tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79765450575956455572024-03-13T21:19:34.254-06:00It all started with forever ...Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger168125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976545057595645557.post-46690649941250612222015-01-28T06:07:00.003-07:002015-01-28T06:07:35.250-07:00A crazy guy tried to drink a 2L bottle of pop without burping..oh yeah and he's my husband.<div style="text-align: center;">
Nate likes to keep things interesting and so he made this video. It is actually very hilarious. Watch below :)</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/yy2Sw9XIwME?rel=0" width="560"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976545057595645557.post-26669322627016889402014-12-02T03:25:00.000-07:002014-12-02T03:25:07.497-07:00The best Christmas gift<div style="text-align: center;">
This video was a good reminder to me about what to think about this Christmas. I hope my kids remember more than just the toys and the food. I hope that they remember the love and the time spent with family. I hope that they'll see Christmas as a time to also celebrate the birth of Christ who was born in that quaint little manger on that starry night.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976545057595645557.post-85264467466974216782014-11-24T02:49:00.001-07:002014-11-24T03:09:50.745-07:00Yochien is so cute I can't even handle it<div style="text-align: center;">
We are now eight months in to Yochien (Japanese kindergarten) and I can confidently say that BNZ is loving it. </div>
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He is picking up the language great, and the other kids are picking up some English. The Japanese kids run around the playground yelling "OK!" and "LET'S GO!" and "NO!" It's soooo cute to hear BNZ singing the yochien songs. It absolutely is melt your heart adorable. </div>
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The sad part about yochien is that BNZ's teacher suddenly left and only gave us a day's notice. All the moms and the teacher cried for a whole hour straight. It was a very sad moment and we were absolutely heart broken to not have any warning and to have no idea why she had to leave in the first place. The new teacher is very good though and she warmed up to the teacher instantly. Who knows if she'll put up with my newbieness and my inability to communicate (in words). I'm getting super good at miming! haha!</div>
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Here are some recent photos at yochien. BNZ is wearing his warmer uniform outfit now to go with the fall weather. The weather is still nice and we have lots of green and flowers everywhere.</div>
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After school the kids love to play with wheel barrels. Even King joins in on the wheel barrel fun and the other kids love him.</div>
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The kids do fun art projects and the parents get to come in once and a while to see their art exhibit. Here's some of his art!</div>
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The kids and teachers make cute toys out of everyday house hold items.<br />
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This is a pic of a boy who loves going to school. He can't even contain his excitement :) I am so happy that we pushed through the barriers and stuck with it. Yochien is great!<br />
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Here is a <a href="http://nateandarianaforever.blogspot.jp/2014/04/bnzs-first-day-of-school.html" target="_blank">link</a> to the blog post of his <a href="http://nateandarianaforever.blogspot.jp/2014/04/bnzs-first-day-of-school.html" target="_blank">first day of school</a>.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976545057595645557.post-58888812430155880972014-11-11T06:50:00.000-07:002014-11-11T06:50:08.965-07:00Are you watching Optiboss on Youtube yet?Nate has been doing some funny videos to chronicle our adventure in Japan!<br />
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This first video is Nate eating the Burger King Black Burger that has been dyed black with BLACK SQUID INK!!!<br />
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I love this video of the 3 seater electric bike (called a Mamachari or mama chariot). This is a main vehicle of transportation and the mom's (and dad's) here take their kids all over the city on these bikes…Plus, I've even seen mom's take 3 kids on these bikes. 1 on each of the seats and one in a baby carrier or resting on the bar. This video is actually of my bike…I call her Big Red. We hop on Big Red everyday and this is how I pick up and drop off BNZ from school.<br />
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The Fermented Squid Guts video is just plain gross! People in Japan eat it and it's considered a delicacy.<br />
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Durian, also known as the King of Fruits!! So Stinky! You will see BNZ and my Optiboss video debut! Watch us describe this odd and stinky fruit.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/6YwK1_eyzQM" width="560"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976545057595645557.post-83479911287332780712014-04-10T01:37:00.000-06:002014-11-24T02:54:38.667-07:00BNZ's first day of school! Yochien/Japanese Kindergarten<div style="text-align: center;">
BNZ had his first day of school and all we knew was that it was an "entrance ceremony" and that BNZ had to wear his brown winter coat and his winter hat with his blue shorts and indoor shoes. We got to the Yochien (Japanese Kindergarten) for 10 am and the ceremony was done by 12 pm.</div>
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The first thing that happened was the assembly. I had no idea what was being said or who was speaking. All I know was that there was a lot of talking and a lot of bowing. The people speaking would bow to their peers, bow to us, then bow to the flags. This person pictured seemed important so I snapped a pic.</div>
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After the assembly, the older kids with the green tags each took a younger kid to buddy and bring them to their classroom. This is BNZ not wanting to hold hands with his buddy.</div>
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I don't know what this sign says, but Nate snapped a pic of it so it may be important...It could say "kindergarten" or something but your guess is as good as mine! (Edit** Ok, so Nate just told me that the sign says "Kid's Bathroom" not KINDERGARTEN classroom. Haha. ok...two very different rooms. Now you know.)</div>
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This is BNZ's kindergarten class. His teacher is singing a song with hand motions. We did not recognize the actions or the tune.</div>
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This class is so cute! All the kids in this class is full Japanese except BNZ and a girl named Claire, who has a really nice Japanese mom.</div>
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BNZ made a friend! He's showing us a necklace that all the kids got during the entrance ceremony.</div>
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King does not stand still! He has to roam and play (and fall lots). He found the slide and went down it 10 times. He's 18 months and getting SO BIG!</div>
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I love King's personality. He's just a free bird and he doesn't like to wear shoes or socks.</div>
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Photos of BNZ is not complete without him sticking out his tongue!</div>
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During story time, some of the kids just roamed about.</div>
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BNZ's other friend!</div>
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Momma and BNZ</div>
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The hardest part about kids growing up is knowing that they won't be little forever. I cherish these snuggly moments. Blink and they'll be going off to college!</div>
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Natedogg and his son</div>
