Mason Shoma

When Mommy and Daddy found out that I joined in on gymnastics, they both independently picked up desserts for me as a reward. Even though I didn’t join gymnastics for jelly dessert, I was very happy for the treat. It was yummy! Yummy enough to slurp off the table when I spilled.

I was energized by both the treat and the supportive and encouraging words from Mommy and Daddy. I started to feel a bit like a superhero. Somehow we got to talking about Wolverine and I tried to copy the superhero poses as best as I could.

We started off our day with a short walk and then came back to school to play inside.
Today is our gymnastics day, and I started off on the sidelines like I usually do. But when asked if I wanted to join in, (as I am asked every time), this time I said yes. I did very well on the bar even though I haven’t had any practice on it. Sports day is only couple of weeks away, but I think I might make it in time to do all the poses. Everyone knew that I would join in at my own time, and I appreciate the space. I joined at my own timing and I enjoyed the class.

We did some crafts today. We used some flower petals that we collected on a walk to make our crafts. We put them in little baggies with water and watched the colors seep out of them.

The more my language skills the develop, the more interesting observations and comments I make.

The other day while eating with my hands I was trying to touch Daddy’s face. Daddy said, “Don’t touch my face with your sticky hands,” to which I replied, “Don’t touch my sticky hands with your face.”

Today, Daddy had some laundry on the couch to fold, but I insisted that I needed to play on the couch and started throwing the clothes on the floor. Daddy said that I was making more work for him. Then I told him, “That’s Mason’s job.”

While shopping Daddy found this firefighter hose that was one sale and thought I would like it. He was right! I had so much fun shooting water on the car and the wall. We had so refills. I had very good aim and I was just strong enough to pump the water. It was a lot of fun!

While looking through some storage boxes outside for more Lego, Daddy found a Pop-up Pirate game. The object is to shove swords into a barrel and not be the one who makes the pirate Pop-up. I didn’t really understand the game but was really good at it. I beat Mommy three times in a row. I guess the no-fear attitude is and advantage.

P.S. We played it as a family again later and one of us must not have pushed the sword in all the way because the game ended without the pirate popping up. Daddy checked all the swords and then we got our surprise. (2:35 mark)

There was some talk about going to sushi for dinner. I was all for it because I love ikura. But we can’t go out to eat too much. But to check and see my dedication to the idea of going out to eat ikura, Daddy started asking some questions.

If you want to eat ikura…:

• sit on your head
• slap your butt
• brush your teeth with both hands
• grow a beard
• explode your head
• shake your bootie

I met all the challenges and we went out for sushi and I ate my ikura.

I also got to have a special watermelon shaved ice.

Today was the perfect day for the pool. Daddy started getting it set up in the afternoon, but once I knew what was going on, I was changed and outside waiting for the pool to fill up. I had a lot of fun playing in my pool, but I remember it being much bigger. I guess I must have grown that much. Still, there was more than enough room for me to chill and cool off.

I spent a lot of time playing with the bath foam that we have. Daddy started painting the wall with it and I thought it was a blast. I joined in and made quite a foamy mess.

In the end, I got Mommy involved in the fun too. Daddy mentioned something about getting her razor so that she could shave, but I didn’t understand what he meant. After my foam application, at least one of Mommy’s legs was thoroughly moisturized and smelling like grapes.

Just a side note, while outside we saw this interesting ghost white spider. Creepy and cool at the same time.

I was in a good mood this morning. Everything seemed to make me laugh. Even just measuring my height was full of laughs. By the way, I’m 98 cm (38.58 in), only a centimeter taller than back in May.

Daddy was being silly too and did the “staircase”, “escalator”, and “elevator” behind the counter. I wanted to do it too, but missed the essential part about being behind a counter. I just went up and down in my elevator in full view.

Then I asked Alexa to put some songs on and just danced and laughed as they played.

It was a long week, even though there were only four school days. Still, was so hot that I felt quite worn out. So I got a special treat for dessert. Fruit jelly! Yum!

At the park today we ran around a lot. We also went in search of bugs and found some on a tree. We were intrigued. We formed quite a gallery of observers watching bugs.

After we got back to school we took a shower and were refreshed for the rest of the day.

There are many important lessons that a father must pass on to his son. The armpit fart is one of those lessons. We were watching TV and saw it on one of my shows, so Daddy thought it was time to educate me on the refined art of making armpit farts. I’m not sure if Mommy was impressed or disgusted.

On our walk today we visited the prefectural office building where they had a train set on display. It was very cool and we watched the train go round and round.

By the way, did you notice my new fashion choice? I’ve started wearing my hat with the strap under my lip instead of under my chin. Just like the British Royal Guard. Apparently they wear the strap under their lip because if their hat were shot off and the strap was under their chin, their head would be snapped back from the impact. With the strap under their lip this would not happen. Yeah…same reason for me.

After our walk in the balmy summer heat we took a shower when we got back to school. The water was cool and refreshing! It was nice to be rid of all the sweat and spend the rest of the day all nice and clean.

I woke up in a very good mood with a big appetite, so I had a very big breakfast to give me the energy I needed to get through the day. It was a fun and busy day at school. At the park I found some and realized that they were very busy too. They were hauling a lot of food into their nest.

We tried to catch some bugs, but did not have much luck so our teacher caught them for us and passed them around for us to hold. We were all very good at holding onto the bugs gently and eventually we let them go home.

On our walk today we went hunting for dragonflies but, alas, there were none to be found. We will try again tomorrow. It was a hot day so we didn’t want to spend too long outside. There were only a few of us during this Obon season so we got to ride in the buggy and stroller. That was nice for us, but tough for our teachers. We found a mister on our way back to school and were able to cool down a bit as we passed through it.

Daddy had to go in for work today even though it is a holiday. (He had to make up for the vacation he took during our Hawaii trip.). So I spent the day with Mommy.

We went to the library in the city and I had fun looking at some books and interesting exhibits. We also enjoyed a light lunch in the break area.

Then on the spur of the moment we decided to hop on a train (and then a bus and then a taxi) to visit Jiiji and Baaba. Obachan also came over and met us there. I had a great time playing with everyone. I can hardly remember when I used to cry at their house. Now I just make myself at home and explore and eat a lot. I also engage with them a lot.

I had fun playing around with Jiiji. We played hide-and-seek. He was very good at hiding from me even though we were in a fairly small room.

What a nice day and a nice visit!

It was a lot of fun playing at Jiiji and Baaba’s house, but I missed my toys. So when we came home I played with them a lot! I made a cool fast-looking Shinkansen!

This is how I wind down and calm down right before bed so that I can get a good night’s sleep. Nah, this is me trying to get in every last second of play time before I go to bed.

Daddy was working in the garden while I was driving my Mercedes around when I thought that what Daddy was doing looked fun. So I parked my car and went to help him. I was a very good helper and followed his instructions very well. We repotted a few plants in some new soil. Hopefully that will help them grow big and strong.