Cherry Blossoms - April 2011

The Cherry Blossom trees here in Japan are spectacular. We took some pictures of the ones on base, but we were really amazed at their beauty during a day trip to Showa Park on April 9, 2011.

Here are the pictures we took at Showa Park.



And here are the ones we took outside of our Tower apartment building on base.



Grocery Shopping and Ice Cream

On February 21, 2001, Ryan and Matthew took a detour from the grocery store and left me to finish the shopping.  When I met back up with them I discovered that Matthew had a new love for ice cream!  It was such a mess, but they were having so much fun that I had to take a picture!  I love my boys!

A Guam sunset

We took an amazing family vacation to Guam at the end of February.  I was 26 weeks pregnant, so it was really nice to get away and just relax as a family together.  Guam is really beautiful and I can't believe how crystal clear the water is -- the pictures don't do it justice.  My favorite thing about Guam was the sunset.  It was breathtaking.  We spent 5 nights and 6 days there and it was just what we needed.  Matthew did great on the flight from Japan to Guam, and the time difference was only one hour for us, so the adjustment was easy.  We stayed at the Westin on the beach and we were fortunate enough to be upgraded to a suite on the top floor because they had booked out our room.  We had a great view of the ocean and island and the weather was perfect all week.  There isn't much to do in Guam, so it really forced us to just relax.  We did enjoy dinner at California Pizza Kitchen and Outback Steakhouse while we were there -- a pregnant lady's dream after being in Japan! 

Our week was spent playing in the pool and in the ocean with Matthew, walking "downtown" to window shop after dinner, and catching up on sleep.  It was the perfect vacation for us before we prepared to welcome our sweet princess in June! 

While we were in Guam, we bought Matthew his first pair of Crocs shoes.  The funny thing was that he loved them and wouldn't take them off.  He wore them in the pool, the ocean and any other time we were "out" doing something.  It was really cute!

Riding the shuttle from Yokota Air Base to the Narita International Airport in Tokyo.

Driving through downtown Tokyo

Matthew having a snack while we wait to board the plane to Guam.

The Westin Resort in Guam

Our view from our room

View from the Westin

Ryan and Matthew playing in the ocean

Mommy and Matthew

Matthew loved watching all the airplanes fly over heading towards the Air Force Base.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!

We had an unusually heavy snow fall on Yokota at the beginning of February.  It was beautiful and I've never seen such large snowflakes.  Matthew loved playing in it  with is friends, but I was happy to see it melt by the afternoon.  The best of both worlds!

Oh, and this is the heart shaped coconut cake I made for Ryan for Valentine's Day!  It was DELICIOUS!!

Home Sweet Home

I realized that I haven't yet blogged about the base and what it looks like here.  Some things on base look just like they would in the US.  Other things are completely different -- not to mention that we drive on the opposite side of the road and our steering wheel is on the right side of the car, not the left.  Matthew and I spent a Saturday morning driving around the base taking pictures so you could see our home here.  Hope you enjoy a sneak peek at where we live...to see all the cool stuff, you'll just have to come visit!  :)

Our tower apartment building.  We live on the 8th floor.

 

My beautiful 1995 Honda Odyssey.  Notice where the steering wheel is located.  :)

The base Chapel

The Kanto Lodge (AKA - the base hotel)

Random view of driving through the base on one of the main roads.

Yes, we have a Chili's.  It helps satisfy those American food cravings.  But, sadly, the food isn't that great.

Ryan's hilarious car (yep, it came without hubcaps!).  Matthew can pick it out of the parking lot and looks for it every time we're out driving around!

The base Post Office

The YCC (it houses the Commissary, BX, Food Court, Dry Cleaning, Military Clothing, Beauty Salon and various shops that sell Japanese items)

Ryan's Squadron -- the 36th Airlift Squadron

Matthew loves trains! Choo-Choo!

Matthew loves trains. He's obsessed with Thomas the Train and all of his friends -- Percy, James, Toby, Edward, etc.  Our sweet boy can't get enough of anything trains.  So, we decided one very cold Saturday in January that we would venture out and take Matthew to the local train museum in Ome (about a 15 minute drive from the base).  They have a wonderful indoor display of model sized trains with a huge train set in the middle.  There is even a "conductor" that comes in to run the trains for the kids and they love it!  Outside is where all the life sized trains are displayed, along with some very fun (and cheesy) train rides.  Matthew had a wonderful time exploring and playing.  Sadly, we had to cut the day short to go home because it was just too cold.  I'm sure we'll go again...his love for trains really is adorable!

Hungry?  Need a snack?  No problem.  Here's a vending machine at the Train Museum that serves hot meals!  No kidding -- I can't even begin to tell you how many vending machines there are in Japan.  It's crazy, but at least you never have to worry about finding something to eat or drink!



Sledding at Mt. Fuji

My blogging days have been few and very far between lately, so please forgive me.  For some reason I feel the need to post our family news and outings in chronological order.  So, it looks like we'll be taking a trip down memory lane to recap the last 6 months and catch you up on what our family has been through so far in 2011.  Grab a cup of coffee, a diet coke, glass of wine...whatever tickles your fancy...and sit back and enjoy reliving our ups and downs.  Just pretend it's January again....

On a clear day you can usually see Mt. Fuji from certain areas on the base.  It's breathtaking.  In fact, you don't actually realize just how big it is until you've seen it up close.  We heard from friends that there is a ski resort (Fujiten) at the base of Mt. Fuji that also includes a sledding area for kids.  So, on January we packed up the van for a day trip and made the 2 hour drive with some friends to go sledding.  The highlight was seeing Matthew's face each time he rode the sled down the hill.  I think this will be a yearly outing for our family.  It was a blast!!

The Japanese signs really crack me up. 

Their translation doesn't always make sense and their graphics are hilarious!

This was a warming room they had off the slopes that you could use to change your baby or to breastfeed.  Brilliant!!

In other VERY important news....I'm 20 weeks pregnant and we're having a GIRL due on June 6, 2011!!

Next post...Matthew's love of Trains and our trip to the Ome Train Museum!  Stay tuned!