trying out new tricks and wheelys

I think AT got you girl wheelys.. ( which btw AT made this probably one of THEE best Christmas for us all that I can remember to date:) he did it ALL) no matter as even if a japanese kid was to point it out.. you wouldnt understand for at least enough time to wear them out.. of course we did not do this on purpose.. plus I kind of think the boys daisy duke uniform shorts thinking might not care..but they look pretty girly coloring to me.. now that I get a good view..
never the less.. we were trying out these suckers today.. it was actually fun and peaceful.. as we had the whole school to our selves.. ( which actually shogo saw us.. and said we can walk thru it..but cant hang out there??)
but anyways you guys all wanted to pose your tricks for me.. even truly saw the action and started in with "hey mommy look at me" watch this one.. did you catch that?? yes I caught it.. they are all stand stills.. they arent really movements:)
such a fun easy time right now.. really no real worries besides keeping you all entertained, grateful and happy.. as no one can really distract me from just looking at you all, all day long.. I KNOW this is an important small moment:)

MICHIKO

as if her cooking every meal ( my least favorite thing to do).. taking a day off to tow us around to kiddie fun filled areas wasnt enough.. YOU saw that I was obessed with these drinks.. so the night before we left.. yoshiko and you went out into the bitter cold to load up with 7 of the COLD drinks put them in your coat pockets and bring them to me..

they are yummy yummy and only 34 calories:)

we gots a peeing problem

first off if you even got caught with your pants down here ( the jr high school across the street) we would most likely be banished for LIFE.. there IS NO peeing in a bush here.. NO WAY!!! Japanese people just do NOT go for that.. maybe americans dont either.. but it just didnt seem that bad if we were at an wide open park???
but even the other day TAD when we got off the bullet train.. I looked to make sure you were on track and you had your thing hanging out while ready to aim it.. saying I need to go pee.. what the HECK????? we are out in public.. I mean crazy BUSY public..
anyways today you were trying to pee in the grass area.. well guess who thought they needed to follow suit????
hoping that my calm reminder today will help you see the light:)

heading back

a bullet train is such an easy way to cover some serious distances.. I much prefer it to flying.. just so easy
plus I love the rules of no cell phones or noise electronics are allowed. it makes public places so easy to stay inside your train of thought or little zone of what you are trying to do.. AT warns me over and over that I will think america is loud when I get back.. well guess who makes the most noise..

wishing us well at 630 am

I am not quite sure I am ready to go into detail of AT's work calling him back home QUICKLY or HOW much we (AT) really put them out.. ( which ALL could have been avoided but AT is a tater sauce) but I was so touched that not only did Akira take us to the station so early but THEY all came to say goodbye.....
so not necessary as I felt it for three days straight but this is just how they are...

still lovin

baba always would hold out her arms to take you.. as jaime rest yourself.. you all just LOVE her.. she is pretty snuggly.. she was so worried about you all being cold at night. she even had set up her room for ozzy and I to sleep in.. GHHHEEEZZZ baba.. you crazy?? I had prepared for the cold.. as AT said.. its just like utah.. but oh yeah no heat..just space heaters:)
we all ended up sleeping together.. which was fun.. for two reasons.. I imagined that this is what camping would be like with kids, it was for just a short amount of time.. it was worth coming to visit this house filled with over flowing LOVE.. I really thought about our pioneers and HOW crossing the plains must have been so heart wrenching as NO way to really keep the kids warm at night..
also how I have made LEAPS and bounds of knowing the kids will survive and be FINE.. even if they miss naps or sleep is not perfect or schedules messed up...... SO NOT even the CASE just awhile back.. I WOULD HAVE been wigging out.. but I knew to just lay low and stay calm.. as being with them was worth any tiny discomfort:) plus they were GIVING us THEIR absolute best.. which was felt every stinkin moment!!!!!!

ballon animals

this guy came out while we were about to leave.. he let you guys cut in front of all the kids and made you a flower, sword and gun... he must have known that its was Christmas day for us americans that were postponing it till the 28th:) I thought it was funny all day long that you guys didnt know it was Christmas day.. as even when our parents called to wish us a merry happy christmas.. we said its NOT till Monday:)

