Halloween 2009

We were completely unsuccessful at getting a cute group picture of the kids. Bummer! I guess it's to be expected with 3 of them. We did, however, enter the kids in the Costume Contest at the Commissary. None of them won, but we did get these pics of them. Over all, I think they turned out pretty cute. I just wish we could have gotten a group one.


Scott, the Knight, who saved . . .


Berkley, the Princess, from


Finley, the Not-So-Vicious Dragon!

Things that make you go hmmmm . . .

Tonight we were getting the kids ready for bed and Finley asked, "When is it Squidward Day? Because we had a Patrick Day." Back up to March, St. Patrick's Day. The girls kept talking about Patrick Day & how it was cool that it was named Patrick. I just think it's hilarious that she would ask about a Squidward Day. Why not Sandy, Mr. Crab, Plankton, or - I don't know - SpongeBob?! The star of his own show?! She's a smart one!

My Nemesis!

So, this is a reason of why I haven't posted in a long time. We got a new computer - and it is not my friend. That, along with the fact that we had to buy a new camera (thank you, you know who you are, for stealing it!), and trying to figure out how to download, etc. that - I have not been a happy camper. I gave up! It's true! I've just been frustrated. BUT, alas, I am back and ready to kick some computer & camera butt. So, keep your fingers crossed - we may get some real photos and a real post soon!

We are mover's & shaker's!

Compliments of MSNBC:

Strong earthquake shakes Tokyo area
No immediate reports of injuries or damage

TOKYO - A strong earthquake shook Japan's capital and surrounding areas Sunday, halting trains and a professional baseball game, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

There was no threat of a tsunami from the quake, which was centered at a depth of 188 miles (303 kilometers) in the Izu islands off the eastern coast of Japan, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The USGS measured the quake at magnitude 7.1, while the Japan Meteorological Agency put it at 6.9.

The quake, which rattled furniture and walls in Tokyo homes, hit at 7:56 p.m. (1056 GMT) and shook the capital region, including Ibaraki, Saitama, Tochigi and Chiba prefectures, the Japanese agency said.

A baseball game in Yokohama between the Yokohama Bay Stars and Chunichi Dragons was stopped temporarily by the umpire when the quake struck. Some high-speed bullet trains also were halted, but began running again after the shaking stopped, public broadcaster NHK said.

Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries, and experts believe Tokyo has a 90 percent chance of being hit by a major quake over the next 50 years.

In 1995, a magnitude-7.2 quake in the western port city of Kobe killed 6,400 people.

On the subject, we happened to be feeding the Elders when the earthquake hit. It was a pretty good one, that actually seemed to last, at least 5 minutes. One of the Elders is from Japan, and I think he was more freaked out then anyone else. Kind of ironic, I thought, since they have so many. But, what do I know?!

Also, Scott's birthday has come and gone. It was a huge success! I do have pics to post. I will hopefully get that done this week!

2009 Army Ball

Ed and I were able to go to the Army Ball on July 3rd. It was surprisingly a really fun time! A few of our friends were leaving within the next week, so it was a great send off for them. We actually had some interesting entertainment that was provided by our host country of Japan.
First, we got to watch while a huge tuna was turned into sashimi. It was amazing to watch - but it was hilarious when the table collasped and the huge tuna fell on the floor. Luckily for the Americans, the floor was previously covered with plastic, luckily for the Japanese, Americans have the 5 second rule, and luckily for me, personally, I don't eat the stuff. But it was really interesting to see.
Next we were priviledged to hear a group of guys from the JGSDF (Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force) that perform on the Taiko Drums. This is the view from our seats. It was amazing. If you are unaware of Taiko Drums - search it online. I'm sure there are probably some YouTube's of it. It's awesome!
Lastly, we were able to hear from Jack L. Tilley, Ret. Sergeant Major of the Army. It was amazing! Such an amazing person. I could have heard him speak all night! I was actually really sad that his speech wasn't longer. Here is a picture of SMA Tilly with Ed and Nick Scott. Nick is Ed's good friend. They teach combatives together.
After the dinner & festivities, we got our groove on dancing & even headed to the Firelite Lounge for an after party. Such a fun time! Here's a picture of me and my two friends that just left. I will so miss you Cindy & Gizelle!

