Happy Halloween

ROAR!!!!!

OMG, words really can't do justice to just how cute this costume is. I searched Amazon Japan for weeks and finally, 5 days before the Cirque party found it. Sarah was definately the best dressed baby there!

I miss being home for Halloween, it really is one of my favorite holidays and I'd love to be there carrying Sarah through the neighborhood while the girl's go Trick or Treating. You all will have to have a cup of hot chocolate for us.

Kirk and I made carmel apples here for the guys at his work and we carved our pumpkin last night as you can see. It's hard to believe just how fast time is flying by, Halloween seemed so far away when we left this summer and now I know Thanksgiving will be right around the corner.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday. We're not sure whether we'll get kids here or not but I'll certainly light the pumpkin and be thinking of you all.

Love you,

Mic, Kirk and Sarah

Just a Little Off-Topic Note

I just wanted to post a quick note and say I'm not sure how frequently I'll be blogging from now until we head home. I'll definately keep posting pics but the actual updates may be short. I've decided to participate in the NaNoWriMo challenge, it's basically a challenge to all writers to write a novel over the month of November. You are considered a 'winner' if you write 50,000 words between Nov1-Nov30.

I've decided to take the time to get a good portion of Book 2 written. Atleast that's the goal. I've tried this in the past and I tend to get sidetracked but it's worth the effort to try and if I finish it I'll have a good part of my goal for being here in Japan taken care of. (I'm hoping to get book 1 reworked and book 2 finished while here over the next year.)

So anyway, I know you all sign in for the pics and I'll keep those coming but the updates may be short and sweet.

Btw, the pic above just goes to show that playing is hard work. It is starting to become a common thing to find her passed out in her bouncy chair...she really loves it.

Family Day #6 - Mt. Takao

Today's family outing was planned by Kirk so it was a pleasant surprise to have no idea where we were headed until we got there. Mt. Takao is a favorite hiking destination for many Tokoyites because it is only about 1.5 hours outside of Tokyo. The last picture actually shows Tokyo in the distance.

When I get Kirk's camera I'll add acouple more pictures, because you guys have to see the cable car we rode to get up the mountain. Basically the entire mountain is crossed with trails from .5 mile nature trails to serious 5 mile hikes. Most people opt for taking a cable car up 3/4 of the mountain then some will return the same way and others hike down.

About 15 minutes hike further up the mountain from the cable car is a beautiful temple which actually has many terraces that stretch the remaining way to the summit of the mountain. Unfortunately we got a late start to our day and we only made it as far as the base temple. We are planning to go back in the next 2 weeks and actually summit.

The leaves are just now starting to change color so within the next two weeks it should be a true fall display like I've always wanted to see. Between the temple and the cable car is a small refuge for snow monkeys so we'd like to see that next time also.

Just for the record, Kirk is not playing Michael Jackson and holding Sarah over the edge, but you all know how she loves the wind and it was really blowing up there so she giggled the entire time daddy let her 'fly'. In fact, as usual she loved everything about being outside and spent much of the hike talking to herself and everyone she could find.

This is definately a trip we will take everyone on when they visit, it's amazing just how beautiful and peaceful it is so close to Tokyo. I can't wait to go back...next time Kirk said we can take the trail with the suspension bridge. Woohoo!!!!

Where's Sarah?

Before you go reporting me for child cruelty I did not put my 5 month old under the chair. I left her on the nice squishy carpet you see in the corner of the picture, but she has a mind of her own these days and so far she can only move in reverse. lol

I seriously looked away long enough to open my computer and when I looked up, there she was hiding under a chair. Maybe she felt the earthquake earlier and thought it'd be safer under there.

Sarah vs the Carrots

I know she doesn't look very happy in the pictures but she actually really liked the carrots and there was no denying she understood the spoon brought them. I'd raise the spoon and her mouth would open right up.

I know her first food should have been rice cereal but I can't read the dang boxes over here and carrots are carrots so that's what she got. And yes, I hand mashed them for her, I hope she doesn't expect such princess treatment for forever. lol

Oh, and note the Hello Kitty spoon, she has a kid's set that includes spoon, fork and of course hachi (chopsticks).

She'll be ready for Thanksgiving in no time!

Family Day #5 - Kamakura

Kamakura was the capital of Japan from 1123-1333 and as such has many temples and shrines. The buddha pictured above has been there since 1253 and was once housed in a temple but after storms blew the temple away for the second time in the 1300's it has sat outside. It was absolutely amazing, as was the rest of the day but the baby is demanding my time so I'll update more later.

