Eightfold

Landmines!

2012-01-13T07:46:00.001-08:00

Brought to you by Ezekiel Buchanan.

Where do I begin?

2012-01-11T15:14:00.000-08:00

After a few months with "slow" internet we bit the bullet and are paying to move a little faster in cyberspace. I must admit that I missed the "speed". Best of all now I can download some pictures.

Today's update has a few pics from the holidays.

We had a Happy Thanksgiving with Kent's family!

We spent some time out on Vashon. It was beautiful, in November?

We had a race up the sandhill.

I lost.

A week later we made a trip to Portland.

We visited OMSI the Science Center there. We are members of the Pacific Science Center so it was free and VERY fun!

Once again I did a horrible job of taking pictures at Christmas time. Here is all I've got! Decorating our free tree.

It was planted by an obliging squirrel a few years back.

Might be funny looking but we'll take the price drop!

That's all I have time for today.

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

We are Alive

2011-11-12T15:38:00.000-08:00

In-laws sent a temporary computer!

So, here is a brief update of the past few months.

As I am unfamilar with this little computer I cannot seem to get my pictures lined up.

So...first off we have the lovely Brooke. Lauren and I threw her a little shower awhile back. It sure was fun!

There was a sippy cup race!

.and presents

and flowers from Mom's Yard.

We have been doing ALOT of soccer.

Picking the fruit of Aunt Bren and Erika's labor

Doing the Puyallup

Having a field trip to the Pacific Science Center

and wrapping up our last FREEZING game.

Hopefully the next update will be sooner than later!

Computer Joys

2011-09-21T10:15:00.000-07:00

So, the first day of school BOTH of the computers decided to act up.

My Electronic Tech hubby dismantled both and tried to help them.

My dear Laptop still needs help though.

The big computer works but it is much slower at uploading pics and such.

So, I can't guarantee how often we will be getting those on here.

Life has been full.

We are having fun doing school @ home.

Learning lots about fractions, diagramming sentences and the Solar System.

We are still having fun running our little farm.

Gideon is doing great playing soccer.

And this afternoon we are hoping to Do the Puyallup!

Happy Wednesday to you all.

Just in the Nick of Time

2011-09-07T11:58:00.001-07:00

With summer winding down we had a few things to fit in.

Of course a Mariners game was in order.

Uncle Hat bought Dad some tickets for his birthday.

Had to get a pic of Mr. Suzuki from our great seats.

Happy Birthday Dad!

We also decided that a short camping trip was in order.

So worth the 15 bucks!

Destination was Ohanapacosh in Mt. Rainier National Park

Within minutes of arrival our feet looked like this!

My fearless 2 year old trailblazer

Preparing to take the plunge

Made the crossing

Too cold for Zeke

Daddy came back and gave him a free ride.

Destination: BIG rock

Our Campsite

We had the cutest little creek running behind us but I forgot to get a picture.

Zeke's Lasso

A little morning milk from our cereal and a lot of "war paint" to decorate our face

Day 2 hiking down to a fun sandbar and swimmin' hole.

Brrrrr

Kent cliff jumping

Pretty soon Eli and Gideon were jumping too.

Hard to leave such a beautiful place!

Made it back though in time to start school the next morning.

So far we are having lots of fun.

Speaking of which...better get back to it......lunch break is over!

A FOND FAREWELL

2011-08-30T13:42:00.000-07:00

I was hard pressed to find a digital picture of me prior to braces. Finally found one though. This is me minus my eye-teeth, still holding onto one baby tooth and sporting some very crooked bottom teeth.

My 3 years with braces included a pregnancy and the arrival of Naomi Faye, Travels to Japan, Adventures in homeschooling and much, much more. Specific joys with braces included a year with a retainer that popped onto the roof of my mouth. I got to turn this with a key and it slowly widened my palate. At some point I got to get an oral surgery to uncover the two teeth hiding in the roof of my mouth. Yuck! Then for several months the chains that were glued to them were pulled with elastic until they lined up in the front.

It has been an adventure. Yet, I think at this point I can say that it was well worth the pain. Let me tell you folks I feel like dancing a jig.

Free!!!! Free at last!

Seattle and Just 2 Kids !?!?!?

2011-08-18T08:59:00.000-07:00

Kent won't let me buy him stuff anymore. We have a big house with a lot of stuff!

So.....for Fathers Day, Our 12th Anniversary, and his 35th birthday I got him a night in Seattle.

We had never done Seattle together before.

Thanks to Mom we knew to go to the Tukwila Sound Light station near the airport for free 24 hour parking and a fun 30 minute train ride into town. Reminded us of Japan.

Thanks to Opa and Oma, Mom and Vee for helping with the children!

Here is a view from our Hotel room.

I also found some tickets to Les Miserables. Unfortunately I didn't get pics of us all dressed up. These are from the next morning.

I highly recommend it if you have never seen it(or if you have). It was spectacular even from the nosebleeds.

On our way out of town we stopped by a VERY crowded Saturday Market.

Just yesterday We got pics from Opa and Oma. They have taken the 4 eldest for a week. Here is a smattering of the fun times they are having.

Digging for Garnets near Cascade Lake:

Playing @ the river with cousins in the Boise area.

Joe Jumping to Opa

Moriah

Eli, Sierra and Karis

Cascade Lake

In the meantime I am trying to do my best with the time afforded me with 2 children.

Lots of sorting, organizing, painting, washing of bedding, and preparing for homeschooling in the Fall.

Hope your week has been productive too!

A Saturday Harvest

2011-08-02T10:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I think that it is safe to say that Harvey and Betty would be proud.

Proud to see their children and grandchildren carry on with knitting and the growing of gardens.(although I have yet to take up knitting...)

My garden has taken a bit of a turn for the better since the last time I wrote about it's sad state.

Look at our green beans!

Yummy taters

Corn with tassels

Yummy Yellow Squash/Zuchinni

I pick them when they are young and saute them gently. Yum!

