3

 So in celebration of our 8th wedding anniversary Takeshi decided to be born.
This year we celebrated 11 years while he celebrated 3.
He said he wanted a monkey cake.
So a monkey cake we made.
Look like any monkey you may know?
He actually told us he wanted a turquoise monkey cake.
So we made the inside turquoise.

 We didn't know what to get him.  He has everything he wants and isn't particular to anything except his monkey blanket and he already has one of those.
So we thought and thought and came up with getting him a scooter.
Here he is opening up his presents.

 He did so well since family also help out in the celebrations.
He loved everything he received and was really happy.

 I guess he's thinking which present to go to next.

 Gift from grandma in NZ.

 The scooter.

 Turquoise case for his turquoise car.

 He got some remote control little cars and PJ's and a mini leap frog lap top and trucks, guns, clothes, books.
He wasn't lacking in the gift area that's for sure.

 So we popped the 'three' on the cake.

 Then sang to both children.
He shared his birthday with his cuzzie Ella.
He's actually shared it with her his whole life.  It'll be a sad day when they don't share it.  What are the chances they can share it every year?

 Then he blew out his candle and we all dug in to the goods.

Like that turquoise middle?
We also found a monkey pinata and so let the kids thrash on that for a while and collect candy/lollies at the end.

Takeshi is a great kid.
He's really cute.
He gets a lot of comments from strangers, family and friends at how cute he is and I tend to agree with every single comment he gets.
He's got this cheeky smile and great hair and beautiful eyes.
He loves his siblings and his mother and father.
He's such a good helper and I'm so glad he's a part of our family.
We all love him so much.
He's the best.

We went to the doctors yesterday to give him his yearly check up and his ear was blocked by wax again.  So I need to fix that over the next week.
He's a loud talker and I wonder if this is part of the reason you know, cause he's not hearing so well out of one ear.
Anyway he measured in at 3'2" (96.5cm) which puts him in the 57% for his height.
His weight is 31lbs (14.06 kgs) which puts him in the 43% for his weight.
So he's about average.
He's grown 3 inches (7.63cm) in a year which I think is pretty normal for a little boy.

Love you bub
Mum xx

11

 So on Friday was Dru's and my 11th wedding anniversary.
It wasn't as huge of a celebration as it was last year (Hawaii) actually it wasn't really even celebrated to tell you the truth, but Dru surprized me by getting to Utah sooner than I had anticipated and bringing me these beautiful roses, which are my favourite.
Dru man, always the man of mystery.
He does well and is a romantic at heart, he just can't be pushed into it, it has to be HIS idea which is why he hates Valentines Day due to the day TELLING him WHEN to be romantic.
Dru can't be pushed.....................at least I've learned this over the 11 years..........................

 We're tired and a bit older and feel older as well.
We don't sleep as well, maybe that's more the kids though, we don't seem to recover as quickly from injuries, luckily they're few and far between, and we're still using second hand furniture we got from various people from the beginning of our marriage.
But what I can tell you is that we're happy.
I can speak for him cause I asked him last night..................................

I'm very happy.
I think one of the main things Dru and I have is laughter.  We laugh and laugh together and it's great.  We're still silly behind closed doors together and have our own personal 'jokes' only we get.
One thing I've learned over the years of traveling and various friends/family is that there are many, many happy marriages and there are many, many wonderful men out there who all need to be celebrated.
I know over the years I've joked that Dru's the best guy out there but so many other women claim their man is the best.
So who is really the best?
All of them, that's who.
I believe if you're happy in your marriage part of it is because you have a great man right?  They need to be told and reminded of how awesome they are.
Hurray for great men who treat their women right and who love them for who they are and what they can potentially become.
Hurray for great men who love their kids, work hard and have strong faith in their God.
Hurray for great men who can look at you when you look your worst and still truly think you're beautiful and tell you so and you know they mean it.
Hurray for men who love REAL women and love REAL relationships and REAL marriages.
Hurray for great men who never give up.
Hurray for Dru......................one of the greats and the PERFECT MAN for me.
Hurray for 11 great years together full of laughter, love, ups and downs, fun, learning, growing, kids and faith.
Love you babe
Milz xx

