The Start to a great week....

So this week has been quite busy, but such a blast!... One of my old college buddies Sara Allbritton flew down from Korea where she is currently teaching English to Pay us Marshall's a visit!.. Sooo, I knew I had to show the girl a good time!!... We have been going non stop and she still has a couple days left!!... Here is a little clip of whats been going on..... Day one started with Sarah, Sara, and I's trip to Fushimiinaritaisya... This temple was amazing, and goes on for miles and miles...

On our way to the train station I got to introduce Sarah to the first out of many "Tanuki" she would see... yes the nipples are very pinchable, but this isn't the body part Tanuki's are known for... I believe they are set outside doors to bring Happiness upon entering... This guy deff brough Sara Hapiness! ;)...

Here is the three of us heading up through the Shrine!..

Here is where we stopped up the mountain for a bowl of Udon Noodles!.. This place had a great view out the window behind us! And who can resist a Chop stick walrus!??...

These Rocks were put here to umm Test your strength???.. I don't know, but If you pick up the rock and it feels light... You get your wish!!... But, if it feels Heavy.... guess what!.. NO WISH... Now I KNOW I'm like super tough, so there are not to many people getting wishes, let me tell ya!.. This sucker was SOOO not light!... Well, so maybe Sara got a wish... but I think she' a faker!

SO, they kept going and going and going... Until we were eventually pooped and turned around... But what an amazing Place!... Glad I got to experience this one before leaving Japan!.. And with such great friends! :)...

On the way back we had to go for the FISH BREAD!!.. YUMMMY... The outside of these are kinda like a sweet pancake, and the inside is stuffed with sweet bean paste or custurd!... SO GOOD!!!... and very interesting... We ended the day in Otsu with "A CUP OF MELLOW TEA" we shared Jardin bleu and Carmel, lots of Wayland Laughs, both which were great! We then walked the streets, laughing at funny store names written in English... like the picture spot called "Potos"..lol.. Fun day, and the next Home Games!!...

All Star Weekend

This past weekend was Allstar weekend in Osaka!!.. We were all so excited and proud of Mikey for making the team!... We were just a little unsure of what to expect b/c we didn't even recieve a schedule from Mikey's team!.. All we knew was what time Mikey was supposed to be at the train station!..

Here we are waiting on the train to Osaka!..

Yu and Joho also Joined us!.. Yu was in (and won!) the 3 point contest and Joho was another allstar!... Super great guys!...

As we arrived to the station in Osaka, we all got on a bus with the fellow west allstar team!.. So glad they were nice enough to let us all on and head to the hotel!.. Couple more hours til open practice for fans to watch and grap some autographs...

After Practice the guys signed autographs.. Here is Mikey and Matt Lottich (a former Team mate) who share a championship title together...

Can't resist a pic with JoHo!.. but why does he look so uncomfortable?? lol...

A fan of Mikey's really really really wanted him to hold her baby... And this is what reaction that got!...

From The practice I taxi'd with Dana and Fam to their apartment in Osaka.. We had planned an evening out to have dinner and visit with old friends and allstars...taxi: $21...

Here is Mecailin, Jaylin, and Elijah getting settled in to let us grown ups have some time... Nina the Washingtons oldest daughter(bless her heart) baby sat these three along with Cam, and another 3 year old Lili.....Pretty sure she was happy to see us back! :).. But I coudn't be more proud that I got out with NO tears!.. I snuck out, thinking it might be best, and come to find out Mecailin said... "bye mommy, I love you!" awww crap! ..... But hoping this means progress!!

And so we adults head out to eat: taxi:$23- resteraunt was WAY to small for us all to fit.. So we march to meet our husbands at a friends apartment (Dana Claimed it was close) 2 miles later.... we meet up with our exaughsted husbands who decide its time to just go get the kids... they did have an early morning and their banquet lasted until 9:30...and THEY had already eaten! taxi:$24..... Pick kids up and head back to hotel taxi $35.... are you getting my point with the taxi calculations!!...

