.

Happy Fourth to you all

I can swim...I can swim...I can ssswwwiiimmmm!!!!

2011-06-25T14:49:00.000-07:00

After two months of swimming lessons, I could see that Mommy was getting a little frustrated. I appeared to have all the tools to swim, just none of the motivation. I like people. I like attention. I do not need much personal space (read between the lines that mommy really really loves her personal space and has been mourning the extreme loss of it for the past few years...I think she's almost looking forward to my tween years in hopes I'll shun her and she'll be allowed to be in a room alone again). Anyway...the idea of not being attached to another person is simply not appealing to me.

But, I could see that she was starting to loose patience with the process and even mentioned that if I didn't start trying to swim she would leave me at home while taking Clara Shei to the pool since she was not keen on trying to swim with two toddlers any longer.

So...I caved. I just decided this afternoon that I would swim. And, now I'm a swimming menace. Be careful all you pool goers out there, I have found a new medium for terrorizing the general public!!

Old and New Friends

2011-06-24T21:32:00.000-07:00

We have just returned from a big summer adventure. Mommy, Clara Shei, our dog Katy and I went on a road trip to South Lake Tahoe to meet up with friends. Mommy has known these 3 other women for most of her life. They were childhood friends, high school pals, college roommates, adult support systems and cheerleaders. Now, they are all grown up and everyone has kids. So, now all us kids have new friends. Logan and Emerson are Sharla and Bradi's oldest boys and they have been friends for years. Flannery is Emerson younger sister and they are Bradi's kids and live in Portland. Clara Shei and I had already met them at the New Year when we went to visit them for a few days in Portland. I've been enamoured with Emerson since then. And...the love affair continues....I think he is just soooo cool. Luckily, even though Emerson is a lot older he is such a good kid that he works hard to include me even when I am at my most irritating 3 year old self. Flannie works hard with all the kids and is especially great with the younger kids (Clara Shei and Charlie). Charlie is the youngest of the pack....she is Timber's only little one and though I didn't spend much time with her mommy tells me she is sassy and independent while still being a really well behaved easy baby. Timber got lucky...in fact so did Bradi. Mommy remembers both of these women as girls...they gave their moms a run for their money...how did they get such easy peasy great kidos?? Lastly was my counterpart...Cayden. Cayden is Sharla's youngest son and he is ALMOST as crazy as me. I guess there is something about 3 year old little boys....we are a special breed.

In Tahoe we rented a house for all of us to share...if you lost count that is 4 women over powered by 7 children (and two dogs....Emerson and Flannery's dog Dobbler and our Katy) all in one house. It was complete pandemonium from the moment we all arrived.

We spent our days hanging out around the cabin, playing games, doing crafts and driving our mom's nuts. We also spent time on adventures to the lake and on swamp hikes. My favorite thing to tell people about is our mosquito hike. "We went to see the mosquitoes....and we walked and walked through the mosquitoes and they bit the boy, and then we saw the fish, and then we got back on the mosquito road and we walked and walked and finally we got to the parking lot and you should never go there". I know....I'm really talking it up huh? Aren't you just dying to go there???

The beach was my FAVORITE part of the event. I can easily get myself into trouble in small spaces (read....anywhere around the house), but the beach where there is little that I can destroy, is my place. (of course I still managed to throw a ball into the water which poor Logan had to go and retrieve). I loved the cool water and the sand.

Despite all my shenanigans, I loved every second of my time and I loved every single person there. I'm so glad that mommy has friends like this in her life and I hope that someday I will have this too. Who knows...maybe all us kids will be life long friends ourselves!

Where are we going next year guys? I promise not to drop all the beads on the deck next year ok?

Yo Ho, a Pirates Life for Me (and a bottle of rum for my mommy)

2011-06-19T23:16:00.000-07:00

Today was SO much fun. We woke up early and mommy and I went to the Y for an early morning swim session. I'm really getting the hang of it. Mommy just gets frustrated that I am a lazy kicker. I mostly want to float like a jelly fish in the water. Mommy keeps telling me that I have to kick if I want to get anywhere. She clearly doesn't get it....I don't WANT to go anywhere!

After that...we went home and picked up Clara Shei....also picked up Uncle Gogo (or Topher or Gopherter...so many names for him, so little time) and headed out to the Pirate Festival in Vallejo. We met up with mommy's friend Monica and her three kids, Greg, Kelly and Paul there and it was so fun. I keep telling mommy all night how much I liked Kelly. She was so nice to me!

I was really nervous and spent much of the drive there asking to go home. I wasn't at all sure how I felt about meeting pirates face to face. But, mommy wouldn't turn the car around and we just kept heading toward those fiercesome pirates. After we got into the pirate fair and I met with a few of them....they seemed pretty nice and not really scary (well, mommy sort of thought that they were scary, but I think it was more in the why-are-grown-men-dressing-up-and-acting-like-pirates sort of way). I did hear her remark that this was the sort of event where a bottle of rum was clearly a requirement.

In the end, I took a pirate class and learned how to board a ship, clean a ship and walk the plank. I made a pirate flag, saw a pirate ship battle on the water and explored a pirate ship. I even got my own pirate eye patch....I said, "aurgh" a lot to other pirates and even went in a bouncy house thing. To top of our pirate day mommy let us come home, wear our eye patch and watch a movie about pirates before bed! What a fantastic day!!! Yo ho to you all!!!

Summer at the Zoo

2011-06-18T22:36:00.000-07:00

Today after swim lesson Clara Shei, Mommy and I headed out to the zoo. I was dying to see the giraffes. We took picnic lunch and ate in the grass and then we went on our safari adventure to see crocs, giraffes,pumbas,chimps and otters. We had such a good time. Mommy is working hard to help me learn to listen and follow directions lately (something she apparently thinks need work on). She said I was 70% well behaved today...and I figure I'll take it!

It is so much more fun to go to the zoo now that Shei Shei is more fun and can do more. Here are some photos of us with the animals today! What fun!!!!

Moving on!

2011-06-17T21:37:00.000-07:00

OK....I will try m best to get back to the last few months and piece together what has happened, but if I do not make the choice to just move forward with this blog...then I'll never post again. It all started because mommy lost our camera! It had so many great photos on it, mommy is just kicking herself. And, she's also really confused about how it happened. She had it Easter morning, She took pictures of us huntng for eggs and playing with our toys outside. And, then when she looked for it later in the day it was no where to be found. But, we hadn't left the house. So, for a long time Mommy was convinced that the camera would turn up. We waited, and cleaned, and waited and cleaned and moved furniture and cleaned and cried and waited and yelled and cleaned....well, you get the picture. The camera never turned up and gone are our Easter photos and our activities leading up to Easter. Gone are Clara Shei's photos of her visit to the hair salon. Gone are my swim lesson photos....all gone. Mommy feels sick. But....life must move on. So...starting tomorrow, I will be documenting our life again for anyone out there who cares to see it.

See you tomorrow!

The luck of the Irish...

2011-03-17T15:09:00.000-07:00

OK, so I'm NOT Irish. BUT....I did celebrate St. Patricks Day today. Those pesky leprachauns visited us today. They turned stuff green all over our house....even our food and our milk!

And, they hid treasures all over our house. Clara Shei and I found them all though....and we got to eat that treasure!

Happy St. Pat's Day to you! I hope you have the luck of the Irish too....

A Winter Wonderland

2011-03-06T19:35:00.000-08:00

I've heard of this elusive winter wonderland for months now (yes, I do use very big words...I have a fantastic vocabulary). Ever since the holiday's and frosty the snowman and Santa and Rudolph came into my life, I've been hearing about the snow. Oh, how I wanted to get to the snow. I just knew that it would be the most fun thing I could ever experience. For a month before we actually went to the snow I was telling my mom how much I wanted to throw snowballs at her.

