Green Baldwin Steps in January

The other evening about 4:30, we decided to head over to the Baldwin Steps.

It's very steep with uneven concrete steps.

Maiya & Daddy got to the top pretty quickly.

While others of us had an asthma attack.

Nonetheless, it was a beautiful day up at top.

So we took some family photos.

And more pix of the "big girl."  Don't call her a little girl, please.

KuidaOsumi's Green Oshogatsu 2010

We've been doing Oshogatsu over the years--not every year, but just about every 2-3 years or so, is about all that we can handle. We hadn't done it since Maiya was a baby. So, this year, on Jan. 3rd, we invited about 100 friends and family on short notice to come over for Oshogatsu. This year, we really tried to do a Green Party (haha). We got out Tony's grandma's china, got out our old silverware, and we have a lot of chopsticks (not the throwaway kind) that we use for all our parties. We had a box full of Tony's dad's coffee mugs, that were in the garage, so we brought those out as well. I brought out the red plastic cups that we use and wash after every party. We bought drinks in bottles, so no single serving plastics or juice boxes to throw away. So, aside from some paper cake plates and 50 Ikea napkins I bought, we actually generated only about 3 grocery bags of trash after feeding 56 people. So, besides the craziness of doing a lot, a lot, a lot of dishes, a good eco way to start out the year seeing all our friends and family.

This year we invited people in 2 shifts, which made for a crazy first half of the day, mostly family, and friends with young children. Then in the evening, we invited community friends, which was less people, less kids, and less crazy, so we actually got to sit down and visit with people.

Tony grilled salmon, chicken and lots of veggies

and I did Make Your Own Sushi Handrolls

A bunch of Ayala's came over, plus Greg & kiddies

We did buy 3 new tables for parties and some orange Ikea chairs,

then borrowed chairs from Hector and Uncle Bill

Ito-Wong-Murashige-Pulido

Ladan and Maura reunited on Facebook

my best friends/roomies from CSUN 1982-1984

Maiya and Tula playing dress up with sarongs and scarves

Wishing everyone a Green New Year!

Celebrating 01/01/10 with Family & Friends

On New Year's we went to Uncle Bill's in the morning for ozoni, then went to the Okazaki's, my grandma's house in Boyle Heights, then a quick trip to Ikea for our second annual New Year's Day visit to Ikea. Bought a few light fixtures for the hallway and the bedroom and some plastic orange chairs for our Oshogatsu. Went home and made one more broccoli salad to take to Evelyn & Bruce's for their New Year's celebration with community friends and friends from work, both mine & Tony's. It's always a great way to start off the year, laughing a lot. It was also nice since we missed it last year because of all THE STRESS related to working on our old house, being in escrow, and taking care of Tony's dad.

Looking forward to a new year, a new decade in 2010. May it be a healthy and happy year. Let's have a little less war and a little more peace. Peace. Out.

Not our Christmas photo

No, it's not our Christmas photo... but I am working on a Year of the Tiger card, which at this point is still a month early. I am not going to stress about such things this year. I did just distribute family Christmas presents earlier today. Granny Franny, if you're reading, a Hanukkah present is (almost) in the mail.

Posts on New Years, our Oshogatsu party and my mom's bday party are in the works as well, as we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's birthday. Patience in 2010, sounds pretty good to me.

Maiya Grace-isms from FB Statuses

A few Maiya Grace-isms at 4 1/2 years old:

Lights are out, but I just heard, "Mommy, is there a thing of aliens or not in outer space?

Maiya is singing nonstop, "Black black, black sheep, have ee evey words? Yes sir, yes sir 3 bags full." And I can't stop laughing about it.

Maiya on her dead cell phone from gift exchange w/the Ayala Family: "Hi Maria, how are you doing, oh great, i do not even know what you are talking about. You are freaking me out. Ok, goodbye." To me: "Mommy, i cannot believe her. Maria said Santa came to her house, but he didn't eat the cookies but he still gave her presents."

"Now I'm going to talk to Meliza in Japanese because she knows how to do japanese. Where is Meliza? Ok, I don't know her phone number. Oh here. 468-7034. k, that's her phone number, calling. 'hi konichiwa, maku, hake hira nai, chura kirai ne, karai, kara, ma kurai shana, kuwai. bye.'" (hangs up).

