Hello 2013!!

As always another year has flown by. This past year we got settled in our house, Nichy returned to Japan for a second season, Gabriela continues to go to music school and Gingerbread, and I got pregnant with twins!! I will never forget my Doctors app, when I found out.
"Remind me is this your first ultrasound?" "Yes do you see a heart beat?"
"Well there is two heart beats!!"
"Are you kidding me?"
" No I never joke about these things!!"

We are so excited to welcome our new babies in 2013!! I have a feeling this will be a year for change. Going from a family of three to five, Nichy possibly retiring from basketball, and Gabriela starting Kindergarden. I love my family and everyday realize they are what matters most. We are so blessed to have each other. My favorite times are when all of the cousins are together, which equals major chaos!!

This was our first year being apart from Nichy on Christmas. We really missed him but made the best out of it. Gabriela decorated cookies for Santa, fed the reindeer, and watched a Christmas movie. We had so much fun, and I loved seeing her so excited. She went to bed easy because "Santa won't come if your not asleep!" She woke up and jumped out of bed. Opening her presents lasted about five minutes. Her favorite part was the scavenger hunt for her doll house.

Christmas

Last night we had our family Christmas party. We also found out the sex of the babies!! We are having a boy and a girl!! Gabriela and Jude opened the boxes with the balloons. Gabriela was first with pink
balloons. We are so excited. I can't believe this time next year we will have two babies!!!
My Grandpa and I made our chocolate peanut butter balls. This is a tradition we started and everyone loves them! We are so lucky to have our Grandparents with us on Christmas.

Christmas Show

Gabriela had her Cochran's Music School show today. She sang "All I want for Christmas is you." I love watching her perform on stage. This was her fourth solo. It amazes me that she does not get nervous.
After the show went to visit Santa and she got a candy came. Only six more days until Christmas!!

Home Sweet Home

Monday we woke up to snow in Japan. Gabriela was so excited and started screaming "yeah it's Christmas!!" I think she has had snow every Christmas. We started our journey home, and everything went great.
Saying goodbye to Nichy was really hard. This will be our first Christmas apart. Gabriela took it really well. We both could not believe how strong she was being.
Compared to our flight going to Japan this flight was uneventful. I only got sick once in customs. A very nice custom officer helped me, and moved me to the front of the line!! The only bad part was the seven hour layover in San Fransico. We kept our map tradition with Gabriela. Nichy is getting good at making those. Gabriela loved her map and checked it constantly! We are glad to be home and hoping to get over jet lag soon!!

Apartment In Japan

Here are a few pics of our wonderful apartment!! Not going to miss this place at all!! However, it makes our house in The States feel huge! Somedays Nichy and I laugh living in these tight quarters. We always say if we can be happy in this apartment we can be happy anywhere! My only complaint was, the couch is really low to the ground. Not ideal for a pregnant person who has gained too much weight!!

Christmas Tree

Gabriela was so excited to put up the Christmas tree! We played Christmas music and watched her dance around. She remembered that she gets to put the star on top! I think that was her favorite part. We are excited to get back to The States and put up our big tree!

Homeschool

I have been homeschooling Gabriela everyday. This is the first time we have been consistent. Her favorite subject is science. I am hoping her handwriting is better than mine! She can write all of her letters and first and last name! To keep things interesting at "school" sometimes she changes her name! She is always coming up with a funny name for herself! Instead of calling me Mom she calls me "Mrs. M!" We are also working on reading and play fun games spelling words. Below is a picture of her first book report after we read Snow White and her art work!

Picnic

Nichy was out of town last weekend. When I was putting Gabriela to bed Saturday night she planned a picnic. Choosing the menu, time, and location! Sunday morning she woke up excited to go! It was a beautiful day, and we stayed outside all day. I don't think we will ever get chance to live this close to water again. The lake is less than five minutes from our apartment!

Thanksgiving

We went to my friend Alicia's house for Thanksgiving. Her husband plays for Kyoto, and we ate with other Americans. The meal was great. We had stove top stuffing and everyone loved it!! Instead of turkey we had chicken with gravy!! The gravy made you feel like you were eating turkey! When you are out of the country it is hard to cook a big meal. In The States we take for granted all the utensils and serving dishes. She did a great job, and we were thankful to all be together.

The mind of a 4 year old!

Here are a few question and comments Gabriela has said lately! Nichy and I are always cracking up at something she has said.

-"Daddy lost again?" "This is the thousandth time he has lost!!"

-Are the cheerleaders cheering for white or blue?" This was a home game and they were our cheerleaders.

-"I think the babies are bored in your belly because they don't have toys!"

-"I was bored in your belly because I couldn't watch any of my shows."

-"Not on my watch!" she said this to me the other day!!

-"Your the best Mommy in the world. Does anyone else have a Mom like you?"

-"Why cant you marry your cousin?"

Gabriela

Tonight Gabriela would not let us come in the living room/toy room! She kept saying "it's a surprise!" A few minutes later she came out with a treasure map. Nichy and I were sent on a scavenger hunt around our tiny apartment! Last spot was our living room. We opened the door and she yelled surprise. The room was spotless clean! Nichy had one last clue to go in his closet. He found a picture she had drawn of all three of us. Love this little girl so much!!

