Fun stuff

So the fun continues in the Nakaya household.

Masaru took himself fishing the other day. He took Dru's cruiser bike and packed up his fishing rod and gears and some water and went for a couple of hours. He didn't catch anything, but I think he had a good time. Although he hasn't asked to go since. I think he'll love fishing in Lake Powell and in NZ with his Uncle Llew!!

Our next door neighbour gave Masaru some building block things. They're not legos. I'm not sure what they are. So he decided to build kiwi a skeleton.

 I feel sorry for this kiwi. I don't dare put it in the wash, but it's gotta be pretty gross man. When I go in to check on the kids at night, this kiwi in under Masaru's cheek while he sleeps. He tried to convince me the other day that it's so soft and feels good, I remember having a similar conversation with Dru when he pulled out his blanke,t from when he was a kid, and showed me.
Neither of them felt soft. I think you just get used to a certain feeling from your 'thing' I guess. It's kinda cute.

We've also just finished two weeks of swimming lessons.

They're not the best, but the kids love them and they're cheap.

The kids can float and semi swim pretty well now.

Masaru, however, is a great swimmer and improved a ton these last two weeks. I'm impressed with his skills. He can't dive off of the board yet, but we can practice that.

The last day they let them go on the slides. My friend took pictures. I'm not doing well with taking pictures this summer. 

No pictures of Masaru. But he was over on the other side on the 'big' slides, having fun.

 Masaru just finished doing a week of rugby training with 'Rugby Idaho'.
He loved it.
The last day they all met at a local park and had a night of playing. Masaru did great.

Then the Dad's played against the kids. It was great.

 If you can find Dru, I'll be impressed.

 There's Dru, getting into it.

I'm glad that we did it. He has Wednesday's in July playing rugby as well. It's so good and I'm glad we do it. It's so cheap and he gets a t-shirt and a new rugby ball.  It's great. 

Here they all are. Grey shirts this year. Good times. Masaru's right in the middle. Can you see him? Holding his rugby ball rather than his certificate haha

 Then this past school year, the kids got free passes to the local water park here in Boise. It was a reading challenge which they succeeded in doing.  So with three free tickets, we had to take them. Dru and I had never been to the park or ever looked into it. I looked it up online and it was $30 for an adult!! I couldn't believe it. So Dru decided he wouldn't be going and we decided it would just be me going with the children!!
I dropped Emiko off with my mate Natalie for the hours we'd be gone. Bless her heart. But I knew taking Emiko would NOT be the way to go.
As it was Takeshi was JUST shy of 48 inches and so couldn't go on some of the rides. I felt bad for him about that, cause he's a diehard and would've went on all of them. Yuki was the apprehensive one that would hold onto me, or only do certain rides if I was right at her side. Kudos for her doing it though.
Masaru was even more of a diehard and would've done more if it wasn't for us holding him back. I almost needed Dru with me so we could divide and conquer, even with these three!!
We didn't get to do everything, but did enough for the kids to be happy.
I think this would be a great date night for just Dru and I. The kids would never forgive us though, so we'd have to do it on the sly!!
It's a pretty expensive date though!! I'm looking forward to going again next year when the kids earn their tickets, although Mum and Pete ARE coming over next month, maybe if I convince them that this park is awesome they MAY shout us and then Pete can take Masaru on all the diehard rides!! It'd be expensive so we'd have to see if they'd be keen I guess hahaha
There was so much to do and I'm so glad we went. I think my kids got a couple of shades darker after the day was done.

Look how white I am compared to my kids!!! Thanks for giving them good skin Dru, but with the good skin Masaru got bad teeth!!! Can't have it all people!!

We rushed  back home and I got to catch up with a friend of mine who was in town, Bree. What a great opportunity to sit and relax and catch up with how she's doing.

She was a sister missionary in Moscow while we lived there. I got along with her well and we've kept in touch. She's a Stake Young Women's President in Utah. This means she's in charge of 7 wards of youth girls down there and all the Presidents, like me!! She's so busy, but I know she's trying hard to do a great job. I'm glad we caught up.

Dru left town yesterday, all of a sudden, because he got word that one of his highschool girl friends son died. He was 12 and hung himself by accident.

I cried for a while about that, and I've only met her twice, but I can't even imagine. Then I cried again today thinking about it, so am trying to keep it more surface level you know. 

