long time, no blog

Ok, so it's been a little while since I blogged. Where have we been? What have we been doing? I know, you're all just dying to know. Well, at least the 3 or 4 people who actually read this blog once in a while. It's been a busy few months here in our little corner of the world. Daddy was here, then left, came home early, stayed a bit, then left again. Go figure. He's gone now until mid December, we think. We were expecting him to have Thanksgiving with us, but no, he'll be gone again this year. BUT, he will be here for Christmas, so we're super excited about that!

Kids are all doing well. Growing up too fast, and getting too big. H started 3rd grade, K started kindergarten and little A is doing a part time preschool.

A quick rundown of what's been going on:

did some festivals here that were kind of fun

went to the Chinese Gardens (yes, here, not in China)

H and K participated in another karate festival

finally made it to the zoo (which is tiny, but has really funny signs in Engrish) and children's museum

had a fun Halloween with friends

attempted to take pics of the boys for a Christmas card - will attempt again next weekend (little buggers)

oh, and I got hooked on those darn Twilight books and it's taking all my time in the evenings!

the sign by the chimps at the zoo - and one actually had a mouthful of poo, just ready to throw it

H enjoying the big chair at the children's museum

A enjoying some playtime at the park

K doing the obligatory peace sign

Daddy and the boys at the Fukushu-en Chinese Gardens

this pretty much sums up our picture taking experience. A looks like he's about to fly away, K looks like he smelled something fishy and H is almost ready to laugh. wish us luck for the next photo shoot

That's it in a nutshell. See, not that exciting, was it? I'll TRY to be better about updating this blog. Seriously, I will.

travels, medals and more

It seems like forever since I blogged! We've been keeping pretty busy on this side of the world. My darling husband returned home on July 4, late at night, only to leave again on July 7. It was sooner than we expected him to leave, so the boys had a bit of a hard time with daddy being here for just a couple of days before taking off again. However, he should be back by the end of next week (keep fingers crossed!) and all will be normal again, well, as normal as can be for our family. We just miss him bunches!

The boys and I took a trip to a neighboring island for a few days. It was a marriage retreat hosted by our church, and even though C couldn't go, I decided to go with my friend, MA and her kids, since her hubby is deployed also. I mean, at least we'll be better spouses when our dear husbands return home, right? It was on another island, at a resort, all inclusive for 2 nights and 3 days. Seriously, ferry trip, all meals, hotel and childcare during our marriage classes: all free. It was really nice! I would have had a much better time if my kids were better behaved, but it was still a decent time. My boys decided that it would be a good time to show their less attractive side and I spent quite a bit of the trip being embarrassed. It didn't help that others felt the need to point out how ill behaved my kids were, even though I'm pretty sure all kids have their days when they act up. All in all, it was an experience to travel to another island and I'm glad I got to go.

the ferry that took us to Ie Island

Yesterday, H had karate tournament practice. It was in a sports arena type place. Okinawa is hosting the world karate tournament next month, and H is taking part. We did a practice yesterday, amid the enormous amount of last minute schedule changes. It was interesting and a bit scary. Looks like around 36 countries, plus many districts of Japan, will be participating. On our way out of practice, we stumbled upon....get ready...wait for it.....SUMO PRACTICE. How cool is that???? I've never seen anything like it. The boys were a little shocked and in complete awe. It was so amazing. I tried to ask a local if it was okay to take some pictures and he did not respond, but gave me a dirty look. BUT....he didn't say no, so of course, I took some pics. I had to take the first few threw a gated area, but then I found an opening and got a couple of better pics. There were kids in sumo attire, as well, even skinny kids. Skinny kids look really odd in sumo underwear things. But, I was so excited we got to see them practice for a bit.

need I say more? super cool!

still sneaking pics

right after I discovered the opening in the gated area

my last shot before the locals were frowning too much

Across the street from us, the farmers have decided to plant a small field of sunflowers. It is truly amazing how much joy such a simple thing can bring to my day. I find myself smiling each time I pass these flowers and took time yesterday to take a couple of pictures.

Today was the karate kids' tournament. We missed church for it, and I felt kind of bad about that. However, if we didn't participate today, H would not be able to participate in the world tournament next month. It was held in a school gymnasium, which was not air conditioned. It was hotter than you know what and Oki is pretty humid. Good thing I packed lots of waters and snacks for K and A. We got there around 8:30 AM and were there until around 2:30 PM. The best and coolest thing is H took 3rd place in his group and won a bronze medal! Seriously! I'm in awe of my boy. We're in a foreign country, not to mention the birthplace of karate, and attend a full Japanese dojo. Our dear sensei speaks only some English, and the tournament today was for many dojos. My dear, sweet, H placed! That is truly amazing to me. His very first tournament! I was so proud that I cried like a baby. Our sensei, his 2 younger senseis, and my lovely Japanese friend were all teary eyed and proud! My friend's son took first in his group! Our dojo did very well and it was a super super day!!!

