It's Christmas in June

So WAAAAAAAY back at Christmas time we told the kids were were going to get them a trampoline for their present from us.   They get something from Santa and something from us.
Well......fast forward to YESTERDAY.
THEY FINALLY GOT THEIR TRAMPOLINE!!!
A friend of mine wanted to get rid of her one and so she sold theirs to us.
It's around 14ft or 4m across in diameter.  So it's nice and big.
The kids were so excited they could hardly contain themselves.


 Last night they wanted to sleep the night out on it.  So we said yes.
Takeshi lasted 3 hours. Masaru a little longer and Yuki the longest. But they ALL CAME INSIDE AT SOME POINT during the night which made for an interrupted sleep for the parents.
Whatever man.
Let's just say it'll be at least a week or so before I let them try another sleep over out there with themselves.
They had bites all over them this morning which I tried to take care of.
Next time long sleeve PJ's and maybe a bit of spray on their faces and some socks.

Anyway the kids are in heaven and can't wait for tramp. time and are telling everyone in sight.
It's a great motivator as well.
For example "Mum can we bounce on the tramp"
"Sure once you've finished your chores..............."
"Sure once you've done your HW......"
"Sure once  you've done your reading................."
Or on the flip side "Hey if you guys keep doing that then NO TRAMP FOR YOU!!!!"
I love it.............................MUUUUWAAAHAAAAHAAAAA

How cute is this?

 One of the youth came and visited me to drop off this picture she'd drawn of this cute, cute kiwi.
I was very touched and grateful.  I went frame shopping yesterday to make sure I got the perfect frame for this kiwi.
Don't you think it's perfect?  It's like it's living in it's own little wooded forest.
It's just a perfect picture with thought put behind it just for me and it was all I could do to not cry in front of her LOL
I read her note later on and it was very heart felt.
She's one of the quieter ones in the class so I never really know what's going on 100% of the time you know.  So it was nice to hear her sweet words written down.
I've realized I need to continue to do a good job of loving these girls even though I'm not technically over them, and I'll try to do so as much as I can.
I'll have this kiwi for the rest of my life, always somewhere in the house to remind me of good times and great girls.

Emiko's shower

 Watch out.............if you're having a shower and close your eyes for a few seconds you might look down and see this.............................some pretty cute TROUBLE!!!

The Cabin

(by Dru)

We got invited to a mates' cabin, which we happily accepted. But then Melissa realized that Masaru had a birthday party that weekend--which was rescheduled just for Masaru since the original date was the same time we were going to be at Lake Powell. Melissa didn't want to say no again--I wasn't so convinced. But then Melissa got called into the Primary. And since we're going to be gone the whole of July bar one Sunday, she didn't want to pike out on them again. 

So divide and conquer it was. Circumstances what they were, I was able to hit the road a little early on Friday, so Yuki, Takeshi, and I packed into the super toy and headed for Utah. The drive down was fairly uneventful--a pit stop in Jerome, another in Snowville, then straight on through to Summit County. We arrived just after 9, ahead of schedule due to a lead foot, and 9 miles of freshly graded dirt road (I could really get into desert racing).

I put the kids in bed with little hassle, only had to tell Takeshi off once for mucking around. A game of Settlers and a nice catch up with Mista Puggs, then off to bed.

I woke to the makings of garbage hash--a cabin favorite and one reason why we started only bringing food for breakfast and dinner. I mean honestly, who needs lunch after scarfing that down?

 

 

Post-breakfast required some couch time. But after sufficient hassling from the kids, we decided to peel ourselves off the couch and take the kids for a walk to the swing. A neighboring cabin has some playground equipment and a large swing, so we tramped through the forest with the kids. 

The kids had a great time on the merry-go-round, the monkey bars, and the swings. But then Takeshi pulled the ejector cord on the swing and skidded out on his back. So I got the pleasure of carrying Takeshi back to the cabin for triage. A couple of band-aids and he was back to normal.

