Relaxing

Birthday

Well, I hit the big 30! And I feel older and wiser. And I know I still look good. I was mistaken for a teenager last week. The timing of it couldn't have been better. Right before the big 30.It felt great! We didn't do anything really special. We went out for a family dinner at the Olive Garden. It was funny to watch Pete order his dinner, not knowing how to pronounce the words on the menu. Then, I ate a huge clove of garlic and asked Jacob if I had stinky breath. All the while the waiter was watching. I felt like an idiot. I was just having some fun with my family.It was a good birthday.That's me making a wish......I won't tell you what I wished for,if I do it won't come true. (ha ha)

Maggie

This is Maggie the newest member to our family. She is a boxer. She is very sweet and gentle. Maggie comes to us from my brother,he had adopted her from a shelter. She really seems to like it here with us. She has really taken to Pete the most. I don't know if you can tell from this picture,Maggie only has one eye. She lost it when she was hit by a car. Still with only one eye she likes playing soccer and running. She does have a little balance issue. Her depth perception is off, so she has trouble with the stairs. I think as she gets used to our stairs she will get better at climbing them.

Answer

My favorite fruit are peaches.Yellow or golden to be exact. In the summer time a juicy peach is refreshing. I missed having them while in Okinawa. They had peaches just not the kind I love. Since being back I eat them every chance I get. I can remember when I was a kid,or maybe a little older, my Dad bringing home a boxes of farm fresh peaches. I think I ate them all. And the funny thing is my mother hates them because of the fuzz. It's like fingernails on a chalk board to her.

Just some thoughts

I don't have much to blog about. Today, we got around to hanging up some decor in the kids rooms. I hope to paint them soon. Jacob wants to paint his room a bright green. Emily wants a rosey pink. I don't want either of those colors. I'm thinking resale. Those colors don't appeal to most people. So we'll have to come to a compromise.
We also had a chance to catch up with our dear friends the Gerke's. We haven't spoke with them since they left Okinawa and the military for the real world. They are expecting a baby boy around January 30th. I'm so happy for them. They have wanted another baby for so long. Who knows maybe Mason could share his B-day with their new baby. Anyway CONGRATULATIONS to Chris and Neva!

Ever Wonder?

Have you ever wondered what your child would look like if he stuck his finger in a light socket?
I imagine it would look something like this. See above picture. ha ha ha!!!!!

We'll get it in shape

Here are a couple of pics of our"work in progress". The house is 20 years old and had barely been updated. We are painting and planning. The people who lived her before liked lighthouses. There was lighthouse border in the downstairs bathroom and dinning room. The blue strip in the peach dinning room was lighthouses.Yeah, the peach isn't staying. When we originally looked at the house there were light houses everywhere. We have a long list of projects. We'll probably get it all finished and then it will be time to sell it.

Practice Practice Practice

This one is being posted for the Brown Family. Although I never had the pleasure of hearing either of you play, Mason sure loves tickling (banging)the ivories.

Pics of Mason

First day of school

Here they are off to school. My 4th grader and 2nd grader.

We are here

We are getting settled in here in Chesapeake. The house is in total disarray, boxes all over the place. We have a bigger house but less closets. Where to put it all?
Emily and Jacob are in their 3rd week of school. They seem to really like it there. I 'll post pictures soon.
Mason is pulling himself up on the furniture and clapping his hands. He's growing up and I don't want him to.
We had a nice little vacation at my mothers. We saw family member we haven't seen in three years. We went to some county fairs the kids really enjoyed that. It was nice to visit with my grandmother. And Mason and her got to meet eachother. Well Mason got to meet everyone.
Im glad to be in our new home. Although I miss Oki greatly. I'm sure I will love it here too.

My kids

My three great kids. Emily, Jacob and Mason. I love you !

Answer 2

Our combined age is 75.6 years.

Answer

The answer to last weeks poll: Buster Blue Eyes and Savannah Jade. We have had Buster for a long time. We got him the first time we were in Japan. He is only 6 months younger than Jacob. I got Savannah for Pete in NC. Although she does not like him. She is 5 years old.

