A new life

I did my first birth photo shoot on Thursday and it was amazing. I did my best to stay out of the way and capture all the precious moments that you seem to miss during labor. The pictures were tasteful and beautiful. The next day I made a DVD of the photos for them and they loved it.

Today I had my first of many photo sessions with this precious little girl. Aaliyah Rose was very good and liked to pee on all the blankets. She wore her mom out and I had a blast taking photos of this cute little girl. Here she is at 6 days old.

11 Months

This past month was a busy one for you.

• You learned how to walk at 10 1/2 months and you are on the go. You choose to walk over crawling even if you are a bit slower.
• You don't want to sit in your high chair to eat, you want to graze.
• You now have 8 teeth in your mouth.
• You finally got your six month shots.
• You flew back across the big ocean and were so happy to see Daddy.
• Mommy left you for a whole week, and you did awesome. You and daddy are now best buds and I have moved into second place.
• You love to go for walks in your car.
• You wear 18-2t shirts and depending on the length and waist 12-2t shorts.

Chase you are such a joy to be around. You are a pistol and very stubborn but you make us laugh each and every day. I can't believe next month you will be turning 1. The time flies when you are having fun and Chase, we are having a blast with you.

What does a 10 month old eat?

I'm not sure what your 10 month old eats but this is what mine eats for lunch.....and he eats the whole meal.

Okinawa World

We took a little trip to Okinawa World with the Salas family today and had lots of fun. We walked around the caves. Looked at the shops and glass making. We saw an Eisa performance. Which are the drums and dancing. We then watched the Habu snake show. My battery died at the snake show but I have some video of it.





The yellow ballon has cold water which the snake is not interested in and the pink balloon has warm water.

Mt. Fuji

Today was the day I ended my vacation from Tokyo. So sad!! On our flight back to Okinawa we flew by Mt. Fuji. I am coming back in August to climb Mt. Fuji and I am looking forward to it. Here she is in all her glory!!


If you're wondering if I missed my boys....I did!! I am happy to be back and I think they are happy to see me.

Toyko-Ginza-Tawaramachi-Asakusa-Roppongi

I didn't do a whole lot today. My feet hurt!! I have done so much walking that when I am walking around my room without my shoes I almost hobble. Though as I just typed that I also have to laugh although it didn't seem like I did much I actually did a whole lot of walking.

I first Jumped on the Train and headed to Ginza. I went to the Mac store which was awesome and then I went to the Sony store. The Sony store was amazing. There were floors and floors of electronics for you to try out.

After Ginza and jumped on the train and went to the Edo/Tokyo Museum. I defiantly would not bring the boys here. It's one of those things that is nice to do once but probably won't be headed back. It was nice though.

After the museum I headed to the Imperial Gardens to check out the Nijubashi Bridge. It is said that the Nijubashi Bridge is the most photographed scene in Japan. I would have liked to walk around the gardens but, 1. My feet were hurting and 2. All the cherry blossoms weren't in full bloom yet.

I jumped back on the train and went to check out the Tokyo Tower. I didn't go up into the tower because its actually quite expensive. It cost roughly around 16 American dollars. Maybe another time.

When I was done with my photos I wasn't sure what to do next. It was still pretty early in the day but I didn't have anything planned. I thought for a bit and decided to jump on the JR train and take a detour by Tokyo Disney. I can't wait until next month when we take the kids to Disney and was a little excited. I was so excited in fact that I forgot to take a photo as we passed. You can see most of the park form the train and of course the famous castle. You will just have to wait until next month for photos. I got off the JR and went back underground to the subway line and traveled back to Asakusa.

Like I wrote the other day Asakusa really is beautiful and I felt like I hadn't captured that the first go around so I walked the streets for a few hours on my very sore feet. Here are just a few photos.

When I left Asakusa I went to Roppongi and had dinner at T.G.I.F. It was awesome, and cheaper than the Rock!!

Tokyo-Shinjuku-Shibuya-Asakusa-Roppongi

I had a very busy day today. It wasn't raining so first stop was the Tokyo Metropolitan Building. The whole top part of the building has glass windows and I was able to see all of Tokyo and the surrounding areas. Hopefully next month I will be able to see Mt. Fuji, it just wasn't clear enough today.

The grass area is right in the mild of everything just like Central Park in New York. This grass area and the building at the bottom is the Meiji Shrine that I saw yesterday.

I went to the famous crossing in Shibuya. It's comparable to Times Square in New York. It wasn't as busy as I had imagined but busy enough to take lots of photos. They have the big TV's all over the crossing and lots of clothing stores and shops all around the area. It really was a busy place.

After the busy Shibuya I took a step back in time and went to Asakusa. They say Asakusa is a tourist trap but I beg to differ. I think its a must see if you are visiting Tokyo. After coming up from the subway line I first saw The Golden Turd of Tokyo.

I took a short ride in a Rickshaw and had so much fun.

The streets by the Sensoji Temple are lined with vendors selling everything you could possibly think of. I had so much fun walking around and browsing. The Sensoji Temple is just gorgeous and I fell in love with the five storied Pagoda.

I took tons and tons of photos. While riding the rickshaw they gave me a map of Asakusa and I decided to take a little walk around town. Away from the temple and all the tourist lies a beautiful little town. A town where everyone rides their bicycles and probably knows your name.

When I left Asakusa it was time for dinner. I once again headed back to The Hard Rock Cafe in Roppongi and made it just in time for Happy Hour. I had a fabulous day today.

