Countdown to Emiko: Part One

We've been trying to get caught up and 'ahead' on a lot of things as Emiko's arrival approaches. One of those things was a day at the zoo which, as you can see here, really exhausted Mayumi.

We've cleaned up the yard, raked up the leaves, and jumped in them.

We went to IKEA and, amoung other things, purchased the most adorable pink table and chair set. This has allowed us to introduce Mayumi to crayons--her new FAVORITE activity.

Along with the cute table/chair combo, we FINALLY splurged on a new dresser (at least two of the drawers of our now old dresser were unoperational). Here is Nate doing a fabulous job comprehending the IKEA assemblage instructions (only half of which were included and he STILL managed it). Mayumi loves to help out her daddy.

And finally-we are trying to make our house a little more fun for the ever-adventurous Mayumi. This means trips to the thrift shop for used toys.

Bah-bees

I feel a little like Nancy Drew.

For weeks (months!) now, Mayumi has been talking about 'bah-bees.' I knew it had to mean something as she said it distinctly and frequently. Only recently, however, she has been saying 'bah-bees' and 'Kids Club' (where she plays when I work out at the gym) together. "Bah-bees, kids club!" Over and over. So often (at least 20 times during dinner the other night) that Nate asked me to go into the Kids Club and do a little sleuthing. I felt equal to the task.

We thought it MUST mean 'barbies' but that idea was shot down when I found that they have no barbies at Kids Club. Not to be defeated, I went back in today and asked a few of the ladies who worked there to brainstorm with me. Amoung the possibilities (puppies, babies) was bubbles. Hmmmm, bubbles. I formulated a plan.

This evening, after Nate returned, I set a bottle of bubbles out on the counter within plain sight (but while Mayumi was out of the room). After some time Mayumi entered the kitchen, spied the bubbles, and shouted 'BAH-BEES!!!' :-) Nice work, Nancy.

As always, I am in a New York state of mind

My mother and I share a love of New York City. She is one of the few people I enjoy going to the theatre with, as she is willing to analyze the shows, the actors, the music, etc. with for hours afterwards.

Thanks to the help of my darling husband, I was able to travel sans Mayumi to New York several weeks ago and meet my mother (who also made many sacrifices to make the weekend possible). We saw TWO shows: Memphis (a musical) and A Steady Rain (play). Here's a little bit about both:

We scored front-row 'student rush' tickets to this show of which we knew NOTHING about. This is where we must thank Sally Atkinson, my old and dear roommate), for guiding us. I'll let you all do your own research on this show, but I'd like to inlcude two links here--links to one of the main songs in the show. The first features the leading man singing his song outside the theatre in New York's 'Shubert Alley' as a promotion for the show opening. The second features Bon Jovi singing the same song (Bon Jovi's fellow band member wrote the music for Memphis).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUwdQ_gwGH8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3dmUNi5QL8&feature=fvw

Our second show was the much-anticipated A Steady Rain, starring Daniel Craig and Hugh Jackman. Here I am, looking extremely glamorous, sitting out for the student rush tickets that morning. (Thank you to Amber for the use of her chairs AND for letting us stay in her flat).

I have to say that A Steady Rain is pretty grim...downright gritty, actually. And unlike other performances I've LOVED that portray a gritty life, I didn't walk out of this enlightened, inspired, or better informed. I certainly wouldn't say it was a 'disapointment,' and any true theatre fan (or lover of D. Craig and/or H. Jackman) SHOULD see it. But be prepared to be exposed to the seamy side of life.


And yes, there WAS a steady rain that night...as you can see from this photo!

Thank you to everyone who made this trip possible!!!

Halloween Cuteness

Alas, we haven't any record of our costumes on the Big Night. Nate dressed as a Gulfi Arab, I as a belly dancer, and Mayumi as a bunny rabbit (wearing her cousin Allie's old costume meant for someone 3-6 months). It really is a shame we don't have a picture (yet) of her in that costume because the leg cuffs of the costume only came down to just below her knees. Ha! We had some fun the week before carving pumpkins:

As we've enjoyed lots of warm Fall weather, Mayumi and I spent a great deal of time outside a week or so ago--much of it with our good friends Brittany and Juliette. Here we are at Clemyjontri Park in McLean.

