The Ostlund Times

Movie clip 1

2010-12-25T15:08:00.000-08:00

Movie Debut Part One

2010-12-25T14:33:00.000-08:00

This past spring, Emma and Jonas were cast as children in a TV movie for the dramatic series called

BEST HOUSE 1,2,3

It was a re-enactment of a true story about an American mother named, Diane Downs who shot her three kids in the 1980's. I was initially concerned the subject matter would be too much for them but as it turns out, I was concerned for nothing because it never felt real to them. They would act their scene and it was all they could do not to bust up laughing. Emma knew she eventually would get shot, so she kept asking, "when do I get the fake blood?"

Here is our modeling agent, Ai. She is like my kids' big sister, we LOVE her!

Here is Emma and her abusive mother, only this time, Emma is pretending to give her mother the bruised face. The painted bruises however, are supposed to be from the mother's abusive boyfriend.

Half way through the day's shoot, Jonas was completely stir crazy, so I took both of them outside to do PUSH UPS. That became my new game plan; if they got too rowdy, it was push up time. Even Ai joined in :).

The kids were supposed to be poor, so they look like orphans in every shot. Pictured below, they are at their sad breakfast table where Emma was supposed to be feeding her siblings without any help from her mother (it is a sad story).

Its Big, its Bad, its SUMO

2010-12-25T11:01:00.000-08:00

SUMO was at the top of my MUST SEE list in Japan. In May I arranged for our family to go through a tour group months in advance because their matches are only held a few times a year. It was fantastic!

Before each match, a priest blesses the arena and sprinkles salt around the circle as part of a cleansing ritual. The object is to push your apponent OUT of the circle. Each match lasts an average of 30 seconds.

One thing I found crazy is that people are sitting along the edges of the arena, so when wrestlers fall, they frequently land on the audience! One old lady was crushed and I worried she was hurt. When the wrestler got up, she had the biggest smile on her face as if her lifetime dream had come true.

Before each division begins, the wrestlers parade out to the arena and show you their front side...

...and then their BACKSIDE (my favorite part). Their wrap is a symbol of honor, tied in a particular sacred way, but as a foreigner we couldn't help but snicker a little bit.

FAVORITE PHOTO: How do these guys get so BIG??...ha!

Rock On

2010-12-25T10:05:00.000-08:00

In August, I took Shailey to see her favorite ROCK STAR in concert...

ADAM LAMBERT!

I liked him before the concert, but was amazed during, and now he is a favorite. Adam's background is in theater so he is an unbelieveable performer who knows how to work the stage. And seriously, it was the most LIVELY audience ever... people up on their feet dancing throughout the entire concert. The fans ages ranged from 3 years old (yes we saw a toddler there) to 86+ (super old lady dancing her heart out). Adam had outstanding ENERGY that connected with his audience, young, old, and inbetween. WOW.

Like a good Momma, I stuck around with Shailey waiting to get an autograph and it paid off. Shailey got her ticket stub signed AND her t-shirt. This photo below is him smiling at Shailey... too cute!

We got home at 3:00am, but Shailey was up and HAPPY and ready for school at 6:30 the next morning.

I love you Shailey.

Halloween Back in the USA

2010-11-05T12:01:00.000-07:00

Bag it all... tired of blogging old stuff... time to move on mentally and physically....

We are HOME for HALLOWEEN!

This means:

1) Shailey can wear a Halloween outfit to school instead of a uniform

(she is so cute, I can't stand it... and not too old to be festive, even in front of her peers)

2) Glenn can do his famous DOT ROOM porch

He covers our porch in black tarp, adding a few black lights and white dots

Then he dresses in black and put dots on himself... NO ONE CAN SEE HIM!

So when the trick-or-treaters try to take more than one candy.... ZAP!

3) Halloween PUMPKINS do not cost $40 each (hooray)
3 for $10, I don't have to be chintzy, everyone gets a pumpkin!

(Shailey created a "JACK" jack-o-lantern to match her sweatshirt :)

4) We get to dress up as anything we want because

a) I have access to Joanns Fabric store and

b) Americans understand what your costume is

This year, the kids were THE CHIPMUNKS

ALVIN, SIMON, THEODORE

Happy Halloween!

Its Autumn!

2010-11-05T02:33:00.000-07:00

While we often pine to be back in Tokyo,

there are moments of JOY where we are completely happy to be back in Indiana.

This was one of those moments.

Family campout on my parent's land...heaven.

Glenn even got out the tractor to give rides in the day...

and in the night when it was so black you could not see your hand in front of your face.

Death Discovery

2010-11-05T02:15:00.000-07:00

While taking a leisurely walk in a local neighborhood, Jonas disappeared....

and when we found him, he was dead!

Upon closer examination, we discovered a few clues to his death...

A footprint in the cement next to a cigarette butt... it all made sense. Case solved.

But then, Jonas came back to life.... and we faced a new problem...

was it Jonas or VAMPIRE JONAS and his missing teeth?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Officially Back in the USA

2010-11-05T02:10:00.000-07:00

Officially back in the USA.... how can you know for sure?

Is it the cupboards open with stuff spilling out....

"Where should I put popcorn containers?

Yard sale pile, pitch pile, or Goodwill pile?"

Is it the hallway... did we really use a highchair before we moved?

Or, how about the girls room?....

Well I think it is the girl's room.... there may be some beds under all those clothes.

Or maybe the boxes piled sky high in the garage would be your biggest clue.

Our movers were super nice... they unpacked the boxes.... well, they opened them up and piled up the contents. When we needed to find something, we attacked the piles. Um... Houston, we have a problem here.... BIG MESS.

BUT..... I think the NUMBER ONE CLUE that we are BACK in the USA...

is that once again, when we order a salad at a restaurant, the lettuce is

DROWNING in SALAD DRESSING.

(something we missed while living abroad...ha ha ha)

No Place Like Kansas

2010-11-05T02:00:00.000-07:00

Another nice part of being back in the USA...

we get to take road trips to visit family.

The fam went to KANSAS to visit Glenn's sister Missie and troop

In the bitter cold we watched Brody play football...

It was such a gorgeous day... look at that SKY!

THE BOYS

Park time... candid shot... aren't they precious?

Brody and Jonas are only a few weeks apart in age... twinners

We played BOCCE BALL

The winner is the person who gets closest to the pallino (small white ball)...

Guess who won this game? Pretty close, eh?

Can I have Missie's hair when I grow up? Pretty Please!

