Entries Tagged as 'kenji'

Christmas Dinner at Aunty Gail’s

December 28th, 2011 · No Comments


Brad, Amanda, Dallas, Aunty Gail


Doug, Tyler, Uncle BB, Eddy, Naoko, Aunty Laura


Brad & Aunty Glenna


Rachelle & Eddy


Heather & Eddy


Tommy & Mitch

On Christmas day we always go to Dallas’s Aunty Gail’s house out in Mount Prospect, IL. Every year Aunty Gail makes beef tenderloin, mashed potatoes, corn, green bean casserole and her mom’s lettuce/mayo/crab/pea salad. It never varies. Dessert varies because other people always bring different desserts, but Aunty Gail always makes her signature cookies. This year Naoko made a super light and airy cheesecake (usually it’s so dense and filling!), a chocolate cake and cream puffs. Naoko’s desserts are always fabulous, but Dallas and I both commented together about how great the cream puffs were. The custard was so delicious. Heather and I each brought candy trays. Mine should look familiar, since I’ve been featuring all the candy recipes here last week.


Christmas Dinner


Christmas Desserts


Kenji


Kate & Tommy


Kate, Ben, Tommy, Derek

This year there were relatively few (only 18!) people over for dinner. I think it’s the first year that we could all sit at the long table. The first year that I didn’t sit at a kiddie side table! After dinner, many other family members came over and we had the gift exchange. Every year Aunty Gail tells you a thousand times, “$10 gift bag, no junk, no junk!” Ok. Well, what can you really get for $10 that is not junk? This year she finally increased the limit to “$20 gift bag, no junk, no junk.” To be honest, I think I was already spending $15 on the gift bags anyway. And actually, the price increase helped a lot. There were many good gifts, and no junk, Aunty Gail, no junk.


Back: Uncle Neil, Uncle Peggy, Miko, John, Derek. Front: Winnie, Ben, Kyle, Kate.


Uncle BB, Aunty Glenna, Brad, Amanda, Tyler, Aly, Adam


Back: Jeff, Heather, Aunty Gail, Eddy, Doug, Naoko. Front: Chris, Mitch, Kenji, Tommy.


Back: Eddy, Mitch, Tyler, Chris, Derek, Ben. Front: Kenji, Kate, Tommy.


Eddy, Mitch, Tyler, Chris, Derek, Ben, Kate, Tommy, Kenji


Marty, Uncle Sonny, Brian


Siblings: Uncle Sonny, Aunty Laura, Uncle BB, Aunty Gail, Uncle Neil


Siblings: Uncle Sonny, Aunty Laura, Uncle BB, Aunty Gail, Uncle Neil


Uncle Sonny, Aunty Laura, Uncle BB, Aunty Glenna, Aunty Gail, Aunty Peggy, Uncle Neil


Rachelle, Aunty Laura, Dallas


Brad, Aly, Dallas


Trying to get all the cousins in one shot.


May be more difficult than the kids!


Someone with Heather’s camera got this good shot I snagged. Back: Marty, Winnie, Kyle, Brian, John, Doug, Dallas, Amanda, Brad, Heather, Jeff. Front: Naoko, Miko, Aly, Rachelle.

This year all of the golfers were fighting over a package that they thought were a pair of golf gloves. Dallas ended up with it in the end and guess what? It was a Coach key chain. Score for me! When it was Winnie’s turn to pick a gift she let one of the kids pick and they picked a very large box, which is not ideal because she lives in California and would have to travel home. So when it was my turn to pick I took her big box. It ended up being an amaryllis bulb, which I’ve always wanted to try growing, so score again for me! There were a few boxes and tiny gift bags that people thought were going to be bags of rice. Usually Aunty Gail will put a few pieces of rice in a Ziploc and wrap it and then the gift is 20 pounds of rice. Dallas always wants this gift because it’s something he can actually use. Most of the small, light gifts this year turned out to be gift cards. Aunty Gail’s gift was actually a Shake Weight that Aunty Glenna got. I don’t know how there are no photos of her, or the many people who tried it out, but it was hilarious, as you can imagine.


Aly & Eddy


Gift Exchange


Eddy playing with the Potty Putter.

As always, amazing to see how the family is growing every year. And great to visit with everyone!

Previous Christmases at Aunty Gail’s:

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Goodbye Cory & Chris

October 10th, 2011 · No Comments


The truck was just a little bit gigantic!


Cory, Chris & Aunty Laura strategizing.


Doug played a lot of box Tetris inside the truck. Danny did a lot of heavy lifting.


Brad, Danny, Doug, Chris, Uncle BB, Kevin, Aunty Gail, Eddy, Bonnie


Tommy and Kenji had a ball running up and down the ramp. Look at mean Uncle Danny, though. He made them stop.


Meanwhile their brother Eddy chilled out with their grandma in the middle of the chaos.


Steve, Kevin, Doug, Chris, Danny, Uncle BB, Jeremy


Full truck. Time to make some tough decisions about what goes, what stays! Doug, Kevin, Chris, Steve


Eddy was born in January, Tyler in August. So much bigger than even a month ago!


