Monday, September 19, 2016

J man is 18 months old!

The J man turned 18 months on 8/27/2016. How is that even possible? I was referred to a family practice and loved the nurse practitioner we visited with. It was so nice speaking English and she took her time and was so thorough. He is tiny- 20th percentile for height and 40th percentile for weight. I forgot to write the numbers down so I don't have it. He is a cutie and scrunched his nose when he smiles like his sister used to do. Everyone tells me he looks like his daddy, which I agree, but he also resembles both siblings at different times. He is snuggly and loves to rock and cuddle. He always wants to be outside with his siblings which makes it tough. We have to keep doors locked so he doesn't escape. We love the J man and are so thankful God gave us this sweet boy to shepherd and nurture.

Scrapbook day 9/16/16



Scrapbook day this month fell on a Friday. We finished our week of school in the morning and enjoyed a quiet afternoon. Once the neighborhood kids got home our big kids were outside playing until dinner, which was at the local mall as we had to buy a birthday gift for a party on Saturday. We finally have a school room and that has helped with schooling. We also have a lady come help with Jun a few mornings a week which allows me to teach without interruptions from 10-12. The big kids are adjusting well to life here. We've had some tough moments when playing with larger groups in the neighborhood with Miss M but overall we are doing well. I won't lie- I miss Tokyo a lot, both the city and our friends. It was home and I know it takes time to make a new home. But it is something else too- that city and the people captured our hearts in a special way. Maybe we will feel the same way here in a few years, but there is something about Tokyo. We love it, we miss it, and we both hope one day the Lord will lead us back there. Until then we will keep going through the process of mourning, grieving, and pursuing life in this new place as we both know God has brought us here for His purposes.

Basement Renovation



We are still in the throws of boxes. Our couch arrives at the end of September. Once we have that in the house we can start putting away more things. But for now we are living with the bare essentials. One thing I had to organize was the basement. Toys were thrown everywhere once our stuff from Tokyo arrived. The kids were so excited to see their toys, finally. I spent an entire day going through the toys and lining them up around the walls of the basement. The J man loves climbing the boxes and getting into everything. The kids are slowly adjusting to neighborhood life.  The K man loves these little cars you can drive around the neighborhood. One little boy has a police car and they like to make stops and arrest folks. He also made a friend down the street and they are back and forth at each other's house all the time. Our street is loaded with little girls for Miss M to play with. However, it can be stressful for her to navigate group dynamics like this in an unfamiliar setting. Lots of life lessons to be learned. I've been running a lot with our neighbor/friend from college and also enjoying group exercise classes at the local YMCA. We've made some great friends through church as well and look forward to developing better friendships as we get to know them better.

Monday, September 12, 2016

K Man and Little Rushers

K man started Little Rushers flag football with the YMCA on Saturday. It was a beautiful fall morning and the view from Manhattan Middle School where they play was stunning. He wore his UT jersey and was glad his football team color was orange as they were the Broncos. It was a lot of fun and we are looking forward to more Saturday morning football games.