Love this shot of Jonas

We went out on a date and Shailey babysat the kids....

her payment? Aunt Missie gave her RED HIGHLIGHTS!

We love our FAMILY!

Glenn in Print

2010-10-21T13:13:00.000-07:00

In a Japanese newspaper, they wrote an article about Glenn and Cook, Japan. It says Glenn is completely awesome and he owes everything to his charming wife and kids. It also mentions how he has turned around the office and has greatly increased revenue for Cook, resulting in a million dollar base salary for the rest of his career. In addition, the article suggests you get a translator if you really expect to know its contents.

PS, I love the picture of Glenn.... he looks Japanese!!!

Shoeless Joe

2010-10-21T10:34:00.000-07:00

Jonas needed new shoes desperately, but he kept saying he did not need them and that his shoes fit fine. Finally I took him to the shoe store anyways and bought him new shoes. From the back of my bike seat, I could tell he was crying. I asked him why? "Because I've had these shoes for so long and they are special" (He's had them for a whole 7 months). I reminded him that his shoes have holes in them and his toes are sticking out. He said "Don't say that outloud". I quickly got the message, that these shoes are "real" to him. As a compromise, I told him he could keep both pair, but he had to wear the nice pair to school. After a long pause, and a few more tears, he added,

"okay, but will you save them for my kids?" Melt my heart.

Grandkids... I've got some mighty special shoes for you.

I Heart Valentines Day

2010-10-21T07:33:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love Valentine's day...

I love making heart pancakes and Valentines cards for my family

This year instead of a card, I made bookmarks

(thank you Jen for my laminator)

Jonas was so sweet, he realized that I did not have a bookmark for myself so Mr. Sensitive, with tears in his eyes, said "Mom, this is for you" and gave me his.

I also added chocolate fondue pot and strawberries to the breakfast...yum!

And I found these awesome OSENBE rice crackers in HEARTSHAPE

Vendors sell these year round in Asakusa near the Sansoji temple.

After I made my kids model them, the best part was eating them, yum!

(and all of this is to remind my family that their crabby, often intense, mother is also FUN....see kids?)

Milk Magazine

2010-10-21T07:18:00.000-07:00

Jonas had a fabulous shoot with Milk Magazine. The set up and clothing designs were very artistic.

I love my little boy's face... getting ready for hair and make.

They put crazy clips in his hair to give his hair some curl.

Love the director!... Isn't this how you would picture a Japanese art director?

Jonas had to pose with a dinosaur cup... and then sometimes he BECAME the DINOSAUR

Mr. Goofball in his own world

Love the second outfit.... he looks like Ralphy from Christmas Story

Work it Jonas!

This is his French girlfriend from school, Apolene.

She just happened to be casted for the same shoot.

They had a lot of fun together...

...except she kept trying to kiss him, but Jonas seemed oblivious

Final Magazine shots

Ice Skate at Midtown

2010-10-20T11:30:00.000-07:00

I took the Emma's Activity Day Girls to Ice Skate at Midtown

It was so cool to ice skate in the middle of the city at night.

Ptarmi is one of my absolute favorite friends in the entire world :)

A Japanese Ice Skate rink would not be complete without

an assortment of helmets and knee pads to your liking.

And yes, some people really wore them...

we laughed because we were surprised

but really these girls were so cute!

I love you Em! So happy I got to be your Activity Day leader.

That's a Wrap

2010-10-06T23:40:00.000-07:00

The Japanese are very neat and tidy.

Everything gets wrapped up snug as a bug in a rug.

Grocery bags may appear like basic grocery bags, but look closely....

the top of the grocery bag is ALWAYS TAPED closed...

I never appreciated this, I found it to be annoying.

Osenbe Crackers, INDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED

EGGS

Each egg has a STICKER, then they are SEALED in a carton with another STICKER,

and then put into a bag that gets knotted at the top...

these eggs aren't going anywhere!

Pumpkin Marshmellows, INDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED

Cookies, INDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED

On rainy days, stores have cute little RAIN COVERS for all of your shopping bags
so your items don't get wet.

...and they never forget to TAPE the bag at the top!

Apples, INDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED TWICE

first in bubble wrap, and then in a plastic container

(FYI this apple costs $2.00, thank you Bumble for modeling)

Grapefruit INDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED

And last, but not least, donuts INDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED

These donuts are wrapped in wax paper and then INDIVIDUALLY BAGGED and CLOSED with TAPE.

And that's a WRAP!

Subway Runway

2010-10-06T23:33:00.000-07:00

One of the best parts of living in Japan is the SUBWAY SYSTEM...

not only is it an incredible mode of transportation,

but the subway atmosphere begs to release the inner model in you.

Moveover Heidi Klum, here come Tracey and Lisa

Browns Visit Japan

2010-10-06T11:03:00.000-07:00

February 2010,

sister Lisa and husband Brent visited us in Japan

(this is what you call "behind in my posts" or "catching up")

Here are some of my favorite random pics from their trip!

Giant Naan bread, yum!

Glenn and I did a temple session with them.

Yummy snacks in a crowded marketplace = Japan

Sansoji Temple

Magic floating soba noodles

Local Samurai

Ichiku Kubota Art Museum

Come on Lisa, show us your pregnant belly....

Uncle Brent and Jonas bonded

Thank you Brent, you are awesome!

Swan Boat Rides around Lake Kawaguchiko

The girls and I raced Brent and Lisa... we were laughing SO hard!

Nihon Minka-en, in Kawasaki, Japan

This is a folk house museum. One of the things I love about Japan, is that lawsuits are not a big part of the culture. So you can go to a museum where your six year old can sit only a few inches from the fire so that he can blow into a tube to make the fire bigger.... awesome.

At the same museum, your 6 year old can use a REAL SAW and cut wood to make a Japanese broom handle.... this would never be permitted in the USA.

At Nihon Minka-en, we also got to tie-dye (shibori) a handkerchief

We used clips, marbles, rubberbands, and old film containers to make patterns.

Now this was one project I wished a 6 year old could NOT do... bleech!

Our teacher models with our finished products!

Pretty Japanese Folk House

We love you Brent and Lisa!

We had the best time ever!!

Tsukiji Fish Market

2010-10-06T10:36:00.000-07:00

5:00 AM

Lisa, Brent, and I made the trek to the Tsukiji Fish Market

Brent had a book that listed the top 1000 things you should do before you die...

