Scott Girls Christmas Party

We had a fun Christmas party this year. We decorated cookies and ate some good sweet treats with our friends. It was so much fun. That is what parties are all about sugar and fun, right?! Here is a pic of our little friends that joined in on all the fun. While us girls had fun the boys, Carson and Daddy, went out for pizza and a night of Xbox360. A boys definition of fun!

CHINA!

The Great Wall is so beautiful, as you look at all the tops of the mountains around you, you can see the Great Wall and it's towers. It is hard to describe just how majestic it is. We just stood in awe of it.

Carson loves other kids. He saw this little boy and had to give him a hug. So we took a quick picture. They were the same age, but not quite the same size.

We could rarely capture a good family picture so this is the best we could do. This is in the famous forbidden city.

My sweet girls on the Great Wall of China. Resting after a long hike up many steps!


After 7 years I was finally able to go back to China. It was amazing how the language came right back to me. I realized I am still not that good! It was so fun to show the girls our old school, meet our friends, and see the places we used to spend hours at. We also were in Beijing sightseeing and shopping. I think by far the highlight of our trip was the Great Wall. We took a tram ride up and a slide down! The beauty of the Great Wall is truly amazing, we just stood in awe of it! We feel so blessed to be able to do these amazing things.

Happo En

Madison and Carson accompanied me to Happo En Gardens, a peaceful bliss in the middle of Tokyo. It was traditional Japanese garden, that flushed out the sounds of the city. It was a wonderful place to visit. Carson and Madison went crazy over the size of the fish there. Madison even reached down and touched them. The fish had no problems at all with it, they just let her do it. We can't wait to show Savannah and Harvey this Garden.

Halloween 2006

Amongst the foreigners here we had our own little Halloween. With a map in hand we ventured out to all the foreigners homes and did our trick or treating. Many Japanese have caught on to this holiday and have figured out that our neighborhood does this and they came along for the experience as well. It was really fun!

Disney Sea

We had the chance to go to Disney Sea. It was so much fun! The kids enjoyed the Mermaid Lagoon. It was a long day, which resulted in the girls crashing and Carson up all night talking about the days stimulating events!

Ueno Zoo

We went to the Ueno Zoo. It was surprisingly very nice. Aside from the thousands of people that crowded around you as you looked at the animals, it was just like any zoo you would find in the States. We did get to see the famous Panda, Ling, Ling that was there. But Madison wouldn't rest until we saw the Giraffes. The animals were so easy to view. The way they had laid out their exhibits was awesome, there was never a time when we couldn't spot the animal. As you can see from Harvey's snap shots of the animals, he is getting quite good with that new camera of his! It was a very fun outing and we will have to make sure we do it again before we leave!

Lake Chuzenji

The British Embassy has a Villa in Nikko city. It was so beautiful and so relaxing. We visited Shrines, threw rocks in the lake, caught butterflies and dragonflies, and had extremely late nights. Carson and I took a nice bike ride; he enjoyed it so much he actually feel asleep. We will definitely make another trip out there this year. Thanks for the memories Tolmans!

Lake Kizakiko

Carson getting dipped by Dad in the lake.

Savannah jumping off the dock. The water was freezing but that would never stop Sav.

Madison and her "beautiful green color" frog.

Harvey taking the girls and their friend Brinley out on the canoe

We were able to leave the concrete and cement behind us and venture into the Japan's beautiful countryside. It was a liberating experience for all of us. Savannah was the first of 15 kids to jump into the lake, and when she wasn't in the lake she was collecting frogs by the dozen. Madison attempted to keep up with Savannah but resorted to playing make-believe in the cabins. Carson enjoyed a long bike ride with mom and dad, canoeing, kayaking, and throwing rocks into the lake. In the end we were so grateful to have had the opportunity to truly experience the beauty Japan's landscape can offer.

Carson and Tokyo

Carson recieves so much attention in Japan. Whenever we go out we constantly hear the words, "kawaii" (cute) and "okii" (big). Sometimes following the comments the Japanese people either giggle or touch his sweet round face. Regardless, we know he is making people smile.

Our neighborhood

Carson getting ride to "slide" down the rocket.


Our apartment is the in the grey building in the background.

It was in this market I felt my first earthquake, it nearly knocked me off my feet!

Our neighborhood in Tokyo is known as the "residential" area. It has been ideal for our family, we have friends all around us, a park down the road, an outdoor fruit and veggie market, post office, and 7-eleven. We really enjoy it here in Yoyogi Uehara!

Gyosen Park

We went to an awesome park in Tokyo, with a petting zoo, playground, and a water fountain the kids could play in. But the best thing of all is it was free, a rarity here in Tokyo! We had so much fun. With daddy working long hours, and Savannah in school all day, saturdays have turned into our special family "adventure" day, where we try to explore as much as we can of Tokyo!

Japan!

So I have been a bit behind with keeping up on my blog, but I do have good reasons. We are moving to Japan! So life has been somewhat busy these last few weeks. Harvey and I just got back from Tokyo where we will be living. We picked out an apartment, enrolled the girls in school, and attended church, all the while hob knobbing with Harvey's new bosses. It was quite the experience. I am so excited about this move, but having a difficult time facing the challenge of leaving Mount Vernon behind me. I love this place and all the wonderful people I have met here. Sorry I have no pics of Japan, but I am sure in the months to come you will be bombarded with plenty.

Carson's First Birthday

The big boy had a birthday! We didn't do much, but the cake made the whole experience fun for the rest of us. By the time he had finished the cake was everywhere; including the walls!

Williamsburg VA 2006

We just finished our first official family vacation. Which means, we weren't visiting family and we weren't moving and just happened to visit a few sites along the way. We learned some colonial history, we visited VA beach, went horseback riding (at least Harv and Sav did), went to Busch Gardens (amusement park), and shopped 'til we dropped! We had so much fun and in the end Carson was the only one who was ready to come home.