GNO

Last night I went out for some frozen yogurt with some girls that I usually don't really hang out with much, outside of this little girls night out we do once a month.
It's nice to get together though and talk and eat and talk about our lives and hardships as well as our loves and acomplishments.
Last night was the smallest group that has met so far.
Usually there are around 8 of us or more.
Last night there was only 4 of us including me.
It was pretty awesome to have such a small group.
In the bigger group you still have fun but you don't talk to everyone due to the fact that the table is huge and you break off, unintentionally, into smaller groups and talk to each other.
Last night the group was small so we all pretty much talked the whole night away.
We met at around 8:50pm and I got home at midnight!!!
Even though I don't really call these women inbetween GNO's to shoot the breeze with them I felt a really heathly connection with each of them.
It was refreshing and nice and I walked away feeling really good.
I'm leaving for Utah today so that brings on it's own stresses due to me travelling alone with 4 children for 5 hours and not having things working out for me, but at least for a short amount of time I felt listened to, validated and un-judged in my woe's as a hormonal mother of 4 cute kids.
Realistically I couldn't meet more than once a month, but I wish these women were in my lives more.
I get busy though and forget, then am reminded at these GNO and have the best intentions which fail every month, but I don't think anyone really minds.
We all know what it's like, busy, busy, busy and you just have to do what you can with what you have.

At any rate, I look forward to these nights and hope the other women feel the same way I do and feel better after we've parted ways, every month.
I consider myself a pretty open person, most people appreciate it.  I've had numerous women tell me they enjoy knowing they're not the only ones with their struggles..................so it makes me wonder why more women aren't honest with their struggles and still will pretend life is perfect rather than seeking help and refuge from other women?
I hope all women have a little 'refuge' place that they can seek and feel listened to and validated with their struggles as well as their joys cause I think without it, we're truly missing out.
I've said it before and I'll say it again women need good women in their lives, those friendships are irriplaceable.
I hope I can and have been a refuge........................................

Mum's little helper

So I feel a little sheepish about yesterday's post.  But I don't think many people read it anyway, so that's good.  Thanks for your support Jessie, love you.

Here's my little Takeshi, who while defiant, is a little cutie.  He ALWAYS wants to help me, always. 
I decided that even though I felt like crap yesterday I should let him help.
So he went around the floor and spot cleaned the floor for me while I went behind him and mopped.
He did a great job and while he likes to use excessive amounts of liquid, I still appreciate his willingness to help and his cute positive attitude.

I'm feeling better today, ironically I worked out this morning, go figure.
I hope to keep feeling good and appreciating my children and my life for what it is..................pure awesomeness.

Big Miracle

 So we watched 'Big Miracle' yesterday after church as a family.  {He looks so brown in this shot}
It was awesome.
We all had a great time together as a family watching a beautiful film about saving these whales.
Today, after a two hour time out, Masaru wrote all about it.
His longest journal entry yet.
He's pretty proud of it and I'm pretty proud of him.

He loves to write and I'm glad that he does.
He felt a sense of pride that I was going to put it up on the blog, which is great.

Me on the other hand............how am I doing you ask?
I think I need my own BIG MIRACLE...............
Well have you noticed the LACK of posts?
That's how I'm doing ................ BLAH
I'm barely exersizing, not getting my scriptures read, my kids seem to be EXTRA naughty lately and I'm running out of punishments DAILY for them.
I taught Yuki how to wipe her own butt right?
So today she asked me to wipe her butt and I told her to do it herself, she needs to learn with pre-school etc.
Well folks she spent 45 mins sitting on that toilet screaming/bawling because she REFUSED to do it herself until the very end.
I quietly placed the wipe on her knee and slowly closed the door.
Masaru decided that he'd rather spend 2 hours in his bed room than do his daily morning chores, and miss out on swimming, playing with friends to do it this afternoon.
Takeshi, after being told not to do something, will look me square in the eye and do it as if to prove to me he won't be told thanks.
Even Emiko has been moodier lately.
I can't compete with these children people.....................................they're slowly driving me to the looney bin.

I feel like crap and I'd like to run away for a week by myself with zero kids, housework or guilt..............anyone know of a place?
I've got zero motivation for ANYTHING and EVERYTHING.

What I need to do is start exercising and reading, but it's SO HARD for me to get up and I"m NOT going to work out at home................the point of working out is the GET OUT OF THIS HOUSE...................I'm not an at home exerciser people............tried it, not for me.
But I"m also not paying the extra $60 to put my kids in the gym when I could wake up........................
Plus I don't exercise at night, so it's morning or nothing.....................
Then with the HUGE list of crap I need to get done daily finding time to get to a quiet place and read my scriptures seems impossible.

I know what I need to do, so I just need to figure it out and do it.
Easier said than done.

Be careful with your comments.....................I might delete them due to sensitivity. 

Mexican jumping bean

This has been a favourite of ALL of my children.
Emiko's head/neck has always been strong but putting her in this thing means it had to be a certain kind of strong.
 I finally tried her in it a couple of weeks ago, maybe less, and now in the last couple of days she's been loving it.
She'll bounce and jump and really enjoy it and it's nice for me, cause she gets to use up some of that energy and I get to have some time to get things done around the house.
We've given back the swing to our mates and I'm going to have to give up the bouncer seat in a couple of weeks as well and she LOVES the bouncer seat. I'm a little sad. But my friend is having HER OWN baby, so it can't be helped and I don't want to buy my own one now Emiko is almost 5 months old you know, so if anyone out there has a bouncer seat they want to lend us for a few months that'd be great.