Tsukiji was on the list,

check check!

What's at the market?

Eels....swimming in blood

Octopus

Giant Clams with giant SLUGS crawling out of them

Fish Heads, Fish Heads, eat them up yum!

Did I mention FISH HEADS?

Itsy bitsy, teeny weeny, WHITE FISH

these are mostly a food topping... they taste salty

And of course GIANT TUNA...

I think tuna is the main staple of Japan

(but don't quote me on that)

First order of business is the AUTION where you buy your tuna

(Pulled off the ships and sprayed with a liquid that FREEZES them instantly)

Then the tuna is pulled around the market on these ancient wagons

Modern wagons... motorized... vrooom, vrooom!

However, my favorite scene

looks right out of a gory murder scene

BLOOD, GUTS, KNIVES, and PICKAXE

Now its time to EAT the fish...

Who's up for MORNING SUSHI?

Lisa's doctor told her she could not eat sushi because she is pregnant, so that meant Brent and I were the only brave souls left. Now, you may think "oh, what's the problem, I love sushi?" The problem is eating warm, FRESH sushi after newly witnessing all of the blood and hacking that went on only a few feet away from you, not to mention, it is still 5:30 in the morning.... uh, cocoa puffs?

And this guy? He is Mr. Entrepreneur. He would not allow Brent and I to buy just a few pieces of sushi. Oh no, we had to each order a minimum of ONE SET-O, at $25 bucks each. That means 8 pieces of super fresh, warm, sushi. In my best Japanese, I tried to keep it light and ask him if he was joking "anata no jodan?" and could we just order a few pieces? That's when he gave me a super dirty look and said "ie", NO.

Check out Lisa's face... she was grossed out and she was not even eating it!

Here goes nothing!

Yum!

The only one I could not eat was the "sea urchin" sushi (uni)... not my fav.

Signs Part 2

2010-09-30T11:48:00.000-07:00

More crazy Japanese signs... hilarious!

What????

I love this sign... the designer tried making a Japanese man appear Mexican!

Yes, for heaven's sake, don't eat your ramen on the subway!

Don't know what SMOKIG is, but I'll do my best to refrain.

WATAMIN CHI

is that something like vitamin C?

Yes, there are health-E cigarettes....

Does this shrine poster make you think of a rock song?

"WALK THIS WAY!"

....and maybe Steven Tyler is the God waiting for you in the cave

Emma pointed out that POPCORN is spelled correctly at the top of this sign,

...don't know how they got POPCONE below

CLEAN LIVING is a laundromat... maybe for Mormons?

Love this! "Please don't make a NOISY!"

And last, but not least, the favorite of the bunch..... the winner goes to an album advertisement. The group? MR. CHILDREN. And if that isn't funny enough, the title of the album....
"SUPERMARKET FANTASY"... because everyone's fantasies take place in a supermarket; it is the ultimate location for romance!

Duran Duran

2010-09-30T09:57:00.000-07:00

My friend Aviva Duncan got Lisa and I ticket's to a fundraiser with a 1980's theme

which included DURAN DURAN

There were several novelty performances:

HEY MIKI,

Robert Palmer's SIMPLY IRISISTABLE,

And electronic hula hoop dancer,

SOLID GOLD dancers on a RUBIX CUBE,

And GIANT GO GO GIRLS in white knee high boots at the entrance.

(I don't know where they found these huge Japanese girls?! We hypothesized that they are men in drag?)

.... and CHIPS.... yes, among prime rib and creme brulee,

this fancy venue served regular old potato chips for appetizers

Was that because they are considered a snack from the 80's or because they are "American"?

(Lisa and I worked really hard to get a photo of this delicious snack because it made us laugh!)

Then there was this HUGE model... he was cute, but SO BIG!

(Lisa was awesome to be my poser)

And best of all,

DURAN DURAN

Simon LeBon

still a hotty, still sang fabulous, and still could work the stage!

We were right in front of the stage (not in this photo)

at one point, I reached out and touched LeBon's shoe just because I could :)

Keyboardist, Nick Rhodes

Guitarist, John Taylor

Even though Lisa was pregnant, and I am in my "uh-hum" 30's, we got to be teenagers again; screaming, dancing, and singing.

Best songs : Girls on Film and Rio

Awesome concert!

Kabuki Theater

2010-09-28T13:20:00.000-07:00

Since we came to live in Japan, I wanted to go to the local Kabuki Theater in Ginza. Kabuki is a classical Japanese dance-drama that has been around since 1603. The original plays had only female performers who were also prostitutes and their dances were viewed as erotic. Its hard to imagine that a woman wrapped tightly in 30 layers of clothing from her head to her toes, was considered erotic, ha! However, in the late 1600's the ruler banned women from performing and gave all roles to men only. In modern times, now both men and women play roles in Kabuki.

We wore headphones to translate the story into English. I expected Kabuki to be very serious and was surprised when one of the plays was actually a comedy with parts that made us laugh out loud. The overall atmosphere of the dance and music were so soft and beautiful I caught myself so relaxed my mouth was hanging open.

I think what surprised me the most was during the performance, was when the audience would randomly SHOUT out the actor's names to show appreciation for their performance. Imagine watching a Broadway play with Jack Nicholson and during a quiet scene your neighbor shouts, "JACK!!!" In such a completely reserved culture, this tradition was shocking.

Brent crossed a super busy street trying to get a photo of the theater....

can you say FROGGER?

On the subway back home, we spied a poster that read, "Please do it at home"

showing a couple occupying the subway "courtesy seat" while sharing a headset,

and ignoring the poor pregnant woman who needed a seat. Prego Lisa sympathized.

Kamakura with the Browns

2010-09-28T12:27:00.000-07:00

My sister Lisa and her husband Brent came to visit us in Tokyo. Our first trip with them was to Kamakura. This is where we tried to take Michelle and Dallin and ended up at "Pub Snack" (blah). This time we tried getting there via the subway instead. Success!

We stopped at a conveni to grab onigiri for lunch and had a picnic. Lisa was newly pregnant and was still in the "super nauseous" phase, and yet she was able to eat a salmon rice ball with seaweed. Go Lisa! Brent ate everything and anything, even when he did not know what it was. Sometimes I thought he chose something completely awful, and when he ate it, he'd say "well, its not my favorite, but its not bad". Wow.

We had a hike through forests and some small towns with unusual places along the way. At the top of a mountain, we found a shrine where for 100 yen you could throw a ceramic plate and make a wish. Emma used her own money for the opportunity to be destructive.

