We love our cows!

We took another trip out to the dairy farm last weekend. The farm is located in the town of Shigaraki, renown across Japan for its pottery artisans. We headed to Shigaraki to visit our friends, but also to meet with an artist to learn more about his trade.

We missed our train, but made the best of it by picnicking at the station!

It was a beautiful spring day- so we opened the windows and enjoyed the warm breeze!!

Ahhh, so nice to be back at the farm again!!

Before dinner, we met with some friends of the family at their small house on the property. The babes, as always, were the center of attention...

...and Ray had fun teaching the big basketball fans a trick or two...

Yamada san with his little Sophie...

Their style of doing ceramics is so primitive compared to what I've experienced in the States, and thus I feel a true identity erupts from their work. All of the kilns are dug into the ground, and the pottery is fired by building a very hot fire and tending to it for about a week...

The entire family takes part in the factory to get milk and yogurt and other products bottled...

We loved walking on the property...

Our little calves...

Tani san is the farm baker, and had ordered a pound of lavender from Purple Haze to create new lavender baked goods. He gave us a cheesecake that knocked our socks off!

He packages them for sale so lovely...

Sleepy Man...

I caught this little guy as he fell asleep sitting up!!! He has been sucking his thumb a bit more these days, and always loves to find the tag of his blankie to hold in the other hand. I love how he slowly just falls over to a sweet sleep at the end of the second video...

I laugh every time I watch this...

Silly Critters...

Snuggle Bugs...

One of my favorite things recently has been our little ones love for snuggling. Knowing that this phase may pass faster than I would like, I have been taking full advantage of the little tender heads resting on my chest. Our little man, especially, loves to lay his head down on Mama for some cuddles. It's amazing to see the two little ones fight for the best positioning on me. Thank goodness I have two arms! How deeply I love these precious little creatures...

Tambourine Man...

I opened up the door to their bedroom this morning, only to find my little man like this:

He thought he was pretty special, and kept it on all morning...

Sophie got jealous so she tried to put the box on her head...

So Sweet...

This was the first time we have gotten together with our friends Chiharu and Edward since their darling little boy Teiva was born. Chiharu's delivery doctor was Yokota sensei, the same doc who delivered my little kiddos... and she even stayed in the same room at the hospital that I did! Believe me, there was no way to describe the many memories that came flooding back when I visited her in that room post-delivery...

Anyway, on Monday the 7 of us- 4 adults and 3 little ones- enjoyed a lunch together at our apartment and then went for a stroll down by the lake. To our luck, our friends from Kyoto happened to be enjoying their day by the lake as well!! Vanessa, Taiji and their adorable boy Kaito joined us for a sweet treat at the lakeside cafe...

And boy was it sweet!! We splurged by ordering parfaits and hot drinks, all presented with such class and beauty...

Cinnamon chai...

Pudding parfait...

Some time with little Teiva...

Ed and Chi...

A very hardworking new Mama getting a deserved break...

Taiji, Vanessa and Kaito...

Little lady with a cinnamon stick!

Sol and Taiji...

What a MARVELOUS day! I come to find that Tuesday was Edward's birthday and he did'nt even mention it! Well, happy birthday to you, Edward. Thank you for celebrating with us!

Steam Buns...

When my friend Michi showed up to one of the games with tofu and sesame steam buns, I didn't know what to think. What I did discover was that the babes loved them and that the slightly sweet, moist buns made for the perfect snack. She sent me home with a recipe (which I barely followed) and a bamboo steamer! I didn't know you could "bake" bread by the method of steam!! This is a simple answer to the oven-less world over here....

I made pumpkin buns- no butter, oil or sugar included!! With some added wheat germ and flax seeds, these little muffins have become a perfect morning treat!