 

 

More Settlers, chicken salad sandwiches for lunch, an afternoon movie, topped with an afternoon snooze on the couch made for a delightful day. Apricot glazed pork medallions with asparagus, carrots and rice for dinner--though I wasn't very hungry. 

The kids had fun hanging out on the deck riding tricycles and driving Tonka trucks around.

 

 

After we put the kids in bed, we went out for a round of Frisbee golf while Stacey read her book. The temperature was perfect, so we set out with Lando (the horse dog). Lando was in heaven tromping through the forest while we honed our frisbee skills. Then it was Stanley cup game 5 and monkey bread. Been a long time since I've had monkey bread, delicious as ever. A few episodes of Pawn Stars and off to bed.

Waffles for breakfast and homemade pizzas for lunch--yum. A quick clean of the cabin and we hit the road at 1:30. We had to make a short stop at our house in Bountiful to snap a few photos after the new carpet was installed. 

 

Left B-town at 4:30 and rolled into Boise at 8:45. A good solid, relaxing weekend (minus the drive). Only thing missing...my beautiful wife (and Masaru and Emiko--can't leave them out in the cold).

This weekend

So Dru and I parted ways this weekend again but this time he took 2 our of our 4 kids with him.
I had the 'outside kids' and he took the 'inside kids'.  So I had Masaru and Emi and he took Yuki and Takesh.
They had a great time at a mates cabin and I had a great time here in Boise.
I let Masaru choose his own movie for movie night and made him whatever he wanted for dinner.
We watched it together and then after he went to bed (in my bed) I started on a project for my new baby niece who's coming on November 11th to the world.
I drew it up on a bit of paper and went and got the materials earlier on that day with the intention on starting it this weekend.
I put on some music and crafted for the first time in a while.  It felt good.
I went to bed at a decent hour (never happens when Dru is gone) and got some great sleep.
I've upped my exersize and I wonder if that has something to do with my going to sleep so easily?
I'll take it.
The next morning I went to the gym and then hung out with a friend then took Masaru to a birthday party clear out in Meridian.  Talk about far away.  It took me a good 30 mins to get out there.  It just solidified my thoughts on Meridian and to never, ever move out there.  Sorry Meridian fans, I'm sure you love it, me on the other hand...............no thanks!!
The house was AMAZING and HUGE and on a MASSIVE piece of land.  It had a pool and so much awesome stuff.  It was the perfect place for a boys birthday party.
Masaru had a blast.
I stayed.  There was no way I was going to drive there back then there and back again!! 2 HOURS OF DRIVING..........I don't think so people!!  So I stayed and swam with Emiko and made myself at home ;)
It was fun and the weather was perfect.
We got home and had a friend of Masaru's over while I cleaned a little and hung out with mates.
They fed me dinner which was nice and then Masaru went to a movie in the park with his mate.
They didn't start till around 9:30pm and so he didn't make it home till midnight!!
I ended up falling asleep on the couch waiting up for him.
I worked out again while he was gone and chatted with a friend then when Masaru got home we both went to bed.

We then all slept in until around 9am this morning, talk about BLISS, and then slowly made our way up and had some breakfast and got ready for church.
Church was awesome.
I let Emiko parade around the chapel while Masaru just sat with me and I got to listen, somewhat, to the talks.
I'm telling you man, two kids are a piece of cake!!!  My life was so easy this weekend with the two.
Anyway I had fun in my calling with the kids today and I love it.
I'm glad I'm in this calling.
I practise all week with my own children and we have a blast.
I'm beginning to see that maybe this calling wasn't to 'help' primary but to 'help' me.  I feel like my own kids and I are having a good time together and getting closer through these songs that we practise every day.
We laugh and have fun and do the actions and follow each other around and sing and sing and listen to music on the computer.
It's pretty awesome to be having this much fun with my own kids during the week.  It helps me to learn the songs for Sunday and we're having a great time while doing it.
This makes perfect sense to be in primary with my own children right now you know.  Come August all four of my kids will be in primary and I get to be in there with them.
I didn't know it a month ago, but this is truly a blessing for me in my life and I'm grateful to the Lord for knowing what I need.
I love being with my kids and I didn't even really know it...................well you know what I mean.
Dru should be home soon and my 'easy' weekend will be over but I've had a great time with my two 'outside' kids and am grateful for good friends and great callings.

