Trick-or-Treat, Smell My Feet

Tonight was the annual trick-or-treat extravaganza on McT (our base). Not only are there hundreds of Marine kids, but the Japanese children are invited onto the base as well. It is BUSY! Both boys were overwhelmed by the crowds and asked to go home after about 30 minutes of trick-or-treating. That was fine with me because we had two very full bags of candy. When we got home, Ethan volunteered to hand out candy. The giant bowl of candy was gone in exactly 7 minutes. I am looking forward to a less crowded Halloween next year in the good ol' USA. Despite the chaos, I was able to snap some cute pictures of one scary skeleton and one cute (and scared) monkey. Enjoy the pictures!

I guess six is the age where they stop wearing cute costumes and opt for the more scary variety.

Jackson was supposed to be a Bronco football player, but after the embarrassing loss to the Raiders last week, he decided to give last year's monkey costume one more wear.

Ethan and Jackson with our trick-or-treating buddies - Erynn (Little Red Riding Hood) and Tristan (Super Why).

Love and miss you Andy! Happy Halloween!

Everyone Loves a Parade!

Yesterday was the annual Storybook Parade at Bechtel Elementary School. Each class dresses up as a storybook character and marches down the "main" street of our base. Ethan's class read The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle, and they all dressed up as ladybugs. It was supercute!

Ms. Straatveit and her ladybugs

(sign made by Justina Goldhahn).

Cutest ladybug on the planet!

And his cute little ladybug wings.

What's a parade with out the Color Guard?!?!

And the III MEF Band? It was a fun afternoon.

Love and miss you Andy and wish you were here!

Typhoon Chaba

Another day, another typhoon. School was cancelled, and we were forced to stay inside all day. The boys were really good, and we had fun building forts, putting together puzzles, watching movies, and baking cookies. We even snuck out on the front porch to get a little fresh air. By the end of the day, we were all getting a bit antsy. Fortunately, Typhoon Chaba has passed, and Ethan went to kindergarten, and Jackson went to his preschool. And Mommy went to the gym! Enjoy the pictures.

I love these tents. They take up a lot of space, but they do a great job of entertaining the boys. Spine loves them too (he's inside the orange tube).

I found him watching his movie in this position.

Watching the wind and the rain under the safety of our front porch tarp (worth every penny!).

Love and miss you Andy. Hopefully there are no more typhoons until you are back!

Pumpkins and Potty Training (sort of)

Tonight we decided to carve our pumpkins. Ethan and I were really excited for this activity, but Jackson thought it was "eeeewwwww!" While Ethan and I cleaned out and carved the pumpkins, Jackson rode his bike inside (there's a typhoon coming so riding bikes inside is definitely allowed). He was also wearing his Buzz Lightyear undies because I like to use rainy days and being trapped inside as an opportunity to potty train. Mid-carve, Jackson peed all over his bike and all over the floor. He then rode his bike through the pee puddle and spread the mess throughout the first floor. So pumpkin carving was cut short so I could put the boys in the tub and mop up the pee. I then put Jackson to bed so Ethan and I could at least finish his pumpkin. We'll have plenty of time to finish Jackson's pumpkin tomorrow while we wait out Typhoon Chaba. Enjoy the pictures!

This picture perfectly defines each boys' feelings about pumpkin carving.

Scoopin' out the seeds.

Ethan with his vampire pumpkin.

The finished product.

Love and miss you Andy!

Redneck Ethan

This week is Red Ribbon Week at Ethan's school, and everyday has a different theme to motivate kids to stay away from drugs. Today's theme is "Drugs are crazy," and the kids were encouraged to sport some crazy hair. Ethan thought it would be fun to have a birdhawk (that's what he calls mohawks). So last night we shaved his hair into a "birdhawk," and this morning we added some yellow coloring. I love my little boy, but he is not meant to have this hairstyle. I can't wait to shave it off tonight. Luckily, tomorrow is hat day, and this Halloween he's dressing up as a skeleton, so he'll appropriately have a bald head to match his costume. Here's a picture of my crazy boys.

Sorry Andy. :) Love and miss you!

Give me a B-U-L-L-D-O-G-S!

We went to Ethan's school carnival last night. Ethan loves his school and is very proud to be a Bechtel Bulldog. We had fun doing the cake walk (Jackson won!), making sand art, golfing, and fishing. Ethan was Mr. Cool as he saw all of his friends. Jackson, on the other hand, was not impressed by the giant bulldog or the giant crowds. I guess everyone else on island was bored too and wanted some carnival entertainment. Sorry I didn't get more pictures; my camera died after the bulldog picture. :(

Ethan with the Bechtel Bulldog.

