More Christmas Festivities

Picture in front of the tree - on the very first try, WITH the self-timer on.  How awesome is that?!

There were more Christmas festivities over the weekend that I wanted to share with you.  The first was that we had brunch with Santa Claus at the Butler O' Club.  We looooooove brunch at the O' Club but throw Santa in the mix and we've got a winner all around!  We made reservations right when they opened to avoid the madhouse, but it was still crazy.  After we ate we got in line and this is where I will detour on my soapbox for awhile.

When I was a kid we went to see Santa so we could tell him what we wanted for Christmas.  These days, at least here in Okinawa, it seems to be about getting an early Christmas present.  I don't get it.  Santa doesn't deliver presents until December 24th.  Why on earth would he deliver presents early? It doesn't make any sense.  Our kids don't need a present every time they turn around!

So we're in line, and the manager walks through reminding us to have our kids wait until they get home to open the gifts, (some are $1 gifts and some are $20 gifts, and she didn't want any tears).  Two sets of parents behind us were appalled at the notion of their children having to wait. "How are you supposed to give a kid a gift and tell them they can't open it?!" they exclaimed in horror. 



We explained to Wyatt he'd have to wait until he got home.  "That's okay, I know," he said.  End of story.  Meanwhile, other kids are having a huge meltdown.... I really don't get it.  Personally, I would have just made the bawling kids march right back up to Santa and return the gift.  End of story.

So we get home, and let the kids unwrap them.  They were each given baby rattles by mistake.  Wyatt was slightly confused at first ("this is for a baby!") but when we suggested we take them to Toys for Tots for another baby to have, both kids were fine with it.  No further questions.  They even put them in the donation box themselves the next day!  I was very proud of them.


Lest you think my kids are perfect, don't worry as Olivia was in rare form during the Christmas pageant that night at church.  Wyatt was Joseph (because he was the oldest boy), and did fine.  But Olivia - dressed as an Angel, to make it that much more funny - saw baby Jesus hanging out by himself as the kids walked into the chapel and promptly ran up to steal him.   She was very upset when we made her leave him there but was fine as soon as Mary picked him up and started cradling him.  I mean, we couldn't have baby Jesus not being taken care of, could we?!

Pretty soon the younger kids lost focus and started wandering.  Olivia and another little boy, who was a sheep, wandered up toward the altar and the next thing I knew he was pushing her down and sort of semi-choking/strangling her!  I had to run up there and break it up.  Sadly, I do not have any pictures of this event because I was too busy controlling the chaos.  I'm sure one of the other moms will help me out eventually, and I'll post them later...for now, I'll just enjoy this memory :)

Holiday Happenings!

Sorry for the delay in posting lately - it's been a busy holiday season and I just needed one less thing on my plate!  Here are a few images from the last few weeks of festivities!

Wyatt's Christmas production at school was held a few weeks ago.  He had a line in the play and did fantastic.  He even sang the songs this year!  His class was all shepherds and the parents made the costumes.  Wyatt's was a little big and he exclaimed loudly during one of the songs, "My costume keeps falling off!!!"  Thankfully my friend was in the front row to fix his wardrobe malfunction - while the other parents (also my friends) turned and laughed at me ;)

Because our squadron was deployed during Marine Corps Ball season, we didn't get to have a ball this year.  Our squadron tried to make up for this by hosting a Dining Out, which is an old Marine Corps tradition.  It's a hard tradition to explain but it is a formal event with a seated dinner involving a President and Vice President of the "Mess" (Marines on hand) and funny accusations.  You have to ask the Vice for permission to speak, permission to stand, move, or go pee - even the spouses!

If you do something wrong or out of order, you are fined.  If you are accused of something and found guilty, you are also fined.  It's all done in fun and makes for a great night of laughs, especially after the guys have just spent many months living on a ship together and carrying out missions in underdeveloped countries.

Sitting on Santa's lap...I was on the naughty list :)


The squadron Christmas party was this weekend and the highlight was Santa arriving in a CH-46E helicopter!  Wyatt was very confused by this as he wanted to see the sleigh.  We explained that it was just too cloudy for the reindeer to see!

