Rodeo Boy III And Other Random Oddities

From the makers of Rodeo Boy I and Rodeo Boy II, they now bring to you.....

because every house needs some 'bucking fun'...?

Out and about with some girlfriends, we stumbled upon this little home entertainment gem. Right where it should be...next to the stair masters and home foot spas.

I've been enjoying myself, checking out all the local shops and malls and I've been trying to keep an open mind.... happy to try some new things...because you never know....?

Now I do.

This looked pretty good.....

...but it's not!
It's literally all chicken skin on a stick.

I thought these noodles would be a go.....
I even felt confident with the preschool picture directions...how can noodles be wrong?
Do you remember the 1980's, when perms were big? Do you remember how the salon smelled when the solution hit your hair and chemically burned your wave?

That's how this noodle sauce smelled.
And it tasted like it smelled.

'just cause I couldn't help it....it's so to the point.


And then I found the cutest little store, with what I assumed was all children's furniture...

Tobias loves this little table....we'll have to get it.
And I loved this for Max's room! It could be a little 'kid lounge'...and the price seemed to good to be true....only about $260.00

It was to good to be true .......$260 is how much the fabric cost, the actually sofa is $560.00, plus fabric......and it's actually for adults.....very little adults.

And my new favorite fast food joint. (With stroller parking out front because they don't fit inside....)
I think they put crack in their curry......it's ridiculously good. (And two days later your back for more.)

Happy 1st Birthday!

Just sharing some pictures from Tobias's first birthday....can you believe it's been a year? I can't....!






They look awfully similar to Max's party picts...go figure.
Bummed about having a party in a hotel...but oh wellThe day after his birthday he decided that he could walk (maybe he was waiting for an official date to mark the transition).....and just started to....just like that!

Our Waterfront Park Is Bigger Than Yours Is......

We've spent some wonderful times down on the waterfront. Waterfront park in Silverdale was the backdrop for many a picnic or get together..... and offered a pretty nice visual for pictures too.
Pearl Harbor had a so-so spot, but when in Hawaii you just can't compete with Waikiki or Ko Olina anyway.
But check this baby out.......The Yokosuka Waterfront Park takes the Harbor theme very seriously and it's pretty darn nice.
We stumbled upon what seemed to be a food festival this last Saturday. There was booths organized just like you would find at any community festival, but most of the food seemed deceptive. What would look like the doughnut booth (and Max's hopes would flair) would turn out to be fried dough with a meat mixture inside. And what looked a little like funnel cakes.....fried squid. The visual and the smell didn't match up most of the time. Luckily, Ice-cream is Ice-cream! (And we had hit Taco Bell before we set off so we didn't have desperately hungry kids. (You might think that if they're hungry enough they'll eat anything, but we've found the opposite to be true....they just get frustrated and cry faster).
Did I mention it was a gorgeous day! I only wish I had taken pictures of all the waterfalls, streams and fountain pools. We were there during the day, but it looks like it lights up into a beautiful display after dark. We'll have to check it out again.

Embrace The Wind

This crappy picture is relevant and important because:
A. I finally figured out how to take a picture with my fancy, new, and instructions still in Japanese cell phone! It's not great, but I was proud to stumble along and make it happen. (I've later since been able to change some of it to English.....Yes!)
Anyone want to call a Japanese cell phone? Try 090.4203.8222

B. I've learned to embrace my fine, thin, straight and very flat hair. I'm letting go of the fight against it and will accept that this is what it will look like for the next three years.........whether I spend 20 minutes fussing and fluffing...or not....IT WILL END UP LOOKING LIKE THIS the second I step outside.

C. Monsoon winds! The weather here is a strange mix. It's HOT, HUMID (worse than Hawaii....can you imagine?), but windy and stormy at the same time. It's tricky for your senses....you look outside and gear up with a coat, hood and umbrella.....only to find it's waaaaay to hot for a coat, the hood blows off and the umbrella gets flipped inside out. CRAZY.....glad I stored the patio furniture.

