Arizona Gakuen start up

We found this awesome Japanese school in Mesa called Arizona Gakuen. Our friend Liz Byrne from Misawa told us about it cause she sends her daughter to the program as well. We have been wanting to find someway to help Abby and Connor keep their Japanese language skills. Kyle took all the kids to class on the first day so I could stay home and continue to pump out some major painting (we are so close to being done!) Kyle said that once he pulled up to Mesa Community College (where the classes are at each Saturday) he knew he was in the right place cause there were all these little Japanese mommas scurrying around to get their kids off to class. 

My kids felt right at home being the only white kids amongst a swarm of Asians. I am so glad that they have this Saturday program and that the kids get to keep up with the language, the culture, and the people from their Japanese experience these past three years. It's quite the commitment for Kyle and myself because it's every Saturday for three hours all the way in Mesa, so 45 mins away. Because it's such a long drive it's not worth it for us to drive back home then go back out to pick them up, so we have to wait there. And just like that half of our Saturday is gone by the time we finally get back home, but it's so worth it for us for our kids to have this opportunity. We will just go and bug Nate and Brooke, who live in Mesa, on Saturdays from here on out while we wait :)

Our Sandy pup is officially 6 years old. That is in human years, I don't know the ratio of what that is in dog years. She is a Cinco de Mayo puppy and we love her so much. It is true that we have gone back and forth about keeping her or re homing her, but that is not because we don't love her. In fact it's probably because we love her so much that we have thought about finding her a better home. We are very busy with three kids and work that she rarely gets a lot of attention. We try to take her on walks or on our runs but it's hit or miss to be honest. Not to mention how hard it is to find a dog sitter when we are away, and I know it's been hard on Sandy as well. So I can't help but often wonder if she could have a better quality of life somewhere else. Well, we made the commitment to bring her back to the States with us after Japan, so she is with us for the long haul unless something else comes up. We love her and she will be our family dog for years to come. When that time does come that Sandy passes away, I don't think we plan to get another pet, at least while we are in the Air Force. It's hard enough to move around kids and house hold goods to add a dog in the mix of it all. Not to mention or love of traveling. Sandy just might be our one and done pet.

My little Chubby is getting to be such a big boy! He is eating all day everyday, and I honestly am getting worried about his teenage years. If he is eating us out of house and home now at 18 months, what will it be like when he is 15 years old?! He definitely is the comedian of the family, and has a "thicker" body frame than my other kids. It's hard to believe my baby isn't a baby any more. He is getting so big and I have such mixed feelings about it. I feel like I am constantly putting away clothes he is out growing and pulling out bigger sizes. He now fits in 24 months and 2T clothes. He is catching up to Connor fast since Connor is still just nearly starting to grow out of 3T clothing. It will be interesting to see if he ever does pass Connor up.

For my birthday/Mother's Day Kyle decided to surprise me with tickets to the Stars on Ice show in downtown Phoenix. We went to a Stars on Ice show back when we were newly weds in Provo. We had such a great time that first time around, Kyle wanted to recreate the memory. This second time did not disappoint, we both really enjoyed the show. We sat in the front row seats on the ice. We got to meet the ice skaters who were the Olympic athletes from this year's 2018 Winter Olympics. It was fun seeing them live since I watched them on TV during the Olympics just a couple months ago. I love ice skating. It's the closest thing to ballet in my opinion, and I am so amazed at what they can do on the ice when I can barely skate the perimeter of the rink. Perhaps what made the show even that much more special this time was the fact that we got a break from our kids. Since we are new I didn't know who to ask, but I had heard that the bishop's daughter form our ward (named Abby as well in fact) liked to babysit. Luckily she said she could watch our kids that night so we could have a parent's night out reliving the glory days of being newlyweds going to an ice skating show.

Kyle is very good at gift giving. We both agree that we rather have memories, opportunities, and experiences over objects for presents cause am I really going to remember something like a wallet or clothes 5 years from now? probably not. But I will remember the experiences, travels, and opportunities we have together. Those are the things that last a lifetime and eternity. I hope we can pass along the same desire to our kids, to wish for memories and not material things.

I got to take the kids to their Japanese school the following week to check it out. It was more adorable than Kyle led on. Abby loves her class and her Senseis are so great. They forgave me for messing up her homework (oops, that's what happens when mom can't read the assignment) and told me they would help show me from here on out what is expected for homework, thank goodness. Connor's class is about 2-3 times a month, and only for an hour and half. A parent is requited to come and help their child in that class so I get to sit in on his learning experience. He is loving all the songs that they sing, and really likes to do the crafts. He struggles with story time just cause I don't think he quite knows whats going on, but still it's good for him to constantly hear the Japanese language. I am especially happy that he gets to hang out with other little Japanese kids. He has a little friend that he likes to sit next to, and they help each other out. His mother is also very nice and speaks excellent English so she helps guide me as to what I should do to assist Connor throughout the class. I really need to start learning Japanese again. I have such great ambitions to learn the language, but let's be real, it's extremely hard and time consuming. Perhaps now is not the best time in my life. I need my kids (particularly Brayden who is a destructive tornado) to be in school so I have some down time to work on new skills such as learning a new language. Some day...