Also, I made some into pickles. It worked better than I expected.

Happy Harvesting!

I Have Become the Crazy Chicken Lady

2011-07-29T08:53:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately Chickens do not photograph very well.

I am not to worried about that as you all well know I am not known for my photography skills.

So, without further ado, meet the gals.

These are the Speckled Sussex. They are my favorite. Very sweet and very quiet.

We have a few Rhode Island Reds. A little noisier. A little bossier but, they lay beautiful large brown eggs like clockwork.

This little lady I got just for her looks. She is a Crested Polish. She is not the brightest tool in the shed but she has the niftiest little hairdo.

Here is a small sampling of the shades we are getting.

The cute little one was the First egg of one of the speckled's. Isn't it cute!

It sure has been fun. The kids LOVE hunting for eggs and chasing them around.

We just let these ladies free range in our yard all day. They have always laid there eggs in the little boxes we have made for them! The other amazing thing is that every evening as dusk begins to settle they scurry on into their coop and bed down for the night all by themselves. Pretty Nifty.

What an adventure.

What We've Been Up To

2011-07-18T09:07:00.001-07:00

We have a Holly "tree" not a bush, a tree.

The other day the whole family gave it a haircut.

We took a look around and found an awful lot of lumber and screws and thought, "Hey, let's build a treehouse"!

So, we started. It has been a great deal of fun. Every evening after Daddy gets home from work we head out and do a little more.

I will try and someday post the finished product.

I know it's blurry. This was Gideon just after we got one of the beams in place.

We also celebrated the 11th birthday of our firstborn. ELEVEN!!!!!

Yes, he will be starting Jr. High in the Fall.

Not sure when that happened.

Happy Birthday Eli Edwin!

Now, off to finish packing for Kvale Reunion.

Phew!

A Good Feeling

2011-07-05T19:40:00.001-07:00

So, the garden has been doing a little better. I was able to pick enough to make my 4th of July salad. It sure is nice to pass up most of the veggie aisle in the grocery store.

We had a nice relaxing afternoon @ Uncle Tom and Aunt Marilynn's.

We had cupcakes

And dips in the pool

Learned to throw multiple frisbees

We got soda mustaches

And did I mention that we ate cupcakes?

And we slept all the way home!

Happy Independence Day!

A Not So Southern Garden

2011-06-21T22:30:00.001-07:00

If you don't know of what I speak, I am referring to the Lewins and their "show-off" garden.

My seeds have been in the ground for almost 3 months.

They are trying. I will give them that.

Here's to a toasty Summer after that ridiculously cold and gloomy Spring!

If things don't perk up I may very well join Hannah in Texas.

This is Not a Crafty Blog....

2011-06-13T15:07:00.000-07:00

.....because it takes me nearly a decade to finish projects.

An Even Dozen

2011-06-11T16:16:00.000-07:00

Today Marks 12 years of marriage!

Kent and I found this"serious" quote in a magazine several months ago. We figured that it was a funny way to look at how our life feels sometimes. It hangs on our bedroom door and reminds us to try and have a sense of humor even when things do not work out the way you plan.

Over all we are thankful for a gracious God who has compassion for his children.

We are grateful that there is joy even after the deep valleys of life.

Praise Him!

Brotherly Baseball

2011-06-07T08:33:00.000-07:00

Finally remembered the camera.

Here are my big boys.

I found a team that they could play on together.

It is pretty fun.

Eli has proven to be an excellent ball player. He has not been overshadowed by his younger brother the baseball fanatic!

Gideon excels at any position his coach puts him in. Especially first base. This was just after a fabulous catch for an out.

Eli can really knock the ball.

Gid coming in to home

Eli pitching

Gideon playing catcher

Altogether it has been so much fun. I am proud of my boys. Thank you to all of those Uncles and Aunts, Grandparents and Cousins who have played endless hours of catch and the like. Thanks for taking them to ball games and teaching them an appreciation for the game. It sure has paid off.

This Months Highlights

2011-05-31T12:54:00.000-07:00

First off, on this last day of May, this blue-eyed boy is turning 4. Hard to believe. Happy Birthday Ezekiel Buchanan!

I had a birthday too.

Can you tell how old I am??

Opa and Oma came to town and we went to Chambers Bay and played on the rocky beach.

We spent a night @ Great Wolf Lodge and played VERY hard!

The men folk made pies for the Male only Church contest on Memorial Day. They didn't win a prize but I was still proud of their efforts.

Zeke did this @ the picnic for about 3 hours straight!

We played games...

...and got our faces painted.....

...and went home exhausted. Happy Memorial Day and thanks for coming to visit Opa and Oma.

Here's to hoping that June settles down a bit.

Now that it's May.....

2011-05-05T08:55:00.001-07:00

....I better catch up on April.

We have been pretty busy these days with homework and life.

We went ahead and had a friend tea party for Moriah's 8th. It was really cute. Some of the girls had never had real tea in a teacup and so they felt very grown-up.

We finally took advantage of the Museum of Flight's free night(First Thurs of the month 5-9). We had not been since Eli and Gideon were toddlers. Yep. Pretty pathetic. It was super nice to not have to pay for the 8 of us + one friend. I highly recommend it. The only bummer was that the toddler play section was super crowded. We pretty much avoided that altogether and looked at the other exhibits.

That's all the pics I got this month. Hope I do better in May!

Birthday Girls

2011-03-30T08:58:00.000-07:00

We just had a combo party a little late for Naomi and a little early for Moriah.

Playing with Grandma's new kitten

Waiting patiently for the party to start

Happy 2nd Naomi Faye and happy 8th to Moriah Jane we love you both!

Wanna Help?

2011-03-24T09:24:00.000-07:00

April 2nd is an MS walk @ Fort Steilacoom Park. My friend Melanie Sawaya was recently diagnosed. If you have an interest in helping her out go here: http://www.nationalmssociety.org/goto/Team-MS click on my name or Chloe(Melanie's daughter is in Joey's class)to donate. Every little bit helps!!! Thanks

Chattanooga

2011-03-09T19:24:00.001-08:00

Several frequent flyer miles and some very loving and capable family members to watch children provided a recent visit to Tennessee. We had a little nephew to meet.