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Family photo!</div>
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Riding home</div>
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A close up shot of his name tag written in Japanese katakana. It reads "Benzu Fonzuwasu"</div>
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The next day was his official "first day of school". The night before I prepared some of his supplies by labeling them with his Japanese name.</div>
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His first official day of school. He didn't cry when we dropped him off and he ran right to the playdoh. When we picked him up he was all smiles and didn't want to leave. He loved it!</div>
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BNZ had a successful first day of school! He told me that he even went potty. He said "Pee pee arigatogozaimasu" to his teacher and they knew exactly where to take him. So proud of my smart and courageous boy!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976545057595645557.post-10133450819313988332014-02-15T18:35:00.003-07:002014-02-15T18:41:46.560-07:00Valentine's Gift to Natedogg, a song and a photo montage. <iframe width="640" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/zUSNeb7pB8w" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976545057595645557.post-63783623138057695632013-08-06T00:02:00.000-06:002013-08-06T00:02:00.894-06:00See our neighborhood! Nate's bike commute in Tokyo<a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=538616444&extragetparams=%7B%22directed_target_id%22%3A0%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/nate.farnsworth.1?directed_target_id=0" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">Nate</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">dogg, my hottie husband made an uber cool video of his bike commute to work. See our neighborhood and the building he works at in high def! His office is in the mega sweet glass building. Watch the viddy, listen to some dub step and see what our apartment and neighborhood looks like!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">oh yeah, and see if you can spot a few places where he almost ran over a car/human being.</span><br />
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Natedogg made a video of our trip to Guam. You should watch it. It's got sweet footage of cool snorkeling, and us being goofs. Plus, you can listen to Colbie Caillat's "Brighter than the Sun". It's like a music video, but with us in it! Have I sold you on watching the viddy yet?<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/vHsrQym5OT8" width="640"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976545057595645557.post-82843622995779893182013-08-04T02:44:00.003-06:002013-08-04T05:33:44.384-06:00Random musings aka. 12 things I find interesting about Tokyo<div style="text-align: center;">
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This blog post has been floating in my brain for a while. You know when you have a blog post idea, and then you keep thinking "Oh, I should totally write about this and add that with this picture!"<br />
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This is a post about things I have noticed and found interesting about Tokyo. It's totally subjective and I apologize if you disagree with me.<br />
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<span style="color: magenta; font-size: x-large;">1.</span> Food is very expensive here...especially American-type food. 1/2 a cup of sour cream will run you $4 USD, and a box of trusty Betty Crocker Brownies is $8 USD. It's funny because in Utah I could have gotten brownie mix for $0.87! What's funnier is that I used to get a lot of my protein from beans *the magical fruit*, but a can of kidney beans is $4 instead of $0.60. It's hard to find a can of beans here unless I go to an international specialty store! Rice is also not cheap here... Something about government regulated prices for locally grown rice...however, Japanese rice is the best rice I've ever eaten! Oh yeah, we pay $9 USD for a gallon of milk (which they only sell in 1 liter cartons).<br />
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<span style="color: magenta; font-size: x-large;">2.</span> Tiny children who look like they are 3 or 4 (they are probably actually 5 or 6) walk around outside on the city streets all by themselves. They wear really cute hats, uniforms and have huge back packs on. I'm always amazed at how tiny these kids are walking home from school all by themselves, and I'm amazed at how well behaved they are!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/picsoflife/8130185732/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Japanese school sport festival by Ari Helminen, on Flickr"><img alt="Japanese school sport festival" height="212" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8476/8130185732_526ccfb60d_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: magenta; font-size: x-large;">3.</span> Japanese people save tables or chairs at a public place using their wallet or a purse. In Tokyo, it feels very safe. That's probably why parents of little children don't think it's a big deal to have their kids walk home from school by themselves! We still lock our bikes though...which leads to my next point..</div>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-size: x-large;">4.</span> You can lock up your umbrella and take the key with you! So lock up your umbrella, but leave your wallet out in public places... is this ironic?</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Umbrella locker</td></tr>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-size: x-large;">5.</span> Fruit juices seem fruitier here! I don't know why, but the fruit juices, say apple or orange, taste more like the candy version than what we get in North America. Also, the fruit I've eaten here seem much more flavorful and juicy as well.</div>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-size: x-large;">6.</span> I've been here for a month and a half now, and I still haven't used a squatting toilet! I thought that for sure I would have had to use one by now!</div>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-size: x-large;">7.</span> People assume I can speak Japanese even if I speak to them in English or stare at them like a deer in the headlights. They also will continue to look and talk to me even if Nate is the one speaking to them (in his very good Japanese).</div>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-size: x-large;">8.</span> Japan has the best customer service. I am always so impressed with how good the customer service is. I could be at a really nice restaurant or at Wendy's and receive really awesome service. When we went to Wendy's I couldn't read the menu so the lady was very nice and with a huge smile presented me an English menu card. Then, when we went to find a seat, a guy who worked there greeted us, asked how many seats we needed, cleared off a table, and found us a high chair. He even pre-bussed the table and cleaned up the messes the boys were making. </div>