Enjoying a snowcone and showing his Bulldog Pride.

Love and miss you Andy!

Bowling and Birthday Cake

Today we celebrated Ethan's birthday with a party at the bowling alley. We had a great group of kids show up. There was bowling, pizza, presents, and cake. Everyone had a great time, but I am exhausted! Birthday parties are a lot of work. Once again, Happy Birthday Ethan!

I made the bowling pin cake myself, which is a HUGE accomplishment for me. Cake decorating is not on my list of "things I am awesome at."

Lots of Legos! This kid loves Legos.

The birthday boy with his cake.

I wonder what he wished for. Probably Legos.

Ethan and his friends.

Andy, the 7th birthday party planning and preparations are all yours! Love and miss you!

SIX?!?!?!?

October 13th, 2004 was easily one of the best days of my life. This year, our little booger, turned SIX! Six. Wow. I'll admit, I cried when I kissed him good night on his last night of being five. I don't care how old he gets, he'll always be my first baby. When he woke up on the morning of his birthday he said, "Mom, I'm a little nervous about today. I've never been six before." He's nervous about six, and Mommy is nervous about him not being a baby anymore. Okay, I'm starting to tear up again so here are some pictures from Ethan's birthday. He has his bowling birthday party this weekend so stay tuned for more pictures.

Ethan's classmate (and our neighbor), Ashlynne, has the same birthday as Ethan. We got a joint Barbie/Spiderman cake for the classroom party.

Ethan and his presents.

A Lego airport!

A new train track and trains from Momo and Papa. When he opened this, his exact words were, "Yes! I love this. I love birthdays." He cracks me up.

A birthday celebration at Chili's. Ice cream and serenading by the Chili's servers.

Only one thing could have made it better....but he'll be home soon.

We're Going to the Zoo!

One of our favorite kids' songs is a British diddy called "We're Going to the Zoo!" Today we followed the songs advice and went to the zoo. There was no school in observance of Columbus Day so we got an early start, and we were the fifth people in line (I don't like crowds). Despite going to the zoo countless times before, both boys loved it, and we spent THREE hours there before heading home for lunch and naps.

A new welcome sign had been put up since we last visited.

The Japanese people are so creative. This bench is so cool.

Ethan was so delicate with the baby chicks. Jackson just grabbed them like they were balls. Poor baby chicks. (Note: No baby chicks were harmed in the making of this blog post).

Scoping out the giraffes.

Ethan cruising on his heart moped. It's manly. ;)

Love and miss you Andy, and don't worry, the boys kept talking about coming back one more time with Daddy.

Okinawa Parks, How We've Missed You!

It is finally cooling down enough for us to spend the afternoon at the park. By cooling down, I mean 80's with less humidity. We went to a park out in town this week with two good friends and their kiddoes. Sorry I didn't take more pictures, but now that the boys are getting so big, the camera and I can't keep up with them. Okay, I'll admit it, I was going down the slides too!

Ethan rolling down on his cardboard box.

Mommy, Jackson, and Erynn

(Don't let her face fool you, she's a daredevil!)

Ethan and Savanna on the second half of the drop slide. Ethan was too fast for me to capture him dangling for his life at the top of the slide.

Andy, the boys are ready to hit up this park with you. Hurry home!

Rise & Shine Turtle

When Jackson wakes up from his nap, he always lays in his firetruck bed and talks to himself until I go upstairs to get him. On this day, I took a little longer than usual to get him after his nap. I heard him twisting the door knob and yelling, "Mommy!" When I got upstairs, he had taken one of his coveted Buzz Lightyear shirts and put it over his head. I started laughing when I saw him, and he said, "Look Mom, me a turtle!" He's so funny.

He then remained in his "turtle gear" until we picked up Ethan from school.

Love and miss you Andy!

Never a Dull Moment

Here are some hilarious photos from my never-camera-shy boys!

Is this what our daughter would look like?

Always fun times when going through the Halloween supplies!

Ethan modeling his head wear from Johnny Appleseed Day.

Ethan thought it would be fun to color in his Halloween costume.

Don't worry, I didn't forget Jackson and his...uh...fashion sense.

Love and miss you Andy!