Grandan has arrived!!!

The kids are thrilled....well all except Noa-chan who has not been impressed with his scratchy mustache kisses.

shy lili...

Minoh Mountain

Our wonderful neighbors and good friends, Celina and Marina took us to Minoh Mountain yesterday. We have been trying to get out together all summer, but with both our busy schedules and visitors this is the first time we have been able to pull it off.

Minoh Mountain is very near our home, about a 15 min drive. I had no idea such outdoor delight was so near. We picked up 'bento' (boxed lunches) on our way then headed up the mountain. The Minoh National Park was founded in 1871 and designated as Japan's first public park. The center of the park is the Ryuanji Temple said to have been built in 652, there is an insect museum, a butterfly atrium, the zoo unfortunately was closed in 1977 and the monkeys were released and are all over the place (guess it's good they didn't release the lions, tigers and bears, oh my :) Apparently the monkeys are quite a nuisance coming down the mountain to the touristy areas in the late afternoons, surrounding guests and snatching food. Thankfully we never saw any....I think it would unnerve me to have my people cornered by monkeys about their size. The walk up the mountain was quite a hike that included loads of complaining and whinging but once we made it to the waterfall at the top and were splashing and turning over rocks - all was well. Nykolas caught river crab (I did not know such a thing existed), frogs and fish. On the way down the kids snacked on hot dogs on a stick....although the river fish on a stick looked interesting I couldn't talk anyone into one....

Dear Friends.....

Temote and Nozomi from Okinawa came to visit us this week. Temote was Chad's interpreter for the year we lived on that island paradise. We have remained close and were so so glad that they chose to visit us on their short holiday.

Lili's date with daddy

So, with Mia going with Chad to Kyoto and Nykolas' big trip to the Philippines...Lili was next in the date line up and since she is a bit young for overnight without mommy, Chad opted for a more local outing. Swimming and lunch at McDonalds. They had a blast and both came home smiling but exhausted.

Lili didn't completely understand, as I was getting her ready she wanted her pajamas packed as she was going with Daddy to the Philippines to visit Yaya's family. How many three year olds do you know who want to pack their bags for the Philippines as a part of a date with Daddy?

Konichiwa Cafe....

Saturday evening we had dear friends to dinner. I had this great idea that I could make a really nice dinner and the kids could serve and it would be like a restaurant. Mia jumped on it and the "Konichiwa Cafe" was created. Konichiwa means 'hello' in Japanese. Mia and Lili had on aprons and served the guests drinks with a three choice drink menu and then they took the plates to the table...Mia, especially took it so seriously. Too cute! Nykolas spent most of the evening on his bike....not so into being a waiter.

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Training Wheels Off = Riding a BIKE!

Gran you make our whole week with your packages!!!

During our time abroad some of the days I cherish the most are holidays our family experiences together. I love these times as our family gets a break from Chad's busy schedule and we get our daddy uninterupted plus getting to see the country outside the city in which we live. This past week our church invited us to join them on their retreat to Mt. Daisen.

On Tuesday Chad had a speaking engagement at a Campus Crusade for Christ retreat in Akashi just outside of Kobe. It was an adventure in and of itself. We arrived late as we were caught in traffic and the retreat center itself was just barely a step above camping out. We went directly to dinner then Chad was off to teach in the evening session....leaving us to figure out our rooms and what to do with ourselves. Thankfully there was a large grassy area out front and we had stuffed the new bike in the back of the van. So the kids ran and played for an hour or so then we all trundled off to our bunk beds. It was a blessing to be with the young believers making a difference on their college campuses.

The next day we headed off for the four hour drive to Daisen. Truly beautiful. Mt. Daisen is a volcanic mountain near the coast of the Sea of Japan. It was cooler than the hot hot Osaka we had left. Actually the day we arrived a typhoon was on its way inland....which made for a very windy day then bucket loads of rain to follow.

We went with our Pastor, his daughter (Aika, who is about my age) and three of her four daughters to a touristy dairy farm. Ice cream, waving at the cows and tumbling and running in the pre-typhoon wind was so fun.

Our typhoon day was actually just as nice, with all the driving and excitement of new places having a quiet day in the hotel room was a break. I had brought puzzles, colouring books, school work and read a loud books. Perfect.

On Friday morning Chad and I shared our testimonies. For two and half hours we shared how we came to the Lord, how we met and married, our journey to a house full of littles and what our lives are like now. I was a bit nervous as I don't like being up front but Chad did an amazing job....my husband is captivating when he shares. The church members have become like family to us....it has been a joy spending time with them.

In the afternoon we headed to the beach with Derek, Allison and Adelle. The undertow was pretty bad and Chad kept trying to distract the little fish people out of the water.....no one was lost thankfully! After getting dressed again we headed to dinner just our little team...it is so nice to be in the same city with Derek and Allison.

Saturday we headed home....with a stop at a petting zoo on the way. Probably my worst idea of the week. Nasty place petting zoos can be....I felt the need to pour hand sanitizer over my children as we left. Yuck!

Lovely time together and with our church family. Now back to real life...school, gymnastics, etc...

Petting Zoo...