Sunday

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.

One week in Hawaii

It has been one week since we got to Hawaii and time is flying by way too fast. I woke up this morning to some Japanese pancakes that Daddy made for everyone. I was really excited about it when he asked everyone yesterday if we wanted them. Even though the question was addressed to everyone else I adamantly stated repeatedly, “Mason want pancakes. Mason want pancakes.” And after all that I only ate like two small pancakes. Again, fruits were the main part of my breakfast.

After getting ready after breakfast we headed to the farmers’ market. I wasn’ t as excited as I usually am, but I was convinced to go because of the pineapple frosty that we always get there. After getting it right after arriving at the farmers’ market I was glad we made the trip because it was totally worth it.

It started raining just as we were leaving the market. When we got home I watched the rain from inside. There was light rain and heavy rain and then no rain. And then it rained again. Daddy said that there might be a chance that we see a rainbow because it was raining but there were sunny parts as well. Unfortunately we didn’t see any rainboys. I said, “Too bad we didn’t see any rainbows.”

At home we played all over the place. We played inside, we played outside, we played with toys, we made up our own games. Just a lot of playing all around. After so much playing we needed some quiet time so we went to the bedroom to watch some more of a movie again.

We were watching Totoro and there was a seen where the characters were flying and mentioned to Daddy that I can’t fly. But if I wanted to fly I could take off my arms and replace them with wings. Then I would be able to fly. Daddy pointed out that if I had wings instead of arms it would be harder to do other things like eat or play. I said that I would switch back to arms again.

We had pizza bites that Lauren made for lunch. They were very yummy! I told Daddy that they were a little spicy but I liked them a lot!

After lunch it was back to playing all over the place. We played indoors. We played outdoors..We caught lizards again. I saw an old dollhouse that we were giving away and decided to play with it one more time right there in the patio.

But of course, there were not happy moments too. I’m still having very bad mood swings.

We played with my beach toy contruction cars but we didn’t have anything to scoop, haul, or dump. So Daddy got me some marbles to play with to replace the sand. We did a. lot of scooping, hauling, and dumping. When it was time ot play inside again, I brought the construction vehicles and beach toys inside and played inside as well.

I drove a hula hoop a bit too.

Later Daddy said that I could play on the iPad a bit since I hadn’t had any screen time all day. I played for a bit until Daddy said he was going to go outside to help Papa barbecue dinner. I wanted to go outside too and played a bunch with Lauren. We made a workout routine by doing pullups and then running to the other clothesline and the returning to repeat. It was more of a workout for Daddy because he had to pick me up to help me do the pullups. I found a hula hoop and made it into my steering wheel. Nana played city driving with me and told me what color the traffic lights were and I would stop and go according to the lights.

When Papa finsihed cooking the meat on the barbecue I announced to everyone, “Dinner is ready,” but everyone was very slow to get to the table. I was so hungry that I couldn’t wait. I was waiting and waiting at teh dinner table. I even had to sneak a bite before grace. When everyone got there we had a very good dinner. I ate three pieces of meat, even more than Mommy! It was very delicous and I made sure to tell Papa that.

After I finished my dinner I had some dessert again. I’ve been very good at eating my ice cream cones and don’t spill at all.

We went back to playing with my toys until it was bath time. Then I hopped in the bath and went back to playing until it was book time.

Then I read my books, brushed my teeth, watched my projector stories and went to bed. For some reason I am very energetic and playful at bedtime and I was goofing around with Mommy a lot. I was teasing her and making her laugh a lot. But when it was time to sleep I went right to sleep. It had been another great fun, but tiring, day. I can’t wait for tomorrow.

Reunion

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.

Day after Christmas

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.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas! I woke up earlier than usual because I knew it was Christmas morning. Waking up early did not put me in the best of moods, so I was disagreeable to taking pictures in front of the Christmas tree (except for with Mommy and Daddy), but I was eager to open presents. So we just skipped to that part.

