It's a Beautiful Day!

We had a couple of weeks of very icky weather here, it would turn cold at the drop of a hat or a rain shower would pop up out of nowhere, and I ended up with a cold to go along with my seasonal allergies. After a few days of fever/achiness and a few days of Annelise having a fever, she has fully recovered and I'm back to dealing with allergies with a little bit of a leftover cough. My new best friend is Tylenol Sinus Pain, it made me feel much better and I didn't have to worry about taking a sinus med AND a pain med. Between limitations due to me breastfeeding and limitations due to the small number of options at the BX, I was very glad to find something that worked!

The weather warmed up over the weekend and Annelise got to play outside with the new bouncy ball I bought for her. She has a blast and LOVES being outside! She has also learned her second Japanese word. She uses 'hi' for 'hello' as well as 'yes' and now she can say 'ohana', which means 'flower'. She doesn't say it often, but I was so excited to hear it yesterday!

We're gearing up for Melisa and Trent's wedding next month, I can't wait to get to Texas and start really helping out! I have a feeling I'll be spending a lot of time attaching candy to styrofoam balls and other small stuff like that. Annelise is very excited to get back to the States to play with her cousins, she loves playing with other kids.

Aside from the wedding and seeing everyone, I'm looking forward to picking up a few new books while I'm back home. Janet Evanovich and Catherine Coulter both have new books coming out in June and although I will be able to get them in Misawa eventually, I can definitely get a lower price at Hastings! We're not going to be doing a lot of shopping this trip, but we are planning a trip up to Tinker AFB for a Thunderbirds show and a trip to College Station so I can eat at Wings n More (and maybe see Friend and her baby belly?). When we get to Indiana, the families have so many things planned we may not get to sleep! And I finally get to eat at the real frozen custard stand in Lafayette, something my friend Mandy has been giving me hell about for a few years.

Well, I think the kid wants to go outside and enjoy our beautiful Monday, so I guess that's the end of this post! I'll be back in a couple of weeks!

Happy Mother's Day!

To all of the mothers that I know, especially my mom, John's mom, and our two grandmothers, Happy Mother's Day!! Annelise and I went to brunch today with my friend Vanessa and her two boys, we had such a great time. Annelise really enjoyed her plain waffle, scrambled eggs, and lots of grapes. She loves playing with the boys and I think we're going to have to spend some time at the park together this summer so she can chase them around.

I feel so very blessed to be a mom and want to thank all of you for showing me how it's done!!

OOPS!

Ok, so I was really tired on Monday and then didn't feel well on Tuesday and that's why I didn't post when I was supposed to. I was tired on Monday because on Sunday we went to the Cherry Blossom Festival in Hirosaki!! I had a ton of fun hanging out with friends, seeing the beautiful cherry blossoms, and eating a potato on a stick. Annelise enjoyed being adored by all who saw her. This is par for the course in Japan and she will be very confused when we move back to the States in a few years.

We haven't done a whole lot over the last couple of weeks, but it has been so nice to spend time with friends. Hopefully we'll get to go to the Mother's Day Brunch this weekend with some friends as well as go to Shimoda Mall for Pepper Lunch. I tried to go last weekend but Annelise fell asleep right before it was time to leave and one of the most important lessons I've learned from my friends and family is that you NEVER wake a sleeping baby. Especially when the kid only takes one nap a day.

I finally got Mother's Day gifts mailed, they'll arrive late but there's nothing I can do about it now. I bought them a while back, I just suck at getting everything together and to the post office on time. I also bought something for my Dad's birthday, that's coming up soon!

We booked our tickets for Melisa's wedding, I can't wait to see everyone! Annelise is going to be so adorable in her flower girl dress and I love my bridesmaid dress. My friend (and cousin) Alisha just had a baby so I also can't wait to meet little Easton and to see how much Quinn has grown.

Spring has finally sprung in Misawa with the blooming of the cherry blossoms and many beautiful flowers. There are daffodils everywhere and the tulips have popped up as well, now I'm looking forward to the hydrangeas. Japan is such a beautiful country and I love watching the seasons change and all of the little surprises that come with them.