Tomorrow we are leaving bright and early for Va. Wish us luck!

Our House

Here is our house in Chesapeake, VA. We close at the end of the month.We looked at this one on the first day of hunting, but didn't know how much we really like it until we saw the rest. It is on a cul-da-sac and has a huge back yard. I hope you all will stop by if you're in VA.

Time to update

Well I'm finally getting around to updating our blog. We have been very busy buying a house,visiting family and entertaining the kids.
As you know we didn't make it straight to Nashville from Seattle. We sat on the tarmac for and extra 45 minutes for minor plane maintenance,causing us to miss our connection. So the airline put us up in a local hotel in Denver. Because there we no available flights out to Nashville that night with any airline. We were devastated, I cried and was so upset I was of no use to anyone. Thank goodness I have such a strong husband. Even thought I could tell he was drained from our long flight from Okinawa. He took care of everything. So we spent the night in Denver. Could it have gotten any worse? YES!! The airline also gave us food vouchers to get something to eat. But the only place that accepted them would only accepted them for dinning in. No delivery. Remember we are in a hotel. Now tell me how were we supposed to get there? And being tired from traveling over 24 hours already. So we just paid for it ourselves. We were lucky enough to have meet Jewel,a lady who happened to be on the shuttle to the hotel we were going to. She also worked for the airline who screwed us. She felt so bad for us. She took me to the nearest store to get some toothbrushes and food for Mason. All I had left was formula. We got out of Denver at 8am the next day. I was couldn't have been happier to get off the ground in Denver.

Guess who Screwed up

IPAC,that's who. For any Marine or Marine wife who reads this you'll know what I'm talking about. Pete when to pick up our tickets this morning. First, Emily didn't get tickets then they had us flying out of Naha,commercial,straight to Norfolk. That's not gonna work.Since we already bought tickets from Seattle to Nashville. What is the deal with these guys?They have had our package for over four months and they still got it wrong. We have never not had a problem with them arranging our travel. Needless to say Pete has spent all morning yelling and chewing peoples heads off. He is about at his wits end. They told him it would all be taken care of after lunch. We'll see? I'll believe it when I see it, as Pete says.

Westpac

Well,I'm in the Westpac. It sucks! I've only been here 2 days and I want to leave. I want to go back to my house on the hill with all my own stuff.. My life just seems to be thrown upside down. What am I saying, it literally is. BOO HOO HOO for me.Moving is stressful and I don't like it. I guess I need to quit my bitching and suck it up. You gotta do what you gotta do.

things are a changin

Well this might be the last post for a while. We pack out of our house tomorrow. I won't be posting any pictures this time Pete has packed up our camera and things. If I can figure out how to do it from my mothers I will. I have pictures to share of Mason. He has hit a lot of mile stones lately. He is now feeding him self baby finger foods.He is also working on trying to crawl. He can get his leg under him but hasn't figured out what's next. I think he is cutting his first tooth. I can feel a a little bump and see a little white spot about to come through his gum. He seems to be doing everything all at once. He is a very active wiggle worm.
Jake and Emily are very excited to go to their Granny's house. As for Pete and I we are just hanging in there. Doing the best we can not to get over stressed. I'm excited to get back to the states and buying our first house.
I want to tell all my friends here on Okinawa that I WILL MISS YOU ALL!!!! Thanks for all your help and great times on the Hill. Until next time
LOVE to you all.

Man-yi

We are in the midst of Typhoon Man-yi, winds of up to 155 mph. We were scheduled to pack out our express today but Man-yi came and said"No, not today!".Did I mention today is Friday the 13th.(go figure) The moving company will call to reschedule. I'm hoping they will work this weekend.We have our household goods pack out this Wed. As long as they pack everything out by that day we should be OK. I'm glad Pete planned extra days in the West Pac other wise this would be a huge problem. And more stress.
So, we are sitting here in the house watching movies. Luckily the power has remained on. We would really go crazy if the power cut off. Emily and Jacob ask me about every 2 hours " What are we going to do all day?" I said "you're doing it". I hope this is the only typhoon to hit us the rest of our duration on Okinawa.

