Christmas (kind of)

We found tickets to Taiwan on Christmas day, so we decided to celebrated a day early.  That made it complicated for the Santa gifts, but it all worked out.

Christmas Eve-eve.  Note and treats for Santa

This package showed up on our door step.  No Santa down our chimney.

Christmas perfection!  The stockings were not filled however...everything just came in the box.

The kids made Ryan and I stuff the stockings.  Then we got in the box for the packages.

New cooking toy Sous-Vide

Hooray magnet earrings!

New stuff toy

On the real Christmas day (that felt nothing like Christmas) we loaded up the troops

And headed to the airport.  Kids with their fancy new luggage.  Traveling kids!

Merry Christmas!

Welcome to Taiwan.  Waiting in line at immigration.

KFC for a very late dinner.  Japanese tradition is KFC on Christmas, so we at least did something Christmas-y to celebrate

December Life and getting ready for Christmas

With Ryan away Madsen and I got to figure out how to tie a tie.  Only took half a dozen attempts!

Love these kiddos

For Tori's Family Night Activity we made these adorable penguins!

Cassia's violin concert

She is loving taking strings at school this year.

Nice job girl!

Here comes Daddy's boat!

These trailers are waiting to go on the boat.  Ryan's office for the next several months during the maintenance period.

It's here!

Ward Christmas party.  Madsen was suppose to be a donkey, but surprisingly came on stage as Joseph instead.

Cassia was one of the head angels

Tori was also an angel

The whole cast.  We have a great primary group!

Tori invited her school teacher to come, and she was so sweet to come see Tori in our simple nativity.

Festival of trees.  The library's tree.  These kids (especially the silly one) love the library.

The Middle School tree

The Elementary School tree

Madsen played a song for his classes' sing and share

Tori sang and played a song.  I ended up singing it with her after this because she was pretty nervous...but she made it through.

We had some friends over for a gingerbread house making party.

The 4 family's houses

I LOVE making treat plates!  We did 30 this year, and I wanted to do more...but life is too busy.

Nativity on the Christmas eve (23rd for us) at our house.

It was fun to have some friends join us for dinner and the nativity.

November - Run Club, awards, Thanksgiving and more...

Run Club season number 4.  Kids did great on their 5K.  Ryan and I coached the same group this season.  Always a joy to work with him!

Cassia got an award for 4.0 1st quarter

And a PRIDE award for diligence

Nice work Cassia

Cooking Thanksgiving dinner is always interesting in our Japanese house.  Little oven!

We had friends over (but no pics...sniff!).  Natasha and family, Hales, and some missionaries.  Good times.  Natasha brought face-paint as an activity for the kids.

Off to Hakone.  Beautiful views of Fuji!

We hiked along the old Tokiado highway

Parts of the trial were the old stone trial from the 1800s

Other parts were also town street winding up the moutain.

And other sections we can to sprint to get across the busy road to the next section of the trial.

It was beautiful...and an interesting adventure.

Hiked to the lake at Hakone

Lake Ashi and Fuji San.

1, 2, 3

Hakone Nov 2018

Our Costco bear helped put up the Christmas tree this year.

Nice job big teddy!

He's off to sea.  Once of twice a year Ryan's team goes out to the Aircraft Carrier for inspections.  This was his turn.  Let me just say.  I was never meant to be a sailor's wife, and this guy was never meant to be a sailor.

While he was away the kids and I enjoyed our 3 year at the neighborhood Mochi pounding

Pound the rice!

Into a paste

Add some toppings and have a yummy japanese snack (we think...a lot of Americans don't like Mochi....crazy!)