D. This is what I look like while waiting for the bus.....playing with my camera phone.........which I do a lot! Still no car.....

It's My Birthday?

With the move, a new school, a hotel for home and a serious lack of toys.....the kids have been surprisingly adjustable and upbeat. They seem to delight in the simplest things. Both were thrilled that
"Japan has a bowling alley and a pool?... just like Washington." "A soccer field and baseball field too..?...what more do we need?" When we took a trip up to Ikego and discovered all the little cabins for camping rentals.......they might as well have been in Disneyland.
Oh, did I mention that there are snack and drink machines everywhere.....I mean EVERYWHERE. At first I indulged the novelty.......but I'm over it. They still can't pass a snack machine without asking for something though.
Max struck up some friends from day one.......Lillian has been stuck making them on the fly (the one and only Preschool is totally booked).....but is happy with a couple of familiar faces here and there.
Soooo with all the newness going on, it wasn't a shock that Max had completely forgotten about his birthday. I think he had a vague idea it was coming up, but he had no idea what day it was.
We decided to show up at the school with cupcakes and balloons and surprise him.......and boy was he surprised. When he saw the whole family at the classroom door, he thought maybe something was wrong. We asked him if he had felt there was anything special about that day....? (actually they were having some kind of art festival that day and he had really enjoyed the Mimes....was that it?)
Lillian just couldn't wait anymore. "It's your Birthday Max! Happy Birthday!"
He loved it!
Later in our room we had his favorite dinner (Pizza from the pizza man.....cause it just tastes better than what Mom makes) and a small cake.
He also picked out some kind of magnetic roller-coaster contraption that took three hours for Mark and Max to build the next morning and Tobias about 30 seconds to destroy...."guess it will have to wait until you have your own room Bud."

Bon Voyage Party (and serious blog catch-up)

Falling behind on the blog, I'm sad.... because there are definitely tidbits I want to remember, so please bare with me while I play catch-up for a couple of posts.

The weekend before we packed up we hosted a 'Bon Voyage Open House', and it was a great send off! The kids were so excited about planning the party and helped brainstorm for themes and ideas.......ending up with all things Japanese. We also decided to share our new found appreciation for the art and beauty of sushi and decided to get creative with the veggie tray too. (The kids didn't seem to appreciate the food selection as much as the grown ups......go figure)

The Jannson's created a beautiful Syonara Durbens cake.......it was awesome! (The kids liked the cake part, and the endless fortune cookies, although I think those are technically Chinese) We had such a great time, and all the while I thought..."Having such great friends kind of sucks because I know how much we will miss them.......and that all these wonderful families will be a tough act to follow.......
So sad......I don't want to think about it................ I'll just focus on how happy I am we've gotten to know such great families! Love you guys!

Whirlwind of Settling

Who would have thought 'settling in' would mean a whirlwind of activity........errand running, appointment making, class attending, registration, enrollment, SHOTS!, and walking, walking everywhere (because we don't have a car and if you read my previous blog.....I'm in no rush to tackle a Japanese Drivers license).
Anywhooooo, it's been so fun and I've gotten to know the Yokosuka base inside and out by now. I love to tackle the maps and then walk (or run) every square inch until it feels like home.
Max started school this morning (which helps with our 'hurry-up-and-get-out-of-the-hotel-room-for-the-day-before-you-kids-drive-me-crazy routine). He was such a trooper and looked just fine as I waved goodbye this morning (let me stress MORNING because school starts at 7:20AM....which is CRAZY!). He was happy to discover that there was two other boys that were new too.
Today has been quiet..............finally! And now I can start to blog...Yaay! I'll start posting pictures as soon as I find out what I can and cannot take pictures of on base......and when we finally get out on the scene. Thanks for all the comments guys...................I miss you all and love to hear from you!

