Slices of Life

July 12, 2011

Legos, Legos EVERYWHERE is usually what I find myself in when I enter the boys room.  They have so many legos, most of which were inherited from Mike's collection as a kid.  Back in Washington we had a great lego table that Grandpa Al built for the boys that they were able to spread their legos in but we left the table in storage not knowing if we would have room for it.  Up until this point we have just put all the legos in a big deep bin.  The downside of that is that they can't see the legos at the bottom and dumping the bin out is not an option because it would take FOREVER to put them away.  Something had to be done about this lego problem and I was happy to think of a new system for the boys where everyone wins.  I found these really long under the bed bins at the NEX on base.  I bought three of them and filled them all with legos and rolled them under the bed.  The great thing about these bins is that there is a natural division in the middle of the lid so you can open just one of the sides and leave the other closed.  Now they can find everything they need and roll it under the bed when they are done.  I also cleared away space in the built in bookcase for their creations.  I definitely want to encourage their creativity and this way I am not annoyed with all the legos everywhere!

July 15, 2011

Grandpa Al came to visit us for a week while on a business trip to Japan.  We were able to take him up to the New Sanno to stay the night and then into Tokyo to explore.  The kids loved being with Grandpa and he loved being with them.  I really enjoyed the moments where he was just with them, tickling them, or just talking with them.  Those are the moments I cherish the most.  We were so grateful to see Grandpa even though it was for a short time.

     

Summer Activities

I never spent the summers in Japan when I lived here before. We would always leave after school got out and spend our summers in the US. Now I understand why my mom did this. It is just so dang hot and humid to enjoy doing anything here in the summer time. Since we knew that we would not be leaving Japan for the summer we enrolled the kids in lots of activities. We did not waste any time and started camps the week after school got out in the middle of June. During the remainder of June the boys did basketball camp and soccer camp and the girls did swimming lessons and ballet. Abby did a mom and me class in the water and by the end of the session she was going under the water and jumping off the side of the pool. In July the boys took golf lessons, all the kids did swimming lessons, the girls did ballet, and Mike and I started our marathon training program (to see how my running has been going click HERE). Everyone did really well in swimming lessons. Abby was in Preschool 1, Emma in Preschool 2, Peter in Level 3, and Andrew in Level 4. Peter, Emma, and Abby all had lessons at one pool while Andrew had lessons at another. Andrew was great about being responsible to get to his lesson on time after I dropped him off so I could drive to the other pool for the younger kid's swimming lessons. Peter and Andrew worked on strokes and by the end of the session Andrew was swimming the entire length of the pool and Peter was swimming the entire width and back. The girls worked on being more comfortable in the water, doing bobs, blowing bubbles, doing floats, and swimming to the wall. I really liked the summer swim program here. All of the instructors were college students from around the US. They had these silly songs they would sing before every lesson and each one of them had cool names like Miss Lemonade and Dr. Thunder. They worked really hard to make sure our kids had the best experience possible. At the end of every session they had water games and a small party with lunch. The kids are still talking about it.

(safety day)

At the end of the boys 6 week long golf class they went to play 9 holes with everyone in the class. Mike went with them and they all got to play together. They had to leave by 5:30am because tee time was at 6:30am at Atsugi to avoid the mid-day heat. They had a blast and Andrew even got a double bogey on the 17th hole which was a par 3. It was hot and the boys faces were beat red but Mike said that they didn't even complain because they were having so much fun. He said next time they will rent a golf cart so they won't have to do so much walking in the heat.

The boys continued to do cub scouts (Andrew's Webelos Den retired for the summer so he joined Peter in the Bear Den to pass off his Bear requirements because he skipped his Bear year and went straight to Webelos when we got to Japan) and both have just about earned their Bear badge. By the middle of July the older kids started reading more, practicing math, and just trying to stay caught up with some other school things. We also had Grandpa Al come to visit for a couple of days. We climbed Mt. Fuji with the boys and started to plan a small trip to the mountains for August. It really was key to stay busy this summer. It helped us not get too frustrated with the humidity and the heat. We were so thankful for the couple of days of cool weather after a storm blew in near the end of July. I am not saying I want to be here during the summer next year but I was pleasantly surprised at how well our summer went considering the weather is almost unbearable. Next year I am thinking California and Utah with grandparents sounds really good.

