My college roommate and friend, Karen, lost her mom suddenly to a heart attack over the weekend. My heart breaks for her... I know her mom was like a rock to her!

I am coming back...

I can't seem to figure out all Lj has done to our site... so I am going to start posting here again! 

Moving on...

With a little prompting from Lj I am moving on from blogger...for updates please check out http://www.ljandkari.com or http://www.theljs.com. I will be posting updates from there for now on! Thanks!

水戸 黄門 まつり

Mito was buzzing this weekend with festivals and celebrations!

The festivities started last night with a spectacular firework show honoring, the Mito Koumon, the second lord of the Mito clan.

Mito puts on a wonderful firework show lasting 90 or so minutes! I had never seen a show like this until we moved here.

Stone hanging out with his Uncle Aaron and buddy, Freedom!

Stone always is so happy and excited to see Erisa and Reiko! They spoil him like crazy!

A family photo... Stone has decided that smiling for the camera is no fun!

Today was the "big" day of the festival... there were parades, floats and dance shows! Since we have lived in Japan for 7 years and have never really attended the festivities on a Saturday we decided that we would brave the heat and head downtown to see what was all the hype! I am so glad we went...

Safe in his daddy's arms Stone enjoyed watching all the action!

Stone had a great view from daddy's shoulders!

What better way to spend the first weekend of summer vacation than with family!?

I'm afraid this might be Stone one day...

**Shamelessly stolen from Jason's blog

He is already learning how to navigate the mouse... he just can't figure out why it does not work like Daddy's!

Uncle Aaron

Stone really wanted to see his Uncle Aaron today... he actually called him from my cell phone...I heard it ringing and Aaron being a good sport about it told Stone to call him anytime. So this afternoon when Stone and I went for a walk to Daidarabo Park we called and asked Aaron to meet us... since his school is so close he was able to sneak away for a few minutes. Stone really loves all the attention Aaron gives him... God has blessed our family with Aaron's friendship for over 10 years!

into mischief…

Stone loves to take tissues and wipes out of the box and on this particular day I turned my back for little too long and he had a heyday with a new box of tissues... oh the simple pleasures of childhood!

The look of guilt on his face when he realized I was watching him was priceless!

No better way to enjoy another rainy day...

than to play in it!

little man's weigh in...

I took Stone for a weigh in today at the health center...he is 50% for weight and 95% for height... so I guess when Japanese people tell me he is big they must be reffering to his height.

here are the stats...
weight 9.94 kg or about 21.9 lbs
height 78.7 cm or about 30.9 in

Next month, we will go for a tooth check... hopefully by then his little molars will be in and not bothering him so much!

かみね どうぶつ えん。。。KAMINE ZOO

Yesterday, we went to the Kamine zoo with Charity& Freedom, Laura & Dj and Laura's friends, Chiharu & Yuan. Stone loved watching the animals...he got to see elephants, monkeys, tigers, donkeys, lions, rhinoceros, penguins and he even got to pet a bunny but... mommy made him pass on petting the snake! It was a great day... even though we did not get to spend much time with Laura and Dj... there was hardly anyone at the zoo so we did not have to fight crowds or feel like we were the ones on display. Stone has already told me that he wants to take daddy there soon.

Stone petting the bunny.

Playing hide-n-seek with the elephant.

Charity, Freedom, me and Stone posing for the traditional souvenir photo.

The giraffe.. Stone thought he was funny looking with his loooong neck.

Taking a break... Laura and Dj enjoyed ice cream while Stone and Freedom enjoyed some water and being free.

We love Saturday!

Saturdays have become a family day... and every Saturday morning at 7:15 it is like Stone knows that we are going to go out and have some fun. Last Saturday, after a McDonalds breakfast of puchi pancakes we headed to a park near here to join some friends in a round of disc golf. Stone had so much fun running and playing in the grass and trees. After one round we headed home and Lj cleaned out the car while Stone tried to nap then in the evening we headed to the mall to get Stone his "first" pair of shoes... which he is still trying to decide what he thnks of them. I can't wait until August when every day will be like Saturday...but hopefully Stone will sleep in later than 7:15!

I love this smile!

Look at this face...

Stone loved disc golf!

Playing soccer with daddy!

Father and Son

Happy 4th of July!

Thank you Auntie Holly for the t-shirt!

Play Date with Ayano!

Today Stone and I met Ayano and her mommy at the park. Ayano is one of the cutest Japanese babies ever... She has the most precious little curls and the sweetest smile.

Stone has been into giving hugs lately... He made sure to give Ayano a few hugs today...It was so cute to see him go to give her a hug because he would get all excited and almost always managed to push her over... but she took it in stride and even hugged him back.

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!