We've been P ing!!!

PARTYING...Tomo turned 2, Juda turned 8, Caleb turned 19 and Andy turned 24.....(more pics to come)
PACKING....to move next week 3 doors down the street to a new house...................
PRESENTING....a new baby to the Kuba family.....................
PREPARING...the "Box of Love" gifts.....................
PASSING OUT the "Box of Love" gifts to the children of Okinawa.........
Check out our other blog @ www.boxofloveokinawa.blogspot.com to see how God is blessing this outreach ministry once again. What a mighty God we serve.........

Long time no see!!!

I'm sure to you it seems we've been hiding out over here in Okinawa kindof like Tomo is hiding out in Andy's shirt, however, it is not true............................
Maybe it seems to you we've been over here taking cat naps, however.........................


For some of us this is obviously true..................

Jiffy Pop, Jiffy Pop......

I couldn't resist posting this one of Tomo giggling. He is so funny these days and laughs alot. We are seeing such a funny personality emerge, what a character to add to our collection.
This was a trip to the park this summer. Andy has his hands full for sure. We look forward to seeing him return from Korea in a few days after a being gone a month. We will celebrate his 24th Bday with all the trimmings. In case you are wondering it is Japanese culture to give "Peace" signs in photos. Juda's peace sign looks more like the number three in japanese. He holds up fingers #2,3,4 instead of fingers #1,2. Well, there's always got to be one in the crowd that is different and yes, it is Juda. Andy thought he'd join him to not make him feel so different, ha ha ha. How does it go, "Jiffy Pop, Jiffy Pop, the magical treat, so fun to make and more fun to eat". That is so 70's, my mind doesn't go back that far, I was just a babe then, ha haha. We were getting ready for a typhoon to hit, got our supplies together, ramen noodles, chocolate, jiffy pop. You know, you need these things to survive when loosing power. I thought, we can always fire up the grill and pop some pop corn, ha haha. Not really thinking that who is going to brave the wind and rain and go outside to grill popcorn, so.....we got into the survival kit and popped the corn. Fortunately the typhoon missed us, no doubt the chocolate is gone from the kit as well....wonder how that happened.

My how time goes by!!

Technology wizards at work
I can't believe, I have climbed Mt. Fuji!
Neighborhood BBQ and Water Gun Battle to celebrate the end of summer and to celebrate the long recovery of a near fatal motorcycle accident of our neighbor and friend Bull that happened a year ago. Can you guess why he's called Bull.
Juda getting ready to dance to his favorite VBS tunes.
God Bless America

Loosing teeth while brushing, somethings wrong with that.
Giant baby takes over tunnel
Summer Tea Party Fun with friends.
Water Park Fun
Lego building project

Inline Skate practice, nonetheless in the living room, on the carpet, in PINK.
Watching our house grow, two more levels to go. The door to the left of the pic is to the grocery store. Can't get much closer than that to convenience. Adds new meaning to "Go next door for a cup of sugar"!
First day of "2nd Grade"
Enjoying the zip line at the beach at night. Much cooler under the moon, vs. under the sun.
Jerry Seinfield has nothing on bee, I mean me.

This is taste like gold, no no no, it is worth gold, it is watermelon. At $20 a melon, it is gold.
Cat nap anyone.
"That's my brother and I love him soooooo." "How does he keep that glass on his face"?

"MMMMMMgooooood, we wish it was our Birthday"
Oh, the element of surprise, watch out Tomo.
Savoring the flavor, it doesn't come in this form very often.

I don't know where it went, I just know it is gone. The summer was just here, school was out, we were in the summer library reading program and now, we are a month into the new school year. Wooo!!!! I don't think it is a dream, but then again, you never know!! Summer was great, with 100+ books read, Little House in the Big Woods and on the Prairie being just a few of them. Since that accomplishment, we are now watching the TV Series, what a wholesome way to spend some time with Bethany. She just loves Pa and Laura and she can't believe that I actually met him once and have a picture with him. I'll dig around, probably won't find it here, sure it is in storage, no, really, I promise I do have one somewhere, Andy is in it also as a 4 year old. Lots of pool time in the cool of the evening with Andy after work. We didn't dare try sizzling in the hot daytime sun. Craft projects weekly, from building Mr. Bones, to making a Garden Flower Fairy from a kit given to Bethany on her Birthday. VBS was definitely a highlight with "Outrigger Island". Juda LOVED the songs and signs for them. He still enjoys the CD and dances and praises the Lord with his favorite "Yahweh". Tomoyuki is speed crawling, climbing stairs, creeping along the furniture and laughing with a mouthful of teeth. Andy is in Korea training, Ben is in the Fall semester and working, Caleb is working and beginning an online class with Mount Olive College in order to gather a few credits to be eligible for the Air Force. Tom is returning home from Iwakuni today after a few weeks there. God is blessing Ai no Kesshin with some breakthroughs with getting the Free Dial Card in a clinic, reaching some passionate folks and joining with them in prayer about the children of Okinawa and how to find and reach them. Getting back into a routine with volunteering activities in an attempt to meet the needs around us. Enjoyed another neighborhood BBQ and Water Gun Battle to end the summer. Watching our house on the corner grow. Projected date of completion is in December.

