Mothers Day

| May 11, 2008

We spent Mothers Day with Iris’ family having dim sum at the Sea Empress Seafood Restaurant in Gardena. We got there early (10:30 AM), which allowed us to get a table right away. When we left around 11:30, the wait for a table looked at least to be an hour long. After dim sum, we… Read More »

Run for Education

| March 23, 2008

Ron and the two girls ran in El Segundo’s Run for Education, benefitting the El Segundo PTA. This was Stephanie’s third 5K and Morgan’s first. It’s a fairly hilly course (El Segundo has an incredible number of hills for such a small town). Luckily Morgan is a slow runner, so Ron could hobble along beside… Read More »

Three Aunts

| March 1, 2008

We got together with Iris’ dad’s side of the family, the Uematsus, represented by Iris’ mom, Sue; Iris’ Aunt Lily; and Iris’ Aunt Michi. Greg & Patty Uematsu hosted this big gathering at their home in Trabuco Canyon. They had put in a koi pond since the last time we visited, and it was just… Read More »

Firecracker 5K

| February 10, 2008

Happy Year of the Rat! Stephanie and Ron ran the Los Angeles Chinatown Firecracker 5K. This was the second year in a row that they ran together. The weather was much better (it was pouring rain last year). They went with Ron’s co-worker/friend, Tom, and his wife, Aya. Tom’s friend, Paul, also met them at… Read More »

Stephanie’s Birthday Snatch

| January 27, 2008

Stephanie decided she wanted to surprise her friends on her birthday by doing a “reverse” snatch. We started off at 6:15 AM and went to 10 different houses, “kidnapping” her unknowing friends. The rules were simple: no makeup and no changing, other than to put on shoes and a robe or sweatshirt. With three carloads… Read More »

Morgan’s 10th Birthday

| January 2, 2008

Morgan’s birthday was actually Dec. 18, but we decided to celebrate it during her school’s winter break. Instead of a party, Morgan invited a couple of friends for an overnight trip to Disneyland. We booked a suite at the Disneyland hotel, which fit all six of us comfortably. The four kids took the bedroom while… Read More »

Ponies Christmas Party

| December 1, 2007

Morgan’s basketball team, the Venice Ponies, had their Christmas party last Saturday night at the home of the Akamines. Lots of activities for the kids, including ornament making, card making, karaoke (featuring music from High School Musical 2), gingerbread house making, and a special visit from Santa.

Skiing at Lake Tahoe

| February 11, 2006

This is our second ski trip with the kids. We stayed at a timeshare in Reno and drove two hours each morning to Sierra at Tahoe, a nice family-oriented resort. This was the first time Morgan would be taking real lessons. Last year, she was in the day care facility. On our first day in… Read More »