Summer Vacation - Visiting Caputos South

So, we headed down to Atlanta to be with Gigi & Papa, Uncle Dan & Aunt Leigh and Joshua's sweet cousin Caroline :-)

I'm realizing that we didn't capture everything on our own camera...hence this blog entry is missing some key events like the amazing chocolate chocolate chip bundt cake Leigh made for my (Kendra's) birthday celebration (thank you!), some cute photos of Caroline & Joshua getting acquainted, lunch at the Varsity, etc. However, those of you who know any of the paparazzi that was with us, can see more complete photos :-) You should've seen us: two firstborns, four doting parents and grandparents! As someone said almost prophetically, "Joshua's feet won't touch the ground!" He lacked for nothing on the love & attention front, that's certain!!

Here are Jonathan & Joshua waiting outside the fabulous Atlanta Aquarium with Dan & Leigh and Caroline.

Here's our sweet little niece playing in her exersaucer

Joshua didn't have to twist Gigi's arm to get her to read The Very Hungry Caterpillar to him!

Joshua hanging-out with his Great Aunt Leslie

Joshua also warmed up right away to Cousin Tyler and plopped himself in his lap!

A nice Sunday swim in summery Suwannee

Dinner out one evening after several days of feasting on homemade Caputo cuisine

Make-it-yourself frozen yogurt sundaes at Yogli-Mogli, a new favorite!

Mmm...good :-)

Playing around in the fountains at the lovely Suwannee town center

Yeah, I'm just hanging-out here with Papa, enjoying the stones

This is my kind of summer evening...

Farewell breakfast with Papa & Gigi at yummy Cracker Barrell

Why do we have to go get on an airplane? I'm so happy here rocking with my Gigi & Papa!

Wow! A chair my size too, right next to Gigi's :-)

Summer Vacation - Visiting Friends in Indiana

We started off well! Joshua thoroughly enjoyed the boat ride over to the airport (our first time trying it). He bounced himself up & down on Jonathan's lap while babbling excitedly practically the whole ride :-) He did fine on the long flight from Osaka to San Francisco, however, he just decided not to sleep, in spite of it being essentially an overnight flight :-(

When we were getting ready to board the next long flight (5 hours) to Boston, we knew it was going to be tough. Joshua - and we - were feeling close to "melting down." We eagerly volunteered to be bumped by the airline (and put up for the night in a hotel) to fly the next day. Yes, the meltdown came (for Joshua), and he barely slept again, but at least he had some fun bouncing around the hotel crib with some pillows.

In all, it may have helped with his jetlag. After the first 48 hours with little sleep, Joshua did pretty well once we got to the Boston area. He'd crash for about 5 hours in the late afternoon, but then wake for dinner and go back to bed at night for a good 6 hours or so.
Here he is in the airport heading to Indy. He loves wheels and was thrilled to check out a Mustang - just his size and right at our boarding gate!
Joshua's favorite pastime during the trip...checking out these cool door-stops! (Way cooler than anything we have in Kobe.)
Joshua enjoyed lots of hugs and playtime with great friends in the Indy-area...
and lots of swimming too :-)
I'm so blessed! Thanks for welcoming us!!

Happy Homecoming Anniversary, Joshua! (July 25, 2010)

On July 25, 2010, we celebrated Joshua's homecoming one year ago!! We were in Indianapolis, where we lived when we were first married and we were able to attend the church Jonathan attended for years and we both attended once we got married - ZF. We consider it our "home church," as they are the ones who have "sent us out" to Kobe and continue to pray for us and challenge us in Christ. It was a real joy to be able to be there on this special anniversary day for Joshua/our family.

Interestingly, it was Jan, a friend from ZF, who shared a thought with us after our commissioning service at church in July, 2005, before we moved to Kobe. She said something to the effect that she kept imagining us coming back to ZF with our Japanese child. However, she reminded herself that our child would look like us - i.e. we have no Japanese ancestry, and our biological child wouldn't look Japanese. However, as I filled out our adoption application, I remembered Jan's words....and am reminded again of God's goodness, sense of humor and sovereignty!

Yes, He loves us enough to restrain his power and grants us free will, however, at the same time He is working His kind of divine conspiracy. As I spoke with Mom Kohl over summer vacation about gardening and spiritual gardening that Paul talks about in I Corinthians 3...about one planting, another watering, but God causeing the growth. Yes, He determines what grows and bears fruit, but we have a role to plant & water. What a privilege to participate in His eternal garden!

We wanted to share with you a poem about adoption that our friend Miho found.

To Anna

アナへ

One there were two women
Who never knew each other;
One you do not remember,
The other you call Mother.

二人のお母さんがいました。
お互いに面識はありませんでした。
一人は貴方が覚えてない人、
もう一人は貴方が「お母さん」と呼ぶ人。

Two different lives,
Shaped to make your one,
One became your guiding star
The other became your sun.