Akira

tad this is who you were named after.. FUN for you to get to finally meet him face to face.. he is very tender, kind and took such good care of us..
one thing that really sticks out in my mind... is the time AT ran into the store to grab some socks.. we all were going to wait in the car.. I said to you.. take trues with you.. as she was in the very back with you and I knew she would scream when you left.. she wants to tag along. I was holding sleeping ozzy.. ( I cant even remember the last time any of you kids were in seat belts:( but anyways. you said i'll be so quick..
now I dont know if Akira thought of it himself or understood what i asked AT to do.. but he let you run in and then softy swooped up truly and followed you in.. little things were done like this ALLLLLL weekend long.. I took note of them all.. as this was such a powerful weekend filled with love and total SUPPORT!!!!
as even when I had sent you boys to play in the snow .. yoshiko followed you to just keep a safe watchful eye on you all:)

next stop

AT played at this same place ALOT when he was little.. he said he remembered in like yesterday.. you kids thought it rocked

first stop

Akira first took us to this jump on it place... kids loved it and sweated up a storm.. something I also remember is when he ate dinner the first night.. truly didnt want to eat anything.. no biggie as its just her stage.. she'll eat when she is hungry.. and she IS very picky.. baba of course worries.. that she is hungry. we made the mistake of saying she only eats french fries and chicken nuggets.. as also a way of not offending them that she wouldn't eat their food they had prepared for us..
little did we know that they would take that literally or that they actually had french fries right then to cook up.. so she ate them of course.. but the next day.. while the kids were playing akira grabbed some french fries for her to eat in the car while going to the next place he had in store for us.. when we got home guess what was for dinner?? chicken nuggets and french fries.. this is how the whole weekend went.. of course truly was like score.. as NO WAY I would let her have this menu days of end.. but I knew where there heart was... I even told AT after the first night we ARE going to have some diaper issues.. as her bum is going to be on fire..
thank goodness for monavie ( so she wasnt totally greased up ) and aquaphor which I NEVER leave home without..

there ARE alot of tads

mom look there are so many tads.. take a picture this is SOOOOOOO cute..

I see this over and over

Japanese people seriously know how to use every inch of space possible.. I am learning that its all of use.. they are more times that not always prepared for just about any situation.. also these trash cans kill me.. as back home.. I have few trashes.. as I would rather walk to throw away my trash, then have a trash can in every room.. where I will have to empty out all these littles suckers.. but they are starting to grow on me.. as even in my tiny apt.. I have three.. also totally see value in kleenex and paper towels.. where I use to be a dish towel girl..
I just sometimes wonder what you are suppose to throw away in these VERY tiny trash cans.. as they are so small to me.. it seems like one thing fills it up??

right outside these doors.. its so cold you can LITERALLY see your breath, this is why it is SO important to keep the doors closed.. as its a space heater.. you heat the room up..then it goes off when you go to bed as I guess its not good to sleep with it running??
anyways tad you came the first night while jonah and I were laying there.. we said hurry close the door.. you kept sliding it the wrong way.. when you would close one hole, youd make another one.. you couldnt figure out to just pull the doors together.. jonah and I were laughing so hard as we were too cold to get up and help you..instead we just kept coaching you till you finally got it.. SO FUNNY to us..

L-O-V-E

something that I learned from baba this weekend is COMPLETE love.. as something AT has done since I can remember is when he is sick he acts like he is dying.. when he sneezes I believe he would like the people in Siberia to hear how bad he had to sneeze..
SO FREAKING annoying to me...(also ANYBODY that knows AT knows exactly whati am talking about)
AT (well we all had a bit of a fever and running nose. EXCEPT for me.. yes I am pretty much bullet proof.. I do NOT get sick or at least I pretend like I am not even if I am:)
but AT was seriously hacking so GROSS.. I will just say that rather then give you a FULL visual.. but I was saying for HECK sakes.. take it at least in the other room.. does it have to BE RIGHT here where we all are getting ready to eat???
baba starts pounding his back as if to help him get it all out.... I know enough japanese to understand that she was giving her care and asking you going to be ok????
seriously I have thought of that event over and over.. thinking maybe AT will get better faster if I just lend my support and LOVE.. rather then him trying to get sicker or LOUDER to prove he really just doesn't feel good... ggghhheeezz

hangin in the snow

I suppose you miss your Utah snow.. as you boys ( especially jonah) kept talking about this awesome snow ball fight you were going to have.. so we geared you up and you played for a LONG time.. now two things
1. its a sign I have totally relaxed as I remember when we first moved to utah. you boys would want to go play.. but I would side track you into just staying in where its nice,warm and CLEAN.. now I know you'll come in if you get to cold
2. the second you come in.. I didnt even have to do a thing as baba was ALL over you.. undressing you then laying out a newspaper and placing all of your wet gear in front of the heater.. to dry it out.. the first word that come to mind when I think of baba is serve.. then serve, serve, serve, serve.. then pause oh yeah SERVE.. very christ like..