We first started off with stocking stuffers. It is kind of like appetizers for presents.

Then it was on to the main event. It was over in no time.

I was very happy with all the great presents I received. Thank you everyone for all the awesome gift!

After opening my gifts I started playing with them right away. There were a lot of cool things to dive into.

And then I found my way back to Santa’s present, since it was already set up and ready to play with.

We all headed out to a restaurant for Christmas morning brunch. The Christmas decorations were really pretty and Lauren helped me get a better view of them.

I enjoyed it a lot. I had plate after plate of fresh fruits. They were very sweet and delicious. I also really liked the bread rolls they had there. I had three of them.

In the middle of breakfast we went to feed the koi in the pond. It was very fun! The fish seemed to be as hungry as I was.

After breakfast I had a full belly and I was in a pretty good mood, so we managed to get a couple of nice photos.

When we got home I saw that we had some water balloons and decided to go outside and play with some. It was a lot of fun just throwing the water balloons all over the yard. After throwing them around I did a good job cleaning up.

After playing with water balloons I went lizard hunting with Lauren and after not being able to find any we hung out in the hammock for a bit.

Then it was time to go back inside and play with my new toys. One of them was a wall crawling car which was really surprising. It actually climbed the walls! Incredible!

I also had fun playing with my new race track. At first I just wanted to push the cars around manually like my normal HotWheels but I then saw the fun in using the throttles and racing them around the track. I even made my own scenario where the police car was chasing down the speeding car and it followed it around the track.

We all had such a big brunch that we skipped lunch, but I started getting hungry so I had a snack in bed while watching a movie. It was a fun relaxing time with Mommy and Daddy.

After the movie finished I went off to play some more. I played with my cars, I played outside, I played all over the place.

I wanted Daddy to play with my Lego firetruck so I asked Daddy to make it. Daddy got down to putting it together and when he finished it I was really happy! I even brought it to dinner with me.

After dinner I played outside with Lauren a bit. She showed me how to use the kickboard scooter. It was so cool! I wanted to learn how to do the same right away, but I knew it would take some practice. I started off slow.

Lauren was trying to boogie board on the lawn and that looked like fun so I gave it a go. I was pretty fun but I had a few wipeouts.

We all went for a walk around the block to work off some calories from dinner. Also we wanted to make some room for dessert.

After dessert I wanted Daddy to play with me but I wasn’t being very nice. I was about to have a tantrum but took some time and calmed myself down and apologized to Daddy on my own.

Daddy suggested I take a shower to get clean and feel better so that we could play after. I did exactly that.

Daddy put together the rest of my Lego fire truck and I discovered how cool it was. It was more than just fire truck! It had a robot and a drone and they had water cannons that shot! Awesome!

I read a couple of my new books at book time and went right to sleep. It had been a very long but wonderful Christmas day. Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you had the best day!

Christmas Eve

I woke up in a good mood again today and went straight to playing. I wouldn’t even sit down to eat breakfast. Eventually, Mommy and Daddy got some fruits and cheese in me, but they had to chase me around and put the food right into my hands.

While playing I heard that Nana and Papa were going to go shopping and I then I said that I wanted to go for a car ride. So I went along with them. Mommy and Daddy tagged along too. I had fun shopping with them. There were a lot of cool cars to see and a fun speed bumps to go over.

When we got home and I started playing again. I was having a good day until I decided to have a tantrum again. I wanted something to drink from the refrigerator, but I wouldn’t ask nicely for it. I cried, grunted, and tried to force my way into the refrigerator, but I didn’t just ask nicely. The tantrum was not one of my big ones, but it was definitely a tantrum. In the end I finally gave in and calmed down enough to just ask nicely and then I got my drink.

I had a very good lunch and ate a lot, but insisted on sitting in Mommy’s lap.I was feeling bad about how I treated her during my previous tantrum. After finishing lunch we all decided to go to the beach. I was running around and playing with Lauren as Mommy and Daddy finished up lunch and got my beach stuff ready.

