Feb. 3, 2010
Joshua is now about 5 weeks, 12 lbs, happy and thriving. We are all getting used to the new routine, life with a baby!
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... and a cute Isaac picture...
Ho Ho Ho & Yo Ho Ho!
Dec. 24, 2009
Merry Christmas!
When Isaac wears his Santa costume, Nathan has to be his reindeer and pull the sleigh. Isaac also likes pirates very much right now: LEGO pirates series, pirate books. and pirate costume... Unfortunately... pirates are not a good role model but... oh well...
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Lego Event in Kobe
October 2009
There was a Lego event in Kobe on the 18th featuring the top Japanese Lego builder from Tokyo. Nathan wanted to cover the story for "BrickJournal" (US Lego magazine), so we all went to Cafe Fish in Meriken Park. Isaac played with Lego at the free play space there.
While Nathan was attending the event, taking pictures, etc., Isaac and Kayo got outside so that Isaac could ride his Strider (kick-bike) in the park along the pier. He can coast very well now! Then Isaac's friend Nora joined. They had a great time playing together!
Cousin Daniel's visit
August 2009
We are having wonderful time with Nathan's cousin Daniel!
@Kobe Club pool
Kyoto Trip
Isaac is 3!
May 2009
Happy Birthday Isaac!
Isaac cheered "Yeah!!" when he woke up and saw a heap of presents!
Got a baby doll from Grandma, 2 huge LEGO sets from Nathan (who spent a few hours today sitting on the floor assembling a ship and construction machines with Isaac) and a few other presents from school friends.
In the afternoon, Nathan and Isaac took a strider (bike) out and tried a mild slope. After dinner, we lit a "3" shape candle on a tiny cake and celebrated his birthday.
We are very thankful for Isaac's growing healthy and happy, and being loved by people around him. Many, many thanks to you all!
Beppu/Kyushu Trip
March 2009
While Mom and Dad are here, we took a "Sunflower" ferry down to Kyushu (overnight trip), stayed at an Onsen (spa) with outside hot springs, big pool complex, and enjoyed the delicacies there. Also went to a zoo called "African Safari", we took a safari bus there (ours was "tiger" version) each one of us got a tray of various food to feed the animals like lions, bears, elephants, giraffes, buffalo and other different types of herbivores. Isaac enjoyed riding a miniature pony there. He was very pround of being able to ride him by himself! We also went to monkey mountain and aquarium. That was a wonderful trip. We definitely go back there some time.
Sunflower
Happy Chanukah!
December 22, 2008
Happy Chanukah!
November 23, 2008
The path was covered with fallen leaves.
Nathan and Isaac cleaned the path together!
Autumn Leaves
November 15, 2008
Halloween Party @KC
November 2, 2008
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Nathan emceed Kids Halloween Party @Kobe Club.
Games, crafts, fun activities and everyone had a great time. Many kids came to "Captain Jack PIgeon" and talked to him. :-) I have a feeling that KC may ask Nathan to MC many of future kids event. <G>
Carpeted Floor
October 28, 2008
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Isaac plays more and more sitting/lying on the floor with Lego, train, etc. As the weather is getting chilly, we laid out over 400 pieces of ABC mats on the living room floor same as last winter, and we covered the colorful mats with 2 large pieces of carpets. It is now warm and nice to play on the floor! Doggies love the new carpeted floor too.
Halloween Party
October 20, 2008
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The Bryan pirates at the Halloween Party of Isaac's preschool. Isaac had lots of fun with other princesses, witches, wizerds, skeltons, devils, etc.
Kayo made pumpkin pie and purple sweet potato pie. Perfect color combination for Halloween!
Riisa in Kyoto
October 15, 2008
Visited Kayo's brother Tetsuya, his wife Megumi and their BEAUTIFUL newborn baby girl Riisa! Kayo's mother and grandmother joined us in Kyoto and the 5 of us stayed in a Ryokan (inn) together.
