a day in the life...

of Mrs. Graves' Kindergarten Class. :)


(click on above picture to see their faces better) :)

This year has definitely been interesting.... there is never a dull moment when you have a classroom full of 21 hyperactive, full of energy 5 year olds!
I have stories that I should have been blogging about.. but last week we had one that I couldn't resist sharing. (DISCLAIMER: Bodily functions will be talked about here..) :)

On a Friday that had already had it's share of drama, my aid came in during my lunch break with one of my kids at her side, and announced to me that "John peed on his pants". My response was "Umm, that's not John." (thinking that this was incredibly obvious). She said - "I know - John PEED on Dan's pants." (Dan was the one standing next to her). "I'm sorry, WHAT?!" *I was super confused at this point* How did JOHN pee on DAN's pants!? Well -- apparently Dan had accidentally peed on John's hand while they were in the bathroom, so what does John do? Whips it out and pees ALL over Dan's pants. I'm talking SOAKED! OHHHH my. Haha. Thankfully he had a change of clothes and I didn't have to do much... except give John a stern talking to. (ps: names were changed to protect the not so innocent... haha)

Boys. :P

But speaking of boys... There is in particular that I sure do miss.... my wonderful husband! This week was pretty rough as we had very limited communication.... but I was able to talk to him for a bit yesterday, so that was great. I am anxiously awaiting his return.... and we are quickly approaching our 2 year wedding anniversary! Hard to believe March is only hours away here in Japan!

Hope you are all enjoying your weekends.... :)
Love from Japan!

happy heart day

funny enough last year i got our taxes done on v.day. this year i got them done yesterday - the day before v.day. haha. :)
i also had some fun with my 5 year olds as they passed out valentine treats, and i thought i'd share a few pictures...
here are my crazy kiddos:


we made and decorated these mailboxes out of covered cereal boxes and they stored all our treats perfectly! :)


this was a craft we did earlier in the week...


and because he is amazing and he loves me, my sweet wonderful hubby sent me these BEAUTIFUL flowers to school and totally brightened my day! (he spoils me!)


so, all that to say, happy heart day from japan! <3

blessings and sorrows...

This week has been a tough one.
Finding out one of your dearest sweetest friends has lost her baby full term is never news you want to receive, especially when you are a million and a half miles away. :(
Please be praying for our friends and the terrible sorrow and loss they are experiencing right now. If I could transport myself to NC this weekend, I would be there in an instant.
We certainly don't understand God's reasons all of the time, and this is definitely one of those instances for us. Her name is Alethia (means Truth in greek) Joy. There is no telling how many lives she will touch, and I have been clinging to this verse...
"The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away.
Blessed be the name of the LORD." Job 1:21

Also I have started going to a Bible study on base. There are about 6 (older) ladies that go, and we are doing the Beth Moore study on Esther and getting to watch the videos. If you haven't ever done a Beth Moore study, I highly recommend them. It was especially a blessing going to study this week after hearing the awful news and not having Ben here with me. I was able to share the loss with the ladies and have them pray about it that night. God knows what we need and always provides it.

I have also been blessed by friends and a husband who, even though far away, have been supportive of me this week too. My husband has been amazing and is such a blessing. He always makes time for me even though he is super busy, and lets me know he is thinking of me. When you are separated for months at a time, I can't even begin to tell you how much that means. It is hard to be so far away from people we love, and I have gotten a few emails of friends telling me they are praying for me. I appreciate that so very much. God is good, even in the midst of sadness and pain. Thank you, friends...

back to it...

that applies to a few things lately.

back to being alone. :( ben left again and will be gone for a while. sigh.

back to making cards... i had some time this weekend and wanted to be creative again. :) so here are a few of my favorites...






also said goodbye to my friends jen and kelly both in the last few weeks, so that's been kind of tough too. so i guess back to trying to find more friends for the last year we have here! but i know that God provides... and i'm trying to rest in that.

other than that... well, school has been kind of stressful these days, and ben is working hard and taking classes again this underway. plus we are praying about and trying to figure out where God wants us to go next. it's something we need to decide over the next few months, and we would appreciate any prayers you say on our behalf. :) thanks, friends! happy february from japan!