Happy New Year!!

Aren update:
69cms and 9.5 kilos
Rolling over... check
Sitting up... check

Getting frustrated that he can't crawl yet... check

Mommy is happy that he can't crawl yet... check

We had a pretty quiet new year. SIL came with her family and we all went to bed before midnight. On the 3rd we went to Suwa Taisha for Hatsumode (first praying of the year ). Everyone in town seemed to have the same idea, and we had to park on one of the streets nearby since there was no regular parking available. If I hadn't been to the shrine for the big-stupid-festival then I would have been surprised at how many people were there. It was crawling with families (lots of babies... itty bitty tiny ones too). It was actually my first Hatsumode at the big shrine. Usually we just go to the local one. This year is unlucky for Aren, so we had to get him protective charms (according to my parents-in-law).

On Tuesday all of us went to visit Aren's great-grandmother in the nursing home. Usually it's just Aren, me and my MIL, so it felt like a crowd with the guys there too. But it was nice for H to see his grandmother. Afterward we went to lunch at a little place in Chino and then my MIL and FIL went to a hot spring and we went home. We had about 6 days off all in all (though H had to do stupid volunteer fireman stuff on the 1st, so he only really had 5) which is pretty long for us. We don't really get long holidays unless we leave the country.

Yeah, yeah... year of the rabbit.
Now Get This Off My Head!

On the 15th, my mom is coming for a week long visit!! Aren and I are really looking forward to it (and everyone else is trying to brush up on their English).　We have quite a few fun things in mind to do while she's here, but mostly letting her squish all the loving she can out of Aren!