Baby Steps

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Japanese Dinner

Every time we go off base, Matthew asks us if we're going to have a "Japanese Dinner." I think it's so sweet that he constantly talks about visiting our "Japanese friends" off base. A few weeks ago, we were having trouble with our refrigerator and needed to call maintenance to come take a look. When the guys showed up, Ryan told Matthew that our Japanese friends were here to fix our fridge. Later that night during story time, Matthew pulled out his "Where's Waldo?" book and realized that some pages were missing (he'd torn them out in true 2 year-old fashion). So, he looked at Ryan and said, "Daddy, you call our Japanese friends to come fix my Waldo book?" So cute! I love that he gets excited to be surrounded by the Japanese. And, more importantly, that he calls them his friends.

The weekend of October 1, we decided to extend our time off base from just having a Japanese dinner to also having a Japanese sleep-over at the New Sanno Hotel in downtown Tokyo. It's a military run hotel, so you are surrounded by English speaking staff, which makes it almost too easy to have a night away. They even have babysitters on staff to stay with your children so you can have a worry-free date night downtown. Here's the link to the hotel if you want to see what it looks like: http://www.thenewsanno.com/ . Our 24-hour trip was much more eventful that we anticipated, and we learned several things about sightseeing with two kids downtown. Thankfully, we had some good laughs along the way, and overall it was a really nice family getaway.

Here's our Top 10 list of lessons learned:
1. Even if you're packed and ready to go the night before, it will still take you at least 2 1/2 hours to get out the door the next morning....and you'll still need everything but the kitchen sink!
2. Don't assume that every Japanese person knows English.
3. Do assume that they will take pictures of your red headed children. And they won't necessarily be discreet about it either.
4. Make a note to check the events calendar for the sight you plan to see to make sure it's not "Free Admission Day" like we found during our outing to the Ueno Zoo. Yep, we were there with every other person in Tokyo who wanted a free day at the zoo. Oops!
5. Don't be surprised to see ladies wearing stilettos at the zoo while pushing strollers full of kids. And I probably looked ridiculous in my tennis shoes!
6. Don't forget to pack the miracle blanket that properly swaddles your sweet baby girl so she sleeps like an angel. If you do forget it, be prepared for her to wake up every few hours, which doesn't make for a good night's sleep in a hotel room.
7. Don't take a stroller on the subway. It's a real pain walking up and down the stairs.
8. Hire the babysitter to arrive at least 30 minutes before your dinner reservation because your children will probably have a full on meltdown just seconds before she arrives and you will need time to get them settled and still have time to brush your teeth. Oh, and make sure your husband isn't still in his towel when the babysitter shows up.
9. Don't ever assume that your 1995 Honda Odyssey van won't break down in the middle of a tunnel in downtown Tokyo, during high traffic, where there isn't a shoulder to pull off onto. Thankfully, we were able to putter our way to the hotel, but breaking down in a major city where you don't speak the language well, isn't a good idea. We put way too much faith in our van that is 16 years old and has probably had at least 5 owners.
10. Do allow your 2 year old to pray in the middle of the tunnel in Tokyo that the van will start and that we can make it through safely. It works. We made it, by the grace of God.

So, it wasn't the most relaxing vacation, but it was time for us to spend as a family, and that's what matters most. Here are some of our favorite pictures that we took along the way

Matthew and Ryan riding the subway

I just thought this was funny - it was animated chopsticks pulling noddles in and out of the bowl.

At the zoo -- can you spot the line behind Ryan to see the Giant Panda. Crazy?!

Matthew and Ryan watching the elephants

A Japanese Tea Ceremony House

Matthew loved the lions!

Going to eat ice cream with the rest of the zoo crowd

Heels at the zoo...? Not unusual in Japan.

Matthew loves ice cream :)

There was a security guard holding this sign at the end of the Giant Panda line. They are serious about this Panda viewing.

Notice the TWO children passed out asleep in the SAME stroller. That can't be comfortable!

Dinner at Wellington's in the New Sanno Hotel

Outside the New Sanno Hotel after our delicious dinner! I had one very handsome date! :)

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Our Little Superstars!

Fall has finally arrived here at Yokota. The weather has cooled off and we wake to a beautiful blue sky every morning. I absolutely love this time of year!

We were much more busy over the weekend than we had anticipated. Ryan had to fly all day on Saturday, I took the kids to a birthday party that morning, and then we met up with some friends for a nice dinner at the Officers' Club later that night. On Sunday, we decided to make a quick trip to the mall for some lunch, shopping at the Gap, and to let Matthew play in the kids play area. I love that Japanese malls always have a play area for the kids. You usually have to pay about 500 Yen (about $8), but it's a brilliant concept! Matthew had a blast, so I took a quick picture while he was sitting still on the "merry-go-round". Everything is padded, the area is contained so kids can't escape, parents are admitted for free, no shoes allowed so the area stays clean, and when you have a red headed child it makes him easy to spot in the sea of Japanese children! I wish they had things like this in the malls in the US....