JK: "Maiya I'm pooped." (MG puts her hands on my forehead.)
MG: "I don't think you have to poop. Your head is not hot." (JK laughs).

"Is Santa Claus real? Because the boys (at Ikea's Play Room) said he's not real. But I saw him!" Then when were getting out of the car, Maiya looked up at our roof and said, "Do you think Santa can really fit in our chimney?

Maiya just said to me while laughing, "I'm drinking lots of water for I can go shi shi in the shower!" It's her new favorite thing. Whose child is this?

Maiya sitting on the pot at Uncle Bill's reading a car magazine shouting: "Daddy, I found the car I like!" (It was a red Lamborghini!)

And a few from Daddy:

JK: Ok honey, what would you like to do? Dishes, fold laundry or Maiya bath?
TO: I'd like to do moon walk (then does moonwalk).

Overheard down the hall from the audio freak: "Dammit I just bought this one. I have this CD already."

Photo Credit: Mickie Okamoto

Happy New Year 2010!

Wishing you and your family a Happy New Year from the Kuida-Osumi Family. It's a new decade!

Odori Oseibo

Maiya's Odori class performed at the Oseibo, a year end party at the Buddhist Temple where Maiya goes to preschool. It is a chance to thank the ministers and teachers for their work all year long, and a chance for all of the temple groups to perform in a little showcase. Then afterwards, it's chili rice, hot dogs and pizza for everyone. It was a nice event. For the proud preschool parents, it is a highlight and a photo op, to be sure.

Christmas 09

Christmas Morn at the Kuida-Osumi's house

Kuida's

11 of the 23 Okazaki Great Grandchildren

We had a nice Christmas. I made broccoli salad 6 times over the holidays. This year we bought a big tree - it was really beautiful. Maiya and I made cookies for Santa, who came through the chimney, saw Maiya's drawing for Santa, and at our cookies. On Christmas Day we went to my mom's. I was a bit wiped out from the usual pre-holiday stress and ended up sleeping the next 2 days. Again, I managed to do Christmas only going to Target twice (mostly for gifts for work)... although I must admit that I have yet to do holiday cards (we'll have a new year card this year at least) and the Christmas gift I made for the family has yet to be completed. But that's life. Best for the holidays.

Pre-X-Mas Festivities

I thought I already blogged these, but I must be confusing it with FB. Anyways, here's some random holiday events and photos from 12.09. Notice Maiya's dress in most of these photos, purchased last year on eBay.

Magician Maiya's little purple tree with purple lights

Tenrikyo SP Church's 80th Anniversary Celebration

started by my Grandma and Great Grandma

Putting up tree for Grandma's Kiddies Annual Photo

Maiya with Grandma Machi & Grandpa Walt

Me & my girl

Santa Claus came to our house on a sleigh with a police escort!

All the excitement on our block from Santa's visit

There's a Santa to measure up to (Angelina Preschool sighting)

7 Layer Jello for the Ayala's on Christmas Eve

Goodbye to Uncle Meg

Uncle Meg, Aunt Janice and Cousin Tina with Maiya in 2005

Tony's Uncle Meg passed away on Wednesday due to heart failure. He kept a low profile over the last few years due to problems with his health, but in his earlier days he was very supportive in the fight for redress, involved with the UCLA Asian American Studies Center's Amerasia Journal, as an employment and labor law attorney doing social justice work, and serving on the Little Tokyo Service Center Board for almost 30 years.

My first contact with Uncle Meg was actually a few years before I started dating Tony, when he served on a panel for the Future of the Nikkei Community Conference that I co-chaired in 1992, my introduction into the JA community.

Tony has lost his dad, godmother and uncle in the last 10 months, all of whom had diabetes, which makes me really sad. My condolences to Aunt Janice, who was married to Uncle Meg for 39 years, his daughter Tina, Uncle Bill and Tony.

There will be a public presentation/viewing for Megumi Dick Osumi this Wednesday, December 23rd from 2pm-8pm at Fukui Mortuary in Little Tokyo.