Isn't he sweet!

An afternoon @ Coolidge

A day @ the amazing aquarium

A crisp and lovely Sunday afternoon hike

Thanks for letting us invade Lewins. What a blessing to meet your little Christian!

A Roadtrip to Star

2011-02-22T20:12:00.001-08:00

We decided to take a little trip to Idaho over the President's Day weekend. We were seriously overdue for a Cousin/Aunt & Uncle visit. With a population of around 3,000 Star is about 30 minutes from Boise and is primarily a farming community. Lovely and peaceful.

We had amazing weather. The roads were great too.

Here was one of our MANY stops along the way.

Aunt Joy had free passes to the fancy Caldwell YMCA

Here is Faith:

Zeke

Moriah and Sierra

Joey

Gid, Karis and Eli floatin' the lazy river

Naomi enjoying a little fountain with Daddy

Moriah and Sierra

Faith wrestling with her Daddy(I think he won!)

Karis, Eli and Gideon

All tuckered out and having a movie night.

We spent Sunday at the Luedtke's church. Uncle Andy's mom even had a surprise visit. She was the one that was kind enough to take the family pictures.

I snapped this one of the chaos beforehand!

Here we all are:

From Left to Right

Front Row: Gideon, Naomi, Moriah, Zeke, Faith, Joseph

Second Row: Bree, Eli, Kent, Karis

Third Row: Joy, Sierra, Andy

Thank you Luedtke's for letting us descend we had a lovely time!

A few final pics from one of our stops on the way home.

The views of the Snake and Mountains were stunning.

Perfecting the Big Puppy Eyes

2011-02-07T10:39:00.000-08:00

Don't worry....I know it is convincing.

You can see what her eyes are saying, "Pretty Please, look how sad and pathetic I am, and give me whatever I want!"

But, let me tell ya folks, "it's all a ploy".

A little girl who is not yet 2 manipulating to her hearts content and fully aware that she is the sixth child.

May God give me strength!

NINE

2011-02-05T10:24:00.001-08:00

A Very Happy Birthday to my sweet Gideon Phillip!

A warning to those of you with very little ones. I know everyone tells you this but the statement is very true, "they grow up REALLY fast". 9 is an emotional birthday as it marks a sort of halfway point. A few more years and this young chap will be a man heading off into the world to earn his living.

Just thought I'd throw that out there.

It is good to keep in mind.

Until then I am going to strive to enjoy the years that are left.

(Who could resist, He's a pretty great kid if I do say so myself!)

".....and a Happy New Year!"

2011-01-05T08:46:00.000-08:00

Eager to open gifts on Christmas morning

Forgot the camera for the extended family gathering @ Kvales and the 28th for Christmas @ Grandma's.

Captured some snow shots the day after though.

We had an "eventful" trip to Paradise to play in the snow(Facebook has some pics). As well as oodles of fun family gatherings with everyone in town. 12 grandkids total with 2 more joining us soon!

We are so blessed to have a compassionate and gracious Heavenly Father and are optimistic for the year to come and what adventures it might bring.

Christmas Preparations

2010-12-22T12:41:00.000-08:00

Heritage Program

Cousin Julian got to come!

The Nutcracker with the gals that were home. This was Mom and my first time ever.

Our attempt at a group shot.

Saturday Morning Christmas Program Practice

Dawson and Lewin offspring filling up the entire dining room!

Slumber party with James under the tree. Eli reading Curious George.

Wonder what else we'll fit in before the 25th???

Keeper

2010-12-11T05:05:00.000-08:00

This one makes me happy!

OUR "SUMMER" VACATION

2010-11-17T15:12:00.000-08:00

My Thespian

2010-11-15T14:18:00.000-08:00

Eli, otherwise known as Dead-Eye Dan was able to be part of a class play last week. It was called "Miss Louisa and the Outlaws" and was tons of fun. He did a grand job!

Because October is a fun time for parties.....

2010-11-04T19:21:00.000-07:00

and Joey is rather photogenic too.

We threw another birthday bash!

Happy Birthday big six year old.

Fall

2010-10-27T06:05:00.000-07:00

October 2010 will be forever etched in my mind as a time when God most clearly(in my life) provided. He has taught so very much through some very trying circumstances. We are most grateful to be reunited as a family after 4 VERY LONG months of separation.

His hand is evident ever strong and faithful.

May the Lord bless those of you who have been faithful in prayer on our behalf. Thank you.

I have never been a huge fan of the change of seasons. I am most certainly a summer girl. I was especially reluctant to move on to the rainy autumn because of the pathetic summer we had had.

I wanted though to pass on a little sermon illustration that Pastor Fisher gave a few Sunday's back that has helped me immensely. He spoke of the grey and rainy skies, how sad and depressing they can be. Yet, he reminded us that above the darkness the sun is still shining, doing it's job as it does every day even though we cannot see it at all. What a lovely picture of Christ, don't you think? That even when life is overwhelmingly dark and we struggle to feel His presence He is there shining just as brightly as He always has. Now when I look at the menacing clouds I can say it is o.k. because I know that somewhere beyond them the sun is still shining just as bright as it does in the summer time.

Well... I believe that is enough wordage! How 'bout a few picture updates too.

Saturday we had a Narnia party @ church.

Joey was at a birthday party and Ezekiel was not too interested in dressing up. Every time I asked him if he wanted to be something he would answer with, "No, I don't want to be that, I'm Zeke." So Zeke went as well...Zeke.

Gideon was King Peter, Naomi was a horse, Moriah was Queen Lucy and Eli as I am sure you are wondering is the Minotaur.

I especially like this picture because Naomi is waving. Too cute.

Monday brought us a birthday boy. We brought him a few treats in his classroom.