When we got to the beach I saw the water and told Daddy, “Let’s go in the water!” I was so excited! I was all smiles as we stepped into the ocean. I was squealing with joy once I touched the chilly water. I had so much fun in the water!

After a while we headed to shore to play in the sand. I had some new beach toys that had a dump truck, bulldozer, and excavator in the set. I had a lot of fun playing with those. I was moving a lot of sand around.

Before I knew it, it was time to go, but I know I’ll be back again, probably sooner than later.

I fell asleep in the short car ride home. Daddy picked me up and carried me in. I stayed asleep as he took me into the shower to wash off the saltwater. After I cleaned up a bit and warmed up, I woke up and then had a proper shower.

After that I wanted to outside to play. So I went out to the hammock with Daddy and we relaxed a bit. I saw Papa outside and called him over to give us a swing.

Then we went looking for lizards again and caught a couple tiny ones. We put them in the bug box and I kept talking to them, saying “Hello.” Lauren came out to see my new pets and then we ended up playing in the hammock together. Then dinner was about to begin so we headed inside.

We had a few Christmas games before dinner and I won a cool little game that I didn’t understand, but enjoyed playing with all the same.

Then all of a sudden we heard bells jingling outside. I looked up and saw that Santa Claus had visited! I was very excited, but I tried to play it cool. Santa handed out gifts to Lauren and Maile and then it was my turn. He called me up and there were no tears or crying. I simply asked Daddy to carry me up there, which he did and placed me right on Santa’s lap. I smiled, accepted my present, and thanked Santa. Then he was off to make more present deliveries. He is a very busy man.

Everyone was very proud of me for going to sit on Santa’s lap. After the past few encounters with Santa, I think everyone expected me to cry or not go see him at all. It just goes to show how much I’ve grown up. (Or how far I’ll go to get a present.)

Santa knew exactly what I wanted and delivered. My Christmas toy is awesome! I wanted a specific Tomica ambulance and got exactly that along with the Tomica town set.

Papa made kalbi for dinner and it was delicious! I ate two whole pieces fo meat! I liked it so much that I had to compliment the chef and went over to Papa and told him, “Meat is yummy!”

And of course I had an ice cream cone for dessert.

After a tummy full of yummy meat I went back to playing with my new toys. I had a great evening!

Then there was talk about getting ready for bed, but I did not want to start getting ready even though I had agreed to 10 more minutes. I was having too good a day to let it end (and I was tired enough to not know how to express this appropriately.) I started to throw a tantrum again. I was arguing with Daddy and not listening to him and then I hit him. He left. I cried and cried and had time to myself to think about what I did. I finally apologized and then we started to get ready for bed. First I got changed and brushed my teeth and I had a few minutes to play. But I started a new tantrum with Mommy. Mommy was very patient with me and clearly drew the line. I was able to bring everything in under control and apologized and did what I was told. We ended up reading books together in bed and happily turning in for the night. It was another great day spotted with some not great moments, but I was overall very happy. I went to sleep in an instant, showing how tired I have been. I hope that tomorrow is a better day.

On Kauai

I had another nice long 12 hour sleep. I woke up in a daze. I wasn’t really sure where I was. The past couple days, every time I woke up I was in a different place. I called for Mommy and she came to get me but I wasn’t quite awake yet. I just chilled with Mommy for a while before I completely woke up. When I did I went over to see what Lauren and Nana were playing and joined them (and effectively took over).

Lauren and I were invited to help Papa deflate his and Nana’s air mattress. Mission accomplished.

Daddy cut up some fruit for me and when it was ready I sat down and ate breakfast. After I finished eating I got changed and washed up and started to play. I played inside and outside. There were a couple of times where I nearly had a tantrum but Daddy talked me down from it so I ended up being okay.

For lunch we had saimin and I ate really well. Once it was cooled I just dug in! It was so yummy!