Hooray! We've Made It!

Yessssss! We've finally made it to Japan! After a groddy stopover hotel, five hours of hanging out in the Seatac airport (at 1:00am till 5:00am, wonderfully pleasant hours with small children), a 10 hour flight, a two hour bus ride and a very testy, tired and miserable baby............We're here! All in one piece and so happy to have the worst of it over!
We haven't seen to much up close (just cruising in the bus half delirious with exhaustion).....but the base is nice. Super neat and tidy. It's like 'tropical industrial' style. All the buildings look like heavy duty cement bunkers from the outside. (Mark says it's for good reason, we're right on the water and typhoon season is about to start, so we'll see why.)
The Fry family is picking us up for dinner tonight and I'm looking forward to seeing more of the local city..............check back soon for updates!

No Time for Picts

If I were to have pictures right now, they wouldn't be pretty anyway....... but I've given up waiting for something cute to blog about, I'll just share an update on the ugly truth...
So the movers are packing (and no complaints on how carefully they are wrapping each and every individual piece.....but it's taking FOREVER.....and boy they use a lot of tape)......And why do they need to leave all the windows and doors of the house open? All day?
Anyways, this visual chaos wasn't enough to test my sanity sooooo........ after selling and sending our washer and dryer on their way..........Tobias decided to get sick (very sick) all over his clothes (10 outfits so far) and every last towel and clean sheet we had....
Lillian burst out in a ridiculously persistent rash that is now spreading up her legs...(Yikes...no more play dates for now)
And I seem to have the early symptoms of Mastitis starting again.....

Don't get me wrong, I'm not whining......just a little overwhelmed.

Guilty Flowers

What do these lovely blooms

This sporty watch

and the Springfield M1A Standard Loaded Semi Automatic Rifle (CA Approved) MA9826CA, 308 Winchester, 22 in, Black Synthetic Stock, Stainless Steel Finish
have in common......?

Guilt, Mark's spendy guilt.

He's done it again.......completely worn down my resistance with his latest infatuation. He knows it's just a matter of time (and volume of constant droning..)
It's down to a science now, and although I'm on to him.......he still gets what he's after........

A new digital camera...........................check
A second new (better) digital camera...........check
The dream computer("for school, I swear")......check
All the graphics & gaming software.............check
Updated graphics card..........................check
Playstation 3..................................check
Ridiculously sized television..................check
The dream 1911 handgun.........................check
Four more handguns.............................check
A handmade leather holster.....................check
Two more holsters..............................check
A Shotgun......................................check

and now this.............
I'm not keeping track or anything.....I'm just saying that I'm paying attention to a trend here.
I won't disclose the price tag of this baby, but I will say that the sticker prices keep going up........(this little doozy costs more than our first car).

After his non-stop pitch for the last four weeks.......he has finally wore me down to a "whatever" stance. Meaning, I don't totally agree with the idea of it......but I'm done verbally resisting and this is the closest I can manage to a yes......"So pleeeaaase stop talking about it".

Unsure about how to end his 'marathon of convincing', he usually starts to feel a little guilty. (It was too easy...)

"Is there anything you've been really wanting?" he'll ask....

It's not that I never have wants.....I just have more interest in keeping our money............you know, just to keep it.
I was explaining this for the gazillionth time and offered my 10 year old Timex as an illustration. "Why buy a new one, this still works fine, it just needed a new battery". I had just gotten around to buying a new battery and was opening up the back to replace it. RATS........it was all corroded inside.

Later that day, on the dining room table, I found some flowers and the watch.
It was sweet........but I'm guessing it was the guilt.

Failure Can Be Funny

...........but not until after you've finally passed.

Mark said I shouldn't tell anyone about this, that it's kind of embarrassing. But I'll own it........it is what I've been up to all week.

"Actually, this is kind of funny..." Mark offers. "You'll think so in a little while."I don't know that this is the best response when your wife is crying.

