Number 9

I'm nine! I turned nine years old on Friday. I had my BFFs sleepover and we had lots of fun. I asked Mommy to make an ice cream cake like a swirled log. That's my favorite. Daddy made French Toast for breakfast.

I like being 9.

It still feels a lot like being 8.

I'm 8!

Today is my birthday! I am now eight years old! I didn't think I would like being eight because I liked being seven so much, but so far I like it. Mommy and Daddy came in my room this morning and sang Happy Birthday instead of saying, "Yoshi wake up!" like they usually do. We went to my favorite place for breakfast, which is the cafe around the corner. I got a toasted bagel with cream cheese. Yum! Then we went to school. My friends gave me hand made cards, hugs, and lots of happiness. At the end of the school day, Mommy came to class with the chocolate chip cookies that Daddy and I baked the night before. My friend said he gives the cookie an A+ 'cause it was so tasty. I also gave cookies to my old teachers and the principal. And the principal gave me a pretty lei!



I've been getting lots of mail these past few days. Birthday cards, a Halloween card, and stickers! I even got more mail than Mommy and Daddy. Getting mail makes me happy.

And guess what I got from Mommy and Daddy? A microscope! It's so cool! I love it so much. It's weird how it can see things that I can't see with my regular eyes. I saw my first cell. It has a dark dot in the middle. That's the nucleus. And I saw a cell that was in the middle of splitting into two cells! I like collecting things outside to put on slides, like moist leaves, dried up leaves, flower petals, dead ants. These aren't slides you slide down, like in a playground. These are flat pieces of glass that you stick stuff on to look with the microscope. Everything looks so interesting under a microscope. Even paper! And Bachan and Jichan gave me a big geode that Daddy helped me crack open, so I put the crystals under the microscope too. I love science.

And on Saturday, my best friends Z and J spent the night for my birthday sleepover. It's been a long time since the three of us played together since Z moved away. We had a lot of catching up to do. Plus it was Sunday Streets, where cars aren't allowed. It was a big party in my neighborhood! Lots of fun stuff, like...

Face painting!


Hopscotch!


Chillin' with ice cream!


Hula hooping!


This evening we ate dinner in my room, picnic style. I'm not usually allowed to have any food pin my room, so getting to eat a meal there is a very special treat. It only happens on my birthday. And sometimes on Valentine's Day. After, we drove to the beach and painted with light. I made a heart!



Finally we went home because it was dark. Bachan and Jichan wished me a happy birthday on the phone. My cousin Ellie made a super cute video singing Happy Birthday to "Yosi" and I also got to see an online card from my older cousins, Kelly, Katie, and Madison. So much birthday goodness.

Turning 8 couldn't be better.

Ellie!

Yay! Today is my baby cousin Ellie's birthday! She's two! She's not really a baby anymore. She's a toddler! She's smart, strong, and really funny. I love her. I finger-knit her a scarf. But Mommy hasn't mailed it yet. Come on, Mom, get with it.

Happy birthday, Ellie!

I'm Seven!

Today is my birthday! I'm seven years old today. I hear that 7 is a lucky number. So far, I like being seven. Yesterday I was six and I had the flu. That was no fun. I threw up a lot. My barf tasted like crayons. And I cried because my tummy hurt lots and lots. Ouchie. I cried until I fell asleep.

But today! I woke up and felt good. I read on the couch (I slept there!). Then Daddy came in and said, "Happy Birthday!" and gave me a hug and kiss. He and Mommy said that I could stay home from school today since I still needed to get better. That means lots of rest. But I was healthy enough to take a cab to Daddy's office and draw on the whiteboard. He works across from the big baseball place where the Giants play. He said it's going to be crazy tomorrow when the World Series starts. Sounds fun!

For my birthday I got green stripey fingerless mitts that Mommy made. Also a flower ring. I love when Mommy makes me things. And for dinner, we ate my favorite food--Udon. That is Japanese slurpy noodles in soup. We had an inside picnic in my room. I set up the picnic on the floor. Yay! We eat in my room only on very special days. My birthday is a special day.

I wonder what fun things I'll do as a seven year old!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

You're the best. I'm happy that you're my daddy. I love you!

