Family picture

Merry Christmas (again!) to everyone on the other side of the world!) Tetsu is back at work today...And after church I'm going to get some sewing done. Right now I'm wondering where my kids are... The last I heard, Leiya and a friend were flying to California to stay with Takumi over the winter break. But neither child has let us know if those plans jelled or not. Yoo-hoo! Would any child belonging to Tanya and Tetsu let us know you are safe!

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2005 New Year's Card. Changes in the year before... Our old dog, Shoko passed on leaving a big hole in our hearts. Takumi graduated from high school and went to California to start college. In the fall Tetsu and I picked up three kittens on our morning walk and we became a cat family. One kitten found a home and the other two were named Cleo and Patora. Zorro, who loved Shoko and Takumi never took well to the new kittens and lived up to his name by jumping from rooftop to car top to trees and disappearing into the forest.

Our picture that year was taken by a professional photographer in California and we took advantage of the chance to have our whole family photographed at the same time. We chose a park across the street from my brother's place and coordinated ourselves in white shirts and jeans. Pictures of Grandma and the grand kids, pictures of my brother's family, of our family, of my brother and my mother and me. While waiting for different poses the kids and my brother wrestled on the grass, getting grass stains on their white shirts and Takumi effectively breaking my brother's finger in the rough housing. Great memories and my brother still has the crooked finger to show for it!

Though our 2005 New Year's card picture hangs in our hallway, the whole family picture is a large one that has a place of honor in our living room.