Mason Shoma

Today was a holiday so I got to take it easy in the morning. I didn’t really want to do much, but joined Mommy in her stretches.

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Then I practiced driving a bit.

Since it was such a nice day, we decided to go to the park. We went the convenience store to pick up some picnic food and then headed to the park.

I decided to bring both my Mercedes and Strider too, since there were a lot of pathways for me to drive on at the park.

When we got to the park we had a very nice picnic in the sun.

Then it was time to ride and drive.

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They have small go-carts that little kids can drive at this park so I went to try it out. First we had to get a driving and safety lecture, which I kind of paid attention to. I practice driving so much I didn’t think the lecture was necessary.

Then it was my turn to drive the go-cart. I got a really fast one. Off I went!

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I did a really good job! All the driving practice really paid off!

Then I was off to the playground to play.

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After a lot of playing at the park, we headed home. Right when we got home there was a sweet potato truck and since I was hungry we got a roasted sweet potato for snack. It was so yummy!

After snack time it was play time again. I checked out some maps, played a matching card game with Daddy, played shop, and then played with my toys.

What a fun-filled day!

Mommy had to work today so I spent the morning with Daddy. We played a lot, practiced driving and chatted with Nana and Papa. Then we went to go visit Mommy so that we could all have lunch together. Jiiji and Baaba were going to meet us there too. The subway would have been easier but I wanted to take the bus, so we walked to the bus stop and waited for the next bus heading into the city. I really enjoyed the ride and called out every vehicle that I saw.

When we got there, Mommy was still working so we had a snack and a drink at the cafe. Once Mommy was done I went to play in the kids play area with her. The theme was Asian foods.

Jiiji and Baaba arrived and we all went to lunch together. I ate a lot and had a nice conversation with them. I told them all about the Tomica cars that I wanted them to buy for me.

After lunch I told Mommy and Daddy that I wanted to go to the park. They said we could go to a park when we got home. Then I said I wanted to go with Jiiji and Baaba. So we found a nearby park and headed there. We played a bit then I got in a mood and was being mean to Jiiji and Baaba, which didn’t make sense because I specifically said that I wanted to go to the park with them and made them stand in the cold to watch me play. After a talk I was a little bit nicer, but it really was cold, so they had to head home.

Mommy, Daddy, and me slowly made our way through the park before heading home ourselves.

Daddy’s back home! It was nice to see him, but it was also nice to just get back to our normal routine. I did have a lot to talk to him about though. I told him about school over the past couple of days and showed him the book I borrowed from school.

Daddy brought back some omiyage for me and Mommy. Tokyo Banana! I love Tokyo Banana! Delicous! Daddy also got me this squishy stretchy cat. So cute!

We played a lot together today. The weather was nice so I took the Mercedes out for a drive. Destination: the speedbump near our house.

We went to a restaurant for lunch. Not only did I enjoy the food, but I also turned lunch into an opportunity for a photo shoot. Fancy!

We played some more at home and then we had to go grocery shopping. And when we go grocery shopping and there is a new Starbucks drink Daddy always treats Mommy and me to one.

In English class we learned about sea life. As always it was a lot of fun and my classmates copied my pronunciation when I said the English words ahead of them.

I’m missing Daddy while he is on his business trip, but I am definitely not losing my appetite over it.

I found ways to entertain myself without my main playmate around.

Today at school we did crafts, making paper dolls for Hinamatsuri.

We also had our gymnastics class. We started with our greetings, stretches, and then our favorite potato harvesting.

We also did some work on the bar. I did really well and held on really tight.

Daddy had to leave for a business trip to Tokyo today. It is only going to be for a couple of days, but I’m really going to miss him.

I was really good and didn’t cry or anything. I sent Daddy off with smiles and happy thoughts!

In like the first hour he was gone I said that I missed Daddy nearly a dozen times.

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Then I got right back to my usual obsession with cars.

On our way to school today it started to snow. I was able to catch a few snowflakes in my hands. They were so pretty and delicate.

It was a very cold day to day. It had snowed a bit overnight, but there wasn’t that much snow left for us to play with. Still, we had a lot of fun running around. But it got cold so we sought warmth and headed into to the prefectural office to warm up and check out some pretty flower displays.