Well....the snow did not disappoint. It's every bit as fantastic as I imagined it to be. And, I sure do like throwing snowballs at my Mom. I also love other things as well....like sledding and snowshoeing and building snowmen. I really didn't want to leave our snowman behind...but mommy and bada explained that he didn't want to come with us....he needed to stay with the snow. Uncle Gogo even built our snowman a mommy who could stay with him. Right now, I'm really conscious of the fact that when people have problems their mommies will come and help them. If I see a movie or read a book where someone has a problem, it doesn't matter if they are little or big, or even President Obama....I just know that everything will be allright because their mommy will come to take care of them.

And, mommies take us to the snow to have fun too. And, ever since we got back all I can talk about is our cabin in the snow and how much I want my mommy to take me back to the snow. Can we go right now mom????

Music Class

2011-03-02T21:46:00.000-08:00

Each Wednesday I get to go to my music class. I love Ms. Cory (my teacher) and I love learning about music and playing music and singing for an hour each week. Mommy thinks that Clara Shei and I each need one activity each week that is just for us. So, Wednesdays is my day for music class and some special time with mommy. We might go to the bookstore, or to the library, get a treat and then go to class. Mommy has to stay with Clara Shei for her gymboree class each week because she is younger than me...but I'm a big boy so mommy just drops me at class and then picks me back up at the end.

My music class is at the gymboree center and so we get to go there to play sometimes too. I love playing there....it's just one of my favorite places to go.

Now we've got something for everyone!

2011-02-26T15:28:00.000-08:00

Mommy has a therapist. It's affectionately called....The Mall. She goes there to feel better or forget her problems. She doesn't always buy something (since often her problem is that she would like more money to buy things). In any case....she likes to go to the mall. But, since Clara Shei and I came along, it's not as easy. We get bored at the mall and sometimes act up. Mommy's favorite mall has little for us to do there, besides get bored and behave badly. At least until now...

Our mall just got an upgrade! A play area just for us!!! Right outside the starbucks (of course). We are all very excited about it!! Poor Clara Shei was a bit naughty today, so she didn't get to play. I found lots of ladies to hang with though...yeah, I've got it going on! ;-)

The Busiest Day!

2011-02-19T14:32:00.000-08:00

My mommy was a bit distressed when she figured out that we had 3 really fun things to do all within one afternoon! She was trying to decide what to do..and then we decided that somehow we just couldn't make a decision. We would find a way to do it all! And then....of course, it decided to poor freezing rain down from the sky ALL DAY LONG...just to make our busy busy day very wet (and a little more complicated)

Our day started with a birthday party for Noah. He is a friend of ours from church and he was turning 2! He had a train theme birthday party and lots of yummy food. I enjoyed trying to grab any food I could without my mommy noticing (including snitching bites of the birthday cake before it was cut) and playing with the train set on the floor with all our church friends.

We had to leave Noah's birthday early in order to make it to Lindsey Wildlife Center because a massai warrior was coming to give a presentation on the natural ways of life of the massai people. It was so cool to see other massai people, just like me, in California. I got to help him start a fire from acacia tree wood, and he gave Clara Shei and I a massai blessing! I loved to meet him and remember all the special things from our life in Arusha and the massai people.

After leaving Lindsey Wildlife, we quickly headed over to BART and hopped on the monorail, into the city for the Chinese New Year parade. It was really cold...and really really crowded, but oh how I loved it! Mommy held me up for a long time so that I could see the chinese dragon. At the end of the parade a very nice man lifted me up so I could touch the dragon! That means I will have good luck all this year.

What a perfect day! Oh, and I forgot to mention....Auntie Resa is visiting as well. She and Uncle Gogo met us in the city to watch the parade and get some chinese food afterward. I had SO MUCH FUN TODAY! I was exhausted after this day....but I'm so glad we decided to do it all....I could not have chosen just one of these events today....we needed to do all of them. Whew....so tired, headed to bed!

Pie for Lunch

2011-02-14T16:45:00.000-08:00

Well, pie for lunch can mean only one thing....it must be Valentines Day!

Today when Mommy woke me up she asked me what I thought we should do for a special Valentines treat and I said, "let's have strawberry pie for lunch!". Mommy was so surprised...as I've never had strawberry pie before. But, she had to admit, it was a GREAT idea. We couldn't find strawberry pie, as it's out of season. But, we did find berry pie....and it was a really fun lunch! Who get's pie for lunch???

Tonight we exchanged valentines and Clara Shei and I gave Mommy the valentines that we made for her. And, we got to open our valentines...cards and candy and a few special surprises just for us!

I hope you all have special valentines out there that love you. I have lots and lots of love and am so so lucky!

Summer in the Middle of Winter

2011-02-12T16:11:00.000-08:00

What a day!

In the morning we partied down at Growing Tree Preschool where we made valentines, strung macaroni on string to create fabulous jewerly and decorated our own cookies, which we immediately ate!

After the party, we couldn't let the beautiful weather in the middle of winter go to waste. Neither could the rest of the bay area, it seems. We all convened in Oakland at the zoo....and spent the day frolicking among the animals. What a day, what a family....

Climbing Trees and Feeding Cows

2011-02-05T22:27:00.000-08:00

Today I had a special day out at Tilden Park with my Bada and my Uncle Gogo. Mommy couldn't come as she had some work that had to get done.

It was such a fun day! I got to have a picnic on the grass with the family...and climb trees with my uncle. I got to feed the cows at the Little Farm and visit the museum with my sister. What a fun day out....I really didn't miss my mommy one little bit!

From Flying Fairies to Flying Beds

2011-02-01T17:11:00.000-08:00

I have been living in a world of imagination. I love love love to read, and it is one of the only ways to get me to calm down. If I am starting to get too crazy, you only need ask if I would like to read, and I'm immediately sitting in the big red chair in the living room surrounded by my favorite stories.

I also have begun to enjoy chapter books. I have recently finished my first chapter book with my mommy....Bedknob and Broomstick. Now, we are on to Heidi. I love to sit with my Mom at night in her bed and read a few chapters of our story. It is our special time together.

Here is a sampling of some of my favorite books. These are those I am currently enjoying on a daily basis. In particular I love the Story A Midsummer Night's Dream. Puck is so funny and he makes such mischief, which I can really relate to. I had a bit of a hard time understanding Puck's plan to squeeze magic flower juice on sleeping people's eyes in order to cause mischief. I wanted to do it too, and for a few days I would just go up to people and grab hold of their eyelids and sqqquuueeezzzeee. Mommy put a stop to that pretty quickly though. I really loved Bedknob and Broomstick and especially when they flew on the bed to the island where there are cannibals. Sometimes, I will stop in the middle of the day and ask my mommy to be quiet because 'the cannibals are coming and they want to eat us for lunch!'. yikes!!! Now we are reading Heidi and I love learning about life in the alps. It really sounds great!

I have also really loved learning about Martin Luther King Jr. and read the book often (though it's not pictured). I tell me mom often that Martin told us to meet hate with love and even when people put a bomb in his house he said, "NO VIOLENCE".

OH, and my Mom also forgot to put Bonyo Bonyo, the Brave Boy of Kenya in the photo. So, I put her straight and we made a photo of the book by itself. It deserves its own picture. I love to pretend to be Bonyo Bonyo, the Brave Boy from Kenya and I plan to grow up and be a doctor, just like him! (only I'll be the bave boy from Tanzania)

A Visit from my Auntie Resa

2011-01-24T22:49:00.000-08:00

My aunt came to visit us for a few days. We spent lots of time together...mostly just time around the house. We got some yummy food including milk shakes together. That was pretty fun. And, we had our first family game night together with the games that mommy got us for Christmas. One is called, "I never forget a face" and it is a matching game with kids from all the different countries. I have a great memory so am pretty good at this one, if I do say so myself.

The second game we played is a story telling game. There are picture cards and each person around the table picks a card that has a picture on it...and you have to add to the story based on the card that you've drawn. We had a great birthday party with so many gifts and animals - including a boat bringing gifts and a lost key to the birthday house which fell off the boat and into the sea with the fish. We had a princess and a castle and party goers sitting on the moon. It was quite a silly story!

