Some Family Fun Time

Well, so far some of our favorite things to do honestly are just normal family stuff. The plum blossoms are starting to bloom, my neighbor's tree has pretty white blossoms all over it now. The cherry blossoms on base haven't bloomed yet but off base you can spot a smattering of trees with delicate pink and yellow blossoms here and there. The yellow blossom trees are really pretty because the trunks are kind of twisty and look as if they've been rubbed with an antique finish. We spent all last weekend working on our box gardens. We have zucchini, peppers, basil, tomatoes and strawberries. Our neighbors came over to help and the kids of course had a lot of fun playing in the dirt. Yesterday we tried out "Costco in Japan." What an odd experience to be someplace so familiar but not anywhere near home. It is literally exactly like Costco in the states. A few extra food items you wouldn't find stateside, but everything else is the same. They even had maple syrup, in large containers! I guess an interesting twist on the norm would be their ready to cook meals. For example, Costco pizza, Japanese style, with shrimp and corn on top. Also, they had really yummy looking options like bulgogi, the Korean style beef that is delicious. And of course, in true Costco efficiency, despite the crowd, the lines moved fast and quick. One thing that always gets me is how cashiers accept and count cash here. Their movements are exactly the same whether you are at a convenient store, a grocery store, a mall, or a crowded place like Costco. They snap the bills you hand them before placing each one in the register drawer. They snap the bills between their fingers as they count each one back to you, and display the money in their hand so it's clear that the amount is exact and correct. Your items, be it food or material items of any nature, are never tossed or slid or thunked down in your bag, but handled with, what feels like extreme care and concern. We are certainly living in the land of manners . . . except when you need a seat on a crowded train, hee hee. We finished off yesterday with our "Slumber Party Saturday." We were trying to find something fun we could do weekly that could become a family tradition, and I think by accident it kind of found us. We fold out our little futon and turn on a movie, make popcorn or some fun dessert, and have a slumber party. Last night the end result was two sleeping kiddos who made it through half the movie. Their picture says it all. So today, the sun is out and , and I think Walter is going to take us to a lake he found yesterday morning on his run. Hope everyone is having a nice weekend too. Love you all!

Shiofune Kannonji

A trip to Shiofune Kannonji Temple with the Straus family. Gabe was at preschool, his last day until April 9th, as the Japanese school year ends this time of year. They have a two week spring vacation and then return to school. This temple is beautiful, I think from the photos I've seen it will be really something once the azaleas are blooming. The sunny weather, though very windy, was welcome. I'm pretty sure my favorite picture is my pigtail girl. It was so windy she wanted her hood on outside, thus hiding the piggies. But once we got back in the car, the hood came off, and i got my picture. I amuse myself with just how cute I think they are. And she likes them now too, so no more tears. For now, right? Hee hee.

A Beautiful Sunny Sunday

You know, when the sunshine smiles down on me it really makes my day and I hope many others! Today was just that. it actually was not sunny when we woke up, but by 11:00 the sun was out in full force, and we were walking around an awesome park about ten minutes away with new friends. For those back home, think of Woodward Park but a bit larger, and I'm told with a water park, though we didn't see it today. We did see the Japanese Gardens and we played on the rainbow hammocks. Notice the shoes set on the ground, no shoes allowed on the hammocks. Loved that! Anyways, I have found my oasis in the middle of the desert; my heart is happy. This park makes you feel like you are out in the middle of nature . . . OK, the paved pathways and numerous bathrooms sure are handy but still, it's peaceful and green, NO buildings, NO cars, NO concrete. It's lovely. And hey, when you are a pregnant lady numerous bathrooms aren't such a bad thing. Two additional cool things worth noting in the later part of our day were: while taking a bike ride on base, as we crossed the flight line, we rode under 4 gigantic helicopters coming in for a landing. That was pretty cool, I must admit. The other awesome thing was . . . our hot dogs buns coming out bee-U-tiful! haven't tasted them yet . . . I know, crazy! But I already brushed my teeth, and toothpaste kills the flavor in everything. So tomorrow we'll warm them up in the oven and hopefully taste something delicious! It was a cooperative effort and so far, from the look of the final product and smell of our house, I think it was a success.

I hope everyone had (or has, for those back home) a lovely Sunday too.

Love to everyone!

Getting Ready for Preschool

So, I have Gabe all signed up for preschool and he is so excited! Today we went to Joyful Honda (that store with all the dogs I mentioned earlier), and bought some key supplies. One of which serves a rather serious purpose but I'm sure will strike a question when you see it. The question is (of course asked politely just for clarification), "The pillow will protect their heads from falling objects? " The answer, you get with a smile is, "We would of course prefer a helmet but there isn't space to store a helmet for each child." When you see the facilities, with everything put in its place and space used to the max, this line of reasoning makes perfect sense. There indeed wouldn't be space for helmets. So, we purchased our bo zai zu kin today for Gabe, and he loved it. (Bo Zai Zu Kin: translation - a soft pillow covering used for head protection during an earthquake) I figure it will add some protection, noise muffling, and of course, the hope that it will only be needed for practice drills; especially listening to people remissness about Tomodachi as the one year anniversary approaches of the devastating 9.0 earthquake last year. He also got his thermos with a strap so each student can carry their own easily on walks to parks, and his lunch case with a fork, spoon, and chopsticks. He'll get to experience Japanese cuisine three times a week and take his lunch (equally fun) two days a week. I am excited to hear what he thinks about the food and see if he develops a taste for it. I think he will, it will just take some time.

In other news, I put Genna's hair up in her first pony tail, much to her dismay. This is Aunt Lauri's new favorite picture of her. However she came around to it (as shown in picture number two) and was very pleased at the comments she received. She totally understood what people where saying when they complimented her hair. And for those who might think this is totally cruel I guess it might seem so, but her hair is so fly away long that I thought she might like it out of her face, which I think she did once she forgot about it being there. I only use soft bands so there's no hair pulling, and I only put up what I can get in one quick motion, trying very hard not to pull any little hairs. Walter still claims her hair is the source of her powers and let it just be wild! I agree . . . but . . . a mom has to try, right?

The rain has come to stay for a bit it seems. It hasn't stopped since yesterday. The good news is we should start seeing cherry blossoms and plum blossoms beginning to bloom as the we near the end of March. Accompanying this should be festivals in Fussa, right out the gates, which means we can walk to them. I am really excited about that. I remember the festivals fondly, especially when the blossoms are blooming. Plus, I should hopefully have my camera by then! Yeah!!! Looooong story . . . don't ask.

Ok . . . so there's my update for now. Next thing on my personal list is to visit an onsen. Friends have said I can take Genna and the doctors say its fine so I'm going to do that. I hope it's as nice as I remember . . . and that I will not have some funny story to share after going! :-)

Sayonara friends and family!

Miss you all!