Mason Shoma

I woke up in a good mood today and decided to keep it going by staying in bed with Mommy and Daddy to watch TV. After a while I got hungry and emerged from the bedroom. Although I did bring the container of grapes to the bedroom with every intention of eating breakfast there.

Eventually I was convinced to eat breakfast in the dining room and I sat there with Daddy. I ate a fairly good meal and then went right to playing.

Mommy had to do some omiyage shopping so we went to Target in the morning. I like going to Target because there are speed bumps in the parking lot and a lot of cool things to see in the store. I recognized the different things we had bought previously, like snacks and diapers. Then going around the store in the shopping cart I asked Daddy to find some speed bumps so he rolled the shopping cart over any bumps he could find.

Next we had to go to another store to finish up our shopping but Daddy brought me to get smoothies for Mommy and me. After we finished shopping he dropped us off at home and then he and Papa went to pick up our lunch. At home I was having a ball playing with Mommy. I was being very creative as we pretended to shop. At one point I turned Mommy into a parfait.

After lunch it was time to say goodbye to Aunty Chris and Uncle Matt who were going on a mini trip. I acted very mean and even tried to hit Uncle Matt. Daddy got very angry with me and I threw another tantrum. It took a long time for me to come around and finally apologize, alhtough by that time the person I was supposed to apologize to was not there. I had a long talk with Daddy. I promised that I would be a good boy and I would be nice. I promised not to hit or be mean. I have said these things before, and would like to believe that this time it will be true.

After some playing and snack time, Mommy and Daddy went to go get drinks just the two of them. I was not happy about it at first, but then remembered that I should try to be nicer and not be selfish. Then I was very supportive of them. I told them that I would watch from the window leave and wave goodbye. I did exactly that.

I had a great time playing with Nana while Mommy and Daddy were gone. Nana and Papa do a very good job taking care of me on their own. I had to go potty and pooped. At first I said I wanted Mommy or Daddy to wipe for me, but Nana explained that it would be a long time. Eventually I came around and let them wipe my butt for me instead of waiting for Mommy and Daddy to come home.

We had a fun time playing all over the house and coincidentally we were playing near the window when Mommy and Daddy came home. I told Nana that they were home and was all smiles as I waved to them. It was nice to have them home.

I immediately asked Daddy to go catch lizards with me. Lauren joined us and although it took a long time we caught three. Papa showed me a lot of bugs and worms in his compost heap. At one point I was being silly and called Lauren and big lizard and try to catch her in the net. Then I tried to catch the soccer ball in the net, calling it a pill bug tucked up into a ball. Later I asked Daddy to push me around on the scooter. Then it started getting dark so we had to go in.

I watched TV as Daddy rested. His cold was wearing on him. We had a nice dinner and then I had my usual dessert. I sat on the chair watching TV and eating my dessert while Daddy napped next to me. When it was time to take a bath I insisted that Daddy bathe me so we woke him up and he gave me my bath.

We played with some little cars after my bath. I made a whole scenario where they were trying to go shopping but there was a traffic jam because of the construction going on. Then when the traffic jam cleared my car went to the store and I said, “Oh no! Target is closed. We cannot shop here.” So then my car went to Costco instead.

I checked with Daddy about heading back to Japan tomorrow. And he confirmed that we were indeed heading back home tomorrow. I asked about where home was on a tiny little globe ball but Daddy decided to show me on the big globe. I noted where Japan and Hawaii was on the globe and discussed our flight path with Daddy, using my mini cars as models.

Before long it was time for my bedtime routine. As usual I was surprisingly hyper and in a really good mood. When it was bedtime I was fast asleep in no time.

I woke up fairly early today. Earlier than others in the house. But maybe I woke up too early because I ended up in a bad mood and threw a couple morning tantrums.

First, I didn’t like the fact that everyone was eating breakfast together at the dining table. Usually we all eat separately which means I often get the dining room table to myself. I wasn’t prepared to share this morning so I threw a tantrum. Daddy took me into the bedroom until I came around. it took a while but I finally did come around. I apologized and then reemerged to join everyone for breakfast. By that time most people were done with breakfast and were clearing out.

