Our toothless wonder

Megan lost her top front tooth and she looks funny!  

Baby?

Ok, so Paul and I both agree that we are done with having babies.  We love all our kids, but we are done.  So sometimes I'll see a baby and be all like "AWWWWWW, I WANT ONE!"  But I don't REALLY mean it.  I just want one that doesn't cry or demand anything or produce dirty laundry.  So Paul is always like, "WE'LL NEVER HAVE ANOTHER KID AGIAN."  Ok, that's fine.  I NEED that voice of reason.  But the other day, Paul came home, he said he needed to get fixed because he had a "twinge".  That's right.  Big ole mister heart of stone had a TWINGE.  Over a baby.  He had an urge to have another baby!  After I smacked his face twice, I agreed.  Time to get fixed.  

Guess what I saw

Driving back home this am from the big base, I saw a man by the mall.  He was peeing.  It was 10 am!  I actually turned a bit to see what he was doing and I saw HIS PENIS.  This is not the type of sightseeing I had in mind when I moved here.  I'm very disturbed.

Computer fun

This is why I don't work.  If I worked, we wouldn't have time for fun family together time.

Bon Odori

Last Saturday we went to a bon dance (bon odori).  This occurs during the obon festival and is a dance that welcomes the spirits of your ancestors.  The dance creates a welcoming atmosphere for the spirits, so they will want to visit during this time.  Obon is to give thanks to your ancestors, for all the sacrifices they made for the family.  Bon odori occurs at night when the spirits come to visit.

Kimonos are worn if you have them.  The dance was beautiful, like a very graceful Japanese line dance done in a circle.

The taiko (drum).  Mulitple people can play one drum, it was very interesting to see how they changed...they had a definite rhythm going.

Here are Dawn and her two girls, Mia and Madelyn.  They're our friends and neighbors.

  
Megan and Madelyn are in the same grade, but Megan is a full head taller than Madelyn.  They are BFF!!

Darfur

http://www.savedarfur.org/pages/pending_legislation/   

I can't even pretend to understand everything that is happening over there.  But I do know that innocent people are being killed.  Please read what you can do and do it....think if we were in the same situation, you would want someone to react, right?  

Sharing the love

Poor Megan, she just wants to share the love.  Isn't that the saddest picture you've seen?

Send more baby books!

Cricket loves to read and get read to.  Most get read to.  She will sit and listen for an hour if you have the energy to read that long.  She will follow me around with a book in her hand screaming for me to read to her.  She finally gave up, sensing what a non-caring mom I was, and decided to read to her "baby" instead.  She's adopted Megan's doll, Josie, as her own and drags her all over the place.  

Birds of a feather.....

Eating the popcorn.

Kernels crunching in their mouth.

Greasy fingerprints. 

Sisters

They love each other so much.  The other day when we dropped Cricket off at the daycare center, she was crying and as Megan and I got back in the car Megan said, "They better take care of her"

Nogeyama Zoo and Riding the Train

Whenever we ride the train, Cricket loves to get out of her stroller and hold on to the handles.  Most of the time there is no room for her to do this and she cries the whole way....this time we got lucky.  We went to Nogeyama Zoo up in Yokohama for Fathers Day.  We had a picnic at the Zoo and saw some monkeys get in a serious fight.  

Need I say anything about this picture?

Yes...she is a challenge.  But LOOK AT THOSE EYES!  And that SMILE!!!!

Megan vs Cricket

I just want you to notice how dark Cricket is compared to Megan.  And we use sun block on both of them.  Cricket is definitely from my Dad's side!

Here is Cricket helping Paul with the computer.  She loves to be up on the desk and will not give you any peace until you lift her up there.

Megan's Birthday Party

For Megan's birthday, we went up to Cosmo World in Yokohama.  We had lunch at Hard Rock Cafe'.  It was soooo much fun.  Sam, Shelby and Aunt Christie came along with us...

Megan is 6

Megan is 6!... hard to believe, I know.  Here are a few pics from our little party on Thursday.  Enjoy!

Megan's School Field Day

She's a natural model. Look at her - she could be in that movie "10".
Poor Megan... she's holding the bat backwards and upside down....but she hit the ball!
And of course Cricket had to help out.  These people don't know what they would do without her around.

More pics from Tokyo

Shrines are Shinto and Temples are Buddhist.  I can't remember if this is a temple or shrine, but it's pretty famous for the big red lantern you see here. 
Here is Cricket getting her picture taken by the masses, yet again.  I don't know if it's every American baby or if there is something about her, but whenever we go out into town she gets soooooo much attention.  People were getting their picture taken with her, I swear.  It was so weird.
This is part of a local brewery.  I won't say anything else about it.
On the way home Cricket was putting Chex between her toes and then eating them.  She's sooooo her fathers child!!
On top of Tokyo Tower.  Megan was running around crazy and wouldn't stop to get her picture taken.  

Getting Busy

I've always worked. Even when I was pregnant with the girls, I worked right up until the day I went into labor.  I did take about a year off when Megan was a baby, while Paul was out to sea, but then I went back to work.  When Paul and I decided that I would stay home with the girls, I thought I would be overjoyed and I am up to a point.  It's now been over a year since Cricket was born and I am having a hard time staying home.  So I've decided to volunteer a bit and to become one of the Ombudsmen at the Naval Hospital.  Also, we're going to the states for about a month this summer, and I cannot wait.  We cannot wait to see everyone and spend some time in the good ol' US of A.