After a week full of checklists and errand running, we went buzzing by the DMV on Wednesday so I could renew my license. Shouldn't take long........"Oh, because it's expired I have to take a written test?".......that shouldn't be hard......."I have to take a driving test too?"........that's crazy.......but I've been driving for over 15 years, so why not..........no problemo!

BAM! I failed my written test on Wednesday!

When following behind another vehicle, you use your low beams when within:
A. 500 feet
B. 400 feet
C. 300 feet
D. 200 feet

Do you know this.....? (I was trying to figure out what low beams meant....parking lights?)

If you refuse to take a BAC test, you will lose your license for:
A. two years
B. one year
C. 90 days
D. 30 days

I guess I should have read the book....instead of glancing at it.
It was painfully humbling.

So I study all night. Quizzing Mark all along the way, hoping he will miss some too and then I won't feel so bad. (He got all my questions right, even when I didn't give him multiple choice options.....he just filled in the blank..... in case you wonder why he drives us everywhere......that's why)

My study night payed off and I breezed through the written test on Thursday! (Much easier test this time........"What does a red light mean?")

Now on to my driving test........
BAM! Failed!
Apparently I didn't even complete it, because we had to immediately return to the facility due a "Law violation"......I rolled through a stop sign.......jeez

As I walked away from the building, this is when I started to cry. Seriously? It wasn't supposed to be this hard........ and it definitely wasn't funny.

And Friday.....round two (and several parallel parking attempts later) I PASSED!
YaaaaaaaaY!

I'm waiting for this story to be funny! Maybe in a few weeks.......

Decorating Tobias

Thought we'd give him some bling............ a little edge.

I Said A Bad Word

I said a bad word the other day and Mark completely FREAKED OUT! .......the word was 'vegetarian' and the sentence I used it in was something like....."I think I want to start eating a vegetarian diet".
I might have well said I wanted to shoot hard drugs into myself as well as the children......it didn't go over well.
(A strange rookie mistake, if I know nothing else about Mark, I know being too direct gets me nowhere......he's very comfortable in battle mode.)

What I should have done is kept that little detail (the word) to myself and then just subtly proceeded to make delicious meals all week that happened to contain no meat...........lesson learned.

Like this:
My copy of the Mediterranean Chicken Pizza (I was sneaky and left off the chicken...you'll never miss it)

Pillsbury Pizza crust
Herb & Garlic blend (minced garlic)
2 TBS Olive oil
8 sliced sun dried tomatoes
1/2 cup feta cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese
2 cups fresh baby spinach

Roll pizza dough onto a lightly greased cookie sheet and spread the combined olive oil and minced garlic blend over the dough. Sprinkle with feta and sun dried tomatoes. Bake for ten minutes, then add the spinach and mozzarella, bake for an additional eight minutes. Super Easy!

If you don't have pizza dough, garlic bread or toast works great too.


It's a crazy tasty snack or meal.

I know cheese is iffy when talking about a vegetarian diet.....but I think cheese should be defined as a food group unto itself. Not dairy.... I have no problem giving up milk, yogurt, ice cream......but cheese? I just couldn't do it!

Creepy In, Creepy Out

Can you guess what this is? Do you even want to? ......In a creative mood, Max and Lillian hunched over the kitchen table and crafted away, producing this beauty.

I was busy with dishes as I listened to their chatter. “No she has to take out her eyes”…..”You need to sew buttons over her eyes!”
“She didn’t want to be dead....” “Yes but the evil mother said to....”

Not a great parenting moment. Let me tell you how badly I dropped the ball.

First, as a side note, Mark is the movie person of our family. Loves movies.....he’s always twitchy on Tuesdays, knowing its new release day and with genuine excitement watches trailer after trailer.....just cause.
I, on the other hand.....not so much. So when the kids want to see a movie, especially go to the theater for a really new one......It’s all Mark, that’s his thing.

