Udon anyone???

Have you ever had that feeling that although my body is extremely tired...you feel good? That's what today felt like...the Women's Association at our church is trying to raise money to defray the cost of the World Conference in Japan (April 2010)...so, we are holding an Udon Luncheon on Sunday.


Today, we cut up all of the condiments (kamaboko, green onions, age parsley), boiled 7 dozen or so eggs, cooked 30 pounds of udon noodles, wedged 20 oranges, made 6x salad recipes, etc etc...



I must be getting old...my back is killing me! As with anything...these ladies (and man) were awesome! Not only did we finish prepping on time, but it is so nice to visit with them!




Tomorrow is the big day. We have memorial services for Lady Takeko Kujo and Lady Ohtani...and the Udon luncheon.





The people in the picture are (top to bottom, L to R):
1st: Sachi and Mrs. Akahoshi
2nd: Karen and Mr. Akahoshi
3rd: Jamie, Jessie and Gail
4th: Mrs. Kimotsuki, Michi, Mrs. Nakashima, Terry
5th: Mom, Auntie Patti and Grace

(Have you noticed, that I still have to call some people "Mr." or "Mrs." even though I may call others by their first name....strange huh....)

FINALLY....a robe for Neil

Do you have those projects that kind of stack up? Neil needed a new robe. Since I made one for Jordan last year... Golden State Warrior motif...I thought it would only be fair to make one for Neil. He picked out this cool surf board fleece... I washed it...and it has been sitting in a pile of "to do" for MONTHS!!!

So, I decided to start on it tonight...yes, it is a little long, because since I am putting so much time/effort into this...and the boys grow so quickly, I hem/cuff it up and let it out as they grow....

Neil doesn't look happy because there are pins at his shoulders. Hopefully, I will get it done this weekend since it has been so cold....okay, not as cold as Canada...but, chilly for us California kids.

What is a nightstand anyways?

Today was Neil's annual IEP (Individual Education Plan) meeting with his speech teacher at school. He has come a long way since those days of incomprehension...but, for some reason the "r's" have him stumped. We noticed this year that although he has excelled in reading, math etc ... he has "flat-lined" on his speech.

What does this mean? More speech homework, reading aloud etc ... so, if you see/hear from him, encourage him to use "his good speech" and more "r's".

The VP, who was sitting in on the meeting, was impressed that he has found a creative way around the "r's" ... he uses the word "female" when talking about a "giRl" in his class etc ...

Oh, about the "nightstand" title: This week, Neil's class was working on compound words. When the teacher asked, "What is a nightstand?" Neil's hand shot up...his response, "I think it's a stand that you sell something like lemonade from at night." Yeah, it made Julie's Facebook ... but, so did a comment about how "Records are from the OLDEN days"...sniff sniff...we have become our parents!

AUGH...math...I loved math...(note: past tense)

I loved math.....Jeff was a math minor....WHY does Jordan not get it??? AUGH! Okay...calm down...I am venting before Round 3 of 4th grade math. Division...should be simple right? Yeah, right....come work with Jordan and his "I don't know" answer....okay...calm down....sigh!

Okay, I'm ready....I know the problem...his questions tonight are WORD problems....no wonder he is having a problem...he isn't even READING the instructions!!!

Now that I have identified the problem, I can kick butt....okay, not Jordan's butt...but, hmmm...

Another picture from the weekend...and a Flat Stanley update

This weekend the boys had a stand full of fans. Great-Obachan (grandmother), Jeff's paternal grandmother, came from Sacramento with cousins, second-cousins, aunts, great-great aunts to join cousins from Monterey and SF. It was an enjoyable afternoon that continued at Bachan's (Jeff's mother's) house for dinner.

The good/bad news is that Jordan found out that he likes panko-fried abalone...Jeff's father would have been so happy! (The bad is...well...it's EXPENSIVE!!!)

Unfortunately, I was not a good photo-blogger...I didn't take a group picture....

In the picture is Obachan and Jeff's nephew, Logan...who was born in August. Behind Bachan, you can see a little slice of Setchan, Jeff's great-aunt that was hit by a car crossing the street in SF. She is recooperating in Vacaville with Bachan's sister, (Auntie) Marian. Luckily, Sets walked out of SF General...one scary place...with a fractured femur and vertebrae. She was REALLY lucky.

BTW: Jordan stayed home from school with a mild fever....it went away during the day, but, it came back...I am afraid something is stewing....yikes...hopefully, he can go to school tomorrow.

Flat Stanley update from Canada: Just to update you on "our Stanley". Stanley enjoyed a wonderful afternoon enjoying Winterlude activities. We dressed him in snuggly clothes and took him to the canal. We saw ice sculptures, and tasted maple syrup taffy, watched aboriginal performances, and then enjoyed a beaver tail. We are processing our photos (ask Lori about my aversion to digital photos ) and then we will be sending our Stanley back. Amelia will miss him - thank you for letting him enjoy this extended sleep over with us !

Sick Kid and the Million Dollar Cat????

Jordan went to bed with a 100 degree temp...I just made an appointment with the orthodontist...for tomorrow...the only day she is in this week. Oh yeah...Jordan broke his retainer AGAIN!!! The second time THIS YEAR...yes, I mean 2009!!!!

Shaq went in for a second opinion regarding a bump I found on his back. Our vet wants to "cut it out", but, I wanted a second opinion....we wouldn't send our kids into surgery without further examination...right?

Well, today, the 2nd vet said "Yes". It will probably have to be removed...sigh...At least the estimate that the 2nd vet gave me was $200 more than my vet.... hmmm...she also said that it can grow to be as large as a grapefruit....YIKES!

Jeff and a few friends said I'm crazy...especially since he had some medical "issues" about 15 years ago...that cost a pretty penny...but, they were right...he recovered with little problems since....sigh....

The saga will continue....The "Shaq Saga"...hopefully not the "Broken Retainer Saga"

Tis the season of Romance...

On Saturday, Neil went to his friend's birthday party in Livermore. This year his friend moved to Livermore, they were in the same kindergarten and 1st grade classes. They would walk home together almost everyday. We even had to have the "Boyfriend" vs "Boy Friend" talk with him. After she moved, he declared himself a bachelor since there wasn't anyone in his class he wanted to marry. It was so funny, on the drive over ... he was worried that he wouldn't know anyone there...to his relief...there were two other boys there....his friend's old neighbors, and it looks like he has a new "play date". By the end of the night....he wanted to know why the girls were always screaming....and why they liked the "Little Pet Shop" and "Neopets"? After all, they aren't as cool as Bakugan (see Jordan's previous posts)

(I decided not to use Neil's friends name, nor her sister's name....)