Basketball Games

We had a tough loss tonight. Hoping they play better tomorrow. Nichy got MVP but its always better with a win! Gabriela asked me about 50 questions tonight during the game. She wanted to know "why is there two baskets," "what team was winning," and the list goes on!! Before each game she will scream for Nichy until he waves to her. Games are getting easy with Gabriela!

Halloween

Sunday we went to Michelle's house. Her husband plays for Kyoto, and she has two kids. She had a mini Halloween party. Gabriela was so excited to get dressed up. The stares we got on the train ride were priceless! We got lost on the way back. I took the wrong train and didn't realize until we rode it for about 35 minutes! We had to turn around and traveled almost 2 hours on trains. We also were starving! Gabriela had a few meltdowns, but luckily I had candy with me:)
Tonight we planted candy with three neighbors. Gabriela went trick or treating then on a scavenger hunt for Halloween treasure!! I felt bad for her because we were done in about 15 minutes. She said it was "the best Halloween ever!" Great reminder that it doesn't take much to keep kids happy!

Shabu Shabu

Last night we went out to dinner and ate Shabu Shabu! Each table has a big pot of boiling water. They bring out pork, beef, chicken, and vegetables. You cook the food in the water and them dip it in sauces when you are finished. It is 2 hours all you can eat! We ate a lot and Nichy loves going there. Gabriela had her mind set to use chopsticks. She made a big mess but had fun! We went with Nichys teammate Shinya. He and Nichy have become good friends.

Japan Round 2

We arrived in Japan on Tuesday. I wish I could say the flight was great but I was really sick. I threw up every two hours. It was by far the most miserable experiences I have had traveling. When we arrived in Osaka I started to get sick as I was getting off the plane. They got me a wheelchair and all of the "procedures" started! Gabriela didn't know what to think seeing her Mom so sick and then riding in a wheelchair. But, as always she did great! I am so blessed to have such a great traveler. I found out that arriving in a foreign country sick is not the best impression. They wanted to quarantine me until they could find out what was wrong with me. No one spoke English well enough for me to explain I was pregnant. Finally, they got a translator and I explained I was pregnant. They had a brief meeting and agreed to let me go!! Jenny was waiting for me at the airport and was a great help. The airport staff took great care of me and wheeled me to the train station. After each train ride there was a wheel chair waiting for me. It was actually really embarrassing!
Nichy met us in Kyoto and Gabriela was so excited to see him. She ran into his arms and has not left his side. We are trying to get over jet lag. She is doing better than me. It is 2:30 in the morning and I am awake!! This weekend Nichy has games so we will get to meet all the new Shiga LakeStar wives and kids. We are happy to be reunited and trying to adjust to a slow pace life for a while!

Fall Update

Nichy has left for Japan in August, and Gabriela and I are preparing to leave in a few weeks. She started a new preschool called Gingerbread. When I pick her up her shoes are filled with sand, clothes stained, and absolutely filthy!! She is having the time of her life and learning a lot. Last week we went on our first field trip a bug walk. It was fun helping Gabriela and her friends capture bugs. A few days ago we were getting yogurt at Orange Leaf. We went to the restroom, and their was a cricket on the floor. I told Gabriela not to touch it. When she finished her yogurt she said "Mom I need to go to the restroom, but I can go by myself." I let her go and she came out holding her hand near her belly. I asked her what was wrong and discovered she had the cricket wrapped up in her shirt!! She was not a happy camper when I told her we were not taking it home. There were a lot of tears and screaming on the way home. Later she called her Grammy and told her she was sad because everyone had a pet except her!! Grammy let us come get Max and he spent the night. Not sure how much longer I can prolonged getting her a pet.
We will  not be staying in Japan our usual 6 months because I am pregnant. We are so excited and happy to expand our family. Gabriela is also very excited and ask everyday "do the babies have web fingers." I read to her the different developments and that is the one she remembered!!

Music School

Gabriela had her summer music school performance last week. She and Fuller were both in the show and got to sing a song together. Gabriela loves the stage and has no fear. Not sure how long this will last but we love watching her. Her solo was "Bless The Children and The Beast." She did good and I can tell her teachers have been working with her.

The cutest thing was when she saw her cousin Jude. He came all the way from Houston and went to their show. She started waving on stage to him and her face lit up! We finally got to meet sweet little Eve and she is so cute!! We miss them so much and wish they lived closer. Gabriela thinks Jude is the coolest and loves playing with him.

Summer Time

We love summer time! Nichys parents have been here and Gabriela is loving every minute of it! It is so fun to watch her run around with her Abuelo and listen to her speak Spanish! The first night they got here Gabriela dressed up and sang songs for them the entire night. She even started singing her songs she learned in Argentina.
Gabriela has been swimming a lot this summer and going to Music School two days a week. Last summer she learned to swim but lately she has really held her own in the pool. Her two loves continue to be singing and swimming!

