Our New Van...

On Saturday, we got our new van... it is really big and will carry lots of people and stuff! Costco and Ikea... here we come... wanna join us?

Stone feeling right at home decided to take a little nap.

GENKI boy!

Stone has never been a fan of hats but if I tell him he looks so かわいい he will leave it on at least for a little while. He was being goofy with his hat on the other night... looking so cute!

Auntie Holly

Stone loves his Auntie Holly. She is a crazy girl who is always ready to play and has tons of lovins' to share (as long as Stone is not too drooly!)... I think she spoils Stone a bit but every baby needs a some of that... and... she even lets him eat rocks!

Holly is also a great friend to Lj and I. She has a very generous spirit and is always willing to go the extra step. We are truly blessed by her friendship.

Reiko ちゃん

Reiko Yo "roshiku" bo is one of the young Christians at Mito church. Over the years we have seen her mature into a beautiful young lady with a passion and love for God.

Usually one day a week Reiko comes over to spend the afternoon with Stone and me. As soon as she walks in the door she gives all of her attention to Stone and he just eats it up. He loves playing games with her and he even likes to share his snacks with her. She teachs him a bit of Japanese as they play… recently, she taught him how to hold up one finger when asked how old he is in Japanese. Reiko is one of Stone’s best friends… he loves and adores her and there is no doubt that she loves him.

A Wallet is a Magical Thing...

As soon as Stone sees mine he must have it….he loves to open it up and play with the cards, all the receipts and other papers that are in there…he likes to take the cards out one by one… and he has learned how to put them back in the right way…

Trial or Lesson?

This past week was a trying week for Lj and me. We were looking into getting a new car- we needed something a bit more efficient on gas and since we were getting a new car we wanted something with a bit more room... gotta have space for the Costco runs! Two weeks ago, Shizuka and Kazuya helped Lj fill out an application to get a loan from the bank we have used for the last 7 years... they even offered to co-sign if needed. We send off the application and waited... finally some paperwork arrived in the mail that said we needed to have a meeting at the bank and please bring all your important papers from 1972 until now. So we prepare for the meeting and are set to go on Saturday... well, Thursday rolls around and the bank calls... not really getting all the guy is saying I tell them to call Lj... They call Lj and then he asks them to call Shizuka. A few minutes pass and Shizuka calls Lj in tears apologizing for the bank... we got turned down for the loan... not because we don’t make enough money- we had a co-signer if needed, not because of our age, not because of our visa status- they never saw our passports, not because of our jobs... we were turned down for no other reason than simply we are gaijin (foreigners). Shizuka told them they would co-sing- they said, "No... They are gaijin... they can't have a loan" end of story... no no no! Not giving up we went to the dealer with Shizuka and Kazuya yesterday and applied for a loan through the dealer... well, after only a few minutes of waiting we were approved for a loan with no co-signer... they even gave us a three year loan... it will go past our actual visa status. So soon so soon we will be in our new car!

Looking back on this whole experience I know God was working... He led us to the van and He blessed us with friends who were willing to help do whatever needed to be done. God continues to teach me and remind me that He is always there blessing me and for that I am thankful.

I just love this little boy oh so much!

Stone loves his Auntie Amy!

Stone has an obsession with shoes and he was more than thrilled when Amy let him try on her slippers...They were a bit too big but still fun to wear. I love this picture of the two of them.

Our Little Soccer Player

Stone enjoys coming into the teachers room during my lunch break. The principal and the other staff dote on him and spoil him with attention. Last week they were playing with a soccer ball and Stone was showing them the correct form...



*I've told him soccer was a 'hands off' kind of game...

Happy First Birthday Little Man!

May 25th, 2005

May 25th, 2006

He's a Daredevil

One of Stone's favorite places is the sink area in the bathroom... so when I was getting ready yesterday he took advantage of the chance to be in the bathroom. Usually he enjoys taking the towels out of the basket and making sure each and every one of them is unrolled, unfolded and flat- well yesterday he decided he wanted to see what was in the sink...it did not take him long to realize he could stand on the basket to get a little higher... he was so proud of himself for climbing up there. He has no fear- he stood on the basket precariously perched for a good 3 minutes. We definitely have a climber on our hands.

