Birthday Bash 2011

And when I say Bash, I mean a serious Bash, but I'll get to that later...

One thing I love about Doug is that when I married him, I also married into a huge family.  Family gatherings are fantastic.  Mary is so lucky to have so many cousins her age and yesterday, we had a memorable birthday party.  We went to Laura's (Doug's older sister) house where we played, ate delicious food, busted a pinata, and opened presents.  This was a small group...Mary only had 2 parents, 2 grandparents, 2 Aunts and 1 Uncle, 4 cousins, 4 second cousins, a girlfriend of a cousin, and of course, a brother that were present.  Like I said, a small group.

Adam whined all evening for a brownie.  He finally got one and was a happy boy.

Now, I could show pictures of the presents.  I could tell you how we celebrated Mary's birthday (which was last month), Carli's birthday (which is next month) and even Gus's birthday (which was 2 months ago).  I'm not.  I have to talk about the pinata. Mary wanted a pinata.  She's wanted one ever since her friend, Daven had one...and Mae...and Jacqueline.  The party room for Mary's celebration was too small and not an option.  Grandma came through and ordered a Dora one.  Uncle Dave hung her in the garage.  This looked wrong.

He finally saw the loop on the top of her head and re-strung her.  The kids had a great time taking turn hitting her.

The new trend with pinatas is having a pull string for easy opening.  The kids beat at her and then each kid grabs a string and pulls.  The result was totally unexpected.

Yes, her body popped off!  She was a hanging head.  We decapitated Dora!  Love Doug's expression.  Not only was that morbidly hilarious, but then the kids took her body and started beating it on the floor determined to get at the candy and toys.  Legs were falling off, candy was scattering and the head was just a swinging.  

I can't say I've ever had an experience like that.

Dora the Explorer!...I mean, Dave the Explorer!

And that was the forever memorable birthday bash of 2011!

We're Back!

Yesterday (or was it the day before?), we embarked upon our last (hopefully) international move back to the States.  It was huge.  4 suitcases, 2 car seats, a stroller, a pack n play, a seriously jam packed backpack, a computer bag, Mary's backpack and a cat.  Whew!  It was a lot to carry, keep track of and of course, gather up and go through customs all to recheck it again.  We took a big van taxi to the airport with plenty of time to spare.   We found out that our cat that always travels in the cargo hold was upgraded to cabin seating- she had to be on the floor in the cabin due to pressurization problems with the plane from Tokyo to Chicago.  I love how the airline staff tell us this and then say, "Is this ok?"  Um, has to be.  We can't leave her here and we plan on leaving today.  So, she rides in cargo hold to Tokyo, we have to claim her and take her to the ticket counter for United, buy a soft pet carrier that resembles a little mesh tote bag (because the hard carrier we have won't fit in the cabin) and literally run through security and immigration and hop on the plane.  We were the last ones and just made it.  I think I will always wear a black shirt when I travel.  You couldn't see how much I was sweating.

We were blessed to be on a plane that had the individual monitors in the seat backs.  Our original plan was to put the 2 kids between us and then they could share the portable dvd player.  Unfortunately, even though we had 4 seats together, they were separated by an aisle.  So, Adam and I sat together and Doug and Mary sat together with a parental shift during the flight.  Luckily, the movie Cars was playing and both kids really enjoyed watching it.  Adam even wore the headphones for a few minutes, but then decided he was perfectly happy watching the movie without sound.

Sleeping's always difficult on a plane.  The kids did a better job than us adults.  Adam alternately slept in his car seat and in our arms.  Mary folded herself up like a pretzel and slept in positions that made my body ache just by watching.  Unfortunately, the arm rests didn't completely raise up, but I did manage to slide her sideways and put her head in my lap, so she was at least in a better position.

We finished our trip with a layover in Chicago with plenty of time to go through customs, immigration, taking a train to our concourse and exercise time for the kiddos. Oh, Adam was amazing on the 11 hr flight over.  He never once walked in the aisles.  He stood a couple of times in front of our seats, but that was it.  2 hours before we landed, I took him to the bathroom to change his diaper and for a split second contemplated letting him walk around in the back to stretch his legs.  I then thought that once he tasted freedom, he would be a bear trying to wrangle back in his seat.  So we carried him, held him, and buckled him in.  And in Chicago, we let him run.  It was great.

So that's it.  Jet lag stinks, my non-sleeper was my great sleeper and my sleeper just cried and wanted to be held all night.  But somehow, jet lag seems slightly better when you're in the States, when you're with friends and family, and when you know you won't have to make the long return trip.  Ahhh, it's great to be back.

Adam already made himself comfy in Papa's chair.  

