The last time I saw Todd and Yuko, the boys were still babies. Well, Lio wasn't but we were in a house of children and he merged right on in with the other kids. I didn't really get to talk to him or get to know his personality. Jun was fighting a cold at the time and wanted nothing but to snuggle with his mom. Last week, I got a chance to remedy that. I got to spend lots of time with the whole family before and after conference hours. It was wonderful. 

I learned that Lio, who starts second grade this year (Dear Lord), is very serious and can talk endlessly about Minecraft. Jun, the youngest, is silly and cuddly and sweet. He wants to be in the very middle of whatever his big brother is doing. Both of them love telling silly jokes and can fill a car ride with ridiculous laughter. Lio has two freckles on his arm and while we rode the tram back down to their car, Lio suddenly pinched the skin between the two freckles and said "Look! A baby elephant!" and then busted out laughing. It was the most hilarious thing. I made him do it again so I could take a picture. My visit with them was good. It was good to see them all so happy. It's not that Yuko was unhappy before they moved to Oregon. The (too) few times we saw each other she seemed happy enough, but now..wow! She has taken to this new home and has friends and a life and knows her way around the city better than Todd. You can see that the whole family is happy. 

I am so thankful to have had the time to see them and even more thankful that they have this home and this life. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to see Todd interact with his boys. And I'm so thankful that the shirts I picked out for the boys almost a year ago, are still big enough for them to wear (I had some shipping problems). There's much to be thankful for this week. As of yesterday, I no longer have any silver left in my teeth. It has all been replaced with new fillings and my dentist told me that I've been doing an excellent job of flossing. I am thankful to have some good teeth. I am thankful that my bike ride home gets easier each day. I am thankful for a weekend filled with the promise of garden work and fresh pesto and Randy and Katrina. 

I am thankful for you. Happy, happy Thankful Friday.