Wyatt got very nervous because he was one of the last kids to be called to get his gift from Santa and sit on his lap.  When he asked if he was going to get a turn, I asked if he thought he was on the nice list?  He answer: "Maybe...?"  He was getting pretty worried!

Olivia did not enjoy sitting on Santa's lap - she is afraid of all "characters," whether they be Sesame Street or Santa Claus.  She loved the bouncy castle they had, though and it was all I could do to drag her out of there!  Wyatt, who had a near-death bouncy castle experience awhile back when it collapsed on him, stuck to exploring the airplane inside the hangar.

 While not Christmas related, Wyatt finished up his soccer season a few weeks ago.  They had a scrimmage against another team and they did really well!  While there was no official score kept, his team won 6-0 :) 


Wyatt was the goalie and his little friend Jeffrey (who is also in his class at school) was his defender.  Together they were pretty impressive and saved at least 5 attempts, I am told!

 

 Stay tuned for more holiday festivities, including our church pagenat starring Wyatt as Joseph and Olivia as an "angel" (hahaha!)!

In Case You Missed It!

Here's a look at the newest bike rider on the block - Wyatt Parker!!!

This was one of the top five parenting moments so far for sure.  I have to admit I teared up a little during this event.  We've come a long way together, that kid and I.  Riding a bike...starting Kindergarten next year...then off to college!!  Or at least that's what it feels like to me :)

Staying Home - Two Years Later

A couple of weeks ago I was waiting in line to get into the Sesame Street show with the kids and lapsed into one of my favorite pasttimes: people watching.  Everywhere I looked, there were moms and their kids, and this is what I saw: moms looking bored. Moms looking at their Iphones (while their kids ran in circles).  Moms doling out fruit snacks and juice boxes.  Frazzled moms, exhausted moms, and frustrated moms.  I had one of those moments where I looked around at all the other moms toting diaper bags, strollers, and sippy cups while balancing a baby on the hip and thought: "This is crazy. This is what my life has become!"  Why didn't any of the moms look happy?

I try to be a mom who has fun with her kids - I try to focus on experiences, on teachable moments, on things that matter.  I don't get mad when juice gets spilled on the carpet or peas end up all over the floor.  It's okay with me that Oobleck makes a mess all over my kitchen and that paint gets on the kids' clothes.  It all cleans up...it is all okay.

Last February, my mom was visitng and I took her to play Bunco with my Bunco group.  My friend showed up to Bunco sporting a big pink streak in her blondish hair.  Her husband was a little more than halfway through his one-year deployment to Iraq, and she was busy raising her three boys while he was gone.  She told me, "I just needed to remind myself of who I am.  I am so caught up in the boys...I don't even know who I am anymore!"

I didn't get it at the time.  But I totally get it now.  I really do.

It is so easy to get caught up in the mundane - changing diapers, cleaning crayon off the wall, breaking up the kids' all-too-frequent fights.  It's easy to forget the fun in all of it.

This morning Olivia woke me up at 5:30 a.m. yelling, "Mommeeeeeee! Mommeeeee!" Wyatt followed shortly after that.  They were both cranky and the fighting began early today.  To stop the fighting I asked Wyatt to help me make the pancakes to keep him busy.  He said, "I want pumpkin pancakes!"

He has loved Pumpkin pancakes ever since the recipe came in his High Five magazine last month.  (THANKS SO MUCH, Mom). So now everytime I make pancakes they must be pumpkin pancakes. 

Let me be clear: Pumpkin pancakes are a PAIN IN THE BUTT. The batter gets too thick and it sticks to my pan and it won't come off, and then it burns. And then it smokes, and then my smoke alarm goes off.  Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating...a little.

But I did NOT want to make pumpkin pancakes.

But as my husband quickly pointed out, "It's not about you."

Totally right, he was.  It's not about me - but sometimes I want it to be.  And I suspect other moms would like that, too.

I've never been much of a giver. It's hard for me to be selfless.  But two years later, I'm getting much better at it. It was pumpkin pancakes all around.

Sesame Street!

Sesame Street and the USO have had a long-standing relationship where Sesame Street travels overseas to do shows specifically for military kids on overseas military bases.  They touch on topics specific to military kids like deployments, reunions, and moving to help kids with transition.  Wyatt and I were lucky enough to see their show two years ago right after we moved here, and this time I got to take both kids to the show!


