Gift #444- Summer Days

The boys are continuing to have a great time on their adventure.  I can't tell you how happy this makes me.  I am so grateful to our families for hosting and entertaining them over these past few weeks.  They have had so many wonderful experiences.  They had a great time at Miracle Strip Amusement Park yesterday.  Tomorrow they head to the lake to celebrate Alex's birthday.  And then it is off on a new adventure with Papa and Mimi.  

Life is good for Jack and Josh Thomas.

In front of the Bullet at Miracle Strip!  

Waiting in line at the bumper cars.

At Smitty's BBQ.  A family favorite.

Gift #443- Our Sweet New Ride

We bought Bruce and Colleens little clown car when they left a few weeks back.  We patched up the headliner with super-hero bandaids and added some flames.  We are the envy of Iwakuni.  :)

Gift #442- Having our own Baby Sumo

This is AG's preferred way of sitting these days.  It is especially cute when she is topless- she truly does look like a little Sumo wrestler.  My Japanese ladies began calling her "sumo akachan"  (Sumo Baby.)

Gift #441- Having a Built in Best Friend and Japanese Fireworks

We went to the beach a few nights ago for a picnic.  Hank and I looked out and saw these two sitting side by side.  We are not sure what they would do without each other.  We had a great evening.  The rain earlier in the day cooled the air and thinned the crowd.  We stopped at 7-11 on the way to the beach and bought a package of fireworks.  One thing that we have come to appreciate about Japan is that you can stop at any roadside convenience store and pick up a load of fireworks.  (Randall family, these are the kind of fireworks that you have to drive over the state line to get.  You know the ones.  We even found some in our package that were similar to *** choppers.  We thought of you all.)   The fireworks display was a great way to end our evening.  We were so thankful that we ventured out.