Andrew Turns 10

Has it really been 10 years since this big guy came into our family? He was such a fun little boy and he has grown into such an exciting and smart young man. I don't know what I would do without Andrew. He is like me in so many ways so we understand each other. Our similarities can sometimes mean that we don't get along all that well either. We are both stubborn and want to do things our own way in our own time. That being said he has so much going for him. He is smart, kind, loving, helpful, creative, handsome, talented, and silly. I love spending time with him just talking about anything and he loves talking. It is definitely a win-win situation. He loves to be active and play sports, play video games and board games, read and draw, play the piano, and tell silly jokes. He is very energetic but he is also gentle and kind. He has always been sensitive to others feelings. When he sees that I am struggling with something he will usually go the extra mile to help me out. He is a great buddy to Peter and they are often found together being goofy and creative. He even plays with his sisters (especially Abby) and has been known to play house with them. It is so sweet to see him just go along with what they want so they will be happy. Andrew is a good brother, friend, and son. We were so excited for him to turn 10 this year. To be 10 years old here in Japan means that he gets to have his own military ID.  Having his own ID means he gets to walk on and off base by himself (not that I won't be there right behind him as he leaves base but he doesn't care) and enter the Commissary and Navy Exhchange without me and buy something on his own.  He has been talking about how excited he is to get his own ID ever since we moved here last year.

We celebrated part of his birthday by going up to Yokohama and eating dinner at a tempura restaurant then came back home to have cupcakes and open presents.  All Andrew wanted from us this year was a remote controlled helicopter just like his friend Jared and marble cupcakes.  He was so excited by the helicopter and Wii game from us and his other gifts from his grandparents.  He loved the legos from Grandma and Grandpa Kelsch and the books from Grandpa Al.  Grandpa Al brought these awesome animal masks for everyone to wear.  They were funny and the kids really enjoyed them.  Mike was so sneaky and bought trick candles to put on the cupcakes.  Andrew thought it was funny and was such a trooper to blow out the candles multiple times before they finally stayed out.  It was a fun little party. Happy 10th big boy!

Abby at 3 years old

I often look at Abby and just admire how cute her little personality is.  I just can't get over how much fun she is and how much she just makes us all smile.  She is a pistol though.  She is as sweet as her dad but as fiery as her mom.  She loves to be held and cuddles with us frequently but she also loves to run around and play.  She is easily entertained with her baby dolls, princess dolls, dress-ups, and doll house people.  She still finds joy in singing songs and playing simple games.  She is not too old to be bothered with the silly things but is old enough that her older siblings find her entertaining.  This year I made a video of Abby on her birthday to document some of her favorite things.  I just don't want to forget one single thing about her at this age.  I guess that means that I need to spend more time taking video.  A toddler's voice is like none other.  It is so sweet and innocent.  I don't ever want to forget what her cute little voice sounds like.

Here are some other things about Abby at 3 years old:

-When Abby is hungry she licks her lips and makes a slurping sound.  It is hilarous.

-Abby loves to walk on her toes and we always wonder how she does it.  -Abby is such a little monkey.  She can hang on us without us holding on to her and she will sit there forever.  When we are at the park she can grab the lowest bar and pull her feet all the way up to the bar.  She is really quite strong and flexible.

-Everytime Abby sees mom and dad kiss she is quick to tell us all, "Mom and Dad kiss on the lips. Mom and Dad got married in the temple.  Abby and mom only kiss on the cheek."  Now and then she will try and kiss us on the lips just to be funny.  She just giggles and giggles and then we finally give in.

-Abby is always humming or singing and hums a lot when she eats her food.

-Abby is really good about putting on her own clothes.  She comes up with pretty funny outfits.

-Abby loves to play house with Emma and build forts.  She usually wants to be the big sister.

-Abby loves to dance and jump on her bed.

-Abby loves to sing silly songs. 

-Abby loves to play angry birds on dad's iPad.

-Abby loves to wear her Hello Kitty backpack and carry her Hello Kitty lunchbox around.  She can't wait to go to preschool someday.

-By the middle of the day I will usually find Abby in only a shirt and underwear and sometimes just her underwear.  She would prefer to be naked all day long.

-Abby loves to sit at the piano and play while singing her favorite song, "I am a Child of God"

-Abby had swimming lessons for the first time and did really well.  She loves to jump in from the side while someone catches her and she also loves to go under the water.

-Abby can count to 13 and knows all of her colors.  She can sing the ABC song and recognizes many of the letter sounds. 

-Abby loves to swing at the park and can sit on the big kid swings.

-Abby still loves to do her ballet class on Fridays.

-Abby is just such a happy girl and we are lucky to have her in our family!