Kamakura

I've never been very good with directions. Ask any one of my friends who have been on road trips with me and they can attest to that fact. Every time Mike and I go on a trip where I have to navigate, I get cranky and pouty about having to do so, but really it's just to cover up my nervousness.

Because Mike has been out of town and my mom is only here for a few days, we couldn't wait until he got back to start exploring Japan. I had to step up and try to overcome my lack of direction sense. Which is much, much harder to do in Japan where trains are the favorite mode of transportation and I can't understand the language.

I almost failed in my goal to take my mom and Josh to see the Great Buddha in Kamakura. But after a typo on the direction sheet which caused us to go back and forth on the wrong train for an hour, asking for directions and then being told to get on the wrong platform, going up and down flights of stairs with a stroller, and dealing with a moody thirteen year old who kept giving me the 'you're an idiot' look, I finally got us there. I tried to convince my mom and Josh that you can't have a true Japanese experience without getting a little lost on the train system.

We almost gave up, but there was no way I went through all that and NOT make it to the destination. I would never hear the end of it from the thirteen year old. Not to mention my husband.

At least my sweet baby was a good sport through it all. She babbled and smiled and charmed all the people around her on the train.

Quick Little Playdate

Impromptu playdates are the best. Even if they're only ten minutes long. Sweet Jasmine came over for a few minutes while her mama had a quick errand to run and Grace was super excited to have her friend come by. When I set Jasmine on the floor next to her, Grace had a huge smile on her face, as if to say, "Yay! I get to play with someone my own size for a while!"

But judging by the look on Jasmine's face, the feeling may not have been so mutual. Sweet baby had a look of utter confusion as to where her mama went. Jasmine eventually sobbed the quietest and most heart-breaking cry. Lola and I tried to get Grace to distract her with some toys, but my girl didn't seem too into sharing. Every time Jasmine would reach for a toy, Grace all of a sudden became VERY interested in that same toy. I definitely see lots of lessons in sharing and how to be a good friend in my future.

Fun With Lola

Lola knows how to make anything fun. She even turns sitting around waiting for a prescription to be filled a blast.


Lola was still a little jetlagged so we didn't get a chance to sightsee much today, but beginning tomorrow, ready or not, we're off to experience Japan.

Lola's Back!

Today is Grace's 7 month birthday and what a better way to celebrate than to have Lola come to visit! She is only with us for 10 days, but we're going to make the most of each and every single day. I've already given her my food requests. Even though my mama has taught me how to make my favorite dishes countless times, there's just something that can't be recreated when it's your own mama making the meal for you.

Just like old times- Grace is all smiles when she's with her Lola.

Even though Lola had to be exhausted from traveling halfway across the world, she still insisted we go out and get her grandbaby a cake to celebrate her 7 month birthday.

As I tried to get some last minute cleaning done this afternoon, Uncle Josh was on babysitting duty.

I warned Josh that whenever he stays with me, I was not going to be his maid. He would have to do his share around the house if he was going to be a part of my household. One of his responsibilities is to clean up after dinner, and my parents are hoping that this will continue on once he goes back home.

Lola's Almost Here

In another hour, Lola will be boarding a plane bound for Japan. We are beyond excited! The last time she visited, the only thing she got to see was the inside of our apartment and the labor and delivery ward of the hospital. Hopefully we can show her a little more than that this time around.

"Yay! My lola is on her way!"

See You Next Week

You'd think we'd be used to Mike's leaving us for work trips by now. We are a Navy family afterall. But it's still difficult. I'd say even more so now with a baby in the mix. Thankfully it's only for a week.

After dropping Mike off, Grace and I made a quick grocery run and then spent the rest of the afternoon trying to nap. Mike checked in with us before he boarded the plane and informed us he got upgraded to business class. Why doesn't that kind of stuff ever happen to me? Maybe it was his outfit. He did look pretty snazzy and business-like.

My mom flies in on Wednesday and we're counting down the days. I'm so excited I can't stand it! She's only staying for a week and a half, but I'll take what I can get because she's so busy these days. I know Josh is looking forward to her cooking again since apparently I cook "too healthy" for him. And we rarely eat white rice around here, much to his dismay.

How Do You Like Japan?

Before he came to Japan, I warned Josh that there would be quite bit of walking when we went out sightseeing. You walk to the train stations, you walk through the train stations, and you walk pretty much everywhere else you need to go. He said he was cool with it.

Today he got a real taste of what I was talking about. We took him to Yokohama and had lunch at Hard Rock. Afterwards we went walking around to take in the sights. I didn't think to take a picture of him after an hour or so of walking around in the hot afternoon sun, but the expression on his face was pretty much the opposite of what it is in the first picture on the train.

So, Josh, how do you like Japan now?

He found himself a souvenir at Hard Rock- another set of drumsticks. Fabulous. Add that to the two sets he brought with him. I've since had to confiscate the drumsticks, AKA annoying noisemakers or baby wakers, several times, and I warned him that the set he bought today is not to be opened until he gets back to Virginia Beach.

