Mina-Chan!

Mina-Chan!

I like pizza!

Oku

Rach and I had a little skiing date yesterday. We dropped the kids off with some friends and headed to Okunakayama, or something like that. I just dumb it down to 'Oku'. The weather was awesome, the price was awesome, our skill set was mediocre.
This is Rachel....

We took a break when we needed a smork.

We liked this run that was buried off to the side. We pretty much had the mountain to ourselves over there. Can you see Rach? Hint, super tiny person at the bottom holding out her arms.

And then some treats at the end....Yah! Rach worshipped the little bean buns.

Princess Happenings

Being 3 is hard work.

Today Marie got to go to a 4 year old's Princess party. The cuteness was in illegal amounts.

And the playing of grown up games in a nonsensical, but ridiculously adorable fashion? Fantastic. Or as Marie says, "Bantastic!" 

Speaking of Marie-isms, I've wanted to list some funny quotes, but this conversation took first place.

Me, in the kitchen back turned to Marie.

Marie: (sigh) Mom, I'm done with the butter.

Me: (turn around to find 1/2 stick of butter gone and Marie with greasy hands out stretched)

Marie: (rolls her eyes) Oh, don't make that face.

classic. the girl likes butter.

The runner up is the conversation on "Making Decisions"

Dad: So I hear you learned about making decisions in Joy School today.

Marie: Yes we learned about good ones and bad ones. Like how Mina makes a bad decision when she sticks her hands in the toilet."

So true. I didn't know she could articulate the idea so well. I taught the class and was confident no one was really listening. But yes, that is true Marie.

And I know I haven't blogged in a while because I have over 400 pictures on my camera card and some are from Thanksgiving.

This gem is from me driving away from the grocery store with two very persistent passengers on my hood. Freaky.

Mina is chubby and great.

Very much my princess. But today was a little sad. So to update she's just had a hard infancy, fussy/grumpy wise. Always gassy, always mad. It turns out she has been tongue tied this whole time. I can't believe no one caught it when she was born. She's been stabbed with needles 20 times, but no one ever looked at her tongue. And neither did I. Anyways she will need to get her tongue snipped before she's three or she will not be able to talk. However, I would like to do it now but talking to the surgeon it turns out they only do it by giving her anesthesia to put her out. She cannot have a cold six weeks prior to surgery and since we live in snowy cold Misawa... yes she is sick and will be for the next 4 months. Everyone under 5 will be also. Considering her lungs will also get to develop much more substantially in 6 months I am hoping to wait until August. So Mina, I hope you survive.

My princess.

Oh and speaking of snow....

Brett went skiing here a few weeks ago. Holy Snow!

It snows A TON here.

And yesterday, we woke up to this craziness:

School and work got cancelled! Yay!... except I was to have dental surgery I've waited 2 MONTHS for! And It got rescheduled out for another 30 days. (sigh) Whatever.

In conclusion,

That is all.

This free photo collage created with Smilebox

A Low Key Christmas

When your Christmas grocery list includes Pedialyte and 409 you know it's not the Christmas you hoped for.
Christmas Eve morning Mina and I were struck with the stomach flu. Later that afternoon Brett and Marie were. Yeesh. It was a gross day.

However, the night before Christmas we prayed that we would all get better for the next day, and though we weren't 100% we were still blessed with some good health on Christmas Day.

Marie asked Santa for two things:
1. Christmas M&M's
2. Enough dolls to have a doll party.

g
I think it turned out pretty good.

Mom and Dad got a new toy also. Something fun to take the kids hiking in.

Watch out Mt. Fuji! We're coming for you!
This is a song we always sing to Mina. It goes, "Wilhelmina, little Mina, Wilhelmina, little Mina..."

It was a super low key day. Everyone was feeling good, but just tired. Mina especially. She threw up like a trillion times and at one point we took her to the Urgent Care Center for dehydration. Just a terrible time. But it made us so thankful to have two healthy girls Christmas day. We are so blessed.

Mina is growing like an adorable weed. She is SO CLOSE to walking! I was saying she will be walking on Christmas day... but she wants a little more time. That's ok Mina. Today I packed away 1 bumbo, 1 bouncer, 1 swing, 1 playmat, and put up 1 babygate. She was up the stairs twice before we noticed she was gone. Scary. My sweetie is growing up, but that is alright because I am reminded of the saying, "it kills us to watch them grow up, but if they didn't grow up it would kill us."   Speaking of which, it's 12:06 am and my girl just woke up and nothing soothes except mom. It's a blessing and a curse.

Christmas dinner has seen better days. The salad was the only festive thing, and I'm glad we had some frozen shrimp, because the reheated Popeye's just wasn't cuttin' it.

After Skyping with family for a few hours Marie felt good enough for some sledding with Dad.  Later, the girls chilled out with a few minutes of Thomas the Train.

It turned out to be a lovely, low key Christmas here in Japan.
Miss you all very much!