snaggle tooth...

Nykolas pulled this one himself.....the girls were so proud of him!

We were discussing the fact that I don't really want her to be a princess, as in real life they end up tragically killed in British tunnels or go crazy (as the one here in Japan has...) and then she said....then what do you want me to be a mermaid? I guess those really are the only two options available.


Mommy, do you know who the owner of mosquitoes is? Satan! (I agree. They have been wretched this year.)

Inches from crawling.....

How we roll.....

These are phone photos of us traveling....train station shot and one of the kids playing plastic animals (our ever present companions) on the train ride home.....

Japanese Cousins...

....in missing our real cousins....we've adopted a few....

Gearing Down....

The cicadas have ceased their symphony, the songbirds have resumed their solos, the sky is September blue, and the mornings are beginning to be deliciously cool....we have survived an Osaka summer! I am not sure why but this has been the most miserably hot place we have lived. Many told me that summers in Osaka were bad but I was sure with having lived in Taipei and Manila, both much closer to the equator that I had experienced worse. I was wrong.

The Osaka Festival is about a month away. As Chad gears up to the big climax of the year, I start winding my world down. We still don't know what next year holds but we probably won't be back in Osaka after the holidays. I feel myself detaching, cleaning out closets and fitting in time with friends right and left. Truly a downer now that I finally am in the swing of life. Boo. I am praying that this cycle will soon come to a close. But I wonder if I will be able to carry on a normal settled life anywhere now that I am in this pattern.....

Grace, Lucy and Lee!

New friends and old.....

The last few days have been filled with a wonderful visit with an old friend and time to get to know new friends.

Hitomi worked with Chad and lived with us when we were in Okinawa, four years ago. She and her husband, Tim (who we met for the first time this weekend!) came to spend a couple of days. Love loved seeing our Hitomi again and meeting her love. We've also made some new friends. Gideon, Geoffrey and Faith are from Kenya and are here in Japan to study. We met them at our church last Sunday and had them over for pizza and a movie night! Loving our ethnically diverse life at the moment. Japan is not known for it's diversity but we are grateful our home can be full of it...Philippinos, Americans, Albanians, Kenyans, Japanese and Chinese! SWEET!

so glad you came....

Do they come cuter than this?

my skirt is apparently princess worthy.....

Kyoto....the very essence of Japan.

Grandan brought Mia this Discovery Kids 'CAT' book. It has yet to leave her side. She has slept with it, taken it with us on our all day adventure to Kyoto and continually pours over it asking me to read bits to her at every point in the day.

Hiking Minoh Mountain....again. We love this place.