I started to eat breakfast and did okay for a while. Daddy went to the bathroom and I followed him. Mommy tried to get me to come back to eat breakfast and I was mean to her and then I threw another tantrum. Sometimes there are things that I don’t go the way I see it in my head and that upsets me. This time Mommy stayed with me until I calmed down and apologized for treating her badly. I then ended up finishing my breakfast by myself with Mommy and Daddy sitting with me.

After breakfast I was in a much better mood. I even told Daddy that after breakfast I would brush my teeth and change my clothes and then play. Which is exactly what I did. I played in the living room with Daddy, Lauren, and my toys the whole morning.

Oh, and I also watched Papa mow the lawn.

When it was time for lunch Daddy placed an order for burgers for us and was going to just run out and pick them up on his own but I insisted on coming along, so I went for a ride with Daddy and Mommy. We got back and ate lunch and then played again.

Later Daddy offered to take Mommy to the farmers market to pick up more fruits and suggested that I stay home with Nana and Papa. Again, I insisted on coming along. So we made it a family trip. On the way Daddy let me check out the map on his phone and I noted all the different locations on our way to the farmers’ market. I spotted shopping places, a car dealership, and even a mechanics shop.

At the farmers’ market we picked up a couple of papayas and a pomelo at the farmers’ market.

It was about my snack time and I told Daddy that I was hungry. So we went in search of a snack and ended up getting smoothies for Mommy and me. I was really happy about the tasty smoothies. We had some at the store but then decided to head home to finish them.

We saw a cool Santa display so we decided to have a bit of a photo shoot.

We had our smoothies outside and went in search of lizards. We didn’t catch any. I guess all the lizards are more wary of us and hid really well when they saw us coming. Instead I played with the hula hoop a bit, pretending it was a steering wheel. Then I was a tractor and the hula hoop was my scoop to collect my crops, which happened to be corn. We went all over the yard collecting corn.

Before long it was time to get ready to go out for dinner. I did so without argument, finishing off my smoothie. I played around the house as everyone started to wash up and get dressed in nice clothes. Then I realized that I should get dressed to so I came bursting into the room asking to change. I got changed quickly and then was all over hte house playing again. I ended up very sweaty, but at least Iw as ready on time. We headed off to the restaurant.

When we got ot the restaurant we took a few family pictures at the beach and then took our seats.

After placing our orders Maile and Lauren headed back to the beach to take photos and I followed with Daddy in tow. I told Daddy that I wanted to run around in the sand, which he said was okay. I told Daddy that I wanted to go into the water, which he said we couldn’t. We would have to come back in the day time in our swimwear. I had fun just wandering round in the sand and checking in on my cousins here and there. At one point I was playing with them by tossing sand on their feet. It started getting dark so we headed back to our table.

After washing my hands we went to the table and I helped Mommy eat her salad. Then our food and drinks came and I dug right in. My fresh fruits were fmy favorite part of the meal and I wiped it out right away. I ate a good portion of my cheeseburger as well.

After a lovely dinner we headed home. In the car I laid out the plan for Daddy. i told him that I would have dessert, play, then take a bath, play some more, then read books, brush my teeth, and watch my projector stories before going to bed. And I did just that. As usual I was in a wonderful moood in bed with Mommy and Daddy, all smiles and playfulness. I went to bed without problem and was asleep very quickly.

The day had a rough start, but ended up being really fun. I hope I can make it through tomorrow without any tantrums or trouble.

I woke up all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning. I was all smiles. It was very pleasant for Mommy and Daddy to wake up to a smiley face. I was also quite well behaved. I ate my breakfast without problem and even asked, “After finish eat breakfast and get dressed, can I play?” The answer was of course, yes.

First we went outside to find some lizards, which took some time, but we ended up finding three small ones, which made me very happy. I like catching the lizards and talking to them in the box. Of course, I alway make sure to let them go.

While Daddy worked on our Christmas card, I played outside with Lauren and Mommy. I had fun riding the kickboard scooter around and around the patio. I even had a route where I would go around once, park, and then get off. I repeated this many times.

After playing outside for a long time I came in to drink some juice and watch some TV. I looked very content with my mug and in my (Nana’s) bedroom slippers.

I had a quesadilla for lunch, which I liked, but then claimed was too spicy. I ate about a fourth of it and then was full. (Later I finished another fourth, so I guess it wasn’t as spicy as I thought.)

After lunch we had to go shopping and I specifically asked Maile to join us. We had a bit of fun before we headed out.