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We bought some paper balloons at the inn to play with Isaac. Isaac found it more fun to put the folded balloons on his head and started to put one (in various sizes) on everyone's head. That was funny. We all had a wonderful time. Isaac loved to spend time with his grandma and great grandma!
Happy Grandparents Day!
September 15th is "Grandparents Day" or "Respect for Aged Day" in Japan.
Family members thank the grandparents and also other elder society members for their love, wisdom, and simply being there.
Isaac made this cute bouquet at the preschool for the Grandparents Day coming up soon.
Mt. Rokko Jazz Festival 2008!
September 10, 2008
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We had a great time the whole afternoon listening to various jazz, bossa nova, salsa, etc. Isaac ran around, danced, sang, walked around in mommy shoes and was a very popular man there. :-)
DNA - 2
August 25, 2008
"Mee-teh! (=look), O-uchi (=house), boo-boo (=car)!"
Isaac says he is builing a house on a car (at the bottom).
Very creative builder. Definitely DNA from Dad!
BBQ with Friends
August 16, 2008
We are having Koji (who runs a company that makes TV commercials) and his family staying here over the weekend, so we had a BBQ and invited our friends in the media industry.
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It was great fun listening to exciting, cutting-edge people!
Looking forward to seeing you all again soon...
Summer Days 2 - Cousin Mia
August 14, 2008
Kayo's sister Yuka and her daughter Mia are visiting us! Isaac follows cousin MIa all the time and wants to do everything with her. Mia brought her summer homework but no time to study! / Nathan made a Lego table for Isaac and set it in the playroom. Isaac loves the new playroom!
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@Mt. Rokko Pasture / Had the clearest view this summer today!
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Getting ready for BBQ / Nice to have a big brother and sister to play with!
Hiro from next door came to spend time with us. 
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Summer Days
August 10, 2008
Nathan finished painting the playroom in pale blue (we may paint white clouds later) and fitted new lights: sun and cloud shape. Painted the playroom doors as well and removed the louver vents and closed them with a board with playful patterns to prevent drafts.
Isaac painted the sun and yacht (+ fish on the back)on a T-shirt at the pre-school.
Kids could choose a few patterns from several disigns and those were Isaac's choice.
Isaac loves to ride/push his tricycle! He runs pushing the tricycle, giggling and shrieking in excitement!
When the road gets steep, Isaac rides and Nathan pushes.
Loves to go cycling too! We took "Shrine Road" today. Sunny and hot but
breezy, so it was nice. Isaac fell asleep on the way back home.
DNA
July 23, 2008
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Isaac found a pair of ski boots that we got from someone in a storage and he HAD TO put them on and break in (still too large though). We think grandma is responsible for the DNA printing!
Perfect pool day
July 19, 2008
The rainy season has not officially ended yet but we do get hot sunny days. We went down to the Kobe Club to dip in the pool! Yea, don't forget to drink water on a hot sumer day.
One, two...
Three!!
Yeah! Floating!
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So proud to be able to kick the water and move/float!!
We also enjoyed the scrumptious pool side snack!
Art!
July 10, 2008
Isaac is having fun dressing up the fish and octopus with bits of colored paper and glue at the pre-school!
Bike ride
July 7th, 2008
Dusted off our bikes and the baby carrier and we went for a short bike ride --- first, we had to push the bikes up the road... 
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Letter from Rachael
June 8, 2008
Airmail for me!?
An illustrated letter from cousin Rachael!
Thank you Rachael!
Dad and TV shooting
June 5, 2008
Dad's short stay is over and he has gone back home in Colorado. Somehow, Isaac understood that Dad took an airplane and went somewhere else. We are all missing Dad here and looking forward to his return this autumn with Mom!
We had TV crew filming our Rokko House for 2 full days. A cameraman was shooting Dad and Nathan making a big book shelf in the playroom - Nathan had painted the wall in pale blue. Isaac fiercely sanding the top of the table (it is worn out, so it does not matter)...
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Left: Dad on-camera --- reading a book with a wine glass in his hand in a reclining chair in his room. Nathan was interpreting for him. Nathan and Kayo got interviewed in the livingroom.
