She melts me!
Thanks Kristi for taking these pictures of my angel!!!
May 21, 2008
May 20, 2008
Our Saturday at SHIRAHAMA BEACH!!!
(Captions for the pictures are below each picture.)
Lola is showing Daddy what a monkey says.
Walking in the hot sand!
Lola loves the beach!
Lola as a California Baby sunglasses spokes model
Lola playing with her sand purse.
Cruising the beach, looking for hermit crabs.
Look, she got one!
I love the beach and my new shoes!
My lips are salty.
See me walking with my papa?
Whew, this water is warm but I'm getting cold.See ya!
May 12, 2008
Congratulations Jenny &
Welcome to the world Matthew Miguel!
This is what I was up to last week...
My good friend, and neighbor, Jenny was expecting her baby boy (around May 22nd) but he came early. We had planned and scheduled the "Baby Celebration" for May 8th and because he came early enough we kept it as initally scheduled.
Earlier this spring I had seen a diaper cake for the first time on Stephanie's Blog. I knew I just had to make one. Well it worked out perfectly that Jenny was expecting a new baby. Since this little guy is her second child we decided it should be a Baby Celebration instead of a shower because like the invitations said, "...every life is a blessing..." I started the invitations about a week later than I should have because it took a while to get some inspiration on a color scheme. I was wandering through the baby section (I say section instead of department because that is just what it is, not to be confused with a large-sized department) in our Navy Exchange where I found the cutest set of newborn onesies. They were just the inspiration I needed! Chocolate brown and a varieties of blues. They were perfect to get this whole celebration off the ground. With brown and blue established as my party colors I searched through my paper collection and came up with invitation idea. I took apart a few menus from our wedding and used the brown cardstock and brass pieces. I knew I kept them around for a reason.
My next project was the ribbon for the diaper cake. I have a fabric store within walking distance of my home so I knew just where to start looking. Saturday morning I had Sam stay home with Lola so I could take my time picking out colors and needed length while calculating costs. This was much easier to do in my own time instead of feeling rushed because Lola is in need of a nap or lunch. I'm sure all you mothers know exactly what I'm talking about. It only took two trips to Nishizawa's (fabric/craft store) to get all the ribbon I needed, and when the cake was finished I only had about 5 or 6 centimeters of leftover. I had calculated just right. This is a must when buying ribbon in Japan. It's not like stopping by Jo-Ann's and picking up a yard of ribbon for a few dollars.
All week up until Thursday night I had been deep cleaning my house like I was the one about to go into labor. It felt really great to have my house practically spotless and Lola was taking long naps during the day so I had big chucks of time to clean.
Wednesday morning I decided I needed a little more color in my decor. I ran to Nishizawa's with Lola to find some brown and blue fabric to make place mats for my dessert table. We found blue and white polka dots which would accent the polka dots on the small ribbon of the diaper cake and the bib on the monkey cake topper (which was a special find in itself). Wednesday night after I fixed dinner for
Sam and our pastor, (they had just come back from an all day bike ride) I got to work on finishing the place mats and watching Mario get booted off "Dancing with the Stars". A few other things I did on Wednesday was make a cake (minus the frosting) and sew a changing pad for Jenny and her new baby boy. Lola's favorite thing to do while I was sewing was to sit on the chair behind me, lift my shirt up and say, "back" and then point to my birthmark and say, "owie" which sounded more like "ah-ee".
On Thursday morning I pressed the place mats and frosted and decorated the triple chocolate fudge cake. Of course with Lola saying "cake" and hanging on my back while I tried to steadily add the blue trim. Once the cake was complete Lola and I went on a mission to find bananas, strawberries, and a pineapple to go with our Ghirardelli chocolate fondue. Instead of paying almost $6 per pound for strawberries in our commissary, we found then out in town for less than 200 yen per pound. Score! Next on the list was baking up a batch of fresh chocolate chip cookies. Which turned out great, not a single cookie under or over cooked. I had my friend Kristy, who was already on her way to do some shopping, pick up a few last minute things for our espressos as well as some black-eyed susans. So with the cookies baking, the house clean and my new "Home Sweet Home" candle burning it was time to prepare the fruit.
I had a nice lady at the commissary help me pick out a good pineapple. She asked me how I was going to cut it up.
I told her I would just cut the top and bottom off, shave off the sides, cut it into fourth, cut out the heart and chunk it from there. "No, no, no, you waste to much pineapple," she said. Then she proceeded to tell me how to cut it up the Filipino way and how to get the most pineapple. It worked great. I need some more practice of course but I'll never go back to the old way that's for sure.
Thursday night at 6:45 we finished up Lola's night time routine and put her to bed. I put out the balloons so people would know which apartment the party was in without needing their invitation as a reference, and started up the itunes. Once the guests arrived I finally felt prepared for the party. It turned out to be a very nice time. Just the gals hanging out and enjoying yummy treats, delicious coffee and holding the new baby. I was glad when it was over because I was exhausted from all the prep but I would do it all again in a heartbeat.
May 11, 2008
May 4, 2008
OUR WEEKEND!
Saturday morning stories...
and Lola's "happy face."I say, "Lola, show us your happy face," and this is it.
Saturday trip to Huis Ten Bosch(the dutch village)
This picture shows Lola's amazing concentration abilities.She looked just like this for 5 minutes straight.
She's watching...
and still watching...
a pink & black marching band with golden flags.She would have kept watching too, if we had stayed longer.
Our next stop was lunch. From the restaurant we could see this carousel. Each time it stopped to switch riders Lola would say "Moe". After lunch we took her for a ride on it. She wasn't going to ride on the horse for anything so we let daddy have her spot.