She lives down in Roosevelt in Utah and left his parents place at 7am and didn't get back until roughly 6pm, after all was said and done!! It was nice to catch up with all his friends, but what a way to catch up right?

He just visited another highschool buddies mother who's been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing chemo therapy and fighting for her life, he's now with another highschool buddy, catching up with what they've been up to.

I think he'll come home exhausted. But welcome to my world man. I've got a meeting before church tomorrow, a talk in sacrament, and a meeting after church, all while trying to juggle the kids without Dru!! 

Then today was a busy day with the kids as well, I think we'll both drop tomorrow night, in bed, fully exhausted from the weekend, for totally different reasons.

One of the things we did today was went and got haircuts.

 Here's Yuki's. She wanted to go short, much to the disappointment of her father. I told him he needs to work it out man, he agreed.

Who's this handsome devil?
Masaru, who's growing his hair out, got the bottom trimed off, so it doesn't look like a mullet. I never got a picture of that! Then I got my hair trimmed as well. No pictures, I'm sure no one will even notice a difference.

Then, randomly, today, Yuki decided to write a Haiku poem for us. It goes like this:

I am mischief

I get into shiny stuff

I get in trouble

What am I?

You'll never guess...................................

A Kea. This is a NZ parrot. It lives in cooler weather, unlike other parrots. It's everything Yuki described it to be.

Pretty cute right? She's awesome.

We're having fun. 

I'm tired so I better go practice my talk then head off to bed.

USA Father's Day

So today was fathers day in the USA.
It always sneaks up on me since in NZ it's way later on in the year on the first Sunday in September.
Dad always hated it cause the first Sunday's of the month our church observes a 'fast' hahaha
He'd change his fast that month to the second Sunday so he could, rightfully, have his day and eat what he wanted, when he wanted.
I kept pestering Dru all week about how he wanted to day to go. He told us he wanted to sleep in and have hugs and kisses. He also told me he wanted me to make cinnamon rolls.
 After years of searching and trying and searching and trying, I've finally found the perfect recipe. They take time and are a royal pain in the butt, but they're Dru's favourite as well as anyone else who tries them!! A good cinnamon roll is hard to make, yet rewarding when you perfect them.
So, consequently, the day was busy, but I kept a smile on my face and did the best I could.
I had a meeting in the morning for church.
Dru got to sleep in until then.
He said just knowing that he could sleep in, made his night's sleep that much more restful. I'm glad, he deserves it.
He got up, right before I left for my meeting, so he could practice his talk he had to give at church.
I always volunteer myself to talk, yet HE'S always the one that gets asked ..................... and he HATES it!!
Go figure right?
His talk was brilliant and I'll post a copy of it at the end of this post. I think my kids should read it.
Takeshi ALSO had a talk in primary today and totally nailed it. He's a rockstar that kid. He read 2.5 pages and had pictures to go along with it. I should actually post a copy of that talk as well. Maybe I'll take a video of him doing it and put that up. We'll see.
Dru wanted cornbeef and cabbage for dinner. So I got that all ready as well as the cinnamon rolls and we went to church.
I had to come home halfway through church to add things into the cornbeef for dinner.

When we got home I continued with the rolls and dinner. The kitchen was a mess and I was a little stressed but trying to act calm and let Dru have his day.
Dinner turned out perfect. We ate way too much, and most importantly Dru LOVED it.

We all watched a movie together. The new Cinderella. We think that movie is pretty awesome. I fit in right at Masaru's feet there.

I made 24 cinnamon rolls. I gave 10 away to a couple of mates and then my family ate the rest bar 3!! Needless to say they were a hit.
We got the kids in bed and now Dru and I are gonna watch a movie together. I hope he had a good day. He said he did.
Maybe I'll write about my father on NZ father's day and leave USA father's day for Dru.
I'm glad he's their father.
He's a good man. They're blessed to have such a great man to call Dad. I lucked out in this area as he looks after us well and takes his role seriously which I love.
What a blessing to have Dru in our lives. One I try not to take for granted.
He truly is one of the greats, I hope he always knows this and we always make him feel as such.
Love you babe. Thanks for everything.

And as promised, here's his talk.

Well, the last time I spoke was Mother’s day and naturally I spoke about mothers and said I’d leave the topic of fathers for another talk—for another person.  Since Brother Henley wasn’t in the bishopric at the time, I’ll cut him some slack for not picking up on my not so subtle statement. So, as promised, let’s talk about Father’s—after all, it is Father’s Day.