H right before the tournament

H and Sensei

H's bronze medal

I think that about sums up the past few weeks. The next week will be pretty busy gearing up for daddy to come home. Hopefully, the rain will stay away and we'll get some good beach time in, I know we could use it!

Love to you all, we miss you bunches.

jinbei

Bought the boys jinbei a couple of weeks ago and wanted to post a pic of them.  Jinbei is usually worn as night wear or house wear.  Super comfy and cute on the boys.  Daddy has one too, but of course, he's not here to take a picture.  Maybe upon his return....

swimming

H making one of his famous faces

K being flirty with the ladies

A being just plain weird

H so proud of himself after lesson

H making yet another great face

A entertaining himself during K's lesson

K jumped in and was ready to go

don't ask about the ugly sunglasses on the teacher...

Today was the first day of swim lessons that it didn't rain, so I took a few pics.  Here you go:

happy father's day

Oh, forgot to add the very best father's day wishes to daddy and buggaboo.  We miss having daddy here today and it wasn't the same without him.  And, buggaboo, you're the best!  Love you both!

Wishing all the best to all you great daddies out there!!

crazy crazy days

So the last few days have been something else!  Yesterday, I decided to take the boys to the beach for the afternoon.  It had been raining here for at least 10 days, and yesterday we were blessed with sunshine.  We get all dressed, pack our beach bag and walk on down.  Now, we live less than a block from the beach and I can easily see it from our house.  I saw the tide was out, but didn't realize how far out it was.  There wasn't any water.  We walked out pretty far and wandered through some tide pools, which were hotter than bath water!  Little A was NOT happy about that and the fact that there were slimy black sea cucumbers everywhere.  I mean, they are kind of gross looking and he did step on one and it freaked him out.  It was so unbearably hot and humid that we ended up packing it in and heading home in less than an hour.  No fun at all!  What a bummer!

check out all these kids, sorry it's a bit shaky!

H had his first karate tournament practice today.  He'll have another one at the actual location next month, then he will compete in a world tournament in August.  The first video is mostly to show you how many kids there were today, just at the practice.  It will be a sight at the actual tournament!  K and A were pretty great about sitting through the practice, which made it alot easier on me.  I was a bit worried about it, since A has been a bit of a pill these last 2 days.  He's missing daddy bunches and is acting out.  Plus, we've been going to swim lessons for K and H, twice a day, all last week and will do it again this week, and A is a creature of habit and hates when his schedule gets all screwy.  So, needless to say, his good behavior during H's practice was a very pleasant surprise.

some of the kata H needs to do for the tournament, he's way in the back towards the center

Oh, and I've been cruising in daddy's new car since he left on Friday.  It's super fun.  Daddy picked up a mini cooper back in May, and I told him I'd be driving it around when he's gone.  I mean, it is really cool, and how could I not drive it???  

So this morning, we head of to church in the mini.  I am driving by daddy's work, and notice up ahead that an MP is parked by the speed limit sign.  I look at him, notice he's writing stuff down, see the sign, look down at my speed and see that I'm going the posted 30 km per hour.  I cruise on by the MP and head to church.  Never bothered to look behind me, since very few people are driving around the base.  The base chapel is only about 2 blocks from where I saw the cop.  Well, he had his lights on and pulled into the chapel parking lot.  I backed into my space and then it dawned on me, that he must have been pulling me over!  I send the boys into church and ask if I was being pulled over.  He said that I was.  I ask why and he shushes me!  How rude!  He was trying to listen to his radio and shushed me!!  Well, after I wait there and start sweating (it's unbearably hot and humid here now), he said that he caught me going 40 km per hr in a 20 zone.  He said where, which is right by daddy's office.  Now, he was past that section, and he was writing on a clipboard, not holding a radar gun.  So I ask him about this.  Just as he starts to answer, however, one of the chaplains (the one I like) comes out and asks what's the problem.  He tells the cop that he should not give me a ticket since I'm a good person.  The cop said he would probably let me get away with a warning, but he wasn't sure yet.  The chaplain said "well, alright then..." but it was clear he was on my side.  The cop ended up telling me to slow down and let me go.  Turns out the cop attends chapel there too.  I didn't recognize him at all, especially in his uniform, but I guess he's a regular attendee.  I mean seriously, a 20 km zone???  That's like 12.5 mph, how could anyone drive that slow?  And, I looked at my speedometer and was going 30, not 40.  Plus, I'm driving a tiny 97 mini cooper, like I could be speeding!  Personally, I think that daddy's zippy driving is making the mini stand out a little too much and the cops are just looking for a reason to get a closer look at the car.  So, while I was locking up the car, finished with the cop, the new chaplain comes out to introduce himself.  What a FANTASTIC first impression I make!  He really wanted a closer look at the car, since he had one in the states and sold it to move here.  He was super excited to take a look at daddy's new ride.