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<span style="color: magenta;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">9.</span> </span>The only restaurants that seem to have high chairs or booster seats are American fast food restaurants. Otherwise, the parents are holding their babies or keeping them in the strollers...if the restaurant is big enough to have strollers in them. There are a lot of kids here, but the restaurants just don't seem to be well equipped. The Japanese government is encouraging people to have children right now by giving families with children an allowance. This child benefit is causing a bit of an increase in baby births. I think that the restaurants just haven't caught up with the increase of children in the city.</div>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-size: x-large;">10.</span> Japanese women in the city are very well dressed, even if they are stay-at-home moms taking their children out to the playground. I look severely underdressed every time I go out. It is very common for these ladies to be walking around or riding their bikes (loaded with children) with high heels, a skirt, silk shirt, and panty hose. Below is a photo I took of Benz. Behind him is a group of ladies who met up at the park for a play date. Sorry I couldn't find a better photo. I need to do better with my stalkerazzi photos! lol. Notice the silk shirt, camisole, high heels, dress, and silk pants. They are probably all wearing panty hose!</div>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-size: x-large;">11.</span> I could be walking amongst many very famous Japanese celebrities and not even know it! When we went to Odaiba, there was a concert of a 5 girl girlband. Everybody in the audience was singing a long to the music and doing all the same dance moves as the girlband. So I'm thinking, the band was probably super famous, but I had no idea. :) We live near an area called Roppongi Hills where all the major movie premieres are held. Last month they had Johnny Depp there for his new movie The Lone Ranger, and Brad and Angelina for World War Z. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Johnny Depp being mauled by his fans at The Long Ranger movie premiere. Roppongi Hills, Tokyo.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: magenta; font-size: x-large;">12.</span> Every day I was hearing really majestical piano music playing all over the city. I had no idea what it was, or where it came from, but I just kept hearing it. It played every day at 5 pm, no fail. It even played on the weekends. I finally asked Nate what it was and he said that it was to tell the school children that it was time to go home. After a little googling, I found out that the song is called <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yuyake Koyake, or</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;"> </span>"The Sunset" and was composed by a school teacher in the 1920s. The lyrics are really pretty:</div>
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<i style="font-family: inherit;">The sunset is the end of the day,</i></div>
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<i style="font-family: inherit;">the bell from the mountain temple rings</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="font-family: inherit;">hand by hand let’s go back home together with the crows.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><i style="font-family: inherit;">a big and round moon shines,</i></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><i style="font-family: inherit;">when the birds dream, the brightness from the stars fills the sky.</i></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>After the children are back at home</i></span></div>
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You can hear the music here:</div>
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I think that's a good start...I could keep going but I'll save it for another time. I will try to post more when I can. We are definitely having an adventure over here!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976545057595645557.post-81637840655903804102013-07-31T18:33:00.002-06:002013-07-31T18:33:34.293-06:00That darn bike!If you read my last blog post, you'd know that while my kids were strapped in to a double child seat bike, it fell over. So, we fell on the bike again a few days ago... Benz (the 3 year old) said, "Not again! Not fall over again, Mommy! That darn bike!". Now he tells me, "I don't want to go on the bike, I want to walk in the stroller." Thank goodness for bike helmets and really nice Japanese strangers who always come to my aid!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976545057595645557.post-58303906929619443512013-07-23T09:10:00.000-06:002013-07-23T09:16:13.936-06:00How to ensure that you will depend on the kindness of strangers :)So this is a suggestion post on how you too can be a recipient from the kindness of strangers. :)<br />
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Step 1: Buy a super heavy electric assist bicycle and install child seats on the front of back.<br />
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Step 2: Make the bike even heavier, and ensure it's top-heaviness by putting a child in each child seat. The combined weight of the bike and children must be more than the weight of the bike rider (the one who will then benefit on the kindness of strangers).<br />
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Step 3: While husband is looking at Formula 1 race cars and Lamborginis, get off of the bike and attempt to engage the kickstand so that you can grab crackers for crying baby.<br />
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Step 4: Keep trying to pull bike on to the kickstand and notice that it is leaning over to the right while you are standing on the left side of it. Use all of your strength and might (and body weight) to try to prevent the bike from falling over. Keep trying to pull the bike back up as it continues to fall to the ground with children still strapped into the seats. Remember, bike is heavier than you and no matter how much body weight you try to use, the weight of the bike, children, and gravity go against you.<br />
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Step 5: Bike falls to the ground. Bike is now completely horizontal. The children are crying as their helmets are touching the concrete. The bike has some how ended up over your legs and you are pinned underneath the bike and you can not move the bike or move out from underneath it.<br />
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Step 6: Success! Two strangers notice the horizontal bike and the crying children and come to your aid. They lift up the bike, engage the kickstand and pick up the things that have fallen out of the front bike basket. You have now officially been on the receiving end of the kindness of strangers! Try to thank the strangers in their native language. In Japanese, thank you is "arigato gozaimasu".<br />
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Step 7: Now get right back on the bike and ride around with a crazy fury fueled by adrenaline and shock. Ride on bike again the day after because you still think the bike is awesome and rad. While trying to park the bike again (after many successful kickstand bike parkings) in front of a restaurant, have trouble trying to engage the kickstand and have a nice stranger help you once again. There you have it! You're welcome :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29406780@N00/9349598389/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="photo 4 by atbinc., on Flickr"><img alt="photo 4" height="640" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2836/9349598389_74cfe3d547_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This photo was taken just mere minutes before me, the boys and the bike were kissing the pavement.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29406780@N00/9349599461/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="photo 5 by atbinc., on Flickr"><img alt="photo 5" height="480" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2831/9349599461_ffc362d852_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Formula 1 car that Nate was looking at while we were outside waiting.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29406780@N00/9349612639/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by atbinc., on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7357/9349612639_4a1a683648_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bike wounds. Right leg. The bruises actually continue up my leg for another 5 inches. You can't see the rest of my bruising because it is covered by my shorts. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29406780@N00/9352392432/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by atbinc., on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7338/9352392432_fd30ac9314_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Right leg bruising on top of knee. Not pictured: Bruises all over my left leg.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29406780@N00/9349602587/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by atbinc., on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5499/9349602587_4b629e39fd_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cutie Kingston asleep at the wheel. He's so cute!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29406780@N00/9352382088/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by atbinc., on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7346/9352382088_2466b29ca5_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another cute shot of Kingston fast asleep. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29406780@N00/9352375784/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="photo 1 by atbinc., on Flickr"><img alt="photo 1" height="480" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3686/9352375784_de5be37447_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Home away from home. The Embassy of Canada, or the Ambassade du Canada, aka. Canada is awesome.</td></tr>
