We got home from Tokyo just in time to go pick up Brady and Kaye form the airport. The kids were so excited. Kyle and I were exhausted from entertaining the kids for 6 hours on the trains. As soon as we saw them deboard the plane and enter the terminal the kids started jumping up and down. They have been looking forward to this moment for a long time. It was so fun to see them so excited and express it the best way a little three and two year old could... by jumping and screaming. Im sure it was a shock for both Brady and Kaye to come from warm St. George, Utah to cold, snowy Misawa, Japan. We were determined to make the most of the quick visit, but first poor grandma and grandpa needed to sleep and wear off their jet lag.
On Wednesday Kyle had to work, Abby went to school, and the rest of us stayed at home and relaxed. Abby was excited to show grandma and grandpa her school, and I was not excited about driving on the snowy roads. The day before they arrived Misawa got a fresh coat of new snow and the roads were not the best. At least they were getting the true Misawa experience! Abby and Connor were spoiled by grandma as each morning she had a little surprise present for each of them. Wednesday's gift consisted of My Little Pony's for Abby and Paw Patrol toys for Connor. Do they know my kids or what?! They were such a hit that the Pony gang and Paw Patrol had to join us for Dinner at Thunder Ramen. We wanted Brady and Kaye to experience good ramen and took them to our favorite restaurant. We sat at the traditional Japanese table where we had to sit on the ground to eat, and ate large ramen bowls enough to feed an army or so it seemed. It was delicious and hit the spot on a cold Misawa night.
Abby also had her ballet class that of course she wanted grandma to take her to. She was so proud of her grandma and showed her off to all her friends before class. Both Abby and Connor love grandma and grandpa abut Connor kind of hit it off with Brady while Abby hit it off with Kaye. In fact It was grandma and grandpa everything, and poor mom and dad were the forgotten ones. Abby wanted grandma to put her to bed, for grandma to help her with her shoes, for grandma to help her go to the bathroom, to hold grandmas hand, etc etc. Im sure we tired them out by the end of their visit but I just enjoyed watching my kids love their grandparents... and I enjoyed some free time too ;)
The hit of the trip I would have to say was the book, "Good Night Already" that grandma brought. Every night the kids wanted the book to be read to them not once, not twice, but several times. After lots of cuddles and snuggles the kids would go to bed anxious for the next morning and the surprise grandma would give them. Another hit from grandma were the movies "Fox and the Hound" and "Cinderella." While Abby would go to school Connor would watch Fox and the Hound over and over. He struggled a little saying the word "fox" and would instead loosely say the F-word in his vain attempts. It was so hard to keep a straight face as my innocent two year old struggled saying fox and would shout out some colorful language. He provided plenty of entertainment for grandma, grandpa, and myself during the day.
Thursday I had to teach dance as I always do, but it was so nice knowing my kids were in such great hands. It was in fact my first time to leave Brayden and not bring him to dance with me. Besides feeling sick all day from most likely something I ate, I was calm and assured that Brayden would be ok and didn't worry once. After dance I rushed home to be with my family and to mainly check on Brayden. He did great and the other kids were having the time of their lives with the grandparents. Soon after it was bedtime for Abby and Connor and the adults got ready for Brayden's baby blessing. We got special permission from our ward Bishop to hold Brayden's baby blessing in our home so Kaye and Brady could be there since they had to flyout on Sunday. Once all the dust settled from running around trying to clean the house, getting dressed in church clothes, and getting Brayden feed and ready, the bishopric showed up as well as the elder quorm president for the blessing. Kyle gave Brayden a sweet blessing and it was extra special that Brady, who Brayden shares a birthday with, was there as well. Three generations of Benham boys. I sure do love my little Brayden. I can't say it enough, he is by far our easiest baby. He is an answer to prayers and just goes with the flow. He gives the most amazing smiles and snuggles. He made sure to share those smiles and snuggles with grandma and grandpa during their visit.
To round off the Benham's visit Kyle took a day off of work to go skiing with Brady and we kept Abby home from school a day so she could spend more time with her grandparents. Apparently Hakkoda was a bit rough for Brady to ski, and he enjoyed the nice groomed slopes of Appi much more. We also went out to eat at Phada's Thai restaurant and Aburian yakiniku so they could try all of our favorite restaurants. They even got to experience the indoor play area of the Weasels' den in which the kids actually went down the big slides for grandma! It was a wonderful trip, but too short. The day came where they had to leave and I knew it was going to be hard on us all, but especially Abby and Connor. We said our goodbyes and gave our last hugs and dropped them off at the airport. Abby was unconsolable for the rest of the day. She didn't want anyone but grandma. She even told Kyle and myself that she wanted to move to grandma's place and not live with us anymore. We did our best to comfort her, but it broke our hearts to see our kids so sad. That is the downside of living overseas... being so far away from family. I hope we can see them again soon, but unfortunately as of now we have no foreseeable trips planned back to the states for this summer. The longest my kids might have to go will be a year when we see them next January as we PCS to our next assignment.
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