Can you spot Matthew riding the merry-go-round? He's in a blue shirt. :)

Monday proved to be very eventful for us too. Ryan flew on Monday night, so he wasn't able to join us, but I took the kids downtown Tokyo for the day. The purpose for the trip was to get them registered with a Japanese modeling agency. We took the shuttle that leaves from the base at 9:30am and the trip took us about an hour and a half to get there. The shuttle stops at the New Sanno hotel (a military run hotel), so we got off there and went inside to "freshen" up. The office for Sugar and Spice modeling agency was only about 2-3 blocks away from the New Sanno, so it was an easy walk. We met with the agency at 12pm, where they took measurements and a few photos of the kids. This basically allows them to add Matthew and Catherine to their database. When companies contact them with jobs, they are able to send out the pictures/measurements for them to select the child/children they want featured in their ad campaign. I'm not sure how often Matthew and Catherine will be called for jobs -- especially since it seems like every child here at Yokota is registered with them -- but even if they only make a few hundred dollars while we're stationed here, it will be a little something to add to their college funds. You'd think they would be popular with their red hair and blue eyes, but I can't tell you how many redheaded kids we have on base here. It's crazy! But, of course, I'm hopeful that my little redheads will be superstars! After we met with the agency, we walked back to the New Sanno, had a nice lunch in their cafe, and took the 1:30pm shuttle back to Yokota Air Base. Overall, it was a fun trip and Matthew was such a trooper on the bus ride!

Watching a movie on my iPad.

My little world traveler :)

I took this as we were walking to the agency. It had started to drizzle a little, so it was a hazy day. Not a very good photo, but it will give you an idea of what the area looked like. We are headed downtown again this coming weekend for an overnight stay at the New Sanno and some exploring. I'll take better pictures to post of that adventure. :)

Thursday, September 22, 2011

FALLing in love with Japan

Fall is definitely my favorite time of year, and it is a beautiful time of year in Japan too. We celebrated our 1 year "Japanniversary" on August 28, 2011, and I honestly can't believe how fast it's gone by for us. I have truly fallen in love with the country of Japan and the Japanese nationals. If you had asked me a year ago how I felt about moving to Japan, I would have said, "It's part of God's plan, so I'm embracing the opportunity." Obviously, I was very excited, but I was also VERY nervous about what life would be like living overseas and so far away from family. My trust in what God had planned for us was the only way I found peace.

The move here has naturally presented the obvious challenges along the way: the Japanese language is very difficult to learn, navigating through the areas off base can be hard when street signs are all written in kanji, driving on the opposite side of the road does not feel natural (although, I can say that after a year, it's much easier!), and we don't have a Target to run to when you need something! The biggest challenge has definitely been that Ryan's job Navigating on the C-130 means he's frequently traveling the world and is away from the family more than he's home. Thankfully, the community here at Yokota is amazing. The ladies I have become friends with have become my sisters. We stick together and try to help each other out wherever we are needed, and I feel so blessed to have met these girls. I've also gotten involved with our MOPS group here as the new Co-Coordinator, I attend a weekly Bible Study that is run by the chapel, the kids and I attend playgroup activities several days a week, I play in a monthly Bunco group, I've joined the Yokota Officer Spouses Club, and I try to attend all of the squadron sponsored events. (See, Mom, I have lots to keep me busy! :) We have our ups and downs, but this has definitely become home. The saying goes, "Home is Where the Heart Is," and my heart is definitely here in Japan!

I'm not sure where the month of September has gone, but I do know that we've had lots of fun. Below are a few pictures taken along the way. I promise there will be more to come. There is never a dull moment in our house! :)

"Made in Japan"

Catherine is 3 months old! She's also wearing a dress I wore as a baby.

Matthew's new "big boy" bed!

Matthew's room

Matthew and Daddy reading books before bedtime.

I hung some small planters from the balcony. It's hard to see, but I love how they turned out. :)

Matthew and his best friend, Noah. They are such sweet boys!

A beautiful rainbow!

Matthew and his friends watching the crazy Typhoon weather from the balcony. We also had our fire alarm go off, so you can see they were also watching the fire truck below. Such cute kids! Matthew is blessed to have such wonderful friends here in Japan.

Chuck the Truck Adventures in the Pacific

At the end of July, Chuck the Truck decided to pass his traveling torch to his best friend, Eddie Spaghetti (AKA: Eddie Getti). Fortunately for Eddie Getti, he got to travel with Ryan to Kadena Air Base, in Okinawa, Japan. Based on the photos, it looks like they had fun at the beach!

Flying over the Pacific

Eddie Getti spots Kadena Air Base

On final approach into Okinawa, Japan

Can you spot all the airplanes - wow!

Daddy's airplane - a C-130!

Eddie enjoys the sunset!

Eddie dreams of going swimming in Okinawa!

Eddie found a beautiful flower :)

August proved to be quite a whirlwind for Ryan and all of his travels. Once again, Chuck the Truck was back at his side exploring the Pacific. Destination....Sri Lanka!

Chuck checks out a cessna with Ryan and some guys on his crew.

Chuck enjoys playing on the wing of a cool airplane!

Chuck stumbles onto the set of Monty Python :)

Chuck goes swimming at the pool...tough life!

Chuck enjoys relaxing by the fountain at the hotel in Sri Lanka.

Oooh...a BIG ramp! (Ryan said he nearly lost him in the bushes at the end of the ramp. He was afraid to dig him out because of the cobras!)

Chuck scopes out the beach in Sri Lanka

Good thing Chuck has 4-wheel drive. The sand is very soft!

Thankfully, Chuck, Eddie Spaghetti, and Ryan all have plans to be home for most of September. But, it's only a matter of time before more adventures will begin, so stay tuned!