The Hotel experience was were the night got fun!.... We made it back around 1:00am... Pooped! And not really sure why... But anyways... One queen size bed, four of us.... I decide the kids can sleep on the floor on the super duper fluffy comforter.. Mikey "My kids are not sleeping on the floor"... WHO SAYS THAT??.. I mean.. didn't we all sleep on the floor as kids!!.. So anyways.. he puts both kids into the bed and insists I sleep on whats left... I'm just as hard headed, so I'm like "NO.. YOU have a game and YOU are sleeping on whats left.. I'll take the comforter on the floor!".... 3am.. Mikey is in computer chair, I'm on floor still awake of course... He is snoring... I finally give up and get into the bed with the kids.... 4am... still awake and Mikey joins us at the foot of the bed! LOL.. 5am...still awake and the guy next door is having WAY to much fun for 5am!.. I never knew anyone could like the sound of their own voice so much!... 5:45.. still awake... he is now singing.. Mikey bangs on wall... quite!!!...6am..Asleep...6:45..Mecailin wakes me up.. Mommy, my pants are wet!! REALLY!!!!! .... 45 min of sleep aint bad... bathtub!.... Finally that misery of a night is over!.. get ready to go... Taxi to game: $25....Game time!!!...

Our team purchased the ticket for us since the site was in all Japanese... Mikey asked that we be on the first floor, but they said b/c of kids they would get second floor... Which was total crap.. little kids are always free and I asked a wife with three kids under the age of four if she had to pay for the kids and she said NO.. but go figure... I thought I'd sneak my way in some available seats... turns out.. I was successful!.. Both kids in and on my lap and asleep before 3point contest was over! 1st floor great view!!.. UNTIL.... I got asked to see my ticket.. Boo...Woke my two sleeping babies up and they so nicely escorted me to my seats on the second floor BEHIND the basket! lovely... But whats new??? And even better, the seats we were in sat empty the entire time! lol... Yep.. Soooo.... our section begin to fill up... with drunks of course! lol.. The guy with the goose hat called me honey momma Through out the game, and asked if I was married to Michael Jordan about 20 times!.. lol!!.. But the kids got a nap and I got to see Mikey play one awesome game!! :)

Here is the 2nd time winner of the dunk contest... He is the shortest, the only Japanese, and the most creative!.. He deff can't throw it down like the Americans, but he puts on a show!... He stripped down to these clothes for one of his dunks.. His last dunk he was dressed as spiderman with his jersey on over, and hung off the rim upside down....lol.. Pretty entertaining!...

Here are my friends... The girls had on Animal onezies???... two bears and a frog...They were all dunskies!!!

Here is Mikey taking his first shot! For 3 and its good!..

The West was down 15 in the third quarter and Mikey's string brought the team back within 3 before the quarter was up!

What a game!!.. We won by one point with .5 left!!... It was so neat to see all these guys on the court at the same time! I can tell Mikey was having a great time!! He has really been blessed!

Here is My friend missing all the celebrating at the end of the game!.. LOL.. passed smooth out!

The West Conferense Allstars, coaches, 3point, and dunk contest guys! :)

In all it was worth the taxi cab fee's and 45 min of sleep!.. What a great time for all of these guys to experience!!!...

Night and Day!

Nothing Like a simple trip to the mall to once again remind me of the NIGHT and DAY differences in my kids!... I feel like a lot of these differences are just normal boy/girl differences... But then there are others that are pure personality differences!... On days like these I am reminded just how different all children can be!! Especially my two!

While Mecailin enjoys playing with other children, like other children...

Camdon Prefers to drive the cart holding the scooters around, ramming it into the other children trying to play....boy/girl difference??...or Personality?

He has a fit when I remove scooters for other kids to play on, b/c "i want push mommy!"

Mecailin Loves to run and play in the balloon room!

Cam likes to Capture and torture the balloons, while saring the other children away...

here is the evidence! Boy/girl difference??.. Or personality?

When the hour is up, Mecailin happily comes when mommy calls!... sits in Daddy's lap and gets shoes right on!

Cam B-lines it out the door and through the Mall!...

Ran down by daddy, who does the appropriate in public disapline..lol...

OUCH "Daddy pull hair mommy"

"Why am I so mistreated?"

I guess at the end of the day, we are all happy, even with a little less hair!!!

Dinner with the DOC

This past monday, we were invited over to the team Doctors house for a Korean style BBQ!.. So we traveled down the street to Neverland (the name of their Apartments) to the 13th floor penthouse.... It was Gorgeous with such a nice view overlooking the lake.... Though Penthouse, the space is still tight... They invited our family along with Ray, Sarah, and the babies, and Fujiwara and his Family... Fujiwara plays on Mikey's team and has kids the same age as ours...This doesn't mean they are interested in playing with mine! lol... They are a lot more shy than mine are!... The doctor and his Wife have a seven year old son, so the kids enjoyed playing together with tons of toys, and us adults had a wonderful time eating and conversating!... as best we could ;)....

