baby body slam!

It really is fun, and she agrees to it. No toddlers or cats are harmed in the baby body slam:

Schmiggled with Haley

Ariel had fun schmiggling in with her doll, Haley.  Our friends Renee and Joe gave us Haley when we were all waiting for our daughters (they lived in Japan when we got here, and found an Asian-looking doll - surprisingly hard to find even in Asia.)

We will be seeing Renee, Joe, and their daughter when we move!

Haley is named after spunky 7-year-old Haley from our travel group when we adopted Ariel.

new playgrounds

We have great newly renovated playgrounds in our neighborhood.  But they lack toddler swings.  Ariel can swing in a big swing by herself, but lately she likes to swing on our laps.

We like meeting the other kids and parents, and feel like we have our own playground gang.

green oatmeal

Every other morning, Ariel (and Mama) eat green oatmeal.  We add thawed "smoothie cubes" (frozen      green veggies, fruits, flax seeds, and walnuts) that we make in our Vitamix blender.  The greens vary with each batch: collard greens, kale, spinach, chard.  We always include some parsley, which is highly nutritious.  The greens are high in calcium and iron, among other nutrients.

To the green oatmeal, we often add peanut butter, sunflower seed butter, or ground nuts, cinnamon and/or cardamom, agave nectar or molasses, salba (chia) seeds (high in Omega-3's), rice protein powder, and a liquid multivitamin-mineral supplement.  Yesterday I even added fresh mint leaves, and it was delicious!

Ariel gobbles up her green oatmeal like a champ.

Although you wouldn't believe it from this picture.

We love our little health nut.

Quilt from Kelly

Our friend Kelly, who is also a neighbor and my running partner, made Ariel a beautiful quilt with hearts, flowers, butterflies, and teddy bears.

We put it to use often on the couch.

Nene considers it a gift for her, too.

Photo from last fall

I was just thinking about my friend, Klaine (2nd from left), who we'll hopefully see at our next assignment.  This photo is from last fall when Edel (left) hosted a small going-away lunch for Klaine and baby Marcus.

Also pictured are babies Yelena and Irina with their mom Edel, and on the right: Anna and Noah.

We don't have definite orders or a move date yet, but we're thinking Washington, DC, area sometime in July. Although Louisiana sounded nice, we're glad the assignment fell through and we're excited to get back to DC.  Which Smithsonian should we hit first?  Maybe Klaine and Marcus can meet us there!

special friends

Eve and Ginny are good at taking care of Ariel after church.  They play with her and feed her snacks. We will miss them when we move!

Theo's Mickey Mouse birthday party

Our little friend, Theo, recently turned one!  His parents threw him a fun party.  Ariel & Theo played together in the pool of balls.

Theo is a very smiley and engaging kid.  But by the time Mike and Casie strapped him in for cake, he was tired and upset by the birthday paparazzi.  Immediately after cake, he passed out in his grandma's arms.

Ariel and Jeff kept the party rolling.  We had a fun time with lots of little friends.

Kawaguchi

 After two nights at Hakone, we drove around to the other side of Mt. Fuji and explored the Fuji 5 Lakes area (Fuji Go Ko.) 

 We stopped at a museum and tourist area.

 then visited the Saiko Bat Cave, which has a nature trail by it.

This time Ariel stayed awake for her picnic.

 The Wild Bird Park was very tranquil.

 View from our hotel room along Lake Kawaguchi.  We were the only guests that night.  We enjoyed tag team runs along the lake.  We went to a nearby Indian restaurant, and walked along the lake at night (where we met some monkeys!)

Ariel loves studying her books in the tatami room.

Hakone Shrine

 I'm still catching up from our mini-vacation a couple weeks ago!
This shrine is beside Lake Ashi in Hakone.  Ariel climbed a lot of stairs with her Daddy!

 Listening to the trees.  Many people were doing it, but we weren't sure what to listen for.

Schmiggle and me (notice the fashionable couple behind us.)

more from Fuji-Hakone Guesthouse

 with Lisa, dog Light, Rumi, and Yuuka

We enjoyed a performance by Yuuka in the common room.  Mrs. Takahashi (the owner) took our picture.

Sanshin song

A short video of Yuuka playing her sanshin for Ariel:

Good times at Fuji-Hakone Guesthouse

 A couple weeks ago, we stayed at Fuji-Hakone Guesthouse.  Ariel & I stayed there almost two years ago, and we have kept in touch with them.  It's a great homey place to stay in a fresh mountain setting.  Hakone is about 3 hours away from Yokota, and is a hot spring resort town at the base of Mt. Fuji.

 Our friend Yuuka played her sanshin and sang for Ariel (on her day off!)  Ariel seemed to remember listening to and dancing to Yuuka's Okinawan music two summers ago.  Ariel and I even got to play their piano and guitar.

 Snuggling in our cozy tatami room.

 When we arrived, Ariel went straight for a futon and schmiggled in.  We had woods and a babbling brook out our windows.

Precious girl.  She is such a good traveler.
We also enjoyed meeting the other travelers, and other staff (Rumi, Lisa, Mrs. Takahashi, and their dog Light!)

Ariel and her ear doctor

(Take two was a little better.)  Thanks Dr. Scott McCusker (otolaryngologist) and Dr. Malisha Martukovich (audiologist) for taking care of Ariel's ears and adenoids.  Her hearing is mostly all normal now!  Also thanks to special friend Laura Belt (surgical nurse), and the medical staff that has helped her here.

Dr. McCusker's wife, Kimberly, is a speech therapist who has given us some informal advice and therapy.  Ariel has a regular speech therapist, Isabel Polakov, who we will miss.