We went through a cave with layers and layers of hanging "crane" origami. It was beautiful.

A sacred water station in the mountains

... for hand cleansing and drinking... but only Brent was brave enough to drink it... he really wanted to experience everything.

Inside a cave was a MONEY WASHING shrine...

washing your money in holy water is supposed to bring you more fortune

A hillside of tiny dog guardian statues

And for the grand finale...

the giant Buddha

13.3 meters/ 43 feet

(Kamakura Daibutsu)

Built in 1252 and housed in a temple that was destroyed by a tidal wave in the early 1400's.

The Buddha statue was unharmed during the tidal wave and has remained out in the open ever since.

A kiss for luck

Thanks babe for this super fun adventure!

Nikon in Odaiba

2010-06-08T21:01:00.000-07:00

Jonas had a Nikon job in Odaiba (Missie, you should recognize this location :).

Although we had to start the job at 6:00am he was happy

because got to run around the beach and play with a large ball!

Finished product of these scenes:

Blowing bubbles... another fun part of the job... easy!

(well, after about 1000 takes, not so easy)

Finished product of this scene:

Jonas' modeling Dad has a familar face... do you see it?

Terry is his name and he is an Austrailian swimmer, but he came to Japan to teach English. A friend talked him into trying some modeling and now he is making more money modeling.

I asked him if anyone tells him he looks like an American actor....

"Yes, Kevin Costner"... totally! He was so good with Jonas. He had a similar personality and looks, to his Uncle Dallin, so Jonas thought they were instant BUDDIES. Terry said, "Wow, Jonas is the friendliest kid I ever worked with". I felt kind of bad that Jonas was climbing on him all day long, but I said, "well, you resemble his Uncle Dallin" and Jonas piped up "Yeah, you totally do!!"

In between takes, Jonas hunted for shells and crabs.

Fake boredom.

After his job, he got to pick out a lego set and then we hoped in a taxi. The poor little guy fell asleep as soon as the taxi took off. I fell asleep too... caught myself drooling just before we hit home, ha!

They Might Be Giants

2010-04-26T06:52:00.000-07:00

When we first moved to Japan,

I often felt like a large, loud, lumbering American.

(thank you David for demonstrating this)

Americans like our products to be BIG.

For example, our MILK

( I took this photo in America, to see the comparrison.

In Japan you can only buy milk in quart size, even at Costco)

We like our PARMESAN CHEESE BIG too

(the large size we brought from America, the small size we purchased in Japan)

and YOGURT

(American sized yogurt on left... in Japan this is probably "family size")

Even their ORANGES are smaller

(okay kidding... the tiny one is a kumquat)

Japan's JUICE boxes for kid's lunches are smaller

And their SODA is smaller

(the regular size can I purchased at the International Import Market

and the small can I purchased from a local Japan grocery store)

Japan sells almost zero CEREAL, but the few boxes do sell are TEENY TINY

( the large box was purchased from Sam's Club in the states)

In Japan, space is a comodity and compact is a necessity.

For example, CARS

BIKES that actually fold up

(my American sized bike is on the right)

Even the HOUSES are small....

You thought that was small, but check out the HOUSE on TOP!

(about the width of 3 futon mattresses)

Or this HOUSE

About the width of a bicycle... I would love to see the inside.

Tiny DOORS

(I have wondered if this is because of space or aesthetics)

You often see children's tiny TOILETS

that are even too small for Jonas

However, Japanese ART is BIG

And so are their paddles for spanking spoiled children....

Okay, really it is a giant sized paddle for serving rice

(the sign underneath probably claims it to be the world's largest rice paddle)

Yes, Americans might be giants....

if nothing else, we are BIG in Japan!

Miki House Boat Job

2010-04-26T06:02:00.000-07:00

Jonas had another Miki House job, our favorite! This time the shooting was held on a boat. My Japanese words for the day were "fune" for boat, "sakana" for fish, and "omoshiroi" for exciting. It was fun but I did get seasick, blah. Jonas did not seem to mind the roll of the ocean waves. In fact my biggest problem with him was keeping him from going OVERBOARD... uh, not good.

Jonas' dressing room was on the cabin bed.

We spotted Mt. Fuji!

And, we worked with my favorite director, Yamamoto-san

He is so amazing with children... look at the way Jonas' face lights up.

It was a terrific day.

Final Product

Just One Planet

2010-04-26T05:19:00.000-07:00

Our kids school was preparting for their annual "One World Day" and announced they wanted musical numbers for a special school assembly. Against all of my "non-musical" talents, I decided to teach Emma's grade 3 friends a most beloved song written by our former music teacher, Dr. Sarah Stevens, called "Just One Planet". Dr. Stevens suffered a tragic death a few years back that made this song even more special. This song's message was absolutely perfect for celebrating One World Day. I also managed to teach them sign language for the chorus and the girls really loved that :).

JUST ONE PLANET

There are children in Korea and Mexico too,

And Afghanistan , Norway, and Sudan, Australia, Peru.
But no matter where they’re from, and no matter where they go,
They all live, they all love, and there’s something they should know.

chorus
We share just one planet, it’s all that we’ve got,
And it should never, ever be forgotten
That people are people, not symbols, not tokens,
But live human beings, so easily broken.
We’re sisters, we’re brothers, we’re neighbors, we’re friends,
We’re here together from the beginning to the end.
We’re mothers, we’re fathers, we’re daughters, we’re sons.
We’re one human family, that’s all, just one.

There are people in Alaska, and some in Nepal,
And they sing and dance, and they want a chance to join with us all.
‘Cause no matter where we’re from, and no matter where we go,
We all live, we all love, and there’s something we should know.

chorus
We share just one planet....

And for "One World Day", our American family was once again plagued with "what in the world (no pun intended) do we wear?" This year Shailey and Jonas dressed in red, white, and blue cowboy outfits (note Shailey's I-pod cord dangling from her ear...nice touch). However with Emma's muscial number I wanted her to wear something special. So one night in my sleep I woke up with an American costume revelation.... BETSY ROSS! I bought Americana fabric in the states over the break and sewed it in Japan. She was in heaven :)

Momma's little cowboy

The grade 3 girls did a super job with their song and brought tears to their teacher's eyes and mine.

Isn't this the perfect way to see the world...

bright colors and naturally beautiful faces.

