Afghan outfit from Jeff's co-workers

She and Ralph both loved the jingly sounds.

sink bath

We've been busy cooking all our farmer's market veggies, and also with Ralph's Big Surprise, and all the people and excitement that came with "it."  More later.

Typhoon is over

Just wanted to let you all know we're fine after the typhoon.  Ariel napped, and Ralph & I read A Wrinkle in Time through the worst of it.  We had a few branches down, and I hear there are trees down on base.  I hope this is our last typhoon this fall.

Typhoon Kote

Typhoon Kote is passing through.  Rain is heavy, winds are sometimes strong.  School and non-mission-essential personnel had early dismissal.  We are just holing up in the house.  Ralph is in for a big surprise this weekend.

 Great rain sleeping.

Typhoon vegan lunch special: mustard greens, masala baked tofu, broccoli with sauteed mushroom-scallion mixture, seasoned pinto beans, and soba noodles in the middle (with wasabi, soy sauce, and sesame seeds.)  Asahi beer.  I have lots of eggplant ("nasu" in Japanese) from the farmer's market, so later I'll make eggplant chickpea curry from one of my favorite vegan cookbooks.  Read more on my new blog: Ralph's Vegan Kitchen.

The A Report

• Ariel can count to 3!  She goes past 3, but it's a little vague after that.  She likes numbers and counting, so I have no doubt she'll like algebra and calculus, too.
• We've had a couple poo-poos in the potty, but we're not rushing potty training.
• Some of her favorite new vegan foods are quinoa, tahini, lentils, and any yellow squash (she still eats some egg and fish, but really likes eating vegan, too.)
• She can say "achoo!" as she did over and over again last night before sleep.  This is thanks to our book, Elmo says Achoo!
• She loves Ralph.  She can say "Ra!" and "Ki!" but not "cat" yet.

Weather here is still pretty warm, but less humid and leaves are starting to change and fall.  We have several new neighbors, and two families who we knew from our last assignment (the Lukes and the Ringos.)  I guess we have a few tremors now and then, but I'm never sure if it's real, my imagination, or Ralph rubbing against the table.  I don't even bother looking up the report on the geological website unless it's a big one.  Clean-up continues slowly in the Tohoku region, and many people and pets are still living in shelters.  Some will probably never return to the towns by Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.  There was also flooding west of us recently when Typhoon Talas came through.  So we've been lucky here in the Kanto region this year.

We love Japan

While Mayra cleaned the house, we took a relaxing drive along the Akigawa River.

 Then we stopped at Akiruno Farmers Center

where Ariel chilled out on the floor.

Life is good.

play buddies

 Ralph and Ariel playing together

Mosquitos have been bad this summer.  We wear Avon Skin-so-Soft, but they still bite Ariel especially.  She recovers quickly, though.

Riding the roller coaster.  I didn't photograph the whole roller coaster, but she rides over a few hills on this yellow car.  It's a hand-me-down from the Morales family, and we think it's super-fun.

The babies have some reading time together.

She's no couch potato

I don't feel too bad about letting her watch Dora, because she usually dances, jumps, and moves around during the whole show:

grapes!

and more birthday presents

Hand-crafted Elmo magnet from Aunt Debbie;

Pretty new clothes, cat book, socks, and frame from the Powers family.

Arigato!

Babies!

I keep forgetting to check Rumor Queen for the latest news on China adoption.  But I finally did, and here are the latest referrals:  August 2011 referrals

Congratulations to these families!

The cutoff was July 14, 2006.  We have some neighbors logged in November, 2006, so we're rooting for them as they get closer.

Birthday presents

Ariel is still figuring our her cool new shades.

Thanks for all the birthday goodies!  The sentimental "My First Word Book" from her cousins is really special.  Ariel & I are both enjoying all the new entertainment.  I have more pictures in my camera with a few more presents.

Josefina the Bat from War Eagle Caves.

comfy clothes

Narita

We took Jeff to the airport on Monday, August 22nd.  His flight left late at night, so we all went to Hotel Nikko Narita (where Ariel & I spent the night) to relax, then played around the airport.  Narita is about a 3-hour drive from home.

Noodle time (with slimy camera lens)

The man behind us wanted to meet Ariel.  He was Chinese, but lives in the USA.

Bye-bye, Dada!  Come home again soon.  We love you!

The next day, Ariel and I explored the town of Narita.  Its shops and restaurants cater to airline crews and travelers on layovers.  Narita has a large shrine and park.  We only explored the shrine (which is always more buildings and area than you expect.)  The weather was too hot for the park.

Turtles live at the shrine.

playing upstairs

I'm still catching up since Jeff's trip home.  In these photos we were playing around upstairs, which has fun toys in every room.  It's always better when Dada and Ralph are there, too!  I think photos on this blog look blurry, and I'm not sure how to fix it.  Do they look blurry to you?  Even good, sharp photos turn blurry once loaded on this blog.  I don't have a lot of computer time, so blurry photos will have to do for now. 



We have a whole new perspective on her farm toys now, after learning about farming.  We like to call these "farm sanctuaries" where the animals are loved.

This photo really is blurry, but it's a nice rare one of Ariel and me sitting in bed.