Japanese crafts

Emily and Jacob were in the host nation summer school program. Emily took a class in Shi Shi making. This is her Shi Shi she made. I think it's quite good for her first one. Jacob took a class in origami. Just a little something to remember Okinawa by.

Celebration

BBQ's and the 4th, they just go together. So that's what we did.

Summer Vacation

The time has come,it's summer vacation for the kids! They couldn't be happier. They get to sleep in and play all day. I still make them keep up on their skills though. Everyday they have to do a writing and math worksheet.And they have to read before they go to bed. I'm sure we will be going to the pool,beach and visiting the library.You know the usual summer activities.
I have started the purging of the house process. Today, I took down my kitchen border. Little by little it will all get done. That's also the summer plan. To get the house ready to move.

Sumo Baby

When in Japan!

Aquarium

We took the kids to Expo Park(aquarium)one last time before we leave Oki. It was a very hot humid day. By the end of the day Mason was down to just a onesie. I didn't realize until now we were all wearing blue. Except for Pete. It was fun. We went to the Tropical Dream museum. It is like a botanical garden. They have all different species of orchids. They were so beautiful. Those are orchids behind us. At the end of the aquarium we ate ice cream with the fish. It was a good way to cool off in the hot weather.

Jacob the Bug Whisperer

Here is a stick bug that Jacob and I caught outside our house. We released it in our back yard unharmed. It was so cool. As Jacob says.

Future Star

Our future Bears middle line backer, well that's Pete's aspiration for Mason. But I'm sure he would be just as happy if he were a Bears fan. He also hopes Jacob will play for the Cubs.

Bridging

Last Friday Emily bridged to Juniors. Hopefully when we get settled in VA, we can get Emily into a junior troop. Sorry for the bad pictures the lighting in the gym was horrible. Way to go Emily, we are so proud of you!!!

Embark Dinner

Last night Pete and I went to a dinner for all the embarkers on island.It was a chance for everyone to say goodbye to all those leaving this summer. We had a nice time. After eating, the wives were presented with a little token of gratitude. Then the embarkers went around the room to say something about two people in the room. When it was Pete's turn he said a little joke about one of the guys there. Then he did something completely out of character for him.He said"With this being Mother's Day this weekend I want to thank my wife for our three beautiful children." I was surprised. It was so sweet. Thank you Pete! I Love you!

Mason

Here are more pictures to enjoy.

Getting stronger

Here is Mason holding up his head to look at his froggie. He is getting better at it. It won't be long before he is pushing off his arms to lift his chest.

Just an update

I just wanted to let everyone know we will be leaving Okinawa on July 28,2007. We should arrive in the states on the same day. (time zone change) We will be taking leave in TN. at my mothers. We are also taking a trip to VA. to hunt for a house. Then back to TN. Those are our plans for right now.Everything is subject to change without notice. I always wanted to say that.

Our Little Thumb Sucker

Mason might turn out to be a thumb sucker. He chews on his left thumb all the time. Although the past couple of days it has turned into sucking. He doesn't do it all the time,he will still take the binky. But whatever makes him happy or should I say content.

????

I don't know what to think of the Virginia Tech shootings. I'm sad for all those families who have lost a loved one. And sad for those in charge who may feel guilt all the rest of their lives thinking they could have done more. I'm also angry that this young man felt he had no other option than to commit these murders. He was obviously mentally ill. It was documented he was depressed and a danger to himself and others, or so I have read. I suppose I don't really understand this type of mental illness. How could one be so depressed that killing and death look like good way to fix it. I also feel some sort of empathy for him. He must have been so lonely and hurting. But that does not give him any right to do what he did. I'm sorry he wasn't helped. Damn human nature! Am I just weird?

Ice Skating

Emily's Girl Scout troop took an ice skating trip on Sunday. We had a blast. We did well I only fell twice. Emily on the other hand fell about 60 times. I'm surprised she isn't one big bruise. She spent most of the time hugging the wall but she did get the hang of it by the end. She was cutting across the middle and zipping around.