Tender moments

Today I was cleaning Emiko's hands after her making a mess at the highchair at lunch.
She was looking up at me and smiling and I was smiling back and then for a brief second I saw Dad smiling at me.
I stepped back a little and took in the moment and am truly happy for eternal families and that I know Dad is watching over me when he gets the chance.

Father's Day

(by Dru)
I spent the weekend in Utah fixing up our house in preparation for the sale of said house. My Dad has been working by my side every time I go down--and there's no way I would be finished if it wasn't for his help (and the help of my brothers). On Saturday we worked from 6:30am to Midnight, stopping only for a bite to eat and a quick stop at the carpet store. I was done. My Dad was done. The house was...almost done.

I gave my Dad a hug and thanked him for the help, told him that I wouldn't even be close to done if it wasn't for all his help. His response was simple, "it's my job."

I don't think that he's technically required to help as much as he does, but he definitely understands what it means to look after your children. So this post is for you, Dad. At nearly twice my age, you can still give me a run for my money when it comes to good ol fashioned hard work. I hope that I can teach my own children how to work hard like you've taught me and my siblings. Whenever there is a project around, people have often said that you want a Nakaya involved--I think that's a compliment to you because everyone knows that a Nakaya works hard and gets the job done right. I'm grateful for all the hard work you've given me and my family over the years--never looking for repayment. Hell, you won't even let me buy you lunch. I love you, Dad.

My Dad jokes, "I need to get a job so I can have some time off." That's my Dad, working hard through retirement.

My FIRST time in Primary

So today was.......................my VERY FIRST TIME in primary doing my NEW calling.
AND.....................(drum roll please).................I LOVED IT.
Man those children are AWESOME and I already love them and I know I'll keep loving them more and more each week.
Doing both junior and senior primary is VERY different though and I have to adjust myself to both.  There's advantages to both that I like.
I just felt comfortable in primary today with the women and kids and am looking forward to the weeks and weeks ahead with each of them.
I'm really happy.

The YW (in between classes) came down and watched me *at work* and were waving and smiling at me through the little peek window.
Afterwards one of them came up to me and said 'Ah it looked like you were enjoying that a little TOO much'
I reassured her that I missed them terribly and loved them the best and she walked away satisfied.

Here's to embracing change, going with it (through tears) and loving it.