That's mostly it, well, except the fact that K has decided to start calling me either "sweetheart" or "my sweet matato (ma-tay-to)".  He's really calling me his sweet potato, but never says potato, just matato.  Silly boy keeps me laughing.

Oh, and I am SOOOOO loving my new template.  It's perfect for me and daddy.  Someday, when you see us, you'll know why....

Love to you all!

here we go again...

we took daddy to the airport this morning....AGAIN.  he'll be gone for the next 2 weeks.  he comes back on july 4, at night, then he's home for a few days, then leaving again for a few more weeks.  i guess it's better than that 7 months without him, but darn, we miss him already.  we'll be keeping very busy over the next few weeks, and hopefully it will pass quickly.  not much else to add tonight, just feeling kind of lonesome...

updates

A at the Toyota History Museum, Tokyo

H at Guiness World Records Museum, Tokyo Tower

C playing at the park

Sensoji Temple

K lounging at the Botanical Gardens

Wow, it feels like FOREVER since I blogged.  I'm not really going to be all that great about it tonight either, but I thought I'd take a quick minute to let you all know we are still here and doing well.  Here's the last month or so in a nutshell:

C came home - FINALLY!  We got a new car for him.  We went to Tokyo and had a wonderful family vacation.  We did Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea, which were truly incredible.  It was my first Disney experience and I was pleasantly surprised.  It was super clean and the people were so nice!  Adults and children get so excited to be there and wear cute little ears (think Lilo and Stitch, Mickey and Minnie) on hairbands and barrettes (including the guys).  It's contagious, their thrill to be at Disney.  It wasn't as expensive as we expected and had a ball spoiling the kids and ourselves.  We also did Tokyo Tower, Odaiba (very neat district of Tokyo) and the Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, Tokyo.  We had planned on getting around to Yokohama and such, but found so much to do around Tokyo that we ended up near there everyday.  C was a great Tokyo driver, as we rented a big van and he managed the Tokyo traffic like a champ.  GPS was awesome and so very helpful.  Anyway, kids are good.  H finishes 2nd grade tomorrow.  K finished pre-k the last week in May.  H and K are still doing karate.  H will compete in a karate tournament towards the end of July.  H and K are doing swimming lessons starting next week and then H will do a golf camp the first week in July.  Little A cannot do much at this age, but just enjoys being outdoors as much as possible.  He loves the ocean and the beach and will spend as much time as we allow there.  C is getting ready to leave, again.  This time, for a few weeks, then home for a few days and gone for a few weeks more.  The boys and I had planned on going back to the states for a few weeks, but travel with the kids is quite hectic and we are being told that trying to get a space available flight during the summer is futile.  Oh, and my dear friend MA is in the states for a month and I'm going a bit nuts without her!  Shopping online at night is just not the same!  MA, if you're reading this - can't wait for you to come home!!!

Ok, that's about it for tonight.  It's hot and humid and I'm just tired out.  I'll try to get more pics up of vacation and such, someday....

Night night, all.  Love you and miss you.