Fathers are amazing. Fathers can make such an impact on their children—good or bad. I’ve been lucky enough to have a father that has made and continues to make a positive impact on not only my life, but my family’s life. And I hope to make a similar impact on the lives of my children—taking the very best of my father and his father and passing it down.

Fathers have always played and continue to play an important role in our Heavenly Father’s plan.

The scriptures give countless accounts of the positive impact of a father. In the first lines of the Book of Mormon, we read about such an account—perhaps the most read lines in the entire book—“I Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father.” Lehi was a man of God. He taught his sons to be men of God. Not only through word, but in deed, also. Lehi didn’t preach one thing and do another. He practiced what he preached, giving up great riches to obey the Lord. I can’t think of a greater example, to his sons, of obedience to the Lord’s commandments than giving up his comfort, his earthly possessions, all that he worked hard to obtain, to follow the revelation he received from the Lord. And Nephi followed in his path.

Some of us have fathers. Some of us are fathers. Some of us will become fathers. For those who have fathers or have had fathers, take a moment today to reflect on their goodness. For those of us who are fathers, reflect on the goodness you give to your children. For those who will become fathers, reflect on the goodness you want to give your children.

As I think about my own father, I can recall countless examples of goodness. Is my father perfect? No. But I know that he tries his best. I know that he tries to make my life better. I know that he loves me. I know that he loves Melissa. I know that he loves my kids. And in the end, that’s good enough for me, and more importantly, good enough for the Lord.

Fathers have a unique role in our Heavenly Father’s plan. President Ezra Taft Benson said,

Fathers, yours is an eternal calling from which you are never released. Callings in the Church, as important as they are, by their very nature are only for a period of time, and then an appropriate release takes place. But a father’s calling is eternal, and its importance transcends time. It is a calling for both time and eternity.

In the Proclamation to the World we learn that mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children and fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families.

Let’s break down each of those responsibilities. First, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness. Fathers are to preside over their families. Does this mean we’re the boss? Whatever we say goes? No, because there are two qualifiers to presiding over our family, “in love and righteousness”.

In Ephesians 5, the Apostle Paul points out that “the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church” (Eph. 5:23; italics added). That is the model we are to follow in our role of presiding in the home. We do not find the Savior leading the Church with a harsh or unkind hand. We do not find the Savior treating His Church with disrespect or neglect. We do not find the Savior using force or coercion to accomplish His purposes. Nowhere do we find the Savior doing anything but that which edifies, uplifts, comforts, and exalts the Church. Brethren, He is the model we must follow as we take the spiritual lead in our families.

Is this true in your relationship with your wife? Here again the counsel from the Apostle Paul is most beautiful and to the point. He said simply, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church” 

In latter-day revelation the Lord speaks again of this obligation in the 42^nd Section of the Doctrine and Covenants. He said, “Thou shalt love thy wife with all thy heart, and shalt cleave unto her and none else” (D&C 42:22). Now, if I’m reading this right, and I’d like to think that I am, there is only one other thing in all scripture that we are commanded to love with all our hearts, and that is God Himself. So think about what that means!

As President Gordon B. Hinckley has taught: “In this Church the man neither walks ahead of his wife nor behind his wife but at her side. They are coequals.” 

Next, fathers are to provide the necessities of life. What are the necessities of life? Clothing, shelter, food, and love. Yes love. I strongly believe that being loved is a necessity of life and vital to our physical and mental health. Are the necessities of life Abercrombie, Giorgio Armani, Dolce & Cabana? No, it means modest and clean. Are the necessities of life a 12,000 square foot home? No, it’s a place of safety—both temporal and spiritual. Are the necessities of life Ruth’s Chris, Barbacoa, or Chandler’s? No, it’s simply three squares a day.

Third, Fathers are protectors of his family. Elder Theodore Tuttle in a conference address said,

The father is the protector of the home. He guards it against the intrusion of evil from without. Formerly he protected his home with weapons and shuttered windows. Today the task is more complex. Barred doors and windows protect only against the intrusion of a corporeal creature. It is not an easy thing to protect one’s family against intrusions of evil into the minds and spirits of family members. These influences can and do flow freely into the home. Satan can subtly beguile the children of men . . . . He need not break down the door.

