Sweet memories

My kids are growing up and my memory is growing weak, and as I recount yet another sweet moment in our day to my Aunt Barb and Amy, we are once again laughing until we cry, and once again, Aunt Barb suggests I start writing these memories down before they are forgotten like so many others. So tonight I will start.

As Carter, the four-year-old, was getting ready for bed, and had just finished brushing his teeth, I suggested he try to go pee before bed. He replied that he didn't have to go, so, as I have done with all the kids, I said "try counting to 20" and if you haven't gone by then, then you can be all done. So Carter gamely started to count. "1...2...3...4...5...6...pause...Hey, how did that happen?!?!"

Another moment - Carter is in a ranting stage of life - if he is upset he rants about it. The kids had been fighting, mostly a tired Emma being too bossy, but enough was enough, so all the kids were sent in to get into their PJ's. Carter marched up to Amy`s living room, ranting - what she caught went something like this: "I hate having sisters that fight all the time - it`s no fair cause I always have to go to bed early!!"

Japan Day 2, Nara Part 2

Japan-DAY 1

After travelling just over 24 HOURS from door to door, Mom and I arrived at Reuben's home in Osaka. On Friday, just 16 hours after getting to Reuben's we were off on tour - Reuben says we told him we would "hit the ground running" and he held us to that!!

We took the train to Nara, about an hour from Osaka. Nara was the first capital of unified Japan, from 710 A.D. It is famous for its ancient temples, and semi-tame deer, which in pre-Buddhist times, were considered messengers of the gods.

Now, there are about 1200 of them living in and around Nara Park begging food from tourists and knocking over little children.


This is Yoshi feeding one of the deer.








You can buy biscuits to feed the deer, and they have been conditioned to bow before getting a handout.















Todai-ji Temple



Here, Reuben, Mom and Yoshi are in front of the Nandai-mom, an enormous gate containing two fierce looking Nio guardians. These wooden figures were carved in the 13th century and are some of the finest in all Japan, if not in all the world. They were recently restored. Below is a picture of a foot belonging to one of the guardians - the big toe measures approximately 1 foot high.

Going on an airplane ride

Grandpa and Uncle Steve have become pilots in the new fun 'airplane' game. Only key is that passengers have to be blindfolded

Carter.....before & after

I guess someone forgot to tell him that he is supposed to look grumpy in the before picture and smile in the after picture. Unless maybe if this was a 'hairclub for men' add and then his 'after' photo would be all those curls and what man with balding issues wouldn't be happy with such a beautiful amount of curls!

The reason for this haircut is that Carter complained 'me no see to dig!' and we all know that that is what counts in Carter's life 'to dig'. Wonder where he got that from?

Miss Emma

This was taken while camping last summer - disheveled, but beautiful!!

Here goes nothing

The plan has been (for some time now) to use a blog to update any family I may have been not keeping updated very well. (Sorry, especially, to the British Swanny's) Well, the time has come to dive in - as most of you may know by now, anything out of the ordinary in my life requires a certain process before it is adopted into my life - I say I will do something, then I promptly forget all about it. In 1-4 months time, I will spontaneously remember what it was I said I'd do, then think about it every few days with increasing frequency until, finally, the day arrives when I BITE THE BULLET, and try it...so here I am, trying out the blog Amy made for me a few weeks ago (i've already called her twice since then to ask about my password, and then my username:( )
My hope for the blog is to be able to post (semi) regularly - pictures and updates, so all of you who eagerly await the updates can come to this site and read and see for yourselves all of the "excitement" of our lives. We'll see...