Gabriela is four!

Gabriela turned four on the the 19th. This was the first time she has been in The States since her first birthday. We celebrated with Fuller, Lindsay, and Spencer coming over for breakfast. Fuller brought Gabriela a present with skittles. I had cupcakes for her birthday, but she wanted skittles instead! The rule on your birthday is you get to do whatever you want and eat what you want!! Not sure I will be able to have that rule in the future. Gabriela took full advantage of it and ate a lot of junk. We will celebrate with a few of her friends this Sunday, and she is so excited. I regret not having her party sooner because I don't think she realizes she is four. I keep telling her she had a birthday and she responds "no you were tricking me there were no decorations or balloons." We have been in Argentina too long and she is use to big parties:)
At four years old Gabriela makes me laugh everyday. She is back at music preschool and comes home everyday with stories. Thankfully, she remembered her old friends and made new ones fast. Her cousins are her best friends and she loves going to Fullers house. They play so well together. She would love to hold Spencer and run around the house with her. However, Lindsay and I have our concerns about that!! Her daily prayers always include her cousins. She still loves to sing and lately has been making up songs of her own. Her only wish is for a dog. Four years have flown by and we are so thankful for our sweet baby girl!!

Funny Conversation:

Grandpa: "Gabriela I want to take you to the toy store and let you pick out your birthday present."
Gabriela: "Didn't I tell you I wanted a dog."
Grandpa: "Yes but I couldn't find one."
Gabriela: "Grandpa don't you know where a pet store it."

Happy Birthday Nichy

Nichy is 32 today!! We told Gabriela we would celebrate their birthdays together. Nichy won his game tonight and then we came home for singing and cake. A fan gave Nichy his birthday hat and he wore it after the game. The Japanese are known for giving gifts to the players after games. Nichy came home with flowers and lots of goodies!
 Gabriela was so excited and only tested the cake 5 times before he came home. There was one present wrapped, and I told Gabriela it was for her Daddy. When he was getting ready to open it we told Gabriela we tricked her and it was really for her! She was so excited. This birthday celebration was very low key compared to his past birthdays. I told him I felt bad because we usually have big celebrations in Argentina. He was very happy tonight and said "this is all I need."Gabriela will have her birthday in The States this year. She has not been home for her birthday since her first birthday.

Preparing to leave

Gabriela and I are leaving Japan in less than a week! I can't believe it is already time to go. This year was a special year because I felt like I got to spend a lot of time with Gabriela. I will miss our bike ride talks, walking by the lake, going to playrooms, and nature walks. Gabriela has had a free for all in the kitchen. I made her a craft drawer, and she had access to it at all times! Which means she was always making a mess! Almost everyday she painted, mixed paint together, made potion, and made pretend cookie dough. She gets the flower bag and mixes stuff together telling me "I am cooking." We usually had to wait until Daddy was at practice because he can not handle these projects!! When we get back home she will be disappointed about the new rules of making a mess in the kitchen!

We have had the best play dates lately. Gabriela has a new friend name Casey. His Daddy plays for another team in Japan. We went to the aquarium with them and have been hanging out a lot lately. I wish we would of done this all year! I told Gabriela we are going to the United States soon and she asked if Casey would be there. She will really miss him but will be super excited to see her cousins!

Yesterday we started the day with popsicles and a bicycle ride. We took the train to Kyoto and our first stop was Toys R Us. We had no plans for the day, and I told Gabriela she could do whatever she wanted. We walked around Toys R Us for almost two hours looking and playing with toys! The next couple stops were stores with displays to play with. It was so much fun not rushing and just letting Gabriela play. I love living a slow paced life here. When we get back to The States we will have to make a few changes and not be on the go all the time! I cherish these days and memories!

Aquarium

We took Gabriela to the aquarium in Osaka. When we woke up that morning I told her we had a surprise. We gave her clues and kept asking if she knew where we were going. After a lot of clues and seeing pictures of fish she said "were going to the aquarium." Her favorite thing she saw was the sharks. My favorite thing she said was "look its colossal squid!" She learned it from watching Wild Kratts. Now I can feel less guilty for letting her watch t.v.

Japan's Earthquake

March 11 was the one year anniversary of the devastating earthquake Japan had last year. Nichy had a game and during the game they stopped for a moment of silence. Gabriela, Jenny, and I went to the Japanese Gardens and Temples in Otsu. There were a lot of people out paying respects to loved ones they lost.
Gabriela loved running around outside. They had two monkeys in a cage and one got really made at Gabriela. Not sure what happened, but it was the first time I saw a monkey growl and show his teeth. We were glad they were caged up. Below is a picture of Gabriela trying to drink the purity water.

The flowers in the background are trees that are over 100 years old!

This is Jenny and I at The Gardens. We have become great friends,  and I cherish our friendship. She is the coaches wife, and they are from Australia. Alan her husband coached for the same team for 26 years and this is their first time out of the country. I couldn't imagine beginning this lifestyle after being with the same team for that long. She is so sweet to Gabriela and I. We are so lucky to have her. and I dread the day I have to say bye.