Here I am!

Hi! I haven't blogged in a long time. I'm sorry. Being a big four year old (!) is hard work and it keeps me busy. Here is what I have been doing:

I turned four years old before Halloween. It was super fun. I had a birthday party at school and also one at my house. See this great hat my teacher made for me?! It's super special to me. There is a Snoopy on it and it says "Yoshimi" in Japanese.





I got a big kid bike. I picked it out at the bicycle store. It's pink. Mommy made a basket with a soft fabric lining for holding my babies (that's Miss Hetty the giraffe going for a ride with me). There is a bell so I can tell people in front of me to watch out for me.



For Halloween, I dressed up as two things. For school our small group was a flock of eagles. We had a little parade around the neighborhood and shops around town. I even sang songs at the old-folks home that Uncle Harry lives at. What a nice surprise! I was shy to him though.





Then I went Trick-or-Treating with my friends from school that live near my house. I was Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. Mommy made my costume and I even wore sparkly red shoes that click-click-click on each step. I lost my favorite Toto dog in Japan so I used Snoopy instead. He hid in the basket.



Mommy was Little Dead Riding hood.



We met Jesus while trick or treating. There was a fire on the street and he magically put it out by stepping on it. After that, he gave me and my friend a special one dollar coins. So shiny!



I went to a farm on a rainy day. Mommy got a little bit lost, but we eventually found the farm. I fed the chickens and I helped make bread. I added the rosemary to the dough.



For Thanksgiving, I ate turkey. I helped make pumpkin pie with a real pumpkin. Mommy said that pumpkins grow in cans, but I showed her at the farm that they grow from plants.

I also played with my cousins. I love them. We always have a great time. We rolled down a steep, grassy hill at the nearby park. Yay!



Daddy had a birthday, but not on the same day as me. He's also not 4. He's much older. Like maybe 10. We went to the beach and played in the sand and the water. It's very chilly at the beach so we had to play fast.






Me and Daddy.




Early this month we flew on an airplane to Chicago. Chicago is very far away, but not as far as Japan where I went this summer, or Israel where my best friend Ella lives. But Chicago is far enough that we sat on an airplane for a few hours. When we got off the plane, it was very cold. It snowed! We ate Chicago pizza. We went to a wedding. At the wedding there were these little Korean treats, like manju.





We got our Christmas tree and decorated it. Daddy wanted to make a video like last year of us putting all the fancy decorations on, but he forgot to hit the "record" button. Whoops. I'll tell you what happened. We got the tree. It was plain. Then we put lights on and the ornaments. Then it became fancy. Yay!



The nice people selling trees gave me a Yoshi-sized tree. I decorated it.


And here's a gingerbread house that I made at Bachan and Jichan's house.


Yay!

Arts and crafts project - birthday style!

Today I helped make invitations for my upcoming birthday party. Mommy printed out the inside, boring part at her work.


I did the front cover of the card using Mommy's hand Gocco screen printer.

Here's my original drawing in black crayon. The drawing is a girl holding a balloon. She is next to a birthday cake. I wrote my name across the top. There is grass on the bottom. This picture is used to create the screen by using lights and magic.


I add lots of special paints in pretty colors to one side of the screen.

Then we put the card on the grey thingy.

I push the handle thingy down.

Then there's a great painting of my art!


Yay!

I make lots and lots of invitations:


Double Yay!

Broken heart

I have a favorite stuffed animal. Her name is Toto. Her name used to be Stack. And before that, her name used to be Anke. She also used to be a boy but I decided she was a girl when I started calling her Toto. I took Toto to Japan over the summer. And I lost her on the subway there. She's sad without me. I told Mommy that my heart has broken two times. Once when I lost Toto. The other time was when Ella, my best friend, moved to Israel. She moved away last month.

"My heart is broken. It doesn't work in my body anymore."

Mommy gave me a big hug.