Second, I’m sure you’ve heard of Coraline. And as a good parent you’ve probably looked into it, (or would) and read some reviews.......to discover that it’s inappropriate for young children.
I did not.
I didn’t look into it at all, didn’t have any idea what it was about, and in fact vaguely remembered even seeing a preview.....but that was the movie Lillian couldn’t stop talking about....”Coraline, Coraline, Coraline.....I want to see Coraline.”

Soooo, like the worst slacker mom, I had Mark take them........and it was completely inappropriate for young children.
Keeping it real, I totally dropped the good parent ball on that one.

(The only saving grace was that Lillian got tired and stopped paying attention half way through)......Max on the other hand came home a little shaken.

So now.........these are the conversations I overhear, and this is the art that comes after trauma. Hopefully it will be therapeutic.

P.S. Mark says the movie was actually pretty darn good.....if you’re over fourteen.

Daddy Torture

Click, click, cloppity, click! Lillian is constantly trotting around the house in my heels.......the louder the better.
Her recent look, however, is an absolute torture for Mark.

As Lillian says of the shorty short and black leather combo..."It looks sooooo pretty"........Yikes!

Memories In Purple

"I'm so over purple!" I think everyone has heard me say this over and over again.........for the past three years. I've said this and meant it, but faced with the moment of letting go, I'm not sure I'm ready and I'm not sure why.

We've been ho-humming about things to take, things to store, things to sale and things to give away in the next few weeks. Mark thinks it's the perfect time to kiss the purple sofas 'Goodbye', but I'm not sure. Is it because I want to be frugal and not buy a replacement just yet...? Or is it a sentimental attachment.
We bought this set the first year we were married, I liked the funky shape and color. Mark said, "whatever makes you happy." I found out later he never liked it.......but I always loved thinking about how he let me decide completely.

We brought our first little baby home to it, where I spent weeks helplessly holding Max all day, waiting for Mark to come home from work so I could take a shower......it didn't occur to me that I could actually put the baby down.

We went crazy decorating our first little place in Hawaii, so excited to have a space we could make our own.......complete with lavender walls. (P.S. it is much more difficult to find a rug to match a purple sofa than you might think)

And then onto Washington....where I think purple has finally run it's course. (As you've heard me whine for the last three years) It's a little to dark and heavy for Washington state.

So I craigslisted it last night (in an impulsive burst), and BAM, three offers as of 8:00am! I'm paralyzed..........is it really time to say goodbye to purple? Or should I be happy to share the Purple Love!

Eatin' Dirty

Much to Grandpa's horror, I used to feed Max with toothpicks. (It was while I was still young enough for the danger of this to have seriously never occurred to me)
This wasn't about eating fancy or making it fun......it was a necessary solution to Max's unique personality.....He didn't like getting his hands dirty. At 10 months old he didn't want to touch anything wet or slimy, sticky or gooey..... pretty much anything that would leave a tactile residue. Mark thought something must be wrong with the boy. Having a touch of OCD about dirty hands myself, I figured he had inherited this from me and I totally understood. Therefore.......toothpicks.
The motor skills he should have been developing with hand to mouth feeding were still in play. He would stab each little ravioli, cube of cheese, diced apple ...and expertly guide it into his mouth and chomp away.
But this post isn't about Max, this is about how different a little brother can be.




Tobias is about 180 degrees in his eating style. He has absolutely NO PATIENCE for being fed......HE must do it! I can shovel exactly two bites in, when his quick little hand snatches the spoon away. I started feeding him with two spoons, one for distraction and one for input..... but he's on to me...... now he grabs the one with all the food on it.
This wouldn't be a problem if he had some teeth and was onto finger foods, but the little guys behind on the tooth curve, and barely has one and a half for chomping..........so as much as he fights it........ puree's are where it's at.
It's a good thing he doesn't mind gettin' dirty!