Baby Updates

So, things are going great with the pregnancy.  Our little girl is already weighing 3 lbs 4 oz.  I love how it takes me gaining 20 lbs for her to gain 3 and we still have more to go.  

We are so excited and can't wait for this little gal to get here.

"The Shy Project"

Okay, so I thought I better share this with everyone because Tayson says this kind of stuff all the time and it's definitely a good laugh.

Yesterday I was taking Tayson to preschool and I had a Dr. Appt.  Lately when I've taken Tayson to school he has acted like he is shy and hides behind my legs stuff like that until the teacher comes over and welcomes him and invites him into class.  Well, in the car on the way to school, I told him that he couldn't do the whole shy thing today or I would be late for my appointment.  His reply was he has been working on the "Shy Project".  I was shocked and asked him what the shy project was.  He says he acts like he is shy, so he can see what people will do.  I tried so hard to keep a straight face because this study was obviously very important to him.  I don't know what's going on in that little brain of his, but it blows me away.  These are definitely moments when I'm so thankful to be a mom.  

 

Friends Abroad

We have had so much fun Doing Friends Abroad.  It is such a great opportunity to get to know the Japanese people and to really grow to love them.

This is Yuruki, Erika & Mami.  We had so much fun having them with us today.  We had a BBQ at a friends house with their students, we made gingerbread houses and watched Polar Express.  These girls were so much fun and Jay (no pics with him he had to go to work) was able to be there, so between Tayson and Jay they couldn't stop laughing.
This is Takuya, Masaki and Kanako.  We had such a great time playing miniature golf, pool and Fussball with them and they couldn't believe how big the ice cream cones were that we got at TCBY.  It was great to teach them how to give a "high 5" when we were playing the games.

Jay's Work Christmas Party

December 1st we had Jay's work Christmas party.  It had a 70's theme, but we didn't know, so we didn't dress up.  We had a lot of fun.  It's nice to be able to put faces with the names of people that Jay tells me about.  Justin is one of Jay's buddies we hang with.  We liked his sweet shirt.  We had a really nice dinner then Jay won a prize and it was a cool Gong and 4 Japanese mugs.  We danced for a while and just had fun.  

Thanksgiving

                                                                                                                                                                                        

We had a lot of fun on Thanksgiving.  We really missed being with family but we were able to spend time with our church family.  We went to the district Thanksgiving dinner at the high school.  I made my first cherry pie and it turned out pretty good.  After the meal we played volleyball in the gym.  We has some friends from the dinner, Sam and Lisa Jones, invite us over to play games.  We loved it.  We played Settlers of Catan while the kids played dress-up and legos.  It was a very fun-filled day.  I can't believe we never even took naps.  Isn't that a requirement?  We were definitely exhausted by the end of the night.  Thankfully Tayson was as worn-out as we were so we were able to sleep in the next day. 

What I'm Thankful for

Hi, 

a friend of mine did this and I thought it was a great idea.

Since it is the Thanksgiving season I wanted to let you know what I'm thankful for.

-Family.  Jay and Tayson are the greatest blessings in my life.  They bring me the most happiness.  I have such wonderful family members.  Both my own family and the family I married into.  They each have great characteristics and add so much fun and variety to my life.  

-Friends.  My friends have always been there for me and I'm lucky to have some of the most loyal and understanding friends anyone could ever find.

-Jesus Christ.  Without his teachings, guidance and example I would be lost.  I owe him everything.

-Air Force.  Being a part of the Air Force has helped our family in many ways.  Although times can be tough, the blessings far outweigh the sacrafices. 

-There are so many more things I'm thankful for.  I'm thankful that we have Thanksgiving to reflect on our many blessings.  I hope we can all show Gratitude to our Heavenly Father every day for all he has given us not just once a year.  

"Friends Abroad"

We joined a really fun group called "Friends Abroad".  Students come from the mainland of Japan to learn about Okinawa and for one day come spend the day with an American family to learn about American culture.  We have had them come 2 times now and have had a great time.  The first time we had the 2 girls above, Haruka and Saori.  We took them to eat at Chili's, shopping at the BX, played board games and made cookies.  We had a fun time and they loved Tayson.  The 2nd time we had the boys, Ryu, Hiroyuki and Nobuyuki.  This time we knew a little bit more of what to expect and had even a better time.  We took them to see the jets, shopping at the BX, played video games, made hamburgers, went to the park and taught them how to play football, miniature golfing and went to TCBY for ice cream.  It was such a great day and by the end we were sad to see them go.  The kids spoke fairly good English.  Occasionally we had communication issues, but for the most part we figured it out.  (No thanks to me, my Japanese is extremely limited)  The boys loved Tayson and by the end of the day were calling him crazy boy because he would do crazy stuff to make them laugh.  They actually warmed up enough to us to give us hugs goodbye (very huge breakthrough for Japanese people because they don't show public display of affection).  We have signed up several more times to have kids come because it's such a good experience.  (Plus they pay us which is why we can take them out to do activities)

Aquarium

 Saturday, November 3rd we went to the Aquarium and had a great time.  It's the 2nd largest in the world big enough to hold a Whale Shark (largest shark).  There was a dolphin show and many other fun things to do and see.  All three of us had a blast because we love marine life.  We were  amazed at all the beautiful fish they had and couldn't believe the size of some of them.  We saw a giant lobster that looked to be around 3 feet long.  We also saw some Garden Eels and they just looked like a bunch of eels the size of worms sticking their heads out of the ground like plants.  What a great time.

Halloween 2007

We had a great Halloween this year.  We went to three parties and by the time trick or treating came around Tayson was pretty much halloweened out.  Jay and I had fun being pirates and Tayson was a really cool ninja.  This is the 2nd year I've made his costume and I really enjoy doing it.  (no pattern either pretty sweet).

Jay went to this awesome tattoo artist "Kara" to really get into the spirit.  Kind of funny but a few people thought it was real and weren't quite sure whether to ask him.  I thought Jay had a "Jack Sparrow hot guy" thing going on, so I kept checking him out all night.  I got 2nd prize in the costume contest for our branch party.  I think it was the hairy chest (can't really tell in picture).  What a great holiday to dress up and be a little crazy.

Tae Kwon Do

Yesterday Tayson had Tae Kwon Do and really impressed me.  He has gone from being the one that doesn't listen (and the teacher knows his name all too well)  to the one that the teacher calls on to show the class how to do something.  At the beginning of class they stretch and the teacher counts to 10 in Korean.  Well, yesterday he called on Tayson to count and it just blew me away that he could do it.  I had never heard him do it before.  I was beaming with pride.  He has come so far and I'm impressed with the great things he has learned there besides Tae Kwon Do.  I love at the end when they recite the tenets of Tae Kwon Do.  Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self Control and Indomitable Spirit.  And how he has learned to do things right as the teacher asks and states "YES SIR".  What a great way to get ready for school.  

Snorkeling in Japan

October 12th, 20007 we went snorkeling at Maeda Flats on Okinawa Japan.  We had a great time looking at all the different fish, invertabrates and coral.  We saw my favorite the Picasso Triggerfish.  I downloaded a picture so you could see what it looks like.  Tayson did a really good job keeping his head under for a long time.  He's getting so much better at breathing through his snorkel and not getting scared.  I wish I had more pictures but the battery died on the camera.