Today was a sweet normal family day. Tesla had a riding lesson. I love watching her, and the Pacifica ranch is a beautiful place to be at. Then I got handmade cards from Aila for Mama's Day. They are blank cards I can send out, but these are so precious. Maybe one each to grandma, and I keep one :) Aila is still very much in her imaginary world that I so enjoy observing. She has a cardboard "car" Dav made for her that has a trunk full of stuff, and a cardboard steering wheel. We thought she'd be over... Continue reading

Tesla left at 6am for a day ski trip with her friends. Between multiple trips like this last year and this year, thanks to her friend's awesome dad, Tesla is really getting skiing. Aila dressed up and ate a big muffin. It was chilly today, so we stopped by a kid used clothes shop where I have credit and got a sweater with a cat face on it with that credit. Dav and Eric, who has tree cutting skills and gear, cleared out a tree for better views and a big swing we will install. And in an hour or... Continue reading

Laundry, there is a lot of it. And while it's a pain in the butt chore, I'm also quite aware of the pleasure of washing my kids' clothes. I loved when Tesla's tiny onesies and teeny socks started mixing with our adult clothes. And 5 years later with the appreciation of how quickly kids grow, I was rather in awe of Aila's tiny onesies that also started mixing in our family of 4 laundry. With a nod to both kids that help put away their clean clothes now, today, I took a moment to love Aila's Anpanman socks. They are... Continue reading

Tesla and Aila's school, Rosa Parks Elementary, participates in the Sakura Festival parade that marches from SF's Civic Center to Japantown. Over time, I've grown to appreciate the meaning of this 2 weekend show of Japanese culture, food, music, and gathering. I enjoy being part of it through preschool and elementary school participation. The parade is the culmination. Rosa Parks joins amongst many to celebrate the history of our community. We all wear bright red happi coats so we're a visible sea of red dancing kids and parents. I can't help but feel happy when us parents, who are delegated... Continue reading

Today I registered Tesla for middle school!!! We are thrilled we got our 1st choice (for those outside of SF, school is a lottery system so nerve-wracking). In fall, Tesla will be a 6th grader at Roosevelt. It's not our "feeder" school so I was a bit worried to venture to what I felt was a better fit. Whew. She is so ready and excited. It's more mama who is in disbelief that this stage has come already. Tesla is very independent; mama needs to catch up : ) Rosa Parks has been a perfect cocoon for us, and I... Continue reading

Dav has been away this weekend to Vegas to watch rugby games. I didn't know he had it in him, but he's gaga over rugby. He's going to Vancouver next weekend for rugby too. Kids and I miss weekend time with him, but I'm happy he pursues his passion. And I don't mind just me & kid weekends. Today I announced to the kids we were going hiking. Then it started hailing! It's a rare experience in S.F. as you can see from Aila's wonderment. Once cleared, kids and I drove off to Mt. Davidson. It was chilly, and we... Continue reading

It's nice to have markers during the year to pinpoint where you are in the 12 months. But geez...those markers come quicker and quicker. We have this year's Hinasama up. Just for fun, here is a link to 2010 that has a further link to our first one. With Tesla, my mom gifted the prince and princess. When Aila was born, she gifted the next row, ladies in waiting. So happy she did that. They are beautiful, and the kids love it when they are out. This year, my mom's friend sent a lovely origami version to us. So sweet.... Continue reading

We went to Yosemite the other weekend, staying at Tenaya Lodge with my dear high school (Japan) friend Patti and family. It's been a long drought. So much that Aila was born during it, and when we got a bit of water, she was over the moon. Last time we were at Yosemite, it was dry as bone, no waterfalls to be found, and there was a forest fire we could smell as we drove back. This time the waterfalls were glorious but in reality 2017 is giving us a bit too much water at once. We missed the major... Continue reading

This came up in my Facebook memory from 2 years ago. We started a kitchen remodel right after the new year, and this 2/10 post was when things were taking form after complete gutting. I remember so clearly how excited I was. After each day of construction, I'd stand in the kitchen imaging what was next. I realize I never posted the finished kitchen. I had it as draft in my blog so I'm finally finishing it up. Let me first share the professional pics Fireclay took of our backsplash because those tiles from Fireclay are still one of my... Continue reading

Last night was Drag Queen Bingo night a few minutes from our house. It was a fundraiser for a garden area in Portola, and was kid friendly so after bath time, we headed over. Very first bingo round, Dav won (coupon to our fav brunch spot Tiffany's). I told Aila that people will be dressed up, so Aila got out her special dress, her cheetah tail, a necklace, and her fancy purse. She wasn't disappointed to see folks in sparkles and big dresses. The Bingo numbers were a bit much for her, but she liked the party. I left early... Continue reading

