Hayden starts Kindergarten next week! I can’t believe it’s already here! I have been so excited for him and for me that I’m shocked now that the time has come. I’m really nervous for him but I know he’ll enjoy it. We met his teacher and she seems really nice and I hear she runs a pretty strict orderly classroom which will be perfect for him. He gets all bent out of shape when other kids are acting up. I am so sad at the thought of him being gone all the time so we’ve been trying to do everything we can this week. We went to the aquarium again and had a great time. We went to the pirate ship park and the beach and enjoyed the sand and water. Today we went to a nearby “water park.” A hotel just about 5 minutes away has 2 water slides and a lazy river that are open to the public for 5000 yen for adults and the kids are free. (That’s roughly $5.) We all had a fantastic time and could have stayed all day! The kids are begging to go back tomorrow.

I want to write an entire blog about how frustrated I am about our household goods not arriving but I am trying to be positive. Our stuff was supposed to arrive no later than the 18th.... well it’s finally here on the island but they can’t deliver it until Sept. 4th.... it’s been more than 2 months since I slept in my own bed! There are so many things I want... but alas, at least they didn’t “fall off the boat” and they are coming. In the meantime, we ordered some curtains on Overstock.com and my mom sent them to us. So we painted, we put up curtains, bought carpet and now we’re just waiting to get some furniture. Soon...

We’ve been here about two months now and in a lot of ways it has gone really fast. On the other hand, it feels like we’ve been here forever, and with some of the friends I’ve made it feels like we’ve been friends a lot longer. The weather has given us a small break this week and it’s been bearable outside. We had a family over for dinner tonight that just arrived on the island two days ago. They were lamenting about the heat while I was commented on how much cooler it’s been. I get to play sponsor for this new family tomorrow by driving them around and such because their sponsor is on a short deployment. Our sponsor was the best thing ever for us, they helped us soooo much that I feel like this is the least we can do. It’s a guy that worked as a dental tech at the hospital in San Diego with Tom. They have one little girl, age 16 months.

Last Saturday I went to a girls night out with a bunch of girls in the ward. We went to a fantastic restaurant, it’s shaped like a huge barrel (or keg) and was really good Okinawa food, the dessert was amazing. Then we went and got pedicures at a place called Cocok’s that is an island tradition for most of the Americans. They do a fantastic job painting your nails in any design you pick out! It was so nice!

Today Hayden did a whole bunch of pages in a printing practice workbook in order to earn the privilege of going to see Star Wars Clone Wars with Tom. They are at the movie right now hopefully having some fun “guy” time.

I accidentally put one of Danica’s crocs in the washing machine and it came out looking new! So I put them all in and they look great. The first one I washed got thrown in the dryer and now it seems to be a bit smaller or her feet have just grown which is likely! Anyway, try just the wash to get new shoes!

Alyssa had her one year old check up this morning. She is healthy and happy and although I thought she was bigger than Danica I was wrong. She weighs just under 18 pounds! As Tom so lovingly said “it’s all your fault you know!” Oh well, at least she’s adorable!

Lastly I have a few Danica quotes (after years of Hayden quotes it’s fun that she’s talking too!) These are a few of things she’s been saying lately:

She talks the most when she is mad, these are said in an angry, stern voice:
“This is not a game Mom (or Hayden, or Alyssa)!”
”No screaming baby Lyssa, I eating, that too loud!”
“Got it Mom?!”

This one was said with all the innocence of a two year old: “Look mommy, I have a small bum and you have a big one!”

On a side note: Danica’s potty training has completely fallen apart and she has totally regressed. It started shortly before we moved in the all the stress of the packing but was just an occasional incident of not get to the potty soon enough...things went okay at the hotel but in the last few weeks the accidents have picked up more and more until I just find her wet all the time. She has not been wearing pull ups, not even at night, since February and now she wakes up soaked all the time so I’ve had to start putting pull ups on her for my sanity. It is so frustrating and we’ve tried so many things like the treat jar again, rewards, threats, cold showers... pretty much everything we’ve heard and nothing works. She likes the cold showers... when I ask her if her undies are wet she smiles really big at me and says “yes!” She just keeps smiling and smiling waiting for my reaction. So obviously it’s an attention thing or something. Anyway, I just wanted to share my misery. Hopefully it will go away when life settles down... in the meantime we have a nice sticker chart and box of treats... I do the laundry nearly every day.... :)


The picture doesn't do them justice, the details are amazing!


Check out the clean shoe!




Alyssa loved her musical birthday card and Danica helps her listen to it and they sit and dance!