Yesterday was Setsubun so our teachers explained about the day and the tradion. Basically, it is the change of the seasons and a chance to expel all the bad luck and misfortune represented by oni, or ogres, and welcome in the good luck and good fortune. We expel the oni by throwing beans at them. Yeah, it doesn’t seem to be the most effective weapon against club-wielding ogres, but tradition is tradition.

We practice throwing to expel the oni, but I have to admit, practicing against a poster is a lot easier than against a big red oni that invaded our school. Yeah, we panicked.

Despite the traumatizing tradition, I had a great day at school. When Mommy came to pick me up I was playing with New Blocks, which are one of my favorite school toys. I made a tow truck pulling a car that had a flat tire.

At home I started practicing with the next level of practice chopsticks that didn’t have any rings to keep my fingers in place. I have to get ready to use real chopsticks at my next school.

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It was getting late in the evening, but it was still light enough for a quick visit to the park. We played with the ball for a bit. First we played catch and then we played my version of soccer where only I am allowed to use my hands.

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Then I played on the slide. But the slide was dirty and there was cat poop in the sand at the bottom of the slide so I just played on the slide steps.

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After Jiiji, Baaba, and Obachan went home I wanted to play outside. So I hopped on my Mercedes and drove a few circuits. Then I practiced driving in the real car. Somehow we got on the subject of flat tires, so Daddy thought he should show me how to change a tire. We didn’t actually take the tire off, but Daddy showed me where the tools were and showed me how to raise the car up on the jack. He explained how to take the tire off and replace it with a spare. I know I’m only three, but it is never to early to learn about car maintenance and emergency preparedness.

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Today we had a birthday party for Daddy, whose birthday passed, and Baaba, whose birthday was coming up. I was in a very good mood because I woke up and got to watch a lot of TV since it was a no-school day. And to ensure my good mood, Daddy made me a parfait for breakfast.

Mommy and Daddy were cleaning up and getting ready for Jiiji, Baaba, and Obachan’s visit. I was a very good boy and just played with my toys by myself while waiting for them to arrive.

When they arrived I received a surprise gift from Jiiji and Baaba. They got me some Tomica! And I didn’t have any of them so I was really happy to get them!

Besides the birthday celebration, it was also Setsubun so we ate the traditional ehomaki. I had an adult sized one but had no trouble eating it. We also had some other food that included some ikura which was great! I ate quite a bit and this was all before the birthday cakes came out.

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We had a great time celebrating together. I ate so much good food! That was fun. Okay, whose birthday is next?

Rainy days. Stuck inside. Not much to do.

Even though it was raining today, I made sure to practice driving. I try not to miss a chance to practice driving on the weekend. It was even more fun than usual today because I got to use the wipers.

When playing with my cooking set I made quite a mess. Good think I had my dump truck to help me clean up.

We went out to yakiniku for Daddy’s birthday! As usual I ate a lot of meat but I also ate a lot of vegetables as well. I don’t overeat like I used to when I was younger. It was a very fun dinner and we celebrated Daddy’s birthday really well!

What a goofball.

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My double-decker bus ride to school.

Visiting our duck friends at the park.

Practicing for our natural disaster drill.

Looking at and smelling flower petals.

Rhythmic dance.

Playing karuta with classmates. We played with vehicle, animal, and country flag cards. Once I got the hang of it, I wanted to play again and again!

Getting really good at coloring.

Gymnastics class.

I had some trouble at school again. I tried to hit a classmate because they tried to sit down next to me. Even when my teacher came to talk to me I tried to hit, kick, and spit on her too. She took me to another room to talk it out and let me have time to calm down. These incidences still keep happening.

English class.

Cool dolls on display.

Chilling at the park.

The end of a fun week of school!

People keep telling me how much I’ve grown so I decided to see for myself how much I’ve grown. So I got a measuring tape and tried to measure my height. It was a bit hard so I had Daddy help me.

I was very excited about a playdate with my friend today! I needed a lot of energy so Daddy made me a special parfait for breakfast!

When my friend came over I decided to play a little hard to get and hid under the blanket.

We made some origami animals and it was a lot of fun! Especially when my friend’s mommy made the origami doggy ear flap. It really hit our funny bone.

Cream-filled snacktime!

Headbutts of affection.

As you can tell we had a great time playing together! I can’t wait for our next playdate!