Happy 18th (gasp!) birthday Max.....

Our "little" boy is 18 years old! We can't believe how fast the years have gone by.
His birthday was on a school day this year, so we celebrated after he came home from school.

Mika and I went to the school parking lot and decorated Max's car before he got out of school! He was very surprised and it was very funny!

We decorated his room a little also. The birthday sign is handmade by my dear friend Toni. He's had it for two years now and likes it because it has a little white car on it that looks like his car.

Home from school and time to celebrate.....

Mika put the balloon in his car!

I took Mika to the PX and she chose Max's birthday gift all by herself. She decided to buy him a remote control helicopter and they enjoyed flying it outside. Max is good at it!

David and I gave Max an IPod Touch and loaded lots of his favorite songs and photos and games onto it. He was super happy and loves it. He can listen to it in his car also thru the radio adapter we bought for him.

He likes to read history books!

History books and DVD's are his favorite things!

Max asked to go to his favorite Mexican restaurant for his birthday dinner. Mexican food in Japan is VERY interesting and unique. This restaurant has been open for many years and lots of the high school kids hang out there on the weekend. These little privately owned places are all over Okinawa.

Happy birthday to our wonderful, handsome, smart, funny and adorable son!!!!

Mika ADORES her big brother!

September 15, 2011

Mika loves to do "school work" and does an activity everyday.

Going to ballet

This is my dragon vase. I've been working on it for the past month.

Here's the photo from September 14th.....and then another photo later that night after working on it for three hours.

Max working on his dragon vase.

Happy 5th Birthday to Mika!

Mika celebrated her 5th birthday on September 6th! We went to an indoor kids arcade called "Round 1" and she ran around and played lots of games. She had so much fun and had a great day. We went out for dinner after Max got home and then had cake and she opened her birthday gifts. She said her cake was delicious!

Max gave her a Disney watch and a pair of purple pajamas. She loved both presents and gave him a big kiss!

Enjoying some birthday cake. She's wearing the purple pajamas Max gave her.

Playing miniature golf at Round 1.

She loves to ride the little bikes around the track and jump in the ball pit!

We had a ball fight with these air guns! They shoot balls across the ball pit and it's lots of fun. She got me a few times!!

Look out Mommy!

All played out and ready for lunch.

Photos-- September 2011

My friend Keimi recently got married and I was invited to the reception. It was not at all like an American reception, and it was more like a party. Everyone had lots of fun though! It was very interesting. We played bingo!!

Me, Yoriko, Saito San and Midori. We were laughing because there was a group of men sitting next to us and they were all trying to speak English. (I was the only American)




A co-worker of the groom was feeling a little happy and friendly.....he kept telling me he wants to visit America and go to Boston to see the marathon.

Keimi looked so beautiful and very happy!

I went out to dinner with Yori and Midori and Max went with us. They gave him a birthday gift because his birthday is next week.

Yori gave Max a pair of Japanese slippers. He loves them!

Max and Midori at the restaurant.

An Okinawan coffee....look how tiny the creamer is!

I made a Japanese garden in front of our house.

Max and I are going to a pottery class together. We're each making a dragon vase with clay! It'll be finished at the end of the month. Check back for more photos of the finished product!

Max went to a pirate party with friends! He looked adorable.
Check out the "Anaheim Angels Rally Monkey" on his shoulder! He's had that monkey since he was a little boy.

Max was reading a story to Mika and I snuck up on them to take a photo....

Our time in Hawaii: July and August 2011

Here are a few photos I took while we were in Hawaii......

Max goes to this hospital. It's excellent.

Taking a few minutes to swim in the pool before we leave Hawaii.

This restaurant is very good in Waikiki.

Mika and her best friend in Hawaii, Lexie!








Mika loves spending time with Lexie.

We bought Mika a floatie, but she couldn't wait to go to the pool so we put it in the bathtub and she LOVED IT!!

Mika and I signed up for a flower class in the hotel lobby before we left to come back to Okinawa. She made the white Gardenia and I made the orange Hibiscus. They're made out of modeling clay. Guess what?! Our instructor was Japanese and used to live on Okinawa!

Walking to get something to eat after a long day at the hospital......