Thanks for coming to hang out with us Auntie Resa....it was pretty cool.

Uncle Gogo

2011-01-19T14:23:00.000-08:00

Today was my uncle Gogo's birthday! Can you imagine this is the third birthday of his that I have spent with him! The first birthday of Uncle Gogo's that I spent with him, we celebrated in Karatu the weekend before:

Gogo's birthday weekend

And the weekend after we celebrated with a bbq at our place. I had only known Uncle Gogo less than a month...but I was already smitten!

A bbq party!

The second time I celebrated Uncle Gogo's birthday, we were still in Africa. On his actual birthday we celebrated together at home in Arusha and went for Chinese food for dinner since it's his favorite food. By this time....I fully loved my Uncle. He is so much fun!

Happy Birthday Uncle Gogo

The following weekend, we went on safari to Karatu once again.

Safari to Karatu

This year has been a bit rocky. Uncle Gogo and I are having some power issues and we seem to get into lots of struggles...Mommy goes crazy sometimes. BUT...the one thing that is for certain....no matter what, I LOVE MY GOGO! HE is my Gopherter.

This year, we are living in America..in California. And, we celebrated again today. Mommy, Clara Shei and I took Uncle Gogo to a great Indian restaurant, in honor of our first home, Arusha and the amazing indian food which we miss soooo much! It was yummy and fun! Tonight the whole family went out to dinner at Chipolte, and even Megan came with us too.

Happy Birthday Gogo! I love you....

Martin

2011-01-17T23:31:00.000-08:00

Today was a special day. We took the day off around America to celebrate MLK Jr. Day. Martin Luther King Jr. was a special man who lived in America during a time when there were lots of problems between people of different skin colors. I don't really get it. Here, it seems like skin color is really no big deal. When we go to the zoo or the kids museum or any place around San Franisco really, we see people who all look really didn't from each other. And, when we go spend time with friends around the Bay area, lots of times the families don't look like each other. One friend has a latino mommy and an african american daddy. Another is Italian and Asian, another has one white mommy and one african american daddy. And, we read lots of books about all the different colors that people are and how beautiful it is to have a world filled with creamy milk chocolate and sun kissed sand, with hair like baby lambs curls and hair that floats like a river.

But, this day is about something a bit different than the life I'm living in San Francisco today. This day we talked about a man who lived when the color of our skin made other people not want to play soccer with you and stopped you from going to certain schools or sitting in certain parts of the bus. We read about Martin and his hard work to make sure that I could live in the world I do today and we learned that there is still more work to be done to make sure that everyone is treated fairly and judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin. And, I learned what that phrase means. It means that we should care about what is inside us more than what we look like on the outside. I find it easy to think of the grinch...we care more about the fact that his heart grew three sizes (we care about our heads and our hearts) than the fact that he is green. When his heart grew, he was able to bring back Christmas, but his being green made no difference at all. This is what Martin wants us to all recognize....we need to care about what our hearts and our heads are doing....and then just enjoy those baby lambs curls and that creamy milk chocolate skin....it's all so beautiful!

Skype

2011-01-15T00:06:00.000-08:00

I LOVE skype. For the time we lived in Africa, we used Skype a lot to make calls back to Bada and Grandad and to our friends in the States, so that we could be connected back to mommy's life in America.

Now, we are living in America, and skype is helping us to be connected to our friends and family in Arusha. Today we got to made a skype call with Arnold and David (my big brothers back in Arusha) and Rebecca and Wendy who are the directors at the center that helps to take care of them. Rebecca and Wendy are much more than that though....they love all the kids at the center and take such good care that they make one big family up! We miss them all very much.

It was really cool to see David and Arnold on the camera. They were so funny, they made fun of me and all started jumping up and down on the bench they were sitting on. They said that they were pretending to be me, because I'm so wired I can't sit still,even for a second. Ok....I admit....I'm a little BUSY!!!!

It was nice to hear how well they are doing in school and how much they enjoy it. I can't wait to be a big boy and go to school. I want to be a doctor, like Bonyo Bonyo, the brave boy from Kenya.

http://www.bonyoskenyamission.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47&Itemid=80

Arnold would like to be a football player (not the American football kind....the soccer kind). David doesn't know yet, but maybe he would like to be an artist....he is so talented and a very sensitive soul.

Clara Shei and I loved talking to everyone, but we do miss you guys so much. I keep talking about David and Arnold and Africa...and I miss them and wish we could go visit for the weekend! Mommy tells me that we will get back to see everyone just as soon as we can!

I am the Lorax and I Speak for the Trees...

2011-01-13T14:56:00.000-08:00

I love the story of Dr. Seuss about the Lorax and the Onceler who cut down all the trees and smogged up all the land, air and sea. I especially love to read the end with my Mommy, where we say, "unless someone like YOU (and then mommy tags me to let me know that the Onceler is talking to ME) cares a whole awful lot, it's not going to get better, it's just not". We work hard around our house to help out the Lorax, like only using 4 squares of paper when we go to the bathroom (mommy and I count them together so I learn how much I need) and turning off the water when we brush our teeth and not just flushing the toilet for fun, but only when we need to, so that the bears still have trees and the fish still have water. It's all VERY important. I get worried when I see a situation that I think the Lorax would not be happy about. While we were in Seattle, we drove by a plant where there were lots of buildings churning things around and a lot of smog and smoke was coming out of the top of these buildings. I said to my mommy, "uh oh,that is a lot of smog, the Lorax would not be happy!".

Well, I know that the Lorax and the Onceler would be proud of me. About a year ago now, at our house in Arusha, I planted two trees with David, our friend and the best green thumbed gardener around. We had to leave Tanzania, at least for now, but David has stayed on at our house there and he is taking good care of our trees. He just sent us some photos of our trees and how they are growing! Thank you so much David for sending on the photos and wow....thank you for taking good care of our trees. Hopefully all the bears, and birds and fish and people will be a whole lot better off if we can all just care a little bit more.

We miss you so so much David!

The 5 cent farm

2011-01-05T23:31:00.000-08:00

I've been hearing about the 5 cent farm in Portland, Oregon for a while now. I think my mommy has a huge fascination with it (especially when we were living in Tanzania) because it seems so american idealistic. In any case, the family that lives at the 5 cent farm is the Ross family. My mommy grew up with the mommy of the Ross family - Bradi. Bradi has a husband Ron, two kids Emerson and Flannery, a dog named Dobler and some chickens (who I think must be very cold this time of year)...oh, and a goldfish that I tried to drown.

So, to start the year of 2011, we went to visit the Ross family in Portland, Oregon. What an amazing 48 hours I had there. My mommy looked a little ragged by the end, and poor Bradi was probably just plain exhausted by me, though not nearly as exhausted as her boy....Emerson.

Oh, Emerson, how I do adore you! I can't wait to be 8 years old and just like you. I think you are so cool, I want to be hanging on to you from the moment you get home from school till the moment you have to go to sleep.

And, Flannery, well she has the coolest stuff ever...including a dollhouse and a goldfish. When Flannie and Emerson were home, I just had to be with them every second. When they weren't, we had to find a way to entertain ourselves....so we went to the OMSI (science center in Portland). Bradi is really fun at playing with us....she likes to find ways to shoot various balls out of air tubes in the ball room....mommy thinks that some things never change.

We loved our visit with the Ross family. We loved Dobler, the big red dog, and we hope that we get to see them all again real soon!

PS - Ross Family

2011-01-05T00:28:00.000-08:00

I'm really sorry about the tazmanian devil that whipped through your home. I loved you all and thank you so much for having us! Ms. Bradi - I love your photos, thanks for taking some of me!

And, thanks for your kind words on your blog:

http://conchodandy.blogspot.com/2011/01/parenting-and-juggling-skill.html

Goodbye Seattlites, Hello Portlandia

2011-01-03T21:52:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we drove down from Seattle to Portland and spent the day and evening with one of my mommy's dearest friends who she met in the dorms, freshman year of college...Jen.