 Also on a side note in a week Emiko will be 5 months and ......................... guess what..................................I'M STILL BREAST FEEDING!!!!!!!
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa MEEEEEEEEEEEE
Whoooooohoooooo
 World record right here people.
Oh yeah, oh yeah, rock the party, rock the party, I'm still breast feeding, still breast feeding....................
(two handed fist pump high in the air)
Goooooooo Milz, you the WOman................

I'm pretty excited about it.
Can you tell?

Swimming

 

So Yuki and Masaru had swimming lessons at the local pool this year.
For Yuki it was her first time.
So it was a big deal.
It was tough for her as the other children could put their heads under the water and were a lot more confident than Yuki.
She had a bit of a harder time with it.
But she progressed so well in this group and I'm really proud of her.
She jumped in and would put her head under when the teacher told her too and was pretty happy about it.
Masaru continues to swim and do well.
He's very confident in the water and now I guess I'm too that stage of whether or not I continue him in lessons to REALLY swim.
We'll see I guess.
Takeshi, Emiko and I sat on the side lines and baked in 100 degree weather, so that was fun.
I met a couple of nice ladies who had a child the same age and Emiko and both of their names were Sarah and they were both school teachers.
It was weird............
Anyway to tell you the truth it was a little stressful to me to have to get out of the house at 10:30am every.single.day.
I usually had to wake Emiko up then feed her at the pool so I"m glad it's over to tell you the truth.
But I'm also glad my kids had a wonderful time and I'd do it again for them...............................but I'm glad it's over .............................................

Together again...........

 So the Johnson family came to town to stay with us this weekend.
I'm hoping, like with his brother's family, that his sister's family come each year to Boise to stay with us.
We loved it.
They arrived for dinner on Thursday night.
Some of the kids slept out in the tent but most of them ended up inside bar 2 of them.........................oh well.
Dru and Chris stayed up till 3:45am talking.
CRAAAAAAAZY.
Friday we biked to the park and I almost lost two of my kids to the road....................
We then came home, ate then went swimming in the neighbours pool.
Then our niece babysat while we all went on a cruiser date into down town.
Here's Chris {above} jimmying up a light in case we were out too late.

 Kristin borrowed my bike.

 Dru could hardly even contain himself since he'd found this beauty on KSL and fell in love with it straight away.
It's a sweet ride.................and YES that would be a corduroy seat there people!!!
I borrowed my neighbours bike again.
Turns out I'm a pickier cruiser person and haven't found anything I like just yet.
We cruised into down town and got some frozen yogurt and people watched and talked.
It was a relaxing night together.
Lucky we had those lights on the front as it was dark on the way home.

What do you think of this man?  A pub on wheels.  I guess you drink while you spin.  Pretty crazy right?  We knew we needed to get a picture. 

 Then the next day they floated the Boise river and had a wonderful time.
I stayed home with the baby due to feeding and heat and water.  I'm not sure what I would do if I fell out of the raft.......................this will be the third time we've done this (once a summer) and I"ve never fallen out, but I'd hate for my first time to be with Emiko right?
Turns out no one fell out and it was enjoyable.

 Our neighbours came with us as well.
We love living so close to such great people man.  I love our neighbours to bits.

I stayed home and made dinner and prepared a lesson for church as well as fed baby, tidied a little and made cinnamon rolls which were a huge hit with everyone.
We relaxed and talked and hung out then the Johnson's had to go home *sniff, sniff*
We had a really good time with them which is no surprize.
We love their kids and tolerate the adults...............................jokes man jokes.
WE LOVE YOU JOHNSON'S...............................thanks for loving us back.

Must be a record..............

So my bro gets home June 13th right.
Well on June 30th he buys a ring.
Then July 6th asked this beauty to marry him and she said yes.
CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?
So a little over three weeks of being home and my bro is engaged and getting married in October.
I'd like to hear a faster story.............................
See UTAH..................you guys aren't the only ones who move fast................kiwi's know where it's at as well baby.
LOL
I'm so happy for them and am excited for them to move forward with their lives together.
'Bevin, Bevin he's our man, if he can't do it NOBODY CAN'
Waita show us how it's done bro...........love you.

Can you feel that breeze?

Takeshi's Vampire pose {below}

'Thanks for making our worlds a little funnier Takesh, you're awesome'

Journal Entry Seventy

Write something special about each one of your children.

Click HERE to read mine.

