Easter Fun in a Japanese Fountain

This park is near our church and I thought the fountain would be a nice backdrop for Easter Sunday photos of the girls. We did get some cute shots, but after they saw some Japanese kids taking their shoes off & walking in the water, they soon followed suit. There were lots of Japanese onlookers who came over to say, "kawai" (cute) and watch the silly American kids having fun in the water with their fancy dresses. Below is a video from Liana's first Easter egg hunt (although she was more interested in the swings than the eggs) her sisters got into it.

Picnic with my English Students - Under the "Sakura"

I teach English for an hour every other Thursday to 3 wonderful Japanese women from Yokohama. They usually take the train down (a 25 minute commute) and meet me at a French bakery near our base but since the cherry blossoms are in full bloom we decided to follow the Japanese tradition of having a picnic under these beautiful pink trees "Sakura". They were very excited about their "field trip" on base and when asked what they wanted to see or do they said they wanted to eat "Taco Bell". So we got lunch there and walked across the street to Kasano Park to have our little picnic/lesson. It was such a perfect sunny day and the park is right next to the ocean. Andrea, from my Prenatal yoga class (which I teach right before my English class) wanted to join us so she made these adorable Cherry Blossom cupcakes for the picnic. She's also in the picture with my Japanese students. We have so much fun just talking and learning from each other's cultures. It's the reason I wanted to teach English in the first place. A lot of military spouses teach English in Japan because it pays well. But just 1 class is enough for me along with teaching my yoga classes I don't want to get too busy. I just want to enjoy our time here in Japan and learn as much as I can! Each day that goes by I find myself loving the Japanese people and their way of life more and more!

Baby Shower for Prenatal Yoga Mamas

Three of my Prenatal Yoga students are nearing their delivery dates so I had a little baby shower for them after class. We came back to my apartment and had lunch, opened presents and laughed about all the advice people give pregnant women. Our class has become a close-knit support group (especially for first time moms). It's sad for the class to lose Kara, Marina and Christina, but I'll still have the privilege of being their yoga instructor since they all want to come to "Baby & Me" yoga class a month after they deliver. Yea!!!! I love these women and can't wait to see them welcome their little ones into this world! :) We'll miss Andrea who is moving to Great Lakes, but we look forward to seeing her baby pictures!!!

My Birthday Weekend in Tokyo

We took the train up to Tokyo on Friday night with our friends Dayna & Garrett (so sweet). We went to Ginza (an upscale district of the city) and found our favorite steak house from the States "Ruth's Chris". Our meals were heavenly (their filet mignon melts in your mouth like chocolate)! I don't normally like red meat but theirs is amazing! The desserts were yummy too. Then we said goodbye to our friends and took a cab to the "New Sanno" (a four star hotel the military owns in a nice area of Tokyo). We spent the night there and enjoyed sleeping in for once and ordering room service. We spent the next day exploring Shibuya (see video below) a fun, bustling & crowded part of the city. Then Sean took me to an art exhibit (he knows I love modern art) and it was so wonderful to walk into a museum without a stroller and just take my time absorbing all the beauty and talent. It started to snow as we left so we decided to head home. It was great to come home to 3 big hugs from our little ones.