Jojo and baby Jasmine hung out with us this afternoon and we're so glad they did. I discovered a couple new shopping spots, thanks to Jojo- the queen of shopping and deals. Here we are posing with the mannequin at Hard Rock. Jojo's got her hot mama pose down good! Me- definitely still a work in progress.

The only picture of my sweet baby from today. I think the heat of the afternoon made me sluggish in taking lots of pictures. This one was from breakfast this morning. I broke up some vegetable puffs for her and here she is with a look of intense concentration- eyebrows furrowed, lips pursed- as she attempts to pick them up.

God's Blessings

Today's blog was going to be about Grace's 6 month check up (although we're a little late since she's 4 days shy of being 7 months), a chunky diaper blowout, and an impromptu playdate. So just to be true to that a little bit, she's doing great and here are her stats and a few pictures:

Height: 25.79 inches
Weight: 15.24 lbs
Head Circumference: 16.54 inches

Doesn't my girl look so grown actually enjoying a playdate?

These girls have known each other since they were just teeny tiny babies. It's amazing how big they're getting in such a short amount of time.

The babies are getting bigger, but the mamas are getting smaller. That's our goal anyway.

Then while we were in the middle of our playdate, Mike gets a phone call from his XO (one of Mike's bosses). I started to get nervous because what good comes from a phone call on a late Friday night from your boss? I'm thinking, "Great...does he have to work through the weekend?" or "Where are they sending him to this time and for how long?" or "Please don't tell me he has to go to Afghanistan!"

Turns out it was amazingly good news- something Mike's been waiting on for a few months now.

He was picked for a competitive program where the Navy will pay 100% of the cost of an MBA at any top 25 business school. We are so excited and I'm super proud of him. Harvard here we come!



This seems to be Mike's year- he became a daddy, we're moving to Jacksonville soon, his most favorite place ever (next to Blacksburg, of course), and now he's been selected for this program that he's been working so hard for. Thank you, Lord, for all of your many blessings!

Distinguished Maturity

Mike is literally the baby of all our friends because he was the only one still left in his twenties. Today, he got to join the age of distinguished maturity, as our friend Al put it. He is officially in his thirties now!

After the devastating news of a cancelled trip to Iwo Jima- something he's been looking forward to since we got to Japan- I knew I had to do something special for his birthday. So I had all our good friends meet us for dinner at our favorite pizza place tonight. Mike was expecting an intimate little family dinner and was greeted instead with 25 friends and a bunch of our kids.

The surprise party was a hit, despite our walking through the wrong restaurant entrance. But thanks to Josh's stealth hiding and camera skills and his team of kids on the lookout for Mike, the moment of surprise was still able to be captured on video.

We all had a fantastic time and I felt sorry for anyone who was there at the restaurant for an evening of quiet dining. With our large group plus kids, a quiet dinner was all but impossible at the Italian Gardens tonight.








We met the Birthday Boy for lunch today. Here he is testing out his new camera on his favorite photo subject.

Mama's Little Helper

Today was laundry day and here's my little helper helping to fold all those clothes of hers.

She used to love being in her playpen and I could leave her in there for naps and play time. Those days are gone. Here she is tolerating the playpen, but only if she's sitting in the Bumbo.

Pool Day

We took advantage of the great weather today and hung out at the pool. Unfortunately, the little floatie I bought for Grace back home and brought all the way back here was banned from the pool. Her daddy was under strict orders to hold on to her tightly at all times.

Grace was a little unsure at first but once she figured out how to splash water, and how much fun that could be, she had a great time.

Newborn Days Revisited

Grace's newborn days were rough. Very rough. I could cry from lack of sleep kind of rough. But everyone assured me that those days would pass, and sure enough, they did. My baby eventually let me sleep for than a couple of hours at a time. Then in Virginia Beach, she started sleeping through the night! I was the envy of mamas who were still dealing with their babies waking up in the middle of the night.

I was very grateful, but I should also have been more humble.

Ever since we've been back, Grace has been revisiting her newborn days, much to my dismay. No longer is she content to play quietly when I put her down- she protests by crying loudly. My easy breezy baby has regressed to her high-maintenance days of being held constantly. My six hours of uninterrupted sleep during the night are no more.

I'm hoping this change is just in response to adjusting back to life in Japan. I'm hoping this phase is brief. I'm hoping my easy breezy baby will re-emerge again very soon.

But despite all of this, we're still having a good old time. Here are some pictures to prove it...


Trying on her Aussie hat again- this time at a jaunty angle.

Riding in her new umbrella stroller chewing on her new favorite- her sandals.

We took her to a movie where she was pretty well behaved.

We took Uncle Josh to his first Japanese eatery.

I take a ton of pictures, but unfortunately, family shots are a little rare.

Crazy Hair!

Daddy's back on diaper duty, but this is a new development for him- a squirmy baby who won't stay still. I know this looks painful, but the pose was entirely Grace's doing, and she was not hurt in the slightest. In fact, I think the silly girl had a blast giving her daddy a hard time.

Daddy also has dinner duty now. She tries to make us laugh by blowing raspberries while her mouth is full. But Mike with his military training never loses what he calls his "military bearing." He can keep a straight face through it all. I don't know how he does it because as hard as I try, I crack up every single time.