vacation and luau

Ueno Zoo

Ueno Zoo

We've been back from vacation for over a week now and I have yet to post a single picture.  I know, shameful.  It was a crazy, hectic vacation, with 2 ladies and 5 children ages 8 and under, but still fun.  Lots of "wow, what are the odds of that?" moments, not much shopping (maybe a little online) and tons of exhaustion.  We didn't end up renting a van, so we took taxis, shuttles and trains everywhere.  The cherry blossoms were in full bloom by the middle of our vacation and it was so beautiful.  The wind made the falling petals look like it was almost snowing.  Really amazing.  We did the Ueno Zoo, which was fun and saw some odd animals, and even odder people.  Really, who wears heels and skirts to a zoo???  We went to Chinatown in Yokohama, which is definitely not all it's cracked up to be.  Mostly restaurants and way too many people.  I spent most of the time terrified I would lose one of the kids.  We went to an outlet mall and ready, wait for it, a COSTCO!  Woo hoo!  That was an adventure all in itself.  Us to cab driver:  "costco, please", cabbie:  "costco?  costco?  costco?  uh, costco?"  (imagine it with a japanese accent and alot of sheer confusion), MA got out and asked a japanese lady how to say costco, came back to the cab and said "cos-u-co", cabbie:  "OHHHH! COS-U-CO!", like we had been completely insane for thinking he would get costco when we didn't say cos-u-co.  REALLY!!  Anyway, after a 15 minute cab ride that cost $40, we arrived at the outlet mall and cos-u-co.  Did a lot of walking around, a little shopping and cruised costco!  A different day we did a huge park that had beautiful flower gardens and a children's play area.  They had huge inflated mushroom-like things that the kids could climb up and jump on, however, it was very dry and dirty and the kids ended up completely brown by the time they were done.  They didn't mind, but you all know how I am when it comes to dirt!  ICK!  I'm going to work on loading all the vacation pics into an album probably on smugmug or something and I'll update the blog once it's done.  It was a fun vacation, but not really a vacation, I mean we had 5 children between the two of us and that takes alot of effort!  MA have decided that once the men come home, we are heading off to a resort or something for a little relaxation!!

Chinatown

Showa Kinen Koen park

The street across from our hotel

H pretending to scare the poor lady who chose to sit between 2 boys on a train, then fell asleep....she almost caught us taking this pic!

Oh, went to a luau last night.  It was a wives social thing that happens monthly.  Last night's luau theme inspired MA.  We knew that everyone would dress up with coconut boobs and grass skirts.  She came up with the "tacky tourist" idea.  We ran with it.  Holy cow was it fun!  She opted for the all over fat lady, while I opted for the gigantic boobs and butt.  We played off the Edna (her) and Hazel (me) roles, and said we were on a real Hawaiian vacation!  We won for best costumes and had a ton of fun.  

WARNING:  If you are drinking any beverage, you might have it come out your nose when you see these pics.  Also, if you need to pee, probably better to do it before scrolling down to the luau pics.  Otherwise, I cannot be held responsible for the puddle on your floor!

Love to you all, nighty night!

the big 8

Well, H turned the big 8 today.  Can you believe it???  It seems like just yesterday we were bringing that little (really BIG) bundle of joy home from the hospital in Monterey.  Now, here we are 8 years later, halfway across the world.  I was really bummed we couldn't do our Singapore vacation, as part of it was for his birthday.  I mean, not every 8 year old gets to ride an elephant for his birthday.  Since that got changed to a shorter vacation in mainland Japan, without the elephant ride, H had to get some pretty good gifts to make up for it.  At least, that's my reasoning, and I'm sticking to it.

I took him to dinner at the marina restaurant the other night, with MA and her kids.  He chose the restaurant, and I was happy with any choice as long as it wasn't Chili's.  We had a nice dinner out and saved the presents for his actual birthday.  I told him he had to wait until after school to do the presents/cake thing.  I had gotten his presents, but when I picked him up from his friends house the other day, he mentioned that he got to play a game there and he actually didn't like it.  Go figure, I had just bought that particular game and had it stashed in the back of the car.  So back to the PX today to make the exchange and it all worked out.  He had 2 small presents to open.  He got a new DS game and a Wii game.  He opened the Wii game and said, "uh, mom, this is for the Wii".  I played it off and acted like I had made a huge mistake thinking it was for the PS2.  I told him I'd exchange it tomorrow, and that I was sorry.  I asked him to put it over by the stereo so I could remember to do it tomorrow.  He opened up the cabinet to do it and found the new Wii system and was THRILLED.  I'd been thinking about getting one for awhile, but just kept putting it off.  Now all I can say, is how on earth did we not have one?  It is SUPER FUN!  We played bowling, boxing, go kart racing, air hockey and dodgeball tonight.  I think I might have injured my left elbow during a serious boxing match.  I'm not much of a gamer, but it is really really fun.  Even now, I sit here typing away, kids are sound asleep and I'm really thinking about going for one more game of bowling or maybe one more boxing match.  Took some good pics of the kids tonight and MA had taken some great ones at dinner the other night.  

I'm off to finish my tea, yes, you read that right, I'm having tea.  I've overcome my problem with drinking tea and now enjoy a cup nightly.  I mean, I am half-Japanese, and I'm living over here, how can I not drink tea??