Mikey and I with the Doctore and his sweet wife!

Mecailin jumped in for a family photo with the Doctor

Sarah and the babies relaxing... Poor Sol was running a fever and they had to leave early...

Sweetie pie Sophia!

This is Typical funny guy Wara, with his super sweet and beautiful wife Noriko!

Mecailin Playing with the boys... She speaks to them in Japanese, but they just don't know it! lol... we cath her jibber jabbin all the time in a foreign language! :)

Cheesu!

Mikey and Cam doin what they do best!.. Grubbin!...

The meal was wonderful and the company was such a great time!... I love when people go out of their way to spend time with us, even with a bit of a language barrier!.. It's always a great time!.. Even if I make a fool of myself playing charades!...

First trip to the denist!

Luckily one of the teams biggest sponsers is the team Dentist!... The team has us covered with full Dental while we are here in Japan, so why not take advantage!... The kids, Mikey, and I geared up for their very first trip to the dentist today and let me tell you.... After watching Nemo and other Cartoons that involve the dentist, they didn't help calm the nerves....But we ALL FOUR made it through!...

Just a cute little Japanese care we passed on the way....

My big girls ready to go!

The team Dentist Hiromi working on Mecailin

And then theres Cam...lol... Couldn't get a good shot with all the kicking and screaming...

Daddy Holding him down.. I think it took all of 45 sec for his visit!

Mecailin- two baby cavities (WHAT??)).. I was shocked!..

Camdon- NO cavities

Daddy- one cavity

mommy- one HUGE cavity... All taken care of... No more late night oreos!...

A little side tracked...

So today I caught myself counting just how long we have been here in Japan... 18 weeks 3days 22 hours and 42 seconds.... Then I realized the first week was actually spent in Korea... which now seems like such a huge BLUR!!.. Its amazing what jet lag will do to a person, even if you think you've got it under control!.. So I went back today and looked at some photos trying to relive the week!... Lets just start off by saying NO, we did not plan a vacation there!... We had the most amazing flight from Dallas to Tokyo (heading here to Shiga) that I ever had imagined!.. We all slept, had lots of room, and it went as fast a 12 hour flight could go... WHY OH WHY OH, did I have to mention this when we landed??.... We wait in the line at customs for a good 45min, then BAM.. it began.. Mikey's passport hadn't been fixed by his team(newpeople, not their fault), so we were escorted to a small white walled room for the next 8 hours!... right after nearly 20 hours in airports and on airplanes!.. Needless to say we were all exaughsted and I acted worse than my 2 and 3 year olds! lol.. After the 8 hour wait,they escorted us to a hotel... Don't be fooled, this was not your normal hotel experience.. As we walked in the lobby, I thought to myself.. "finally, we can get some sleep, and this place looks pretty nice"..... As I see the people at the front desk hand over the key to our security guard, I noticed, this is No normal key!.. he escorts us up the elevator, then down a long dark hallway, finally we see another wall blocking the last few rooms in the hall.. at this wall is more security guards, all asleep of course, waiting outside the doors of the prisoner hallway!.. We were locked inside our room that was just gross, it was hot and humid, the carpet was filthy, it smelt terrible, I refused tosleep in the covers, on the bean filled pillows, or sit on the pee stained toilet... the furniture all had Fu*# Japan all over it (I kinda felt thisway at this point, but no I didn't add to the carvings).... We of course woke up around 5:30 am and were trapped inside til 1pm!... Finally!.. Doi came to rescue us from the nightmare!.... We had to leave the country to obtain visas for our re-entry... So they sent us to Korea.. Of course it was a holiday, so the process would take at least a week!... But they treated us to a wonderful hotel and theme park for the kids... Like I said, these pics are a blur, but between fighting the Aweful jet lag and digging through all 7 suitcases to find clothes, we had a great time, and visited another country!...

Can't remember which airport I spotted this little guy, but he was a doll!

On a drive.. this dude made Korean letters or characters....

All of these houses are built onto the side of these mountains

Our beautiful Hotel

Gotta love swim caps... These will keep me away from the water!

Lotte World fun, even with jet lag

These two did great!... They were so tired but kept trucking like big kids!

A puppet show in Korean... I thought these guys were a little creepy...

Havin a good time!

Outside of snow whites castle!

Gotta love a blonde headed Snow White!

Daddy and Cam waiting on a show to start

Would love to say we tried Korean food, but we were soooo Starving after not eating for a few days, we spent most of our time at TGI fridays!