2 Year Anniversary

Today is the 2 year anniversary of the day our family boarded a plane bound for Japan. I find it very interesting how time can seem to fly by and standstill at the same time. The first year we missed Target, malls, and Mexican restaurants. Now all we really miss are family and friends. So the count down begins.... 364 days until we are coming HOME!

Here are some new pictures of Thad (2 1/2 months old).

I love the chubby checks!

Brand had a palatal expander put on this week. Every night he turns the key a bit to slowly expand the roof of his mouth. He will wear it for 4-6 months and then have braces put on. Turning the key is a bit painful and lets just say he is such a tough kid!

Okuma Fun

We had a fun 3 days at Okuma (a military resort on the Northern tip of the island) with our good friends the Pate family. Okuma is my favorite place to go on the island because it really feels like a vacation.

Thad doing what he does best.... crying.

Josh, Ray and Blake went free diving. The fish they speared.

The go-carts were so much fun.

Cat, Blake, Lauren and Brand went on a wild ride.
My favorite shot of Brand crashing into the water.

We saw the Solar Eclipe that could only be seen in Asia. This shot is through a telescope with a sun shield. It was so cool!

Max's 5th Birthday

Our little Maximus turned 5 last week. We rented an inflatable water slide and invited a few friends over for an afternoon of fun in the sun.

Max had a great time!

Max's new preferred nickname is "Maximusprime".

"Happy Birthday Max, we love you!"

Our last 8 weeks...

Our last 8 weeks...

Thad 2 weeks
Thad 4 weeks

Thad 6 weeks
Thad is 8 weeks today. He weighs 12 pounds 10 ounces and is 23 1/2 inches long.
He just started smiling at us.

Max's preschool graduation (a bit silly but Max had fun).

Brand is soooooo much help, he loves holding Thad!

Max is as crazy as ever!
My sister Candace came to see us for 2 weeks. It was her first visit to Okinawa. We had a great time showing her the island, playing Guitar Hero, and eating yummy Japanese food.
More of Candace's visit...

My mom came to visit after Candace and stayed for 10 days. She took such good care of us it was really hard to see her leave. Thanks for coming mom!