The Celebration

Yesterday might have been The Day, but today was Party Time!  Daddy was home, presents were opened, and the fun was just about to begin.  What a fun, exhausting day.

THE CAKE:
I've been in love with the rainbow cake ever since I stumbled across a blog and my friend, Nicole was easily convinced to take on the massive project for a baby shower.  For those of you who know me well, you know I really don't like baking; all that precise measuring and mixing and room temperature this and refrigerated that.  Good grief, makes my head hurt.  So even though I moan and groan about baking, I knew I just had to tackle the rainbow cake...Kendra style.  Ok, you can call it cheating.  I used a box.  It's a standard white cake.  I divided the batter into 4 bowls.  I didn't weigh them to make sure they were precise.  I eye-balled it.  Maybe that's why they were slightly crooked.  I couldn't find the primary color food gel, but they had pastels at the store, so that's what we used.  I didn't have a fancy butterfly cake pan.  The stores here didn't carry them.  I used 2 9 inch round pans, 4 different layers, 4 beautiful colors, 2 Twinkies, 2 pipe cleaners, and so much icing (2 containers), M&Ms and candy sprinkles that your blood sugar would rise just looking at it.   It turned out just like I had envisioned.  I was so happy and proud.  Of course, the one downside was that the cake was super moist and I guess the candy so heavy that part of it broke by the time we got to the party facility.  Good thing I took pictures right after it was finished.  It was still delicious.

It was a tall cake!

Blue, pink, green and orange

At least from this angle, it was hard to see the broken area.

THE PARTY:

June is a hot month here and I went looking for an indoor venue to host the party.  Stumbled upon Crafty Things over on the Air Force Base.  It's a craft store that also teaches craft classes.  They offer b-day parties where they do an age appropriate craft (with an instructor) and then give us use of the party room.  They even supplied the table cloths!  This was fabulous!  We ended up having a rainy, stormy day and being indoors was a blessing.  The kids made refrigerator magnets out of some super cool Japanese clay and got to decorate them.  How fun!  We then played Pin the Tail on the Donkey (Mary was way off course) and a kids version of Bingo.  I took a break from cooking and we ordered fruit and vegetable trays from the commissary and Doug picked up an assortment of pizzas.

You know it was a successful party, when this is what you see in the rear view mirror on the drive home.

Happy birthday, Mary!  We've had 4 wonderful years with you!  Can't wait to see what this next year will bring!  We love you so much, Mommy, Daddy and Adam.

The Kindness of Strangers...

...leads us to an important life lesson.

This afternoon, we had an appointment to get Mary's bangs trimmed.  Our last haircut before leaving the island.  Kiyoko-san has been cutting Mary's hair since we moved here and today I mentioned that it's her 4th birthday today and this is also our last visit, since we'll be moving soon.  When we got up to the register, she handed Mary an envelope with "Happy Birthday" written on it.  Inside was a $10 bill!  To top it off, she wouldn't let us pay for the haircut.  I was humbled by her generosity and kindness.  What a total surprise.  Mary was thrilled, of course, and immediately set out to the toy store to pick a birthday surprise.  Little girl was amazing.  I'm not sure when it's appropriate to talk to kids about savings and spending and tithing, but since the opportunity presented itself, we had a brief chat.  We talked about church and saving for the future, charities and enjoying a little $ right now.  She picked out a new jump rope, a huge pack of stickers and a new Thomas book (which Adam was equally excited about).  She had exactly $1.50 left (no tax and no pennies over here made it much simpler).  We immediately walked over to the bank and she decided to deposit $1.25 in her savings account and is planning on giving .25 cents to church on Sunday.  I'm so proud.  Little girl didn't act so little today...until she started fighting over her new book with her brother.  Oh well, kids will be kids.

Happy Birthday, Mary!

Happy 4th birthday to my beautiful, smart, amazing little girl!  She is growing up into such a lovely person, not just in looks, but in personality.

We started off the day with a power outage.  :(  Boo!  Anyway, it gave us a good excuse to have a special breakfast out in town.  McDonalds!!!!

