100 years old

The 100th day of school was in February, but Emma just brought home her project they did for it. Ian she lovely? 

Matching jammies with baby. Chelsea had on the Daddy bear shirt, but I didn’t catch her picture.

When I woke up yesterday Emma was already in the shower. Today she was all dressed and did her own pigtails! She wanted to me fix them, although I think she did a pretty good job. 

Early riser

Oh Emma, our early riser. Well, actually Daddy was gone to work before we even got up. Seriously, I got up the latest at 6am...and that with Emma waking me. 

But at least she has mostly stopped the waking up an hour after she falls asleep thing. She has only really done it once or twice this month! 

When I finally got out of bed, she was waiting for me on the floor by the heater to do Bible study. 

She is doing Precept’s Discover for Yourself kids Bible study, the one about learning to do inductive Bible study. Her reading is so good, this book is actually for 8-12 year olds. She couldn’t do it by herself (the words in the Bible are too big), but we have fun working on it together. It has some games, and some marking of the text like I do. There is a lot of writing, so we take turns. It is fun to be able to use what is learning about in school, too...like parts of a story, conjunctions, etc. It is quite a lot of work for a 6 year old, but she likes to it. It’s also fun when you get to use Mommy’s cool Japanese erasable markers. 

Good day

Today was a good day. I had a luncheon at chapel, and then Emma and I got to run some errands with Daddy for work. It was a gorgeous day out, too. She played outside and I also got my new iPad! It is so much nicer than my old one. But now I can skype. 

Waiting for Daddy at the bank. 

We have a small amphitheater outside our tower. She was putting on a performance. Her friend got grounded so she was singing about being alone. 😏

She looked silly up there all by herself. 

Out for dinner...again

I went out for dinner....again. This was third dinner out with friends this week. And no, I’m not really that social. They were all meetings. With some of the same people all for different things. Should have taken a picture of the people, but I didn’t. 

Front of the menu at Démodé Heaven, a more or less American restaurant.

I got pizza. It wasn’t bad, but I probably wouldn’t get it again. I just liked the names for things on here: mushed potatoes, deep-fried tornado potato. Oh, and squid, with herbs, of course.

Ungrounded

Emma was ungrounded this weekend. Even though she didn’t mind being grounded, she was glad to be ungrounded so she could play with her friends again. We were glad, too. We were tired today, so it was nice that she had friends to play with. 

Her evil laugh when she bought the two most expensive properties, making me pay double. I got the last laugh, though. I bought so many properties that she went bankrupt before I got to hers. 

Steven found her a chair in the basement. She has been enjoying using/playing with it. It’s basically a new toy. 

She and Paris pushed each other around on it. This is how I found her when I came back from the bx. She was watching Mario with Daddy. 

Being grounded

Emma got grounded this week. She pushed her limits too far too many times, so Daddy finally had to ground his little girl....who apparently likes being grounded. 🤔 At first she was a sad because she was in trouble. But later she told me she was glad to be grounded so she could spend time with her family. Apparently it was her favorite part of the day. 🤷‍♀️ When she got home the next day she was all tears when she couldn’t go play with her friends. So she and I went for a walk/bike ride since it was like 65 degrees and sunny out. (Exercise was ok with Daddy.) Yesterday I woke up exhausted and said that I just wanted to have a day where I didn’t have to go anywhere and I could just stay home. To which she replied, “Maybe you need to be grounded, too.” 😂😂😂 What a thoughtful child, I don’t think grounding was much of a punishment, but it was good for her. I think her grounding will be over tomorrow, but it has mostly been a pleasant grounding, if there is such a thing. 

Since she couldn’t play with her friends, she helped me make dinner last night. 

Doing Bible study this morning. She is doing a book that is really for bigger kids, so we take turns doing all the writing...and we have to look up a LOT of words, but she likes to do it! 

All ready for school this morning!

We had a busy week beside being grounded. Steven’s new chief got in and he started his Japa was class, which he says is very good. He has already learned some new, helpful words. I haven’t taken very many pictures this week, even though there was a lot I could have. I had beef curry for the first time. I went to Denny’s here, which was very interesting. We played Quiddler Junior and colored, and of course our lovely bike ride! I need to do better at remembering to take pictures! 

Fun weekend

Sorry for the lack of posting...I have actually been posting, but yet again my app want working and it wasn’t posting them. So I will try on a different app. 

Last weekend Emma went to a joint birthday party for two of her friends. She had lots of fun bouncing in the bouncy house and eating sugar. But when we got home she needed a break. We watched some cooking shows and relaxed...and ate real food. Today I went to the Asian Bazaar that was on base. It was way bigger (and more expensive) than I was expecting. Next time they do this I will be more prepared. But I got a couple good things this time.

Her ‘proving drawer.’ This is what happens when you watch baking shows all the time. She wanted to make bread, but that takes a lot of time. I had to convince her there was no water involved in proving bread. 😂

I got her barbies some new dresses...and a kimono! She had fun dressing them up. They seem well made...and they better be after what I paid for them! But they needs some new clothes, so we are all happy.

