A Day at Odaiba

We learned of a place that is an oasis in the city and only a 15 minute drive from our apartment. It was a gorgeous day; perfect for running around in sand and water. We explored old military barracks and snuck (is that a word?) onto a private fisherman's dock, where we discovered a beach made up entirely of SHELLS... crunch, crunch, crunched under our feet. We had a glorious time. Jonas got too wet and sandy, so I took him for a run down the beach to help him dry off... Shailey snapped a picture of us... thank you Shailey!
(Glenn injured his leg badly during basketball, so he could not come with us)

Odaiba Beach, Escape from the City

If the Shoe Fits, Wear it

With all of the walking, running, bicycling, climbing, train riding, bus riding, subway riding, escalator riding, car driving, and stroller pushing up and down the hills of Tokyo, I have come to appreciate a pair of shoes I purchased from LL Bean this summer, thinking they would serve as my "summer sneaker". I had no idea how much I would love them here. They are the perfect BIG CITY shoe. They are gray to hide all of the dirty city grime, they are so lightweight they make you feel barefoot, they are super easy to slip on, they have great sole support, and they are durable. There has never been a better "city" shoe. Plus, don't you agree that they are super cute? or is it just the model that is so cute? Hmmmmmm.

To Infinity and Beyond!

Like most boys his age, Jonas loves Buzz Lightyear. Today we went to the park with some of his school friends and he insisted on wearing his Buzz outfit. The transformation from Jonas to Buzz was complete when he flew down the slide on his belly with his arms out. "I CAN FLY" he told Woody, and then he did.


The moment of flying like the real Buzz was even worth the face plant into the sand at the end... over and over again.

"If the Good Lord Intended For You to Walk, He Wouldn't have Invented Rollerskates"... or Bicycles (Willie Wonka)

Shailey and Emma have begged for bicycles since we first arrived in Tokyo, wanting to make their trek to school a little easier. So after holding off for an entire 2 months, we surprised them with bikes. I decorated their bikes with huge bows and a large gift tag and then rode their bikes (one at a time) to school to wait for them at the bike rack. I had so much fun. Riding Emma's bike was especially funny... if you want to give yourself an instant age lift, try riding a 7 year old's flashy bike in lieu of surgery... it works wonders... makes you feel like a kid again!

Halloween Haunts by Emma

Emma is a creative genius and project girl. She can always be found cutting, pasting, coloring, and crafting. Her latest project was to create Halloween costumes for her stuffed animals. She did an amazing job. Happy Halloween!

You Know You're Getting Old When...

You know you are getting old when you realize that the temple dress you wore for the first time, 14 years ago, has shoulder pads! I was in the Tokyo temple recently, wearing my dress and it occurred to me for the first time... my dress has shoulder pads. 10 years ago or more, I started cutting the shoulder pads out of all of my clothes... recognizing it was no longer the fashion to look like a "football player" . Somehow my temple dress avoided my "de-shoulderpadzation" process. So, recently, as I cut out the shoulder pads from my dress, I found myself laughing out loud and wondering what current fashions will I find funny in the future.

Daddy's Girl

I captured Glenn and Emma's daddy and daughter moment. I absolutely love this picture. The lighting is stunning and their expressions are candid. You can see how much they look alike. Emma adores her Daddy.

Jonas' First Proposal

Today Jonas' girlfriend, Hollis Cook, was in a public restroom going "potty". Jonas pushed open her stall door and asked, "Will you marry me?" After deliberating for a brief moment, Hollis politely declined. I escorted Jonas from the restroom to give Hollis some privacy. Later Jonas asked her 4 more times to marry him, and Hollis continued to refuse. Not giving up entirely, Jonas rephrased his question. "Will you be my best friend?" Hollis replied, "uh, okay". And they lived happily ever after.

Big in Japan

Before moving to Japan, I did not accurately describe how "big" Tokyo was. I said that it was so full of sky scrapers that you could not see the sun unless it was directly overhead. I was wrong. That statement is only true depending on where you are. Now I have a more accurate way to explain how BIG Tokyo is... ready??

You cannot give a taxi driver an address and expect him to get you there. You have to either a) tell the driver how to get there (in Japanese of course), b) give the driver a phone number to plug into his GPS which may or may not work, or c) give the driver a really big landmark that will at least get you within walking distance of your destination.

I am serious. It still blows my mind that the city is so big taxi drivers do not know where everything is. In NYC you just give your driver an address and you get there, no problem. That does not work in Tokyo. In fact I had to take Jonas to the doctor for an ear infection last week. I printed up a map showing how to get to the office. I gave the map to the taxi driver. He could not find it. He plugged the phone number into his GPS and came up with nothing. So I called the doctor office and asked them to give directions in Japanese to my taxi driver and then handed him my cell phone (thank heavens for cell phones). They did. It worked.

Our closest and biggest landmark? The Chinese Embassy... I have learned to say that in Japanese (chugoku tai shi kan)... I can walk home from there.

So here we are at the top of a 54 story building that gives us a circular view of where we live. Our apartment is next to the green roofed building... can you find it? No? Why not?

Head Over Heals

Jonas' preschool had a new wall display. When I looked closely I noticed that Jonas' artwork was the only one upside down. I asked his teacher why? She replied, "because we decided this is Jonas... he is always up and over and upside down, so his artwork should be the same". It totally made me laugh... this is Jonas. And his crazy expression?? He came up with this one all on his own.

Smile for Me

Once a year I take black and white photographs of my kids. They are very used to me shoving my camera in front of their face. Emma is the easiest to pose... making a "relaxed" face comes naturally to her. Shailey is always "on stage" so catching her being candid is more difficult. Jonas is three and well..... enough said. I had this idea of a photo shoot with the girls looking really girly and their brother looking all boy. So I sewed the girls "tu tu" skirts and took the kids to I.U. campus. Shailey was slightly embarrassed to parade around in a large tutu in public (she is 10 years old and is so sweet to put up with my crazy ideas). I had a lot of fun. I am not sure the kids had as much fun. They did enjoy searching the creeks for crayfish, and they did enjoy the "rock and pebble fight".... until it got too rough... oops. I captured their laughter during the rock fight when they thought it was funny, but I missed capturing the tears when it became painful. All in a day's work.

The Takes

The Outtakes

Spirit Day at Sacred Heart

The kids had a spirit day at school. Emma's class theme was "pink", Jonas' theme was "yellow", and Shailey's theme was 1950. Shailey and I pulled together an outfit from stuff we already had... including "pinning" a poodle onto one of my skirts. She WON the award for Most Spirited.