Mother Daughter Tea Party

We love our library. At least once a week, we attend story time and check out books and videos. This has been a tradition since Maia was two years old. The librarians know us by name, and Maia adores them. A couple weeks ago, we had a special treat-- a tea party complete with stories, a parade, and dress-up. Maia, my girlie girl, had a grand time as you can see!

Yes, that's our Maia at the front eagerly waiting for the story to begin.


The girls were each supposed to bring a doll. Maia chose Cinderella. We were running late and almost left without her. Luckily, I remembered as we were pulling out of the drive way.

A smile for the camera. She was in heaven!

Maia, dressed in dress that is a bit too large, with Mrs. Rose, one of the librarians.

Mrs. G is the other librarian. All the kids adore her.

Here they are performing "I'm a Little Tea Pot."

How do I look? Fabulous, Darling!


Cute red hat, and cute little girl in the background:) Her mommy couldn't convince her to keep her clothes on under the dress-up clothes.

Purple boa!


Ah, the fun was over. Time to get home to Daddy and Tai. One last picture in front of the library.

Dog Sitting

Maia wants a puppy so desperately, but that is not going to happen any time soon. What's the next best thing? Dog sitting a neighbor's dog, of course! We took the dog on many walks, and I was lucky enough to have the camera for this jaunt to the park.

Yes, Tai passed out on the tray of his stroller. It was so cute! What a perfect fall day it was!

Halloween 2009! (Tai's First)

We had a wonderful Halloween this year. The only sad part was that we expected Yoshi's parents to be with us, and they couldn't make it, but we are hoping to see them soon.

This year, we decided not to have our big party with everyone in the neighborhood. With Tai in the picture, it seemed a bit overwhelming. Nobody seemed to mind. We invited two of Maia's best friends over, and the girls went trick-or-treating together. Maia was Little Red Riding Hood and Tai was the Big Bad Wolf, though his costume was more of a "cute werewolf" type.
Great fun was had by all! I think Halloween may be turning into my favorite holiday.

Tai was content to sit in his stroller and watch everyone. He is such a happy baby! His smile melts my heart.

Someone gave Tai a little treat. He's been exposed to so many sweets at his young age.

The girls were more interested in petting the dog than getting candy. Who can blame them, he's a gorgeous dog.

A stop at the famous cotton candy house is always in order. The kids LOVE getting the candy more than eating it. That's the parents' job. Yum.

Making the rounds in the neighborhood, the girls were tireless. The leaves on the ground created such a nice atmosphere.

I know it's crazy, but someone in our neighborhood actually makes funnel cakes! That was MY favorite treat of all. Have I said, "yum" yet? Poor Maia had to share her funnel cake!

One day the girls will be taller than the pumpkin they have their picture taken next to every year.


At our front door, only two girls remain at the end of the night. One got tired and had to go home. These two look like they could go on for another hour! Our candy bowl was empty, and my jack-o-lantern Maia helped me carve was still burning.

At the end of the evening, Maia was still going strong. Actually, it was a final burst of energy before she zonked out on her daddy's lap.


Another year of Halloween fun at the Yokoi's!

Crazy Mama

Yes, I am making a fool of myself here... but the laughter makes it worth the silliness. There is no sound sweeter than your children's laughter.

Mme Butterfly

Do you remember having your face painted as a kid? I don't, but it seems to be a big fad right now. At festivals, amusement parks, and occasionally, even the grocery store, kids can have their faces turned into masterpieces. Yes, Maia adores being painted. She already has a fascination with make-up, which she's not allowed to have, so this is the next best thing for her.

Do you like it?

Swinging Together

We were in Cleveland recently and got to meet up with some old friends. My college pal, Lisa took this picture of Maia and Tai. They were having such a marvelous time swinging together. I can hardly believe Tai has gotten big enough to swing with his sister. His little bare feet are also a thing of the past. Now he wears shoes when we go places, because he loves to crawl around. He can get from one spot to another very quickly and even crawls around on rough surfaces, like the sidewalk, without even putting his knees on the ground. It is adorable...

At the Park

I am being lazy and copying some of my friend's pictures from facebook in order to save time. I know most of you have seen them on fb, but I thought it would be nice for the grandparents.

Facebook Greg Kline's Photos - Our Medicine for Nature Deficit Disorder

The local metro-park was having a "get outside and play" day, and we attended with our friends, Greg and Alli. As you can see, the girls had a blast. I am still sore from all of the walking with Tai on my back, but it was excellent exercise.