Apparently, a storm's a brewing and I'm the only one that doesn't know about it.  I was happy with the increased wind and the overcast skies.  Made for a much cooler day, so I was finally able to grant little girl's wish and take them to the beach.  I've been wanting to go to Toguchi Beach for quite a while, but was never able to coordinate a perfect time when Kristen and her girls were still here (they lived right down the street from the beach).

The birthday swing

Wish it was a tad bit sunnier, but what a pretty beach.

We had a great time looking for shells...

What he lacked in quantity, he made up for in quality!

Due to the power outage (ALL DAY), we had to eat out for dinner.  I suggested a special birthday dinner at Macaroni Grill.  Mary chose Popeyes instead.  Oh boy.  We were eating and she said, "Mom, this is a super fancy dinner!  They even gave us the smell!"  Yes, they did.

Happy Birthday,  sweet Mary!

And the best present yet?  No, not the power coming back on, though that's a close 2nd.  We're heading to the airport in a few hours to pick up Daddy!  Yea!!!

F is for...

F is for... Florentine...eggs Florentine, that is.  When given the option of an experimental breakfast of eggs Benedict or eggs Florentine, Doug chose the spinach.  Yum.  A little research, some shopping, some improvising (since of course we can never find all the correct ingredients at our commissary) and a lot of luck helped me create this beautiful meal.   I even had my first successful egg poaching experience.  Not so daunting, and totally delicious.

F is for...Fast asleep.  There's nothing better than a snugly, baby who falls asleep on your chest.  They grow up way too fast.  These are moments to treasure.

F is for...Fun!  Playing outside.  Need I say more?

F is for..facilitating learning.  Doug took a great opportunity to talk about flowers and bees and keep the youngsters busy while I was cooking dinner.  (Hmm, can you spot what's wrong with this picture?)

F is for...Floats!!!  Ending a great meal with none other, but root beer floats.  I'd say it was a hit.

And most importantly, F is for Father.  Happy Father's Day, Doug!  You are an amazing father to our two children.  We are so lucky to have you in our lives.  And even though we only take this one day to really, truly recognize all the hard work, love and humor you bring to this family, know that we appreciate you everyday.  Thank you!

Better Late Than Never

21 days after Typhoon Songda unleashed it's power on Okinawa, blowing trees and plants, and sheds to pieces, the maintenance people finally came to pick up all the branches we had piled in the front yard.  We rarely use the front door, so it really didn't bother me to have them there.  Heck, it left us with a smaller patch of grass to mow every week.  Personally, I could have lived with it until we moved (31 more days, by the way!)  However, our neighbors behind us were not so accepting of their storm debris.   Practically everyday, the wife was on the phone calling the housing office asking when they were coming out to clear her front yard/ walkway.  She asked nicely then she nagged then she made her displeasure truly known.  Finally, they came.

9 men, chopping and hauling and dragging.  The big trucks came by in the afternoon to cart everything away...just in time for Doug to mow the lawn.

The lesson learned today:

Me:  "Better late than never."  

Doug:  "You don't always have to be the squeaky wheel to get noticed...sometimes you just need to live near the squeaky wheel."

Knowledge is Everything

I should have known...the exchange would be sold out of swimming pools.  They're always out of everything you want, when you want.  I could have bought one back in February, but who wants a pool then?

I should have known...the Japanese stores would not only have a pool, but multitudes that made the decision process harder.  They had kiddie pools, family pools, ones with shade covers, pink, blue, and yellow.  There was one shaped like a farm that had a barn, a fence and 3 inflatable animals.  They had super cool fantastic ones shaped like a pink playhouse, a race car and a boat.  My inner frugality won and I just couldn't bear to pay $75 for a fancy pool, besides, it might get so hot, that I might want to sit in there with the kids and for that, we need a BIG pool.  Family size it is.

I should have known...that it wouldn't be a simple, fast inflation process.  There was sweating, maybe some under the breath cursing, and some exasperation at the slow, but steady progress.  Thankfully, I found the old foot pump for my big exercise ball.  That saved a lot of time...and helped work out my thighs!

Doug surprised us by coming home from work early.  He didn't know he would be put on pumping duty.  Luckily, with this job, he could still hold onto his beer.  It's the important things in life, right?

He decided to try the old fashioned way, but alas, he didn't have enough hot air.  I know, I was surprised too.