She is reaching the point where Mom is embarrassing her. She didn't want me to skate with her once she figured it out. She wanted me to skate with the other moms.It's bound to happen. But I had a great time spending time with her. She growing up so fast.

Easter

Spring is here and Easter has passed. On the Saturday before Easter we went to a cookout and egg hunt put on by Pete's unit. It was cold and rainy but we tried to have a good time. The big kids got their faces painted and participated in the egg hunt. Easter Sunday was rainy again. We had a cookout in the neighborhood.It was moved inside our house because of the rain. There was also a neighbor hood egg hunt. One of the Moms made about 3 dozen confetti eggs. The kids loved it. They smashed the eggs on each others heads. Mason celebrated his first Easter. The bunny basket was passed down to him,it belonged to each of the kids when they were babies. Uncle Grant and Aunt Lorna came over to visit also.They brought Easter treats for the kids.

Toothless

Jacob came running up to me with a look of surprise. This is what I saw. His top front tooth came out while playing outside. The other front tooth is not far behind. Its pretty loose. That night he forgot to put his tooth under his pillow,so the tooth fairy came the next night. He looks cute to me. He thinks he looks like a different person.

Mason is 2 months

Mason had his two month well baby checkup today. He is in the 75th percentile for height.I can't remember exactly how many inches he is. Maybe 27? He is in the 50th percentile for weight. He weighs 11.8 pounds. His doctor says he is doing great. He also had to get his two month shots :( He got four of them, I cried and he screamed. I made Pete go with me for emotional support.

This past week Mason has discovered his fingers. They are always in his mouth. And the week before that he started smiling at us. Now we are waiting for him to laugh. He laughs but in his sleep.

Special Person Dance

Emily choose to take me to her Girl Scouts,Special Person Dance. There was dinner,dancing and prizes. Emily didn't want to leave. She was having too good of a time with her friends. She was exhausted by the time we left. She danced every song. Little did we know, it started to rain while we were there. We had to run to the car in the rain. We laughed all the way to the car,running of course. We were a couple of drowned rats! But it was fun.

It's offical

Pete has gotten his orders. We are definitely going to Virginia. We should be leaving Okinawa the end of July.Pete will ask for the 28th of July for our flight date. School starts the beginning of September in VA.,so the kids won't be missing any school. I'm glad we'll have one last beach season here. I want to get lots of pictures of the kids at the beach. We are moving from one beach to another but Virginia Beach is not as beautiful as Okinawa. I hope to go on one last dive this summer too.
We are excited to move back to the United States. We have missed a lot about the land of the free, restaurants,shopping, just simple conveniences and most of all family.

Tiny Toes

Beautiful Emily

Emily wearing her glasses. I think she looks beautiful. She picked them out herself. They match her hair so they aren't very noticeable. She doesn't need to wear them all the time. She is only slightly nearsighted. What do ya think?

Too much pressure

This week Emily has Terra Nova testing at school. For those who don't know what that is, it is a standardized test used to measure a child's skill level. Well, I think they put too much pressure on kids over these tests. First of all it's not like they won't get into college if they miss a test or don't do well on them.It is a tool used to help students. To find out if and where they might be having problems. This morning Emily had an eye appointment so she missed one portion of the test. Which by the way she can and will make up next week. When I took her back to school she wasn't allowed to join her class until lunch. Emily was devastated that she missed her test. She just kept saying"I told you I wasn't supposed to miss the test. I just want to go home". She was upset enough that the school counselor came to talk to her about retaking the portion of the test she missed. I told her that her eye sight is more important than a test. But not to her it wasn't I think they(the teachers,administrators) need a better way of delivering the importance of these kinds of tests are to the students. I'm not saying these tests are not important. I think they are a valuable tool to parents and teachers. I don't think however kids need to stress over them. Emily was under the impression that she was in trouble for missing the test. She thought her teacher would be mad at her for missing the test. She was stressed out about the whole thing. She cried for about 30 minutes.I felt bad for her. So I hope that she will learn form this experience and that missing a test is not the end of her world. And a side note, Emily will be getting glasses.That's a whole other ball of wax.

Look at me

I just wanted to put up some more pictures of Mason. Enjoy!