Then I was a little bossy to her and did not appear thrilled to have her shopping with me. Everyone wondered why I asked her to come if I wasn’t going to be nice to her. But overall everyone seemed to have fun shopping especially when they found the things that they were looking for. They even picked up some Starbucks. We brought home a pink drink for Lauren which she generously shared with me.

After the refreshment time I played with Daddy. We made multiple scenarios for my cars were they were in trouble and emergency vehicles had to come and rescue them. I had a few bossy moments but I took some time and then recovered by apologizing and playing nicer. I was quite well behaved again today without any tantrums.

Lauren was looking for things to draw so I made a couple of requests and she ended up making these awesome drawings/paintings for me! So cool!

At dinner time I ate a good amount, but not as much as when we had lamb or kalbi. I ate just enough. I claimed that I was full, but when I was told that I couldn’t have dessert unless I finished everything on my plate I was able to finish everything.

We were invited to visit the house of a friend of Nana’s because she had tons of Christmas trees up in her house. I fell asleep on the drive up, but woke up in a good enough mood and enjoyed seeing all the Christmas trees. Lauren counted 57 trees and they were all lit up and decorated differently. They were quite pretty!

On the ride home I had a fun time looking at Papa’s phone’s map. I followed our GPS location and noted nearby landmarks like gas stations and traffic signals as they popped up on the map. I also asked a lot of questions about symbols and locations that I saw. It was a very fun and educational conversation.

And of course I got some dessert when we got home.

When we got home I had my dessert and went right to playing. It was late so after playing for the agreed upon time I took a bath and then played the agreed upon time before reading books, brushing teeth, and going to bed. After my projector stories I went right to sleep. Another wonderful day in paradise!

Oh, but Mommy was so tired that I had to drag her to bed. What a good son!

Posing in my sleep.

As usual, I woke up in a very good mood this morning. I had asked Papa for donuts for breakfast, but I only ate half of it. I mainly ate grapes and bananas for breakfast.

After eating breakfast I got ready and played with all of my toys. Daddy had to do some shopping and I said that I wanted to go to so we headed off to the store. I was happy to see there were quite a few speed bumps in the parking lot and Daddy went over every one that he could find. After shopping Daddy hit all the speed bumps again on the way back.

Daddy’s high school friends came over for a reunion today. In the past years I had mixed feeling about these reunions. The first one I experience was a bit of a blur because I was too small to really know what was going on. Last year’s one was not enjoyable for me because I didn’t know how to share and I felt that all my toys were being taken away from me, especially my new Christmas toys, even though the little boy visiting was just borrowing them to play with temporarily. Still, for me who was not good at sharing, it was not fun. So leading up to this reunion Daddy prepared me for what was going to happen, what may happen, and what he expected of me.

In summary, I did great! I was. very gracious host and shared almost all my toys openly. There were a few of my favorite toys that I set aside just for me so that the other little boys didn’t mistakenly play with them. I even put a car in my pocket to make sure it was with me the whole time. I was just a very good boy. Not only did I let the little boys play with my toys but I actually interacted with them and played with them a bit. We shared toys, intertwined our play styles, and were right there together having fun. I have to admit that I enjoyed playing with the little boys and Daddy.

When it was lunch time I was really excited about the huge sandwich that I shared with Daddy. Not only was it huge, but it was also very delicious! I heartily ate my share of the sandwich.

As people finished lunch they started to trickle outside to play in the wading pools and play with the water balloons. I was in a very good mood and decided to go outside and play with Lauren. I had a great time playing in the water and throwing my share of water balloons. Daddy was inside talking to his friends, but I had Mommy to play with and watch over me. Lauren and her friend were also very sweet and were very nice and generous to me.

After playing outside in the sun for so long it was getting a bit hot but Nana brought out the juice pops and they really hit the spot. We all enjoyed our icy treats.The best thing was that even though they dripped, we didn’t have to worry about making a mess because we were outside.

Before long it was time for Daddy’s friends to go. I was actually sad to see them go. I had a lot of fun with them and can’t wait to see them again next year. I even insisted on seeing the little boys off when they left.