Mrs. Miller read us a fun poem.

Just a little happiness!

We blew out some candles at home too.

A fun gift from Opa and Oma. Thanks you two.

Happy 6th birthday Joseph Sidney. We sure do love you!

Unexpected Blessings

2010-09-08T14:09:00.001-07:00

Life

2010-07-30T18:20:00.000-07:00

A New Haircut

We get to meet Anastasia!

Eli turns 10! He wanted chocolate chip cookies. Yummy.

The cousins

We miss you Ani!

May Recap....and a little bit of June

2010-06-11T08:16:00.001-07:00

So, it looks as though my blog posts are beginning to be monthly installments.

Busy times.

Gideon is playing a little coach-pitch and LOVING it.

This was taken by one of the kids on Mother's Day. They went with Daddy and picked me out a beautiful green dress. You can at least see the color in the photo.

I also had a birthday the next day but...no photos.

We enrolled the boys in Taekwondo.

Somewhere in the middle of May I had a dreadful oral surgery. I am feeling better now but am VERY glad that it is over. No....I didn't take pictures of that either.

Then Zeke turned 3! This is his new smiling face. Yes those are store bought cupcakes. We came from a Memorial Day Picnic. Happy Birthday Big guy!

All of our little riding toys are in pretty sad shape so we got him a new tricycle.

Eli assembled it. I think I'll keep him!

Gideon was the only Dawson feeling prepared enough for a piano recital after our year in Japan. He did a grand job. Our thanks to the lovely lady sitting behind him!

The yearly duck parade in U.P.

Look. Proof that the sun was out.

Gideon had a ball game that day too. After that the kids decided to wash the Burb.

They attacked it with gusto!

Moriah was very interested in doing something special too. So, we found a little ballet class. So sweet.

Joseph brings me a new lego creation every day. He is pretty creative. He is also learning to read and so far is LOVING it.

The big boys had a test last night for a belt promotion. They both did fantastic. Eli especially. Seems to have found his niche.

All for now. Almost done with homeschool for the year. Hurrah!

P.S. Today marks 11 years of marriage for Kent and I. God is Good!

Introducing......

2010-05-04T09:39:00.001-07:00

John Chrysostom II

A.K.A. "Jack"

Just because we needed a little more work to do around here!

April......what a blur!

2010-04-30T08:21:00.001-07:00

April Fool's Day saw us at this enormous airport once again. Sadly the trip was so entirely uneventful that I have very little to write about.;)

The kids and I had booked on Delta and Kent was on United. Thankfully Kent asked what it would cost to add Naomi to his flight and we found it to be well worth the $70. They even upgraded him to Economy Plus. I can't believe what a difference this made in my flight. I only had the "big" kids. No pacing with a fussy baby. I even got to watch a movie and eat my meal this time!

April 3rd brought us Moriah Jane's 7th birthday. Sadly I was not very consistent with the camera in this month. Here are a few pics of her birthday breakfast though.

A fun card from Aunt Vee

An apron made by Oma and Opa!

The next day was Easter. Mom and Nicky made a big Birthday/ Easter brunch extravaganza. It was beautiful and lovely and tasty! You'll just have to trust me on that one. Thankfully Mom took a whole heap of pictures. Maybe I will get them and post them sometime.

Not sure when these pics of Naomi were taken. I think however that it had something to do with chocolate ice cream

April 17-23 brought us Kent's folks all the way from Wisconsin. Sadly I didn't take a single shot during there visit. Activities included, eating out, church, a trip to the History Museum and Downtown, buying(from craigslist)and fixing up BMX bikes for the boys(thanks Opa and Oma), and many other things.

And as if life was not crazy enough around here we decided to add a dog to the mix. We got "Jack" from the Flanagan's. He is a 7 month old Golden Retriever. He is really Moriah's gift and she has been faithfully feeding and cleaning up after him. Maybe I will take a picture sometime.

Saturday the 24th Mom, Vee and I took Nicky out for an early 30th birthday trip. She chose Seattle. Uncle Kent was up for the challenge of watching all 9 children. Yeah. We had fun. Never did get a shot of all of us together. Oh Well. We ended the evening with a yummy Italian meal. Happy "early" Birthday Nick!

A stop in Sur la Table

Somewhere in there we got some homeschooling and housework done too.

This past Monday Kent came home from work and said they wanted him to go to Bothell for some training on fire systems. I made some phone calls and found a way to go along. Aunt Nicky, Aunt Vee, Grandma and Grandpa all took turns watching the kids.

Now let me say that there is not alot to do in Bothell which was fine with me. I did some grading, sat in the hot tub, got a haircut, watched some HGTV, went out to Dinner and watched a movie with Kent, Woke up and vegged some more, then went to a cute little day spa and had my first manicure, a pedicure and a facial. Let's just say I did a WHOLE lot of relaxing. What an unexpected blessing. Thank you to all who made that possible!

Once again no pics. Sorry.

Now, I wonder what May will bring?

TOKYO

2010-03-28T17:12:00.001-07:00

I must post these now or I will never get to it before departure. We are up to our elbows in homeschool and packing. So...without further ado-our final excursion.

We woke up to sunshine and loaded up. Here we are on our way to the bus stop.

We love the Keikyu train line. You can get a view of the train driver and the tracks ahead. That is Gideon's favorite post. Coming out of a tunnel.

Tokyo Station.

It was hard to find our way out. Kent finally got us not only out but headed in the right direction.

Big buildings

We had only one day. So we decided(because Tokyo is a BIG place) to head to the Imperial Palace and whatever we could walk to around it.

The first sign of the Imperial Grounds. Right smack dab in the middle of the huge metropolis. The following pictures of this area are touted as the most expensive piece of real estate in the world(not certain if that is still true).

This moat wraps around the entire grounds. Miles and miles.

There were swans.

The closest we got to Tokyo Tower

Guard houses

The palace is up there

A gate

Another gate

Another Guardhouse

The best view of the Palace. The royal family has lived here since the 1870's.