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So, while we were going down to the garage to get the bike today Benz said, "No, I don't want to fall down on the bike, I want to walk!" Oh boy, I'm sorry, Benz...just remember: all your future therapy bills you can forward directly to me. *thumbs up*<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976545057595645557.post-53218426435595546912013-06-23T17:12:00.001-06:002013-06-23T17:58:42.583-06:00Benz turned 3 and we had a party in the USA!On June 11, 2010 my little boy Benz was born. He rocked my world for the better, now he is 3 and a certified big brother.<br />
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We celebrated his birthday on Friday, the 14th, only 2 days before we moved across the ocean to one of the little islands of Japan. We thought, before we made Tokyo our home, we had to have a good ol' American party in the good ol' USA because little Benz loves birthdays, and he was so excited to have a birthday of his own.<br />
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We started the day at the doctor's office. Kingston had an appointment with the cranial-facial surgeon to check his recovery and healing. Kingston is doing great! No shifting, no problems with the surgery and no infections! We see the doctor again when we come home for Christmas in December.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29406780@N00/9083283862/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by atbinc., on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3832/9083283862_da9838869f_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Benz hugging the King. We're happy he's alright.</td></tr>
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We had the birthday outside in the common area of the apartment building. We had bikes, bubbles, freezies, friends, food, chalk, pizza, juice boxes, balls and watermelon... and kids. There were a lot of little kids!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29406780@N00/9083280044/" title="Untitled by atbinc., on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7453/9083280044_a76b2c8b47_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29406780@N00/9081063441/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by atbinc., on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3706/9081063441_2fe798504e_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The COMTE'S! Ryan, Nolan, Sam (holding Kingston), and Marley.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29406780@N00/9081064727/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by atbinc., on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2831/9081064727_9cea624d5c_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Benz taking a moment to enjoy some watermelon.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29406780@N00/9081066039/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by atbinc., on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3772/9081066039_d49b356452_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jess and her boy Leo Hinckley. Leo's a week younger than King.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29406780@N00/9081067995/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by atbinc., on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2820/9081067995_d179dd7343_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ladies of the Rosello family.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We hijacked this cube playhouse and moved it across the street for the party.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29406780@N00/9081069629/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by atbinc., on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7387/9081069629_d94ec83336_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aria and Shallan. The cutest mom you'll ever meet and her sweet baby.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29406780@N00/9083291582/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by atbinc., on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2860/9083291582_83e69255af_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My handsome hubby and I posing for the camera</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a nice surprise that Tina could make it!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29406780@N00/9081040593/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by atbinc., on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7302/9081040593_28d65d7955_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Birthday Benz! You're the Bomb! (for those who've seen Cars 2)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pure joy. Benz LOVED his cake and snuck many peeks into the fridge all day to look at it.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29406780@N00/9083265164/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by atbinc., on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3734/9083265164_4ed0719195_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blowing out his "3" candle</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29406780@N00/9081045359/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by atbinc., on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7301/9081045359_ae55dcc803_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This kid was so happy! Doing a party during a crazy moving time was worth it, tenfold!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the kids hovered around the cool cake.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kids waiting for cake</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cake!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hightowers surprised us! They made a special effort to come while visiting from California for a wedding.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29406780@N00/9081059989/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by atbinc., on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5496/9081059989_bcf8d48153_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Auntie Lauren and Uncle Mike posing with The Benz</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We miss these guys so much. We went to their ward before we moved, now we are in their sister's ward in Tokyo!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Newly wedded Alissa with her son and her sweet pooch</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lybberts and Christensens. Benz with some more girlfriends. Benz will miss hanging out with these girls!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29406780@N00/9081089513/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by atbinc., on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="427" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7303/9081089513_3744d5e0e7_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing on bikes.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uncle Rolseph and Aunt Channers with the King. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29406780@N00/9083316530/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by atbinc., on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7289/9083316530_50fd9557c6_z.jpg" width="427" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More cute little friends saying one last good bye!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So sad we don't live 2 doors down from these guys anymore. Best neighbors ever! Great neighbors and friends.</td></tr>