28 hours and 35 minutes...

until we get on a plane.  Tomorrow's the big day.  The day we all load up on a plane and make our way across the ocean, hopefully, the last time for quite a while.  This is our 6th move.  4 suitcases, 2 car seats, a stroller, a cat and a couple carry on bags.  We'll be loaded down, but our spirits will be high...at least for the first couple of hours.  It's a seriously long trip.  We're looking forward to seeing family, to getting into our new house, and starting the next adventure of our lives.  We have new vehicles, a school set up for Mary and we're already making plans for things to do and places to see...and don't get me started on the shopping.  Can you picture me salivating at all the opportunities?  We've been lucky to have a big apartment for our temporary lodging while Doug finishes up at work.  It's nice for the kids to have their own rooms for a little bit of normalcy amidst all this moving chaos.  We even get to keep the loud mouth cat with us, which saves us the hassle of boarding and figuring out how to pick her up before the flight.  We're so thankful a friend lent us his car while he's out of town, so we have transportation and we could sell/recycle our vehicles easily.   We've had 3 good years overseas.  We've experienced a new culture, enjoyed some delicious food and met some wonderful friends, but it's time to go.  Time to move on and see what the next chapter of our lives will be.  See you back in America!

Moving Day!!!!

Moving is exhausting, both mentally and physically.  I never cease to wonder why I get so tired when all I do is sit around and watch people wrap and pack and haul my belongings.  Ok, I do a lot of prep work- throwing out, selling or donating items we don't use, haven't used in a long time or will never use again.  I clean... and organize... and pack suitcases, but still that seems minor compared to what the movers did today.  5  men came in and carefully, yet quickly packed up our entire house in 4 1/2 hours.  Amazing.  Granted, we didn't have much compared to other people.  We barely had anything of value.  Strange, I don't think they listed our 19 in antiquated t.v. on the valuable form.  Ha, ha, ha.  The kids were amazing.  Mary was too young to remember her first move and of course, Adam won't remember today, but in true Kendra fashion, I captured some good pictures.  Enjoy.  By the way, Doug mentioned this is our 6th move.  Whew!

Nothing like a rainy day for moving.   (Rained in Kansas too.  Boo!) 

Peek-a-boo!

No!  Don't pack the boy!  -Adam loved playing in this box...as you can tell.

Tormenting the cat.  

She looks less than pleased with the situation.

Cheap entertainment #1- rolling empty tape rolls across the floor.  Who can get theirs to the wall first?  

Cheap entertainment #2- who can jump the most?

Cheap entertainment #3- Ride'em Cowboy!

Bye-Bye household!  See you in 2 months in Virginia!

AHHHHHHHH!

The silent scream of an environmentalist somewhere...

This is my suitcase- my clothes and the kids.  Yes, theirs are separated into ziplock bags- lots of them. I'm hoping that will keep us somewhat organized for the 6 days in a hotel, the 10 days at the in-laws and the 2 days driving  to the new house.  Here's to hoping.  Movers come tomorrow!  7 days to go!

Move Update 1

2 days before the big moving day.   I've started the "purge" portion of moving.  I went through my spices and decided to throw out the ones that are horribly expired.  Mary had a fun time dumping them into a baggie.  She smelled each jar before emptying them.  She loved the cinnamon sticks.  She thought the poppy seeds were "cool looking".  She was indifferent over the celery salt.  I handed her one and said, "This is cumin.  It smells like armpits."  She said, "Mmm, that smells good."   Kids.

Happy Birthday, Doug!

I think it's funny how our perception of birthdays evolve over the years.  We make such a big deal about them when our kids are babies, of course, they are big deals.   Before you know it, we tell people our age in relation to the big day.  "I'm 4 1/2, I'm 10 and 3/4, I'm almost 13."  The milestones are years to look forward to with excitement because you're becoming an adult and gaining your independence;  at 16 you can drive, at 18 you can vote, at 21 you can drink.  At what age do we stop bragging about our age?  When you reach your 30's?  40's?  I don't remember the last time I walked up to a stranger and said, "Hi, I'm Kendra and I'm 36 and 1/2."  I will admit,  I think I went most of last year thinking I was 35.  Really, I'm 36?  Mommy brain, but I digress.  This entry is about Doug.  I feel like birthdays have changed for us since having kids.  We used to celebrate kind of quietly, no big "pomp and circumstance."  However, Mary is all about birthdays now and loves them.  What kid doesn't?  She keeps asking me how old Daddy is.  You can only get away with saying, "He's really, really old" for so long.  So now, I just tell her, "He's so old, his cake is in jeopardy of burning down from all the candles."  Happy birthday, Doug!  You are a wonderful husband, friend and father and we are so blessed to have you in our lives.  Now, where's that fire extinguisher?

