Sunday, February 24, 2008

Places Galore - 7

Over the past two weekends, Theo and I have been spending much of our time going to various places, which are often not too far but offer a variety of stimulation for him. It is also one way for him to release much of his boundless energy so that when we reach home, he'll be too tired to run around our small apartment and do crazy things such as stand on his chair, sing his heart out, and jump to the floor with a loud thud that can be heard two blocks away. The latter really freaks his mother out because we don't want to bother the neighbors.

One of the more famous places within our neighborhood is the Yanaka Cemetery, which I've highlighted a couple of times in this blog. In the photos below, you can see our little Theo running around between the tombstones, which only contain ashes by the way.


The trees behind him are sakura (cherry blossom) trees that bloom beautifully each spring.




This is one of the famous landmarks in the Yanaka Cemetery.

Last Sunday, Mommy D asked for some time off for herself because she wanted to look for shoes at Asakusa, the famous tourist area where you can find temples and shopping streets. Theo and I, on the other hand, went to one of his favorite places, Ueno Zoo, and spent almost the entire day there. It was his request actually. Upon waking up last Sunday, the first thing that he said, while wiping his eyes, was "Let's go to Ueno Zoo! Let's go to Ueno Zoo!" Yes, he said it not only once or twice but until I agreed to take him there.


He always looks forward to the petting area where he spends much time petting the goats. Mommy D and I already agreed that we'll give him a puppy when we return home for good to the Philippines sometime next year. Here in Tokyo, in our small apartment, it will be impossible for him to experience taking care of a dog or a cat, and we don't want to deprive him of that experience as a child. I've had a string of pet dogs when I was a kid, and these pets, esp. the opportunity to take care of them, had given me memorable experiences.


This is also one of his favorite animals, the flamingos.


During weekdays, Mommy D takes him around the neighborhood. Here he is in front of the newly renovated Nippori station.


There's a huge playground just a few blocks away from our apartment, where Theo can run and shout his heart out and where Mommy D takes him often so that he won't have to do the running and shouting at home, hahaha...



Theo doesn't seem to like his picture taken with girls almost his age, who are his recent playmates at the playground. They are daughters of a Pakistani father and a Peruvian mother. Theo is actually taller than the smaller girl but he looks smaller from this perspective.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Funny Faces...Again

Theo seems to be an expert when it comes to making funny faces. Just tell him to make a funny face before taking his photo and he'll surely oblige. A few samples below:











Last Saturday, we also walked around the Yanaka area (despite the threat of snow) and I took some photos of him in front of a temple, as shown below. The temple's name? Ooops...I forgot.



The Tsukijibei fence of the Kannonji Temple, which dates back to the 1800s, if I'm not mistaken, is one of the must-see places in the neighborhood. Here's our little Theo immersing himself in its midst.



Mommy D said that I should include this photo in this posting. Here's Theo in one of his more pensive moods. Actually, he's watching a news program on TV, and because it's in Japanese, he's probably wondering what they're talking about.



If you're wondering why there's no longer any date stamped on the photos, it's because Mommy D's old Nikon already gave up (the battery latch broke although the camera is still fine). We got another one (second-hand) two weeks ago and it doesn't have a time-stamping feature. Mommy D liked it more, however, because it's so small and handy.

Sunday, February 03, 2008

Theo's Mouse

Oh, what a big difference three years make in the life of a child! This was how Theo looked like at around this time three years ago:



Now, he's starting to compete with us on the use of the computer, after learning how to use the mouse a few days ago. He usually plays with the (very!) educational software "Jumpstart Preschool" after being fed up with the much easier "Jumpstart Toddlers" many months ago.

To ensure that he doesn't mess up with our files, we have given him his own account in our main computer and he has his own mouse, which is small and changes color every few seconds. Oh, I should have posted a photo showing how engrossed he is when he's using this software. Will do so maybe in the future...



A few days ago, Mommy D took him to a park in Minami Senju when it wasn't too cold. He loved playing in the slide that was just appropriate for his age.



With the laundry basket in the background, Theo gamely brushes his teeth while holding a small balloon in his left hand. His brushing, however, isn't very thorough so Mommy D has to do it all over again, as advised by the dentist.



It's Sunday today and we're supposed to go to church. However, it has begun to snow and the forecast says that it will snow until evening, with the temperature dropping to a maximum of only 3 degrees today. That's colder than the inside of a regular fridge. BRRRRRR!!!