AMAZING doors heading into the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace.

My Family

Everything was just beautiful

The following were Samurai Guardhouses from the Edo period

The gardens were huge. 210,000 square meters. We could have spent all day there.

Heading back out to the city

Samurai statue

Walking past more moat and gates

We decided to head to another shrine. CROWDED!

At this point our feet were really starting to hurt. However, just over the way we came across this War Museum.

Kamikaze statue

We only had time to see the free part of the museum. It was interesting.

No mention here of the 1,000's of men who died building this railroad.

The train

Here is a Zero the aircraft used to bomb pearl harbor.

Our tour of Tokyo sadly came to end about here. The kids were tired and hungry. We considered finding a hotel and seeing more but after calling about a dozen hotels EVERYTHING was completely booked due to the Cherry Blossom Festivals. So we got a hot meal and found the nearest train station and headed home.

Next post will probably be back on Tacoma. See you then.

Rainy Days

2010-03-25T14:54:00.001-07:00

Due to the weather we decided to pull out the felt purchased at the 100 Yen store down the street. I did not provide any oversight of the project. Just handed the kids scissors and various colors and this is what they came up with. Not as lovely as Kjerste's but provided hours of entertainment. Which was the whole point I suppose. All this fun was well worth the $3 invested!

I am excited though because today looks like sunshine. Very excited!

Birthday Catch-up

2010-03-14T16:00:00.000-07:00

The following pictures are from .......ahem......February. Sorry Gideon. Our 2nd turned eight on the 3rd. In my defense we got on an airplane for Asia on the 4th so lets just say these pictures got a little lost in the shuffle. So......Happy Belated Birthday Gid. We love you.

When we got to Japan we had a small birthday celebration with Daddy present.(and yes, the cake fell apart)

A Real Leather Mitt!

On March 11th my baby turned One. Sniff. We opened a few gifts the evening of her actual day. She was pretty cute. Moriah made her a little necklace out of chunks of felt.

Eli found this gift @ the 100 yen store. It rattles too.

Little dainty rips.

Which Zeke thought hilarious. He got the giggles with every little rip.

Banging her new Pooh dishes like they were Bongo drums. That made Zeke laugh too.

On Sunday after church we had a little party with the Kovach's.

A new dress from Grandma and Company

And last but not least a little cake. Yes, her highchair consists of a chair and a belt. Necessity is indeed the mother of invention.

Happy Birthday sweet Naomi. We love you too!

A Little Tour

2010-03-09T17:36:00.001-08:00

Many of the pictures that follow you have seen before. I realized however that I have never given an official tour of where we live. Just tidbits. So....without further ado, a little peak of our abode here in Japan.

We are very grateful for the numerous parks in our area. There are a few pics of the homes in the neighborhood too.

View of Sakura Residence from one of the parks.

Another playground

This is the Japanese Primary school located behind and across the street from our place.

This is the parking lot just outside of the entrance to our building

We live in Tower 3

The building is 15 stories high but we are on the main floor

Just inside the first set of doors. You have to buzz in or use the electronic key to get in from here.

Looking back at the front entry doors

Turn to the right about a dozen steps and there is our front door. Shoe closet on the right and washer and dryer on the left. 2(much needed) refrigerators straight ahead.

Our cute little Ikea kitchen

The funny little dishwasher

Turn around and there is the living room with couch and school desks. The curtain on the far left has a door behind it that leads to a little enclosed front porch. Every room has it's own a/c and heating unit.

Just to the left is the dining area

Then comes the hallway

Aside from the 2 refrigerators this hallway is how we survive in such a little place. These are giant Ikea cabinets where we store everything from school supplies to toys to empty luggage. One of them even serves as a pantry.

One of the two bathrooms with there delightful floor drains. They look almost identical. One off of each bedroom.

Bedroom #1

Bedroom #2

At the back of each room is a sliding glass door that leads to a large porch that wraps around the place.

This is the uncovered side porch.

This is the covered backporch

The view from the back porch of Japanese children walking to school.

So, that about sums it up. Our little abode in a nutshell. I am happy to report that if I had to design such a small space for 8 people I would not change a thing. The layout works well. Whoever designed it made an excellent use of the space.

Thanks for visiting!

Recovered

2010-03-07T16:41:00.000-08:00

When we first arrived in Japan(for the 2nd time) with Veronica let's just say that we hit the ground running. So much to see, so little time. We fit in everything that we could, sent her off on a plane and then collapsed! We have spent that last little bit getting back on a better routine and just enjoying the neighborhood.

This Saturday we decided that we were finally up for an outing. Kent handed Eli the train map and told him to pick our route to get to a science center in Yokohama. He did it! He was very confident too.

Here we are en route. Kent bought me this little treat for the train ride.

The science center was just two blocks from the station. Here is the outside of the large and impressive planetarium.

There was sooo much to do inside that we couldn't fit it all in.

If you look closely you can see Eli and Gideon up on the screen.

So, a successful and even educational outing was accomplished. Hopefully we can go again soon.

Downpour!

2010-02-26T21:43:00.001-08:00

We took a little recess yesterday to check out the deluge outside. It is hard to take a picture of rain. I realize now that a video might have been better. Anyhow it was really coming down. The sides of the buildings and the exterior stairs had waterfalls pouring down them. We sure had fun.

Gideon exiting the back porch

Getting soaked on the side porch

"We're not in Kansas anymore"

A little afternoon treat

2010-02-25T18:30:00.000-08:00

So.....this is our cute little coffee pot. "Little" being the operative word. It provides Kent and I each 1 cup in the morning and it takes so long to drip out of there that I never have the energy to make a second pot in the afternoon when I "need" a little pick-me up.

Thankfully I tracked these cute little Blendy's down at the Japanese Supermarket.

Start your teapot up. Rip open the package and pull out the little filter already filled with coffee.

Then open up the little tabs and pull them over the edge of your mug.

Rip off the perforated top.

