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!