Birthday paper fun

Mommy made me a beautiful birthday banner. It's so happy! I like the circles. I like the colors. I like that it spells out "Happy Birthday Yoshimi!" Mommy even used my favorite blue for the ribbon. She said we can hang it up every year for my birthday!

Here's my name up close.


I made the invitations that I gave to my friends for my sleepover birthday party last Saturday.


Mommy made birthday hats for me and my team (my two best friends). We wore them at the party!


Birthdays are so fun!

I'm six years old!

Today is my birthday! I'm six! I like being six. It's even better than being five.

I asked Mommy to make zucchini muffins to bring into my class today. So she did. 'Cause I'm the birthday girl! At first, when my classmates learned that there was zucchini in it a lot of them were grossed out by veggies in their treats. But then they all ate it and said, "Yummy! It's so good!"

Every kid in my class said something nice to me when the kids took their turn doing the Birthday Toast. This kind of toast has nothing to do with bread though. Weird! Here are some things my friends said:

"Happy Birthday, Yoshi. I'm glad we're friends."
"You're always nice to me. You're never mean. Happy Birthday!"
"Happy Birthday, Yoshi!"
"Happy Birthday!"
"You're a good friend. Happy Birthday!"
"I like playing with you. Happy Birthday!"
"I'm glad you don't have lice anymore. Happy Birthday!"
"Happy Birthday, Yoshi!"

Then Mommy led the class to sing Happy Birthday. And everyone said, "Cha! Cha! Cha!" after each line.

Mommy picked me up a little early from school today and we went with one of my friends in my class to a cafe. We did our homework first. Then we drank Italian sodas. Yummy! I had orange soda and my friend S. had strawberry. She had a cookie and I ate a buttery croissant. Then we went to the library that just re-opened and looked at all the books and videos. I picked out a Snoopy video to take home.

We ate one of my favorite meals for dinner. Mac and cheese! We had an indoor picnic in my room with my little star light and a candle. I drank fizzy orange juice and it was the same color as my food!

Then Daddy and Mommy read me two chapters of a Roald Dahl book and then put me to bed.

I feel very special. I love being the birthday girl.

Happy Birthday Mommy!

Yesterday was Mommy's birthday. She's much older than me. She's an old lady. I told her this. Then Mommy asked, "If I'm an old lady, then what is Bachan?" I said, "An older lady!"

I made Mommy waffles using Sha and Brenda's most favoritist Belgian waffle recipe. Daddy helped a little. Mommy loved my cooking.

I also made Mommy a chocolate cake while she was at her photography class. Daddy helped a little. I made sure the batter and the frosting tasted good. 'Cause you don't want to make a cake with yucky batter or yucky frosting.

Watch the video of us making the cake!

Go Speed Racer!

One of my birthday presents was from Uncle Ed and Auntie Misa. They gave me a plastic card. I got to use it like money at a toy store and get a whole bunch of goodies, not just one thing. I got Lincoln Logs. They are tiny wooden logs used to build all sorts of neat towers and houses. Yay! I also picked out a princess book. I also got a toy puppy for the bathtub. More yay! But this is my favorite:



Thank you, Uncle Ed and Auntie Misa!!!! Yay yay yay!

I'm Five!

Today is my fifth birthday. If you were to ask me how old I am, I could hold out one open hand and show you all my fingers. There are five. That means I am five years old. Yay!

This morning I had yummy tiny pancakes and baked apples with cinnamon and sugar. Daddy made them. Then we all prepared for my birthday party at the big park near our house. I put the sprinkles on the ice cream cone-shaped cupcakes.

I got a lot of presents. I didn't even ask for them. I have never seen so many presents for me before. They are all lovely. I got stickers and art boxes and books and clothes and so much good stuff. A lot of my friends drew me really beautiful pictures. I have a great collection of drawings now.

My friends in my class made a book with their drawings for my birthday. It's very special. One of my friends can draw a dragon really good. He must practice a lot. I keep that special drawing book with my other special drawing book that I got for my third birthday at my first preschool. They are both very special to me.

Mommy asked how I feel being five. I had to be honest. "I'm sick. Today is my birthday and I'm sick." I'm coughing a lot, my throat hurts a lot, and I might stay home from school. I don't want my friends at school to get sick. And shhh, don't tell, but I kinda like hanging out at home.

I do like being five though. I'm a big kid!

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!

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.