Elder Tuttle’s statement was given in the 1970s. Before the personal computer, before laptops, cell phones, and the internet. Before Facebook, Instagram, and twitter. Before wifi, smartphones, ipods, and tablets. If that statement was true back in the 70s, then how much more need do we have to heed that warning today? While the internet, social media, and mobile devices have helped spread the word of God across the world, it has also brought Satan to our doorstep and beyond. Gone are the days of having to make an effort to find the trash that so freely flows through the internet.

Fathers, we have a divine calling to protect our families from the smooth and perverse whisperings of Satan. We are the first line of defense. We have to withstand the mighty blows ourselves, if we are to protect our families. If you get knocked down, immediately pick yourself back up and repent. We might get knocked down ten times, a hundred times, a thousand times, but we can always get back up and continue the fight. It’s never too late. The battle is never over. It’s not whether we get knocked down that matters, it’s whether we choose to get back up. Get up, repent, and stand as a sentinel at the threshold of your home.

Our homes can and must be sanctuaries of peace. A place of safe haven for our families to come back to each day. Be as Joshua and boldly declare, “but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Fathers are also the patriarch in the home. This means that a father is the spiritual leader in the home. Fathers should lead the family in family prayer each day. Fathers should take the lead in hosting regular family home evenings. Fathers should build traditions of family vacations and outings. Those memories will never be forgotten by your children.

When I was young boy, my family used to pack up the station wagon and go camping in the Utah Uintas. I remember playing by the river, catching bugs for the bug race, while my brother caught snakes to turn loose in the middle of said races. I still remember coming home from one such camping trip in late August, with apprehension for the upcoming start of kindergarten. Being the youngest of four, my siblings talked to me about what to expect and things to look forward to. They were my pals. And today? Well, I still go camping with them nearly every year. My brother is one of my best friends—a friendship that started because Mom and Dad planned family vacations that forged an unbreakable bond.

Fathers should participate in daddy-daughter dates and fathers & sons outings. Time spent with your children in their formidable years will pay dividends in their spiritual and physical well-being.

Fathers, teach your children to work hard, and serve others. I still have memories of filling sandbags with my dad during Utah’s flood of ’83—I was only five. My dad taught me to work and how to serve. I pushed, and pulled-out many cars stuck in the Utah snow with my dad. It didn’t matter where we were going, if he saw someone stuck in the snow, he always stopped the truck and told me to get out and push. I still love getting people unstuck.   

Draw close to your children. Learn to communicate, learn to listen. Children are dying to tell us things. Allow them to—even while they’re young and what they have to say is not all that important, because if you do, guess who’s going to want to talk to you when they’re older and have something important to talk about? Leave work at work, so that your children know that when dads at home, his attention is theirs.

Encourage good music, art, and literature. I learned to like Bocelli from my dad. I learned to hate classical music from my mom. Nah, jokes man jokes. They took me to plays, the symphony, operas, and even the ballet. I even learned to love country music because on a construction site the radio only plays one of two genera—country or heavy metal. Thanks dad, now I can sing along to Alan Jackson’s ‘Where I Come From’ and a host of others while getting stares of amazement (and sometimes disgust) from family and friends.

Recently, Kanye West did a song featuring Paul McCartney—you may have heard it on the radio. Many millennials on Facebook—bless their hearts—made ridiculous comments about how Kanye took this Paul McCartney fellow under his wing and helped him into stardom. If you don’t know who Paul McCartney is, shame on your parents for not teaching you. Now, if you don’t know who he is, google him. Not now. When you get home.

When I heard about the naiveté of these millennial’s statements, I decided that my children would not fall victim to posting such silly statements. So, I started music appreciation—a short lesson at the close of FHE. The Beetles seemed to be the obvious starting point. While only in its infancy, we have discussed Ringo, John, Paul, and George (google them). Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis and Led Zeppelin—you gotta start with the greats, right? I give a brief history of the musician/band and blast samplings of their music on the sound system as we dance and sing.

And lastly, fathers are teachers. My father has taught me many things. Light auto mechanics, framing, painting houses, tile setting, finish carpentry, how to operate heavy equipment, how to serve others, how to water ski, snow ski, how to ride a bike, how to thank the Lord, how to drive a boat, how to back-up a trailer, how to appreciate fine arts, how to sacrifice, and how to follow the Lord.

