I Love the Slide!

Justin has refused to go down the green playground slides for some time now. In the dry, winter weather he got a zap thanks to static electricity and decided to shy away from the risk. Well this week he decided to give it another go. Not too suprisingly, he loves it. He tells me that he loves it with the kind of attitude that sounds like he has known all along he would, but that I was the one holding him back. My silly little Justin.

Here he is on the playground with his friend, Ellington. When he first met Ellington he thought his name was Oxygen. That makes no sense. Everyone knows that Oxygen is a girl's name. :) Now he often says it as if it is three separate words. It is so cute. Ellington is such a good natured little boy. He is a bit younger than Justin and Justin sometimes gets overexcited and knocks him over or runs too fast when they are playing scream and chase. Ellington just keeps smiling. (Note how Justin is in DESPERATE need of a haircut!
The cherry blossoms are out and absolutely beautiful. Gentle breezes blow some of them down like soft, fluffy snowflakes. It is pretty and not cold like snow. I was standing out on the playground with Justin and Ryan. We were the only three people there. Ryan was asleep and Justin was actually being quiet. As the blossoms floated up, down, and around in the slight breeze I felt like I was in some sort of artistic foreign movie scene. I didn't see any cameras or hear any music or sound effects, so I am pretty sure it was just a rare, beautiful, quiet moment in my life.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Last Thursday Monster Baby and I went with my friend, Lisa, to see some cherry blossoms. All in all I was not very impressed. Perhaps it was a bit early still, though reports I saw online said that it was the time to go. I like the cherry blossoms in Washington DC better. I love to walk around the Tidal Basin. Seeing cherry blossoms in Japan is something you have to do though. We ended up at a park that is near a shopping street and a major shrine. If I wasn't so tired I could get up and go look up the name, but chances are you are reading this because you are a friend or relative and not looking for a guide of what to do in Tokyo. Hopefully you will enjoy the pictures. I took them while pushing Monster Baby in the stroller. Oh, take note of the Denny's you can see in the background of one of the pictures. Not as interesting as the Starbucks in the Forbidden City in Beijing, but probably a good place for familiar, mediocre fried food. :)