Hello Summer!!!!

Today is the kids last day of school! And it's a half day so they are out at 11:00! 

Just like that another school year is complete! And these girls have grown a lot in the last 10 months! 

Literally I can see in these photos how much they grew with the door in the background; both gained about 2 inches!

They started last year with daddy deployed and ended this year with him deployed again! Proud of their resilience in this often crazy lifestyle! 

Bring on 1st and 3rd grade the end of August! Wow THIRD grade sounds too old......

Starting summer with a BANG!! Headed to Hong Kong with friends for our big summer trip tomorrow!! Stay tuned for photos when we get back! 

Oh what a week!

It's been a busy first 10 days since Mikes been gone. And we leave for our first trip on the first official day of summer vacation!!!!!! Hong Kong here we come! 

Abby had her Salamander presentation last week. 

We spent Saturday at the pool

And yesterday the girls came down dressed like this and wanted to play outside! So they did!! Painting turned into face painting and more. And they loved it 

Moving up to First Grade!!!!

This 6-1/2 year old graduates from Kindergarten this week! Where did the last year go???!!!! 

She has grown SOOO much since September personally and academically! She's a star student, and the teachers know it!! They lean on her for a lot in the classroom because they know she is responsible and courteous! 

She is also reading at a midyear 1st grade level, so that alone impressed us this year. She's a very strong reader!!

Can't wait to see what first grade holds for her in August!! 

Her class held a small party today in honor of her teacher who is retiring this year and moving back to the states! She has lived and taught in Japan for 20+ years!!! 

Congratulations Madelyn!!! 

And the goodbyes!

We sent Mike off about 48 hours ago!

It's always hard to say goodbye, no matter how long he will be gone. But it seems to be getting harder as the kids get older. 

Fair winds and following seas to the USS Ronald Reagan and crew! 

Time Together

With Mikes extension for a few weeks, I think we did a great job at balancing family time, and time together without the kids! 

I'm so glad we got to get out and see new things! Japan has so much to offer and Mike isn't home enough to see it all. But we will peck away at it when we can! 

Date night! Dinner and a Magic show after at a nearby bar! 

We got to go to a shrine sale together and Mike finally found the antique cabinet he had been looking for! 

Day date! Yokohama Belgian Beer Festival! Sunshine and flowing beer!!

Japanese Baseball

I Baseball in Japan is like nothing else! 

And it's hard to describe! But like everything else they do it better!!! 

They cheer the entire game! No negative boos or poor sportsmanship! Just cheering on your team! It's much more than just cheering!! 

Not to mention they let you bring in any food and drink to the game, and food at the game is very reasonably priced! Very unlike the US in so many ways. 

Again we were lucky to get to squeeze this in while Mike was still home. The kids had a blast!! And what a memory that their first ever professional baseball game was in Japan! 

Tokyo Disneyland

Just pure luck that we got to spend nearly three extra weeks with Mike here in May! Because of it we were able to squeeze in Disneyland unexpectedly! 

It's a smaller park compared to California, lacking a few key rides and elements, but 90% the same! But with most rides dictated in Japanese of course! 

We had a wonderful day enjoying the park with the girls! 

Small World 

At Tokyo Disney their key attraction aside from the rides is the popcorn. Flavored popcorn is already popular in Japan, but specifically in Disney they offer rare flavors, as well as these unique popcorn buckets that you can buy! You then carry these around and can eat popcorn while you wait for rides! It's genius! A refill is about $5! Abby's favorite flavor was curry! 

Finally tall enough to drive her own car. 

Fun in May

What we thought was our last weekend of family time together......turned into the beginning of a deployment extension!! 

The aircraft carrier had a mechanical issue and has delayed departure until it is fixed! That buys us an additional 10-14 days at home with Mike! 

He will finally experience the second half of May in Japan!! 

We stayed home ALL weekend, enjoying time together and sunshine!! We took our FIRST ever family bike ride!! Maddy is fully riding independently now and LOVING it! There hasn't been a day she hasn't been riding! It's the first thing she wants to do once her homework is done! 

Sake= LOVE

One of our awesome finds in Tokyo this past weekend!

Mount Fuji shot glasses! Hand made!!

So of course we broke them in last night with some sparkling sake! Yum! 

Mothers Day Weekend in Tokyo

Had the BEST weekend in Tokyo with my three favorite people!! So glad we got to spend this last weekend together before dad heads to the boat! 

I was able to take Mike to my favorite spot in Tokyo! Kitchen district and an amazing temple destination! 

Happy Mother's Day to me indeed! These kids loved on me all weekend and made me excited to spend all summer with them alone!! 

Is it over yet?!?!

Murphy's law is a REAL thing!!! I swear it is and this week proved it to me! 

Mike left on Tuesday for a short detachment, and in true military life style, everything hit the fan! Well, at least it felt like that from my perspective. 

Mike left Tuesday......and I had work training here on base this week the next three days. I was up ALL night Tuesday with a bloody nose ( I know....too much information) that wouldn't stop! It continued into the morning while I went to work. So off I went to the medical clinic to get it resolved. Thanks to doctors for quick fixes! 

But my allergies and maybe a slight bug got the best of me and I was then congested all day Wednesday and Thursday. Not the condition you want to be in for learning new materials. 

Anyhow, all is well now. The kids and I survived on lots of patience, wonderful friends here who took the kids in the afternoons while I worked!! The kids even had the whole day off Wednesday!! 

We did dinners out while dad was gone! 

McDonalds, Pizza, and tonight....Sushi!