Our first visitors

Oh, melancholy. This time, it creeps around at the departure of our first visitors, Gran and Uncle Allen. It was a chaotic, yet great 11 days.

We were so pleased to learn, after realizing we wouldn't be home for Christmas, that some family would be coming to us. It was so wonderful to have them here to share Christmas in Japan with. We started out the visit with a trip to Kyoto that involved a lot of trains and train stations, alot of walking, alot of map reading, heavy bags, crying/screaming kids, and rain, but also, a night in Tokyo, our first shinkansen ride (with a killer view of Fuji-always exciting for me), good food, Kyoto Imperial Palace, Nijo Castle, Gran's discovery of yakatori, new sights, and time together.

The next several days were spent preparing for and celebrating Christmas. I made a Christmas Eve dinner, which I think turned out well. It was a challenging task, having to orchestrated everything around a teeny, tiny oven. For this reason and others, we got one of Trips' gifts early. He left his gas grill at Claremont, so we got another and grilled some chicken for our Holiday meal, which, as we found out, is the traditional Christmas meal meat of choice in Japan. As a matter of fact, I read an article recently claiming that the reason for this choice of chicken at Christmas stems from a major marketing campaign here in Japan by none other than our hometown chain, Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Even though I was missing my family alot, I did a bunch of skyping and online chatting , and Christmas day was really, really nice. There were so many gifts for the girls to open that we actually stashed away a couple of Lacey's unopened presents for her birthday in Feb.! She was much more into the ad pamphlets and instruction booklets that came with the toys and, in sure Lacey fashion, the small and dangerous twisties and pieces that held her toys captive in their boxes. Later that day, we drove around and showed off a couple of the pretty spots around Hayama and had Christmas day dinner at a great Italian restaurant nearby on Zushi beach.

After Christmas, Allen took a couple of days to have his own solitary adventure in Tokyo and we continued to show Gran around Hayama and Yokosuka. We had some more good food and Trips and I actually got to go to a movie together, alone. Being so severely out of practice, we found ourselves at a loss for what else to do, out on the town, without the kids. We made our excuses, no dinner (Trips wasn't hungry), no walking around (I forgot my coat), no bars (one of us had to drive home), and decided to go rent a couple of movies and head back. We were home before Stella was even asleep, and not very well received. I think Gran and Stel were mutually disappointed that we interrupted their time alone. Maybe in another 5 months we'll get another shot at it.

Finally, our last full day together was spent in Kamakura, which is a short drive from our house. We saw two beautiful temples and had some great food, the common theme of the visit. We had the most authentic Japanese meal yet, for any of us. Shoes were removed and stashed in lockers and we sat on cushions on the tatami mat floor around a low table in a small upstairs room adorned with old, smoke stained Japanese decorations. We shared the one English menu and picked noodles, and rice, and Japanese potato pancakes that came to us uncooked. We threw our plates of goodies on the skillet in the middle of the table and helped each other cook lunch. Gran learned the word 'foku' Japanese for fork. We took them to the Daibutsu and visited the Hase Kannon, a beautiful, sprawling temple with lots to look at and cool views, which included another view of our neighborhood.

We are so thankful to Gran and Allen for making the trip here. We are sad about their departure 'cause we are going to miss them and miss having family around. Also, because we know they are heading back to Louisville, a place we are missing, and a part of us wants to go to. Stella actually did ask her dad if she could go back with them. I think we are going to have a devastated little girl on our hands as she was stuck to Gran like glue these last 11 days.

Trips and Stel just took them to the airport and the house seems really empty.

At least 4 new albums on our photo blog.

Lacey Josephine

At 10 months old, as of yesterday, Lacey has really been displaying alot of her own personality traits. We have a little person here. A little person, it occurred to me, that none of our loved ones really know. So, I wanted to introduce you to Lacey Josephine...


Smiles. This kid has a smile on her face most of the time - a smile that would melt even the grinchiest of hearts. It is so big and so meaningful. You can see all over her face and in her shining eyes that she is loving life so far. I'm yet to take a photo that truly captures it.

Those eyes. Big and blue.

Socializing. She's really good at engaging people. She will stare a hole through someone until they notice and then flash that smile.

Attention getter. The combination of all the aforementioned characteristics and qualities gets her so much attention! I rarely take her out without at least one or two Japanese nationals stopping to admire and talk to her.

Curious. 'Lacey the destroyer' is what I call her. She reeks havoc on the orderliness of this house. Her favorite pastime is getting into cabinets and dresser drawers and pulling everything out onto the floor. Even the tiniest foreign object left in her territory (the floor) will be discovered, thoroughly examined, and placed directly into her mouth (which I suppose is just another way babies examine).

Danger seeker. She seems to gravitate to the most dangerous thing around. If there is an uncovered plug, she's there. Small or dirty object on the floor, she's there. Something to fall off of, she's there.

Let's see - what else...

She claps alot when she is excited. She always has a foot propped up when she is in her highchair or stroller - very chill. She says 'mama' and 'dada'. She has recently discovered her own voice, especially the high pitched screams she can get out for no apparent reason. She just learned to crawl up the stairs. She has 3 teeth and more coming in. She has an amazing laugh and mostly laughs at her sister. I think she's going to be a 'hair doer' like her sister. Along with her big, bright smile, she also has this very coy, slight smile she can give that makes her seem so grown up.

Can't wait for everyone to meet her this summer.

Out and about

Yesterday the Joneses finally left the comforts of our immediate surroundings and got out and about in Japan a little. We took a successful journey to Nogeyama Zoo which included a train ride with 3 transfers. The previous day, we had finally found our way to Ikego, a base housing area that is a little bit closer to us than the main base. It was a great find, as Ikego has a mini-mart, stocking any essentials we may need plus some, a gas station, a cdc (childcare), a campground even, and, most important to this day, an incredibly convenient train station. The Jimmuji train station is practically built into Ikego housing with the new addition of a pedestrian bridge. We parked our car right in front of the station. With two children in tow, this is just an amazing convenience and practically unheard of around here. Even from the main base, there was a bit of a hike to the two stations closest by. On our first outing, Stel had almost had it by the time we even made it to the first station, which explains out hesitance to try again. But, now, things have changed!

So, after three successful transfers and a little walk, we made it to our destination, Nogeyama Zoo. This zoo required no admission fee, which probably explains the animals' surroundings - more cages than habitats. At least I hope that is the case and that not all of Japan's zoos are so, sad. It was more depressing than fun to see the big, beautiful tiger pacing back and forth in it's tiny cage.
Not only did Nogeyama zoo have big animals in small cages, but it also boasts the "Nakayoshi Hiroba", an area where zoo visitors can have hands on experience with guinea pigs, chicks, chickens, and mice. There were tables covered in tiny mice and guinea pigs waiting to pass from one child's hands to another, chickens running around freely (one of which who decided to jump up onto my leg unexpectedly), and tiny chicks hovering by their heating element desparately hoping not to be snatch up again. Animal rights activists be darned around here! Oh, and the highlight of the "Nakayoshi Hiroba", the Christmas mouse display in all of it's kitschy Japanese splendor. Look closely.
Check photo journal page for more pictures.