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again, happy birthday little stinker. You make our life interesting. You make us laugh. You make our life complete. I never thought little people so little could be so sweet, so aware and so full of wisdom and observation. We love you forever! We hope this birthday was up to your expectations and that you will have good memories of it, always.</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976545057595645557.post-23699405124109430672013-06-19T02:46:00.001-06:002013-06-19T02:47:16.034-06:00It finally happened...we moved to Japan!We did it, we've finally moved to Japan all together! Nate's been here since Oct 2012, but now we've finally been able to join him. It's nice here. I'm loving it. The boys are very happy as well.<br />
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The night before we moved, we had a lot of packing and cleaning to do. We packed 11 suitcases. Only 4 were carry-on size.<br />
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We stayed the night at La Quinta since we no longer owned things like pillows and bedding. It was nice because we got to sleep on BEDS and not on the floor like we have been for 6 months!</div>
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Sunday morning, Nate was able to get all of our stuff into the rental car, a Dodge Journey, but unfortunately Benz, King and I could not fit. So, we got some help from Mike and Lauren and headed to the airport.</div>
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The airport ride was smooth. King slept from SLC to LAX and both King and Benz slept pretty much the whole way from LAX to Tokyo. I got to sleep a little too and watch some movies. Benz did not throw up at all (which is so rare because he always throws up on planes) and the only time he fussed was when we woke him up while trying to put him on the floor to give us more room. We learned very quickly that a sleeping child on a plane is worth a numb and achy bum.</div>
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We arrived in Tokyo around 11 pm, Monday night. Tokyo time. </div>
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All of our stuff fit into a little van, and all of us and the driver fit in it, too!</div>
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Tuesday Benz, King and Nate woke up at 4:30 that morning. Nate went to work and the boys and I hung out and explored the apartment. At 1 pm Kingston fell asleep and by 3 pm Benz took a nose dive into the couch and was out cold. I put them in their beds. When Nate got home, we took a "quick nap". My alarm went off around 5:45 pm, but I felt like I hit a wall. I was so tired I could not move. Nate mumbled something about 15 more minutes. We both fell asleep again and ended up sleeping until Benz and Kingston woke up crying at 1 am. </div>
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Wednesday - Today</div>
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Every Wednesday Nate's co-workers meet up at Barbacoa Grill for lunch. We decided to join them. With my iPhone in hand, Benz, King and I made the trek to Nate's office building and met up with him. The picture below is us walking to his work.</div>
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After lunch, we took a tour of the doTERRA office. The office has a great view and Nate's co-workers are super nice and friendly. They all took a turn holding Kingston and all loved talking to Benz and making him laugh.</div>
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On our walk home, I decided to take a detour and walk around our neighborhood. I'll have to take photos next time...I forgot this time around! There is an alleyway close by with really cool shops. I found a place to buy produce, a cute housewares shop, some really fun looking restaurants and a hair salon. </div>
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Kingston and Benz have fallen asleep. We'll have to make sure we wake them up for dinner this time! No napping for us...don't need a repeat of yesterday! Oh jet lag...how do we conquer thee?</div>
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NateDogghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02093099403071137873noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976545057595645557.post-48994675516395086542013-05-20T13:17:00.000-06:002013-05-20T13:17:01.098-06:00"To receive the Lord's comfort, we must exercise faith"<br />
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"I have come to understand how useless it is to dwell on the <i style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">why</i>s, <i style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">what if</i>s, and <i style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">if only</i>s for which there likely will be given no answers in mortality. To receive the Lord’s comfort, we must exercise faith. The questions Why me? Why our <a class="no-link-style" href="http://mormon.org/family" style="background-color: transparent; border: none !important; color: #2f393a; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none !important; vertical-align: baseline;">family</a>? Why now? are usually unanswerable questions. These questions detract from our spirituality and can destroy our faith. We need to spend our time and energy building our faith by turning to the Lord and asking for strength to overcome the pains and trials of this world and to endure to the end for greater understanding."</div>
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-Robert D. Hales, 1998 </div>
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<i><a href="http://www.lds.org/general-conference/1998/10/healing-soul-and-body?lang=eng" target="_blank">Healing of the Soul and Body</a></i></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976545057595645557.post-1135833647667699512013-05-20T11:16:00.004-06:002013-05-20T11:22:59.560-06:00Kingston - a quick update.<br />
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Talked to the Dr's office. Kingston's surgery is officially a go. His little cough won't affect the outcome of his surgery. We are now waiting on the hospital to call us and give us more instructions. They will call between 2:30 and 4.</div>
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Here are some cute photos of Kingston from the Caribbean cruise. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chillin' with his Mimi (Nate's mom)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunday at church in the Bahamas</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976545057595645557.post-26645306891459032012013-05-19T17:28:00.000-06:002013-05-20T11:23:15.049-06:00Kingston's surgery is in 2 days!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
For the past 5 months I have been putting off thinking about Kingston's surgery. If you recall, Kingston has been diagnosed with "bilateral coronal craniosynostosis" where his coronal suture (the one that runs from ear to ear) has prematurely fused. Today is Sunday. In 2 days, Kingston will be going to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake to be operated on by Dr. Rodney Schmelzer. The surgery is pretty invasive. The neurosurgeon is going to cut the fused sutures apart, and the craniofacial surgeon (Dr. Schmelzer) is going to remove and reconstruct part of his skull. He'll probably in surgery for 4-6 hours. I'm so glad that I will not be present during the surgery. It's a little more intense than my liking. I will be waiting in the waiting room. If you want to read the <a href="http://nateandarianaforever.blogspot.com/2012/12/kingston-needs-surgery.html" target="_blank">blog post</a> where I go more in depth about King's condition,<a href="http://nateandarianaforever.blogspot.com/2012/12/kingston-needs-surgery.html" target="_blank"> click here</a>.</div>
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Nate got back to the US very very early Saturday morning. Thank goodness! I don't know what I'd do if he weren't here. We have survived a lot when Nate was gone, but I prefer to have him by my side while Kingston gets operated on. Nate is a rock and a great shoulder to lean on. I am so glad he's home.</div>
