Mark

This dude is unstoppable these days. Mark is going to turn three and a half at the end of June—he is this little man that is trying to be like his bigger siblings.

Last summer, when he was two and a half, I bought him a tricycle thinking he’d learn to ride it before winter. He had no interest in it. So this summer, the tricycle was too small. He found big kids’ scooters and was attempting to ride those.

I really didn’t want to buy a new bicycle for him before we move since everything gets really rusty here fast, but I couldn’t help it at the end. He is so happy with his new two wheeler (with training wheels)!

And yes, that’s Alex behind him on that tiny bicycle with “training wheels” that we found at the curb (someone was throwing it away). Don’t worry, it went back to the curb soon after this picture was taken.

“That was a short ride…”—Mark still loves to go on all crazy slides and roller coasters. Unfortunately, we don’t have many amusement parks nearby, except maybe roller slides.

And Mark loves airplanes. It might have something to do with living on an air base and seeing airplanes and jets almost every day.

Oh, and Mark is quite a performer himself. His dance moves look a lot like Alex’s (not sure if it’s a great thing) and he loves to sing songs lately. Katya made this fancy microphone for him out of our music stand and a play microphone.

And this is a picture from our latest trip to Hachinohe’s buffet style restaurant where you can make your own cotton candy. Mark made this blog himself. Just a fun picture:).

Mark is super excited to be moving. He tells everyone he meets , “We are moving to England and I am going to go to soccer school!”.  He hasn’t been going to a regular preschool this last half a year because there were no openings on base and he was growing out of Japanese preschool. He could have started real Japanese school, but that would have been only for a few months and it’s a full day 8:30 till 14:00 kind of schedule. So he and I have been hanging out a lot, always going places—that’s why he is my go-go-go kid, always wants to go somewhere.

It’s kind of fun to think that the only life he can remember is life in Japan. He loves to play with Japanese kids, but he now sees very clearly the differences between Japanese and American kids.

He still loves eating bell peppers and carrots as well as bread from Japanese bakery and fish crackers. Well, and cotton candy. Cannot wait to see how his life will change when we move!