The TV program is called "Junin Toiro" meaning "So many men, so many houses", introducing interesting (or rather, eccentric) people/lifestyles/houses/locations. We are curious how it will turn out! Our episode will be aired in July.
Dad's here!
May 29, 2008
Dad arrived! Dad and Nathan started to work together in the rain...
Isaac always wants to go and see what Nathan and Dad are doing. Btw, Isaac calls his grandpa "Dah(=Dad)"...
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The frame work is done!
The rain stopped and the sky cleared up.
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New gate!
Outside improvements
May 18, 2008
We have been wanting to redo the retaining wall along the path to the house. But there were (and still are) always other priorities.
Finally, thanks to the GREAT help of Kasahara-san and Sugimoto-san, our friends/neighbors, we could finish the project!
Original crumbling wall before the repair.
This wall is about 20m long (approx. 66')
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Work in progress.
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Ta-dah!
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Also worked on the approach to the gate.
The railroad ties adds a nice touch!
Kayo is going to plant flowers and shrubs and this area will (hopefully) look more cozy and welcoming in a couple of years as plants grow!
Garr's visit
May 5, 2008
Garr came to visit us!
Isaac looking at photos on Garr's computer.
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Garr and Nathan pulled down the deck and its stairs (half torn by a typhoon back in 2005) of the annex building of our house yesterday in just 3 hours!
Isaac was watching them work and calling "Papa" and "Garr" from the deck outside of the living room.
The Daily Show time
April 30, 2008
We watch the Daily Show a few times a week. When we say "Daily Show" or "Jon Stewart", Isaac sings the opening music and comes to the table to watch together.
Drawing
April 20, 2008
Isaac drew a fish!
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Push up?
or self-wheelbarrow with Papa's head.
Cross-culturally competent?
April 16, 2008
A turbaned little man...
Sitting upright with his legs folded under him (proper Japanese way), on a chair (certainly western way), sipping Celestial Seasoning herb tea...
Loves both "Goa" ("Go-han" means rice) and "Gua" (granola). :-)
Lego Education Center
April 7th, 2008
We found a LEGO Education Center in Kobe! It offers programs for kids from 3 to 10 y.o.
Still a bit too early for Isaac. Will see if he likes it there next year!
Sakura - cherry blossoms
April 4, 2008
Cherry blossoms are in full bloom! Going cherry blossom viewing is a national event/obsession here.
Went to nearby Oji Zoo which was very crowded even though it's weekday. The zoo has many Sakura trees and is extremely popular Sakura viewing spot!
Love Penguins!
March 31, 2008
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Isaac took his penguin for a walk. That was awfully cute.
In his genes...
March 12, 2008
First thing he did this morning after waking up was...
Yea, we have a very serious skier in our house! He must have got it in his genes surely from his grandma in the States!
Neither Nathan nor I use poles (we use short skis), so Isaac must have picked it up by looking at other skiers in Hokkaido.
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Went to a nearby zoo (30min. drive from our house). Rather small but Isaac enjoyed it very much.
Left: mimicking a koala.
Middle: At the elephants' place. Mama elephant greeted the crowd.
Ornaments for Boys' Festival
March 11, 2008
In Japan, we have the Girls' Day (aka Doll Festival) which is March 3rd and the Boys' Festival (commonly mentioned as Children's Day) which is May 5th. People celebrate and pray for the healthy growth of their children. 
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It is a little early for the Boys' Festival but we are already celebrating and praying for Isaac's healthy growth displaying those cute ornaments (above).
Isaac will turn 2 in May. We are so grateful for his being healthy, happy, curious, adventurous, sweet and tender and everything!
Hokkaido
March 9, 2008
Went skiing in Niseko, Hokkaido (northern island of Japan).
Seems every household is not complete without a bulldozer there.
"Papa, we've gotta get one too!"
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@Kids Snow Park
First encounter with a real penguin! (from a zoo in Sapporo), ducks,
pig, goats, lama, emus! Isaac had fun visiting them probably more than
skiing...