Cory & Me. Some family members wouldn’t talk to me with that shirt on, but the game was that night!

On Sunday Cory and Chris had a Load The Truck/Moving party. Chris got a job in Vail, CO and actually left more than a month ago to work there. In the meantime, Cory packed up all their things. Chris came back this weekend to get her and all their stuff. They rented a truck and are driving out to Vail with their dog, Zoe.

I arrived to the party about an hour late and thought I would have missed a big chunk of the loading, but the truck wasn’t even there yet! And there were only about 8 people and 3 of them were pregnant (Caroline, Toni, Chris’s sister)! There was so much stuff, I thought we would be there all night. Slowly people showed up, all hoping they’d missed the bulk, but they did not! Aunty Laura said that is how the family works, but reminded me that Cory is a part of the family too and she knows that about everyone! haha. It turned out that everyone did their fair share of heavy lifting… well, except the pregnant girls, babies, and older aunties.

Dallas was on a flight to South Carolina for work, so I was there on my own and was willing to do whatever I needed to. Cory helped us when we moved to Roscoe Village and she and Chris have helped us with other things on numerous occasions, so we owed them that. Luckily it went pretty fast once we got going. I don’t think everything made it into the truck, though. I was sort of hoping the bike roof rack wouldn’t make it or this cool trunk they have wouldn’t and I’d be forced to take it for…. safe keeping.. but alas, those things fit in. They’ll be towing a car on the back of the truck, so hopefully they can fit some things in there too.

After the moving was done, we all had dinner. Aunty Laura made a whole spread of her famous flank steak, chili, salad, mac n cheese, cone sushi, char sui, and all sorts of things. Naoko made an Italian cream cake and like always, it was delicious!

Good luck, Chris and Cory! You guys will be missed!

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Doug & Naoko’s Labor Day Party

September 4th, 2011 · No Comments


Yesterday we went to Doug & Naoko’s annual Labor Day barbecue. Dallas and I hadn’t seen the Chicago suburbs family since New Years Day! Actually, Aunty Gail was at our wedding, but everyone else… it had been a long time. I don’t know how 8 months flew by, but it was good to see everyone.


Heather & Tyler, Rachelle & Eddy

It was not so long ago that Heather’s kids were the youngest in the family. SO not the case these days. Her oldest Chris is the same age as my niece Stephanie: 15. Her younger boy Mitch is 12 (I think?). I remember saying something to Chris about “when you were 9 blah blah blah.” Then thinking “9? no way!” But it’s true. I have known those kids, this family, for more than 7 years now.

At the barbecue, I met the two newest members of the family. Tyler is Brad and Amanda’s baby and is one month old. Eddy is Doug and Naoko’s youngest and is 8 months old.


Aunty Glenna, Cory, Caroline, Naoko, Rachelle, Aunty Laura, Amanda, Heather

Many of the ladies of the family. Aunty Glenna is celebrating her 30th wedding anniversary with Uncle BB today and is a brand new grandmother. Cory is moving to Vail in a month or two. Her husband Chris is already there. Caroline is pregnant and due February 10th. Naoko has 3 sons – Tommy is 5, Kenji is 2, and Eddy is 8 months. Me, newlywed. Aunty Laura is expecting her second grandchild in February. Everyone thinks it will be a boy. All of the kids of that generation are boys (except 1? Kate?) Amanda just had baby Tyler a month ago. Heather likes to hold babies (holding baby Tyler in this photo).


Sal, Brad, Danny

A bunch of the guys golfed all day. Aunty Gail was with them too. I heard she was the best golfer of the bunch. Probably the most sober too. Coincidence? After golfing I found a bunch of the guys standing around by the grills. Typical. Danny will forever be the designated grill chief now. They know he worked in a vegetarian restaurant, right?


Caroline, Aunty Laura, Aunty Glenna, Cory, Heather, Tyler, Amanda (hiding behind flowers), Aly, Aly’s boyfriend, Naoko manning the stove

From the grill area I took this spy cam photo of the kitchen. I think only Aly saw me!

In the living room Ghostbusters was on. I thought this was a perfectly innocent movie, but the kids started getting all riled up saying there were ghosts in the basement and running after each other acting like ghosts. Some parents were worried their kids were going to have nightmares. A while later the TV was switched to college football.

Another shot of the living room. I can count about 10 kids in this photo. There were even more at the party. See what I’m saying about Mitch and Chris not being the kids any more? In this photo of my first Labor Day BBQ at Doug & Naoko’s there are 3 kids. Joey and Marietta’s two girls and baby Vince (Matt & Jen). If you add on Chris and Mitch, that’s 5. That number has at least tripled, I think. Well, and it’s not all family. Doug and Naoko’s friends have a lot of kids now too.

Even though there were 8 kids on the couch, Dallas and Sal still caught some ZZZZs. Not when Charlotte (Sal & Kim’s) took a liking to Dallas though. She’s the girl laying down on the right side of the photo with the navy and striped dress on. I was sitting out in the screen porch and every time I looked into the living room she was climbing on his shoulders, putting a stuff animal on his head, sticking her fingers in his face, etc. Once she was even giving him a back massage. Who’s this girl?!?! hhaha. Dallas said that Charlotte was calling him Uncle Joey for a while. Because he looks so much like Joey, a tall white blonde. See the 5th photo down, here. When Kim told her to tell Dallas goodbye as they were leaving she said “Bye, Alice!” So funny.