Then add your hot water

The finished product is delicious. Much like the flavor of a french press. I am looking forward to a cup in a few hours as the windy and rainy weather has returned!

Sunshine!!!

2010-02-23T15:42:00.001-08:00

We have been having some glorious weather around here. Sadly it was quite chilly for a good part of Veronica's trip. It actually snowed the day she left.

Anyhow we have tried to take advantage of the lovely weather over the last few days and hit up as many parks and walks around town as possible.

Kurihama Flower World

@ the park near our house

Posing in front of a palm tree on base

Main Gate

Verny Boardwalk

These two chased pigeons for a good 30 minutes. Cute.

Oh and knowing that I will probably miss my own cherry tree blossoming I couldn't pass these up @ the Supermarket. Spring. Spring. Spring.

Quintessential Japan

2010-02-15T17:45:00.000-08:00

So.....we decided to take advantage of the Presidents day weekend and see some more of the sights with Kent around to help. Saturday was by far the most ambitious trip we have ever tried but in the end it was well worth it. Here we are on the train heading to Yunnessan Hot Springs.

Odwara station

Cool Samurai statue @ the station

After nearly 3 hours of travel we made it to Hakone. Just another bus ride away from the Hot Springs.

What we had forgotten was that it was the weekend for Chinese New Year. The place was packed with people. Oh, and I forgot to mention that it was snowing! Brrr! Very cold but we were highly motivated to get to the springs.

Cold but the scenery was spectacular. The prettiest part of Japan that I have seen.

I am afraid that I didn't get pics inside the springs. I was afraid of dropping my camera in the water. Here we are though heading in with the "happenin'" robes they provide. We had a lovely time. Dozens of pools and hot tubs and Saunas. Well worth the trip!

Monday, after a Sunday respite of worship, a nice walk and a fun Valentines date with Kent(thanks to Aunt Vee) we decided to go see a Bronze Buddha. Here are a few of us waiting for the Enoshima Electric Train in Kamakura.

This cute little train is celebrating 100 years of operation!

Here is a fun store along the 12 block walk to the Buddha.

Entrance

Oh..... and once again it was very cold and very wet!

This Buddha was constructed sometime in the 1250's A.D. It is VERY large and impressive.

Despite it's size and stature it is still something created by man. People worship this statue. Seeing it provided good opportunity for discussion with the children.

After viewing it we raced home(as quickly as possible) and had a nice cozy, relaxing afternoon indoors!

A Big Day Trip

2010-02-11T18:23:00.001-08:00

Veronica and I decided to take advantage of the glorious sunshine and head out on a little sightseeing excursion .

Here we are heading to the bus stop.

Here we are waiting at the bus stop.

Here we are at the train station.

Here we are on the train.

Destination: Kamakura

We are here, WE ARE HERE, WE ARE HERE!

2010-02-09T23:16:00.000-08:00

In Japan that is! After a fairly uneventful flight(thanks to Veronica) we landed in Narita. We made it through customs. We tracked down our luggage(I packed half of the suitcases that I had last time!) and headed out to find Kent who was waiting right outside of the double doors. Yeah! It was sure nice to see him.=}

Kent decided this time to book two rooms in Chiba so that we could recover before the long bus ride down to Yokosuka. He chose the same hotel that we stayed in last month after our airport mishap. It was SOOO nice to be a five minute shuttle ride from a nice bed instead of having to head two more hours south. Everyone went to sleep almost instantly but of course did the typical waking at 2 or 3 a.m. business. They did a good job though of staying quiet until about 6:00. We started our day then and after finding everyones clothes in various suitcases headed down to breakfast. After a nice hot meal we decided to hit the pool. Kent requested a late checkout so we were able to float and play for several hours. After that we got everything packed up and hopped on the hotel shuttle back to Narita to catch our bus to Yokosuka. We were able to board and most of the little ones zonked for the duration. It was daylight so we were able to show Vee Tokyo and Yokohama and Mt. Fuji was even out which was pretty nifty. The only sad part of the trip was upon our arrival Joseph woke up out of a dead sleep and promptly threw up. Thankfully in the uncarpeted aisle. There are so many reasons why I am glad that it happened then and there(if it had to happen). For instance, Everyone had already vacated the bus. He could have thrown up at the beginning of the trip and then I don't know what we would have done. So all's well that ends well I guess. We called two taxis and made our way to the condo. The same place where we were last trip which was nice to be in familiar surroundings.

We have spent the last few days settling in and showing Veronica around a bit. She has had a lot of fun at the Japanese Supermarket and the 100 Yen store.

So, without further ado here are a few of our early adventures in photo.

P.S. These pictures are brought to you by Veronica's new camera. Her first camera. Thanks to all who made that happen.

Loaded up and ready to head for the airport.

A special thank you to Aunt Nicky and James for coming along and helping us wait in eternal lines and push our luggage along a few inches at a time. Thank you also to Erika and Ezra for watching the little boys so that we could have there help!

Sunrise from the Hotel room

Exploring the hotel's Japanese garden

Gideon explored a little too closely!

VERY excited for breakfast!

View of hotel restaurant from gardens

The morning after our travels. Waking up at the condo. Views from the 15th floor of our building.

Time for a walk

At the HAC store. Chillin' with a friend and watching a little video while we shopped.

Zonked!

Some much needed family time

All Done

Packing.....Again

2010-01-30T10:04:00.000-08:00

Departure is in six days. Mom and Nicky took the four oldest last night so that I could concentrate on loading suitcases. I made a very signifigent dent. Hopefully will wrap most of that up today. Better get to it.

Home for the Holidays

2010-01-12T18:55:00.001-08:00

I thought I ought to post some of our Christmas pics.

So here a few of the festivities:

Graham cracker houses

Grandma with the grandaughters

Waiting to open gifts

After gift distribution

Diggin' in

My two oldest took over one hundred pieces in a pile and made it into this for the gals. It took them two days but here is the finished product.

I was pretty impressed!

We hope you all had a lovely Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Because people are asking.........