We all have talents and skills, knowledge that can be passed down. It might be computer programing, creating a spreadsheet, writing, math, sprinklers, painting, or genealogy research. Look for opportunities to teach your children. I’m happy that my father taught me so many valuable skills and attributes. I’ve been able to use those things to benefit others. Of all the skills my father taught me, the greatest thing I’ve learned from my father is his love for people, and his willingness to serve. When possible, take your children with you to serve—even if it’s only to observe. I’m sure I wasn’t much help at filling sandbags at age 5, but my father took me anyway.

Brethren, we have a great responsibility and with it comes great joy. May we all work hard, continually picking ourselves up, fighting the good fight, to protect and lead our families along the path of righteousness. I humbly pray in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

1 pic mostly documenting

So summer has been pretty awesome so far. The kids are doing well, I'm doing well. Today's my last day of no exersize and my body feels really good. I'm excited to start over tomorrow.
We've been having just regular fun together. It's been great.
Thursday we went to the park and the kids got free lunch, then the Boise community peeps came and played with the kids for almost 2 hours. The kids LOVE these guys. They know my kids by name and do such a great job of playing sports with them and having each of the kids be involved, not matter what age they are.
One of the leaders came over and asked Emiko if she was going to come back and play with her. Emiko went back when they decided to do their art project. She wasn't interested in the sports just yet.
Some of my kids mates were there and they all had SUCH  a blast. I mean how can you go wrong right? Free lunch and free organized games for the kids. Honestly, what a blessing Boise is.
I'm glad we go and do this once a week. It's something I can support and go do and it's free. With limited funds because of Mathnasium, going to things we'd have to pay for is not really an option this summer. I'm grateful for free entertainment for my children.
I love Boise and I love my neighbourhood.
Friday's is library day and the kids love that too. Again, free, and again something they love and I don't mind doing.
We go to the library and they get to pick a book and a DVD of their choice. The boys missed out this week, due to behavioral things!! They got a book though. I sat there and did my scripture study, while they went around and were immersed in books and the ipads they could borrow from the front desk.

Here's what Masaru wore to the library and such. Socks with his flip flops. That's something my brother, Haydn, does. Funny right?
Sometimes, if we're lucky, we'll get to meet their father for lunch, like this friday. We were at winco shopping after the library and, low and behold, who comes around the corner............Dad!!
The kids were happy and we had lunch at the park across the road. Sure it was filled with goose poop and geese who were eating and drinking from their own poop infested grass and water, but that's just part of the excitement right? Stupid Boise geese, how do we get rid of those man? What a pest.
No worries though.
Later on that night we watched a great movie called 'Spare Parts'. It's another true story of kids who, beat the odds, and come through. We loved it and I recommend it.
Yesterday we had fun.
We cleaned the house then went shopping then headed over to our mates place for swimming and dinner.
Our friends live out in Meridian, where we never go, but they have a pool they can use. They've tried to get us out there a couple of times and yesterday it worked out!!
The pool is great and we had fun there. We're trying to get Emiko comfortable in the water before we head to Lake Powell. She did pretty well.
We then had some pretty awesome hamburgers with our mates and the best smores they did on their grill.
Fun times.
We then headed straight to the downtown park to 'Movie in the stars'. This is another 'free' thing that the Boise city does for families.
So they have these same people who play games with the kids there, as well as food, face painting, dancing and more for the families.
Emiko wanted to dance and no one was willing, so I got up, infront of the whole crowd, to dance with Emiko and other, random children. I feel that was a good 'mother' moment. Lucky I feel confident in my dancing skills and I don't really care what a bunch of strangers or anyone, for that matter, think. I tried to get Dru up, but I'm sure we can all guess where that went.......................
The movie they showed was 'How to train your Dragon 2'. One of our favourites. We got a great spot, set up our blankets and stuff and were entertained.
Next time we go, we'll be a little more organized with pillows and more blanket and snacks.
Our friend, Tashi, met us and stayed as well.
What a great night.
The kids were asleep in the car by the time we got home at 11:30pm and just hopped into bed in their clothes.
I'd say that's the sign of a great night right?
Summer is such a fun time with each other. As long as I don't plan too much, it's really enjoyable to me.
I love my family and am grateful to Boise for their efforts towards families like mine, who can benefit from said efforts.
Now onto fathers day today...................................................

Picture

I can't believe Dru and I made 4 humans that are so good looking.
You're welcome world.