All in all another great barbecue. Noako put out some delicious food, as always! Great to see everyone again.

Doug & Naoko like to have a Labor Day party every year. Here are some photos from years past:

- 2005: we played a lot of horseshoes
- 2006: Jordan brought fresh smoked salmon from Alaska. He’d just been on a trip there.
- 2007: No Party? Or just no photo or post?
- 2008: Lots of kids. First year I noticed that?
- 2009: Also celebrated Aunty Gail’s retirement. One more photo from that year.
- 2010: Doug & Naoko have a new house

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New Years Day

January 2nd, 2011 · No Comments

As we do most years, this year we spent New Years Eve at Dallas’s cousin Jeff and his wife Heather’s house in Schaumburg. We always sit at home hungover on New Years Day and debate whether we should go or not. One of the biggest motivating factors for me is always the pork shumai they make. They’re not like the traditional pork shumai that I get when I order in restaurants, more like a pork dumpling, but they are so delicious. Heather and Dallas’s Aunty Gail make so many that it’s basically all-you-can-eat pork shumai, plus they always send some home with us. We also always have homemade maki sushi, cone sushi, sashimi, somen, mochi soup, chicken salad, char siu, teriyaki chicken, and about 100 other things, including a red bean for luck. .. but it’s those pork dumplings that I load up on. Then sit for a few hours, then eat some more. It does wonders for the hangovers. .. though I am starting to wonder if I’ll always associate this dumpling with being a hangover cure!

This year most of the kids were all in the downstairs playroom for almost the entire party. We played with Hideto a bunch. He’s visiting from California and is about 4 years old. I think the play room was a little much for him, so he was up in the living room. Fun kid. He can totally do this belly roll from the top of his belly all the way down and is happy to demonstrate! We also played a lot with Kenji, who is 2 years old. Kenji has always been a major mommy’s boy, but this time we played football with him in the living room using a little water bottle for a loong time. This is probably the most open to people as he’s ever been. It will be interesting to see what happens when his mom, Naoko, has the new baby in just over a week!

Basically we ate, watched football (Badgers lost in the Rose Bowl), played with whatever kids were in the living room, ate more, and watched more football. Oh, and drank sake whenever Jeff came around with it. This is about how New Years goes every year, which is totally fine by me! Can’t wait for next year’s shumai!

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Christmas Dinner at Aunty Gail’s

December 28th, 2010 · No Comments


Cory, Miko, John


Kenji, Hideto and Derek playing the super-old pinball machine


Tickle fight with Tommy


Dallas & Rachelle. I don’t know why I’m so squinty. Wine?


As you can see, the kids were really focused on eating dinner (Tommy & Kenji)


Mitch & Hideto


Cory, Chris, Aunty Laura, Scotty, Krystyn, Hideto. In the front: Danny & Caroline.


Chris won the prize for figuring out how to fold up the chairs.


Aunty Glenna and Uncle BB


Trying to assemble for a family photo.


This always takes a while.


Getting closer…..


Almost there….


Made it! (Photo by Heather)
Back: Jeff, Heather, John, Kyle, Miko, Dallas, Chris, Caroline, Danny, Chris, Aly, Brad, Amanda, Cory.
Middle: Uncle Neil, Kate, Aunty Gail, Kenji, Aunty Peggy, Derek, Aunty Laura, Hideto, Uncle BB, Aunty Glenna.
Front: Doug, Naoko, Tommy, Mitch, Ben, Winnie, Rachelle


Dallas, Hideto, Cory


Kenji


Tommy


Some of the older kids help facilitate the gift exchange.


Derek, Chris, Mitch


Gift exchange in full swing.


Amanda and Brad. Brad got bacon popcorn that we brought.


Danny got Spam in the gift exchange.


Mitch & Chris


Tommy & Kenji


Dallas with his rice. (Photo by Heather)

On Christmas day we always go to Dallas’s Aunty Gail’s house out in Mount Prospect, IL. Every year Aunty Gail makes beef tenderloin, mashed potatoes, corn, green bean casserole and her mom’s lettuce/mayo/crab/pea salad. It never varies. Dessert varies because other people always bring different desserts, but Aunty Gail always makes her signature cookies. Now, I’m not complaining that it doesn’t vary, because it’s not like I’m eating steak and potatoes every night! And dinner always tastes super good.

After dinner all of the adults have a $10 gift exchange. There were a lot of people participating in the gift exchange this year. 25, I think, but it wasn’t very crazy at all. Not compared to some of the other years. We’re going to have to kick it up a notch next year. This year I came out with some votives and Dallas got a big bag of rice. Actually, he got something else and traded for the rice. He always wants that rice gift that Aunty Gail puts in every year.

This year it was amazing to see all the kids in the family. .. and more on the way!

Previous Christmases at Aunty Gail’s:
- 2009
- 2008
- 2007
- 2006
- 2005

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