The Mask

I was called to pick Cole up from school yesterday because he was coughing really hard. This is what I found! I am always making fun of everyone who wears these. Really?

But I have to say they do come in handy when your kids are sick.

I have been humbled by the mask.

Of course the second Ava saw it she had to have one too!

Kyoto

Ryan's birthday was the beginning of October. We have been away from home for the last 6 years so it's always a struggle how to make his day special without having our close friends and family around. This year I decided to take him away for the weekend down to Kyoto.

His lunch... they put fried eggs on top of everything.

Mine was a little less scary. Spring rolls and ramen.

A food market. Never seen any of this stuff in the USA.. and that's a good thing!

The walk up to our dinner restaurant. It was gorgeous. Korean BBQ for my Korean speaking hubby. It was so romantic. Our own private room with a beautiful view.

The yummiest piece of steak.

Our private little waitress. She would shuffle in and out on her knees.

They even did a little Birthday surprise dessert. I guess the lady at the hotel told them because I sure didn't.

I don't know what it was but I sure ate it and liked it.

Me and my old man!

A little sightseeing.

These tori gates were amazing. They went on forever and ever. So cool.

Our own tori gate. The left side is the date and the right side is our name??? Maybe it's the other way around. You get the idea!!!

My favorite things ever. This would be paradise for me. I'll have one of everything!

Savannah made this cake for Ryan while we were gone. It was yummy.

What could he possibly wish for???

Our friends, The Nelsons, came to join in on the celebrations.

This was the first of many helpings for Andrew!

Sumo was kind of depressed he didn't get any cake.

Happy Birthday Babe! You only get better and better with age!!

Party Time Tokyo Style

We had a great Halloween. It was awesome having my brother still here with us. Ava went to school as a cheerleader but then changed to a beautiful bride for trick or treating. We stopped by the church party for a bit and then hit the town for some serious candy. Ryan and I attended an adult dress up party which was a lot of fun. The theme was your 'dark' side hence the scary pics of us!

Our little friend, Issac.

Issac's little sister, Hazel.

Cole and his friend, Maya.

Pretty Sweet

Ryan is heading out tonight with the guys to see the all blacks play Australia here in Tokyo.

I will be trick or treating with the kids while he is enjoying some rugby.

Shimoda

This is a super long post. I took lots of pictures. Went down to a place called Shimoda. One of the prettiest beaches. The drive down was about 90 miles and took 5 hours there and 7 hours home thanks to wonderful traffic. We knew it would take anywhere between 2 and 12 hours so I guess it could have been worse. Had lots of fun. Enjoying our trips around Japan.

Savannah's BFF from school, Annie (left), ended up being there and staying at the same hotel as us. She and her sister love Ava so they entertained her lots.

Cynthia with her amazing body.

Annie, Sav, and Miranda

Here comes the wave!

Wipe out!

Cynthia's middle, Sophia. I want her body!

Then there is Lila and Ava. Can't say I'm too jealous of their figures! But they somehow pull it off.

Ryan, Tom, and Bryan

Kacey and my brother, Andrew.

Lila and Ava are so funny together. I love this sequence of pictures.

Take her down!

Lila looks like an exotic dancer here. Too cute.

Oh yeah!

The sand sledding hill. My kids hated it. Ry braved it with them while I was on a walk. He wasn't in the best mood when I returned.

Here they come... These two are two peas in a pod.

Princess with her shirley temple

Wow. That was a lot of pictures.

Woodman's Village

We went camping in Japan! Well.... kind of.... sort of. We stayed in cabins in the woods in Japan. They had a loft upstairs and we slept on Japanese tatami mats. But we did have a little kitchen and bathroom and shower. So for me it was a perfect mix of being comfortable but still surrounded by nature. We went with two other families we are friends with here and had a blast. It rained on us Saturday but it didn't stop us from doing anything. The kids played outside and caught frogs all day long. We sat outside with a fire and ate, played scrabble, and just enjoyed watching the kids run around. There was a stream nearby they swam in even in the rain. Sunday was gorgeous so we took a hike and then swam again before packing up and heading back to the concrete buildings of Tokyo.

My brother, Drew, and his friend Kacey from the US (she is my part time nanny) are also with us till December.

Trying to convince Drew to sleep on the floor after he saw a spider. Good luck in Brazil!

The first of many tree frogs.

Kickin' back

Our beautiful campground and surroundings.

Bryan and Cynthia Mix. She is my social events planner over here. I wouldn't have a life if it wasn't for her.

My artistic shot of the day. Thanks Drew for posing!

Back to School

Well after a long Summer vacation back in Utah, having lots of fun playing with our family and friends, and after 3 months of my kids not having any responsibilities.........

THEY HAVE GONE BACK TO SCHOOL!!!

Do I seem a bit excited? Well maybe just a little. Life will get even better next Monday when Ava begins her everyday preschool. I love my little critters but I love them even more when I've had a few hours of sanity.

Getting on the bus. That is their bus monitor in the Orange.

Ava and Lila have picked right back up and are both large and in charge.

BFF!