HALLOWEEN 2011

Light up the Bat Signal! It's time for Halloween!

I thought this might be our Christmas picture, but it's probably a bad idea to send out half-naked pictures of your kids to everyone you know..... but I love it so much, so don't be surprised to get it in your mail box (if we actually send them out this year).


HALLOWEEN IS SO FLIPPIN' FUN! I love it. And I am not sure if I loved it more when I was 8 and got to dress up and trick-or-treat, or when I'm 28 and dress up my kids (and make them get candy for me). Either way I'm one of those people who almost loves it more than Christmas.

Here we are at the Mall. We heard they would be giving out candy, and turns out I was wrong. Sorry Marie, at least you have the rest of the night to trick-or-treat. I like how she makes no effort to hide her disappointment in me.

Halloween was so great this year. Marie really understood what was going on (as opposed to every other year) and I'm in love with Mina's Bat costume. It was also really fun to invite some good friends over to eat dinner and trick-or-treat with us. Thanks for coming!

Here are Marie's 2 best buddies. If she's not playing with one of these boys, she's talking about the other.

Here we have a dog, a mouse, and a cowboy!

Now bring in younger siblings:
a bumble bee (sleeping), a koala, and a bat!

Marie and her buddies are all the oldest and about 1 month apart in age, and Mina and her mini-buddies are about the same age also. Yay cute-ness!

As Marie and Keaton get started they stumble upon an open grave. Marie's in shock while Keaton says, "let's get out of here!"         (they may have said that, I don't know, I was so drunk off their cute-ness).

Who wouldn't want candy from this cutie? And Mina is pretty approachable too. Also note Brett's generosity with letting people chose their candy. I was much more stingy, giving out Twix to the best costumes, and Almond Joys to the older kids who weren't really trying.

Also this was the first year we've run out of candy. Props to our neighbors who had our backs in a pinch!

So trick-or-treating was going really well until I made them stop for a picture when we saw our other good friend Mark. Keaton is all about it, but note Marie's pain.

The trip couldn't be complete without a trip to our old apartment! And we miss our wonderful neighbors and their adorable doggies!

And everyone has that one house in the neighborhood, that has the spookiest decorations...

And best treats! Thanks Jasmine!

I couldn't help but try to recreate the scene from last year. Here are Jasmine and Marie one year ago when Marie was still in "trick-or-treat training."

What FUN! Now I expect to go to everyone else's blog and see your new posts up with TONS of pictures! TONS. I mean it.

Don't make me send Mina after you.

A message from Marie

A blast from Easter past

 Easter at the Smiths.  Marie wanted to find the fastest way to find all the eggs.

All Star Game

Daddy's biggest fans came to watch him play in the base All Star game on Friday.

Every intramural softball team chose their two best players to play in the All Star game and everyone got personalized jerseys.

 
It's always fun to watch Dad play!

30 Years, Thank You

I would like to interupt this regularly scheduled travel log for some thanking. The serious kind. October 1st commemorated my parents 30th wedding anniversary! I love them so much and am proud to be their daughter. Words can hardly sum up even a tiny bit of what I have learned from them. I know they have testimonies of Christ and that their love for Him and me and my brothers gave them the strength for an incredible marriage. Also, my mom is adorable and gorgeous, so that had something to do with it to ;)

I love you mom and dad, thank you for being amazing grandparents! Here's to 30 more years.

Tokyo Ect. (Sunday)

I love to see the Temple... especially from my hotel room at the New Sanno! The Tokyo Latter Day Saint Temple was built in 1980.  The New Sanno Hotel, a US Military Resort, was built in 1983. which is only a 5 minute walk to the temple. If you are not familiar with  LDS temples they usually have a golden statue on the top of the steeple, hence the focus of this picture. Yay for the awesome entities that acquired an affordable military hotel near the temple! Brett and I got to attend a session and it was kind of cool being the only non-Japanese speakers there and at the same time see Japanese members just doing their thing. I really wanted to see a Japanese Bride, but maybe next time. On a side note, I later found a super tiny Deseret Book around the corner. It was packed with Japanese, which was a little ironic because everything they sold was in English. I bought Marie "Guess Who?" for the Book of Mormon. More out of guilt for being the only one who probably understood the language. Anyways, here is a better picture of the Tokyo Temple:

 However, that was on Saturday morning (i just forgot to blog about it).

On to Sunday....

A 15 minute walk through a residential area will take you to a tiny Japanese gem: The Japanese Sword Museum. Apparently, during WWII some American soldiers who took what they considered "spoils" back to the states, later realized that the swords they took were hundreds of years old, most dating back to the 13th century. Understanding this the swords were given back to the Japanese to then be put in Museums.

Swords. Awesome. 

 Actually it was very cool, but then we walked to the Meiji Shrine.

 

Lots of Tori gates to be found here!

Here is the main court of the Meiji Shrine.

For 500Yen you can write a blessing or desire for someone on a wooden tablet and the Shrine Priests will take them for you. I don't know what all they do, but it was really cool to see the hundreds of notes or blessing-type things people write. And yes, I did say something totally funny to my dad.

Whew! A lot of walking in Tokyo! We are glad for a break.

My dad's favorite. It's just a fact. Look at these twins.

Here is another place where I would stand and half-heartedly narrate what I thought this is for.

My tour group was riveted.  

The Meiji Shrine sits in the middle of a park of over 1,000 trees.

More walking!

"Tally-ho!"

Exit Scene.

If you're a  real fan of Gwen Stefani or fashion, you are familiar with Harajuku fashion, or essentially cutting edge fashion. "Harajuku Girls" can be found on Takeshita St.

Here I am, thinking, maybe I need to be 15 years younger to enjoy this. Mina is thinking she needs to about 15 years older... or just that she has a weird mom.

Classic current fashion. It's like 1800 meets 2011.

I saw the cutest little Harajuku girl in the subway, but no personal camera means no impromptu pictures with strangers. Sad. Next time though.

"No Marie! You may not buy your prom dress here!"

I think we could have skipped this street all together. Mina was raging and my mom couldn't stop disapproving of all the immodest clothing. Again, I think you would have to be about 15 years-old to  enjoy this place. It's weird to think that I may never really dress up in cutting edge YOUNG fashion again, and it made me a little sad. However, while walking down the street I passed two women in their 40's who were all about the young fashion, and they just looked silly. Come on ladies, dress your age and you can still be cool, you may just not be a back up dancer for Britney Spears, but you can still be cool.

Whew! All that made us pretty pooped so we headed back to the hotel for some dinner. I loved the New Sanno food. Convenient, affordable, and AMERICAN! 
On a side note, we enjoyed the Sunday Brunch that morning at the hotel. Crazy yummy and crazy expensive- thanks Dad!

Oh New Sanno, how I love thee!