I should have known...that once it was finished, it would have been totally worth it!  Knowledge is everything!

Bye Ms. Debra!

Today was the last day of ballet.  :(  I will miss it almost as much as Mary.  She started off as an excited, clumsy toddler and has grown this year into a slightly more graceful little dancer.  We've made new friends and enjoyed new experiences.  Who knows what adventures await us in Virginia; perhaps she'll continue with ballet, maybe she'll try tap or even gymnastics.  The opportunities are endless, but we will never forget our first class.  Thank you for your wonderful patience and creative teaching, Ms. Debra!  We'll miss you.

It's Getting Hot Out Here...

It's getting hot.  We've sold our awning, our bench, and the kids playground.  Our old hard plastic pool cracked beyond the repair capabilities of duct tape and had to go to curb a while ago.  It's ok, it was too small anyway.  Adam hates having water sprayed at him and Mary can't seem to understand the concept of a slip n' slide.  We have the water table.  It's fun for splashing and pouring water, but not much else.  I actually felt sorry for little girl this afternoon when she was trying to cool off by getting her belly wet.  I think it's time to get a pool.  Even though we only have 34 more days, I think it is definitely a necessity.

Afterward, we went for a walk.  Freeloader (AKA, Adam) loves to be pushed around in the wagon.  Mary was more than happy to oblige until she got tired on the hill and hopped in to join her brother.  Apparently, Mommy needed the workout.  

Wearing a bathing suit that was way too small and almost indecent and a floppy hat that kept blowing in the wind to create this odd "pilgrim-esque" look, we were quite the sight in the neighborhood.  Almost made me forget about Adam's terrible haircut.  Almost.

The Haircut

I know I've never attended a single day of cosmetology school or barber shop class, or whatever they call it where you learn to cut hair properly.  And yet, I look at my kids and I think, nay, I know I can do it.  I can give them the best haircut ever!  Their adorableness can only be enhanced by my untapped skill.  I'm saving time and money by not having to call and wait for an appointment at the beauty parlor or drive to the local Japanese barber, haul both kids out in the heat, only to pantomime what I want and have to come back later with an appointment.   Let me just say, I've learned my lesson.  Never again.  Sorry Adam.  Mommy's so very, very sorry.  No amount of mousse or hairspray can make it right.  Only time...and maybe some Rogain.  For now I'll start saying my new mantra:  grow hair grow.  grow hair grow.  grow hair grow...

Hey, does it look uneven?  I think I can straighten that up with just a tiny snip....

Bye-Bye Zoo

For months, Mary's been reminding (very similar to nagging) me to go to the zoo with Daddy.  Of course, I love the quiet, unhurried, uncrowded weekdays right when it opens.  Unfortunately, Doug is either at work or on another trip during those times and busy weekends are our only option.   Today, we lucked out.  A gorgeous Monday and Doug had the day off, so we quickly gathered snacks, pb&j's, and bottles of H2O and rushed out for an adventure.  It's starting to get hot, so I told Mary this is our last time.  The animals (and Mommy) really don't like the heat.  I'm glad we went, because we saw lots of neat animals!

There was the rather large Kangaroo that came up to say, "Hi!"

The baby Giraffe keeping cool in his house.

The Elephant eating on some sticks.  See?  It's not just Adam!

Lots and lots of Turtles!

The stinky Hippopotamuses and their terrible table manners (we got to watch them eat).

And the easily frightened, Rabbits!  {Shhhhh}

After a refreshing break of some shade, some lunch and some shave ice (snow cones).  We were ready to tackle our next zoological excitement...The Petting Zoo!

Mary walked away from this experience talking about how much she wants a baby chick for her birthday.  Doug said sure, he'd be more than happy to get her a bucket of fried chicken.  Is that wrong?

Of course, you can't have your last trip to the zoo without stopping for some rides.  It was actually kind of bittersweet when Mary said she wanted to ride the Merry-Go-Round.  I remember when she used to called it the Mary-Going-Round.  Ahh, she's growing up to quickly.

And the $1 car rides are always a hit.  This time, Mary got to ride all by herself like a big girl.  She had a blast.

What a great day and a fantastic way to say "Good-bye" to the Okinawa Zoo.  We have so many good memories from here.