HELLO FROM YOKOTA!

Hi everyone! We're all still doing good here in Japan. Finally getting settled in a bit and making this house home. The kids are doing great adjusting. It's funny 'cause I wonder all the time why we had to come here. Not negative, just what God's big plan is for this and He reveals it to me all the time, little by little which makes it much easier to be this far away. All the kids are doing amazing. Ryan's behavior is really coming along and his speech & development is progressing everyday. We are seeing great change in him. His new school is WONDERFUL for him and there are tons more services available for him than what he was getting before. We've not even been here two months and he's already getting new hearing aids and a new hearing system for him to use at school. His teacher told me today that things just seem to be coming together with him and that she sees something new everyday that is progressing. His focus is dramatically increasing. He's following directions, participating with the group appropriately. Taking good cues from his teachers by their tone or facial expressions. We're so proud of him! Jalen is doing great!! His teacher is putting him into a group for accelerated learning since they can't technically go to gifted yet so we're happy about that of course. He has no idea that he's any smarter than his friends and I want to keep it that way so what she's doing is perfect in my opinion cause he doesn't have to be pulled out of class for anything. She's just gonna accelerate their cirriculum in the classroom. Also, we have a couple of neighborhood boys his age that he's made really good friends with and he's outside playing with them all the time. This weekend he was out from sun up to sun down climbing trees and digging for rocks and making "mud coatings" for them! :) I almost started crying seeing how happy he was. All three of the kids love playing outside with the neighborhood kids everyday. Our doorbell rings a thousand times a day even on the weekdays! :) Laela is definitely terrible twos! :) She's hilarious though. Just growing up too fast. I can't believe my last baby is almost 2!!!! I've made a friend with one of my neighbors and we cut up a good bit. Her boys are 6 and almost 4 and her baby girl is 3 months. Eddie already had a friend here that he used to be stationed with at Maxwell. Also,some of you might know, Eddie is on special assignment here and not working in the contracting office. So he won't deploy while he's here. He has to go tdy once or twice a month for a few days at a time but no deployments for four years. That said, we just found out this week that contracting just went to 6 months on, 6 months off for deployments. I can't imagine! Thank GOD we are here. Hopefully it will have slowed down by the time we are finished here but if not, he said he's getting out. He said there's no way he's doing that type of rotation. We'll see! So like I said, everytime I question His plan for us, He shows me He has lots in store for our family. We miss everyone so much and wish we could see everyone more. But we feel confident now this is where we're supposed to be for the moment. I got the sweetest letter in the mail from Lynn and it made me feel so close to home. For a minute I didn't feel a million miles away. Thank you Lynnie for taking the time to write and send it. I know everyone wants pictures and I promise I will send them soon. MY CAMERA IS OUT OF COMMISSION :( I love my fancy camera and can't wait to start using it here. But the battery charger for it somehow didn't make the move so I have to order a new one. As soon as I get it I promise I'll be getting lots of pictures out. LOVE TO EVERYONE!!!!!!