Eight!

What time is it?

Time to celebrate Sophia turning 

What time is it?

Time to get ears pierced!   

Her mommy and daddy said she had to wait until she was 8!

Her cousin also went along and got hers done!

What time is it?

Time for a Japanese meal!

Sophia wanted a Japanese-themed birthday party.

She wanted some maki-sushi.

I added nashi (Asian pear) and grapes too.

I made place cards for everyone.

I let Sophie choose which Japanese doll to use as a centerpiece.

I have 4 Japanese lady dolls and 1 Samurai.

One day, each grandchild can pick one!

She also requested sukiyaki!  I know.  Sukiyaki and maki-sushi don't really go together, but what the birthday girl wants, the birthday girl gets!

Mom and Dad used to make sukiyaki dinners and over the years probably did so over 100 times.  At least!  Maybe 500!!   It's a lot of work, especially doing the dishes afterwards!  They would often do it for an entire church group!  Maybe 150 people!   I don't know how they did it!

 

starter chopsticks

I remember my Japanese nanny,Taniguchi-san, teaching me how to use them when I was very young.

I was so glad that Dad was able to come.  But he couldn't use chopsticks.  

He can't use his right hand anymore.  It was going to be too hard to try with his left hand.  

Time for birthday cake!

Mt. Fuji cake!

 How old is Sophia, Claire?

Claire picked out this card just for Sophia

(because Claire likes "Tinkerbella"!)

 Time for gifts!

Translation:   "Happy birthday"  "How old are you?"

Sophia LOVES Legos!!


I gave each grandchild a little gift.  They were from Grandma Lois' things.

 This seashell turtle is made from seashells from Nichinan, in Japan where I grew up.

Claire didn't get a little Japanese gift because I knew she would much rather have Princess Sofia shoes!  One day she will appreciate a little Japanese gift too.

What time is it?
It was time for Dad to go.  So grateful to the Home for bringing Dad to our home!!
Just before he left, he kind of gave a chuckle (I LOVE his little laughs!).
Then he said, "I hate to ask but, you ARE my daughter, aren't you?"

We kidded the driver that she could let go of him and he would fly down the driveway right into the van!

What time is it?
Time to reflect on how much Sophia has grown!

ONE!

 TWO!

 THREE!

FOUR!

FIVE!

SIX!

SEVEN!

What time is it?
Time to praise our heavenly Father for this precious, dear, delightful young lady!!

Soon it will be time for her to be all "growed" up!!
             And walk down the wedding aisle.
                               Have babies.

Slow down!

A carnival and a landspout tornado!

Our granddaughter, Sophia, turned 8 years old this past weekend!

 She loves Japan!  She is always asking me to take her there.  The land I grew up in.  She wanted to have a Japan birthday party - with a Mt. Fuji cake and sukiyaki meal.

Her mom made the cake - 

Mt. Fuji with a Japanese flag, 

the "tambo" or rice paddies and the lake.

The day before her birthday, we went to their home.  

Our son and his family had driven up from Arkansas and met us at their house. 

Adam grilled some pork chops, hotdogs and chicken and I had brought some watermelon and sweet corn.

There was a carnival at their school that evening so we walked there for an evening of fun!

 There was a dedication of the new playground that the community helped to purchase first.

Their were games, face painting, cake walk and all the fun things you would expect at a school carnival.

  

The kids all had to try out the fishing game.

Do you have your fun pants on?

 There was a long line for the train ride.  

But we got to watch the action at the dunk tank while we waited.

And catch a toad!

And play with a rocket blaster Eli won at the carnival

Finally it was their turn!

 Then it was time for us to head home.  Eli and Emeri had been up since early in the morning for the drive to Kansas and it was time for baths and bed!

As we drove home, we noticed stormy looking clouds.  My weather app said there was a storm back home.  I saw a band of rain clouds, but as it turned out, it was a landspout tornado (where the funnel starts at the ground and goes up to join in the thunderstorm).  Generally they aren't as damaging as a tornado, but they can produce damage.

Here is a picture that my friend took from her house just east of town.

The clouds were just amazing!!

This was taken from the Dillons parking lot close to our home.

(National Weather Service says a landspout torando touched the ground briefly in Harvey County. Here's a video sent in by one of our employees, Gary Rivers.
Posted by KWCH 12 Eyewitness News on Friday, August 28, 2015)