Getting ready for Mika's first Halloween

We had fun decorating the house for Mika's very first Halloween!

She wasn't too sure about the Frankenstein on the front door, but she warmed up to him after a few minutes.

Everyday after David comes home from work and takes off his uniform boots, Mika puts her shoes next to his by the front door. It's very cute!

Her Trick or Treat costume is Tinkerbell! That's the first movie we ever watched with her after we brought her home from Taiwan. It has a special place in our hearts.

Max turns 16?!!! Happy Birthday!

We took Max to Okuma to celebrate his 16th birthday. Okuma is located on the northern end of Okinawa is a military resort that's open year round. It's really the only place to go when you need to get away and recharge/relax. The scenery is breathtaking!
It's so hard to believe Max is 16....the years have gone by so fast. We've now got one learning to drive a car and one trying to learn how to drink from a cup!!! It's always interesting at our house these days.

Mika is 3 years old! September 6, 2009

Mika celebrated her 3rd birthday with lots of friends and a huge cake!
She ate noodles for her birthday breakfast and opened one of her presents afterwards. She wasn't sure what to do with the presents and tried to give it back to me. After we told her it was for her, then she slowly opened it. We rented the bowling center on Camp Kinser and 23 friends joined us for her special day.
She had a Hello Kitty party and loved all the decorations. She was very shy when it was time to sing happy birthday and blow out her candles, but other than that, she was very happy and friendly to everybody. She loves bowling and had lots of fun bowling with Max and the other kids. It was a wonderful day! She loved all of her gifts and her favorite is the Disney iron/ironing board set Max gave her, Baby Einstein flashcards that have bright pictures on them, and the Leapfrog game. She loved wearing her "Taiwan dress" to the party!

August Videos galore!

Mika's first visit to the hair salon and a walk on the beach- August 27, 2009

Mika had her first professional haircut today! We took her to the salon on Camp Foster and she was the first customer of the day. The stylist that cuts my hair also cut her hair today. Her name is Ritsue and she's very friendly. Mika didn't like getting her hair cut, but after a few minutes, she felt more comfortable. David joined us for the big event.

All done and she looks beautiful!

We went for a walk on the beach and picked up seashells. You can see our apartment tower in the background. The sunset was so pretty and it was very peaceful. We're very lucky to live across the street from the ocean! It's very relaxing.

A big scary shisa and pigs head stew! August 24, 2009

We drove to a resort town in Onna village and stopped at the Rennaisance Hotel for lunch. We ate "Viking Syle" which we refer to as a buffet. MUCH to our shock and amusement, this was no typical buffet! We had an adventurous dining experience and laughed alot.
Mika didn't like the giant shisa. She thought it was scary, but smiled for the picture as always. As soon as I snapped the picture, she told Max "all done!"