Fun for the Whole Family!

It's an exciting day in our house! I was woken up at 3:30am, this morning to Finley complaining, coughing, and nose completely stuffed. She was crying because her ear hurt. I had been planning on calling the doctor, to take Scott & Finley in, but Finley couldn't wait until a decent hour to notify us of her discomfort. Scott has been having the same symptoms, as Finley, so I figured he probably had the same thing. Wouldn't you know it, they both have ear infections! Finley has it in both ears, Scott & Berkley - only in one. I had just taken Berk to the doctor last week. Good thing we love Dr. Wu! Too bad he gets paid a salary from the Army, or we'd be paying for a nice summer vacation! Here's to hoping the meds kick in soon, so we can get a good nights rest!

Catching Up. . .

So, it has been a long time since I last posted. Ed has commandeered the camera, so I have finally gotten a chance to download some pics. So, these are some of the events that have happened.

Berkley had her first ballet recital. They did The Lonely Goat Herder, from the Sound of Music. It was really cute! I was hoping that she would stick to it. We'll see. As of now she says it's too slow!


She did love wearing make-up and having her hair done!


She also loved getting a bunch of flowers from her fans!

We also celebrated Finley's 4th birthday! We had a little party for her at the bowling alley. She had tons of fun with her friends. This is one of her favorite gifts.


She also graduated from Joy School. Next step, Sure Start! (keeping fingers crossed!)


Ed also went on a little trip to the Kyoto/Kobe area. Ed is doing a sponsorship program with the Japan Ground Self Defense Force. He has been partnered with Sgt. Takastuka. They have been together for 3 months. Sgt. T is from Kobe & so he took Ed home for the weekend, to show him his home town.
Here is a picture of Ed with Sgt. T and his family.

I got my hair done - again! I love it! Marrisa is amazing. . .

770 days!

That is a long time! To break it down, that is 2 years, 1 month, 1 week, and 3 days. I don't even think that Ed would disagree with the results.

Look at that 'Colgate' smile! He looks great!!!

. . .but, I found a tree with a bush to hide behind. . .

This is what Berkley told me, when I asked her why she needed toilet paper for Sass. See, they were at the park playing and Sass 'really had to go bad!' This might be understandable if the park was in a remote location, where there is nothing else in sight. But no, this park is just down, half a block. So, I did what any mother would do. I told Berkley I didn't know who she was, that she must be at the wrong house. Okay, so that's not true. I grabbed the wipies and a trash bag and forged to the park. As I was nearing, I could hear her crying, but I couldn't see her. I thought that was good, at least no one else could see her either. Oh boy, was I wrong. We walked through the park and there she was standing in the clearing, naked from the waste down. Berk was right, there were trees and bushes, just Sass was standing in the middle of the opening, instead of hiding. I was mortified, since in front of her is a little Japanese road that tons of people walk and ride on. It is always busy. Behind her, is the street that runs in front of the elementary school that just let out. On the other side of the street, is the school field, where the HS boys soccer team was practicing. It really is a wonder that no one has taken that child away from me. Unfortunately, I didn't bring the camera along - sorry, you'll just have to use your imaginations!

MONSTER EYE!

Ed and Sass decided to 'rough-house' and this was the end result. Sass face planted right into the corner of the table. This is what remains. Since it looks nasty, I've been asking her how it feels, etc. She's always said, it feels fine. Well, today, I let her look at it in the mirror. At first she was shocked, then she said, "I have a monster eye!" She thinks it's pretty cool! I'm not so sure about that - I'm just hoping I don't get a knock on the door. . .



btw - Finley countdown: 22 days

P.R.I.D.E. Awards!

At Berkley's school, every quarter 5 students are picked for the P.R.I.D.E. Awards. Every letter stands for something: P=Prepared, R=Respectful, I=Improved, D=Dependable, E=Enthusiastic. Berk won the award for Most Improved this quarter. This is her accepting her award from her teacher, Mrs. Salas.
She has been doing great! Her class has a reward system, where each child starts out on green and either stays, increases to blue, or decrease to yellow, or red (red being the worst). It is very common for most children to stay in the green. For most of last quarter, Berkley has consistently been a blue girl. We are so proud of her!

