Then & Now Quick Pic

Leyna with two of her gals, Nicole & Neslita. (They are 2 weeks apart, Leyna being the oldest)

Then: at 3 months old

Now: at 10 months old

Walking!

Finally, this is the first time she took more than just a few steps...motivated by keys and a purse!

A Quick Hi and Bye

Easter & Astroturf

We had a long but fun Easter day...It began with an early arrival at church since Danno was serving as an usher and greeter/umbrella-holder to help escort people from the parking lot through pouring rain. After a nice lunch out and a brief moment resting at home, we were heading out again to our church's Easter Picnic at Comprehensive Park. It's a huge facility that has everything from various sport stadiums and tracks and fields, to paddle boats, a water park, and even camp grounds. Since April was bringing us plenty of showers that day, the event was held at the indoor recreation dome. It turned out to be a great space to set up all the games and Easter egg hunts for the kids. Leyna loved watching all the excitement, exploring new things, and especially crawling everywhere without any boundaries. Here's some pics of us and Leyna enjoying her first Easter on the astroturf!

First encounter with a hula hoop and her "not sure what to do with it" face.

First encounter with a plastic jump rope...after sifting through it, she finally found the end.

Egg time!

Back to the hula hoop...for some hoop aerobics Leyna style. haha.Good times...Happy First Easter Leyna

Leyna and Suiei (Swimming!)

Today Leyna and I got to enjoy our first Japanese Baby Swimming Class! For the next 3 months, we are taking a weekly swimming class designed for babies, and it's held at a Japanese recreation center. Since I'm the only "English-only speaker" in the class, I've arranged a schedule that makes sure my Japanese friends are there to translate for me! The major differences I notice so far is that 1) almost all women wear very modest bathing suits...as in rash guards and swim shorts -- but not the loose board shorts, more like spandex shorts to the knee...and 2) in their public pools, everyone must wear a swimming cap, baby included! So here's Leyna geared up and ready to go this morning in her first bathing suit and cap. (She wasn't sure about that cap at first, but luckily she didn't bother to take it off during class)The first class was well organized and went very smoothly despite a large class of 25 moms + 25 babies. We warm up by first sitting on the edge of the pool with our feet in the water, singing various Japanese songs (at some point I'll learn them!), doing playful gestures, splashing, and getting the babies accustomed to the fascinating water. Then the rest of the fun is teaching them to leap into the water from the pool edge (fully assisted by us of course)...jumping and "dancing" with them in the water...and letting them chase after a massive amount of toy balls. Leyna just LOVED it and didn't fuss at any of the activities. There were moments I noticed she started paddling with her arms to get the balls (or maybe she was clapping under water? haha). Well I hope she's a natural and turns out to be a great swimmer just like her daddy!

The only cry time for Leyna (as I completely expected) was in the end of class...we rinse off the babies, get them dressed, then hand them off to others who watch them while the moms go and get changed. From the locker room I could hear the moment Leyna realized mommy was gone! Well, she'll learn...eventually! (Maybe this will help her transition towards staying in the church nursery as well!) Anyways, so far it seems like it will be lots of fun...it's like Babytime in a pool. We're happy to have this new, beneficial activity to keep her entertained during the week. I hope to get photos of the class in action sometime!

Winter Vacation - Tokyo Day 1 (Mt. Takao)

We arrived safely in Tokyo and were quickly on our way via airport limousine (bus) to Ila's mom's house where we were going to be staying for the duration of our trip. Once settled in, we were treated to a wonderful dinner experience at a restaurant nestled in a valley near the sacred Mt. Takao. Ukai Toriyama Restaurant is no ordinary restaurant -- it's an experience completely opposite of what you would encounter touring the busy Tokyo city. A bus takes you through small windy paths to this treasure...thatch-roof buildings are scattered throughout perfectly kept Japanese gardens that seemlessly blend with the natural scenery of the surrounding woods and bubbling streams. Before being escorted to our individual dinner room, we took some time to walk the grounds and soak in all beauty before sundown.Along the way, we followed a path that led to an outdoor tea-sipping area where you can help yourself to some sobacha (tea made from the kernals of roasted soba, or buckwheat). You can see we're all bundled up, so it was perfect to help keep us warm! Danno thought he would also try their fresh spring water...well, no he didn't actually drink it (at least I don't think!)Our last stop we passed by a hut where we saw a chef cooking part of the meal we were about to eat -- river fish, skewered, salted and grilled over hot charcoal.We finally settled in to the warmth of our private dinner room. Our server, dressed in a traditional kimono, brought us an array of tasty appetizers.For the main course hot charcoal was placed at our table so we could cook skewered chicken and veggies on our grills. When the chicken is almost cooked, you drench them in a sauce and finish grilling them. Everything was delicious!...including these lil guys we saw roasting earlier......the last dishes of miso soup and sticky mountain potato you could choose to eat with barley rice. Although the flavor is fine, the potato dish is very gooey (yes, just as slimy as it looks, it's like the consistency of snot), so those who are picky about textures may not enjoy it. Danno was the brave eater...We had a fantastic time. What a perfect setting for some family photos, a relaxing dinner and a great warm welcome to Tokyo! Thanks Kyoko!Next stop...Tokyo Disney!

Winter Vacation - Day 3 (To Tokyo we go!)

The final day in Oki we took Ila and Danny to browse the bases, along with running some last minute errands to prepare for our flight to Tokyo. There's not much to show about the bases here since government buildings aren't very interesting and they all look alike. haha. Although we did take a stroll to admire the Air Force's display of various aircrafts, meanwhile couldn't ignore the sounds of the real ones flying by. The time in Oki flew by and before we knew it, we were venturing to the mainland! It was Danno's first time to visit there, and Leyna's first time riding on an airplane. Packed up n ready to go. Checking in I was eager to use Leyna's passport for the first time...ya, I didn't need it since we weren't leaving the country, but afterall, it's her only form of i.d. at the moment. Well, they didn't bother to check anyways (surprisingly, not justLeyna's but any of our id's)...Security check point, Leyna was metal free =)My carry-on luggage seems to be enjoying the ride...me too since moving walkways mean well, I get a break and don't have to walk.Last photo before we board...we were keeping Leyna awake as long as possible so she sleeps through the flight!Hey we couldn't risk getting sick, so we sported face masks. It's so common out here, there's nothing strange about it. And look, Leyna knocked out just as we had hoped! woohoo! That was easy (then again, it was a short flight)Next up...a great to escape Mt. Takao