Baby Mark's birthday!!!

Our baby Mark turned one year old today-28th of December. Unbelievable!

A year ago, at this time, we were patiently waiting for his arrival, hoping that he'd come before Robert's Christmas vacation was over. My due date was January 5th, but as always I was a little early.

Mark's nickname is Speedy. And speedy he was:) I will not go into all the details of my birthing story, but I have to say that I didn't even REALLY know that I was in labor until about 2 hours before he was born. At 4:20 am we left our house (our friends, Knudsens, drove over to watch Katya and Alex sleep). At 4:35 am we were checked in at the hospital. And at 4:55 Mark was born! Water broke with one contraction and Mark came out with the next one. A whopping 9 lbs 6 oz (second biggest) and 20.5 in long.

Fort Walton Beach Medical Center-Dec. 28, 2008 around 5 am

I remember that Robert was home by 8 am that morning, got kids ready for church and actually was at church at 9 am. Mom (that is me, of course) was feeling fantastic:)

Mark is 1 day old

Florida was the perfect place to have a winter baby. We were out and about a couple weeks after the delivery.

Mark is 4 weeks old

Mark is 11.5 months old

We love you Mark! You are one of the greatest blessings in our life. The happiest and the sweetest baby ever! Being the third child and the youngest one is not always easy but it has its own perks too:) You know, what I am talking about, Markovka.

Happy Birthday!

Christmas photo session

I love taking pictures. Katya loves being in my pictures. Alex does not like me taking pictures of him, he just likes taking them. Baby Mark loves when I take pictures of him....IF he is the only one that is in those pictures.

Anyway, if I showed you a slideshow of our Christmas photo shoot, you'd see how crazy our kids behave when we are trying to have all three of them look at the camera at the same time. Yes, I could have just taken candid pictures of them doing whatever together, but I needed to see their faces just this one time.
We had some good ones:

This is so Alex...

My Favorite of all three of them

As good as it gets

And not so good ones:

I kept this one so I can show Katya what she looks like when she is about to attack Alex (or me). Do you like my penguin pjs?

Things that happen when you shop online

A little background on this story.

Robert has this friend (well he is my friend too, sort of...most of the time) at work who shall not be named and who wears Crocs. Because Robert really likes this guy and looks up to him, and, let's be honest, wants to be like him, he decided that he needs to get a pair of Crocs to wear to work as well. So, as a loving wife, I went on ebay and bought him a pair of white Crocs--not the most fabulous looking shoes, in my opinion.

So here is where the story gets interesting. When the package came, the shoes looked just as described new and with tags. At first we were quite happy with the purchase, since the shoes were going to really make Robert look like that friend at work who shall not be named. Well, after Robert had been wearing them around the house for a couple of HOURS, he noticed that the shoes were mismatched! They were the same color and the same size. But there was one quite a noticable difference. One looked like this:

And the other one looked like this:

See the difference? The vents!

Anyway, I emailed the seller asking him to let me know how I could send one shoe back and how he could send me a matching shoe. It's a hassle, but I didn't have any other choice.

12:55 AM--I hear beeping. I keep hearing beeping and it's not going away, it's not an alarm clock, I poke Robert on his elbow, and he mumbles, "It's our Vonage phone". Oh yeah, of course!

When I picked up the phone, it took me a minute to realize with whom I was speaking. It was the seller guy who was calling to apologize about the mistake. When I said something about stationed in Japan, he started apologizing even more because he woke us up. And after that, he expressed his great appreciation for everything we do serving our country. He said he thought that we were in FL (because our area code in Vonage is still a FL number), that's why he called. He promised to send the right shoe and asked me to send the extra shoe back.

The next morning, I received an email from the seller again! He wrote this: "Sorry for the phone call. Also as a thank you for serving our country and my mistake, I will just send you the other two shoes. that way you'll have two matching pairs. Thank you, have happy and safe holidays. May God bless you and keep you safe".

Pretty cool, huh.

I need to thank Robert more often for serving his country. I usually don't think about what he does as serving the US, but the truth is--he is. And I am very proud of him (as long as he doesn't have to go fight Ukrainians or something).

Chrysanthemum Festival at Hirosaki castle 弘前城

I can't believe we have been in Japan for almost 4 months now!  Time has flown by so quckly.  As proof, this post is one month overdue, as the chrysanthemum festiveal in Hirosaki was sometime in early November (I think).  Better late than never.  Anyway, we took our first family day trip to Hirosaki, about 3 hours away.  The drive was beautiful as we traveled first through several scattered rural villages and then straight through the mountains -- literally.  I didn't count, but there were at least five tunnels of significant length, including one that was about 2 miles long.  With all the earthquakes, I couldn't help but wonder how these tunnels survive. 