My version of a "Flame" cake.

For those of you who know me, you know I'm not a baker.  For some reason, I decided to make Doug a special cake.  Maybe it was the relative success with Mary's butterfly cake that got me thinking.  Maybe it was the thought that even though we're moving in a few days, Doug should have something memorable.  I decided to make a cake that looked like it was on fire.  I've never used Fondant before, but they now carry it at the exchange, so I thought that would make good flames.  First, we made the cake.  Chocolate, of course...actually, triple chocolate.   Mary's a great little helper.

Next, we had to lick the beaters.  

Yes, there was a little "double dipping" action taking place.  Man, that kid's fast.

I didn't take any photos of coloring the fondant, or rolling it out, or even cutting it into flame shapes.  I do have a pic of the finished product

I was quite pleased with the result.  Unfortunately, since I'm not a baker, I once again had a cake mishap.  I finished this last night and by the morning, some of the flames had fallen over and there was a big sunken in area on top.  Hmm.  I'm doing something wrong, but don't know what.  Oh well, the cake held up for the most part.  I put Doug's numbers on top and added a few more flames to help mask the fallen areas.  It wasn't quite as pretty, but it was seriously yummy...and fun.  And that's all that really matters.

Come On, Think.

I sometimes have to shake my head and wonder about people's common sense...or lack there of.  


Today, I ran up to the post office to buy 10 postcard stamps.  The postal worker told me that they are now 29 cents, but he doesn't have that denomination and would 28 cent + 1 cent stamps be ok.  Sure.  No problem.  So he pulls out his book, hands me ten 28 cent stamps and then gives me FOUR 1 cent stamps.  He said, "I don't have any more.  Is that ok?"  Um...no?  Hello?  If I want to mail 10 postcards, but you only give me the ability to mail 4, is that ok?  Anyway, quick thinker he was, he decided to ask his fellow coworker next to him if he could have 6 more 1 cents stamps from their drawer.  Bingo!  We have a winner!

Reminds me of a funny story back when we were flying home for Adam's baptism.  We waited forever to check our bags at Naha airport.  When we finally got our boarding passes, we were all seated in random seats.  We looked at them and then the lady behind the counter said, "Oh, do you all want to sit together?"  Nope, I'm sure some total stranger would rather sit next to our 3 yr old.  Duh.  No wonder the line was taking so long if they had to keep reprinting tickets and rearranging seats.

And last but not least...I'm trying to sell our lawn mower.  I have it listed on a yard sale site that all the military here in the area use.  My screen name is  "Cleaning house on Foster" (For those of you who don't know, Foster is the base that we live on).  I e-mailed directions to our house and listed major landmarks that are only found on our base (i.e. Macaroni Grill, WestPac Lodge).  I actually had the person e-mail me back asking me if I live on Foster.  Really?  Hey, as long as they show up with money in hand, I won't complain...anymore.  

The Nurse Visited The Doctor...

The Doctor Fish, that is.  I've heard about them, talked to people that have experienced them, but never actually tried it myself.  I found a coupon the other day for 200 yen off (@$2.56) and couldn't resist.  It's definitely something unique to say that I've done.

Doctor fish are members of the carp family...only much smaller than the typical carp (good thing).  They live in fresh water and eat dead skin cells.  It is said that they became famous when Cleopatra developed a fondness for it.  According to the brochure, "While you soak in the hot spring, the doctor fish nibble off your old skin cells, which is not only effective for making your skin more beautiful, but also makes you feel as if you are being given a comfortable, relaxing infrasonic massage."  All I know is, my feet were in horrible condition going in, I felt like I had hundreds of tiny fish tickling my feet and legs, I actually felt a tiny bit queasy seeing them attack my feet like starving fish on, well, dead skin, and afterward, my feet were in much better condition.  No, not magically fixed and transformed back to when I was in my twenties (I think I need a belt sander for that), but at least they don't look like they belong on an 80 yr old any longer.  Overall, I would give the experience a "thumbs up."  If you get the chance, I'd try out some Doctor Fish...at least to say you've done it.

***WARNING***  The following pictures are not for the faint-hearted.

This is what happened immediately after I put my feet in the pool.

Feeding frenzy!

You can tell that I'd been there a while, since there weren't as many swarming me.  I guess the fish were starting to get full.  Ha,ha,ha!