I forgot to post our annual card here! My resolution for this year will be to get back to posting more on kokochi.com! Continue reading

Today was a beautiful day. I packed up our bikes (Aila rides attached behind me) and we went to Golden Gate Park. We rode and explored with Tesla as the lead. Stopped at Stow Lake to paddle boat around while we ate ice cream. Aila just got cheapo roller skates that she brought, so we stopped at the skating area in GG Park. Tesla patiently waited, and when I joined Tesla on the bench because Aila wanted to skate on her own w/o mama's help, a super pro skater later approached Aila and gave some lessons! Golden Gate rejuvenates. When... Continue reading

I started taking lessons on how to put on a kimono with the goal of being able to put it on properly by myself. There are various levels I can try to achieve, but I'm focusing on the simplest obi tie that will take months to learn, and I'm not even planning on delving into the dos and don'ts for each season (color, cloth make, obi match etc). First lesson was going over all the stuff we need, and how to properly fold kimono back for storage. My amazing mom handed off a lot of things to me this past... Continue reading

Kids asleep, I'm watching a TV show. Tonight I learned that Tokyo station Shinkansen/bullet train area manages crowd control by ekiben - those lovely gourmet bentos that are meant to be consumed on the train as you watch the scenery go by. Normally, one would never eat/drink on a train so these ekiben are coveted. Just like everyone else, I look forward to riding the Shinkansen for the opportunity to eat these beautiful meals. Crowd control happens because people getting off the shinkansen from outside of Tokyo need time to figure where they need to go so stop to look... Continue reading

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We left SF at 1:35am, arrived in Tokyo 4:45am next day JST, a flight schedule I've never taken so I wasn't sure how to work through the jet-lag. Back when I came for work, I used a different flight and knew when to push through or allow a nap to quickly get over jet lag, but this time it took a few days. One afternoon, Tesla and I napped at 3pm, skipped dinner, and ended up sleeping all night while Aila played dress up with my mom, and finally crashed around 7. In between, we managed to start doing stuff.... Continue reading

Once Aila went to bed last night, I introduced an old game to Tesla that would be too complicated for Aila. Mille Bornes. I grew up with that game. And my opponent? My dear brother Ian. When I texted him, I was not disappointed: Ian and I yelled "Coup-forre" to each other many a times. Love my brother. Continue reading

Aila said she wanted bangs because her teacher at preschool has bangs, and she didn't want to wear pins to keep her hair away from her face. She is delighted! Such a new look for her. Continue reading

Every Wed. for almost a year, we've been at Pacifica for Tesla's horse riding lessons. Tesla loves horses. And when I look back, she was always crazy for horses. I didn't piece it together until horse-loving folks told me, "either you have it or you don't." Apparently, Tesla has it. I mean Chocolate, Tesla's fav horse stuffy (that I tried to get rid of since it was so big), made it into a family portrait years back. Chocolate still sits on her bed. Now, Tesla cleans stalls (poop), cleans horse shoes (make horse pick their hoof up to get picked... Continue reading

One reason Dav and I get along is both of us are rather ok about not doing much on holidays or bdays so that there is no pressure if we forget (altho anything that involves kids, I'm on it!). In exchange we do random things when it feels natural. But sometimes, it is nice when things align, and holidays are celebrated with ease. I love oysters and today we got to go to Hog Island Oyster Co. in Marshall thanks to Dav's colleague who made a reservation. Morning started out with kids. Tesla had been so secret about hers it... Continue reading

I was mesmerized by the new space. Love the new addition with winding spaces, grand windows to the new SF skyline, outdoor patios, and overall, a museum that would take multiple afternoons to enjoy. It's huge with so much to see. Yesterday, we spent a few hours at SF MOMA. With membership, I look forward to mini-lunch dates with Dav (since he works a block away) where we'll take in 1 floor at a time, then sit and enjoy the space. Continue reading

We met up with friends who are walking around the perimeter of S.F. today (takes over 12 hours). We had our bikes (Dav's tall one), and tagged along for a tiny stretch just to say hi. Fun part was an old friend from Tokyo blogging days, Justin Hall, was there too! Small city where like-minded friends from different circles meet up : ) Continue reading

A last minute decision, but we stopped by India Basin near our home for a neighborhood Easter Egg hunt. Beautiful views and goats too! At first Tesla was a bit, "I'm too old for this," but got into the fun of finding egg surprises. There were so many! I think we have like 40 eggs! Continue reading

Another year quickly gone by as the girls grow. Aila will finish preschool this summer, and next year, we look into Middle Schools for Tesla! Crazy. Here is Aila's handmade Hinasama decoration from preschool. Rather scary eyelashes on the prince and princess! Aila has been into hiragana lately, and you can see her pretty good attempts : ) Continue reading

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