Halloween Fun 2011

Playing Dress Up in Japan

We are currently experiencing our first family trip to Japan and it has already been amazing! There will be many posts and pictures to come but yesterday was a very special day for me and my mother-in-law Mayumi. She took us to her Aunt`s traditional Japanese style home to give me a day of beauty and dress up! She got to see me in a traditional white wedding Kimono, royal kimono (which had only 5 layers opposed to the usual 12!!) and a fun beautiful cherry blossom Kimono. I had the opportunity to be prepped for one hour with hair (a traditional Japanese wig) and make-up - this usually takes 3 hours so I was thankful for the quicker version. Now these are Kimono`s that I will likely never experience again - Brides in Japan can borrow these for their wedding and get the hair and make-up for around $10K! Here are a few pics of the experience - it was amazing and I will remember that moment with Mayumi forever! (Special thanks to our family (the O`Haras) for doing this and providing us with an amazing dinner that followed!) 

Day At the Zoo

Beach Baby

 

12 Months and Growing...

Nolan is growing and learning at the speed of light! Everyday we discover that he has learned something new. It could a new word(s) like "turtle" or "good girl" or how to point to his nose, head, eyes, ears and belly button. It may be coming home to and experiencing that he has surpassed simply walking and now perfers running and climbing (particularly up the stairs or on the couch). He is so smart! I can see him working things out in that amazing brain of his discovering new and exciting things each minute of each day. The most amazing of all this is how much his desire to learn has sparked my desire to teacher. Every Mother likely wishes that they could be part of their child learning and developing at the very moment they discover they have these capabilities (examples are crawling, walking, talking, etc.) In an effort to keep up, we engage Nolan every night through conversation and play! Here are some of the moments we experienced in the past couple weeks. 

"Bubble" 

"Purple" & "Good Girl"

"Picking Up Golf Balls"

"Having fun with Daddy"

Nolan & Daddy's Birthday

Saturday was a very special day for the Yonemura family! We celebrated Nolan's first birthday! May 28th is such a special day because not only is it Nolan's birthday but also his Daddy's. I always tell my husband that Nolan is the best birthday present that he will ever have (he agrees). We celebrated with a "golf theme" since Daddy LOVES golf and Nolan has become quite fond of playing with his little plastic clubs - it just fit all around. It was a beautiful sunny day despite concerns about rain and our family and close friends came out to help celebrate this momentous day. Each day Nolan grows and I am amazed at how blessed I am to be his Mother. Cheesy as it sounds, I often tell my husband and Nolan (even though he doesn't quite understand yet) how I was destined to be his Mother and that God's plan for me was greater and more full of love than the one I had imagined for myself. Here are some photos - there are more to come including a video!

Stationery Card

Cute Cupcake Birthday Invitation

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