Tokyo-Roppongi-Harajuku

I ended up making the flight to Atsugi yesterday. I didn't get to fly in an exciting plane, it was just a normal little plane. Though the front half held cargo and that was pretty cool. I stayed the night in Atsugi since it was so late and today I caught the train and headed into the big city.

It took me about two hours to get from Atsugi to the New Sanno hotel here in Tokyo and it was to early to check in so I dropped off my luggage and jumped back on the train and headed to The Hard Rock Cafe. If you're wondering why I am eating at an American restaurant it's because I can eat Japanese food in Okinawa. There are a few great American restaurant here that are not available in Okinawa and it's nice to eat a good burger and fries. After lunch I jumped back on the train and went to Harajuku. Its famous for the Meiji Shrine and teenage girls that dress up in costumes on the weekend. I was really hoping to see the girls on this Sunday afternoon but it was raining and there were no costumes. Maybe next month. I did walk down (teenage row) as the locals call it.Its where all the girls come out to go shopping. It was really busy and exciting. I went and checked out the Meiji shrine afterwards.The shrine has a very large wooden Tori gate. While I was there I stumbled upon a wedding, there are quite a few weddings on the weekends. It was a nice shrine but there was quite a long walk to it. I don't know that I would bring the boys back to this shrine. By the time I was done with the shrine I headed back to the hotel and settled in for the night.div>

We have a walker!

Chase just took four steps. He is 10 and 1/2 months. Slower than Carter and faster than Bryson. Just as I thought right in the middle.

We are so proud of you Chase.

TOKYO

I am trying to catch a flight to Tokyo Space-A. My luck isn't going well. There is another flight today. I hope to get on.

WWII Vets come back to Okinawa

UPDATE: I WAS DOWN AT THE AIRPORT AND ASKED ABOUT THE VETS. THEY MADE IT OUT TO IWO JIMA. I AM SO OVERLY EXCITED FOR THEM.

While we were in Los Angles waiting for our flight to Tokyo I saw a large group of very old men. As I was walking around with Chase I walked closer to the group and saw their bright red hats and jackets. I walked over to them and was asking them where they were headed and they said Okinawa. They then went on to tell me about the adventure that they were going on and how it was going to be different then the last time they came to Japan. They were a very sweet group and very nice and excited.

I didn't see the group again until we landed here in Okinawa and the sight was far different. When I got off the plane there was a lot of commotion going on and what they thought was one of the vets having a stroke. The vets looked so tired. This journey is not an easy one. It takes a toll on you flying across the ocean and so many time zones. I can only imagine the toll it took on their fragile bodies. I took a few quick photos of them but I with all that was going on I failed to get their names. I wish I would have.

It saddens me to read the paper today to find that they have come all this way and may not even make it back.

As clock ticks, WWII veterans need help to get back to Iwo Jima

By Charlie Reed, Stars and Stripes
Stars and Stripes online edition, Tuesday, March 2, 2010



YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan – The military has denied a request from a World War II veterans group for transportation to Iwo Jima this week to commemorate the historic battle that took place there 65 years ago.

The Greatest Generation Foundation asked the military for help after a charter plane company that had volunteered to take the group from Okinawa to the battlefield canceled unexpectedly two weeks ago. But Pentagon officials denied the request because it could set a problematic precedent for other nongovernmental agencies that ask for similar assistance, U.S. Pacific Command spokesman Marine Maj. Bradley Gordon said Tuesday from Hawaii.

PACOM officials in Hawaii and Japan on Monday had been trying to arrange a military flight for the group in the event leaders in Washington approved the request, Gordon said.

Before the decision was made, the Denver-based nonprofit brought 12 aging veterans who fought at Iwo Jima from the United States to Japan over the weekend as planned, hoping the military would be able to provide transportation.

“[The veterans] are very emotional. They know the dream of going back to Iwo Jima is not going to take shape,” said Timothy Davis, president of the foundation, which has sponsored battlefield trips for veterans since 2004.

“We’re going to fight this,” Davis said. “I have to do what I can to get these boys back to Iwo Jima.”

The group of 85- to 97-year-old former Marines — along with 12 students who were to document their return to Iwo Jima, and several journalists — arrived on Okinawa on a commercial flight late Saturday. They are staying on Marine Corps Air Station Futenma and are scheduled to return to the United States on March 9.

One veteran was hospitalized with stroke-like symptoms after arriving on Okinawa but was released Sunday, and another suffering from an infection was admitted to the hospital Tuesday, Davis said.

“Reality is kicking in. Come the 70th anniversary [of Iwo Jima] most of them are going to be dead,” he said. “If we allow these veterans to go to their graves with these stories then shame on us.”

Military officials recommended the group arrange the flight from Okinawa to Iwo Jima with another company. But Davis said the foundation could not afford the $50,000 it would cost after already having spent the $150,000 to get the group to Japan.

The government of Japan must approve all flights — commercial or military — to Iwo Jima, now officially known by its original name Iwo To.

Gen. James T. Conway, commandant of the Marine Corps, was expected to be the keynote speaker at a ceremony Wednesday on Iwo Jima to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the 36-day battle there in which 6,900 Marines and 20,000 Japanese were killed.

Happy Birthday Sha Sha

Today my sister turns 29! She's really old huh?? We love you!

Catching up

I posted about 10 back posts starting January 7th. If you would like to go back and read about some adventures we had while in New Mexico.