Help with groceries

In case you are wondering, this is what it looks like when Emma makes our grocery list:

I had her abbreviate some things to save space/time. Some things I helped her spell, some things she did herself. She was a good helper. She went with me and crossed things off as we went. She likes to be helpful and loves to have a job. 

Japanese Tex Mex

Our neighbors moved out this week, which means their apartment got painted today. Our house smelled so bad from the paint fumes that we went out for dinner. Steven found a TexMex place not far from base. 😁 We drove around the place like 3 or 4 time looking for parking. (We found out later where to park.) But we finally found a spot and went in. He said he heard that it wasn’t great, but for Japan it is good Mexican food. I heard the portions were small. They were, probably more appropriate than what we were used to in West Texas. Anyway, I loved it. I got a sour cream enchilada..which is an enchilada filled with shredded chicken....and sour cream inside, not the sauce on there outside! Not what I was expecting, but the closest thing I have had in a year to Tex Mex. 

They had lots of Toy Story toys....however I doubt 

they have ever been washed.  See on the sign on our table, you can get banana taquitos! With ice cream and almond butter. 🤔 we did not have any of that. 

New hair cuts

Yesterday Emma and I got new haircuts. There was so much hair on the floor when we got done. It was crazy. But we love them, it is much easier to do in the mornings! 

Also, Emma know how to make pigs in a blanket, so the other day when she was hungry she made some.

Look what we don’t have to deal with anymore!

We made brownie in a mug! Yum!

Do nothing weekend

This weekend we were all exhausted. We needed a ‘do nothing’ weekend. I really think we need a ‘do nothing’ month, but I doubt we will get one.

Friday Emma went to gymnastics again, and seriously I think she could go every day. She loves it. 

A picture from Emma’s teacher from the science museum.

I got Twister from the library. Paris and Emma loves it.

Really? You want me to do cartwheels? 

Emma was Elsa. She always beats me. I had no chance.

She was spelling things. 

Spring Retreat

This weekend I went on PWOC’s Spring Retreat. It was up in the mountains by the Tea House, about 45 minutes away. It was fun, but I’m always exhausted after these things...I think that’s backwards. This was the longest I have ever been away from Emma...48 hours! I did get to sleep until 6:53 Sunday morning...which may not be sleeping in to most people, but it was for me. 

Also...Steven had been getting up with Emma a couple times earlier in the week. ..and apparently she no longer wakes up at night. 🤷‍♀️ For 3 years she has been waking up an hour after she goes to bed, crying, inconsolable. She never remembered anything. But I couldn’t go to bed until she did it. Some nights she wasn’t so bad, I would take her potty and she would go back to sleep. But some night she would jump on her bed, run around the living room crying and jumping...and many nights she did it more than once. She wasn’t coherent. I had a friend tell me to wake her up to shake her out of her sleep cycle and it should go away. But I couldn’t wake her up! I talked loud, clapped in her face, etc. But she Steven could wake her up apparently. She has taken breaks from this before, but hopefully we are done with this!!! I am just glad I can go to bed earlier. Maybe one day she will learn to sleep in. 

I didn’t take this, but this is a picture from our retreat.

I hit the mother load! It must be strawberry season here. Also these were on the verge of going bad so I bought them half off. Emma has been devouring them.

A tiny Japanese truck. It said ‘midget’ on the back.

I sat with Emma a few minutes before the field trip. They were on their computers.

She wanted a picture of us before I left.

They had a sock hop at school last week.

Gymnastics

Emma has been signed up for gymnastics since last June, and she finally got in! However the teacher is quitting after this month, so pray they find a new one! 

But lashttps://youtu.be/pO6gzDXCzAk Friday was her first class...and Daddy took her since I was on my women’s retreat. He sent me a video so I could see how she did . Please don’t ask me why the link posted in the middle of a paragraph, I don’t know. 

She had a great time! 

They also went bowling.

A strike! They had a great weekend! 

Japanese school field trip

Last Friday I went on a field trip with the first graders to a Japanese elementary school. It was fun and exhausting. Some new things we discovered: Japanese school have a pool as they teach swimming. The kids do their own cleaning and seem to be entrusted to do a lot. They prepared songs for us, and then a pair of students took a group of our students upstairs where their classrooms were. They had ‘booths’. Where the kids played games and then picked a prize. Some were like stores.  At the end they played Rock Paper Scissor.... Except that it is was different and they made trains
Playing a song.

Each Japanese kid had a pair of Americans....an a random adult chaperone. 

I couldn’t tell you what it was in English. The flower is Hana...we wished Daddy was here for this part. 

The kids did all the work. The adult just stayed in the hallway, if they were there at all.

Bowling

The Japanese students hurried the kids along. Reminded me of a train station. So many people! 

The stairs

Emma lost the rock, paper, scissors game, so she had to be on the back. 

Eventually they make one giant train

They made a tunnel for the kids as we left.