Yeti Land slideshow

Let it Snow in Yeti

We took a day trip to Yeti, which resides at the base of Mt. Fuji; about 2 hours away. We sled until we were frozen, then went into the lodge for lunch and cocoa. Afterwards we spent time in front of the cozy fire pits. It was a great family day. And, even though we hit a huge snowstorm on our way out and were stuck for 2 hours without moving, we still agreed it was well worth the trip.

I think what I am appreciating most about the Japanese, is their passion for being "festive". You give them a "theme" and they run with it. I too share that passion... I love a good theme. At Yeti, we discovered Japanese "snowball makers" that give you the perfect gorgeously round snowball.... really fun. Plus there were the outdoor fire pits and the man made Igloo's for the kids to play in which added to the ambiance (in Japanese you say "fu-in-kee"). The Japanese do not skip the details. That has it's negatives and positives. For Yeti, it was all positive.





PS We have to laugh at what they gave Shailey to wear... she looked like the CDA from Monster's Inc... you know the guys that have to decontaminate the monsters if they came in contact with a human? Funny.

Queen of Hearts

I love hearts. And...... even though Glenn teases me about loving the Queen of Hearts (aka MAD QUEEN), because she says, "all ways are my ways", the real reason I love her is because she is the Queen of Hearts.

In fact, my favorite day of the year is Valentine's Day. I love the idea of a day centered around giving notes to those you love. My favorite wedding gift was the heart waffle maker from my mom, and ever since I married, I traditionally prepare a Valentine's breakfast. Sadly I left the waffle maker in Indiana... however, I got creative and made heart pancackes instead. Not perfect, but still very festive. Love is in the air!

Glenn found this heart for me that reads, U R A TIGER (my family nickname)

The Japanese do not celebrate Valentine's day, so luckily I brought treats back with me from the states after our trip home in December (America loves to sell holiday items long before the actual holiday)

Jonas' heart reads, LOVER BOY...ha!

This is Dedicated to the One I Love

Happy Valentine's day Babe. I am so thankful for you and for what you bring to my life. I love your deep giggle when you watch something funny. I love your magic powers that turn you into a real superhero for Jonas at bedtime. I love how musical you are, from your gorgeous singing voice, to your talent of playing any song on the piano or guitar just by feeling the music... you amaze me that way. I love that you support me by going along with my crazy ideas for family outings.... even if that means a 2 week recovery afterwards! I love your big bear hugs that make me feel safe and small... especially on days when I need to feel small. I love that you have stuck through the mud with me in marriage, even when it felt easier to quit. I love staying up late with you to watch a quirky show with snappy dialog and then sleeping in with a nice lazy morning. You are my life. I love you. Will you be my Valentine's.... even if Sting won't? ha!

Baby Love Quiz

Baby 1 Baby 2

Baby 3

Baby 4Baby 5

These are 5 loves in my life, see if you can match the baby with what I love about them:

a. I love your happy nature
b. I love your mischevious nature
c. I love your driven nature
d. I love your kind and easy nature
e. I love your energetic nature

Answers at bottom:
(1, b = glenn) (2, c = emma) (3, d = jonas) (4, a = shailey) (5, e = me.... I am very thankful for my energy:)

Arrested on Valentine's Day

On FEBRUARY 14th, Glenn and I had

A RUN IN WITH THE POLICE!

I guess you could say cupid gave us quite a STING.

On Valentines' day, at the Tokyo Dome, Sting was reunited with The Police for a concert and it was AWESOME! The band was fabulous and Sting was beyond amazing. He is a fantastic performer, with talent pouring out of every vain. His voice is a POWERHOUSE... strong and full of range... and his energy has yet to be matched.

One thing we learned about a Japanese concert... as soon as the music starts, everyone STANDS UP the entire time! So this photo was the only moment we were actually sitting down.

The Japanese really got into the performance with singing along, cheering, dancing. We did too... you can't help but move when you hear such incredible songs as: Every Little Thing She Does is Magic, Message in a Bottle, Walking on the Moon, Wrapped Around Your Finger, De Do Do Do De Da Da Da, Can't Stand Loosing You, Roxanne, King of Pain, and Every Breath You Take.