So we arrived in Hirosaki to enjoy the chrysanthemums, which for such a long name is a rather simple looking flower.  I'll get into that later though.  I know you're checking out this post for the pictures, so without further achoo, I mean adoo, here you are:

Katya with Mt.Iwasaki-mura of the Shirakami mountains in the background (yes, a volcano). 

Alex decided to check out the view too, although I don't know how much he saw through the coin-operated binoculars because we didn't put any money in.

At first glance this is just a picture of Katya and Alex at the bottom of some stairs, but with that assumption dear friends and family, you would be quite wrong. It is in fact a shot of Alex falling down the stairs.  No easy feat snapping this shot I assure you.

Don't worry, he's okay.

After Alex's harrowing escape from injury, I attempted to comfort him (as well as distract him and Katya from interrupting Lyana who was trying to get baby Mark to fall asleep in the stroller) by checking out the local wildlife.  Here in Japan there are black ladybugs with red spots, and the kids are really fascinated by these bewildering backward beetles.

Here is a Alex runing toward me, practically tears, because he just accidentally squashed that ladybug in his hand.

Yeaaaaa!  They have seesaws in Japan!!  Real teeter-totters.   From Utah to Minnesota to Florida, the litigation fairies have removed practically every teeter-totter from every playground in America.  But here in this glorious country where parents are held responsible for their own children's mistakes (instead of the guy who painted the see-saw aqua-marine).

Besides flowers that can't be pronounced, Hirosaki is famous for apples.  So part of the celebration was a display of different apple-related artwork, such as this painted apple barrel.  They are also famous for their "apple pies" which are not much more than a whole, cored apple wrapped up in dough and baked.

Alex and Mark hanging out in another apple barrel.

Okay, so I guess it's time to show a some chrysanthemum creations.  Here are a few "statues" covered in flowers (note the samurais' pants and armor).  Due to a chyrysanthemum shortage, the two statues to your left had to be clothed in standard children's attire as an alternative.

Behind the picture-perfect family in this photo is the Hirosaki castle (constructed in 1611 by the local Tsugaru clan) and a chrysanthemum boat in the moat. Try saying chrysanthemums three times fast.  I can barely say it once.

Mark made a new friend.

Those are all apples by the way.

I don't think the pandas are actually made from chrysanthemums, chrysanthemums, chrysanthemums, but those are chrysanthemums, chrysanthemums, chrysanthemums in the pots.

Ever seen chrysanthemum + shrubbery elephants?

Me neither.

Free train ride.  Not as fast as the bullet train, but still fun.  When I sat down in front of Alex (I barely fit) the conductor who sat on the black seat in the back told me not to turn around to take pictures of the kids behind me, apparently to prevent the train from tipping over.

After touring the gardens, we purchased tasty ice cream cones from this grandmotherly street vendor for 100 yen each (about $1).  These carts can be found all over the place. 

Finally, the best picture of all.  Here is the sweet, and brave, woman who ventured halfway around the globe with me.  Here, standing at the entrance to the Hirosaki castle gardens.

Till next time I make the time to write another post,

Robert

Happy Thanksgiving!

I wrote on my facebook that I had the strangest Thanksgiving Day ever. I did.

It was simply very strange to celebrate this very American and homy holiday so far away from the USA. I felt very foreign that day driving off base.

In the morning, instead of laboring in the kitchen making Turkey, I decided to go off base and get some things done. So I was driving even on base, it was very empty. All I could see was Japanese people doing their jobs, working construction. I guess it wasn't a day off for them, so they had to work while all Americans were eating their delicious dinners:)

Anyway. One of the things I got accomplished is scheduling an appointment at a store called Sanwado (with a big running dog logo) ((what does Sanwado mean, anyone know?)) (((triple brackets should be including in grammar rules))). That's the place I am going to get a self-starter for my van. Yay! This way I can press the button from inside my house and the car will start, heat will kick in, and defroster hopefully will help to deice my windshield. I will probably pollute Misawa air too.... but all Japanese do it, why not me? Life is not easy in this snowy area when you don't have a garage.