My daddy

I love Daddy. He's the best Daddy I've ever had. Good thing too, because he's the only daddy I've ever had. We often take the bus together to school. We play a game called "What do you want to eat?" Here is how it is played. One person says, "Hi! What do you want to eat?" The other person says what they want to eat. The first person will either say "Okay!" and then pretend to make the food and give it to the other person. Or the first person can say, "Sorry, we don't have that," and then ask what else they want to eat. If the other person can't think of something, then the first person suggests food.

Me: Hi! What do you want to eat?

Daddy: Hi! I'd like some edamame and a fruit smoothie.

Me: Edamame and a fruit smoothie? Okay! [then I pretend to quickly make it by moving my hands around and making gurgling noises]

Me: Here you go!

Daddy: Thanks!

then the roles trade.

Daddy: Hi! What do you want to eat?

Me: Hi! I want an ice cream cone and steak.

Daddy: Sorry, we ran out of steak. How about a hot dog?

Me: Okay!

~~~~~~~

I also love Daddy because he gives me stuff. He went grocery shopping the other day and when he came home, he brought me a flower!


~~~~

I also love Daddy even when he does things that are pretty silly. On Monday, Mommy, Daddy and I were out in the front courtyard taking photos. I like playing by the fountain because water is fun. Daddy thought it would be fun for him to jump off a ledge while Mommy took photos of him in the air. When he crouched down to jump, his big bottom pushed me into the water. I had no idea what was going on. One moment I'm out of the water. The next moment I'm in the water. Daddy finished his jump and then resuced me.

Before (notice his bottom getting ready to bump me in):


After (he looks embarrassed and I'm in shock):


Mommy said something about "parenting at its finest" but I can think of lots of other times that I liked better than this one.

Broken to fixed!

I love my pink stroller, but the fabric started falling apart last year. Mommy sewed a new seat for my stroller and now it's good as new!

Before:


After:


And with Snoopy!

Vote for Sami!

Uncle Eric and Auntie Wendy have a super cute puppy. Her name is Sami. Sami licks me and she has a wet nose. Vote for Sami and she may be on the cover of the Orange County paper. Clicky here:
http://mypetsface.ocregister.com/?r=5814152

Pass this on to your Mommys, Daddys, family and friends.

And didn't Daddy take a great picture?

The Rock

On Saturday I visited Grandpa. He's not alive anymore. He died when I was a baby. I visit him sometimes at his rock in the nice park. His birthday was Sunday. Daddy, Mommy and I sang Happy Birthday to him.

Me

When I was in Japan, I bought a Hello Kitty cake mix. Silly Mommy and Daddy do not have modern conveniences like the microwave (or a TV), so I used made the cake using Uncle Eric's and Auntie Wendy's microwave at their house a couple weeks ago. Here is my pink, strawberry flavored, Hello Kitty cake. Yum!!


That same weekend, I took a self-portrait using Mommy and Daddy's camera and remote control. That little black box I'm holding is the remote. Click!

Bzzz

Sunday is an "S" day. That means I have no school and Daddy and Mommy have no work. On Sunday I played at the park. I sat on the grass while Mommy and Daddy tried to get my red ball out of the tree. A bee landed on my leg. He was angry so he stung me. OOOOWWWWW!!!! I squashed him, but he was still stinging me. Daddy helped me take the stinger out. I cried. Waaaaahhhh!!! Five minutes later I fell asleep on the way home.

Getting stung by a bee makes you tired.

We never got my ball out of the tree. Mommy did manage to get a rock stuck up in the tree too to keep the ball company. Be careful if you're at the Aquatic park sitting under a tree. A rock might fall on your head. And it's a big rock.

A few days ago

A few days ago, I played at Ella's house. We ate dinner together. There was Mommy, Daddy, me of course, Ella, her mommy and her daddy. Ella calls her mommy Ima and her daddy Aba because they speak Hewbrew. Ella's brother was not at home. We had nice talks at the dinner table.