Since mommy has been living abroad, she hasn't seen Jen....so it's been a LOT of year. Boy...can those two ladies TALK. They stayed up all night just talking. Man....they put Clara Shei and I down to sleep in the bedroom and stayed out on the pull out couch with their tea and their talking all night. Finally....early in the morning, they fell asleep....and that's when our fun could begin.

When Mommy and Jen woke up at 5:30 in the morning, Clara Shei and I had been up busily smearing our shea hair butter all over EVERYTHING. Somehow they didn't find it as fun or nearly as funny as we did. In fact, mommy was down right furious! Go figure....

The funny thing is....even with this (small) indiscretion of ours....and even with Mommy getting so (unreasonably) angry....it was still just the most fun visit. Maybe it's because my mommy was relaxed and happy to be with her friend and have it feel like no time at all had passed. I could see what a truly special friendship they have. Or maybe it's because despite her insistence that she is not a 'kid' person, Jen is so cool and we loved her and hanging out with her and I think she is just one of the most special people. Oh, and I really like her her husband, Cean and her son, Ayden too. What a super cool family! I can't wait to see them all again!

oh, and on top of it all. Jen is quite an artist. She designs jewelry and is an amazing amateur photographer (Portland is apparently full of them). Jen took these photos of me...thanks Jen. See you again soon. I promise I'll lay off the shea butter next time.

Are you just happy to see me?

2011-01-02T21:39:00.000-08:00

Today we are headed down to Portland to visit more friends. But, before we left....it was really important to feed our ducks in Kirkland just one more time.

They might be getting to know us a bit too well, they were awfully....friendly

The thing is that they seemed to want to eat the bread, and so did I....so we were coming at cross purposes. hmmm...no reason to eat ME though guys!

The First Day of 2011

2011-01-01T22:45:00.000-08:00

Today was such a nice day. A perfect way to start a perfect year. A little time with friends, a little time with family and a LOT OF LOVE.

The morning was spent at Meg's....just sort of getting it together. We cleaned up the house after the previous day....did some laundry and generally organized our lives and slowly started the new year. In the afternoon we headed to Aunt Lin and Tom's house for a little family fun. It was so so cold, but Mommy really thought we needed some outside time...and she was really nervous to have us running loose in Lin and Tom's house after the craziness of the past few days. To be fair, everything in Lin and Tom's house is an antique from 1833 or something and it is not really child proofed. However, she needn't have worried. We were just fine!

We had such fun at Lin and Tom's house. After the park visit with Mommy, Bada, Aunt Lin, cousin Rebecca and her new husband, Joe....we came home and met up with Tom for a family dinner and some home fun. I learned to play the ukulele and made a band with Lin, Tom and Joe. Clara Shei was our dancing groupie. I also got to spend time reading with Aunt Lin. She and Tom gave me a really beautiful book of poetry for Christmas and I love it. Tonight, I read Dr. Seuss with Aunt Lin. I could really sit and read forever. After dinner and dancing we headed back to Meg's...tomorrow we head to Portland to see more friends to start the new year off.

Happy First day of 2011....I hope yours was as nice as ours....

C'mon Universe...

2011-01-01T11:53:00.000-08:00

It's 2011...time for my Mommy to find her perfect job. She has already discovered that the universe had a plan to ensure that we are a family and bonded. Not only did she put my Mommy in the right place at the right time to find me, she also ensured that she would not have a job in 2010 so that we would have time to bond as a family. (she read some study that says that for adoptive families it is really important for the kids to bond with their parents and to not be passed right away to another daycare or care giver situation so they don't just think of their parents as just another care giving situation). As a single mom, she would never have taken a year off to parent us unless the universe gave us the situation. So....2010 was as it should have been.

But, listen universe. Clara Shei and I are pretty bonded to Mommy now. We are secure little people and know we belong to a family that loves us. We are happy, healthy and well adjusted little people. We have clothes, healthy food, fun educational toys....and if we want to keep all those things and not end up at the homeless shelter...a job for mommy would be great!

I'm modeling for YOU universe, my future in the current situation. Please don't make me sleep on a park bench in 30 degree weather universe. Please....give mommy her dream job!

The last day of the year

2010-12-31T22:05:00.000-08:00

Mommy is just so excited that this is the last day of 2010. Quite frankly, I had a great year and since she spent the large majority of every minute of this past year with little old me....I can't imagine how she is not THRILLED with this year. Somehow though...she thinks it has been a really hard past two years (coincidentally...the two years of ME) and is really excited to move on!

Well, I figured that if she was so unhappy with this year, I might as well be sure it went out with a bang. I truly truly outdid myself today with the most naughty behavior ever. Mommy almost took me to my Aunt's house because there was a party planned at Meg's house and my Mommy was worried I would ruin the new year's eve for everyone. She even put me in the car to go! I was sooo upset though. I might enjoy giving her a run for her money, but I didn't want to be without my mommy for the new year! She relented and let me stay.

What a night! We ate so much fun food. And, I stole a LOT of cookies and cupcakes. And, we had a crazy dance party.

The best part is that I got to drink an entire vodka and pomegranate without anyone noticing. Afterwards I felt really funny and had a hard time staying upright....I also became very very very energentic an my Mommy was really worried and wondering what was wrong with me. She had NO IDEA! After she finally put me to sleep for the night, the missing drink was discovered and mommy came up to check on me and be sure I was still breathing. What a new years eve!!! By the time mommy put me down to sleep, I was so out of control that she had to lie in bed with me while I screamed and cried and yelled....and then, I sobbed, and then I breathed deeply twice.....and then I snored. Whew....it's finally over!

Luckily Mommy DID wake me up right at midnight to come and watch the fireworks with everyone at midnight. They were so beautiful....off of the space needle. Great job Seattle and WELCOME 2011. It's going to be a great year!

Just 4 friends taking a bath

2010-12-30T09:03:00.000-08:00

After a long day playing at Meg and Cele's house.....it's BATH TIME!!!

Nordstrom, the Space Needle and all things Seattle

2010-12-29T20:37:00.000-08:00

I LOVE this city. As we drive through, I keep seeing the beautiful views of the city (the weather is cold and clear, the views are simply amazing) and exclaiming, "OH SEATLLE!" It is fantastic....Mom....I want to move here!

I have managed to get quite sick and also keep telling my mommy how, "I'm not feeling so good". But, I still want to experience what this city has to offer.

We had just a bit of time today to explore, so we went to the downtown Nordstrom for mommy's sake. She really loves it there. Then....we did a really fun thing for Clara Shei and myself. We rode the monorail from the shopping center to the Seattle Center and I got to see the Space Needle up close and personally. It is REALLY big. At the Seattle Center, they still had their Christmas train set up and I really had fun watching the various trains go around the track and seeing all the different parts of the town that they made up. There were even planes flying in the air and a hot air balloon ride for the citizens of the town. It was soooo cool!

Tonight, we headed to Ms. Meg's house and I got to hang with Cele. Oh, and she gets to watch so many fun tv programs that I'm not allowed to see. C'mon Mom! I had such fun sitting in the big chair with Cele to watch Curious George and many other shows. She also has new fun toys for Christmas, like barbies and horses, the new little pet shop, a big lego table and a pirate ship! It's like Santa's workshop has come to Cele's living room! I LOVE it. Mommy is slightly worried about my overstimulated little self, seeming to spiral out of control with all this fun....but c'mon, it's FUN!!!

Seattle bound

2010-12-28T19:57:00.000-08:00

Seattle holds a special place in my mommy's heart and in our families tradition. My Bada and Grandad grew up there and we have lots of extended family and friends there. Mommy spent a good portion of her childhood in Seattle....every summer for a few months and many many Christmas celebrations.

Mommy really wanted Clara Shei and I to experience the specialness of this great city. So, we packed up the car and went on a road trip to see our friends for new years eve!

