happy Father's day!!!

Cora's special gift for da-da

sharing daddy's chair

To start, happy Father's day to all you special dads out there and especially to Duke and Sofu! We love you and wish we could celebrate with you today :)

WE spent our "2nd" father's day weekend in Fukuoka -- the "big city" and enjoyed being amongst the crowds... not really. The bicycles on sidewalks got pretty annoying. We did manage to successfully hit the Apple store and also Hakozaki (the antique shrine sale we've come to love) and we had father's day lunch at Greg's favorite -- Hard Rock Cafe, finished off with some Cold Stone Creamery!

Perhaps the most memorable moment of the weekend was when we visited the fresh marketplace located in the basement of a GIANT mall.... it is peppered with various "stalls" with specialties -- veggies, sushi, baked goods, teas, candies, cheeses, wines, etc.... Once we saw the lovely cheeses we thought it'd be fun to buy some appetizers to enjoy at our hotel before heading out for dinner. We got a nice spread of cheeses and some fresh crusty bread (yum, right?) and when we saw the option for some prosciutto, FORGET ABOUT IT! Remember, this is a TRUE treat since we've been living overseas for almost 5 years now.... In our very limited Japanese, we asked if what we were looking at was prosciutto. Greg's mouth was watering and his eyes were beaming. The little butcher looked confused but said "buta" -- which Meg remembered to mean "pig"... Greg confirmed that prosciutto is indeed pig so we bought it and headed to the hotel picking up some lagers along the way. We were SO excited for this appetizer and opened everything carefully on our bed (since our room for 3 was about 12 ft by 9 ft there was nowhere else to feast).... Greg was chosen to take the first bite as it was HIS weekend....... Somehow up close the meat looked suspect.... and after one big bite Greg confirmed he just had raw pig and NOT smoked meat. HAHAHAHAHA!

After spitting it out and rinsing vigorously with beer, Greg was finally able to smile at his disappointment.

a day in the life...

Time is flying by --- we can't believe it's almost summer! Cora continues to show her independence and is quite the ham. At "school" she apparently only stops walking to nap and eat and has almost escaped a few times! She's eating the complete Japanese meals served including rice, miso soup, fish, vegetables, seaweed and toful :)

playing outside Nimitz Park

yummy Kapa rolls at the Sushi-go-round

"daddy's girl" showing off her pink crocs

Her very own watering can so she can help mommy

this mischevious smile preceeded an attempt to escape OUR yard

Yep, she climbed these on the sly... which has led us to the endless search for a baby gate that will fit our Japanese house. So far we're on gate #4 without much luck...

it sure is exhausting being Cora (and her parents......)

@ Tenjin Park

this lovely park is very close to our house and is even more fun now that Cora is mobile!

checking out the irises

C-ya!

Greg and his girls

"can't we PLEASE go, daddy?"

(not without your pink helmet, Cora-chan)

Greg and "Betty Davis"

practicing skills on the rooftop

Cora Swims Saipan

Saipan living...

Oooh it's SO nice to be back on the tiny island of Saipan! We've had an absolute ball so far and are sad to see the weekend go so quickly. The trip here was relatively easy -- only 3.5 hours flight with a change of planes in Guam (it could have been easier if Cora slept the entire way, but lets not split hairs). We are staying in the center of the island and the middle of the action and are borrowing a friend's truck and car seat.

The weather here is HOT.... like sticky, sweaty hot at all hours, little wind and the sun is INTENSE. Cora does NOT like the weather at all.... she's okay in the shade but seems to prefer the cool A/C instead. We are reminiscing about when we lived here before we took 3 showers a day initially and wore pretty scant clothing.... by the time we left we'd wear jeans and long sleeve shirts without a problem (obviously the blood thinned out!)... we're back at the 3 showers daily, tank tops and shorts!!!

We've had the chance to hang out with lots of friends who are still here and it seems like old times, with the addition of some kids and spouses! We were lucky enough to be here for Nicole and Greg's wedding celebration and to see Sue's lovely 6 month pregnant belly.

As Greg golfed with friends (and worked on his "killer" sunburn/tan), Cora and Meg visited Labor and Delivery and the midwives and nurses who worked with Meg for 3 years....we really enjoyed this reunion / introduction! 2 patients who had just delivered were former patients of Meg's, so we got to visit even more special people!

After Saipan we spent a day in Guam where we shopped and ate some favorite foods. Cora was thrilled to spend time at the Westin pool -- she came a LONG way in our few days in the tropics! Greg got his motorcycle helmet, too..... a trip that was well-worth-it!

Cora gleefully taking her first steps on US SOIL! (At our layover in Guam) - she's kinda "island dancing!"

sunset reunion

beautiful flametree in background

walking the halls at Hyatt

in the ocean

back in pool with Cowry (she's 2 months older)

eating sushi rolls with cucumber

loving her time with auntie Nicole!

"the gang" minus a few at Hyatt brunch

with Auntie Susan at Wild Bills

mmm -- spicy yellow fin poki and garlic octopus at Abyss!

Sunset from our balcony

she's ONLY pretend playing (and no we are not at a poker parlor!)

family shot with Gypsy and Kato (buddies of Finn and Bonny)

at Guam airport

stealing and sharing daddy's Coldstone creamery chocolate PB milkshake!

Cora was a star once again and comfortable with Japanese tourists in Guam!

sitting at pool bar in Guam

Splashing water at daddy

practicing her coordination between kicks and strokes in Guam

big girl on bus ride home from the airport

Happy Birthday, Greg!

We're heading down to Saipan for the Memorial Day weekend & are excited!