A new deck, a pink rocking chair, and the number 40

Click to see video.

We went over to Ian's for dinner today. They just finished a new deck off of their spanking new kitchen, so we got to enjoy a beautiful evening outdoor dinner. Lots of playing in the yard beforehand. We hadn't seen them for a while, and I was quite surprised at how grown Julia looks. Maybe it was her new haircut, but she's no longer a toddler for sure! The video is of Tyler showing a new Aikido move with Ian as his opponent.

Ian and Izumi have a rocking chair they used for baby rocking/feeding that they handed over to us. They freshly painted it a spunky pink. The chair has quite a history: Ian and Izumi bought it in Tokyo from a chief executive of Disney Japan. They most likely shipped it from the USA to Tokyo. Ian and Izumi then shipped it to New Jersey when they first moved there...and now it comes to us. Thanks!

The other reason we visited today was it's Ian's birthday soon...and I may as well point out the "40" baseball cap he got from a celebration yesterday. A nice big 4-0. Dav and I got him Hungry Planet, a book I heard about on NPR. It's quite fascinating. Happy Birthday bro!

The last picture is really hard to see, but it's of a humming bird sitting on a nest just outside of Ian and Izumi's dining room. I've never seen a humming bird sit still for so long. How cute...diligently sitting there on the eggs.