We're having a baby...

Here are a few pictures of what life is like pregnant in Japan. The food is delicious here, but doesn't help the cravings much... We sure are lucky to be experiencing a healthy pregnancy during our year long adventure!

In Kobe with Sister Suzy and Kyoto with Joe

Waiting for the bus in Himeji

Clamming!

On Sunday, June 15th, we went to a beach in Himeji with some friends, Shin and his wife Yumi, Kengo and his wife Yumi, and all their

adorable children. The weather was warm and a little overcast, which was perfect! When we got there we each grabbed shovels and buckets and walked out into the low tide to go clamming! After we spent about an hour digging for clams, we went up into a lounge area to dry off and eat snacks. We had a great time playing with the little ones, which got us excited for our own! On our way home we stopped at Kura Kura Sushi (Crazy Sushi) and were treated to a wonderful lunch! It was a really fun day!

Made in Japan

Our Japanese adventure just got a little more memorable, and exciting! Just as we were preparing to take a vacation to Thailand, we found out that Katie was 6 weeks pregnant! Although we had to cancel our trip, we couldn't be more thrilled!! The addition to our family is due in November, about three months after we return from Japan!

The Jellybelly.

Joe and the Jellybean.

Our First Visitors!

Ociel and Jeff, two of Joe's close buddies from Loyola Marymount, happened to be the first official visitors for us. We all hit it pretty hard, given we only had about 72 hours before they had to head back to China. For them it was as much a chance to forget about work and relax as it was to see a foreign country, so we did the sightseeing in Kobe, Kyoto and Himeji during the day and left the nighttime for random izukayas, karaoke rooms, shochu bars, etc. It was go, go, go, and extremely memorable.

Geishas in Kyoto

Near the port in Kobe.

Kobe. Okinomiyaki!

Festival with the Kosakas

In April, we went to the town, Nada, to join a mochi-throwing festival with Joe's old host family, the Kousaka's. Basically, men climb a temporary structure that is positioned next to the local shrine and throw mochi (a Japanese tradition sweet). If you catch one, you are granted a year of luck! Well, since Joe was the tallest person in the crowd, we are going to have a verrrrry lucky year! Actually, he felt so bad for the surrounding people, that he kept on giving away the mochi he caught. Does that mean he's going to be EXTRA lucky? We shall see...