Another thing I got done, was selling some baby clothes to this recycle shop Waku Waku kids. Things get sold at these recycle shops (second-hand stores) for a lot cheaper than they do in the states. Therefore, I didn't realize how little money the store would give me for all my nice clean baby clothes. Seriously, I must have given them about 15 good name brand clothes, and they gave me a little over $7. They didn't care it was a fleece hooded zip up sweatshirt from Gap it was still 90 cents. Maybe I remember things wrong, but I bet I could sell it in the states for at least a dollar:) Anyway, that was probably the last time I will do that. Better to give it to someone who needs it.

Back to the original subject of this post. Our Thanksgiving dinner was very unique. Food was still the same--yummy turkey, ham, potatoes, yams....all the good stuff. But it was held at our base high school lunch room! Did not feel like home at all, but our having lots of fun friends made up for it. Some kids ran around crazy at the gym, others watched movies. I had a lot of fun chatting with people from our church and Robert played some games. Oh, and he got called in for about an hour (he is on call this whole week).

Finally, I just have to say that Black Friday is not really black here in Japan:) Yeah, the Exchange had some deals, but it's nothing like in the states. I tried shopping online but lots of websites crashed (like Kohl's!!!) right when doorbuster deals were available. Bummer.
Not having all the craziness that happens at Target and Walmart was a blessing, although I kind of miss seeing all the excitement surrounding Christmas preperations.

I am grateful for having so much love in my life. I have such an abundance of blessings every day that I don't know where to start. I am thankful for my family, for my friends, for the adventures that our life throws at us and for having the Gospel in my life. And I am not really homesick:)
Happy Thanksgiving!

Fun week

I caught myself thinking today how much I enjoy these looooong weekends with family. The problem is we try to fit in too much stuff into them. Too much fun stuff. And too many errands to get done.
Just a recap of our week:
--Monday was pretty uneventful.
--Tuesday was kind of uneventful. Except, Alex's preschool told us that we are next in line for a three day class. I was a bit hesitent. So I was supposed to tell them by Wednesday whether or not we still want Alex to transfer into a three-day preschool program. I forgot. I NEVER forget these things. And I did. Now I have to wait till Monday and hope that they didn't put someone else in his spot.

Are you wondering why I was not sure about him going to preschool three days a week? Even if you are not, here is my answers--there are 12 students in that class and only one teacher, no assistant (his current class has 8 or 9 students), he'd lose his friends whom he really likes, and finally driving to the main base three times a week in the morning is not my favorite thing to do this winter. Don't get me wrong, I am used to snow, and after Minnesota, nothing scares me. But it is very different here. A LOT more snow when it does snow and the plowing system needs a lot of improvement from what I heard (although it's a ton better than off base). My most terrifying thought is driving through the so-called CANYON every time I go from North area to main base. I'll get a picture for you, so you know what I am talking about. The sun never shines there, so snow stays there forever...... Okay, enough of snowy thoughts. It's the end of November and it hasn't snow yet.
Back to my recap...

--Wednesday--pretty uneventful.


The end.

Seriously, see? Some weeks are just -blehhh. Nothing cool happens even if you live in Japan.

Things I love about Japan (Misawa)

So I have been trying to come up with a few things that I feel like I need to share. Understand me correctly, it's not that hard to come up with some advantages of being overseas and in a foreign country. Sometimes it's just hard to think about them when you are "living life" here.
Just some random ideas to share:

1. It is very safe here. I do not lock my car. I do not lock my house. When parked off base, I sometimes even leave my wallet in the car--it is that safe. I let my kids go to the bathroom on their own (which I would never do in the states), as long as they know how to find me when they are done. Basically, I feel like everyone is trying to be a good citizen here and trusts each other.

2. The people. Japanese people are amazing. So hard-working, so honest, so polite. I have never heard anyone yell here. I have never heard anyone speak rudely to another person. I have never heard a parent discipline his/her child in public, and if he/she did, they were not speaking in harsh voices, so I didn't even notice.

3. Customer service. They want to please you. They work hard to make you come back. I've got two examples. After my cell phone took an extra couple days to arrive to the cell phone office, the manager himself, gave me a call and asked me if he could drop the cell phone off at my house in person. He simply wanted to apologize for taking such a long time. I kept asking him "But why?" when he was talking on the phone with me. I am sure I sounded kind of suspicious.

