Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Our First Japanniversary!

We've lived in Japan for one full year as of today! So much has happened in our year here. We moved twice, welcomed Jude into our family, Bennet started school, we learned how to drive on the left side of the road, Tim got his first engineering job, and we've had the opportunity to visit so many cool places like Hiroshima, Miyajima, Tsuwano, Yokosuka, and Shimonoseki. We're really settling into Japan now and enjoying so much of the food, culture, and people.

And to celebrate it, we're all going to Chicken Shack for dinner tonight. It is one of our favorite places to go around here to eat. It's actually got a Japanese name but all of us gaijin just call it Chicken Shack. I'll be sure to take lots of photos tonight and post them tomorrow so you can all experience it with us!

We have a lot coming up for the next year too! Tim will continue training for his first marathon, Bennet will be in school again, Jude will be busy learning to walk and talk, and we're planning several more trips around Japan. We cannot wait to see what our second year in Japan will hold for us!

Monday, August 17, 2009

3 Months Old!

My little redhead is 3 months old already! Yes, I said redhead! I've suspected for some time now (and Tim has been in denial) that his blonde hair was more of a strawberry blonde. Other people have commented on this too, and now that it's getting longer in the back, there is an undeniable red tint to it! Sadly, it's near impossible to capture on camera because he's so nearly bald, BUT Tim has finally admitted that it is truly red! I know there is plenty of time for it to change, but I kind of hope it stays red!


Thursday, August 13, 2009

Sweet Baby Giggles

Jude laughed for the first time ever yesterday at 12 weeks old! I was tickling his tummy during a diaper change and all of a sudden, the sweetest little sound in the world came from him! We've suspected for a time now that he was ticklish but simply unable to figure out how to handle it. But it would seem that he's finally figured out the appropriate response! I tried to get it on video, but no dice!

Since I couldn't get a video of him laughing, here's something to make YOU laugh!


Pirate Jude! Yar!


"Fixing" Daddy's bike!

Friday, August 7, 2009

Jude's Fishy Vest and more....

As promised, photos of Jude's new vest!



Besides knitting, I've been baking up quite the storm! Tonight we had pizza from the olive oil dough. Over the last week, we've had homemade soft pretzels, bialys (OMG good!), prosciutto and rosemary focaccia, chocolate ganache filled brioche, wheat artisan loaf, parmesan and sundried tomato wheat bread, and a spinach calzone. YUM!
Prosciutto & Rosemary Focaccia and Artisan Wheat Loaf

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Here's what we've been doing lately...

What have we been up to?


Tim has perfected the art of drawing a bubble bath, while Bennet has been working on styling his "hair".


Jude is big enough to use his jumperoo (with some blankies for support) and he is LOVING the new freedom!




I've been having fun experimenting with my wraps...
Why yes...that IS a 30 lb child on my back!


Jude is learning to grasp toys and is really getting into "play".


And I've been getting into another knitting frenzy...babies do that to me! This is a little sundress for Stella, and I've curently got a little vest on the needles for Jude (pics to come later).


And, as you can tell, Tim has been busy BEHIND the camera, honing his photography skills! Hopefully this weekend I'll get some of him too! He's been extremely busy lately, training for the Iwakuni triathlon that will take place September 20th! We're all very proud of him, if not a tiny bit resentful about how easily he's able to lose weight while some of us are struggling with baby weight!

BUY NOTHING NEW CHALLENGE UPDATE:

Well...it's going...not great...but it's going. We've had a few lapses here and there, but we can definitely see a HUGE difference in the amount of stuff (not) accumulating in our house! Sadly though, I can't say this is something that we'll be able to stick to 100%, but I do think it will drastically cut down on our (my) spending in the future!