Emma (USA), Sophie (UK), Hana (Japan), Sara (Japan),

Julia (Spain), Giulia (Italy), and Shilpa (India)

We Share Just One Planet

Signs

2010-03-20T18:59:00.000-07:00

I am starting a series where I will post interesting/comical SIGNS around Japan

SNACK LEMON as in "Jack Lemon" our family's favorite actor?

Self-explanatory as long as you know what a DORINK is

I've posted this one before, but it is a classic, CRAM CHOWDER

I wonder what ocean "crams" come from?

Oh yes, those PRECIOUS COFFEE MOMENTS....

makes me think of the Precious Moments statue collection

This one kills me, CINNAMON TOAST HOTDOG

Funny thing, the owner saw me taking a picture of this sign and it has not been out since!

And my personal favorite, DEEP FLIED

not sure what they are deep frying, but apparently it has wings!

Fleas from the Flea Market

2010-03-20T07:24:00.000-07:00

I went to the Setagaya Flea Market for a Relief Society outing. I hung out mostly with Vanalee Carruth (she reminds me of one of my favorite persons, Mary Lou Chavez). We had a blast chatting and shopping. I found a couple items that were a steal. An antique kokeshi doll and an antique handweaved basket plus some cool glass fishing weights I planned to display in the basket.

Problem was, as I was putting the weights into the basket, these WIERD BUGS, like "silver fish" came crawling out everywhere... YUCK!!! I smashed as many as I could find and then stuck the basket in the sink to wash it out. Did I throw it away? Oh no, I love it too much. It now sits proudly on my shelf.

BUSTED

2010-03-20T07:13:00.000-07:00

After cleaning our bathroom mirror I found these words written on our mirror:

I love M.A.D

"Who's initials are M.A.D and why are they ruining my nice clean mirror???!!!"

I asked Shailey.

"I have no clue".

Hmpf. I was still suspicious.

Later that night, Emma overheard me quizzing Shailey again and she confessed,

"Oh, I wrote that. M.A.D are for MOM AND DAD".

Oh dear. How sweet is she? And don't I feel sheepish.

She went back to my mirror and added some details to her graffiti:

Thank you Emma, we love you too!

Pack Your Bags

2010-03-20T07:07:00.000-07:00

Here we are 14 hours and 13 suitcases later,

the OSTLUND WAGON TRAIN back in Japan

Today You are Six

2010-03-20T07:03:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday!

When I was One,

I had just begun.

When I was Two,

I was nearly new.

When I was Three

I was hardly me.

When I was Four,

I was not much more.

When I was Five,

I was just alive.

But now I am Six,

I'm as clever as clever,

So I think I'll be six now for ever and ever.

-A.A. Milne

6 Reasons We Love Jonas

1. He is a real SUPER HERO with real POWERS

2. He is completely KIND, never malicious

3. He is a fantastic and fast CLEANER

4. He is READING like a pro

5. He is IMAGINATIVE and CREATIVE

6. He is a good FRIEND and knows how to have FUN

Our annual picture of us sitting on the FLOOR WHERE HE WAS BORN

(were we really here six years ago?)

We LOVE Jonas!

Shailey Turns 13

2010-03-20T06:48:00.000-07:00

Thirteen Reasons We Love Shailey

1. She is very FUN

2. She has a great LAUGH and sense of humor

3. She has a fabulous VOICE and rocks her school band

4. She is a great FRIEND and she is learning to choose better friends

5. She TALKS to us about everything... everything

6. She THINKS about deep things

7. She is INTELLIGENT

8. She is a fantastic BASKETBALL PLAYER

9. She is a LOST fan

10. She is BEAUTIFUL inside and out (I want her waist and her skin! :)

11. She is SPIRITUAL and talks to Heavenly Father in prayer

and writes in her journal weekly

12. She WORKS HARD in school

13. She is a super EXAMPLE to her sister and brother

We love SHAILEY!

New Years in Bloomington

2010-03-20T04:41:00.000-07:00

What did we do once we got to Bloomington?

This picture says is all...

Even Felix was RELAXED

Our family came to visit us from Kansas, Missie, Greg, and their boys

We had a date night for Sushi... yum!

Jonas loves having "boy cousin time"

I love this photo... can you tell we are related?

Missie is Glenn's sister and I think Emma has a lot of "Ostlund" in her

It was very cold, but no snow,

so we had to come up wtih creative outings, like BOWLING

Jonas and Brody are only about a month apart in age.

Mr. Tate had his 4 year old BIRTHDAY with us... so darling!

He loved to SING the Beatles, "Baby You Can Drive My Car"

Missie gave the girls HAIRCUTS

Jim and Lindsay (Glenn's step sister and husband)

came for a short VISIT

And, just as we were packing up to leave,

we finally got SNOW!!

Only one day to play in it, but the kids were so HAPPY

We love Bloomington :)

Favorite Christmas Moments 2009

2010-03-19T08:02:00.000-07:00

The Traveling Ostlunds...ha ha

Making GINGER BREAD HOUSES

Mom Loosing it over her caved-in gingerbread house

Aunt Maureen's yummy CHEESECAKE

Mom bought her girls PAJAMAS

The kids performed the CHRISTMAS NATIVITY

LETTERS to SANTA

Cool Christmas gifts like SUPERHERO LEGOS... Jonas was in heaven!

TWLIGHT CAST in Shailey's stocking rocked

Emma got a VINTAGE TYPEWRITER per her request

Grammie got an OBAMA BAG per NOT her request

Grammie bought all of the granddaughters an AMERICAN GIRL DOLL... wow!

I compiled my Grandma's LIFE HISTORY BOOK that made everyone teary

Cousin SLUMBER PARTY

Dad and I connected with pieces from his GRANDFATHER's PAST

We relaxed and played...

it was a fabulous Christmas.

Grauman's Chinese Theater and El Capitan

2010-03-19T05:47:00.000-07:00

I think this day was our favorite day from our CA trip. We ate dinner at In and Out, my family's favorite place. Across the street was, Hollywood High where the pool scene was filmed in "Its a Wonderful Life" as well as a host of other Hollywood films.

Then we walked down the street to watch "A Christmas Carol" in 3-D at El Capitan theater. We watched a superb pre-show with plenty of wannabe Disney performers... I kind of felt bad for them because you know they all wanted to make it big and yet they are stuck in cheeseville.