The Farm at Frying Pan Park is another one of our favorite destinations. Mayumi CANNOT get enough of animals. She'd have climbed right into the pig pen if she could have managed it.

Sadly, Mayumi caught some nasty chest cold last week. We barely left the house (boring!) and spent lots of time cuddling (fabulous). Here are a couple of clips showing just how lackluster our little fireball was.

Adventures in Yumiland

This girl knows how to have fun! A few (or more than a few) pictures to entertain you: At Clemyjontri Park in McLean, VA.

All suited up and ready to be carried in Shanandoah National Park.

Beautiful waterfall in said park.

With our buddies in Shanandoah, L-R: Juliette (Mayumi's 'best friend'?--Juliette fell on Mayumi and accidentally knocked her down today, so maybe the bestfriendship is off...I am not sure), Mark, Brittney, Nate, Mayumi, Hilary.

An important conversation between Mayumi and Juliette in Shanandoah.

Wouldn't it be nice? Mayumi, living the good life.

With Grandpa Astroland at the Sterling Library park. Mayumi cannot get enough of these see-saw things.

Like, totally pyschadelic, dude.

Mayumi absolutely ADORES animals, especially dogs. Here she is at Lincoln Park in Washington, D.C.

Warning: no Mayumi in the next few photos (gasp!). Nate and I indulged in an anniversary weekend up where we honeymooned--the Finger Lakes region (thanks Mom, for babysitting!).

It was beautiful!

But a little cold.

And finally--Mayumi with her buddy Juliette and J's mom Brittney on the Mall in D.C.

The Force is strong with this one

Catching up

The fact that I need such a massive catch-up post...one that is already outdated without anything really recent...should excuse me from writing clever, detailed text. So--without any frills, this is what I've got:

We promised ourselves that when we lived in a home we'd start a garden and develop some food storage. After lots of self-prodding, we've made SOME progress. Here we have a picture of some basil and tomatoes from our garden, followed by a photo of some peaches that I canned (CAN you believe it? hee hee). We also canned tomatoes, oven-dried tomatos and basil, prepared 72-hr kits, and bought enough oats/beans/wheat to last two months. I say this not to brag--well, just a little.


Our great friends Jeoff and Rachel (featured on this blog before) threw a marvelous birthday party for newly four-year-old Bekah, pictured below. She is biting straight into her cake (and Wilks family tradition). Note the gourmet-ness of this cake--Rachel is the crepe chef and does nothing part-way. She is a Martha in the Making.

The party theme was, naturally, princesses. Mayumi was (kindly) invited, although not really a part of Bekah's peer group.

The darling Nate was nice enough to send me off to NYC for a weekend (and my NYC friends were kind enough to receive me). Here's us out front the one show I saw: Burn the Floor (feature ballroom dance).

And now for a few Yumi Muvis:

Mayumi is starting to feed herself. She's not much better now then at the time of this video (at least three weeks ago). She DOES, however, say 'please,' 'Kids Klub' (where she goes when I work out at the gym), and many other words in Arabic (I think she's brilliant).

Mayumi's closest friend (in age, at least) is Juliette. These two girls have been 'playing' together for nearly a year, but I think only recently realized the other existed. Now, they are even trying to say each others' names. Juliette has it easy; she says 'mmmm mmmm mmmm' to refer to Mayumi. Yumi, however, isn't quite up to three consonant words yet, but she's trying. We THINK she refers to Juliette as 'Jushbab.' We think.

Mayumi's favorite place to play is Rachel's house, which was created for young children (unlike ours). Here she is, with loads of other kids, entertaining themselves while their mothers are visiting teaching or being visit taught.