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So, because I'm now thinking about Kingston's coming surgery, I have been looking at different sites on the internet. I found a couple support groups online such as <a href="http://craniokids.org/">craniokids.org</a> and <a href="http://craniocarebears.org/">craniocarebears.org</a>. The latter offers care packages for families with children facing craniosynostosis surgery. I finally googled Dr. Schmelzer. I found some facebook groups and joined them. I have finally looked at blogs of a few mothers who have reached out to me. They have children who have gone through the same thing and blogged about it. A few days ago I finally looked through the page titled "Pre-operative Instructions" in the booklet Dr. Schmelzer gave me. I probably should have looked at it sooner and been more careful to ensure that Kingston didn't get sick. He is still recovering from a cold and I am hoping that he does not have congestion ("nasal drainage") or else the surgery will have to be postponed. His congestion causes him to cough and gag, and sometimes he projectile vomits. Not pretty. I'm pretty used to throw up, though. It seems one of my boys throw up at least once a week. Anyways, it would be very dangerous if Kingston throws up on the operating table and breaths it into his lungs. Also, loss of blood is very common during these types of surgeries for babies. The younger the baby, the higher the risk of excessive blood loss. This is another reason why the surgery is preferably done when the infant is a little older. This is also why the pre-operative instructions stated not to give aspirin to the child 3 weeks prior to surgery. Aspirin is a blood thinner. Good thing I don't give my kids aspirin! Note to self: If I ever get a booklet from a doctor again, I need to read it more than a week before surgery! haha. </div>
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If King's surgery goes well and his recovery is normal, then we will be heading back to Tokyo with Nate on June 9! Finally we will be together. Nate had started the adventure without us (he has been living in Tokyo since October), but we finally get to join him!! I can't wait to actually see the apartment that Nate has all set up. He really didn't leave too much for me to do in terms of picking furniture or decorating! That's ok. He has good taste. Well, we have similar taste, I'm not sure if I should classify it as good or not. haha. </div>
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Overall we are in good spirits. We are calm. We are very confident in our doctor and the hospital. We have been saying many prayers...Many many many prayers, not only for Kingston, but for everyone involved, especially the surgeons. Benz has been helping me say prayers and he says, "Please bless Kingston and surgery and doctors." Then he veers off and says stuff like, "I thankful for trains, and pizza, and O, and watch game on iPad, and hairplanes, and I throw up on hairplanes and it not very bad..." I am so thankful that God has given me children like Kingston and Benz. Benz is very logical and puts me in my place sometimes. Kingston is calming. One smile and all my worries and frustrations just melt away. Both of them are very loving. I love them so much. </div>
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Heavenly Father has blessed me so immensely with a wonderful family, friends, and friends who I consider family. Thank you for all of your prayers. I will post updates and photos on the blog so you can stay connected. Also, if you keep coming back, soon you will see posts about us in Tokyo!</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976545057595645557.post-63448193882833449152013-04-13T23:48:00.001-06:002013-04-13T23:48:49.542-06:00Benz screamed these words while sleeping "No! No! No! Give that to me! That is not yours!!" Benz' nightmare is having to share. HahaUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976545057595645557.post-67737808277345207222013-02-12T16:48:00.001-07:002013-02-12T16:48:14.786-07:00Why do Mothers Cry?Saw this on Facebook and I had to share it on the blog.<br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;">A little boy asked his mother, "Why are you crying?" "Because I'm a woman," she told him.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;">"I don't understand," he said. His Mom just hugged him and said, "And you never will."</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;">Later the little boy asked his father, "Why does mother seem </span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; line-height: 14px; text-align: left;">to cry for no reason?"<br /><br />"All women cry for no reason," was all his dad could say.<br /><br />The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry.<br /><br />Finally he put in a call to God. When God got on the phone, he asked,<br /><br />"God, why do women cry so easily?"<br /><br />God said, "When I made the woman she had to be special.<br /><br />I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world, yet gentle enough to give comfort.<br /><br />I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times comes from her children.<br /><br />I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else gives up, and take care of her family through sickness and fatigue without complaining.<br /><br />I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances, even when her child has hurt her very badly.<br /><br />I gave her strength to carry her husband through his faults and fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart.<br /><br />I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him And finally, I gave her a tear to shed. This is hers exclusively to use whenever it is needed."<br /><br />"You see my son," said God, "the beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair.<br /><br />The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart the<br />place where love resides."</span></span></i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976545057595645557.post-6495491845854260602012-12-12T15:33:00.000-07:002012-12-15T18:41:59.967-07:00Of Immense Gratitude and ThanksI just wanted to take this time to thank everybody for their kindness, support, and prayers. My Facebook, e-mail and phone have been overwhelmed with the outpour of thoughtful people letting us know that our family is in their prayers and that they are wishing our family the best. I have great people in my life and I am so thankful that they not only love me, but our entire little family. It's only been a week since we learned the news of Kingston's craniosynostosis and already I have been put in contact with 2 other mothers whose children have had to have the same operation (thanks Marisa and Jana!)!!<br />
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Most of all, I am thankful for the prayers that people have been saying for our family and little Kingston. I believe that prayer is powerful and I know that each and every prayer has been heard. We will continue praying as I know you will, too. We hope that his condition doesn't worsen. We are playing the waiting game now as we wait until he turns 8 months old to have the surgery. His surgery will occur in June or July 2013. We are also praying that he continues to learn and grow and remains the happy and sweet baby boy that he is.<br />
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It is scary to think that my baby has a condition which can only be fixed by surgery. Everyday I wonder if each cry or discomfort is coming from normal baby ailments, or if he is experiencing pressure against his brain. A symptom of craniosynostosis is that the head can not expand as the brain is growing. This causes pressure on the brain which can lead to intense headaches and vomiting, as well as irritability and possibly seizures. Long term head deformity and developmental problems both physically and mentally are also highly likely. We are lucky that right now there is no pressure on the brain and that Kingston is developing right on schedule. It is a blessing that the doctor in Salt Lake is such an expert and that we are able to have him do the operation.<br />