After lunch I played with toys again and then played iPad with Lauren and Nana.

I was doing okay for a while until I started to be bossy and mean again. I was playing with Mommy and then got frustrated and hit her. I wouldn’t say sorry so Daddy took me into the bedroom. I refused to apologize so Daddy kept me in the bedroom until I apologized. I’ve been feeling so unstable lately. I have great moments where I’m the good little boy that everyone knows and loves, but I have been having these terrible tantrums that I can’t control. I don’t know why and it makes me sad that I don’t know why it happens and I don’t know what to do. It also makes me sad that my tantrums make others sad.

Daddy had to go to the bank with Papa and I wanted to go with him even though there was nothing fun or appealing about the bank. I ended up falling asleep in the car on the way to the bank. I woke up when we got there so Mommy carried me into the bank when we got there where I fell asleep in her arms. I stayed asleep until we left and I was put back in the car.

On the way home we bought some bananas and I had one in the car. That put me in a better mood. When we got home I played a lot outside. We started off in the hammock and then went running around the yard a bit. We even caught a lizard. I was so happy that I walked around with it in a bug box and kept saying, “Hello,” to it. I even brought it over to the window to show Nana. I was so happy to have a temporary pet lizard.

We went back inside and went for a walk around the house before settling in the bedroom to watch some TV. Later I emerged and help Nana with her games on her iPad.

We headed out for dinner and I was still in a pretty good mood. When we got to the restaurant I was in very good mood! I was well-behaved and ate a lot. When my food got there I just dug right in. I went for the rice first, then the macaroni salad, and then the chicken. Daddy shared his sweet potato fries with me too. I ended up playing under the table, coming up for bites of food. It was a really nice dinner that was filled with fun conversation and smiles. No crying or arguing at all. I was such a good boy.

After dinner Papa took us to pick up some ice cream for dessert at home. He made me an awesome ice cream come that I ate very well without spilling anything. I was so happy!

I played a little more before it was bath time. I wanted Mommy to give me a bath but then gave her a hard time, being bossy and difficult. Mommy asked me what I wanted her to give me a bath if all I was going to do was complain. I didn’t have a good answer for her. But we survived bath time and I had some more play time before book time. After my books I brushed my teeth and got ready for bed without trouble. Just when I was saying good night to Nana and Papa, guess who came home. Lauren, Maile, Aunty and Uncle came home from the movies so I could say good night to them as well. It was a nice end to a pretty good (not perfect) day.

Second day on Oahu

I woke up in a very good mood. I had a nice 12 hour sleep. There was a little tossing and turning, but overall it was a nice sleep.

Papa picked up some malasadas for breakfast. Daddy went to get coffee and milk and came back with coffee milk and Lauren. I was very happy to see her. I played with her while I ate breakfast.

After that I got ready and then we visited Papas room. We were happily surprised to find Maile there too. She was happy so see me and scooped me up. She and Lauren are strong enough to carry me.

Then it was time to get ready for lunch so we headed back to our room. We got ready and headed to lunch. There were so many relatives there that I was meeting for the first time that I was quite shy. I buried my face into Daddy’s shoulder and stayed like that for a while. Too many new people.

After we sat down and I ate lunch, I was in a much happier mood. I wasn’t necessarily going to greet all the relatives, but I was all smiles and laughter as I played with Lauren. I had so much fun my own little familiar world. I played with Nana a bit too.

I got to try on Nana’s bracelets and really liked the bling.

Before we knew it, our lunch was finished and it was time to go. We had a plane to catch. We had to head to Kauai. Even today I asked Daddy multiple times about when we were going to go to Nana and Papa’s house.

We took some family photos and then headed to the airport. I fell asleep in the car because I was tired from all the playing at lunch and I was still trying to catch up on my sleep after the long day of travel.