Welcome to Okinawa "Home" Andy

We welcomed Andy back home on my birthday, great gift idea. So I'm only about 2 months behind on posting, so sorry. But with Andy's arrival also came summer and and all the fun that comes along with it. Andy is doing so well and looking so good. We see him on weekends and sometimes during the week. Just last week he went with us to the "Twilight Swim" at one of the base pools. We do allow him to have a life of his own, it is hard for us, but we are getting better, ha ha ha. I will post more pics ASAP as I don't want to get behind anymore. A few highlights/news is we are officially a FARM now. Having a dog, two cats, one indoor and one outdoor. In Japan this certainly qualifies you as a Loony Farm nonetheless. So, we try to live up to the expectations of our peers. Although, now that the dog and cat aren't out to kill each other and are very civil, life is manageable. Upon the ending of school, we immediately made a mad dash for OKUMA Resort and spent a week, just the 5 of us. Tom and I are getting old as we got up early, played in the water for a few ours, brought the kids in for food, reading, crafts, naps (us too), then out again in late afternoon for more water fun. Even at that Bethany started out as a Japanese princess, ending up looking like an Hawaiian princess all brown and beautiful. And this was with layers of sunscreen. The past few weeks have been filled with summer school for Juda and summer home school activities for Bethany along with many visits to the library for summer reading programs. Water park visits, pool visits, fireworks demo in the front yard for the 4th etc.......We continue to meet many new Japanese folks, bringing them home with us and hoping they'll come back again, ha ha ha. Oh, did I mention we will be moving in Dec. So stay tuned to the blog to here more about that. Tomoyuki is crawling and doing a great job at it, getting into the dog/cat bowls, etc....... The Ai no Kesshin Ministry is going strong and keeping us busy, just the way we like it. Pray for birthmothers that they will choose life for their babies and that if they can't raise them to please not put them in orphanages, to let us place them in christian homes. We seem to be getting so close to some mighty work here and it is exciting for us, still with lots of hard work ahead. All our children are doing quite well and are all healthy at present time, which makes for a happy household. More to come, keep watching for some pics, I'll do my best. Oh, one more thing.....we have an up and coming model/models among us, take a look at the pic again and see if you can guess who it is. Keep checking the blog for more late and breaking news.

Eating IceCream should be FUN!!!

Since Tomoyuki's tonsilectomy, we have been giving him ice cream to sooth his throat. Soooo I thought he'd like to try eating it from a little cone by himself. Well.......so much for what I thought. Or maybe it is just too cold for his finger. Who knows....because within a few seconds he was fine again.....


mmmmmm gooooooood...................
By the way....I am just about back to my old self since surgery and sleeping all night long, and breathing very well. Now for more hearing tests and to get ready for hearing aids.......

Spring Pics

Happy Easter to you all, better late than never...... Hey look what came in this little Easter Basket.......
Tom celebrated his 46th Birthday. In Japan they use the big candles to represent a decade and the little ones for single years. They are so creative. So....see the 4 big ones and the 6 little ones glowing. This keeps from catching your cake on fire in your later years of life. Especially because they have such small B Day cakes. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, they are delicisious.
It looks like Tomo is saying "WooHoo, that was some good BDay cake. Get in my belly!"
Only in the Smith Family do we reward children for blowing bubbles....out their nose!

Juda dressed as none the less...."The Cat in the Hat", at the Reading Parade at school.
Juda is so proud of his egg collection, found mostly in the bushes behind him.
Bethany dressed in her PJ's, for the "Sleep Book" by Dr. Seuss along with her teacher.
Bessy dropping them in as fast as she can......
Tomo trying real hard to reach just one in the bushes......his first egg hunt, yippee....

A little of what we are up to, besides being too busy to post of the blog........

Okuma in January was beautiful and just what we needed to recoup after the holiday travels.
Always fun to have an excuse to enjoy a giant chocolate chip cookies, "Happy Valentines Day"
Tomoyuki warming on a rock just like a little, or should I say, BIG lizzard

W will try to dig up a picture from when Bethany and Juda were not even walking, trying to balance themselves on this same little bridge at Okuma years ago.

Meet "Brodie", our new family member. We weren't planning on a new family member, seems we hear our selves saying that alot of late, however, he needed a home and he has fit in nicely. He doesn't realize he is a dog, so when we leave him home along, and don't take him with us, which he loves to ride in the van, instead he stays in his nice little house, which looks like a jail, he likes to chew up whatever is left with him. So a baby blanket and a nice little doggy bed is of no more, well if you want to sew them back together they could be once again, but he likes to show is dislike of being left alone by chewing. No he is not a puppy, he is 4 years old. As hoped for he loves to sleep with whomever. He starts out the evening with Bethany, then takes turns between Ben and Caleb, sometimes ending up in bed with Tom and I. He is a sweet little guy, we are enjoying him alot. And one of the guidelines I made sure of was that our next pet would be small enough to fit under the airplane seat not in the belly of the plane, and he made is way to Okinawa just that way, so there you have it.
Bethany and Juda enjoying a game of bowling, notice the bright pink ball about to take out a few pins on the right hand side.
Tomoyuki thinking he is going to take a bite of "Salad".
Okuma is really spelt, RELAX. We love going there to get caught up on REST.

I will keep trying to catch up on the past few months in pictures and activities that we have enjoyed. All the Smith's for now are well and enjoying life.