Sesame Street is a BIG deal here.  People line up to get tickets at crazy hours of the morning. I was lucky and just waltzed in after I dropped off Wyatt at preschool and they still had a few tickets left!  No standing in line for this momma :)

The show we went to was last Friday, and we actually scored seats in the 2nd row!  I don't really know how that happened, but it was awesome.  I thought Wyatt would be too "old" for Sesame Street (he won't watch it on TV anymore) but he really loved it.  The show was perfect for him right now - it was about a girl named Katie who was leaving her friends and moving far away. It was a combination of songs/dancing and lines by the characters, and I can't tell you how this show hit home for us.  Just two nights earlier, Wyatt had an all-out sobbing breakdown telling me, "I don't WANT to move! I want to stay in JAPAN! I will miss my friends!!"  I know it because he was overly tired and missed his daddy, but it still broke my heart.

We were so close to the stage that Wyatt (maroon striped shirt) got to shake hands/touch several of the characters when they came off stage into the audience!  He was soooo excited about it!  He got to touch Cookie Monster, Rosita, Elmo, and a couple of others.  Then at the end, the kids got to go right up to the front of the stage and dance the last number and touch the characters.

Olivia, on the other hand, was absolutely terrified!  She spent the majority of the show clutching my neck and fearing for her life.  I know this sounds bad, but it was pretty funny to me!  My kids have never been afraid of much, fearless in fact, so this was interesting to see.  She calmed down once the loud music and dancing subsided, but her face says it all!

We are so lucky there are so many great programs and support for military families overseas.  Unfortunately, a lot of these programs have been cut altogether or funding drastically reduced in the last month or two because of the obvious budget situation.  It makes me sad to see some really important programs, like parents' night out programs, deployed spouse child care, and tuition assistance for active duty Marines being cut.  I know the cuts have to happen somewhere but I  hate seeing the impact it has right here on our military.

He's Baaa-aack!

This is a picture of Tommy & Wyatt on the afternoon we went to see Daddy's ship and to load Tommy's gear onto the boat.  You can see him hauling some of his gear, and you can sort of see the ships up ahead. 

Let me just say that this deployment has been an emotional rollercoaster.  I know they all are, and I am by far luckier than most.  But it is so true what they say about Marine Corps spouses - we are certainly Semper Gumby ("always flexible")!

If you've been following this de ployment you know that he left, came back, left again for 6 weeks with a supposed extension, and then we received word our Marines would be home for a brief 24 hours to offload equipment between exercises.  Of course the timeline for those 24 hours changed a million times, but eventually on Friday night I went to pick up our Marine.  I didn't tell the kids about it, because frankly I wasn't entirely sure it would even happen and there were too many changes in the wind.

But he did get here, and actually, he ended up staying here.  He was one of just a handful from his squadron who stayed behind.  It's a long story, but once again it has worked in our favor and I am thankful to have him home for a few extra weeks and for Thanksgiving and Christmas!

I sort of feel like I have won the deployment lottery.  In fact, I think the deployment Gods must love me, because as I type this, many of my friends do not have the luxury of saying or even thinking such things while their husbands sail on to their next mission, or dump sand out of their boots from the desert.

We have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. :)

Chicken & Dumplings!

I discovered this recipe on Crock Pot Girls' Facebook page and I love it. I probably make it twice a month, at least.  I LOVE IT!  It is easy, the kids love it, and I almost always have the ingredients on hand.  I also like to make it for others when I make people meals after they have babies or what not.  We're heading into 'winter' season and this is down home comfort food!

I pkg. chicken breasts
1-2 cans cream of chicken soup (or celery - I've even use one can each of chicken and mushroom)
1/2 can water
salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
1-2 cans refrigerated biscuits
Peas/carrots

Put chicken in crockpot  (you can dump these in frozen, if you like), cover with soup, water, and season to taste.  Cook until tender.  About 45 minutes before serving, cut up the biscuits (I quarter them) and throw on top.  Cover with the lid again and they'll bake right in the crockpot.

I make the peas/carrots separately because my kids will eat it better that way (no idea why) but you could easily dump them in the crockpot with everything else, too.

It's soooo yummmy! Give it a try and let me know how you like it!