I woke up when we arrived at the airport. I was still tired and was clingy to Mommy. Then Lauren and family arrived at the airport and then I perked up and just started to hangout with Lauren. After checking in, getting through security, and settling at the gate, I watched a lot of airplanes and airport vehicles from the window. Then it was time to board.

For some reason, when we got on the plane and found our seats, I was not satisfied. I didn’t like the side of the plane that I was seated on so I started to complain and say that I wanted to change seats. Mommy and Daddy tried to explain to me that we couldn’t change seats because we were assigned seats and it was against the rules. But I was overtired and worked up and would not listen. I threw another massive tantrum. I cried uncontrollably and tried to get to another seat. Mommy and Daddy offered to switch with me, but I wanted one on the other side of the airplane. Or at least that is what I said. Who knows what I actually wanted. I was nearly hysterical. It was time to taxi out, so Mommy and Daddy had to force me into my seat and force my seatbelt on. It was the carseat situation from yesterday all over again. I kept trying to unbuckle my seatbelt, which is of course very dangerous and against the rules, so Mommy and Daddy had to physically restrain me in my seat. I went on and on, crying, yelling, grunting, not listening to anything at all. Daddy was very angry at me for not listening and trying to do something that was putting myself in danger. He threatened to cancel Christmas. I was running out of energy and tried to look for a way out. I finally said that I wanted to change seats with Mommy and sit in the middle seat, (which Daddy had suggested at the very beginning). Daddy said that I could change only if I promised to calm down and listen. I agreed. We switched as the plane was taxiing to the runway and I immediately stopped my tantrum. I stopped crying, stopped fighting. I asked for the snack that Daddy had offered at the beginning and munched on some biscuits as the plane took off. After my snack and some inflight juice and leaned over to rest my head on Mommy’s lap and fell asleep.

I was still asleep when the plane landed. Mommy carried me off and found a bench near the baggage claim to sit on while we waited for our luggage and waited for Papa to come back with the car. I slept all the way until Papa arrived with the truck. Then we finally went to Nana and Papa’s house which I had been waiting for this whole time.

At the house I was in a good mood again and played here and there before I took out the HotWheels and Lego to play. I played there for a bit until it was time to go to dinner. It was too soon for me, but I agreed. We went to a restaurant and I was good for a while, but then started to act up again. I wasn’t listening to Daddy and started to be bossy and mean. Daddy had to take me out of the restaurant to calm down but I did not. I threw yet another massive tantrum and hit Daddy many times. I was not behaving at all. I told Daddy to go away so he did then I ran after him crying. Daddy said that he would not talk to me until I started treating him nicely and apologized for hitting him. I directly said, “No!” so he stopped talking to me. He stayed with me but would not listen to my crying and whining. When I persisted he checked and asked me if I was going to apologize and I said, “I didn’t do anything,” which was a lie. He got very angry and would not talk to me until I came around and started telling the truth. It took a very long time but I finally said that I was sorry for hitting him and not listening and being mean. We hugged and returned to the restaurant, but Daddy was still very upset with me. We ate our dinners in silence. Everyone else had already finished so we were pretty much left alone.

I ate fairly well and then we headed home. When we got there I asked Daddy to play but he said he needed some time because he was still very upset with me. I was about to push to get what I wanted but thought better of it and by Mommy’s encouragement left Daddy alone. I played a bit around the house and then finally asked Mommy to play with me. We played with Lego until it was time for my bath. Daddy had given me a timeframe and I followed it obediently. I took a bath, read my books, brushed me teeth and then it was off to bed.

I was in a very happy mood just to be alone in a room with Mommy and Daddy. We cuddled and I fell asleep very quickly. It was another long day. There were so many great moments that were filled with smiles and laughter, but there were some unfortunate moments where my stubborn fits caused so much trouble. I would like to say it was from being overtired, jetlagged, and in a different envirionment, which were all true, but there might be other issues that I have to start dealing with to be a better little boy. Mommy and Daddy always love me, but I don’t always make it easy for them. Let’s home the more relaxing time at Nana and Papa’s house will make it easier for me to show everyone that I am in fact a very good boy.

