Happy Easter

On Good Friday, I spent the morning with my girlfriends decorating Easter eggs. They turned out pretty cute.

Japan pretty much celebrates all of the major holidays here - not for religious reasons, but solely for commercial ones. But I'm actually surprised that Easter is not one that they celebrate. Luckily I brought an egg-decorating kit back with me, as well as all the supplies for E's Easter basket.

Unfortunately the night before Easter, poor E was up several times in the night with a high fever. Despite the medicine, she still woke up with a 102 degree fever that I couldn't get under 100 all day. Even though she was tired and didn't feel well, she was quite excited to open her Easter basket and find all of the eggs!

The rest of this post is for my Dad, who doesn't believe I let E have sweets. The truth is, she eats sweets all the time! She's like her Mom and Dad - a complete sweets lover. My Dad bought her a chocolate bunny for Easter, and YES, I let her eat as much as she wanted. She probably ate a good 3/4 of it! She may not feel well, but she definitely feels good enough to eat chocolate!

Another thing I'm looking forward to doing when we're home: going to church. I've missed this part of my life the last 3 years. So I'm excited to be able to go to church next year on this very special day. Happy Easter everyone!

Goodbye Michigan

Thank you to everyone who made our trip back to Michigan so special. We enjoyed spending so much time with friends and family. It was great to be home, and made me that much more excited to move back to the U.S. for good.

 You can see all of the photos from our 

trip on our shutterfly site, here.

18-Month Photo Shoot

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from Elodie's 18-month photo shoot. Megan, from Give Me a Shot Photography, took some great pictures of her. You can see all of the photos on our shuttefly site, here.

 

I especially love the photos of her wearing the sweater with her hair in pig-tails, but I wasn't thrilled with the pink tutu ones. Since I specifically bought the tutu for the photo shoot, I decided to get them retaken at a different photo studio in Portage. Unfortunately I don't have access to the digital files because buying them wasn't an option, but you can view my favorite photos on their virtual studio online here. They turned out super cute, and I'm very happy with them. I bought a couple print packages of the third and sixth photos in the gallery.

Thank you Auntie D

I cannot even begin to express how grateful I am to Auntie D for watching Elodie so much for me. Her generosity helped us go on our date day, allowed me to go to a couple of my girlfriends' baby showers, as well as my mom's chemo treatments. Not only did I get some free time to myself, but I was also able to relax at home some too - because Auntie D and Uncle Brian would come over to play with E.

Auntie D has always been one of Elodie's favorite people. From the moment E met her she has absolutely adored her. I think they will have a long lasting special kind of relationship. :)

Thank you, Auntie D, for all of your help.

Family

My brother flew home from Savannah while we were back, this is only the second time he's seen E since she was born. The first time she was only 3-months old.

It's hard living so far away from family, and I don't like it. Even though when we see each other it feels like we have never been apart, we all miss out on the daily everyday stuff that makes you a family.

I have family in Michigan, a brother in Georgia, a sister-in-law & family in Texas, another sister-in-law & family in Nebraska, and a mother and father-in-law who are moving to Missouri... and we live across the world in Japan... does it get any more spread out than that? Will there ever be a day that we live close to family? I pray about it everyday.

This is one of my favorite quotes, and really hits home for me: "Missing someone isn't about how long it has been since you've seen them or the amount of time since you've talked. It's about that very moment when you find yourself doing something and wishing they were right there by your side."

18 Months

Our sweet girl turned 18-months while we were in Michigan. I can't believe an entire year and a half has gone by. Her personality has really begun to shine. Not only is she a complete love, but she's also very stubborn and opinionated!

Elodie loves people, especially family. Besides interacting with others, her favorite things are babies, books, balls, and of course swimming. Oh, and I can't forget music too! She really enjoys listening to toddler songs and even does the hand motions to songs such as "Little bunny foofoo," "Incy wincy spider," "If you're happy and you know it," and "Head, shoulders, knees, and toes." It's super cute.

She is always on the go, and very energetic these days. She's becoming more and more interested in gross motor activities, especially jumping on the bed and couch (thanks Grandma).

Her language has drastically increased since we've been in Michigan. I don't know if it's the constant interaction with others here, or only hearing nonstop English - probably both - but it's amazing to hear the amount of words she's been learning.

She certainly is the love of our lives! Happy 18-months sweet girl!

"Woof Woof"

Elodie has a love-hate relationship with my mom's 6 yorkie dogs, or as she calls them "woof woof." One minute she will be playing with them and petting them, and the next she will grab their hair or hit them. I guess it's a good eye-opener for how she may react to baby #2. ;)

She has taken on the daily responsibility of helping my mom prepare their food everyday. She loves this job. Then she will sit there next to them and try to help them eat it... which they aren't always fond of. It keeps her busy and happy.

It has been really fun to see E's reaction to all of the dogs. She looks forward to seeing them everyday... it is actually the first thing she says to me in the morning when she wakes up. It's pretty cute. I look forward to getting our own dog when we're back in the U.S... and I know E does too.

For Daddy

Happy birthday! We miss you.

Backyard Sledding

My mom has the perfect backyard for toddler sledding. The snow is beginning to disappear, so it's probably Elodie's last chance to get outside and go sledding. Luckily, her Uncle Brian loves to take her.

She has a pretty awesome inflatable baby sled. The back rest gives her good support so she can sit up, relax, and enjoy the ride - without falling over. She certainly loves her Uncle and Auntie.

E has been so spoiled this whole trip, and completely surrounded by love. I've never seen her so happy. This gives me huge inspiration to move home, soon.

Cinnamon Roll Waffles

Have you ever tried cinnamon roll waffles?... well you should!

I found the idea on Pinterest from this website. All you have to do is buy the Pillsbury Grands Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls, place them in the waffle maker and cook them until golden, then top them with the cream cheese frosting, and BAM!... you have one quick, easy, and tasty breakfast. :)

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. This is just another reason I'm looking forward to moving back to the U.S. --- huge breakfast selections at home, in the grocery store, and at restaurants.