YW's

So I figured I'd better write down my feelings about my previous calling before I officially start my new one this Sunday.
Being in the young women's programme was the first calling I'd received here in this ward in Boise.
It took a while, about 6-8 months before they called me into anything.
I'd been in the youth programme only one other time since living in this country and that was for 4 months and then I was released due to a presidency change.
Yet in NZ that was the only calling I was in............Sunday school youth teacher, Young Women's Pres., Seminary teacher then I moved to USA where I taught and worked with adults for the majority of my 10 years here.
So when I was called into the YW programme 2 years ago here, I was really excited.  
I love youth, especially the young women youth.  They've always had a soft spot for my heart.  Their lives are so delicate and special and I love to see them grow and get a glimpse into their thought process and seeing them shine and grow right in front of my eyes.
I want the world for them.
I want them to have a strong sense of self and to have a strong relationship with their Heavenly Father.
I hope I gave them this gift in my short time with them.
I'm not sure if I have.
I think a strong woman is a gift to the world and I wanted strength for these girls.
A woman with a strong sense of self and who she is and why she's here is what the world desperately needs, especially in this day and age.
These last two years have been awesome.
I've laughed so much with them and had deep conversations with them and have cherished those moments.
I've worked with three different Presidents and loved each of them and I know this woman who is over them right now is suppose to be in her role.
She's amazing and has me in awe of how brilliant she is.
It's this fact that helps me rest easy that 'my girls' are in safe hands.  She loves those girls as much as I do, I know it and so I'm grateful for that peace of mind.
Last night they came over and officially visited me at my doorstep with a card and flowers to say 'goodbye' in a sense.  I've been on these 'doorstep' visits before and have felt a sense of pity for the leaders who have been let go and never even thought the 'doorstep' visit would be me one day.
I stood there and blundered through some words trying to keep it light because if I let them know how I really felt that might be even more embarrassing.  So I chose to write them a card with words of love and affection with a small gift attached to remember me by.  It's more my style and I know it makes the girls feel awkward when we cry in front of them.
I've cried a handful of times over these past two weeks at the loss I feel inside without them.
I hope that gets easier.
I'm actually not sure how I'm going to cope without them in my life as much.  I'm not sure how to deal with it to be honest so I just randomly cry and try not to do it infront of them.
I hope they know how much they mean to me and how much I love them and how much I want them to succeed in life.
I'll continue to see them, I know that, but it's not the same and that makes me sad :(
Last night I was talking to Dru about it and he said 'You obviously have done what you were meant to do in this calling babe, and it's time to move on'
As much as I disagree with that statement I agree with it (?)and it brought me a sense of peace.
I'll miss them terribly and I'm grateful for my two years with some of the best youth I've met in my life.
I pray their lives will be full with happiness and blessings and the tools they need to succeed in this life for their temporal but more importantly their spiritual selves.
I love them.

 The card.

 They gave me those peach flowers you can see there.  I planted them in my pot in hopes they'll survive longer than a week.  Me and potted plants are fierce enemies.

Here's to the end of an era and the beginning of a new one.
Today when the kids busted me crying they asked what was wrong and I said "I miss the young women" to which Yuki informed me "It's ok Mum cause you're with us now and you're gonna love it with us"
If I can love the kids as much as I love these girls, then I think I'll be fine.

Emiko

How cute is this girl?

I got her dressed today and thought I'd take a picture.

She looks like one of those weirdly dressed Japanese girls you see sometimes.

Harajuku girl.

She's a good girl for the most part and I enjoy having her around.

Apart from getting MEGA needy RIGHT AT dinner time, she's pretty good man.

I like the arm resting perfectly on the side of the house then looking slightly to the left for posing purposes, little model LOL

Of course she wasn't doing it on purpose but I just happened to catch the moment I guess.

We're all still alive and here.

I've been working hard on my calling and keeping up with my new summer programme with the kids.

They wake up, eat, do their chores, homework, scripture study and then exersize and THEN I can get started on my stuff.

Some mornings are better than others but I love the routine and it keeps the kids busy and they LOVE their afternoons of freedom and so do I.

We were in Utah again this past weekend and we've ALMOST got the house done.  It's so close yet so far LOL

It's going to be just beautiful when it's all said and done and I'm sure we'll have zero problems selling it, but fingers are crossed anyway just in case.

Dru has to go down again this weekend and I'm a little nervous to have Emiko with me for my first time teaching the kids music on Sunday.

I told Dru I'd like it if he'd be back by noon so we'll see what happens.

I'm doing well on my weight and I seem to have found my new grove with my food.  I hope I can keep losing and gaining muscle.

I'm excited about my brother and his pregnant wife and daughter to be coming over next month.  June can't pass fast enough.