A Christmas Carol film was absolutely fabulous. It was a little intense for the little ones, but it was great. Jonas sat in front of me and when the show got scary I reached over and told him that if it was too scary he could come sit in my lap. He told me "I'n fine Mom"... a little while later, his hand popped up reaching for me and said "I'n ready now Mom" and I reached over and picked him up to sit on my lap. Not quite 6 years old, my little boy is still little :)

Outside of the theater, we met a street performer posing as SPIDERMAN...

Jonas was in heaven!

Then onto Grauman's Chinese Theater. We put our hands in the prints of famous stars. I think we were most excited about Ginger Rogers, Gene Kelly, and Shirly Temple... our fam loves the oldies.

Then my Dad took us to Johnny Depp's house. He became friends with him while working as an LA Dectective. Unfortunately Johnny was away for the holidays... boo hoo.

Feeling a little like a Movie Star.... dreamy

Trish joined in the act... just in case talent scouts were hiding in the bushes :)

Here is the sign my Dad made for Johnny to help keep out the paparazzi.

Afterwards the fam took a break at the local Coney's Hotdog joint

We ended the night viewing the Christmas lights at the LA Mormon Temple

but more memorable was the song we heard on the radio on the way home,

"Don't Be a Jerk, Its Christmas"

Happiest Place on Earth

2010-03-19T03:19:00.000-07:00

We went to California for Christmas and

Grammie and Grandad took everyone to Disneyland

the HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH

Unfortunately, everyone else and their dog think so too... uh crowded.

But we got into the spirit anyways

and the kids all wore their favorite Disney HAT.

Glenn brought along Kurtis Ostlund to join in the Louis fun

I love my sisters... just wishing the other two were there too :(

We got to see REAL REINDEER

And SANTA

We saw gorgeous CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

And we ate yummy DISNEY LOLIPOPS

Even thought it got cold in the night (note Mom's earmuffs)

it was a PARTY DAY from start to finish.

"And now its time to say goodbye to all our company... M I C K E Y M O U S E"

Always a Sayonara

2010-03-18T05:51:00.000-07:00

"People come and go so quickly" - Dorothy Gale

Living in an "ex-pat" community, we have a high turnover rate. It is kind of like living in a university town with people coming and going. This time we had to say "sayonara" to our favorite Chilean,

Jacquie Pinto Carvallo.

I love making friends with people from all over the world:

Divya Krishnan (India), Anna Lilljebjorn (Sweden), Graziella Noto La Diega (Italy), Me (USA)

Angelika Zentner (Germany), Jacquie Pinto (Chile), Silvia Baucells (Spain), and her cousin

The evening started with dinner and then we moved onto club dancing in Roppongi... I had not been "clubbing" in years and it took awhile to not feel so awkward. I think the most awkward part were the men who surrounded us on bar stools starring at us for entertainment. Blah.

Sayonara dear Jacquie!

Shortly afterwards I attended another Sayonara party for my dear friend,

Veryan Richards

More interesting friends from around the world: Me (USA), Aviva Duncan (Austrailia), Claire Dimond (Scotland), Hiromi Imamiya Soo (Japan), Fiona Watson (UK), Rebecca Busby (UK), Hideko Hisamune (Japan), Jun Doherty (Japan), Kylie Hunn (New Zealand), Bumble Elliot (UK), Veryan Richards (UK), Sophie Clappin (Austrailia) and her Mom.

Veryan's daughter Morwenna attended school with Jonas so she and I saw each other every day. Morwenna is a very intelligent girl. She was very keen at picking up American dialects and phrases so I loved to ask her questions about Americans. During one of our last conversations I said "Morwenna, tell me something about Americans". (Keep in mind that she is only 6 years old).

She replied, "Well, when you ask an American how are you they will reply, 'Guuuud'. But when you ask an English person How are you they will reply, 'I'm fine thank you'. Too true! I prefer the English response and am working on changing my American habit :).

We ate at the very sheik and famous restaurant, Nobu.

Delicious bento lunch!

Veryan, me, and Aviva (the best storyteller ever... absolutely hilarious)

I will miss Veryan's friendship terribly. She is intelligent, beautiful, funny, and always has something interesting to talk about.

Sayonara dear Veryan!

Together At Last

2010-03-18T05:30:00.000-07:00

Finally Emma and Jonas got a modeling job TOGETHER

(I love this photo of them because I see a little family resemblance)

This job was for a Christmas book called "Super Wonder Picture Book Gallery, Spot the Difference". They were given the cutest outfits to wear. (People always ask if we get to keep the clothes. The answer is: never. The clothes always have their original tags on them and we have to be very careful when we wear them because they return the clothes to the store after the shoot. Even the kids' shoes have tape on the bottom so they don't show any signs of wear).

BEFORE EDITING

AFTER EDITING

The book has two identical pages side by side and you have to find 7 items that are different between each picture. It is a very tough activity because the change in the details are so minute.

We had a great crew to work with,

Arigato Gozaimasu!

Hand Maid Catalog

2010-03-14T21:45:00.000-07:00

My favorite modeling job so far was this one Shailey did for the brand, "Hand Maid". The shoot took place way out in the countryside of Chiba. This Japanese ranch had everything to imitate a western ranch, from stables to a covered wagon.

It had rained the day before, but the puddles gave the shoot a nice "natural" feel. The lighting was picture perfect that day, so I had a fabulous time snapping photos.

Inside the building you only found authentic "cowboy" frills, a huge western movie collection, covered wagon print couches, a lasso lamp, horse shoes to hang your hat, etc. But within this western decour, I spied this....

Examine more closely....

a Shinto Shrine at the top corner of the room.

Affirming that yes we are in Japan, LOVE it!

The girls were chilly inbetween shoots. Aren't they gorgeous together?

Shailey and I discovered that a favorite actresses of ours from LOST had also been at this ranch, Sun Kwon played by Yunjin Kim. We shook hands with the ranch owner and he shook hands with Sun, so you can say that we have been in direct contact with LOST. Cool.

Strands of lace tied up her hair this way and that...

These last two are my favorite photos of Shailey of all time... GORGEOUS

(if I do say so myself :)

As a Mother, you frequently tell your daughter she is beautiful,

but you have a hard time getting her to see herself through your eyes.

This picture captures exactly what I see of Shailey every single day. She is naturally stunning. I love her so much. This is the same face I fell in love with 13 years ago. Priceless.

This is the designer, Yoshie Kawamura... super cool lady.

She works for Otome-graph company.

The CAST... they were a fabulous group to work with.

