I am going to miss hanging out with pregnant women

Check out these crepes for breakfast!

This photo was taken before Kai was born. I want to have these again soon.

My new teacher

In three fast weeks, Kai has grown so much.   He is focusing his eyes. His face is getting chubbier and he is able to hold his head up for longer periods of time.

He is also a gifted teacher. During our time at home, I have learned to change a dirty diaper, give him a bath, and help him burp.

I think we both still have a lot to learn.

Kai Zaksek Manning!

First snowman of the year

I made Aiko's orange creation a friend.

(My wife and I have to practice naming things.) What should we name this one?

Setting up the Christmas tree

We set up our first big Christmas tree in Japan. It is made of plastic, so we can use it year after year.  Our parents sent us a candle that smells like a Christmas tree. It is a nice combination.

It is really nice to curl up on the sofa under a heavy blanket, listen to some soft Christmas music and enjoy the tree in the evenings.  It should snow soon. Then, it will be perfect!

This is a common thing to do in the United States. You can see another example on Emi's blog.

Hiding the messy corner

When we got cable and 'wireless' internet in our house, we also got a corner filled with electronic devises and wires. We didn't like looking at the mess. 

 

I took an old kimono drawer, sanded it down, flipped it over and used it to cover the wires. I also made a small drawer to hold our remote controls. I still need to stain it to make it all the same color, but I am happy we don't have to look at the mess anymore.

Is there anything at your house that bothers you? How would you like to change it?

Thanksgiving Dinner

Our Thanksgiving dinner!

My wife and I made a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner. We had mashed potatoes, stuffing, and turkey with gravy (one of very few meat dishes in our house). We also had sparkling apple cider to drink. For desert we had pumpkin pie.

The turkey in the crock pot.

Pumpkin pie loves you, too.

Usually, cooking a dinner like this takes all day. However, this year, we tried something new. We put a turkey breast in the crock pot with a little water and some seasoning. It cooked for 7 hours while we were away. It turned out really moist and delicious. We probably spent about an hour in the kitchen total. It was pretty easy.