Happenings

So last night we had Dru's work, summer, party. It was alright. Nothing like last year. I wonder if they were on some kind of serious budget this year? BUT...............that said, I'm grateful they do it. It was at a local park, this time, and there was food and a couple of games..............that's it.
Hula hooping, and sack races. Turns out Masaru and Yuki are legends at the hula hoop and both scored themselves $20 gift cards to Fred Myers, a local store here. They were pretty pumped about that. Better than the prizes they got last year!! So it all worked out in the end right? Plus no dying fish in puddles!!
I met more of Dru's work mates, which was nice, and we just played the night away.
We didn't get home till around 9:30pm and were all pooped. But that didn't stop Dru and I staying up till almost midnight in deep, thoughtful conversation. It was nice.
It was a great night together, as a family, thanks to Simplot.

In other news, not that anyone really cares, I've decided to take this week off of exersize. I can't remember the last time I ever took a full week off......................like really............I can't remember. Maybe after Emiko was born?
My body has been feeling tired lately.
My guess is it's a combination of things to do with life, motherhood, upping my weights in bootcamp to 20lbs each hand instead of 15's, church calling, summer and such. I'm NOT pregnant, so that's good for me, I know it's others goals to be pregnant and I wish that for them, but for me, I'm fine not being pregnant.
I'm feeling good, really good, but I'm fighting my emotional state of feeling 'fat' and 'lazy' and thinking I'm going to lose all of my muscle in one week!!
I keep telling myself to stop being stupid, and for the most part, it's working, but it's tough man. I mean I work out.....................ALL the time and I LOVE it. It's therapeutic and helps with my happiness and well being. I'll work out between 4 and 7 times a week, between bootcamp and mountain biking, I'm always active.
I think this will be good for my body, and I'll hit it hard next week. I've been slipping in my eating habbits and have felt my body put on a tiny bit of weight. I'm trying to figure out how I feel about that, considering that my body's been so good to me you know?
I think I eat too much 'treat' food and I need to scale it back a little bit. So I think next week I'll start forming slightly better habbits and see what that means for my body. I still fit my pants etc, but it's a little tighter, not bad tight, just 'Oh I think I've put on 5 pounds' tighter. Who knows if I have or not since I don't have a scale and won't weigh myself, but I feel good about my choice not to work out for the week and am looking forward to starting new goals next week.
Who knows, maybe I'll buckle and work out tomorrow. But for now, this is what feels right for my body.

You didn't see anything.....................

Masaru wanted me to post about this story from yesterday.

So Yuki puts her toast in the toaster, and it pops up. Masaru comes along and bites out a big chunk of it, after I've put butter on it for her.
I'm like "Masaru, that toast is Yuki's"
Then he replies with this....................


I start busting up laughing and then Yuki comes out and wonders where half of her toast is?
Apparently I didn't see anything, so just walked away.............
Lucky she didn't care, and that Takeshi was around to tell her everything.

In other news...............lately there's been the finals of the ice hockey championships here in the USA.
Dru's team the 'Blackhawks' were in the finals and so he'd watch the games.
I think it's the first time in our whole marriage he's ever turned on a USA sports game to watch. It was fun for all of us to get into the games and cheer the Blackhawks on.
Last night they won the Stanley Cup. It was great.
So in celebration Masaru made a lego hockey game.

Pretty good right?

Sports games take up a long time. It was fun to watch but I can't imagine having a husband who watched sports, constantly, for hours. He turned it off so we could have family night together. The teams didn't score while we were doing family night, that was also great for him. So he saw all the scoring points. He used to play. I can't remember if he's played here in Boise, but he used to play in Moscow.

Anyway, things are going well. It's hot and I'm trying to do lighter dinners. Lasts nights was good. If you have a summer favourite, let me know.

