2 months ago, #2 came along!!

It's been too long. We apologize for being slow. but we are a little bit busy right now. Our new little one, Jun James Turner, is almost 2 months old. He was born July 13th, 6am. An easier delivery for Yuko and everything went well. It has been a good summer getting to know him and getting used to our expanding family. This picture looks like he has no hair, but he really does have hair (unlike his balding dad). Anna is a wonderful big sister. She enjoys singing to Jun, getting him ready for his bath and taking off his sleeper (when mom and dad are not looking),starting to change his diaper when she sees he is wet, and trying to make him laugh all the time. It is so cool to see them interacting. Anna has developed into quite the Liverpool fan. She loves her new outfit, and will insist on wearing it whenever dad has on his Liverpool top, or if she sees soccer on the TV. A future Liverpool fan in the making... he he. Anna was having a good time when we went to the Canadian Embassy for Jun's Canadian Citizenhip Card. Before leaving, she was wandering arond the lobby. Upon trying to leave she walked right into a glass wall, thinking that there was nothing there. She actually wasn't walking, more running, thank god she is not a sprint specialist! After lots of tears and a little blood, we found out she was going to be fine when she drank some orange juice in the car. She swallowed and said it hurt a little, but she was okay. The middle picture is from the trip to Disneyland with Anna and some friends. It was good, except for the end of the night. We watched a Monsters Inc. special show (Anna LOVES Monsters Inc., she asks to watch the movie about 10 times a day) which was cool, except not great for those not wearing rain ponchos or prepared for the water assault! they used water cannons to shoot up water. It was a cool effect, but after being dosed with water about 30 times, the charm wore off. I thought it was funny, but Anna started to cringe and hide as the water arced through the air. This was us in the bathroom getting changed, she was happier after that. Good times, good times. This video was from this Spring, Anna was quite happy to get this big balloon. She enjoyed practicing her soccer skills and having fun with Baba and Jiji(grandma and grandpa).
A true descendent of Rick "green thumb" Turner...in the garden doing her best Rick impression. pretty funny

2 months is better than 4!

Hello everybody
Decided to do some procrastinating from my preparing for Grade 3. In the middle of 3 wonderful weeks of spring holidays: waiting to start teaching a new grade, waiting for our first visitors in a long time (Adam and the lovely MAy), waiting for Spring to burst forth onto the scene, but no waiting for happy moments with my lovely wife and daughter. They are two great big bundles of joy, and I love them lots. HEre are some videos from the past little while.

this video is from last fall, notice the open balcony door, letting in the cool fall breeze. we decided to invite Steven Gerrard over to play some footie with us. Anna is a natural and has more skills at one and a half, than her old man at 32.Notice Anna's short hair (only having been cut in the summer of 2008) Yuko is lovely as ever and looks really cute in her nice top.


The next video is a real treat. This past Christmas somebody was super super nice and with great assistance from his youngest brother Daniel and super mother, had a fantastic present sent over to Yuko for her BIG present (amongst the 15 or so other presents). The recipient of this gift was almost as happy as little Anna (and of course the gift-giver who really just wanted an excuse to buy a new video game).
Anyways, Anna's full video debut at Rock Band. She is fantastic and has been begging us to get the PS 3 version so we can edit our creators and dominate the world tour scene. She does some drumming, some vocals, and some general rocking. Check it out!


The 3rd video is a two part story. the first bit is Anna eating Christmas cake (we've run out, so please Fed Ex over right away!) for the first time. For those that don't know, my mom makes an amazing Christmas cake (like wedding cake) as well as my Uncle Derek who I believe taught my mom...anyways, the cake that Anna was eating was made by my dad Richard. He's pretty good at it, getting close to equalling the quality of his two teachers. Anna loved it, and so do we!
The 2nd part is Anna enjoying her other grandpa's 60th birthday. Yuko's dad HIdeaki turned 60 in February, and it was a very entertaining little evening. I'll let you see for yourself. The part in the middle where we keep talking to Anna and she keeps ignoring us is us asking her to give her grandpa a birthday kiss, but she has her interests elsewhere.


The last video shows Anna at her most recent, yesterday (MArch 25th, 2009). She has grown up lots, is quite chatty (mostly in JApanese but the odd English word sprinkled in). She loves, and I mean LOVES, to sing and dance. Here is after shower time, getting ready for bed, where she decided to start singing and dancing. She gives her great mom a big hug and kiss, then tries to balance. the 2nd clip is her doing some more dancing, and hanging out with mom again. Yuko is pretty tired because her report cards are due and she is like me, she leaves it to the last minute! BUt soon enough she will have spring holiday, then maternity leave, then another wonderful baby coming. We pray and hope she/he is as much fun as the 1st one!
Hope you are healthy and happy wherever you are viewing this from.
So long for now

Beginnings and Ends

SuRprise, suRprise, another long gap with no publishing. I always think I will make more of an effort when I post the most recent post, but it just never happens. I think those kind of lofty ambitions need to be brought to an END.
The last part of 2008 was good to us here in Japan. Lots of good times with friends and family. We met up with Yuko's family quite often before Christmas and just after New Years. It was nice to see everyone, and as usual, the food was superb. Thank you Chez-Masako:)





The second picture is of Anna drinking apple juice out of a little sake cup. We all were drinking sake (I think it was with breakfast on January 1st...can't remember) and she decided that she needed one. WE indulged, and she was quite funny downing the juice like other people were downing the alcohol.



These pictures are from boxing day and December 27th. We went to an onsen (hot spring) with Yuko's parents. Just the five of us, and it was awesome. the place we went to had just received a huge dump of snow, so it kind of felt like Christmas. I was super happy for that...I even enjoyed having a snowball fight with Yuko and her Dad.













The last set of pictures are just various sets that mark the end of the holidays and the beginning of working in 2009. Meeting up with Yuko's brother Yoshiaki and his lovely pregnant wife Kaori (due in the Spring), Masako's father and Masako's brother, his wife and boy Tomo.