Update:

Ok, so I'm alittle late with the update, but we really did enjoy Kamakura. In addition to the Buddha there is another temple famous for it's statue of Kannon, the eleven headed goddess. I don't really know how to explain the feeling when standing before that particular piece, but it certainly was impressive and very sacred would be the right word I guess. The picture of Kirk and Sarah is taken in the gardens of that temple.

There are a couple of really nice hiking trails in the area that crisscross the tops of the hills surrounding the village but those will have to wait until next spring when Sarah is more up for long times in the backpack.

Our favorite find of the day was as we were leaving Kannon's temple area and walking down the street we passed a little store that we weren't really sure what it contained but it was brightly lit with warm wood floors. We thought it might be a gallery of some type, but when we got inside it was a music box store. They had hundreds of different types, from plastic to some beautiful carved wood ones. That's the way things go here, you find amazing stores in the oddest places.

We ended up the day purchasing the traditional 'gift' of the area - pigeon shaped cookies. They were very tasty, and everyone in Kirk's office loved them. They are really enjoying our family days because it's traditional in Japan to bring 'gifts' back to people in the office when you go out of town.

Sarah at Five Months

Really? Five Months? When in the hell does the time go? And yes baby girl, mama said hell, but just you wait till you start notice time flying and you'll understand what I mean.

This was your first real month with daddy and there is no denying that you now recognize him as yours. Mama is still your favorite most of the time but there are some moments that you and your daddy share that just make my heart stop beating. I love those moments between time, they are my favorites because I never know when they will occur.

There are however many things that did occur this month, including:

* Your 4 month checkup ( 3 weeks late), you measured Head:43 cm (16.9 inches), Weight 7.78 kg (17.15 lbs), Length I need to check, they said 63cm but that is only 24.8 inches and I know that's wrong

* You reached for your first toy, a ball from cousin Kimmie.

* You cut your first tooth.

* You started sleeping all the time in your own bed, using the swing only for naps.

* You learned how to push yourself up onto your hands.

* You learned to stick your toes in your mouth. (Oh yes, a proud mama moment. lol)

* You began scooting around the floor on your butt. You can now make it off your play mat onto the floor (or off the reservation as daddy and I call it.)

* You learned to enjoy your bouncy chair, sitting up and playing for about a half hour a day.

* You learned that mommy and daddy do this thing called eating, which catches your attention but you haven't tried it yet.

* You have begun to kick your feet and reach out for mama and daddy when we come to get you each morning.

* You went to your first Cirque party.

* You and mama stood out on the balcony and watched the rain pour down and the thunder roll through during a typhoon, loving every moment of it.

* You really learned to love 'talking' to people on the train, it doesn't matter who, you love telling everyone your stories.

* You helped mama put up Halloween decorations.

But best of all little girl, you have gotten to soak up the love and attention of both your parents this month. Things are finally how they should be and mama couldn't be happier. I love you my crazy baby.

Bouncy Chair and Shots

The first pic is Sarah in her new bouncy seat which she LOVES. The seat part spins 360 degrees but her feet can't quit touch the floor so for now she gets about 90 degrees of rotation. It makes music every time she bounces and she is never still. We've discovered music will always get laughter out of her, so maybe she will be a dancer and more graceful than me. lol

The second pics are her after her 4 month shots today. She did really well, probably because she was asleep when the first one was given. She cried out, opened her eyes then decided it must have been a dream and went back to sleep. If we hadn't had the second shot to give it would have been ok, but of course that one set her off again. Prompt delivery of a bottle nipped a fit in the bud though. Poor thing has slept most of the day though, must be all the chemicals pumping through her system. It's been a quiet day. Hummmm, wonder if I can get some of those to go...

Family Day #4 - aka How big a goofball is Mommy

OK, so family day this week got pre-empted when instead I slipped in a rain puddle and crashed to the ground like a ton of bricks. Results: bruised knee, believed broken toe and trashed pride

Instead, these are pics of Sarah enjoying a little tummy time. After all, she's all we want to see anyway.

In other news, she is finally getting in that tooth that's made her drool for the last month and a half. So far it's just breaking through but I'm sure she'll be happy when it's all the way in. Both because it will stop hurting and because then mommy will stop poking at her mouth to look at it. Yes, I've become one of THOSE mom's.