AmericaFest 2011

Yesterday evening, after spending a great morning with friends at the beach, then after munching on some yummy burgers, we decided at the spur of the moment to meet them again at Kadena's (the Air Force base) AmericaFest for some good 'ole fireworks.  We went our first year here and it was so miserably hot that we immediately ate and left, vowing to never return.  Now, Mary's older and she's never actually seen a fireworks display (she usually freaks out by the noise when she hears them from the house), Adam's never seen one, for sure, and hey, this is our last opportunity before we move.  Mary was so excited.  I told her we wouldn't go if she didn't take a nap, since we were going to have a late night.  She immediately fell asleep and right after she woke up, she looked at me and said, "So can we go see fireworks now?"  Ha,ha,ha.  That girl was focused.

I should have known I was jinxing things when we were walking to the front entrance and I said, "Wow, it really feels good."  (It was nice and cool).  Next thing I knew it started to rain.  Not a heavy one, but a bit stronger than a gentle mist.  Enough for you to wish you had an umbrella, but not bad enough to run back to the car and call it quits.  Luckily, it didn't last too long and by the time the fireworks started, the asphalt had completely dried.  **As a side note, a while back, we bought Mary some ear protecting headphones for a military flight.  We decided to bring them in case the fireworks were too loud.  We were driving out of the neighborhood when I realized I forgot them.  I asked if we really needed them.  Mary said, "No."  Doug said, "Yes."  We turned around.  Man, am I glad we got them.  Because of the fireworks, you ask?  No, the rock band was terrible  and super loud.  Mary wanted to wear them while we were waiting in line for food.  It was pretty cute.

After eating a quick bite, we headed over to kiddie land for some fun time for the kids.  Adam loved the swings.  He rode it 3 times!

The train looked fun and exciting, but it was a bit anticlimactic.  It went way too slow and before it had even made a full circle, Adam was signing to me that he was "all done".  Oh well, back to the swings.

My weakness at a fair, is the funnel cake.  I was determined to get one, but the line was too long & it was getting dark.  I opted for cotton candy.  I thought the kids should try it and would probably love it.  Mary didn't like it at all and Adam took a couple bites and was done.  Darn.  It was a huge bag.  Maybe I'll pull out the leftovers this afternoon and see if they want to try it again.

The best part of the evening was the fireworks.  Mary wasn't scared at all.  In fact, she didn't even want her headphones on, since the display wasn't too loud.  She graciously lent them to her friend, Ella.  Mary loved the fireworks!

I'll admit, I was a bit nervous about Adam's reaction to the big boomers in the sky.  I didn't need to be.  His reaction was almost better than the fireworks themselves.  Enjoy.  (Not sure what happened with the sound quality)

Happy 4th of July everyone!  And just in case you're wondering...16 more days!!!!

Really Excited About Learning

Adam gets sooooo excited at things of interest, mainly numbers, pictures, letters, planes, flowers, bugs, rocks, etc.  You get the point.  Anyway, it's hilarious to watch and listen to him yell, "DA!" as he's pointing at something.  I missed a fabulous example of this to video when he and Doug were reading a book called "Fifteen Animals" tonight.  He points to the number in the corner and yells.  This is what I heard. Adam: "DA!"  Doug: "7"  Adam: "DAA!!"  Doug:  "7!"  Adam:  "DAAAAAA!!!!!!"  Doug:  "7!!!!!!!!!!!"  Finally, that shut him up...until the next page.  Ha!ha!ha!  It's amazing, you have to show as much enthusiasm as he does, or he doesn't quit.  Another example is in the bathtub.  He LOVES the foam numbers and letters and isn't satisfied with just a handful.  No, he has to have the whole bagful dumped in the tub.  At least he likes to help me put them back in the bag when we're finished.  Enjoy the video and hopefully, you'll get to witness some of this exciting and funny behavior before he outgrows this stage.

1 Of 2

We had our express pack out today.  For those of you who are non-military, this is a smaller shipment of our belongings that we'll need soon after we arrive (dishes, some pots and pans, clothes, and most importantly, toys and books for the kids).  It only takes this 1 month to arrive versus the 2 months for the big shipment of our things.  Unfortunately, you're not allowed to send beds in this shipment.  Don't they know I need my king size bed?  Ha,ha.  We're going to tough it out and try a king size air mattress in the interim.  The good news is that this shipment is scheduled to arrive August 5th,  we're planning to arrive late July 31st, and our stuff we had in storage these past 3 years is scheduled to be delivered August 2nd.   We have a house (keys are being sent as I write), we have our cars,  we have a hotel booked for the first few nights in Virginia, just so we don't have to sleep on the floor.  Things are starting to fall into place and we're getting so excited.  18 more days!!!!!!!

Man, the Japanese are fast and efficient.