Night night, all.  Love and miss you!

busy, busy, busy

It's been a busy few weeks around here.  We found a new park that had a great rollerslide and a smaller drop slide that all the boys enjoyed.  Too bad it was all muddy there, well too bad for me, the boys didn't care at all.  I had to make them come home in their socks, since I refused to let them keep their muddy shoes on.  I almost had them strip down to their underwear, but they were having none of that!  The videos are pretty quick, but entertaining.  K looks terrified going down the drop slide and you can hear a little scream come out of A on his way down.  He does say "awesome!" at the end, but it's a pretty thrilling ride for a 3 year old.

K sparred again at karate and actually won!  The first sparring match he had was less than inspiring.  He looked pretty bad.  I mean, he was still fairly new to this whole karate thing, but it was pretty pitiful.  This time, he went in and actually did what he needed to do.  I was very proud of him, as he was of himself! I'd post the video, but it's over 4 minutes long and blogger would probably explode.  I'm lucky I can get anything near 2 minutes on here!

  

We also had an Easter egg hunt for daddy's work.  The weather was terrible, raining and chilly.  The kids didn't mind, it was still fun to run around and find eggs.  I think H ended up with close to $10 and K had around $2.  Little A had some stickers and he was just thrilled to be there.  However, he absolutely hated the Easter bunny, wouldn't even look in his direction!  

A is just happy to be there!

K was cautious about his choices

H was a blur of motion - scored big!

Our vacation plans have drastically changed.  MA and I had originally planned a 13 day trip, which included 9 days in Singapore.  We were so excited about the trip.  I decided to call the Navy hotel in Singapore to see what their vacancies were like for April.  We aren't supposed to book it until it's 5 days prior to our arrival.  I'm so glad I called, because I was told that it was booked for the entire time.  What a disappointment!  I looked into various other hotels, most of which were booked or could not accommodate our party of 7.  The only ones with availability were still going to run at least $80/night for each family, and didn't seem to be in the best of areas.  I did find one hotel that was reasonable, around $70/night, but their website was very generic and listed an email address and a phone number.  No pictures, just that information, along with some rates.  I emailed them to see if they could send me pictures and a general idea of where they are.  It was just some guy named Charles, who said "here are the rates, I need your credit card number, along with the verification code on the back."  Oh sure, let me just get that for you!  I mean, he just sounded so trustworthy, right???  Just Charles, really.  Anyway, after not finding a hotel in Singapore, weighing our options:  Kuala Lumpur, via Singapore, or Thailand, where we would have to pay for our flights on a commercial airline, we opted for staying a week in mainland Japan.  It was just so much less expensive and only one flight each way.  We booked the hotel on the air base and are good to go.  I found some great places to visit, fun things for the kids and us.  We leave first thing Saturday morning.  2 ladies and 5 children, should be an interesting vacation.  At least there's good shopping in Tokyo!  Hello, outlet mall!!!  

My dear C is coming home in a month!  It's hard to believe our 7 months apart is finally coming to an end.  I'm so excited to think that it's only a few more weeks and he'll actually be here to see and hug and kiss.  We miss him so much, every single day.

thankful

I know I'm somewhat of a complainer (don't laugh at the somewhat part, dear C), but I just wanted to say how thankful I am for my good kids.  Yesterday, I was feeling horrible, just all over yucky.  I needed a nap and I got a good 3 hrs in.  Yes, even without C here.  H was so good about reading in his room, by himself.  K and A were napping as well, and when K got up, he directly went to H's room, where they played quietly until I was up.  I heard them playing and easily drifted back to sleep.  No fighting, screaming or yelling, no getting into the pantry, refrigerator or any other place that might be trouble.  Such good good boys!  

quick update

Just a quick update, mostly to add some new pics.  All is fine here on this side of the world.  Getting ready for a good old fashioned vacation in a couple of weeks.  Cannot wait to blog about that!  Anyway, babysitter was a dirtbag last week and we ended up taking the kids with us on our shopping day excursion.  It was fine in the end, but still that darn babysitter!!!  MA and I went to the outlet mall, in hopes of getting loads of new shoes and clothes, but ended up with only one pair of shoes each, and I bought a cute little denim jacket.  That's it!  However, we did stop in the funny store with all the crazy kids' clothes.  I had my little camera with me, so I was sneaky and got some funny pics.

 check out that logo

Nice hat!

a good sampling of the outfits

by far, my FAVORITE!

 gotta love the corduroy mushroom hat

Also, adding a couple of videos of H and K at karate. Please forgive the shaky hand on the camera. 

Not much else to say these days...just keeping busy and getting over these darn little illnesses that seem to be hanging around.

Loads of love to you all!