Arriving on Oahu

We arrived in Hawaii much earlier than scheduled and sped through passport control and customs. We got there so early that Nana and Papa were not there yet to meet us. So we went to meet them. I was so happy to see them! Although I was a bit embarrassed and played a little hard to get.

Nana and Papa brought me a cool new garbage truck. I enjoyed playing with it, but I enjoyed playing with Nana more.

Papa picked up the rental car and then we headed out to lunch. It started okay since I was hungry and getting some food in me always puts me in a better mood. I had pancakes with berries and cream, but mainly only ate the berries and cream. I was doing good but then I started to get in a mood again. I was still tired from the flight and still feeling under the weather from days of being sick. I threw a massive tantrum. Daddy had to practically drag me out of the restaurant and wrestle me into the car seat.

I cried and yelled and screamed the whole ride to the hotel. I was overtired and could not calm down. After got to the hotel and saw Aunty Chris, Uncle Matt, Maile and Lauren, but nothing cheered me up. I was still crying and could not be consoled. It wasn’t until we checked in and we were alone in our quiet room that I calmed down and even managed to smile a bit. Daddy played with me for a while and then laid down with me to watch some TV and we took a nap.

I slept about three hours before I had to get up to take a bath before we went out to dinner with the family. Even with the nice nap, I woke up in a non-agreeable mood and it took some stern convincing by Daddy to get me into the bath. Mommy bathed me with me crying pretty much the whole time. I was still not in a great mood.

We headed down to the lobby to meet everyone and I had calmed down by then. Everyone was happy to see I wasn’t crying anymore. Lauren wanted to ride in the car with me and sat next to me on the way to the restaurant. That cheered me up a lot. I was smiling a lot and having a nice conversation with her. She asked me what my favorite car was and I answered, “Everything!” Then she asked me my favorite color and I said, “Pink!” We got to the restaurant with me smiling from ear to ear.

I was in a terrific mood at dinner. I was waiting patiently for the food, coloring on my kids menu, and playing with Lauren a lot. The food came and I dug right it. It was the first time I had pho and I really liked it. I ate almost all the chicken and most of the noodles. It was a new kind of broth for me, but I liked it. I even ate the fried spring rolls that came with it. It was a nice new eating experience. Even after finishing my food I had fun playing. I was very well behaved.

I nearly fell asleep on the way back to the hotel, but managed to stay awake. But that put me in a bad mood again. When we got to the hotel room I refused to change to pajamas or brush my teeth. I was determined not to get ready for bed because I claimed “Mason is not tired” even though my mood made it obvious that I was beyond tired. I argued with Daddy for a long time. I told him what I wanted and what I didn’t want, but Daddy said he wasn’t going to agree to any of that because I wasn’t listening to him. I said I would, but when he asked me to put my pajamas on I said no and were right back at the beginning of the argument. This went on for a while. I was so tired but just couldn’t let go. Daddy said that he wouldn’t listen to me until I started to listen to him. I didn’t like that. But we have a rule that we don’t ever deny each other hugs. I said, “Daddy, hug” and he scooped me into his arms. Then when I started up the arguing points again he set me back down. The hug was not an argument tactic, but a reminder that even during our arguments we loved each other, cared for each other and were there for each other. Finally, I just settled into the loving hug and calmed down. I said I was sorry and I said I would listen. Daddy apologized to and said he would listen too. I went through my bedroom routine but was not forced to go to bed. After I was ready for bed, Daddy asked me what I wanted to do. Since I listened to him, he would listen to me. I said I wanted to watch TV. He said sure. We all cuddled up together and watched SpongeBob together. Mommy dozed off first. Daddy asked how much TV I wanted and I said until the end of the show. We watched until the end. Daddy clicked off the TV and I was fast asleep within 5 minutes.