I cannot say it enough, Arigato Gozaimasu!

Kit Kat Attack

2010-03-14T05:59:00.000-07:00

Japan sells Kit Kats.

However, they sell them in CRAZY seasonal flavors. This year I started collecting them in September in order to have a nice collection for family by Christmas time.

Here are the flavors I found: soy, ginger ale, royal milk tea, sweet potato, vegetable medley, flan, popcorn, caramel, wasabe, pumpkin, maple syrup, mango, cherry blossom, strawberry, vanilla, cantaloupe, and orange.

VOTED FOR WORST FLAVOR: Wasabe (spicey Japanese mustard)

VOTED FOR BEST FLAVOR: Caramel

Miki House Christmas

2010-03-11T00:52:00.000-08:00

Another job with Miki House, our favorite company to work with!

This time we rode the shinkansen (bullet train) to Osaka to film at their headquarters. This was for their Christmas catalog, but we filmed it in August so Jonas' hair was still short.

They did his hair and wardrobe right inside the store itself.

Jonas fell in love with this bear that plays music and dances.

My Mom thinks it is amazing that Jonas, Mr. Constant Wiggle, is able to be still long enough to pose for a shot. Well here you can see he was literally climbing the walls during the shoot. However the director liked it and made him do this pose over and over... Jonas had so much fun!

I LOVE the director, Yamamotosan. He is fantastic.

Look at this crew... Do you think Jonas is getting enough attention :)

The hard part about this job is since it was shot in August, it was HOT and HUMID. Jonas had to pose in winter clothes... he smiled but he was miserable.

One of the sweet helpers fanned Jonas inbetween cuts...

it did not cool him off, but it was sweet of her to try.

"I'n hot"

(that is not a typ-o, that is how he says I'm)

Since this was a Christmas shoot, there were seasonal props everywhere... this one is hilarious, "Jesus" stockings, because Jesus has been a good boy all year of course. When they saw me taking pictures of the stockings they asked why and I explained that you would not see Jesus name on stockings for a window display. They took them down after that.

This cute assistant spoke really good English. He was a great help.

Finished Product

Japan Airline and Shinkansen Magazine

They liked this photo so much they use it for their website's home page :)

Cook Christmas Party

2010-03-10T19:12:00.000-08:00

Cook had their annual Christmas Party at Sun City Aquarium.

Some fish were cuter than others

The kids were excited to touch the penguins.

This Christmas scene is INSIDE the TANK!

This snowman is also INSIDE the TANK... festive!

I guess the fish need Christmas too.

For the progrma, Emma and Jonas sang "You Better Watch Out"

(Jonas' fav song he sang constantly in December)

Shailey and Emma sang "Just One Planet"

Emma performed it in sign language

Glenn and Guchi sang and played several numbers, including a few Glenn wrote. They sounded awesome! They play in a small band but their drummer, Rick, could not make it. Shailey also sang the "Mr. Grinch" song while Glenn played guitar... that was my personal favorite number.

Emma with two super cute twin girls!

We had to say SAYONARA to the Bose family....

Cook was moving them to the Bloomington office.

(Arup, Yoriko, Fumi, Suparna, and Arpan)

Meri Kurisumasu!

Thanksgiving Tokyo Style

2010-03-10T02:30:00.000-08:00

Our kids never have Thanksgiving off from school (makes sense, but it still always feels wierd). And this year, Glenn was away in Hong Kong and our favorite friends were out of town. I was not about to spend all day cooking a traditional dinner just for me and my kids, especially when I heard the rumor that Roppongi's Hard Rock Cafe was serving a "Thanksgiving Seto". Done deal.

We bought festive Hard Rock shirts before our dinner

(we even bought one for Glenn)

Jonas opted for the Hotdog seto
(nice)

But the rest of us chose the "seto" with

turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, vegetables, and cranberry sauce

It was untraditional but super fun...

The best part is that Jonas was so engrossed in the 1980's music videos, he gobbled everything on his plate without any reminders... now that was a bonus!

Happy Tokyo Thanksgiving

Another Fujitsu Job

2010-02-16T18:48:00.000-08:00

Jen Napierski and I finally got the same modeling job for our kids. It was not the dreamiest job, but knowing that we could hang out together, made it worth going. This job was at the Yokohama Super Factory, where Emma filmed her Bridgestone Tire commercial. Not sure about the studio's motto, "We Create Monsters", but I guess it is pretty appropriate.

This was for Fujitsu, the same electronics company Jonas did the telescope shoot with at Mt. Fuji. Only this time, there was a famous Japanese movie star, Takako Matsu. She is like the "Angelina Jolie” of Japan (see photo below), where most of her family is also in show business.

Anyways, because she is famous, she has a strict contract about who is permitted to see or be near her. So, all 30 of us parents were required to stay behind a HUGE white curtain. We could only see what was going on if we lay on the floor and peaked underneath (which sadly we did).

Here is what they looked like when parents were not permitted to help.....

complete MAYHEM.

(Note, Jonas is the kid sitting on the floor playing with something and Ava, Jen's daughter, is offstage crying).

Here is what they looked like when Moms were finally allowed to help...

PERFECTION

I love this "behind the scenes" look at the Moms directing their kids, doing whatever it takes to get their child to perform. Check out the super nutty lady laying down in the front. Doesn't she have a clue how ridiculous she looks? She took the job to the extreme.

Ha ha, it is my friend Jen... and I love this photo. This is proof that she was the ultimate mother who sacrificed all self-respect for the sake of her daughter's modeling career. She is super fabulous.

Jonas was given "Scooby-do" clothes to wear....

"Hey Shaggy, your wardrobe is calling"

Here is the final advertisement...

can you spy Jonas?

Jonas is in the back and Ava, Jen's daughter is in the front left.

This post would not be complete without detailing our ride home. It was the ride from H-E-double-hockey-sticks. We picked up a Taxi in a rural part of Yokohama. The taxi driver, bless his heart, spoke ZERO English and had no clue how to get us home. We knew we were in big trouble when he was confused at the mention of Roppongi, one of the principle cities of Tokyo. However, he was determined to get us there (even when we kindly offered to get out and find another taxi).

He was also pretty funny. Along the way, he randomly threw out English phrases that made no sense.... "cool guy", "nice place", “loving you”, "having fun time", and "high five". Come to think of it, he may have picked up these phrases from American conversation hearts, ha ha. Nothing short of a miracle, two and a half hours later, we arrived home (only an extra hour and a half, no big deal... uggghhh). He was so PROUD he clapped and cheered and so did we. He was darling!