I hadn’t expected it, but I got a present from one of the boys for our Christmas gift exchange. He got me a couple of awesome Lego sets and some HotWheels monster trucks! Thank you! They were so cool! Mommy and Daddy had to do some grocery shopping for dinner, so Aunty Chris and Lauren helped put my Lego sets together and played with me. I was very well behaved while Mommy and Daddy were gone. I played nicely with Aunty Chris and Lauren. When I had some grapes for snack I even generously offered some to Lauren without any prompting or anything.

When Mommy and Daddy got back, Mommy got right to cooking and I asked Daddy to play with me. I showed him my new toys and we had a fun time playing with them. After a while we went to watch some TV in the bedroom and Lauren came to join us. We watched TV until it was dinner time.

I ate a good dinner. I especially like the rice noodle salad that Mommy made and I told her repeatedly. After dinner I had some dessert. Daddy got a special whipped cream treat for me and sprayed it right in my mouth! But I didn’t want any on my ice cream.

After my dessert we played some more with my toys. We had quite a story going with multiple bad characters and good characters. The bad cars were wrecking the town and the police cars and fire trucks had to both fix the town and capture the bad cars.

When it was bed town I happily went through my bedtime routine, eager to get to my projector stories at the end. Today I requested two stories! They are so fun. After the stories I went right to sleep. It was a long fun day. Everyone was very proud how good of a boy I was. There were no tantrums and no problems sharing either. It was a good day.

I woke up after a nice long rest and the only thing I wanted to do was play. Mommy and Daddy had a hard time getting me to sit down and eat, but eventually I did, although it was a small breakfast.

After eating breakfast I got changed and washed up and went right back to playing with all my new Christmas toys. It was like Christmas morning all over again.

I watched my new story projector a bit. It was very cool! Later I even showed Daddy how to operate it and project the stories.

I had some time on Daddy’s phone while everyone cleaned up and put away the Christmas decorations. The house was a little less festive without the decorations but I didn’t miss it too much.

Papa asked me if I wanted to go with him to the garbage dump to drop off the Christmas tree and I said yes. I saw so many vehicles on the way. I saw helicopters, airplanes, excavators, trucks, and even a crashed car. There were so many vehicles for me to see. It was a nice little trip.

We got home and I was playing with Mommy while Daddy was working on getting me some lunch. When Daddy came home I had been in tears but was recovering and felt a lot better after I ate my cheeseburger kids meal.

After lunch it was back to playing with my many new toys.

I spotted Nana using her iPad so I politely asked if I could play too. She checked with Mommy and Daddy and we got the go ahead, so we started to play on her iPad. Nana wanted to get up to get a snack but I wouldn’t let her because I wanted her to stay seated next to me. Then she mentioned something about cookies. So I let her get up and get a cookie if she got one for me as well. The cookie was very yummy, but quite crumbly. I was covered in crumbs after I ate. And my fingers were covered in crumbs too. I quickly ran out of clean fingers to operate the iPad so I ended up having to use my pinky.

Lauren had set up the small wading pool outside so I went out to join her. It was a small pool, but a nice comfy size for the two of us. We played with buckets, balls, and toy trucks. Then we started having fun with the hose as well. It was a lot of fun!

Mommy and Daddy went out with Aunty Chris and Uncle Matt for a bit, but I was fine being home with Nana, Papa, and my cousins. When it was time to come in from the pool I did so without trouble. Papa gave me a bath and I was all fresh and clean in no time.

When Mommy and Daddy came home, we went for a walk with Lauren and Maile. Lauren was in her shark onsie again, which made the walk a little surreal. This time I walked the whole way until I tripped and scraped my knee. Then I got carried a little bit.

After we got back we caught a couple more lizards again and I carried them around like pets again. I like having these tiny little pets. They may not be as cuddly as puppies, but it is still pretty nice.

After it started getting dark we went back into the house and played for a while until it was dinner time.

At dinner I ate pretty well, with some encouragement of knowing that there was dessert at the end. At one point I said that I was full, then Daddy told me that I was too full to have dessert. I told him that I am full for food but not full for dessert. It sounded very familiar to the Japanese phrase, “Amai mono betsu bara” which translates to “Sweet things have a separate stomach”. I ended up eating everything on my plate and then eating a juice popsicle that Lauren made for dessert.

After dinner I played Tomica with Daddy until it was time to get ready for bed. Then without complaint I went through my bedtime routine. Daddy added watching a story on my new mini projector to the end of my bedtime routine and I was really happy about that. Then I fell fast asleep. It was another wonderful full and fun day.