We got in very late last night and stayed at some friends home who are gone for the next few days. Bada came with us and is going to see her sister and family while we visit our friends. Today though, she explored with us. We went to Kirkland where she lived in the house my great grandfather built for much of her childhood. Mommy drove us by the house and then to all the fun sites of Kirkland. She took us to Wendy's for our first frosty (even though it was about 20 degrees and FREEZING outside). Mommy used to go to that restaurant with her Grandma when she was a little girl. It has been a few various names and restaurants but the building has remained as has my mommy's great memories. I loved going there with my grandma (my Bada) and my Mommy....and especially I loved my first frosty.

After we headed out to feed the ducks at the lake. Mommy also has done that almost every single day that she spent in Seattle since she was a little girl. She told me about the time the geese attacked her and she cried and had to be rescued by her dad when she was a little girl. There were no geese this time, but the seagulls did try to steal the bread from the ducks. I did NOT appreciate it. I had so much fun today at the lake. Mommy promised we would do it again before we leave Seattle.

After that....we went to the Bellvue mall. Mommy and Bada shopped and bought me TWO new hats. I was starting to feel pretty sick though...so we thought we had better head back home for the night. We got back to the house and I took some medicine (mommy was pretty sure I had a fever and I was REALLY tired and lethargic) and I headed to bed. Don't worry though....I won't let a little cough and cold slow me down....it's SEATTLE BABY!!

The Day After Christmas

2010-12-26T19:50:00.000-08:00

Well, some might think it would be a let down....but how can it be when there are SO many new, fun games to explore. Today was cold but clear outside....perfect for going outside to explore our new outdoor toys. Clara Shei tried out her new trike, while I put on my new helmet to keep me safe while riding my bike. We also tried out my new jump rope and Clara Shei's new soccer ball. Oh, how much fun it was. I LOVE to play outside. And mommy loves it too!

He Came...

2010-12-25T18:26:00.000-08:00

Santa made it to our house. So did my fire truck...and lots of presents for everyone. I had so much fun today with my family opening gifts...listening to Christmas music....playing with my sister...and eating! I also had a lot of fun watching (and trying hard to help) other people open gifts.

I should mention that this Christmas season, I also learned why we celebrate Christmas. I read a book most nights about a bright star that helped shepards and kings to find their way to baby Jesus in a barn with lots of animals. I love to put all my stuffed animals around me at night when I am getting tucked in a pretend I am baby Jesus.

I hope you all had a Christmas as good as ours....Merry Christmas Everyone (I loved to walk through public places throwing my arms open wide and proclaiming this phrase for everyone in the near vacinity).

It's Santa's Big Night

2010-12-24T15:30:00.000-08:00

Everyone is so excited about Christmas....but let's face it....the main event is the fact that SANTA will be flying tonight. I am ALL ABOUT Santa. I have read and read and read about this guy. I have asked questions and explained in depth the process to my mommy. I might even consider myself a 3 year old expert on the man at this point.

Well, before we get to the reindeers flying and the portly man himself stuffing himself down the chimney....there are a few other Christmas eve events.

First...Mommy always takes me and Clara Shei out for a special Christmas Even lunch. It was quite an event. She wanted to go to Indian, but I won out and we went to La Tapatia mexican food! Yummy!!!! It was a perfectly fine lunch, though Clara Shei was her normally cranky-two-year-old self. The problem came when the balloons came. Let me preface this by saying that my Mommy HATES balloons. I have heard her say that they must be the invention of the devil himself. She gets really frustrated when we go places and they immediately hand out balloons, stickers, crayons etc. We like them a lot....but I will admit that they do cause quite a stir at times. Inevitabely my sister will make a fuss (IT WOULD NEVER BE ME, I"M AN ANGEL). We will argue over who gets what color or a sticker will get ripped or lost, or a balloon will be let go of and rise slowly and dramatically in the air to the sounds of hysterical screaming. You know....all the FUN times. I don't get why my mommy cringes in such pain when she sees a waitress coming at us with balloons or some other fabulous activity, but somehow....she's not a fan.

In any case, when the balloons came, there was a bit of upset with who gets which one and why she made us tie them on to the chairs rather than hold them while we ate....and for some silly reason, she was not a fan of me trying to bang the balloon into the plates of food on the table. I just don't know what the problem was...it's Christmas eve for heavens sake.

In any case....I will admit....in the midst of the balloon craziness I got my boots stuck in the slates of the chair and when it was time to go....I was stuck. And.....well....I through a bit of a screaming fit in the middle of the restaurant. Mommy was mortified. I know because she told me so....using that word extensively in the car after the episode. Well....she was sure angry with both Clara Shei and I. I just listened and listened and listened. When she was finished yelling....I waited a moment. And then, I said in my most sincere voice ever, "Mommy....I'm sorry. I'm going to smile now, knowing tomorrow will be a better day". Well.....Mommy immediately melted. I saw it in her face in the rear view mirror. She had no response. So she thanked me for my apology and said we would just leave the whole episode back in the restaurant. Whew....I dodged a big bullet there.

The evening of Christmas eve is set aside for family. We hung out at home with Bada and the whole family and ate our traiditional Christmas enchiladas. And, then....we headed on to Christmas eve church service. We sang my favorite Christmas carol (I call it the King song), Joy to the World. And, the whole church lights candles to sing Silent Night. Again, however, Clara Shei and I were just too excited about the holiday spirit and got out of control at church. So...when we came home I had to write a special note to Santa to go with his tea and cookies to apologize for my bad behavior at church and hope he might overlook my transgretion. I really am a pretty good boy most of the time. I just get a little crazy when my routine gets upset or there is too much stimulation. Let' hope Santa will excuse me today. I'm just SOO excited about tomorow. Good luck Santa.....dont get stuck in any chimneys....we need you!

Zoo Lights

2010-12-23T00:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we spent the day in the city...shopping, lunch, and Christmas decoration and cheer. I am loving it! And, while this season is buy and cray and can get me too wound up....my Mommy and Bada and Uncle Gogo keep talking about how they are noticing me growing into a big boy. I am able to listen a bit better and am learning how to calm myself down. I am doing good at helping out with my sister and being a good role model for her. So...it's getting more fun to have these big family outings because I am being such a big boy.

Today, I spent the morning with Uncle Gogo and Bada since Mommy took Clara Shei to visit a friend in Sausalito. This evening we went to the zoo to see the Christmas lights. It was pretty cool! It's getting close now....tomorrow is Christmas eve! Can you believe it??

Christmas is the time for merry-go-rounds...

2010-12-21T00:35:00.000-08:00

Tilden Park. Hot chocolate. Thomas the Train. Merry-go-rounds. Christmas decorations.

It doesn't get better than this!

Twice in one season

2010-12-18T23:23:00.000-08:00

I met Santa twice this year! I got to ask for a fire truck twice! I don't think Santa will forget since I got to remind him twice.

We had to wait in line to see him for 2 hours today. But, it was worth it, he was really nice and took about 5 minutes with us, really talking to us about how to be good girls and boys. I talked to him about all his facial features and his outfit. I think it's pretty cool. I made sure to tell Santa that Clara Shei wants a soccer ball, in case he didn't understand her (she's sometimes hard to really understand). So....all in all, I think our visit today was a complete success, not only did we communicate fully our special Christmas hopes but we charmed the pants of the old man!

Merry Christmas to all....

Santa Clause is comin to town...

2010-12-11T21:56:00.000-08:00

I MET SANTA!!!

Can you imagine? We went to a Christmas party at Zabrae, Will and George's house. It was so much fun. I made gingerbread cookies with Clara Shei, George and my new friend Jordan. (ok, let's face it... didn't make the men as much as I poured frosting ALL OVER the place and licked it off my cookies before stuffing them in my face.

And then....

Santa came to our party! AND, he brought me a gift. And, he knew that my name was Akira but sometimes people call me Aki! AND, I talked to him and sang Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. I LOVE SANTA...he is a very nice man!

Christmas in California

2010-12-04T21:11:00.000-08:00

The ocean...some warm sun.....what else do you need?

Merry Christmas to Everyone!

The most wonderful time of the year at the happiest place on earth....what could be better?