It was a very long a trying day. But I am so happy to be in Hawaii with family! I just hope I can get enough rest to avoid any more outburst, tantrums, and arguments. For now I’m just going to sleep as peacefully as I can.

Hello, Hawaii! Goodnight, Hawaii!

Feeling good

I woke up without a fever and so did Daddy! What a relief! It was a tough few days but we survived and recovered!

Mommy and Daddy finished most of our packing last night, but still had some last minute packing and cleaning up to do today. I was very good and played by myself to stay out of there way.

While Mommy and Daddy were packing today, I kept asking, “When are we going?” Even though they had already told me that our flight wasn’t leaving until night, they had to tell me again and again. What can I say, I was very excited about going to Hawaii.

At one point I said, “Daddy, when are we going? I want to see Nana and Papa fast (soon)!”

They were done with the final packing and cleaning up fairly quickly so I could spend the rest of the day playing with them.

I opened my final advent calendar prize and showed off my collection. I don’t think this is all of it because I have been playing with the toys so much they are scattered all over the house. But it was a very nice collection and a fun advent calendar!

It looks like we’ll be leaving for the airport soon. I’m very excited about going to Hawaii, but also just about riding the airplane!

Leaving for Hawaii

We got to the airport without any trouble and checked in quickly and smoothly. The international terminal does not have restaurants because it is undergoing renovations, so Daddy went to the convenience store to pick up dinner for us. When he returned he found me crying. I was obviously hangry and it had gotten to me and I couldn’t control it anymore. Daddy got me to start eating and right away I was in a better mood. I ate very heartily and was soon all smiles!

I was really excited about riding the airplane. I love flying!

We boarded the plane and got ready for take off. I was trying to watch a movie but the cabin announcements kept interrupting my show. After we were done taxiing and started taking off, my show started up again. But by that time I had dozed off.

I slept the entire flight. I missed the dinner meal service and the breakfast meal service. I woke up a couple times to reposition myself a bit, but went right back to sleep. I had a very good sleep.

Feeling better

I woke up and still had a fever, but it was not as bad as before. I had a cough but it sounded worse than it was. Overall, I was feeling pretty good. But because of my flu and had to stay home from school. Not a bad thing because that meant I could play with Daddy all day since he had to stay home from work as well.

But the thing is that I was feeling better but Daddy was still feeling pretty sick. It was easier for him when we were both fatigued and couldn’t do anything but watch TV. Now that I was feeling good and he was still feeling pretty bad, it was rough on him to muster up the energy to play with me. But of course he did.

Even though we played a lot, we took a lot of breaks, making sure that we would be feeling well enough to travel tomorrow. I’m so excited about going to Hawaii that I think that is what sped up my recovery.

Mommy found out from the school that another boy at school had come down with the flu and was out sick since Monday. That means I possibly caught it from him at the recital on Saturday. I hope no one else gets sick. For now, I’m going to focus on my recovery and making sure Daddy feels better and ensuring that Mommy doesn’t get sick.

The flu

My fever was still with me when I woke up and I had a cough as well. Naturally I stayed home and Daddy stayed home with me because he had been feeling a bit under the weather as well the past couple of days. I was feeling alright, but just really tired. I was well behaved, not having the energy to do much else.

When taking my temperature I told Daddy about the day before when Mommy had to pick me up from school. I said, “Mason go sleep and wake up and eat snack. Temperature take looong time. It was high so my Mom came to pick me up quickly.” Daddy thought it was cute and funny that I called Mommy “Mom”. I think he thought I was growing up very quickly.

Daddy and I went to the doctor’s. I was a very brave boy. During the exam I did everything the doctor asked me to do and did not fuss, struggle or protest. Even during the flu check I was very strong and brave. I cried a bit when the doctor put the cotton swab into my nose, but I recovered quickly after and even sat nicely while Daddy got his own exam. We later found out that we both had the flu. Oh my goodness! And we are set to fly to Hawaii in a few days. We picked up our prescription medicine, a lot of liquids, some food, and a little lollipop reward for me being so brave during the exam. Oh, and some appropriate sized masks for me. The one the lent me at the doctor’s was much to big.