Little Miss Emo

2010-02-16T01:44:00.000-08:00

Shailey made her middle school band as a lead singer.

Sacred Heart's Family Festival was her first performance.

Her debut song....?

Duran Duran's "Hungry Like the Wolf"

Best friends and band members,

Josephine (from France) and Emma (from the UK)

Shailey's cutest and biggest fans!!!

Something Wicked This Way Comes

2010-02-16T01:22:00.000-08:00

Our children love the Broadway Musical,

WICKED

And yes, they are a little spoiled because we have taken them a few times to see it. The Wicked soundtrack is our favorite road trip CD. When we realized that my 1991 prom dress was almost the exact duplicate of Ga-linda's dress, the kids decided they had to be the Wicked Cast for Halloween.

Shailey starred as GA-LINDA

and Emma starred as ELFABA.

And little brother? Why he's FIARO of course!

(it took a little convincing, but he agreed to do it

if I promised to sew him red pants, ha ha)

"Are people born wicked?
Or do they merely have wickedness thrust upon them?"

"No one mourns the wicked"

"For the first time in my life... I feel wicked"

"Because I knew you, I have been changed for good"

Nikko with the Woods

2010-02-15T19:56:00.000-08:00

Nikko is a city of shrines that date back to 766AD,

and autumn is the perfect time to visit!

Feeding the Coy fish

Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, See No Evil

(very famous shrine)

Then of course if you want a key chain to remember this site.....

Taking off our shoes prior to entering a sacred temple

Our last day in Nikko we took a hike to Urami Falls

Praying to their God?

We love Nikko

Little House in the Middle of the Woods

2010-02-15T18:43:00.000-08:00

We took a trip to Nikko with the "Woods"

and stayed at the most beautiful cottage

in Woodsmans Village

The details of this place were amazing....

It felt like we were tucked away in a cozy hobbit village...

At nightfall, the lanterns were lit in very unique lamposts,

giving it the feel of something fairylike

We slept on futons (pronounced fuh-tones)

and they were SO comfortable

Miss Shailey loves her disney hat she purchased on her latest school trip

There is no TV (hooray for that) so we played a lot of games....

And ate a lot of food...

homemade cookies, pumpkin pancakes, hot cocoa, and popcorn

I took the kids out exploring

It was truly gorgeous

We discovered some creepy looking scarecrows

And we spied a deer caught in a farmers garden fence. We tried to set it free, but it was horribly tangled. Emma and I were wishing my Dad was there with his handy dandy pocketknife.... plus he always knows what to do :). Glenn let the farmers know and they eventually released the deer, only to find that it was tangled again the very next day!

Such a nice visit to the countryside!

Into the Woods

2010-02-10T21:39:00.000-08:00

Glenn's Mom, Debbie, and her husband, David Wood came to visit us in Fall. We had a super time and here are just a few of my favorite photos from their trip....

Glenn's work at Cook, Inc. in Yoyogi

(they might be giants)

Praying Mantis on our apartment wall

Monsoon Cafe in Azabu Juban

Tokyo Tower

Zozoji Buddhist Temple Garden

Figurines placed at the temple to represent a baby or child who has died.

Enjoying our Harajuku crepes... Debbie's face is priceless :)

Beatles Cavern, our favorite local joint

Asakusa Marketplace

Debbie's sister Kim Boynton and family who also live in Tokyo

(Glenn's Aunt... older by 1 month :)

And of course we had to KAROKE....

Both Glenn and his Mom love to sing

(you can't help it when you are born into the Von Trap Riggs Family Singers)

Shailey and her friend, Emma Swift

Hey Mr. Tambourine Man

I am not a big singer...blah...

but Glenn always makes me sing Belinda Carlisle and Blondie songs

David was reluctant to sing until we found some HARD ROCK songs...

And then watch out... he rocked the house,

AIR GUITAR and everything!

Kim and her boys came to Karoke too...

not really their thing but they were good sports :)

On our last day together we went to Narita

and ate Okonomiyaki (cabbage and egg pancake) yum!

Naritasan Shinshoji Temple and Gardens

Trying to be cheezy... unfortunately, its working.

The End of a great trip!

What Goes Around, Comes Around

2010-01-31T23:16:00.000-08:00

Shailey makes me a little crazy... well, sometimes a lot crazy. At night, when I want to take off my make up I can't find my make up remover... and then find it in Shailey's bathroom with the lid off. Sometimes I am missing my favorite brush, or even a shirt. And, recently, I keep missing my tweezers. I get so frustrated having to be "on the hunt" for my own things! I have tried to make sure she has all of her own stuff just to avoid fussing at her when she does not return what she borrowed.

Recently.... well..... um.....I am ashamed to admit..... I found this among my things.....

Do you know what these are? I am SURE my Mother knows what they are, or more importantly, "who's" they are. At some point in my teenage years, my Mom got tired of missing her nail clippers, so she put her name on them with fingernail polish. And with all that effort, they still managed to work their way into my things.

It made me wonder... how long have I had these? Did I take them as an adult? Did I realize they were not mine? Why didn't the HOT PINK MOM LABEL stop me from taking them?

My poor, poor Mom.

Hopefully, she can laugh at this. You don't know until you know.

Sorry Mom. Should I mail them to you?

What goes around, comes around.

Its Sew Emma

2010-01-31T22:54:00.000-08:00

Emma takes after me.... she is a project girl. She is constantly gluing, pasting, coloring, cutting, and crafting something. She recently decided she wanted to sew a stuffed animal... on my sewing machine. At first I kind of grumped about this project, because I knew it would be a "joint" project, but when I saw her eager little face, how could I say no.

She designed a bunny and cut it out herself. She was a good listener and followed directions very well. I only had to give hints how to piece it together. My very first sewing project was also a bunny. I love that my Mom taught me how to sew and am glad to pass this hobby onto my kids.

Craft + stuffed animal = Emma

A Moment in Time

2010-01-31T21:00:00.000-08:00

In the morning, I found Jonas digging in the cupboard for his Nestle Quick powder. I quickly grabbed my camera to capture this precious moment in time... my little 5 year old boy with his favorite stuffed monkey and blankie in tow, padding around the kitchen in his dinosaur jammies. How precious is he? These are the moments I will always cherish.

(This photo is completely candid too because I suprised him with my camera and it made him laugh).