2010-12-03T22:52:00.000-08:00

Today we had a bit of holiday magic at Disneyland with the family. I was a lot more comfortable at Disneyland this time. Last time, I liked it, but I was a bit nervous. Today, I understood what it was all about. I enjoyed each ride, rather than being just a bit nervous on them. I love Pirates of the Caribbean, and enjoyed Peter Pan a lot more this time.

Look at my long legs...

Our thotful spot!

Seriously, all that food I'm eating is going to my legs!

It was quite a long day, but a fun one! When are we going back Mommy?? (Mommy keep telling me that there are NO immediate plans and that super fun things like Disneyland are best in moderation to keep the fun alive....I don't really get her point!)

Nana

2010-12-02T22:02:00.000-08:00

Tonight we drove down to Los Angeles for a bit of southern California Christmas magic!

The first stop on our agenda....

meeting our Nana. Nana is our Mommy's grandmother, our Grandad's Mom.

So glad we got the chance to meet. She was a nice lady. She gave me a cool Santa hat that has springs in it...(you can't imagine how Mommy LOVES that hat).

Gotcha!

2010-12-01T20:38:00.000-08:00

Today is a very very special day for Mommy and I. We celebrate our 'Gotcha Day' which in adoptive family life is the day that my Mommy came and 'got' me. Today, Mommy took me out for a special day just the two of us. We went to the Oakland zoo (one of my favorite places) for our day. We also went to Chipolte for lunch (did you know by now..it's my FAVORITE place to eat) and had a family dinner tonight to celebrate the day when two years ago, my Mommy brought me home to be a forever family with her.

I remember the morning. She took an hour off work to come with my bio mom, Mama Lillian so that we could take photos and Mama Lillian and I could spend time together. Mama Lillian was pretty sick and had to lie down most of the time, but still we got some photos all together and Mama Lillian was really glad to have the time together.

Then, Mommy had to go back to work and around 4pm, she came back to the orphanage, driving a very big landrover (she was borrowing Aiden's car seat while he was home in Canada for the Christmas holiday....after Christmas he and his family brought a new carseat back for me to use) and she picked me up. It was VERY hot that day and the landrover had no air conditioning and we got stuck in traffic going home. I cried because I was hot and Mommy got very distressed and cried too! But, then we got home....and we got take out from the Impala indian restaurant (the start of a very good tradition) and had a very fun night. And, from that began a family! I'm so so glad my Mommy came and now we have a fun time, looking at each other and pointing and saying, "Gotcha Gotcha Gotcha!"

THEN

December 1, 2008

NOW

December 1, 2010

It's the Most Wonderful Time Of the Year

2010-11-30T23:56:00.000-08:00

Today we trimmed the tree. Don't worry...Mommy didn't give me any scissors. She did let me put the decorations on the tree though. We put on Christmas music and holiday cheer and the whole family decorated the tree. We are lucky, not only do we have a tree upstairs for everyone to see, we also put a second tree downstairs in my room. It is the tree that we put up in our house last year in Africa and it is decorated with ALL Tanzanian decorations....banana leaf angels, masai beaded stars and snowflakes, ribbons, beads and a banana leaf tree topper angel. How amanzing to have our American tree and our African tree all in one house. Just like us....

It's the most wonderful time of the year....

Happy Turkey Day from your favorite turkey...

2010-11-25T23:33:00.000-08:00

Let's face it....I'm an animal. A squirrel, a monkey, a turkey....mommy is always calling me some funny animal name....I kinda like it.

In any case, today was Thanksgiving. I did not eat any turkey though...that's for sure. Mommy, Clara Shei and I don't eat meat. My uncle does though....and I'm always trying to explain to him that cows give us milk and say moo and are nice to us and we shouln't eat them. He hasn't yet been convinced. He ate turkey today, but not me! Don't think I missed out though...there was so much food and it was sure good (in case you are not aware, I am RULED by food).

I had mashed potates, cranberries, veggie stuffing, coconut sweet potatoes, green beans, home made rolls and PUMPKIN PIE! Yummy....I love Thanksgiving.

Clara Shei turns 2

2010-11-21T15:55:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe it myself! How did my sister get so big so fast?

Well...somehow she did. And, we celebrated this special event all day. After church we headed out to.....(drum roll please).......THE MALL!

WHAT? The mall? We spent a two year old birthday at the mall? Well, my sister is clearly a fashionista, but we didn't really do any shopping. Instead we started out at Nordstrom Cafe, which is one of Clara Shei and my favorite places to eat. After that...Mommy took us to the Build a Bear workshop (where she swore she would NEVER set foot in) and let us each build a reindeer. Clara Shei wasn't very sure about how to get the stuffing into her reindeer (Clarice). I had no problem stuffing my Rudolph. After we had given our reindeers hearts, and baths and birth certificates, we headed out to the play area at the mall and had so much fun running around with all the crazy kids there.

All in all...this was a pretty great day! I only have a bit of trouble with the idea that it is a day just for Clara Shei. It's really hard for me to share the spotlight, much less give it over to her for a whole day! Still...I guess it is Clara Shei's day after all....and at least she shares her cake with me.

Museum time...

2010-11-17T15:15:00.000-08:00

Mommy returned! And, to celebrate....we went to the California Academy of Sciences. We saw the penguines getting fed....one funny little penguin just kept coming back for more. He was so silly. We also got to visit the tidepools and we touched starfish and sea urchins! AND....we got to go in the fish tube again and see lots of catfish. My Mommy explained to me that these fish got into a fight with kitty cats and won...and took the cats whiskers when they left. Wow...those are some mean fish....I'm going home and checking my Bada's kitty cats to make sure those fish didn't steal THEIR whiskers. If so....I know where to find em!

Taking a break!

2010-11-10T15:06:00.000-08:00

Mommy took a break and went to DC for a week to take care of some grown up things and see some of her friends.

But before she left, we got the chance to go to my friend, George's 4th birthday party! It was such fun. He has a very fun backyard with a playhouse complete with climbing wall. And, he has a whole lot of very cool friends. AND...his mommy made some fabulous food and yummy cupcakes. All in all, it was a great party and I hope he had a wonderful 4th birthday!

And, Mommy....having so much fun with Uncle Gogo and Bada....but I miss you. I love your daily phone calls and wonder if you are in the phone. I always ask Bada, "what is in there? Is Mommy in there?" and point to the phone when she calls. Wherever you are Mommy....I miss you. Come home soon!

Boo....

2010-10-31T22:40:00.000-07:00

...at the Zoo!

We spent our Halloween Day at the Oakland Zoo's celebration of all things creepy crawly and Halloween inspired. We participated in a costume parade, saw animals and visited especially the elephants and giraffes. I wanted to climb right in with the giraffes and a giraffe came right up to talk to me, just as if he recognized me. I think I could have climbed in and fit right in!

Afer our afternoon at the zoo, we went on to Walnut Creek Center where they were having trick-or-treating. Clara Shei and I have never been trick-or-treating before. It was sure fun. It took me a while to get the hang of it. I couldn't figure out when to say trick-or-treat or when to say thank you. I'm still not sure I get how to use trick-or-treat. I just go up to anyone and say it, but I don't expect candy or anything. I just say it. Like "Merry Chistmas", I figure this is how you greet people at Halloween time. I kept saying it to everyone, like the people in the coffee shop waiting for their coffee. Mommy kept apologizing for me as people said stuff like, "oh honey, I wish I had candy for you right now". I don't really get what is wrong with everyone...I mean, not that I would turn down candy or anything at any time....but I am just trying to be polite. What's with everyone??

Tonight, we went trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. By now, I had the schtick down. I'll be an expert trick-or-treater...don't you worry. I've got the perfect mix of polite manners, cute looks and persistence.

And...I'm a giraffe. It doesn't get better than this. Happy Halloween!

Halloween on Piedmont Street

2010-10-30T23:08:00.000-07:00

It is a day before Halloween, but today was a day of spooky fun!

We headed out to Piedmont Street to join in all the Halloween fun. There was a haunted house. Mommy thought for sure I'd be too scared to go in. BUT...I asked her to come with me and hold my hand...and I went all the way through and was such a big boy...she was so proud of me.