(Nerissa, I thought of you when I posted this - I know you have your hands full these days!)

Oobleck!

Did you make Oobleck when you were a kid?  I loved Dr. Seuss, and I read nearly all of his books multiple times.  He was my favorite!  Wyatt loves Dr. Seuss too.  My Aunt Marla sent him the Sleep Book and Yertle the Turtle last year, and they are two of his favorite books.  On one of our library trips a couple of week ago, Wyatt picked out another Dr. Seuss classic, Bartholemew and the Oobleck.  We read the book over the course of two nights (Friday and Saturday) and I told him I had a surprise for him on Sunday.

So last Sunday we made Oobleck!  Oobleck, like in the story, is neither a solid or a liquid.  When you try to pick it up, it feels hard, like a solid.  If you succeed in picking it up, it melts through your hands, like a liquid!

I remember making Oobleck in my 1st grade class with Ms. Trost, my all-time favorite teacher.  It was so much fun, and Wyatt had a great time, too!

Halloween Madness

Halloween is a big deal here. It is celebrated for about two weeks straight with different festivals and celebrations on the different bases.  It is crazy!  On Friday, Wyatt's preschool had a fall fun day for the kids.  On Friday night, our church (which happens to also be Wyatt's preschool) had a church fall festival with games and movies for the kids.  There were tons of weekend events (as mentioned) and on Monday Wyatt wore his costume to preschool and their class had a little party too.  Then Monday night was trick-or-treat night - finally, the big event!

Kaitlin, Tyler, Olivia, Wyatt, and Andrew...Elena and Charlotte had run off somewhere already!

Our friends came over early and we all stuffed our faces.  I made two big pots of chili, cornbread, a veggie tray, and black bean and corn salsa.  Matt & Allison and their kids came and brought a salad and spinach artichoke dip, Jeff & Laura's family brought corn muffins, cupcake spiders and pasta for the kids, and Brad & Robyn's family brought brownies for dessert... it was YUMMY!

It took us at least 15 minutes to round up all our children and find all the parts to their costumes, which had been strewn about the house!  We finally got out the door and the kids ran in every directions... Wyatt wanted to be the "leader" and kept screaming for everyone to follow him, but Olivia wanted to go the opposite direction, and all the other kids scattered like cockroaches in the night.  There were so many people everywhere it was hard to keep track of them!

That is one of the things I love most about living on base, though.  I really don't worry about anything happening to them, because for the most part people know me and my kids and they know where to return them if they get lost.  There is a sense of community here not unlike the environment I grew up in, where you can feel safe and relatively confident that your kids will be safe too.



This is the ONLY picture I have of the kids standing anywhere near each other!  I tried, I really did. :)  Wyatt was very excited to wear his construction costume from his birthday. The problem was that he kept losing parts everywhere he went.  You can see in this picture that he is missing all of his tools from his tool belt!

 

Ms. Olivia was "berry" cute in her little strawberry costume!  This is actually Charlotte's costume from last year. I just love it.  That face is her new smile for when I say "smile" or "cheese."  She is such a ham!  She kept her hat on for about 10 minutes and then ditched it.


I was impressed how quickly she grasped the concept of trick-or-treating!  She couldn't say it, of course, but she was happy to go up to complete strangers and give them a cute smile in exchange for some candy!  She was so desparate to get the candy in her mouth that she would just shove it in there.  The things like the caramels, chocolates and hard candy, she would just suck on until the wrapper came off in her mouth!!  It took me a minute to realize what she was doing (remember, it was dark)!  I realized it when I looked at my shirt and I had chocolate all over it, and then at her mouth...

Chocolate Covered Starwberry!!! :)

After awhile we all went back to the house to let the kids eat/play and hand out our own candy.  Wyatt and Kaitlin got chased by our neighbor, Mr. Nate (above) and it was very scary!! :) The Japanese families are so very cute and I love to see them all dressed up. It is so nice to give back a little something to the Japanese community. 

