Big Man on Campus

Ethan's Kindergarten Photo: Fall 2010; 6 years old; Bechtel Elementary School; Okinawa, Japan

Cutest Kindergartener. Ever.

Andy...15 days! Love you.

"Rolly Slide" Park

The weather has been perfect lately. Low 70's, low humidity, and a gentle breeze. Perfect weather for a rolly slide park. The boys had so much fun together. They truly are best friends. I guess that's a good thing since friends will always come and go for these "military brats." At least they'll always have each other. Enjoy the pictures.

A quick pic at the top of the slide.

Woohoo!

I LOVE this picture!

No problem doing this slide all by himself.

He knows the drill: Say "cheese" whenever Mom pulls out the camera, which is all the time.

No trip to the park is complete without a picnic lunch with bear sandwiches.

Love and miss you Andy (19 days!)!

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!