So i know it has been Forever since i posted so here are some quick updates...
July we spent soaking up the sun in Hawaii for the first three weeks. then after lots of drama and complications from the navy finally made it to San Diego where Aaron had his helicopter school for a week. then it was off to japan
August 1st we flew into japan. we had a stop in Tokyo where we met up with my cousin Hitomi and her family. it was so nice to see them again even if it was just for a short hour. then it was off to Sasebo. i am really suprised how well the kids did on the trip it was a total of 2hr drive to LA from san diego (dont ask) a 11hr flight to Tokyo a 45min bus ride to the next airport (although mia did lose it on this bus ride and screamed the whole way) and then a 2hr flight and then a 2hr drive into sasebo! thats almost 18 hrs all together not even including all of the wait time and baggage and checking in...they are such little troopers!! needless to say, though, we wont be flying for a while so if you want to see us u will just have to come visit!
We have been living in the Navy Lodge trying to get housing. on base housing waiting list is like a year long (and i really mean a year) so we have been forced to get a cho (house/apartment) out in town. Japanese houses are WAY different. the cho we found is really nice. its a four bedroom apartment on the 11th floor. its right next to Huis Ten Botch which is a dutch resort (weird i know, but very pretty!) we have to wait till we get a car and all that before we can move in. I guess August is the big busy month of moving out and in for navy cuz people want to work around school years so we have had to wait to take the introduction class needed to get my drivers license. no license, no car. we start the class on Tues.
Sadly aaron will be leaving us the end of this month, very shortly, i would say when but then i would have to kill you all! Top Secret you know! He will be gone till mid Dec. there is a chance he will be able to come home for a week in nov but nothing is set in stone yet. he will only be home for about a month though and then leaves again in Jan. they are hoping after their winter deployment (the one in jan) they will get a little brake but who knows. another little secret they didnt tell us is aaron's ship is a For Deployment ship which basically means they are going to be gone the whole stinkin' time! i guess they dont advertise that cuz then no one would want to go on it, go figure! i have talked to some wives on there way back to the states and they said plan on him being gone for about 90% of the year minimum! at least he will be home for mia's first christmas, although sadly he will miss her first bday.
updates on the Babies: Aj is quite the little man. he is just talking up a storm and think up so much stuff himself. the other day he smashed his had in a sliding door (those doors never see him cuz he's so little!) so since then everything he sees and all of his stuffed animals have owiees on their hands. he also has decided he is going to "eat eat a yellow bus" and talks about it all the time.
Mia is such the bouncy little girl! She is always smily and shows off her two little teeth that have sprouted. she has finally mastered rolling both ways and man if you set her down and look away for a second she is half way across the room! she is working hard on crawling but those darn thunder thighs are just so stinkin hard to lift, but she tries! we have been having to walk everywhere so they both have gotten pretty tan, its funny cuz mia's got tan lines in all of her fat rolls! you would never think she has bronchitis cuz man she can belt out a scream! last night we went to the Obon Festival and fire crackers were just going everywhere, mia took it as a "who can be louder challenge" I think mia won!
We're in a pretty small branch but that just means we met everyone the first day. there are about 45 people in all. i've been making some pretty good friends too. aaron made some friends too. in he has fallen in love with a little 6yr old name Ali who holds his hand and drags him around like her little doll. he loves every minute of it. in fact she was nice enough to hold her hands over his ears cuz the fire crackers scared him.
well thats all for now!