Then we headed to the cemetary where there was so much Halloween fun to be had. Bouncy houses, hay stack mazes, cookies and lemonade (just one for each of us, Mommy is so strict) and face painting. SO MUCH FUN!

Tonight there was more Halloween fun. We had spider soup for dinner. I was really worried for a while about what that meant, and when I pulled out a piece of something, Mommy told me I must have gotten a spider leg and I got very very uncomfortable. She had to quickly tell me she was just kidding and I was not eating spiders in my soup but just tomatos, pumpkin, and onion in coconut milk. Whew! She made it look spidery by drizzling sour cream on the top in a shape of a spider web (she got the idea from her crafty friend Sharla...thanks Shar...can't wait to meet you. I hear you are a very crafty lady and my mommy is....well....not!). But, she made us spidery soup tonight and she carved her pumpkin too. She made a cat! All in all....a very fun day-before-Halloween. I can't wait to see what happens tomorrow!

Jack-O-Lanterns

2010-10-28T23:57:00.000-07:00

We made some tonight. It is sooo fun! And, wow, is it messy. Totally worth it though, my pumpkin was transformed into one happy, goofy looking pumpkin. I love him!

Haunted Houses

2010-10-27T23:40:00.000-07:00

Tonight we went to the Not-So-Spooky Haunted House near Oakland. They had all the lights on for kids, and we could all go through and see up close and personal what the spook is all about. Turns out, it's all really a bunch of tricks.

It's still just a little bit scary though....SERIOUSLY!

To My Sister...

2010-10-27T23:36:00.000-07:00

I'm really glad you are my sister. You are my best friend, and I tell you that a lot. I also give you tons of kisses and hugs, and am petrified of going to sleep unless you are in the room. You join in my mischief and sometimes you even lead the way now.

In short, I cannot imagine life without you as my sister. I love you! Happy Adoption Day Shei Shei!!

Pumpkins, Pumpkins, everywhere Pumpkins

2010-10-24T14:59:00.000-07:00

Another day, another pumpkin patch. This one had a hayride....and, a corn maze. Clara Shei and I had so much fun running through all that corn! Oh, how I love Halloween time....

Halloween isn't scary...

2010-10-19T22:18:00.000-07:00

Halloween is just plain fun! Tonight we went to another pumpkin patch. We went on a train ride all around the pumpkin patch and guess what??? The train was trackless!!! SOOO weird.

They had animals like llama's and goats and pigs to visit and sooo many pumpkins to see.

Happy Halloween everyone, hope you are all enjoying the season as much as we are!

Meting new friends

2010-10-17T09:14:00.000-07:00

Today I had a playdate at a new friends house. His name is George and Mommy knew his mommy a long time ago

in Washington DC. Now his mommy is married to his daddy, Will and they all live in Berkeley.

Mommy and I went over to their house for a playdate today and had such a fun time. It is always fun to find new friends. And, George is a really nice little boy. He is actually quite a big boy, he will be 4 in November and has lots of fun big boy toys. But, he was so good about sharing his toys with me and playing with me and he loves to laugh and we had lots of fun together.

George's mom and dad made a yummy dinner for us too, but George and I were too excited about playing to be hungry. I am always wanting to eat, but today when it was time to eat, before I had even tried one bite, I said, "I'm done", and I tried to scoot off to go back and play. But, finally I did manage to eat and it was very yummy fish and corn on the cob (my favorite) and risotto.

I really love playing with other kids my age and I really love making new friends. I was sad when we had to leave (though also VERY tired since I skipped my nap today) and I talked about George, Will and Zabrae all the way home. Zabrae tickled me and I thought that was really funny! Will was so cool....even though he is a grown up he would come in to play with us and make sure we were having fun.

Thank you so much to Will and Zabrae and George for having us over and for being such wonderful hosts. I can't wait to see you again!

Habitot

2010-10-11T15:22:00.000-07:00

We checked out the Children's museum in Berkeley today. It was small....but still pretty fun. I liked to climb the wiggle wall, and play on the rocket ship and with the water toys. But, my FAVORITE thing to do was to play with the trains. I loved loved loved them. Unfortunately there were some other boys there at the trains who had not been taught to share very well. I did not like them (and continue to talk about those mean boys to my Mommy ad naseum). Still....I managed to get some trains and have some fun and I learned a valuable lesson in how it feels when people aren't good sharers. Hopefully, I will remember it this lesson next time I'm playing and have the opportunity to be a good sharer with someone else.

Picking the Perfect Pumpkin

2010-10-10T23:18:00.000-07:00

This weekend was Halloween central. We decorated the house with orange lights, pumpkins, spiders and ghosts.

We spent a lot of time searching for JUST the right costumes (and found them).

And, we went on the hunt for the perfect pumpkin. For this, we drove to Petaluma through wine country and the beginning of the fall leaves changing. Clara Shei and I have never seen the leaves change or a Halloween season. We tried to celebrate Halloween as best we could last year, but this is our first crack at costumes, creepy spiders and all that comes with it.

When we reached Anderson's pumpkin patch, we went out to the fields to find the exact right pumpkin. We pounded on a lot of pumpkins (I had to explain to Mommy that pounding back and forth on each pumpkin is clearly how you pick the perfect pumpkin). Finally, I found mine. I BIG round perfectly orange pumpkin!

We got all our pumpkins in the wagon and into the car and were on our way (after paying of course). Now, I can't wait to carve them. Mommy says we need to wait a few more weeks before we do that or our pumpkins won't last all the way to Halloween.

Stay tuned for more spooky fun to come!

Happy Birthday Mommy!!!

2010-10-02T20:11:00.000-07:00

I just love birthdays. Seriously!

Even when it's not MY birthday it's still pretty fun. Now, don't get me wrong... MY birthday is still definitely my favorite. For one, there was no Chuck E. Cheese involved in Mommy's birthday which I was a little disappointed about (I asked several times during the day if we were going to Chuck E. Cheese for dinner and kept hoping the answer was going to change, but it didn't and sure enough...we didn't go). I was also a little sad to not get to open up any presents. But, I did really like giving presents to Mommy so that sort of made up for it.

And, the food was still pretty darn good. When we got up, Mommy decided we would have a super fun, special birthday breakfast. So, we had apple pie alamode....FOR BREAKFAST! Then, we all went to the bookstore with Mommy and Uncle Gogo got her a gift card and she picked out a book she's been dying to read. Then, Uncle Gogo took us all out to the most yummy ice cream (Cold Stone) for lunch. Yes, ice cream for breakfast and lunch....

Well, in the afternoon we had naps while Mommy read her book and then we went out for a special dinner at Mommy's favorite mexican restaurant and she got surprises and birthday cake! (again more sweets for dinner). What a day!

Even if it hadn't been a really fun day for me, I would still have loved today because I love my Mommy and love to sing her happy birthday over and over and over!

Happy Birthday Mommy.

By Hook or by Crook

2010-09-28T17:18:00.000-07:00

By hook or by crook....I was ready to get to Disneyland. Now....if you didn't think I was already a pretty lucky boy...

My Auntie Resa.....
Works for.....

(wait for it).....

DISNEYLAND!!!

OK, if you don't get what that means....

I get to go to Disneyland for free...wheeeeee! But, it gets better.

She knows Tinkerbell and can introduce me! Oh. My. Gosh!!

Well, I guess I should tell you about it.

We got up early on a Saturday morning, and started driving toward LA, even before the sun came up.

And then we got there....the happiest place on earth. Immediately we went to the Peter Pan ride. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that I love the movie, Peter Pan and it kept me company for a full two days on the plane ride to America. I have been just dying to fly on the Peter Pan boat and to see Tinker Bell fly and to get to meet her. I was excited...and nervous....and I felt very nervous to be flying in a boat, but then when we got off, I went wild. "I flew on the boat, I flew on the boat".