2010-01-12T09:38:00.000-08:00

Yes. Kent is back in Japan. He has been gone for a week. Sigh.

However as of Saturday evening tickets are purchased for us to join him the first week of February.

Sweet Veronica is going to come along and help on the flight as well as see a few of the sights...I hope. If anyone else cares to come visit Delta/Northwest has a nonstop through Expedia for a nice price.

So 2010 begins with a bang and promises to be full of many adventures.

Good times!

A Very Merry Christmas

2009-12-23T14:09:00.000-08:00

Due to severe time limitations I am officially giving up on the idea of Christmas cards. Sad but necessary. 2009 has been quite a year as you have read. From the new addition of Naomi Faye to the many adventures in Japan it has been full to say the least.

Wishing you all a blessed Merry Christmas. Thank you for being a part of our lives!

"He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide there faces he was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way: and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all."

From Isaiah 53

Random Japan Wrap Up

2009-12-18T08:08:00.000-08:00

S0, I figure that if I don't do this now it just won't happen until after the pictures are old and the memory is faded. Without further ado here is a peek at our last week in Japan.

After church our last Sunday I laid the little ones down and Kent went on a trek to another park with the four oldest.

More fun on nifty slides. I guess this one was about a mile long and wound through the forest.

Chasing down a little Japanese girl.

I had to take a picture of what blogger looked like for me in Japan. It took me a while to get used to but after clicking around enough I figured out what everything meant.

A last stop at the zip line park next door

Camera shy

Thursday Kent got off work early and we went to the Kurihama Flower World Park and did some more sliding

Little French bakeries dot the country(at least the parts we saw) of Japan like coffee stands in Washington. We had to make one more stop after our park adventures.

Here are the famous Steve and Deborah Kovach. I forgot to mention that they had there baby almost 4 weeks ago. Oops. Her name is Lilly Elizabeth and she is beautiful. We were so grateful to have them as next door neighbors. And there is no way we would have made it out of Japan without Stephen. He hauled our luggage all over town for us. What a guy.

This goodbye picture was taken at our little house just after everything was loaded.

The next hours are not documented with pictures because they were.....well let's just say.......eventful. Here is the story in brief.

Ahem. After loading luggage into a taxi and Kovach's car we headed off to the Base to catch the free airport bus. The problem ended up being 1. We were 10 minutes late. 2. EVERYONE was trying to get home for the holidays. The bus is boarded on a first come first serve basis. Needless to say there was not enough room for all Eight of us.

No worries we'll figure something else out, right? Steve and Kent made a bolt for the nearest train station with all of the luggage. While the kids and I took a stroll along the boardwalk(the one in the pictures from our first week). Kent bought tickets for the Narita Rapid. We arrived soon after. Creating the luggage train again we said our farewells to Stephen and got on board. Thanks to the help of a few Japanese men who helped chuck luggage(it was a quick stop) I believe by this time it was 1:00 or 1:30. No problem. We got on the "rapid" train. The train ride itself was fine. We all got seats that faced each other together and found a place to stack all of the luggage. It was not crowded. I had packed some snacks and Steve had taken all the kids to the 100 Yen store and bought them each a little treat and toy for the travels. We soon learned though that our train was, well........ not quite so "rapid". Pretty soon we had reached the 3 hour mark and were just reaching the airport. The flight left at 5:30. You do the math. Then came the biggest error of all. Narita airport is HUGE. So big in fact that they have 2 terminals. It is like 2 Sea-Tacs. We got off the train at terminal two but we should have disembarked at terminal one. We did not know our error until after we had dragged all of our luggage up 4 levels of elevators and escalators and had various other adventures. Hmmm....no United counter. We figued out that we were in the domestic travel part of the airport and finding someone that spoke English was very difficult. Finally as we wandered aimlessly looking at signs a British gal must have seen MY distress and asked if she could help. Kent told her we needed United. She informed us that we would have to hop on the shuttle bus which would drive us down to the needed terminal. At this point we new it was probably a lost cause but decided to try. We waited for the appropriate bus. Hauled on all of the luggage and headed down to terminal one. Loaded everything on carts again and headed out to find United. Once again on the 4th floor. More escalators and elevators. Just picture a very bad dream and you get the picture. We huffed it up got to the counter and the lady informed us with sunken face that if we had been 10 minutes earlier she could have stopped the plane. Kent had been the primary luggage carrier. He was DRENCHED with sweat. The kids and I just stood there rather stupified while he figured out(with the greatest lady) what to do next. She didn't paint a pretty picture though. The only way to get home(without buying new tickets) was to fly standby. She however informed us that the 3 flights to the west coast were well over booked.

Our only choice at this point was to reserve a room and pray for tomorrow.

It turned out to be a VERY nice hotel. As you will see in the pictures. They send a free shuttle bus to the airport. Kent and the bus driver loaded the luggage and we were off. They checked us in quickly and we dropped off our luggage. Then we headed down to find some dinner. We had not eaten very regularly that day. They had a lovely buffet style meal downstairs for which we were very grateful. After eating we went up and picked out pajamas, swim trunks and a change of clothes and put all the luggage in storage as it was filling up any open spaces in the room.

After informing family members we collapsed.

We then woke up to a new day.

After a nice breakfast we went swimming. I did not get pictures but I can't imagine a more refreshing thing to have done. We played and relaxed as a family. After our swim we headed up and loaded up our belongings(which at this point I was ready to leave behind). I was tired of hauling all that stuff around. And made our way downstairs.

Before the shuttle left we had plenty of time to go downstairs and enjoy the Japanese garden and feed the Koi fish.

Our ride on the shuttle took about 15 minutes then we found ourself trying round two at the airport.