Can't sleep

So I'm not really blogging as much lately. I dunno if it's that I have nothing to say? Or if I'm simply too busy to sit and type? I'm not sure. But I need to try and do a better job I guess.
It's close to midnight, there's something evil lurking in the dark.......................sorry I couldn't help myself, let me start again...........................it's close to midnight and I can't really sleep. So I've been indexing, even though I threw a fit about it to the Bishop and basically told him I wouldn't really be doing much.
So far this week, and it's just been today, I've earned 383 points. I can't even believe it. There's something about it that's relaxing and satisfying though. So, at least, I know I can, not, do anymore this week, and feel good about my points.
My kids have been sitting around, lately, and going through the blog. They love seeing the videos of themselves when they were little. Yuki sounds exactly like Emiko. We told Dru to close his eyes and listen to the video and he SWORE it was Emiko............but nope, totally Yuki.
It's been fun for them to see themselves and go through and read what their lives were like, back then.
I'm glad I blog.
I'm tired. My body is tired, yet here I sit!!
Masaru is doing great at mathnasium. I'm glad he likes it. He bikes himself up there, which is great. He needs to be active and I'm glad he has his bike.
We looked after our mates kids this weekend. It was really good. They mostly played well together and did really great at nights. Church was tough, but that's alright. I'm glad our mates trust us enough to leave their kids with us. I'm sure their kids are telling them horror stories right now about their stay!!
Nah it was fun and I tried to do a good job. We'll see if they wanna come back I guess.
Dru's been a little stressed, tired, sore, headachy. I hope he starts feeling a little more like himself sooner rather than later.
He had a dream that Emiko died in the tub last night. He was upset, so spent today hugging her and keeping her close to him. He couldn't get the image of her dead in the tub, outt've his head. Horrible right? Poor dude.
My calling at church is going alright. I'm not sure what the YW think of me being the President. I guess it doesn't matter much. I'm trying the best I can and that's good enough. My 'helpers' are doing awesome too. So I think we're doing alright? Who really knows.
We went to the bishop's house tonight to talk about dating. I think it went well. Always an interesting topic to engage in.
The kids start swimming lessons this week. They're all excited. I'll have to get some pictures. I'm going to start going to the park, once a week, and getting free lunch, library time and play time, for the kids. Should be fun, the kids love it.
My little brother, Haydn, just got called to be the Branch President in his little town in NZ. So basically he's like the Bishop of a ward but just on a smaller scale. He's a little overwhelmed but trying hard to figure out what to do and how. I think him and his wife will do great. They have a baby coming in November, so that'll be crazy. I hope through their service they'll be blessed abundantly, though, and will see miracles in their lives.
Mum's coming over in July with her husband. We're sorting out last minute details about that. We're all pretty excited to see them man. I love it when mum comes over aye. Should be awesome.
I think we're doing a pretty good job of keeping in our budget for mathnasium. We seem to be doing 'low-key' things, not eating out, and Dru's been biking to work in hot summer weather!! Bless that man's heart.
We have his brother's old scooter, so I think we're gonna fix that up, at some stage, and he'll ride that to work in the winter months, so we can continue to save for Masaru.
This one guy at church, every time he sees me, says that I look tired. I'm like "Yeah I am" and laugh. I should probably go and try and get some sleep. I'm starting to feel tired.
I love that we've got the whole of June here just chilln. It makes me relaxed.
I like summer.
I miss my family in NZ.
That's all I gotta say.
Goodnight

Summer

So we had 3 days last week and then this week is the first official week of summer. I'm happy it's here.

 So they have chores that they need to do every morning that they wake up. They're ok at them. You'd think that since they've had a regular schedule of chores, almost, their whole lives, that they'd be self motivated, not need me, just get up and do it cause they wanna play and have fun........................nope.
I have to stay ontop of them and it gets old, but it's for the greater good right? My kids will learn how to work hard and put the tough stuff first and have the fun later on right? One can hope, at least. It's the only reason I don't give up, they have to learn how to work hard, sometimes it's the key to success.

I added some new chores for this summer, sweeping the kitchen and wiping down the benches/counter tops in the kitchen. It helps me a ton. Each of them get a day off every third day. The oldest three do it. The oldest two are great at it.........................Takeshi, however, well..............you'd think he'd been asked to cut off his right pinky finger. I'll give you a little taste of what the family goes through for around 45 mins as he sweeps the floor.