These are the pumpkins we painted... I wasn't quite up for carving...with Tommy not here again this year and the two mobile little ones  I figured someone might get hurt!!  So we settled for painting again :)

A Day at the Dam

Last week I was feeling restless.  The kids had been fighting all day and I knew we needed to get out of the house - besides, it was beautiful out and I wanted to enjoy the weather!  We have been to almost all the close-by outdoor spots/parks by now, and I was in the mood for some peace and quiet, so we got our swimming gear on and headed out to Kurashiki Dam.

We've only been here one other time, and it was over a year ago when Olivia was just a baby.  Wyatt didn't even remember the trip, so this was all new to him.  He had an absolute BLAST playing in the water.  He thought the dam was amazing the way the current (which was not very strong at all) would take his boat and sail it down the river!  Then he would chase after it and do it all over again!  Olivia had fun playing with her nesting/stacking cups, and I could relax in the sun and not worry about the kids playing in the shallow water. 

We were the only ones there and it felt nice to get away from it all.  Earlier that morning I had been scolded while at the Shopette (convenience store) for leaving my car running while going inside to get a 1/2 gallon of milk.   I had been patting myself on the back for not having on workout clothes (also against the rules) and schlepping both kids inside and getting out of the shoppette without A) either kid having a tantrum or B) having my kid accidentally swiping something and walking out of the store with it, when someone confronted me and told me I could have been cited for leaving my car running and unattended.  I said, "At least I didn't leave my kids in the car too." The guy just looked at me blankly.  Sometimes, living on a military base with all the rules and etiquette and everyone all up in your business gets to me, so the wide open space at the dam was a welcome change of pace.

At 85 degrees, it was a beautiful 'fall' day on Okinawa, and I couldn't help but thinking at this time next year we'll probably be freezing our butts off, scraping snow!!!  So I'm choosing to enjoy the moment and this beautiful weather we are having.  We had a snack (some more than others...Ms. Olivia!!!) and soaked up the sun. Yay for Fall!!

JapanFest

We took a break from the Fall/Halloween festivities this week to enjoy a little bit of Japan.  Kadena AF base hosted JapanFest on Saturday night and, being a sucker for cultural stuff, I couldn't resist taking the kids!

We started out with a little Ikebana - that is Japanese flower arranging, which is much different than American style.  They let the kids pick out the flowers and stick them into the bottom (above) so as to 'arrange' them Ikebana style.  The finished product:


Next we moved on to Origami.  Wyatt got to choose what he wanted to make and after changing his mind twice, he finally settled on a penguin.  The Japanese lady taught him how to make the folds and we finally ended up with a penguin to take home - and as a bonus, she gave him hers so that his would have a friend!  Then she tried to teach me how to make a rose....it turned out great, but there is no way I am going to be able to remember all the steps...it seriously took over 10 minutes and I was lost and trying to make sure the kids didn't run off!  She finally just finished it for me!

We took our time looking at the Kimonos, sumi-e painting (I learned how to do that awhile back) and the bingata painting.  I actually did the bingata painting earlier that day at a baby shower and learned how to do it.  It is a special form of dye that you use to hand paint various objects - purses, canvas bags, a block print, whatever.  It was great!

The kids and I were both getting restless by that point (their air conditioner was broken, and it was HOT), so we decided not to stay and eat, but the sushi, soba noodles, tempura, and yakitori looked YUMMY!  Another great activity here in Okinawa - we are so lucky to live here!

Outdoor Fun

 Bubbles and chalk are where it's at, don't you know?  My kids love both, and always insist on bringing them to the park, or out back on the patio. 

I just love the way Olivia blows bubbles!  She dips it, drips it all over herself, then holds the wand up directly against her mouth (usually popping the film on the wand), then blows out a big, "whoooo!"  Then her face lights up with joy if she has managed to blow a bubble or two :)

Wyatt is more into the chalk... he likes to draw things with lots of colors, like rainbows, but this day he chose to draw a fish!  I told him there is such a thing as rainbow fish and he loved that.

Every once in awhile, I'll take a picture of one of my kids that doesn't look a lot like them in reality, but I feel is a glimpse into what they'll look like as a young adult.

This is one of those pictures.  His hair is sweaty, and because of that, it looks like it has been 'styled.'  His shirt is sleeveless, making him look broader in the shoulders than he really is.  And he's not smiling his goofy 4-year old grin.  All of these things make him look older and wiser, and to me, it's like catching a little glimpse into the future.