Cherry Blossoms and More Cherry Blossoms

Spring has finally arrived in Misawa Japan and OH the Blossoms - in some ways I do feel like it is heaven! We went to Hirosauki where there is a really old part of a castle and the most cherry trees ever, then really close by we have at least 3 parks that were also just heavenly of cherry blossoms!

Me and my kiddos in the "snow of blossoms" I just loved it!!  Swan Park

 Swan park outlaw - it is a very big and beautiful park!

Rain or Shine Rhees's Play and Look still adorable!  She is my cutie!

Hirosaki's weeping cherry blossoms!  Adorable!!

 Hirosaki's Castle that was built 1600

Our own statue of Liberty in Japan!  Pretty Amazing

At the Statue of Liberty Park

 The Train Park in our Town - Preston saying this is fun!  The kids love the playground aspect of course

Kids playing with the Watson Family on the Teeter Tauter at the park

Janey and Dad on the Roller Slides they have - so fun - but for adults it does irratate the bum ;)

Janey with her Japan Grandpa!  We feel very blessed to be around the Japanese People who are so warm and welcoming.  This sweet couple while we were in line to the Hirosaki Castle, wanted to hold Janey, taught Preston a throwing rock game, and then washed all their hands after so they were nice and clean to go into the castle.  Very Very sweet people!

The boys at the trian park

It's a train park for a reason - here we all are in front of the train

Rhett and his Princess Janey in front of the row of lanterns and cherry trees!

Preston walking down the lane of Cherry Blossoms at Liberty Park

Japan beginnings

We here in Japan! Yes it is fun and snowy and another country - here is a little bit of what we have been doing so far. I have had requests for some pictures so here they are!!

Lots and lots of snow - sooo skiing will be a new sport for the Rhees family. Gunnar went skiing for the first time on the 9th! He did great!! Next time Preston wants to try it out too.

Random picture of our street - but just an idea of our town. Very little idea - but I'll take more when it gets nicer.

Here is our new home for the next three years with the boys playing in a mound of snow in front. We like it and it is quite roomy with 3 bathrooms - I'm excited. The toilets here have heat on them so you never sit down on a cold seat. It is very nice. They also have a cleansing part on the toilet which I boys loved trying out allthough it did leave Preston crying because he got his underwear and pants all wet.

We've visited the fish markets here and even have gone to a sushi bar that has a conveyer belt that rotates plates around and you just grab what you want. The kids loved it - Rhett loved it - and I loved the shrimp avocado - sushi not so much.

I'm pretending to be a puffer fish - I have not gained that much weight here - a little but not yet recognizable in my face ;)

Gunnar at the fish market holding a crab. The fish market is a live fish market with the crabs still walking and the octopus tentacles still moving. It was really fun to go to.

Visiting the Shrine!

Living here there are shrines everyone! They are really amazing to go and visit. Rhett is at the entry way where you go through and I am at the actual shrine.

Here the boys are cleansing themselves before they go into the shrine. They loved it. At the shrine they through in a penny did the Prayer with three claps and a prayer wish and then you ring the bells.

Here we are at the Church here in Misawa Japan. It's nice to have familiarity and an automatic church family. We have already eaten at 4 families home for dinner and feel so blessed everyone just takes you in and loves you. Allthough of course we still miss our Maryland family, we feel like we will be taken care of here and are meeting new people and trying to learn some Japanese too.