Where Have We Been?

Where do I start? We have had an eventful couple of months in our family. I guess I will rewind to Ellie's birthday in April. Jake and I decided on a Chuck-e-Cheese party. It was totally over the top and an obnoxious affair, but we had our reasons. (1) I was very pregnant; (2) We are not creative people and didn't want to have to come up with a creative kids' party on our own; (3) Liability--we have a hazardous yard. After hours of research, we decided Chuck-e-Cheese was our best bet. The kids had fun, and I'm glad I didn't have to clean up that mess.

My mom came for Ellie's birthday, and we had no idea that would be the last time we would get to see her. I'm so glad she made the trip and the sacrifice. I found out later that she was really sick that week, but was determined to come to Ellie's birthday anyway. Just days later she passed away.

I will spare you the dramatic details, except to say that as soon as we found out about my mom, Jake and I packed up the kids and Maki (he was already staying with us) and drove to Utah. It was a difficult trip in many ways, one of which was the fact that I was 36 weeks pregnant and had spent the day before in the hospital trying to prevent preterm labor. OK, so I said I'd spare you the dramatic details--sorry!

It was quite a week in Utah. We arranged for viewings, funeral, burial, and also had to clear out and clean my mom's house that she was renting. It was a miracle that we accomplished all that. No joke, my mom's house was sparkly clean by the time we left. We had so much help with everything, and I can't begin to explain all the amazing things that happened that week.

One of those amazing things was that my mom's sister came from Japan for the funeral. Things were very difficult for her because just ten days before my mom passed away, their dad passed away. She was still reeling from that huge event when I told her about my mom. She was determined to be there with us for my mom's funeral, and I am so glad she came. She is on the far right.

I wish I had more photos of people that were there, but taking pictures wasn't really on my mind that week. My mom's best friend, Yuko, who was with her when she died, also stayed the extra week so she could be at the funeral. She was so wonderful to have there all that week.

This is the beautiful cemetery where we buried my mom. It's a new cemetery, still being constructed, and she was only maybe the tenth person to be buried there. The location was perfect for many reasons. You can see the beautiful view, for one. But one thing about this cemetery that is very special, is that it is located directly up the hill from the house that my mom designed and built 16 years ago. It's the one we had to sell when her cancer became terminal--the one she absolutely loved. The cemetery is about a 5-minute walk from that house.

When we finally came home from Utah, it was already May, which meant Jake's birthday, our 6th wedding anniversary, and the upcoming birth of number 3. First, Jake's birthday. We went to Miyama, which is a totally cheesey, Beni-Hana-esque Japanese steakhouse. It was fun, though. I took a totally cheesey picture of the two of us, but there were plenty of other people with us:  the kids, Maki, Jake's parents and brother and sister. Jake's big B-day gift:  reinstatement of cable television, including the Fox soccer channel.

I had no idea that later that night, Jake would blow out his knee in a game of indoor soccer and require major surgery. Yeah, does life ever get less complicated?

Finally, here we are at the latest event in our fast-growing family. This is our newest pride and joy.

Luella Noriko Ross.

She was born Thursday, May 27, which made her 3 days late. I got tired of waiting. Isn't she gorgeous? Luella is Jake's grandma's middle name, and Noriko was my mom's name. We had a different middle name picked out for her, but the day I filled out her social security application, I was missing my mom in the worst way, and this is the name she ended up with.

As you can see, we've had a lot going on, and I haven't even mentioned the virus this computer contracted. (One of the reasons this blog has been silent for so long.) In case you're wondering about the person count in the Ross home, we are up to 6. In addition to the new baby, Maki moved in with us permanently. (Hooray!) We're still trying to figure out our car situation. But that's life, right?