So, I know, I'm a slacker. It has taken forever to upload some of the house pictures. :) Bear with us- I will give you an idea of what we have been up to for the last couple of months. We remodeled the kitchen and added a half bath to the house. TJ is ever so handy, and I have even pitched in some. TJ learned how to run plumbing and gas lines, move heater ducts, make walls, make doorways, cut tile, install cabinets, and set doors. While he was busy doing that, I learned how to tile and grout. With a little paint, we have somewhat finished. There are still some finishing touches, but we thought you might want to see our progress.

The House!

So, after a successful week of house hunting in the United States, this is the house we picked. TJ was sold on the 2 car garage and I was sold on the built-in bookcases. We hope you can come visit!

Happy Birthday!

For my birthday, we had my Kodaira (Japanese military English school) students over for a graduation/birthday party. We had a great time having a cookout at our house. TJ even made me a cake. :) It was oishii- even if it was a little upside down. After the BBQ, we took the guys bowling and Erik showed them his favorite game, Foosball. It was a great day and 34 is a great age!

The Ome Train Museum

Thanks to our friend Amanda, a caravan of moms and kids drove to the Ome train museum for a fun filled day. Unfortunately, the directions from the base weren't very clear, and we ended up getting lost. So imagine, 6 vans filled with moms and kids pulling into a construction parking lot. Thankfully the Japanese workers took pity on us and after many attempts of trying to get directions, one man decided to escort us to the train museum himself. That's me in the picture, trying to decipher the map in Japanese! Anyway, thanks to the wonderful hospitality of Japan, we made it to the train museum. :) Erik loved sitting in the real train, watching the model trains, and riding the train rides, and even sitting in the play fire truck. All in all, it was a great day!

River

So, I am not the most "outdoorsy" person you will meet. So what if I prefer a bed and breakfast inn to camping in the woods? I don't know why my friends had bets on how long I would last at the river. I had a great time and stayed until 2:30 thank you. A respectable amount of time since we got there at 11:30. 3 hours is plenty of time to have Erik in the sun. :)

Tanabata Festival

The Joyner-Davis-Martyniak clan are at it again! We loaded up the six kids, plus two extra just for fun, and headed to the Tanabata festival in Fussa. We had a great time eating, drinking, eating, watching drummers, and eating some more. :) Fun, fun, fun!

New bike!

Erik and I went to Toys R Us to find a Thomas bike. You should of heard him when he saw the bikes. "They have them mommy, they have bicycles!" He picked out the Thomas tricycle. Now if we could only get the batteries to die, because I am sick of the Thomas song already. :)

I'm a Butterfly!

If you don't mind the snot running down his nose, you might enjoy this latest video!

Erik's concert

Erik has finally learned how to use the harmonica! I hope you enjoy his first solo concert. :)

4th of July!

The 4th of July was filled with many events. First, the ladies took part in a scavenger hunt. Fun, fun, fun, even if we didn't win. Yes, that's me dressed as Michael Jackson. It was worth 100 points, so I sucked it up and participated. :) Our favorite mechanic, Ushihama, even gave us a brake rotor for the scavenger hunt. Cool. We then ended up hanging out with the Kato's, Martyniak's, and the Davis family at the Yokota 4th of July party. Erik loved the bouncy castle, horse ride, baby chicks, and the fireworks (or hanabi as he likes to call them)! It was nice to have the whole group together without anyone being deployed. :) 

Happy Father's Day

 Erik wishing his Daddy a Happy Father's Day!

Happy 2nd Birthday Erik!!!

For Erik's 2nd birthday, we decided to have a sleepover with his best friends, Jack, Sam, and Quinn. Pizza, cake, presents, a Mickey Mouse movie, and pancakes in the morning. What could be better than that when you're two? Happy Birthday Erik!

Stinker Pot is in the HOUSE!

This is the true "Stinker Pot" face. Just the right mixture of "sassy" from his momma and "aren't I adorable" from his daddy. Not to mention he says, "cheezu", when posing for the picture. Erik in his finest form. Enjoy!

Cars, Trucks, and Buses-- OH MY!

Erik loves anything that you can drive. :) Frequently he will yell, "TAXI", whenever he spots one on the road. The Cars movie is constantly playing on the TV and construction vehicles will get him going as quick as anything else. Not to mention motorcycles and delivery trucks. Maybe TJ should talk him into planes because as far as I can tell, he is going to be a DRIVER! 

California vacation- Part 4: Sacramento

We left southern California and headed to Sacramento to go visit Grandma DeeDee (Vicky)! Our first stop with Grandma Dee Dee was to visit Auntie Elizabeth's house where Erik loved visiting the Koi fish pond. Auntie even let Erik get in Achille's dog cage so he could sit with her new Greyhound, Helen. Thanks Auntie!