先日、保育園の参観で行ってきました。ばぁばとママが来たから、とっても嬉しそうで何かある度にこちらをちらちら見ていました。なんとか集団生活の中でも、楽しく仲良く出来ている様子。安心しました。

i went to “Open House” in her nursery school the other day. she was really excited to see me and ba-ba. she was happy to show us what she play with everyday. she looked like she was having fun with her friends.

えりさが風邪ひいて、それを自分がもらっちゃって、寝不足も重なって疲れ気味でも．．．君のちっちゃな手や足を見ると、うふふ♡て笑顔になってしまう。赤ちゃんの力って、すごいなぁ。

looking at her tiny hand. even i’m super tired with a little bit of sleep, taking care of sick ellyssa all night. makes everything worth it.

私の××歳の誕生日。笑

だんなマンが作ってくれたブーケ。２本のチューリップがママの愛に包まれてる、エリサとレイアなんだって。相変わらず、スイートな発想な彼。とっても、嬉しかった♡　ありがとう、パパ。

mike came home with a bouquet and a cake. those tulips represent ellyssa and rheia, he says. and they are wrapped up in the roses which is my love. such a sweet guy he is. i definitely loved the bouquet he made for me.

れいあを、じぃじとばぁばに預けて初詣に行ってきました。この、おみくじの列が好き。たくさんの人達の、いろんな想いや願い事がつまった場所。それぞれの人にとって、素敵な１年でありますように。

we went to pay our first visit to the shrine this year. this is a picture of rows of Omikuji tied on the ropes.

Omikuji is a kind of fortune-telling. A small piece of paper on which one’s fortune is written.
It is sold at most of shrines and temples all over Japan. it is believed that your wish come true when you tie it on the rope or the branches of the tree at the compound after reading it.

足を延ばして、少し遠くの神社まで行ってきました。お参りを終えて、実は表参道の屋台やおもちゃ屋さんが目当てだったりする。笑　みたらしや、串揚げやらを食べ歩いて（お正月に散々食べたのに．．．）お土産もたくさん買って家路につきました。

we prayed for a healthy and a happy year for the family. we wish each of you a happy year 2011.

また戻るけど、七五三の時の髪型。いつもお世話になっている、Sさんにして頂きました。ポニーテールさえも、テレビで釣って結構かかるのに．．．さすが、Sさん。取りかかってから、５分くらいでこんなに可愛い髪型にして頂きました♡　わぉ。

we asked our family nanny(^-^) (it’s like she’s not only ellyssa’s nanny, but also ours. she helps us so much!), Mrs. S to do ellyssa’s hair style for “7.5.3″.  it easily takes long enough for me to do a pony tail, but she did all this in less than 5 minutes!! amazing!

Sさんみたいに上手だったら、いつも可愛い髪型にしてあげられるのにな〜。

she looks even cuter with her hair up like that!!

ぱぱもえりさも出かけた後の、れいあとの２人だけのまったりした午前中。ゆっくりした時間が流れています。こんな時間も、今だけ。贅沢すぎるけど、満喫させてもらっちゃおう。

after mike and ellyssa leave the house in the morning, it’s quiet time for rheia and me. time flows slowly. i know it won’t last long, so i’m enjoying it.

ひさびさの大雪でした。

it snowed like crazy!

”なんで、snowyなん？”と聞き続けるえりさ。．．：）

she kept asking me “why does it snow?”…….:)

皆が大はしゃぎで、雪の中で遊ぶ中、ポケットに手をつっこんではしゃぐ皆をながめるえりさ．．．汗（あんたは、孫達を見るおじいちゃんか？）

we went to our friends house where there was more than 5 inches of snow. all of her friends were happy and enjoying playing in the snow, while ellyssa jsut watched them play with her hands in her pocket. aren’t all the kids suppose to love playing in snow??

this is where she has been with the funky hair style.

あんまり、七五三らしい写真がないんだけど．．．

健康に成長して、おかげさまでもう３歳。これからも、よろしくお願いします。

we went to “shichi-go-sann” (7.5.3) , literally means seven five three. It is a traditional annual ceremony in Japan for three and seven years old girls and three and five years old boys.

It is not a national holiday, but generally observed on the nearest weekend.
On this day parents take their sons (3 years old and 5 years old) and daughters (3 years old and 7 years old) in exquisite kimono or suits to shrines to pray for their healthy growth.

Chitose-ame (千歳飴), literally thousand year candy, is given to children on this day. Chitose-ame is a long, thin, red and white candy, which symbolizes healthy growth and longevity. They are put in the paper bag with a crane and a turtle on it, which represent long life in Japan.

anyway, ellyssa is almost 3 years old already. she is as healthy and happy as can be. Thank you for your support.

ちょっとファンキーな髪型のえりさ。

さて、どこに行った帰りでしょうか？（後ろの荷物で、ばれちゃったかな？）ヒント：１１月に撮った写真です。

check out ellyssa’s funky hair. can you guess where she has been to? maybe the stuff in the background is a good give away?