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We also did a short horse riding in the forest. That was a great fun! Nathan and Isaac rode a big horse called Mathew and Kayo on Cheyenne.
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Isaac's first skiing! We took a gondola up and did a wonderful (slow) run. We had a great time!
Penguins and Goggles
February 13, 2008
Isaac grouping penguins - collecting penguins from different places: magnets, Lego, and blocks. He calls them "Peh". He does the same for his favorite animals such as horses, elephants, and lions.
He also likes to flip through encyclopedia and National Geographic magazines for animal pictures. When he sees pages with no picture, he says "Nah, nah".
We go for a walk every day in the neighborhood.
Exploring the land no man has set foot in...
Wow, snow is getting deep...
Is Mama following me?
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Got a nice pair of goggles!
But I don't like to wear them over my eyes! Feels weird! <crying>
Isaac's First Sledding!
January 21, 2008
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Had enough snow to sled on the slope in front of our parking. We all had great fun!
Favorite
January 17, 2008
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Went to a huge horse park behind the mountain which has stables, indoor and outdoor horse tracks, equestrian competition track, horse riding trecking course through forest, camp site, lodging houses and so on.
Because... somehow Isaac has a fascination for horses! He generally likes animals and bikes and cars, but at the moment, he likes the horses most.
Isaac flips through books looking for horses (he knows which ones have the drawing or photo of horses), points them and tells us "Uma!" (that is horse in Japanese but he understands "horse" in English too).
It was VERY cold and sunny, we all enjoyed the short carriage ride!
A future surfer or snowboarder
January 13, 2008
Isaac cruising the floor on the mop at Sugimoto's in the mountain. He was having so much fun just like he is surfing or snowboarding!
A Challenger
December 26, 1007
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Isaac is a born challenger.
Play Gym
December 17, 2007
HAPPY BIRTHDAY COUSIN IAN!!
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We are sending the same play gym to your house soon!
Hope you and Rachael will like it too!
Love,
Isaac
Shimanami Island Hopping Bike Trip
November 18, 2007
With Mom and Dad, five of us drove down to Onomichi, Hiroshima pref. for a bike trip on Shimanami route over 6 islands to Shikoku. The bridges between those islands completed in 1998 made it possible to access by car, bike and even on foot. We enjoyed spectacular views while riding and driving as well as fresh seafood and Mikan (Tangerine)! Mikan trees are everywhere.
Isaac had a great time in his new bike seat on Nathan's bike. Isaac fell asleep in the bike seat and we found that the handle bar also works as a head rest. Nicely designed! Last day was a bit cloudy and chilly, so Isaac was well bundled up. After we got to Shikoku Island, we went to see a castle in Imabari and then visited 5 temples (of 88 Henro temples) in that area.
We all had a wonderful time and we will do that again, probably in summer next time. We saw many lovely sandy beaches and camping sites there!
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3 Bryans
October 24, 2007
The 3 generations of Bryans in front of the gate Dad has just finished.
Grandpa has so many interesting things like a wine glass, flask, tri-color pen, flat pencil, tape measure, and so on!
New wheels!
September 28, 2007
Having fun riding the new wheels!
Great exercise for Nathan too!
Sit'n Roll
September 20, 2007
Maybe some of you guys know that we have a large gym ball and used to bounce holding Isaac when he got gassy/cranky. Somehow he likes that. (Kayo used to use the gym ball to sit and work in the office)
This afternoon, he found a ball in the very convenient place and sat on it!
He was applauding himself for the success!
He even bounced several times!
Playing catch
September 16, 2007
Isaac and Hana are playing catch!
Mt. Rokko Jazz Festival
September 3, 2007
The 4th Mr. Rokko Jazz Festival took place on Sunday, September 2nd. The weather was just perfect - sunny and breezy. Audience was scattered about on the slope, lounging around on a picnic sheet with snacks and drinks.
We had a wonderful time! Isaac also had great fun running down the hill countless times!
