Mika has a birthday party....September 5, 2010

Mika had a birthday party to celebrate her 4th birthday. We had the party at the Camp Kinser bowling alley. She LOVES to go bowling and had lots of fun. We were so happy and thankful to have so many friends join us to celebrate Mika's special day! Her birthday is on September 6th, but we had her party a day early.

Blowing out the birthday candles!!!

Mika and Ayana having fun.

A fun game of bowling....me, Yori, Midori, Erika and Kazuno. Kazuno won!

Aunt Yori gave Mika a Chan Chan Ko. She loves it!

September 6th....Mika turns 4 years old today!

Mika turned 4 today!! We celebrated by going out for a quick lunch and a nice dinner. We went to Awase Grace to look for a new dresser for Max and we ate lunch at the yummy soup restaurant there. While we were eating lunch, Mika noticed the Baby Room video screen in the restaurant and could see all the toys. After we finished eating lunch, she begged us to go to the "baby room" and let her play while we shopped. The baby room is a play area for kids to stay in while their parents shop at the furniture store. They have child care employees that play with the kids and it's lots of fun. There are video screens around the store so you can see your child playing while you shop. We kept looking at the video screens VERY often, but everytime we checked, she was happy and playing. She stayed about 30 minutes and then we picked her up. Today was the first time for her to stay with a "babysitter" and it was on her 4th birthday!! We're very proud of her because she's normally very clingy and doesn't like to be away from me. Of course it helped that they were also playing the "My Neighbor Totoro" movie in there. She loves that movie.

Max gave her Disney Princess dresses for her birthday! She loves them.

David and I gave her a baby bed for her dolls.

Max is such a good big brother Gu-Gu!!

We ate dinner at Bikkuri Donkey and it was delicious.

Max's first day back to school....August 30, 2010

A new school year has started and Max is now in the 11th (GULP!) grade. Mika was upset that he was going to school, so she sat at the table and they had breakfast together. She loves her "Gu-Gu."
We've had two typhoons since school started, so he's already had extra time off.

I snuck up on him while he was shaving, I love the funny look on his face!

My little boy is not so little anymore. Isn't he handsome?!!!




walking to school......it's only 5 minutes from our house.

Mika received a birthday package from her Foster family in Taiwan! She's always very happy and excited when she gets a package from them! She calls them "Mama Taiwan" and "Baba Taiwan."

She loves eating Taiwan snacks! This is a pineapple snack cake.

Enjoying a frozen "Chiqua watermelon icecream."

Pineapple Park

We drove to Nago last weekend and spent a few hours at Pineapple Park. It was a beautiful day with lots of good fun and yummy pineapple! (free pineapple samples were everywhere!!!) We've already made plans to go back again and do some Christmas shopping. Max and Mika both had fun driving the pineapple cart. Don't worry, it was on a magnetic track and really drove itself.....

Max teaches Mika how to wink!!!

Max taught Mika how to wink.....be prepared to LAUGH!

some random photos from this month....

Yori, Midori and I went out for dinner at an Izakaya. It was a teeny-tiny little place with only four tables! Yori ordered for me, and I told her NOT to tell me what I was eating until after I ate it. It was a big adventure and lots of fun!!
Midori and I first met each other back in 2001 when I taught english at Minatogawa Elementary School the first time we lived on Okinawa. She was my translator/Co-Teacher. She's a great friend!

We were very adventurous after dinner and made a spur of the moment decision to go to a Pachinko Parlor to look around! It was the first time for any of us to go there and it was so funny. Midori was scared and kept saying the Yakuza was going to grab us! Yori and I giggled so much we could barely walk! (Yakuza is the Japanese crime boss that runs the Pachinko Parlors...that's the story)

Max's last day of work at the pharmacy for his summer job. All his bosses were women!

Mika having fun fingerpainting.....we sent the painting to her foster family in Taiwan and they were very happy to receive it.

Mika starts gymnastics class and Max is driving his car with pride...

Mika has started taking gymnastics class and she absolutely LOVES it! She's very good at it and is always excited to flip upside down or tumble around. She has a great teacher and we really like her.
Max is still working on his car and is now enjoying the freedom that comes with it. He went to the commissary for me for the first time......hmmm, this driving thing might be great after all!!!