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I have high hopes and optimism that everything is going to be ok. That is largely due to our stellar support system. Thank you so much!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29406780@N00/8268339592/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Untitled by atbinc., on Flickr"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8216/8268339592_03c90480e5_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The brothers after their bath.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big brother. Little brother.</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976545057595645557.post-89120726747766248402012-12-06T10:02:00.001-07:002013-05-19T16:26:24.552-06:00Kingston needs surgeryWe found out yesterday that Kingston needs surgery on his skull. If we don't, his head will grow deformed and the deformity will affect his brain development, physical development, IQ and appearance. That's the short of it. Here are the details:<br />
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Kingston has "craniosynostosis" which is a condition where there is premature closure of one or more of the normally present bony gaps between different bones of the skull. You may know these gaps as cranial sutures. There is a suture line called the "coronal suture" (think- where earphones would lay on your head). Kingston's coronal suture is 2/3 fused on both sides, also known as "bicoronal synostosis". This is not normal. Usually total fusion of sutures does not occur until later in life. Gaps are supposed to stay separate for about 12-18 months before beginning to grow together. Usually, as your brain grows, the soft gaps in the head allow it to grow without any restrictions. But, with the fused sutures, the brain can not grow properly and may experience pressure and restrictions to grow, thereby affecting IQ and development.</div>
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Here is a photo of bicoronal synostosis</div>
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Here is a picture of other deformities caused by fusion of different sutures in the cranium:</div>
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(Do not google image any of these conditions...trust me, I did you a favor!)</div>
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So what is going to happen is the surgeon is going to open up the fused sutures in his skull and reconstruct and reshape his brow and forehead. </div>
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Surgery will happen when Kingston is about 8 months old, when his cranium is soft, but not too soft where it won't keep the integrity of the new reconstructed shape. Kingston, Benz and I will travel back from Tokyo to Salt Lake City, Utah for the surgery. Dr. Schmelzer from Primary Children's Hospital will be performing the surgery. We want him to do it because it is his specialty, main focus and expertise. He performs surgeries like this all day and we are fully confident in his knowledge and skill set. We also like that he is so careful about follow-up post-operation. After seeing him around 2 months and 6 months post-op, we will see him yearly. Dr. Schmelzer is going to find some colleagues in Tokyo so that he can be monitored there as well. At the dr.'s office, we saw many children ranging from infants to 6 year olds. None of them looked like they had ever had surgery on their heads and they all looked perfectly fine. </div>
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Nate's mom has already told me that when we are in Utah for the surgery, she will come out to for help and support. In fact, when we were at the Dr.'s office yesterday for the assessment, she was all ready to come out. We just had to say the word and she would leave right away. Nate's dad was in a meeting and so they had agreed that if she called just once, he could call back at his earliest convenience, but if she called 3 times, it meant that he needed to get her a ticket to Utah, ASAP. We love our family. They are the best. </div>
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For now all we can do is monitor Kingston's development and make sure he is not experiencing any pressure on his brain. At this point, Kingston is meeting all of his developmental milestones both cognitively and physically. Monitoring brain pressure is a little harder. The best way to do this is to get a CT scan, like the one we got on Wednesday. Since we don't have easy access to a CT scan, I have to watch Kingston's behavior. If he seems to be knocking his head constantly, rubbing it, acts irritable, or if he is vomiting for no reason, I have to call the doctor. Kingston can not tell me that he has a migraine or that his head hurts so I have to look for signs of it.</div>
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So how are we doing? We'll take bad news when it comes. Right now our spirits are high. We trust the dr. and Kingston shows no signs of discomfort. We have been doing a lot of praying for him. I know that no matter what the trial, there is a purpose. Our Heavenly Father has a plan for us and Kingston. I trust that there is good in His purpose and that it will only bring us closer together as a family.</div>
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Kingston is such a happy and beautiful baby boy. It makes me sad that he has to go through all of this. He just brings so much love and joy. </div>
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Side note: Oh, and if you didn't know yet, Nate's work is transferring us to their Tokyo corporate office. We will be living there for 2-5 years. If you ever come out to Tokyo, please consider visiting or staying with us!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976545057595645557.post-5514547079761781812012-11-19T18:25:00.000-07:002012-11-19T18:27:23.054-07:00A Kingston Update<br />
I talked to the Dr. today. Kingston has what is called "microcephaly" (small head) that may be caused by cytamegalovirus or rubella virus that I may have been exposed to when I was pregnant. (I wonder if Benz' 5th disease has anything to do with this, if it really was 5th disease). He gave me the number to a neurosurgeon and I made an appointment for Kingston for Dec. 5. The neurosurgeon will provide more insight and a second opinion. After that appointment we'll schedule a CT scan or an MRI. The coronal and lambdoidal sutures are normal for a newborn his age. The x-ray did not get a good image of the sagittal suture, but when the dr. felt it, that seemed fine as well. What the doctor is most concerned with is whether or not Kingston's brain is developing. His head is only in the 3.4th percentile which can correspond to a small brain as well.<br />
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I am hoping that all this is precaution and that we have nothing to worry about. If this isn't nothing, I am hoping for a medical miracle. I've never had one of those in my life. Well, actually I can count my nephew Baby Emmett. He was a medical miracle. I am hoping Kingston is one of those, too.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976545057595645557.post-72491404931515111722012-11-16T12:14:00.001-07:002012-11-16T14:52:25.027-07:00Life is INSANE!!<br />
Let me just say that life is insane.<br />
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I am on my own with a 29 month old and an 8 week old. Nate is in Tokyo for his job working and setting things up for when we move there.<br />
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Life is insane and here is why:<br />
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We live on the third floor of an apartment building with no elevators and Benz is still too traumatized to climb up and down the three flights of cement stairs. That means I have to carry Benz and Kingston up stairs with Kingston in the heaviest infant car seat made. I am very buff now. I am 20 lbs away from pre-pregnancy weight and I'm pretty sure it's all muscle.<br />
