All Clear

We woke up this morning to Typhoon Readiness Condition (TCCOR) I, which meant the typoon was set to hit within the next 12 hours. This was at 7:15am, by 8:30am the typhoon changed course and we were all clear. It was quite a rainy night but we are glad that was all it was.

We woke up to a beautiful sunny day. So we ventured off base for lunch at Twelve Frogs (Kyle and Don had yet to be there), a trip to Bagel & Bagel for fresh bagels for tomorrow's breakfast and shopping at the 100 Yen store.

So we are all safe and sound in our little world over here.

Typhoon Warning

In case any of you might have heard, we are in Tropical Cyclone Condition Readiness (TCCOR) II. This means that winds of 50 knots or greater are anticipated within 24 hours. We will keep you posted. If for some reason you are unable to reach us by our Vonage phone or email over the weekend it could be due to power outages. I will try and post an update when the typhoon has past and the all clear is given.

Godzilla

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's...Godzilla!!! What would a trip to Japan be without visiting Godzilla? We took the kids a few weekends a go to the Godzilla park. Godzilla was tall, so tall it was hard to get the kids and Godzilla in the same shot together. The kids had a blast at the park. Again it's another Japanese slide park. The best part for my kids though was the zip line, they absolutely love them and would love it if they could have their own.

It was a hot and humid day and we had to evacuate our building rather quickly thanks to a fire alarm that went off in our building. So instead of grabbing the backpack that I usually take packed with the outing essentials (like a good mom), I grabbed my purse packed with the financial essentials (my checkbook, credit cards and cash). Hence, I did not have any sunscreen (the bad mom), so we couldn't stay out and enjoy the park that much. Here in Japan you can't just run out and buy sunscreen like you can in the states. We can't read the labels, it's hard to find and those we have found say not to use on your face.

We will have to go back another time in the fall when the flowers are in bloom. They have some beautiful gardens. Here is a look at the gardens, there were lots of butterlies. Some were very big. Doesn't Megan look thrilled?

Even Don looks small compared to Godzilla.

After all that fun it was time to cool down with a shave ice. We found a nice shady bench with a beautiful view.

We captured this spider in its web on our walk back to the car. We thought it was too cool.

Soccer Season has Begun

The soccer games officially began on Saturday. Megan and Kyle both are playing again this year. This is Kyle's second year playing and Megan's fourth year. They both had a lot of fun. Neither team keeps score officially, although the kids do. They are learning to play for fun and that both teams win. It was a very hot day out and we were on the fields for almost 3 hours, not quite, between both games. Here's Kyle's game...

Kyle assiting with a goal...

Coach talking over strategy with the team...

Then we went to Megan's game. Her's was a little more competitive. She has really improved her skills over the years. Her she getting the ball...

Cornerkick...

Throw-in from the sidelines...

Good game...

First Day of Kindergarten

Today was Kyle's 1st day of Kindergarten, he was so excited to go to school. All morning he was asking how he looked. He had me put get in his hair and asked me if it looked ok. Did I think Mrs. Garcia would like it? It was cute. He really likes her.

Last Monday, I went to Kyle's class for a parent orientation and learned about the classroom and what would happen during the year. Then on Tuesday, Mrs. Garcia came to our house for a home visit. All of the Kindergarten teachers visit each student in their home to see them in their own environment. He was so excited to have his teacher come to his house and have her see his room and his toys. He showed her how he organized his cars. He told her he liked to organize the blocks. Then on Friday Kyle got to visit his class and see his desk. One of the first things he told his teacher was the blocks were messy and he needed to reorganize them.

Here are pictures from our visit to his classroom on Friday...

My new cubby...

My new desk...

My teacher Mrs. Garcia...

Walking to school on my 1st day...

Dad came too to drop me off...

Lining up to go to class...

Doing my homework after school...