Ella (to my Mommy): Denise, you look very pretty.

Mommy: Awww, thanks Ella! That's very nice of you to say.

Me: No, Ella, Mommy is just wearing makeup.

Mommy: Thanks, Yoshi.

Me: You're welcome!

I went to Japan!

Konnichiwa!


This is me in Kyoto at the famous Fushimi Inari Shrine. I had lots of fun in Japan. They sai "Hi" a lot. I rode super fast trains, rode the subways, travelled on buses. I met family. I ate a lot. And I got lots of goodies from family, including Japanese candy!

My favorite parts of the trip was the Pinky mint party we had in our hotel room one night. We all dressed up in robes and ate mints.


I also had fun with Uncle Eric, Auntie Wendy, and Bachan and Jichan. They made the trip extra fun!


I'm jet-legged though. I don't know what the means, but it must have something to do with why my feet feel tingly. I can't wait to go back and visit again. Next time I'll know more Japanese to help Mommy and Daddy since I now go to a preschool where everyone speaks Japanese!

Jelly Bellys!

Yesterday Mommy and I took a field trip to the Jelly Belly factory. This is where the jelly beans are made. They are very yummy. Inside the factory you can see the people make the candy. It smells delicious inside, like lemon and cherry. A lady working at the factory told us to wear these hats all the time.





We also were told not to take any pictures inside the factory of the machines and people and the candy being made. These pictures were taken in the lobby and store part. There were big, giant jelly beans hanging from the ceiling:








They had funny mirrors that made me look tall:


There were cars and even a motorcycle and sidecar with pictures of jelly beans!


Mommy went crazy and bought a lot of Jelly Bellys. She likes the pomegranate flavored one. I like all of them!

Head shapes

When Mommy puts me to bed, we like to talk. The other night we talked about heads:

Me: Mommy, you're head is oval.

Mommy: Really? What shape is yours?

Me: Mine is round. [I trace my head with my finger]

Mommy? It sure is! What about Dad's? What shape is his?

Me: His is different. It's like my friend Jackson's.

Mommy: What does Jackson's head look like?

Me: Different, like Daddy's. My head is circle-y!

Stinky

Me: I'm stinky, like Daddy.

Mommy: Really? How so?

Me: I fart a lot!

Graduation!

On Sunday, Daddy graduated. He got a piece of rolled up piece of paper and he owes someone lots of money. I also got a rolled up piece of paper because I also graduated my preschool. I no longer go there, but in a couple months I'll be going to a new school in San Francisco.


Lots of people came to my graduation: Mommy and Daddy; Grandma and Alex; Bachan and Jichan; Uncle Emilio and Auntie Laura; my cousins Kelly, Katie, and Madison; Aunt Kathy, and even Great Grandma! I felt very proud!

Smells like...

Not yesterday, but days before that, I was at school. I go to school a lot. This one day my teachers put different things in cups for us kids to smell. It was a game. We had to guess what was in the cup by what it smelled like. I was pretty good.

Teacher: Here Yoshi, smell this.

Me: sniff sniff (that's the sound my nose makes when I smell really hard)

Teacher: What does it smell like?

Me: It's brandy!!!

Teacher: It's vanilla extract.

Me: No, it's brandy.

Silly teachers.

My plant

Daddy helped me plant some seeds. We put them in dirt. I watered the seeds. The seeds grew into these stringy things. Then leaves appeared. Now there are more leaves. It's basil! Mommy and Daddy are not allowed to eat my plant.

I'm unarmed!

Mommy and Daddy need your money

Mommy and Daddy run. They run a lot. They get sweaty and stinky. For some reason, they want to share their sweatiness and stinkiness with others because they like to share. They will run with a team on a very long, long race. I can only count up to eleventeen, so they are at least doing eleventeen miles. Will you help them make some money to help sick people who need new parts in their bodies?

