Katelyn's First Hike

We've been hiking in the Hakkodas several times. But Katelyn hasn't ever been there... well, unless you count the two times I went when I was pregnant. Katelyn's a huge fan of being outside, and the weather was nice, and we had the day off, so we decided to go for a short hike.

Katelyn does a good job of conserving energy before a hike.

She's fascinated by trees.

Cute little baby feet.

The huts along the way make great feeding/changing stations.

1,584 meters. No big deal.

Family photo.

First baby hike... a success!

Behrens Visit

Chris' folks came out to visit on June 14 for two action-packed weeks. 

Roger, boasting just a teeny bit that he got to hold Katelyn first :).

But Katelyn graciously offered to be held again. Only 5 minutes into their visit, and already Katelyn's getting spoiled:).

Okay, Katelyn. Make a liar out of me. Maybe not ALL of the visit was action-packed.

But we did visit the Hachinohe Fish Market, and then drove down to the Hachinohe coastline.

...Katelyn was really feeling the jet lag. She's a sympathy sleeper.

We went out to the flight line to watch the F-16 demo team practice. Then it started raining. And the jet broke. And the spare jet broke. So for the first time in the history of the Demo Team (as long as Chris remembers anyway), the demo didn't go on as planned due to maintenance issues. Boo, Hiss. That would have been really cool to see. Instead, you have a picture of Katelyn sleeping in the truck, out of the rain, waiting for something to happen that never did.

Later that day, on the way to Sapporo, Katelyn graciously offered to be spoiled by complete strangers.

I love Sapporo in the summer. The mild weather, the beer gardens, the clean and well-organized city, the food... I just wish it wasn't so expensive to get there! 

Beer Garden. Mmm.

Last time we went to the Olympic Ski Jump, it was totally in the clouds. This time we got a great view of the city.

This is why I will NEVER become an Olympic Ski Jumper. Or, let's be honest, even a skilled skier. The thought of skiing down that "hill" is terrifying!

What girl doesn't love a pony? 

Have I mentioned that I love the food in Japan? I think the next kitchen table we buy should have a pit of hot coals in the middle.

You really can't go to Sapporo without visiting the brewery, right?

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Hanging out with Dad.

Kiku Zushi, Oh how I love thee. It's pretty much guaranteed that if you visit us in Misawa, we'll take you to Kiku Zushi. Delicious.

One day we went to Aomori, to the big Buddha.

Yep. Turns out they don't call it "Big Buddha" for nothing.

Katelyn, learning to walk.

Ahh! Walking is just plain difficult! And dangerous! I can't believe you people do this every day!

We caught a baseball game in Sendai. I love Japanese baseball!

We also went to the Hakkoda Mountains, Oirase Gorge, Lake Towada... It was a great and (mostly) action-packed visit!