Zeke was my luggage cart helper

At this point we got the most stunning reminder(I think in my life) that God is in control and that he cares for his children. When we got up to the counter the lady not only knew who we were but informed us that everything was taken care of. How could everything be taken care of?????? We had spent the morning discussing all of the possible scenarios and this was NOT one of them!!!! They had found seats for us and they were in the upgraded section of the plane with 6 extra inches of leg space! Kent and I were stunned to say the least and the kids started jumping all over the airport. God is good. We dropped off our luggage mountain and were free to check out the airport. Hallelujah!

We found the coolest food court that overlooks the runway and watched the airplanes land and take off while we ate some lunch.

After the events of the day before everything went so smoothly. From arrival to boarding we were grateful for how simple even relaxing a day could be. We got on the plane easily and the kids were marvelous. We had several people stop with the same compliment, "Those are the best kids I have ever seen in my life!" They were troopers.

We were grateful to be reunited with family at the airport who carted us to our home which they had decorated beautifully. Nicky and the boys had candles lit and a hot delicious meal waiting for us. One of those days when "Thank You" sounds like a silly word to give people for all of there kindnesses.

Thank you to any of you who prayed for our safe return. God answered your prayers in his own good timing and his own special way.

More Yokohama

2009-12-07T16:51:00.000-08:00

After a 20 minute train ride from Yokosuka we headed down to the Subway station to get to the city

Big buildings

Really neat old dry dock that they have turned into restaurants and stores

The Landmark Tower just in front of the dry dock. I believe this is the tallest building in Japan.

The kids heading down to check things out

Hard Rock and a funky work of art

Cool Architecture

Japan has several of these ferris wheels. Not only are they HUGE but they serve as a very accurate clock.

More cool buildings

Heading over to the rides

More buildings

We let the kids pick 1 ride. Eli and Moriah picked this log ride

More ferris wheel

Gideon is on that crazy roller coaster that goes underground

Zeke being envious of that kids treat

Thomas is in Japan too

I know you were missing these!

Cool elevators

In the big mall. You could spend a week in here and not see everything. This Godiva had a little river running around it.

I told you they take Christmas seriously here

The biggest and most beautiful tree I have ever seen

At this point it started pouring rain. So, we ducked into this nifty museum.

The kids got to practice there Japanese with this little robot

Joe got to design/build an airplane

Then he got to fly it. The destination chosen for us was Lyon, France.

He flew and made a successful landing

He got a cool printout of his creation too.

Testing out the electric powered car

Don't know what this was

This little Japanese girl followed Naomi everywhere

Moriah made some new friends. One American. The other two Japanese. This game required teamwork so it was pretty funny to see them giggling and screaming and instructing in the two VERY different languages.

After the museum it was still poring so we headed back to the Mall/Subway station and looked around some more

And peeked out to see the ferris wheel one more time

Riding down a cool glass elevator

Tired and ready to head home.

Christmas Lights

2009-12-06T16:15:00.001-08:00

Before I came to Japan I was unaware of what a big deal Christmas was here. So, for those of you who did not know either, Christmas is a big deal in Japan. We headed out Friday night to see the lights at Kurihama Flower world.

Here we are starting out after our 7 minute bus ride.

A stop in the Supermarket/Mall along the way

Almost there

Moriah desired a picture in front of this funny heart. I forgot to tell her to give me the sign of peace.

My goofballs

Zeke was desirous of being on the train not getting his picture taken by it!

Pretty

Ready to head back home after a little drink

Next up.......More Yokohama pics. If I can fit it in. We are heading home soon.....6 days!

Zushi and Yokohama

2009-11-29T17:49:00.001-08:00

The following travels were more to familiarize ourselves with our surroundings than anything else but we had some fun along the way.

Our first stop after our usual bus/train rides was near Zushi a beach town about 20 minutes from Yokosuka. Supposedly the beaches rival Hawaii but we didn't make it there. We stopped at Ikego a Navy housing area.

Here we are having a little picnic and playtime there.

After checking out Ikego we decided to head to Yokohama

We had no idea what we were doing

Somehow we figured it out and made it to this remarkable park. I think it is called Negishi Forest Park.

The kids did a lot of rolling down hills and running free

A lovely pond with the biggest koi I have ever seen

The camera did not really capture it. They were HUGE.

Pretty trees

Up the hill is the Negishi Navy housing annex it is built on an old horse racing track. The emporer banned racing in the 40's. The U.S. soon after leased the land from the Japanese and built a bunch of military housing there. They are slowly returning the land to the Japanese. About 300 homes still remain and the entire development should be gone in about 10 to 15 years. These pictures are of the old abandoned grand stand.

We checked things out in the housing area and then headed back to Yokohama station to walk around(it was getting late and we were getting tired). I have never seen anything like it. Once again pictures don't really capture the size of things. Yokohama is the second largest city in Japan. I have never been to New York or Paris but am certain that this place would rival them both. The station is a HUGE shopping mall. Way bigger than any mall I have ever stepped foot into. We didn't buy anything. Just looked around.

Trying to capture the sea of humanity

It was a good and informative day.

Now that we know better how to get there we will try and make another trip to see more of the city. We'll keep you posted.

Daddy Time

2009-11-22T14:23:00.001-08:00

Saturday Naomi had a little fever. Poor baby. She is cutting a few teeth.

We decided as a result that it would be best to keep her home. We also decided that Zeke needed his nap and put him down. That left the big kids who were anxious to do something as we have only a few more Saturday's here. This was the place they decided on. It is called Kurihama Flower Park. The nicest thing about it is that it is only a bus ride away. No train. Oh, and the park is free(bonus). The bummer is that the flowers aren't in bloom right now. I sent Kent with the camera and these are the pics he came back with.

The flower fields all ready and planted:

The funniest part of the park(in my mind)

Yes. That is Godzilla

And Godzilla is a slide!

There were lots of fun toys

"Look no hands"

Good times

Chomping at the bit..........

2009-11-19T18:28:00.000-08:00

Look what I found tucked away in a bedroom corner in this huge house.

Not only had Moriah set up this tea party but she put Naomi in a little dress and hair bow to join her in the festivities. I think Naomi only succeeded in spilling things but hey it's a start!