Here is Mommy's email that she sent out. I'm renting her this internet space for her ad for the price of three girl scout cookies.:

My dear family and friends,

I never thought that I'd be a runner, but I am. I never thought that I'd actually enjoy running, but I do. And I never thought that I would actually run a marathon, but I did. Now that I know I can run 26.2 miles without my legs falling off, I will be running 199 miles in two days. Okay, you got me. I won't be running this entire distance myself. On May 5th and 6th, I will be a member of a great 12 person team that will take part in The Relay, which starts in Napa Valley in Calistoga, runs through the Marin, over the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco, down the Peninsula, through the Silicon Valley, and ends on the beach of Santa Cruz. Each team member will run 3 different times, some in the morning, some during the day, some at night. My husband and fellow teammate Tom will be run across the Golden Gate Bridge under a full moon around midnight. As for me, my very first leg of this race will be along the same course as the Napa Valley Marathon that I ran last March, so it will be a nice run (haha) down memory lane.

What I need from you, my dears, is your support -- moral and/or monetary support. The Relay Race benefits Organs 'R' Us (ORU), an organization with a cheesy name that does a world of good. Organs 'R' Us (nonprofit 501 (c) (3) Tax ID 94-3333306) promotes the need for organ donors through athletics. We decided on our team name "Sweet: Cheeks" (say Sweet Colon Cheeks!) as a play on words for this cause. We will all wear pink running skirts (yes, the men too) so you won't miss us if you want to cheers us on from the sidelines. Our team goal is to raise at least $1200 by MARCH 15th(!). This is where you can help. Please consider making a donation to ORU and help save lives. No amount is too small. Every little bit helps.

Checks can be made payable to: Organs 'R' Us. Please mail your monetary donation ASAP to me (email me for my address) or directly to ORU:

Organs 'R' Us 570
El Camino Real, Suite 150-330
Redwood City, CA 94063

Please remember to write my team name "SWEET:CHEEKS" on your check. And let me know if I should be on the lookout for your check in my mailbox if you send it to my home address. You may also Paypal me your donation. Send it to akemi.collier@gmail.com with the subject heading: RELAY

And, most importantly, if you haven't considered it already, please take the time to consider becoming an organ donor and discuss this with your family members. This will allow your loved ones to make an informed decision if they are ever faced with donating your organs.

For more information about The Relay race, visit: http://www.therelay.com
And to learn more about Organs 'R' Us, check out: http://www.therelay.com/organs/indexmain.html

Thank you so much for your support. And if you ever want to run with me, I welcome your company.

Warmly,
Denise

Shake, rattle and roll!

Tonight, while Mommy put me to bed, we felt our home shake! My bed shook, my clothes on hangers swung around, and I heard the windows rattle. There was a low, rumbling sound too. Mommy said, "Did you feel that? That's an earthquake!" She also told me that the rumbling sound is what earthquakes sound like. Daddy came bouncing in my room to share the excitement of the earthquake. I thought that the cars driving around outside made the earthquake because sometimes that's what it feels like when big trucks drive by our building. Daddy said that it's much stronger than a truck. Mommy said something about "magic" but I know she's crazy. I made a joke and said that it's Abiyoyo coming! But really, I wonder how the ground moved? Hmm... Maybe when I turn 4, the world's mysteries will be solved.

School Picture

Here's my school picture, taken a couple weeks ago. Last year the picture people gave me a shirt that has a picture of myself on it. You can't tell from this pose, but I'm wearing that shirt for this photo. This is a picture of Yoshi wearing a shirt with a picture of Yoshi! This year the picture people gave me a Yoshi-sized pack-pack (Mommy calls it a "backpack) that has this picture of me. So now I can wear a backpack with a picture of me wearing a shirt that has a picture of me. It's enough to make your head dizzy, like when you spin around and around and around really fast for a long time.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Mommy painted me a big heart for Valentine's! She says we can hang it up in my room. Yay!