July 4th.........Independence Day

 So Dru and I are usually with his family for this holiday.
This year it was on a Wednesday and Dru had to work before and after the day so we were 'stuck' in a sense, in Boise.
Turns out it was one of the best 4th of July celebrations I've ever had.
We woke up and I did some shopping for dinner that night while Dru mopped the floor and cleaned the bathroom (my hero) then I got started on this cake I wanted to make.
I was pretty excited about it, cause if it turned out, it had the potential to be awesome.

 Then we decided to bike into town and watch the parade together with the neighbours.
We put Emiko and Takeshi in the trailer together.  I wish I'd gotten a pic of it as poor Takeshi was so squashed since we left Emiko in her car seat strapped up and Takesh was left with the little space beside her, which trust me, wasn't much.
He was a trooper though.
The parade was one of the worst if not the worst parade I've ever been to in my life.
It was VERY political, and they threw out hardly any candy, there was HUGE gaps in the parade so it dragged on a bit.  I wasn't impressed at all.
The kids had a good time though and I'm glad we went just for the nieghbourhood bike ride we did together.
We looked like our very own parade.
There were 3 bikes with trailers, 1 adult bike and 4 kids bikes all in a row.
We got a few shout outs.
It was a lot of fun.

 Emiko at the parade.

 She's not impressed.

 Dru and I at the parade.
Once we got home Dru and I hung out on the porch swing in the neighbours back yard while the kids went swimming in their pool.
It was very relaxing and nice.
Then Dru got started on dinner and I got started on making the cake.

And here she is.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Pretty patriotic for a kiwi right?
I got the idea from HERE
It turned out great and it tasted really good too and that's the most important part really.
The kids LOVED it.
They were saying nice things about it which made me laugh.

 We then had some mates over for the dinner/show, the Holdens.
They brought good food, water balloons and great company.
Our kids all got along well and the adults had fun too.
It was a really nice night, weather wise, which helped out a ton.
We ate and talked and the kids watched a movie then we were ready for the show.

We started with sparklers to keep the kids entertained.

Dru was 'johnny on the spot' and did all of the lighting up for the night.
This is the first year Dru and I have EVER actually purchased fire works.  We spent $45 and it was money well spent.
The kids LOVED it.

 Yuki and Takeshi were a little scared at first but then got into it.

 Running around like mad men with their sparklers.

 Not too sure what he's doing here, maybe lighting ants on fire?

 Our neighbours joined in as well with a few of their own fire works which added to the fun.

 Boys having tons of fun.

 Dad helping out the kids.  I think Dru's trying to convince Yuki to hold the sparkler.

 Now if that's not a patriotic picture of my daughter I'm not sure what is.
Emiko was fast asleep in her bed in the house, which made for a stress free night for us.

Some shots of the 'show'.
I had a REALLY good day...............like REALLY good.
I LOVED yesterday with family, friends and neighbours.
Dru and I did everything we planned out on doing, which never happens, and it wasn't stressful for me at all.
I'm liking Boise more and more people I"m telling you, this might be my place.....................apart from the parades..........come on Boise pull your socks up and learn how to parade......................Utah's WAY better.

Yuki

 Yuki told me we needed yogurts.
So I told her to write it up on the list.
She said 'I don't know how though'
So I said 'Looks like we won't get yogurts then'
So she took the stool and a pen and went up to the list.
She said 'Can you tell me how to spell yogurts?'
I'm like 'Nope, you sound it out yourself and write how you think it should be spelt'
This is what she came up with.
I think that's pretty awesome.
So awesome I knew I needed to put it in the blog book.
Now your 4 year old might be a spelling bee champ and that's great, but for me and our house, this is pretty awesome for my 4 year old hence the post.
Love you bub, well done.
And yes, she got yogurts yesterday because of it.

Cruiser date

So on Friday night Dru and I decided to go out with each other.
We put the kids down to bed, got a baby sitter, put on a movie for her and off we went on our cruiser date.
These are our neighbours beach cruiser bikes.
Aren't they awesome?
South east Boise is the perfect place to have a cruiser.  There's the greenbelt super close and downtown is close and it's a no brainer really.
The weather was beautiful at 8:15pm and we were off.
We had a really fun time together.
We just cruised and talked and stopped off in town for some frozen yogurt.
Dru and I never knew that downtown Boise was so hopp'n on a Friday night. 
It was packed with people everywhere.
Who knew right?
It was awesome to sit and talk and people watch.
We had a great time.
Then we had to face the inevitable and start heading home.
So Dru got a video of me on the bike.
No mocking.........................................
I think we might make this a weekend ritual..............babysitter, cruiser, hopp'n Boise and great company.
Love you Boise.................ah..........er........I mean .................love you babe....................but Boise is a close second.....................