Good times right? He's learning good habits though. I talk to him and tell him it's always better to just do things without complaint and I hope, one day, that he'll sweep the floor without throwing a tantrum.
They do educational things, such as reading, math, journal writing and the older two practice their piano. Takeshi waters the plants outside and Emiko picks up the pinecones, much to her disgust!!
Then once these things are done, they can do whatever they want.
They have neighbourhood mates they play with outside. They bike, bounce on the tramp, slip'n'slide, watch movies, play wii, play pretend and more.
The other day I watched them all playing together and had a 'I love my kids' moment, and realized how good of friends they really are to each other.
I'm glad they have each other, I'm glad I had four kids, I'm glad there's two boys and two girls. I lucked out and I'm grateful for them, even though they drive me nuts.
They were laughing and giggling and telling stories to each other. There really is no substitute for a sibling is there? Your siblings can be your best friends. I know mine still are.
The weather's been hot. Today's a little cooler, which is nice. We've taken the kids on bike rides every day, they love it. We're still working on Emiko riding a pedal bike. I need to do a better job of teaching her. She'll get it.
I'm not the kind of mother that finds entertainment for my kids, my mother didn't entertain us, we entertained ourselves and that's the kind've mother I am. My kids need to learn to entertain themselves with the neighbourhood kids instead of me taking them to things. I get tired of that quickly and am a true home body. Too much outtings and I'm a grump!! Ask some of my BFF's. I'm pretty sure they've given up on inviting me to things, simply because 90% of the time I say no. I'm just not that person man and am fine with it. The older I get to more I know me and the less I apologize for being the true me, like it or lump it.
We're going nowhere this month and I'm SO HAPPY about that. I love the usual routine with my kids and a relaxed atmosphere with no hussel and bussel and just fun times and a clean house!!
I'm sick today and so today's been a bit of a rest day. Nothing like feeling like you need to throw up every hour on the hour. It's like being pregnant all over again..........................wait.............I better not be pregnant!!
Alright I'm off to get a pregnancy test, but thought I'd better blog about our summer so far. Laid back and fun times with each other.
Here's a picture of Masaru's latest build.

Takeshi's 'Graduation'

Takeshi had his kindergarten graduation the other day. I didn't tell Dru. I didn't think he could make it anyway, but I saw a bunch of father's there and thought 'Is this suppose to be a big deal?' And then texted Dru to apologize for not informing him of this event.
We met him afterwards.
Anyway the kids did a few songs for us, which was cute.

 He's pretty cute man. He didn't tell me he wanted to dress up, so he just wore this.

I love how, in the songs where they're doing actions, Takeshi is simply folding his arms, almost defiantly. I'm not sure why he didn't wanna do the actions but it looks funny to have all the kids doing them and him not. At least he can't be pressured right?
Kids singing, is always cute and he was excited about the whole thing.
They had a graduating ceremony, but my phone told me it didn't have anymore room and so I spent half the time deleting stuff from my phone, only to not make it in time and miss him getting his certificate. Had I known that, I wouldn't have taken these shots of him singing.
Oh well.

 Takeshi being himself. He always wants to pull faces in photo's. Most of the time I let him.

This was him trying to smile and do a normal face.

 Here's his certificate.

I don't know where he gets his 'silly face' antics from!!!!

 Takeshi with a couple of his homies.

 With his teacher. She's ok.

We met Dru afterwards to 'celebrate'

Handsome boys.
After the celebrations, Takeshi showed me his folder and all his drawings.
Here are some of the pictures of ones I deem 'blogable'

 His 'take home' folder.

 He told me that this was him and a dinosaur celebrating the end of school. Cute.

 I'm excited to hear what he learned.

It was a lot...........great news.

 Hahaha that's great news, he IS a good reader, or should I say 'reeder' haha
Spelling can be grade one right?!!

 Hahahaha that's the end of the book.
So he learned how to read and about worms. I love it. Two fundamentals of public school.............right here..........reading and worms. Crack up. Top quality only, here in Boise.

 Sun
Umbrellas
M - I like to make 'mud mangos'
M - I see a monkey
Eat outside
Rest (my favourite)

His picture is of him looking at a monkey with his mud mango pie at his feet.

 This picture cracks me up.

The fish is hurt. The fish has a baby.
Cute.

 I like this double layered picture he did.

 Worries about school.
I worry about nothing.
Hahahaha it'd be nice to not worry about anything. Live it up Takeshi, I'm sure there'll be plenty of years to come where you'll be worrying about something!!
Love it.

I can see a little more of a grown up face from these pictures, but he's still my little boy.
He's a better reader, writer and mathematician. He's loved his year with his mates and teachers.

All the kids got their report cards back and they all did better.
I'll be interested to read Masaru's very first math report for his 5th grade year, to see what progress, if any, he's made over the summer. Maybe it'll just be catch up you know and he'll be still struggling in 5th? I dunno. Time will tell.
He's going 4 days a week, an hour at a time, for the whole time he's in Boise, bar one week in Lake Powell. So he'll be being flooded with math. I'm interested to see how it goes.
They've been great to him, and us, so far.