Golden Week

We had a fabulous Golden Week... the weather was absolutely wonderful.

On Wednesday, we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast with the Chans and in the afternoon we went out car shopping... maybe we will get a new car... maybe we won't who knows what the future holds.

Here is Stone enjoying the car ride... he was in his own little world... he was so content and peaceful!

On Thursday, we decided to head out for a McDonalds picnic... we headed to the Dinosaur park here in Mito... we never found the dino park but we did find a nice communitry center with a park behind it... so we popped a squat and enjoyed the peace and quiet of the community center play ground.

Stone enjoying a little flower.


Stone loved walking along the fence.


Enjoying the see-saw...behind us was a scary group of scarecrows.


Enjoying the slide...one of the first times.


Stone loved running in the field.


Enjoying bubbles at the end of the day.

why...

Why do people say things when they don’t mean it? Do people say things because they think you want to hear it? Why do people say that they want to do something but never take the initiate to make it happen? Why do I put so much faith and energy into what people say? Why do I continue to think that maybe just maybe this time it will be different?

**Just some "why" questions that were floating in my mind last night!**

Stepping out...

A Mommy Moment

Last week I had a mommy moment... I was cooking dinner and Stone was where he usually is while I make dinner… on my heels. He was standing and trying to reach anything he could… well he succeeded and managed to grab and pull down my bottle of water… not your average 16 ounces of water… no this was a whole liter of water that I had just filled up… he immediately started to play in the water and squealed with glee… but I immediately picked him up as I said ‘Stooooone’! Then I took a moment to think about it… I could just clean up the mess and forget about it or I could let him play in the water (the floor needed to be mopped anyway) and take pictures. I did the latter. He had so much fun… splashing and hitting the floor… after a while I got two towels and we cleaned it up “together”?!

I learned my lesson though… Stone can reach the top of the table now and I need to be mindful of that but more importantly seizing the moment and enjoying life as a toddler was fun and quite enjoyable.

Here are some pictures of him enjoying the water!

Stone Took His First Steps!

This evening after Lj got home he was playing with little man and all of a sudden Stone let go of the door and walked to Lj... so after dinner we got the camera and prodded him to do it again and he kept walking between Lj and me… he was so excited and so cute with his arms up in the air!

Maybe I will get a picture tomorrow... we did video tonight!

Little Miss Anonymous

The other week we received an anonymous comment on our blog… the comment was intended to be hurtful and it really got to me that I did not know who would say things like that… I think I was more hurt that a “friend” would think we did not love or care for our families and that us living in Japan was an indication to them (anonymous) that a relationship with our family was not important… it ate at me for weeks. Well, the other day a sweet friend Sharon left a comment on my scrapbooking site and I noticed her ip address… and I thought well that address makes sense it has her town/state in it… so I was off to do a bit more research with anonymous’ ip address and sure enough I was able to find where little anonymous’ comment came from…a town where I can only think of two people I know from there. I am not really too sure if I have satisfaction in knowing or not… yes, it still bothers me that they think that we do not think our family and or relationships with those in the states are important… but now I am also able to understand that if it was indeed the anonymous person I think it was why they would think that way.

My Mom!

My sister emailed the other day and my mom broke her leg two weeks ago… she went to the doctor with what she thought was a MS flare-up and it turns out she has a broken her leg and also a few other ailments. I am sure she will be in the hospital for a while with rehab and all that other kinds of stuff… physically she has to be able to do a few things and her strength is not up to par right now because of the MS. Times like this are when I wish I lived closer so I could help with everything my mom and sister will have to deal with. I know I can encourage and pray for her from Japan but I wish I could ease the burden my sister will feel trying to make sure everything is taken care of.

Here is a picture of Stone and my mom in February.

What my blog says about me...

In lieu of updating... here is a random selection of words found in my blog... What do they say about me?

Try out your own blog here... What does your blog say about you?

crazy baby...

I love iphoto...I could take crazy pictures all day!