We rode on the sleigh and it was okay after a minute. She was fine until it started going and by that time it was past the point of no return. 
She absolutely loved the boat ride back to the other side of the park. She pointed out all the other boats along and the way and the buses she saw drive by.
She wants to go back next weekend!April 27, 2008
A TALE OF TWO HOUSES
HOUSE #1
HOUSE #2
House # 2 - Designed by an architecture professor at a leading national university. This house incorporates every "green" feature current home construction can provide. The house is 4,000 square feet (4 bedrooms) and is nestled on a high prairie in the American southwest. A central closet in the house holds geothermal heat-pumps drawing ground water through pipes sunk 300 feet into the ground.
The water (usually 67 degrees F.) heats the house in the winter and cools it in the summer. The system uses no fossil fuels such as oil or natural gas and it consumes one-quarter of the electricity required for a conventional heating/cooling system. Rainwater from the roof is collected and funneled into a 25,000 gallon underground cistern. Wastewater from showers, sinks and toilets goes into underground purifying tanks and then into the cistern. The collected water then irrigates the land surrounding the house. Surrounding flowers and shrubs native to the area enable the property to blend into the surrounding rural landscape. Now the 'good' part!
House #1 is outside of Nashville, TN; it is the 'humble' abode of the infamous "environmentalist", Al Gore .
House # 2 is on a ranch near Crawford, TX; it is the residence of the President of the United States, George W. Bush.
An 'inconvenient truth'??
House #1 is outside of Nashville, TN; it is the 'humble' abode of the infamous "environmentalist", Al Gore .
House # 2 is on a ranch near Crawford, TX; it is the residence of the President of the United States, George W. Bush.
An 'inconvenient truth'??
(This was an email sent to me - just to good not to post!)
If you don't believe it check out www.snopes.com and search "A Tale of Two Houses"
April 23, 2008
THIS SUNDAY WAS...
Lola's first PB&J
Actually it's almond butter, raspberry jam on a slice of spelt bread (no wheat).
She likes it just the same!
With a sip of cool water to wash it down
She cleans up nicely :-)
OUR HAPPY GREEN FAMILY!
Actually it's almond butter, raspberry jam on a slice of spelt bread (no wheat).
She likes it just the same!
With a sip of cool water to wash it down
She cleans up nicely :-)
OUR HAPPY GREEN FAMILY!April 22, 2008
April 16, 2008
April 13, 2008
April 7, 2008
Cherry Blossoms and a Sunday Stroll
After church on Sunday we stopped at a shrine and walked around the grounds.There was peaceful music playing over speakers and bees buzzing in the blossoms. The sun was warm and the wind was cool. We enjoyed the blossoms to the fullest with the knowledge that we won't be in Japan to see them next spring.
Lola loved seeing the Koi with their mouths wide open. She says, "shish!"
(Lola kept sticking her hands out through the sides of the stroller so she could hold our hands...what a sweet girl!)
April 5, 2008
March 22, 2008
This is my new sun hat.
My mommy made it for me.
I wore my new sun hat to hunt Easter eggs this afternoon!
My mommy made it for me.
I wore my new sun hat to hunt Easter eggs this afternoon!
It kept the sun out of my eyes so I could find this golden egg.
Daddy thinks I look pretty in it.
I think I'll wear my hat all spring and summer!March 21, 2008
Lola's New Easter Dress and Hat
(thank you Grandma Klemser for the fabric and dress pattern)
(thank you Grandma Klemser for the fabric and dress pattern)
When I helped her try the dress on for a fitting she got upset when she had to take it off.March 17, 2008
March 15, 2008
HOW DID WE GET TO MARCH ALREADY?
JEN: What's today's date? The 13th?
SAM: No, it's the 14th. (Jen signing and dating a mail slip)
JEN: Wow, I almost put zero six as in two thousand and six, that is how behind I am.
SAM: That's a big behind.
And I thought all this time I'd been working my butt off!
March 12, 2008
March 6, 2008
Photo op in the gift shop.
Does anyone know what this signs says?
I don't read Japanese.
Does anyone know what this signs says?
I don't read Japanese.
Lola and I in the BioDome
This bat was just hanging upside down in the BioDome
Big scary fish.
Lola feels much safer when she's in her daddy's arms.
This was a funny looking animal
piles of raccoons
I'd never seen one of these in real life.
So photogenic!
We had fun at the zoo. It was kinda cold outside which was nice because then it didn't smell like a zoo. There weren't a ton of people running around with strollers taking pictures, just us.March 4, 2008
This is a sneak peak of our zoo trip pictures.
Sam, Jen & Lola's adventures at BIOPARK!
Imagine a zoo that has whole piles of raccoons to look at.
It was actually more fun than we expected.
March 3, 2008
Our visit to Soto Dam
"A monument memorializing prisoners of war is at Soto Dam in Yunoki near Sasebo, set up in April 1956 by the city. The POWs were from Fukuoka Camp #18, located about a quarter mile above the dam construction site. In the mere 6 months this camp was in operation, some 65 POWs lost their lives during the construction of the dam."
"A monument memorializing prisoners of war is at Soto Dam in Yunoki near Sasebo, set up in April 1956 by the city. The POWs were from Fukuoka Camp #18, located about a quarter mile above the dam construction site. In the mere 6 months this camp was in operation, some 65 POWs lost their lives during the construction of the dam."
This monument is the only thing at the dam. There aren't any road signs that lead to the memorial, in fact you have to climb over a fence to even get there. It was strange to see it so hidden and purposefully forgotten. The names on the plaque behind the rusty paint chipped gates aren't even the correct names of the POWS who lost their lives at Soto. It is suppose to be in the process of being corrected. We'll see if it happens before we leave Japan.