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I have a newborn. Kingston wants to be held all the time. I can't ever get things done. Plus, I can't find my baby carrier wrap. Also, this week Kingston has been colicky. It's the 3rd day in a row. Scream crying is my favorite. Right now it's noon and I still haven't eaten breakfast or lunch because Kingston needs to be held with his belly against my belly. I guess I'm like a human hot water bottle.<br />
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Benz seeks lots of attention at the worst of times, like when Kingston is hungry or scream crying. Benz has even resorted to just screaming.<br />
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It has snowed. This means getting ready to go out takes a million times longer. Get the SNOWPANTS. Hat, gloves and other gear on. It took me 3 days and 6 stores to try and find SNOWPANTS for Benz this week. Also, snow makes doing anything 5 times as hard. And, Benz likes to stop and play in it. It is hard to get anywhere.<br />
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Dr's appointments for Kingston, Benz and me as well this week. Why I thought this was doable is beyond me. Benz was fine. The doctor just had to pull on his little manhood because it was sticking. He cried for a second and then was totally fine. Kingston had his shots. Then the dr. told me that his head is in the 3.4 percentile and that it is an abnormal shape that may not allow his brain to grow. Kingston had to get an x-ray for his head. The Dr. said that he may have to refer us to a neurosurgeon or a plastic surgeon. I missed the phone call from the dr. because my cellphone battery died and the dr is away until Monday. I don't hear back from the dr. until Monday.<br />
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I am applying for American citizenship. The application was filed late because Nate's work took so long to provide our lawyer with an offer letter. Now I am waiting to receive the notices for fingerprints and then interview and civics exam. Interviews always make me nervous anyways, but the worst part is I'll will have to take a test. I think it's an oral exam (which is even worse, I am better with tests on paper). We are hoping that the whole process will be done by January so that we can join Nate in Tokyo and not have to live in different countries on the other side of the world. The process usually takes longer though and that is why we hired a lawyer.<br />
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We are moving to Tokyo. Can you say stressful? We will be gone for 2 to 5 years. Nate is already working in Tokyo half of the month and then coming back for holidays. With Nate gone that means I have to take care of everything by myself. The landlord doesn't even know we're moving yet. We have to find someone to take over our rental contract. We have tons of things to sell, organize, pack, store, or throw out.<br />
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We are travelling to Denver and Vancouver for Thanksgiving. Matt, Benz, Kingston and I are driving to Denver through Vail. It will most definitely be snowing. It is a crazy drive because of the snow, and most times it is frightening, especially if you drive the Vail pass at night. I have to make sure we have enough food (Matt is type 1 diabetic), that the car will run and that we will make it there safely. I have to pack for 2 weeks and for 2 different weathers. It is impossible to find time to pack and get ready because of Kingston and Benz. Have I mentioned I need to pack? Yeah, I have packing on the brain.<br />
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Health insurance keeps denying our claims for the hospital bills and dr.'s appointments from when I was pregnant and when I had the baby. The health insurance company thinks that they are our secondary provider, when in actual fact they are our sole provider. I have called them 3 times to try to correct their error. I had to physically go to the hospital and talk to billing so that they don't send us to collections.<br />
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Nate's work forgot to pay us for the second pay period in a row.<br />
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Nate is in Tokyo. That on it's own is hard, but I think that Benz is acting out because his dad is gone.<br />
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When Nate leaves, he leaves a hurricane. Nate is the best. Nate is great. He does so much for our family and we miss him.<br />
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Laundry isn't put away. The house is not in a state that I would like it to be in. And since it is messy, it makes it harder to do things like pack for a 2-week trip.<br />
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Life is insane and I'm basically handling it all on my own. On top of everything I am trying to live a normal life and get out of the house. Somehow everything has been doable though. I can feel people's prayers for us and I know that I am not alone in any of this. Everything is working out and will work out. I am handling everything day by day. Most days I have make up on :) I'm thankful for the times that my friends can step in to help. They have been amazing. I think I would be dead if it weren't for them.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976545057595645557.post-13035239070152637632012-03-31T11:20:00.000-06:002012-03-31T11:20:52.173-06:00Come listen to a Prophet's voice<a href="http://www.facebook.com/Mormon?sk=app_175956092522107"><img alt="Come listen to living prophets" src="http://www.lds.org/bc/content/ldsorg/content/images/come-listen-med-rectangle-1.jpg" style="width: 300px; height: 250px; " /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976545057595645557.post-2181623117997230662012-03-28T09:28:00.001-06:002012-03-28T09:31:46.585-06:00it's been a long time...i shouldn'ta left you!wow...time really flies! I am so sorry for abandoning you, blog.. You didn't deserve it. When we get really good internet again I will be updating more than you can keep up with. Promise!<br />
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Anywhooo...here are some awesome viddys. The first one is pretty funny. We sing and Tank dances and impresses us with all of his skills. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-mN2CCafsYc" width="560"></iframe><br />
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This second viddy we are at FAO S. on the famous BIG piano. You know, playing chopsticks.<br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_D_0Jnu4dHA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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This third video is of Tank speaking some Chinese. Cute. He may have even said, "Is that a new car?"<br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/oMdJuvhvly0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7976545057595645557.post-80959707348737240102011-11-17T09:19:00.001-07:002011-11-17T09:23:14.162-07:00I *heart* the 90sSometimes you just get nostalgic...like me right now... the 90s were full of knee popping music and backwards baseball caps, and who can resist dancing to the beat of their music? Even if they were probably one hit wonders, you wonder what would have happened if these guys could have stayed in the game. Anyways, not too much to worry about...there is too much to dance about in the 90s!<br />
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Can I get a WHOOMP! There it is! <br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Z-FPimCmbX8" width="420"></iframe><br />
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House of pain made the best song to JUMP AROUND to!! <br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/DwQbPgouUYo" width="420"></iframe><br />
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and of course, nothing says 90s better than a lil' Ice Ice Baby...Vanilla Ice baby!<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rog8ou-ZepE" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Check out this list of <a href="http://toponehitwonders.com/1990s/vh1s-40-greatest-one-hit-wonders-of-the-90s/">VH1's Top 40 one hit wonders of the 90s</a>! You'll be sure to find an old favorite in there.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2