This year the big event of the day was Lucy winning a prize at one of the game booths…a kitty cat! She has had luck on the ‘wheel of fortune’ two years in a row. Yay Lucy! I think you’ve found your game!

“Nice hairdo, Daddy!”
— Lucy smiling (after I’d made an effort to look less unkempt). When I asked if she was making fun of me, she said without hesitation: “Yes!”

Last weekend we met some good friends at the San Jose Obon Festival.

Lucy’s been to a few Obons in her time (she’s 3 and a half, ya know) so she’s an old pro now. (She even has her own yukata.)

In addition to seeing the sites, playing games, having her parents chase her to and fro, and chowing down, Lucy participated in her first Bon Odori dance. She was very excited about it.

The San Jose Bon Odori was huge, with hundreds of people. Lucy had a blast attempting to duplicate the movements of all the dancers. I think she did an admirable job, though her concentration may have wavered a bit in parts.

Pics:

The kid will be busting her yukata out again this weekend for another festival. Actually, I think she also has a birthday party to attend, so her dance card will be full for the next couple of days. I’ll make sure to bring along my trusty camcorder.

Video:

SJ Obon Festival from Mike C on Vimeo.

Here’s a pic of Lucy and I with some cool cards she made with her mom. It looks like some bed-head made it into this pic!

Here’s a pic of us playing Lucy’s current favorite game. Wubie always pops up whenever we bust out the board games. Also, a close-up of a Valentine’s Day card.

Feeling inspired, Lucy ran up to her easel and drew “Mommy Holding a Valentine.” She was very proud of it. Her style is changing so much as she grows up, getting much more representational.

Above you can also see how Wubert got “volunteered” for our newspaper pirate hat show.

More drawing, along with a visit with Gma Vita (where we found some time to watch a bit of Pawn Stars.) If you look close, you can see that Gma is holding her own card.

More hat pics.

Here are some pics of the kid doing Yoga along with her Nintendo Wii. She’s actually pretty good at it (a lot better than her dad, that’s for sure!) However, I think Wubert is the best at doing the Savasana.

More Yoga pics are available here.

2009 Palo Alto Obon Festival from Mike C on Vimeo.

Hey, didn’t I just post an Obon Festival video? Well, here’s another one. This video was taken at the Palo Alto Obon Festival held at the PA Buddhist Temple this past weekend.

Lucy got all dressed up for this one (her Mom knows what the outfit is called). We had a lot of fun. We saw Gpa Peter for a bit, had some shaved ice and fries, saw some Taiko drums, and played a few games. Lucy even won (another) cat! Woohoo, just toss it onto the stuffed cat pile we have at home, kid.

Camera Used: Creative Vado HD.

2009 Mountain View Obon Festival from Mike C on Vimeo.

Here’s a video to go along with Jill’s previous post on our day at the 2009 Mountain View Obon Festival.

Camera Used: Creative Vado HD. Soundtrack:

• “Travelin’” and “Steeplechase Lane” from The Essential Chet Atkins by Chet Atkins

Drums! Rainbow shave ice! games for kids!

Lucy was excited about all these things in anticipation of the Obon fest this weekend…and it did not disappoint.

In the games area Lucy fished for ducks many times, and won two superballs and a pinwheel.

Next on the list: rainbow shave ice! what a delight! always reminds us of Hawaii…

She was really into the drums, dancing and bobbing to the beat, and in the kid’s area, even tried her hand at drumming. A future taiko drummer? who knows!

She also got a balloon animal, from this very creative and talented balloon animal crafter…

Last year we went to 2 Obons, once with Grandmommy and Gpa. Obon is all about family and remembering your loved ones and ancestors, so it was a perfect day to remember our love for Gmommy.