Yakara Zuikyo

This is Yakara, the band that I'm setting up a tour for in Minnesota next spring. A couple weeks ago we shot some footage for a music video. I'd love to hear what you think.

Sigh. Does every wife/mommy feel like this?

Sometimes I think it is hard being a mom. Sometimes I think it is hard being a wife of a juggler.

But mostly I think it is hard to be the mother AND wife of a juggler.

Yes, you see that right. Dan is JUGGLING Kai. And Kai is laughing.
And Mommy is cringing behind her camera.

(For those of you worried, everyone fared OK after this stunt.)

A Week of Firsts

When you're a baby, everything is new. Including finding your hair. Kai managed to find his this week, so when he gets sleepy or just wakes up, his left hand starts fiddling with the soft curly locks on the top of his head. Super sweet.

At 6 months, there is still a lot of the world to discover. Kai experienced fireworks for the first time on Friday night. Awe and amazement cut through his crabby, over-tired whining. Pretty fun to be the parents showing him all these amazing things.

But perhaps the best part of being a parent? Having an inarguable excuse to go do "kid stuff"! We took Kai to Yakiyama Zoo in Sendai on Saturday. It was a very fun (although hot) day! Dan threw together a video to let you all in on the experience.



I had gotten the heads up from our friend Casey that the monkeys receive inequal treatment... the Japanese Snow Monkeys (the ones in the video) had a WAY better facility than the other monkeys (i.e. the sleeping ones)... Hmmmm....

Oh, and Juli, this lemur didn't "like to move, it move it." Maybe because his cage wasn't so cool...


One thing I look forward to in the States: Going to the zoo and not feeling like an exhibit :o) No kidding, Kai got as many looks as the polar bear! People we didn't even TALK to knew his name! Ridiculous! Oh well... this too shall pass.

And, here's one last look at that AWESOME ice cream truck door. Cracks me up every time!

We live in JAPAN!!!

It isn't every day that I say that with such excitement. Living overseas is usually a highly romanticized idea that everyday is awesome. But (sorry to say) it is still life. We still pay bills, do laundry, wash mountains of dishes, stand in line at the post office, change dirty diapers... we just do it in another language (which can make it way harder!)

But then there are days like today. Sometimes I cannot believe we get to do stuff like this. So, remember how I (Andi) told you how I am the tour manager for the taiko group? Well, today we shot some promo video footage. Peering up at bamboo and cedar trees, we listened to the booming of the drums echo off the hillside while dragonflies zoomed around us. It was something I will never forget. It was amazing. It was one of those instances that I said to myself, "We live in JAPAN!"

So, here's a snippet of today... doesn't do it justice, but it's a taste, anyway... (and I couldn't have asked for better lighting for some of my shots either!)

Cuteness Quota for the Day

Alright, not much chatting today, just a bunch of photos to share. (Oh, and as you can see-- if you are at the bolg, not just the email, anyway-- we got a new look to theplace. Just something different for now...) Anyway, on with the cuteness:

(Cheering for the Good Guys!)

(Go, Pack, Go!)

(Mommy, you like the best team EVER! And you have such great fashion sense.)

(Mommy's handsome boys)

(Mommy's got her camera out again...)

(What yogurt?)

(Hey, I can't see!)

(Like father, like son)

(This is AWESOME! What is this thing called again? A laundry basket? Sweet!)