Mountain biking

 So Dru and Masaru went mountain biking on Saturday and here's some pictures they took of their adventures.
Masaru came home and informed us all straight away that he'd mountain biked 6 miles!!
He's been telling whoever will listen since that day.
It's great they get to go together.
Masaru did great. Dru's teaching him how to use his gears so he can stay in the saddle and just granny gear the hills. Dru says he's a good down hiller, only one semi-close call. Masaru got lots of comments/compliments from all the other riders. One guy coming down actually stopped to interview Masaru.
The Dude: What's your name?
Masaru: Masaru
The Dude: Masotu?
Masaru: Masaru
The Dude: Oh. How old are you?
Masaru: 8
The Dude: Wow, I have an 8 year old daughter and a 10 year old son and I can't get them to come mountain biking with me. I'm going to tell them I saw an 8 year old mountain biking.
I think it made Masaru feel pretty good.
Pretty much Saturday morning I work out then come home and they go 'work out'
Hopefully they can keep it up so Masaru can maintain his fitness over the summer for soccer next season.
Between this and me exercising the kids daily, it should be all good right?

That cropping of dark green trees above his head is where the trail head started.

Changes

So on Sunday about 20 mins before church, I was abruptly released from working with the young women in our ward and promptly told I was to be working as the music leader in the primary.

I sat in the office and bawled like a baby while the man releasing me from my calling awkwardly told me the primary had been asking for me for almost a year and each time they prayed about it they felt like I needed to be in the youth programme for either a certain or certain youth at that time so would tell them no.

Anyway apparently primary asked for me again (bless their persistence, am I right people?) and when they prayed about it, felt like it was going to be ok if I was released this time.

Apparently though I'm irreplaceable as no one will be filling my calling with the youth and they'll be left one leader less.  So that's something right? ;)

I got up on Sunday and spoke to the congregation horribly.  I don't think I've done a worse job at speaking in my entire life and am embarrassed about it and wish I could take it back.

But hopefully the ward will forgive me and forget I ever spoke.

Now, two days later, I'm feeling MUCH BETTER about my NEW calling in primary.

I've never been called to primary before.........like ever!!!  Well there WAS that cubscout calling but I don't count that.  So this is all new for me.  I'm actually quite surprised due to the fact that I'm a school teacher by trade.  But I've always worked with the youth or adults.  

I'm kind of a 'mean' teacher though and expect a certain kind of behaviour.  But since being a mother and watching Dru work with the primary kids I've lessened on my 'drill Sargent' behaviour and think I might be ready to work with children and not give them nightmares about their new music teacher.

There's also another tiny problem, my children informed me the last music teacher (a man) was the BEST MUSIC TEACHER IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD, so as long as I have that to go by I should be good right?

I've got no chance.

But as the short time has passed and I've had it on my mind I've been feeling better and better about this new adventure I'll be having with the kids.

I think I'm getting reassurance from above that this is a good thing and I'm going to be ok.

I was doing my scripture study this morning and looked over my new calling a little and almost thought I felt a surge of excitement about it?!?

I'm nuts.

Anyway I'm sure it's going to be great.............I feel bad for primary though cause not only am I replacing, apprently the best music teacher on the planet but they've been asking for me for a while now and I'm a little scared I'll disappoint them or they have some strange idea that I'm gonna be awesome or something.  But here's my thoughts, all they need is someone who shows up every week and loves the kids right?  So apart from July when I"ll be gone basically the whole month, I think I can do that.

So WHO'S DONE THIS CALLING AND CAN GIVE ME IDEAS?

Hook me up people.

I'll take every and all ideas you have to offer me.

World famous in NZ.............

https://docs.google.com/file/d/1fIB7azzBrjM5rCvOrHQnnbiFsFOEWL0_OYwPpZIUfZNmOiKfoQhU1B3Sb7-m/edit?usp=sharing

I made the NZ Sunday Star times.
They have a part in the paper for kiwi's who are living in other parts of the world and ask for your imput of living elsewhere.
My Auntie told me about it and sent me the Editors email to get in contact with her.
So we emailed back and forth but she never promised anything.
Then my brother gets a call late night Sunday from a church member who had seen the Sunday paper article and called him straight away.
My brother got a hold of a paper and low and behold........................I MADE IT!!!
We just put Boise, Idaho on the map.
I should be getting paid for this!!!!!
Whooohoooo