And then there is our Japanese auto mechanic--Datesan. Great guy! But what makes him really great--he speaks decent English!-hehehehe. The best part is that he tries his best to actually pick up your car when he needs to work on it and then drop it off. Don't know about you, but I have never had that done in the US:)

4. I stand out. I have to admit, I like it. I like being blonde and "taller". I love being able to be spotted easily:)

5. Being able to buy fresh fruits and vegetables anytime. Anywhere I go in Misawa, I can find small shops that have a ton of produce for sale. We have an "Apple Lady" who has lots of good apples and pears, sits rain or shine in her small shop. Speaks only words like "SWEET" "SOFTO" "HARDO", but that's enough for me. She always gives kids samples of apples and knows their names.

6. Bakeries. Ooooh, just thinking about them makes me want to go out and get some of the yummy Japanese bread. It looks and tastes a lot like European pastries. You just have to try them to appreciate them. My favorite is bread with chocolate swirls in it.

7. It is beautiful here. I did not expect to see so many mountains here! I mean, I knew there is Mt. Fuji in Japan, but I didn't realize there are so many hills and forests where we are--northern Japan. Breataking views. Every time I drive down from main base, by the beach of lake Ogawarako (or something that sounds like that:)), I am amazed at how beautiful the landscape is. Of course, half of the time, I can only see the first layer of mountains because of the clouds.

8. Japanese have thought of every little thing. They love to invent these tiny contraptions/containers/ equipment to ease your life. No, I don't really need a nose massager, but just in case....they've got it. Storage containers of all shapes and sizes are plentiful at the 100Yen store (dollar store but better). In small spaces that they live, they have to use every inch of their house. And that's exactly what all those organizational tools do. My personal favorite that I still have to go and try is this one:

Any ideas what it is?

Amazon description: Baby Nasal Aspirator Vacuum Suction

This nasal cleaner is with a tube for mother to vacuum out baby's mucus. You can feel and control vacuum suction. When the nose is clear, you will feel the free air go in your mouth. The mucus will be collected in the container. All parts are detachable for cleaning (the large white part can be separate into two parts as well). Just rinse with warm or hot water right after each use. It can also be sterilized in boiling water (except the clear container and carry case). I personally like to hold the baby upright when vacuuming the mucus, so I can control the directions as well. It's a very handy tool when baby got running or stuffy nose.

If you are interested in buying one, let me know, I can get it here for around $9-haha. (A regular American pediatrician here actually recommended it to me).

9. Yaki-soba. What can I say, I love Yakisoba. To find out what I am talking about, you just going to have to come visit us.

I am sure the list is not full. But this is just the beginning...

Halloween

Happy Halloween!!   Yes, I know Halloween was over 2 weeks ago, but it never hurts to look back.  This year we had lots of fun, with all the parties and trick-or-treating.  There was always an opportunity to dress up in costume. 

This year Alex decided over a month in advance that he wanted to be a policeman.  Good thing too, because then we had enough time to order his costume online and have it shipped here.  He wore it (and still wears it) almost every day.  If you look closely, you'll see that the original buttons are missing (Alex tore them off) and the remnants are colored in with permanent marker.  Also, the badge clip broke, so you can tell we had to tape it to his shirt.  Alex's silly pose is his attempt at imitiating Katya, who is always a diva for the camera (as you can tell in her photo).  Speaking of Katya, her costume changed for each party or trick-or-treating event.  This is what she wore to the first party.  You'll have to tell me what you think she's dressed as becasue I'm not exactly sure.

And of course, who could forget little Mark.  Yes, he's a frog. 

We had a blast trick-or-treating.  I pulled Alex and Katya in the wagon (so spoiled, I know) and went to as many homes as humanly possible.  And now we have way too much candy in the house.  The Japanese people really get in to the holiday too, even selling pumpkins and costumes in local shops.  On Halloween, droves of Japanese children dress up and come on base to take advantage of all that free candy, because as you know, Halloween is not normally celebrated here in Japan.  It's only because of us Americans and our strange tradtions that Halloween is so big here.   Gotta go now, Mark just woke up and Lyana and the older kids are out.

Robert

Hot Dogs Roasting on an Open Fire

Sung to the tune of "Chestnuts Roasting"

Hot dogs roasting on an open fire, down on Momoishi Beach. 

Tiny tots stuffed with marshmallow S'mores, tonight will find it hard to sleep.

Half the Branch arrived today, just to sit around the campfire and to play.

And while some folks forgot their suppers, the Law of Consecration was enacted by the others.

 

There's nothing better than a bonfire, when shared with friends and family.

Good memories made; more to come I am sure . . .

So how about next time,

I'll bring the ketchup,

(with no high fructose) for all.

Robert