Daddy and I took it easy for the rest of the day. Except for eating lunch, all we did was rest on the couch and watch TV. We dozed a bit when we were tired, but did not do much else.

When saying goodnight to Daddy I said, “Mason was brave boy today, yeah?” (Because of the doctor’s appointment and the flu test). Daddy responded, “Yes, Mason was very brave boy, strong boy, and good boy.” I was very proud of myself. Even though it was a rough day with my fever peaking at 39.4°C, nearly 103°F, I was a very very good boy. I hope we don’t get Mommy sick and I hope we feel better soon. And I hope we are well enough to go to Hawaii on Saturday. For now, I need my rest. Good night!

Double decker bus ride to fever

Today was off to a good start since I had a very nice double decker bus ride on Daddy’s shoulders.

School was great too! We had fun checking out the new displays in the elevator hall.

But after lunch I came down with a fever. Mommy was called and by the time she picked me up it went up to 39.8°C (101.84°F). I was feeling pretty tired, but not necessarily bad. I was still able to enjoy the rest of my day.

When we got home, Mommy let me open my advent calendar right away and I was thrilled about the truck that I got. I played really well and was in a pretty good mood considering my fever.

I ate a good dinner and played with Daddy when he came home as if I was in perfect health.

My fever didn’t go away so I made sure to drink a lot of liquids and stay warm. Daddy found an old Hello Kitty blanket for me and I was so happy to have it! I love pink things and this helped me fall asleep happily and quickly (assisted by my fatigue from my fever of course).

Good start with ginko leaf

I knew today would be a good day because I found an awesome ginko leaf on the way to school and I was so happy!

I was right. It was a good day. On our way to the park we saw a police car! It was so cool!

When we got to the park we had fun running around and listening to the crunch of the fallen leaves under our feet.

New backpack

We had to shop for a new backpack for me. The one I have is very small and I have had it since I was one year old. When shopping, Mommy and Daddy assumed I would pick out a car or train backpack. There were some pretty cool Tomica backpacks. But then I saw the Spider-man backpack chose that one. Mommy and Daddy didn’t even know that I knew about Spider-man. But I told them that that was the one I wanted so that is the one I got. Looks pretty cool!

I got a double-decker bus ride to school today! Always a great way to start the day.

On our walk today we visited the ducks at the park just to say hello. And we stopped to check out some pretty flowers.

After dinner tonight I got to eat a special snack that Daddy brought home from work. It was yummy, but very messy.

Japan Christmas party

Before we left for Hawaii, we had a Japan Christmas party with Jiiji, Baaba, and Obachan. I was very excited and in a very playful, and quite silly, mood.

We got right to the good stuff and opened presents! I got so many cute and cool things! I was so happy and thankful!

Mommy and Daddy even got me a new car! Sure, it only had two wheels, but I could open the hood and do maintenance and repairs with my tools. Awesome!

After opening presents and eating lunch (ikura sushi) I was in a very funny mood. I had funny playing around and entertaining everyone.

Boy, did I get silly!

But then I got serious when it was time to build my new car. It took a little getting used to, but I was able to use all my new tools really well!

Then it was dessert time! Even after my big lunch I ate up all of my cake!

Then it was back to playing. I showed Obachan my mimicking hedgehog. Everyone thought it was super funny.

It was a great Christmas party! I’m so lucky that I get to have Christmas in Japan and HawaiI! Happy holidays everyone!

Banana juice

We went out for breakfast today and I think I ate more than Mommy and Daddy did. I also ordered a very tasty banana juice. It was a super yummy way to start the day.

I finished so quickly that I had to wait a bit for Mommy and Daddy so I took in a part of one of my shows. Just like breakfast at home.