But, that wasn't it. From the Merry-go-round, to It's a Small World After All, to the Tikki Tikki Tikki Room, it was an amazing 3 days. My family thought I was a bit nervous (that's the nice way to say it...I heard them laughing at me on some of the rides, like Jungle Book Cruise where the rhino treed the men and scared me to pieces or Winnie the Pooh where I held on for dear life in fear of the hefalumps...yes, I got scared in Winnie-the-Pooh and Alice in Wonderland and a whole bunch of other pretty benign rides), but I'm just cautious. I don't know what is wrong with my little sister....she wasn't scared at all!

My BEST things about our trip. 1) I really loved our hotel room (it all has to do with the kitchen where Mommy could bring my favorite breakfast ingrediants and cook for us). 2) It's a Small World After All (how can you go wrong with dancing, singing dolls. I love the music, but I really believe the words to be "It's a small world after DOLL"). 3) The Pirate boat (it was 112 degrees, no joke, the day we all went on the pirate boat and the rest of the family looked like they needed some ER stretchers, but I had SO MUCH FUN!!). 4) Meeting Captain Hook, TIGER, Winnie the Pooh, Eyeore and Tinker Bell (who made me STAR STRUCK). 5) I got to see the most amazing fireworks and Tinker Bell Flew through the air. I loved it so so so so much. I yelled into the air for the entire half hour, "Here we GOOO" (in my best Peter Pan voice), "Oh my gosh...the pirates are here!!", "It's beautiful", "Tinker Bell is flying", "Wendy, John and Michael"...and all sorts of different random things that may or may not have gone with what was happening on the fireworks show. It didn't matter....I loved it all so much! I can't wait to go back!

oh...ps, what I did NOT like: The Rainforest Cafe and the gorilla who makes scary noises when I'm trying to eat my french fries. And, if anyone asks me what I liked about Disneyland this is what I'll say: "I did NOT like that gorilla".

Watch me Ride

2010-09-22T16:24:00.000-07:00

Guess what I'm going to be for Halloween???

2010-09-19T15:35:00.000-07:00

I'll give you a hint....it is NOT a fancy cat. (but, I make one good lookin fancy cat).

third year birthday extraveganza!

2010-09-11T21:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I turned 3! Can you believe it? And, let me tell you....turning 3 is really really fun! We rode on pedal boats through reservoirs, won horse races, went on safari to exotic places. My actual Birthday was on Friday. On Thursday the family began preparing for the festivities. I had the traditional Bowman birthday cake, but with a special twist. I wanted a 'chip chop' cake (which is from a book I have about Africa and the chip chop coconuts which make you STRONG like a lion. In this case, I don't think that the birthday cake made me strong like a lion, but I do think it made my tummy pretty happy. Chocolate chips were added into my cake to make it a chip chop cake.

On my actual celebration day, Mommy Uncle Gogo, Shei Shei and I spent the day together. We went out to lunch. I love Mexican food and Mommy gave me the choice of sushi or mexican...I chose mexican, so we went to Chipolte and some yummy lunch. Mommy even let me have the chips and guacomole with my cheese quesadilla, rice and beans, since it was a special celebration. Then, we went to the Lafayette Reservoir and took a paddle boat out on the lake. How much fun!!! I love the paddle boat.

When everyone was home from work, we went out for a special birthay dinner....to Chuck E. Cheese. I've never been there before but I LOVED it. Mommy and Uncle Gogo were a little overwhelmed chasing me around, but I couldn't contain myself. My favorite ride there was a horse racing ride, where I actually got to ride a horse. But, there was also a safari ride, and lots of trucks, and musical games....oh and some pizza too!

On top of all that there is cake on my birthday....yum! I got to blow the candle out and THEN I got to open gifts. I got a new book, and a recycling garbage truck, and a guitar and a super cool safari vehicle and safari animals to play with too! I loved them all.

After gifts I got to have a sleep over with my Mommy and Katy (our baby dog) and we watched Mulan II. I love Mulan....she's SO cool.

The next day we all went to the zoo together and I got to go on the train and see the Australin outback!

Can you imagine....I hope I get to have a birthday EVERY week!

What Happens in Vegas....well, we bring it home with us.

2010-08-31T18:04:00.000-07:00

I guess for many people what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but not for me. I am coming home with a nice 2nd or 3rd degree burn. I'm also coming home with a great new animal blanket specially made for me by my Auntie Resa, a Tinker Bell nightlight sure to save me from the scary man in Mulan (who I talk about incessantly).

We went to Las Vegas to celebrate my cousin Sarah's wedding to Evan. It was my first wedding to attend and what an event it was, complete with a little white chapel and lots of people doting on me.

The other really fun thing that we got to do in Vegas was a trip to Circus Circus where I ate ice cream WHILE on a merry-go-round, saw a woman flying through the air with the greatest of ease and road the rails!

I also got to see the strip but my big event for the weekend was a visit to the EMT at the hotel and then another visit to a medical clinic, specially guest starring the Nevada Police who came to interview my Mommy and Bada to see if I had been abused. The story is all a bit fuzzy. I just am not totally sure how I did it (or I'm not talking), but on Sunday morning, after everyone got ready at the hotel and after a quick Starbucks stop for some yummy sustenance, we were getting into our stroller at the Venetian Hotel and Casino when I told Mommy, "What is this on my arm Mommy?" Mommy looked and in a VERY alarmed voice said, "Mom....come here quick, Aki's hurt". Hmmm....I didn't get why she seemed so concerned, but sure enough, there was a big bubble forming right on my arm. Mommy and Bada are deducing that I may have burned my arm on the curling iron in the bathroom, though it is not clear, but it looks likely that I put my arm down on something VERY hot. The thing is, I REALLY burned it. It's not a quick touch of a hot pan which burns your finger a bit....it's a SERIOUS burn. Mommy and Bada rushed me to get a cold water compress and then to find hotel security who called the EMT ASAP. He was such a nice man and treated my burn and bandaged it but referred us directly to a clinic. We went, and they confirmed that it was a VERY bad burn. As we were there, the Vegas Police showed up to find us as the EMT is required to report and they are required to follow up. The nice police man kept asking me what happened, but I just wasn't sure. When Mommy asked me what hapened and why I hdn't told her right after I burned my arm, I told her that I was a big boy. She explained that big boys tell their Mommies immediately if they are hurt and they should never worry about getting into trouble because it is VERY important to tell someone that you are hurt and get help. Bada told Mommy that with my squirrly nature she could expect many broken bones and emergency visits in our future and we should hope that we don't do it in Nevada again as no one wants to get arrested.

Mommy sure hopes what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas and that there are no major medical disasters in my future....but I brought a nice big wound home with me, and I expect I will have a lasting scar to boot.

Jumping and swimming

2010-08-25T23:15:00.000-07:00

We have been going swimming every evening lately and I am getting to be quite a brave boy in the water. I can jump into the pool (from a sitting down position and holding on to mommy or bada) and I can kick and swim just holding on to someone's fingers for safety. I like to skirt around the side of the pool holding on to the edge and I do it all by myself! And.....I love every second of it

Riding a Zebra

2010-08-24T23:04:00.000-07:00

I am a true safari man. How many people do you know that get to ride a zebra???

Oh, how I love being a kid!

We....belong at the zoo

2010-08-20T21:53:00.000-07:00

Member's night at the Oakland zoo. How much fun we had! The animals were out and about tonight. It was crazy....the giraffes were running, zebras were singing, tigers prowling, and I was dancing!

Wildlife...

2010-08-13T15:03:00.000-07:00

Today we visited the Lindsey Wildlife Museum. My Uncle Gogo volunteers there on Fridays so we went to visit the museum and learn all about the local animals today.

We saw a bobcat, two eagles, ravens, owls, snakes, turtles. Wow....the list goes on. We played and we learned about the animals and we had so much fun! I'm so glad to know that my uncle is doing good things for animals. Thanks Gogo....I love you.

Tennis Pro

2010-08-11T13:03:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be the next big tennis pro.....just getting a few pointers from my Uncle Gogo!