Respect for the Aged Weekend

This weekend is a three-day weekend. Yeah!!! We actually have two straight weeks of three day weekends (well, next week's day off is actually Tuesday, but that's fine with me). Monday is "Respect for the Aged" day, and is a national holiday. It comes at a very nice time, because John has been doing lots of travelling recently for work, with work on the weekends as well.. In any case, we've been taking advantage of the relaxing time.
Everything has been fine otherwise. Rhianna loves her books, and brings several books up to John every night to be read to. She especially loves her dad's performance of the stories. Her very favorite story is "Stop it!" from a book called Mini-stories for 2-year olds. It's about a tiger and lion who tickle each other, and is a grand total of two pages. Rhianna loves it and cant stop laughing when dad reads it to her (and tickles her).

Rhianna also has been developing her vocabularly a bit, and loves to yell "Hai! (yes!)" and pass things to mom and dad (something like saying "Here!"). She also uses "Hai!" and extends her hand out when she wants something. It's very cute. She also uses sign language that mom taught her for "delicious," in which she puts her index finger to her cheek and taps. She knows "yum," and recently puts the two together.
She also loves to dance, and likes to bounce up and down and tap her foot when she hears music she likes. She has a book with buttons that, when pushed, play Japanese children's songs. She pushes the buttons over and over, and loves to hear the music. She also brings the book to dad so he can sing along to the "karaoke" versions included in the book, which are instrumental versions of the original song. Needless to say, I've become very familiar with the typical songs sung to Japanese children.

Over the past several weeks, we've been to Rhianna's first acquarium, first zoo (today), and done lots of playing in general. I'll post several pictures from this time!

Shinako has been doing very well, and has enjoyed her business. It keeps her extremely busy, but she finds it to be very rewarding, and looks forward to doing it for as long as she can.

More soon!

Pictures:

Visiting the Aquarium

Rhianna Playing

Rhianna Playing

Rhianna Playing

Rhianna and Mom

Rhianna looking at her first aquarium

A strange sky in Tokyo before the rain

Rhianna putting on new clothes

Playing with mom

Rhianna visiting the zoo

Rhianna playing

Rhianna climbing stairs

Riding her first merri-go-round with mom

Riding her first merri-go-round with mom

Riding her first merri-go-round with mom

Looking at bears with dad

Posing with mom at the Ueno Zoo

Riding with dad

Riding with dad

With dad

Looking at elephants

Rhianna, look over there!!!

More elephants

Rhianna making friends

Rhianna and dad

A long, fun day (with the last part spent asleep, being carried home by Dad)

Rhianna and Dad, playing Guitar Hero

Getting ready to go out

Rhianna and mom


(Video of Rhianna's First Merri-go-Round