Ed's Happy Day Day!

So, Ed turned the BIG 3-0 last month! I surprised him by taking him to The New Sanno Hotel, in Tokyo. We had a fantastic meal! We love to eat at Wellington's - inside the New Sanno. Thanks to our fabulous neighbors, Valerie & Xavier, we were able to be kid-free, too! Bonus! We got home on Saturday from Tokyo, and left on Sunday for Tama. Ed has been wanting to take us 'camping' up there, ever since he had Wood Badge training there. We took the girls to the zoo, they got to ride horses & hang out with Dad. It was a great family weekend!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Scentsy Launch Party!

So, this Thursday night (7p-9p @ my house) is my first official Scentsy party! I am so excited! I love the stuff! I've been really busy the last few weeks creating games, thinking of prizes, deciding on food, and creating a few different display areas for the 80+ scents! I'm hoping that everything goes smoothly! If you are in the States and are interested in ordering. You can do it by contacting me or just ordering straight from my website. It's a great place to browse, too!
I hate to post without posting a picture, too. So, here is a somewhat updated family picture. It was taken the beginning of March at the Landmark Tower in Yokohama. We went with Ed's Unit for Dental Assistant Appreciation Week. Fantastic food!!!

Scott

Does this look familiar? I know, right!?! This is not an old picture of Shane. This is actually Scott. He has been moving around like this for, at least, the past 6 weeks. We've tried to get him on his tummy, but since he knows he can move on his back. He flips over. I made an adorable digital scrapbook of Scott - but I'm having problems uploading it. Hopefully, I can get that on here soon.

Fun Hair!

Since I got my hair done, the girls have been really wanting to color theirs. So, with the help of Aunt Kami, we were able to get some color. The girls picked Magenta. Here are some pics of them striking a pose. These are their doing - not mine! I don't know where they get it from. . .

You can find me on Facebook. . .

I know I said I was going to try and keep up on this blog - and I really am trying. It's just that Facebook is so much easier & it's interactive, so it's more fun for me. But - surprisingly, I actually have a lot of exciting news to share. First, I finally had my hair done. It is great! I love it! Thanks to Marissa - you rock!Yes, that is red & it is scattered throughout. It's taken me 2 years of living here, to finally get back to being me. Stay tuned for any color changes! :)
I also became a Scentsy Consultant! I am so excited to be selling their products. If you are unfamiliar with them, you can check them out on my website by clicking here. I'm still trying to figure out how to get my website all 'prettied up' - but it is working and ready for some orders. . .
Also, we were able to do some updating to our home. We finally got a new dining table - that I am in love with - and a new storage system for the girls toy room. My OCD self is so exciting to get my organizing on. I'll post some pics of that stuff, soon.

My first Digital Scrapbook Page. . .

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Since it's a new year - I'm hoping to stay on top of this whole blog thing. I won't call it a 'resolution', but maybe a new concept.
December was a busy month:
My parents came to visit last month & it was a total blast! We had a lot of fun showing them 'our world'. I even think they enjoyed themselves. I'll have to do another post about that. . .
Christmas was fun. We had a really good time with the girls. Scott was even interested in the paper portion of presents, so that was fun. Ed's parents spoiled us, as usual. My Mom brought these adorable sweater dresses for the girls (thanks for the help, Kami) & I was able to find a shirt for Scott. I can't believe how big they all are getting!
The girls just got done with Football Cheer. Sass actually got to cheer with the squad. It was really cute. They both had a great time. Berk got to be lifted up and held up, which she thought was the coolest! Sassy actually did better than most of the other younger girls on the team. She still does the cheers around the house. We have a month until we start cheer for Basketball season. They are excited for that to start.
Scott was really sick this past month with an ear infection, RSV & Pneumonia. Crazy boy! We had to take him to the ER in Yokosuka. Luckily, my parents were still here & they were able to stay with the girls. That was such a help! A few days after that incident, we figured out that he is allergic to milk-based formula. The little red spots were odd;the rash that was creeping up his torso made us worry; then the enormous red welts finally gave it away. He is definately pulling his own with trying to get attention. Anyway, the poor boy had a rough couple of weeks. But, all is well, and he is a thriving!