この二人が
貴方という一人の人間を造ったのですよ。
一人は貴方を導いてくれるお星様で、
もう一人は貴方の太陽となって。

The first one gave you life
And the second taught you to live it,
The first gave you a need for love,
The second was there to give it.

一人のお母さんが貴方に命を与えて、
もう一人のお母さんがそれを大事に生きるように教えるの。
最初のお母さんは貴方に愛を必要にさせて、
もう一人は貴方が必要とした愛を与えて。

One gave you a nationality,
The other gave you a name.
One gave you a talent,
The other gave you an aim.

一人は貴方に国籍を与え、
もう一人は貴方に名前を与えました。
一人のお母さんは貴方に能力を授けて、
もう一人のお母さんはその能力を伸ばしてあげるの。

One gave you emotions,
The other calmed you fears.
One saw your first sweet smile,
The other dried your tears.

貴方に感情を授けた母さんと、
その感情で湧き出た不安を取り払ってくれたお母さん。
一人は貴方の最初の笑い顔を見たお母さんで、
もう一人は貴方の涙を乾かしてあげたお母さん。


One sought for you a home
That she could not provide,
The other prayed for a child,
And her hopes were not denied.

一人は貴方を育てる場所を探したけど、見つからず、
もう一人は子供を欲しいと神様にお祈りして、
その願いがかなったお母さん。


And now you ask me
Through your tears,
The age- old question,
Unanswered through the years.

いつかきっと貴方は涙を流して聞くでしょう。
決して答えのない質問を。


Heredity or environment,

Which are you a product of ?
Neither my darling, neither.
Just two different kinds of love.


「生みの親か、育ての親か。」って。

私の愛しいアナよ、
それはね、どちらでもないのよ。
愛には二通りの愛があるのだから。

Rainy Season in Kobe (early July)

What are a Mommy & Toddler to do during a month-long steamy, rainy season?
Get rested up for summer vacation, play indoors and take some pictures!

Joshua suggested that I let him help me move furniture around, since he's so strong and such a big boy now. I decided to leave the furniture as is, however, I let him "practice" and took some pictures to show everyone what he's up to these days :-)

Joshua's sporting his "Boston Red Sox....here I come!!!" outfit :-)

He's learning to climb and can now get into & out of his toy box by himself.


This bears a striking resemblance to the pose Joshua struck around his 6 month mark....

Come on, Mommy....Surely you could let me just hold that cool camera of yours! I'm so sweet. How can you refuse me?

>

Jonathan's First Father's Day Celebration

Jonathan loves to grill, especially during baseball season. He also loves to swim, and is thoroughly enjoying taking Joshua swimming, as he seems to share our affinity for the water.
Two of our good friends also had baby boys this past year, within a few months of Joshua's birth. Plus, Joshua has made friends with another little boy (a few months older than him) at church in the parent/baby room at church (we have no nursery.) So, we had a natural group with whom to celebrate our first Father's Day.
We celebrated a day early (on Saturday), and took the whole afternoon into the evening to have fun together!
The school of "fish" gathering. Joshua, Casey, Casey's big sister, Alisha, [not pictured, Shun, the friend a little older than JKK], Shun's big brother, Hiroto & front row (youngest little guy): Yuuhi

Spring Break in Honolulu

Sunday we visited Dole Plantation and Joshua tasted his first pineapple juice - Yummy!
Joshua loved our hotel room - he could check on "his wheels" ANYTIME he wanted!
...even BEFORE breakfast!
We all enjoyed swimming in the hotel pool
Joshua did really well at Cheesecake Factory for lunch & especially enjoyed sipping Daddy's water


How's that for a good splash, Daddy?!
The lagoon was also perfect to swim in. It was shallow & calm, salt water with a nice beach. Joshua took to it right away!




We had to end on a high note - Cheesecake Factory again, take-out. Still very nice and a MUCH shorter wait than dining in during the peak of the Japanese tourist season, Golden Week
Joshua is following his Daddy's lead and trying to help with the luggage. A perfect gentleman in training
Not pictured: We all had our first ride in an AMBULANCE in the middle of the trip. I (Kendra) got food poisoning (or something), dehydrated quickly (due to my bad habit of not drinking enough on a daily basis) and then passed out for a few seconds. Fortunately, Jonathan kept me from getting hurt and had wisely put Joshua in his Pak-n-play, where he was happily playing while this all happened. My blood pressure was too low, so they took us all to the hospital by ambulance.
Thankfully, I recovered quickly with IV fluids and was able to resume normal eating the next day. An additional blessing was that Jonathan was able to move our return flight back two days (a happy Airline story for a change) and we could make up for the time lost and make sure I was truly up for the long flight home.
In all, it was a surprisingly fun & relaxing trip!