Sting, I love you. Happy Valentine's Day.

7 Year Old Speaks on Politics

Recently Glenn was looking at the CNN website and there was a picture of Eddie Murphy and Lindsay Lohan at the bottom advertising celebrity news. Emma looked over Glenn's shoulders and says, "I know who those people are." With surprise and intrigue, Glenn asks Emma to enlighten him. She says, "they are running for president of the United States." Glenn laughs and assures her these two are just movie stars and that they are not running for president. With conviction, Emma exclaims, "No, Dad, they ARE! We are learning about equal rights in my class right now and I know that for the first time in history, we could have a black man or a woman president. My teacher told me. Its true Dad, and that's them!"

Right idea, wrong people.

Ostlund Family in STIK DOODLE

Don't we look awesome? Our dear friend, Jonathan Bunton, is a creative genious and a fabulous kid! He is a little older than Shailey and we know him from Bloomington. His mom is one of my best friends (Hi Kim!). He created this drawing for our family. I think we need to put it on t-shirts. Kim said it best... "I look better in Stik Doodle form". Kudos! If you want a doodle done of your family, you can email him at: cediwahp@yahoo.com

Born in the USA

The kids had "One World Day" at school, where everyone comes dressed in their "Native" costume. Hmmmm. Do Americans have a native costume?

QUIZ
America's native costume is:

a) blue jeans and a t-shirt
b) saggy pants that show your underwear, a sideways ball cap, and a few gold chains
c) Native American headress, leather vest with fringe, and face paint
d) anything red, white, and blue (even if that means tripling your "scrunchies")
e) goth (black, black, and more black)
f) cowboy (but not necessarily "red neck")
g) all of the above
h) none of the above
i) [enter your idea here]


My idea was to combine RED, WHITE, BLUE, and COWBOY.
(well technically speaking, it is an Indiana Jones hat and not a cowboy hat, but I got creative)Most of the children had amazing costumes from their countries... Korea, Holland, India, China, Switzerland, Ireland, Thailand, Spain, Japan, Italy, Uruguay, and more.

And, for as much as I enjoyed seeing the costumes from around the world, I also enjoyed seeing what Americans pulled together as their costume. For example, Maurielle (on the far right) dressed in a 1950's poodle skirt. I thought that was a pretty good idea.


How would you dress your child for One World Day?

You say Its Your Birthday!!

HAPPY 36th BIRTHDAY GLENN!

I surprised Glenn with a reservation at the Beatles Cavern in Roppongi (with the help of my good friend, Hiromi... thank you!). At the club, four Japanese men dress, sing, and play instruments, as if they were the actual Beatles. They sing in English and amazingly enough, their voices really sound like the Beatles! It was quite a show.

Hiromi also helped me order a cake... the festive SPARKLERS were a hit... and the cake had whipcream frosting (my favorite) and fresh fruit... yum yum!The best part is they brought the cake out during their "You Say Its Your Birthday" Beatles song and then announced his birthday with an applause from everyone. Glenn loves getting this kind of attention (NOT).

Shailey's choose to wear her "I'm with the Band" shirt... along with her CTR necklace... a perfect combo.

Happy hour.... this is just to say "see, the party planner was there too"... and we got grenadine in our diet cokes... yum yum (in case you don't know, that makes it cherry flavored).

Okay and I had to show a close up of the candles... the Japanese actually wrap their candles in foil (by hand) to keep the wax from touching the cake.... very neat and tidy.

Last, but not least, this is a picture of Jonas "winking".... isn't he adorable??

Simple Pleasures

"Life get's tedious" as my Grandma Dorothy would say. So take a moment to think about the simple pleaures of life. For me, recently it was getting a new sports bra after wearing the old one for almost 15 YEARS!!! Yeah, it was time for an "up" grade. Each time I put on my new sports bra, I have this "ahhhh" feeling. It is SO nice. Life is good.