Blessings

Haven't done this in quite awhile. I know that happy people count their blessings and that creates more happiness so since I no longer hate my life and am actually enjoying it, here are some of our blessings...

M is actually working a very regular and family-compatiable schedule.

L is learning Japanese. I am told by her teachers she now understands most everything spoken to her.

C & C are just too cute to handle. They play tag all over the house, crawling in separate directions.

My parents (Mom, Dad and Step-mom) have been as supportive as you could ever pray for as far a family. My mom is my number one supporter of being at home with the kids! My dad and Step-mom send us many of the items we can't get over here. There have been numerous trips to the PO by them! My dad and step-mom keep the 5 of us very involved in my little brother and sister's lives. If you have an age gap in your family you know how rare and meaningful this can be. My mom calls frequently and laughs in good fun at my struggles with a strong-willed little girl which gets me to smiling too.

L has woken up on the sweet side of the bed for 2 days in a row!

C & C are adoring their big sister while L also adores them.

My two brothers who are grown (as opposed to the 4 year old) are lots of fun to talk to. They both make me laugh.

C & C are about to make their first Birthday. For having such a curious older sister this is one miracle for the books.

L's 3rd Bday is coming up -- she wants to have a Shrek party with orange decorations. While I actually had to order orange streamer, balloons and cups, the island did have Shrek decorations. That is one huge miracle to actually be able to get some of what you need here.

M and I are enjoying each other now that we can hang out each night together and spend time on the weekends gazing into one another's eyes (or if you have had small children in the house you know that gazing doesn't happen, its more like a quick glance of appreciation as he decides to change the poopy diaper).

L is potty trained day and night!!!!

Alright, crumb catcher number one needs to be entertained...so have a good day.

I know, two posts in one day -- the gift of nap time!

PS L wanted to make a list of blessings, from the mouth of Babes...

"My Birthday

Hearts

Shrek

Daddy and Connor and Caleb and something else

My music (her keyboard)

That is all."

Culture Shock

Usually we go about our business not constantly thinking about how we live in Japan. Especially being the military; we have our on-base grocery store, gas station, Post Office, etc. We are not constantly having to exchange $$$ or figure out how to communicate. Then sometimes there are moments when you are reminded you live in another country.

Last week I was dropping L off at school. We pulled up to the school and I could tell the teachers weren't there yet. The lights were off, the doors closed and no cars out front. So I pulled the car up to the school an got out with her. I helped her get out of the car while we chatted and played while waiting for the teachers to arrive. Then one after another, 3 more parents pulled up with their kids. The kids got out of the car and the parents drove away. Wow! Then the door to the school opened and another boy was already in the school where obviously no adult was! I shook my head in disbelief realizing at that moment what a huge cultural difference this is. In the States, who would be sued or shut down for letting kids run around the school unattended?!?!

In America, we worry about who will snatch our children, who will molest our kids, which bully will bother our child. Apparently not in Japan. When picking L up later that day I asked her teachers about that and they shyly smiled (they are 1/2 Okinawan 1/2 American) and mentioned that it is Japan...parents feel safe. My response surprised them I think. I stated that I was not worried about someone hurting L -- quite the opposite -- I was worried that L would turn over the aquarium, burn down the school or find the kitchen knives and accidentally hurt people. She is not a mean little girl, but she is curious. She would be into everything! When I told them that it is my job to protect the world from L, they both laughed. But wow! That was a huge cultural difference!

Another cultural surprise I ran across today was the difference between civilian life and military. I was out doing my 3 mile walk with the boys bundled up (we are in the 40s). We walked by a huge park area. I realized we have been in the Marines Corps. too long when I walked by the hills over the park and did not even bat an eye. You see, there were about 6 HUM Vs parked with Marines in full gear poking out the tops. There were Marines along the hill also in full gear with their riffles out and one guy talking on a radio. The only thought that crossed my mind was, "Must be getting ready for a deployment." Then I went back to concentrating on my exercise. As I continued to walk, I realized that its not something most people see on their walk around the neighborhood. We definitely get to do and see some "really cool" things as L would say.

I must get to house while L is at school. Have a good day!

$$$$$

School tuition per month $300.

Able to do laundry without helping hands, priceless!

Bad Mood and Disgusted

Boy am I in a foul mood towards the general public of America. Now that we are no longer just surviving, I have the time and ability to pay a little more attention to the news. Today one broadcast had this figure -- 55% of Americans want to the cut the US military budget. I was immediately furious! So do you Americans have any idea what the military and military families are already sacrificing?!?! This figure opened my eyes to how many Americans say they support the military but have no clue whatsoever what life in the military is like!

Maybe Americans should pay a little more attention the 1% of people who actually serve in the military. You think that cuts are a good idea? There have already been cuts. Your cuts have cost us our heating. My children are cold at night because there is no money in the budget to turn the heat on. While M and I are fine with the temperatures, my babies are not.

Did you know America that people serving in the military are already paid 10% less then the civilian counterparts? People with the equivalent education, experience and certifications are paid 10% less because the person in the military felt they were called to serve something greater than themselves.

Did you know that in many areas, Marines especially, are doing their jobs without the money to fund proper training and equipment? When we first went to war the public was outraged that HumVs were not properly equipped for war and now that you aren't paying attention to the people dying anymore, you want to cut the money again.

Then there is the fact that we as military family already have socialized healthcare. Which I do not recommend for best care results by the way. My boys did not receive the Rotavirus vaccine because the military had no $$$ to get it shipped here to the island before the supply ran out. Therefore, my boys ended up with rotavirus and puked for 10 days. Connor is now in the 4th% for weight because he lost so much weight! Caleb is in the 7th% for weight. You think cutting for our healthcare is the way to go?

This type of situation makes it very hard to continue being a happy military family when the public is so clueless! We are fine doing what we do -- until I hear something stupid like cut military spending!

Maybe America, you should be a little more specific in where you cut. Like get people off of welfare who are using the system. Maybe cut travel $$ for Congressmen. Maybe be more specific about cutting funding for several projects which are not working out for the military.

I do have to admit that the people who read this are probably already going above and beyond to support our Military families -- that's you Pitman. But you probably get what I am talking about.

OK -- shameless plug. Coupons. Not sure if I explained last time that we can't really get coupons over here. No Sunday morning paper and most coupon websites don't send to military addresses. So, if you have coupons, we will gladly take them and pass them out around here. Thank you!!!!

FB Free

Last week I discovered some of the games on Facebook and then all of the sudden my time was swallowed up in the world of FB. So I decided today to stop cold turkey. I closed my FB account and am going to keep it closed until just before the boys' birthday. There is no way I could stay off permanently because FB is how I see all of my cousins' kids. FB is how I keep in regular touch with people who I don't have time to talk to on the phone. Living 7,000 miles away is so much easier with FB, so I will be back on. But right now I need to focus on my kids, my home and exercising. I am excited about the walking, Wii Fit and classes on my schedule. Which brings me to my Hot MOM kick.

Eight months after L was born I got on a hot mom kick. I was determined not to become a fat dumpy mom. The boys are about to be one and I feel like we are in a place to get back in gear. Though this time I am not so much on the hot mom kick (last time I got hot I ended up with twins!) But I am on an exercise kick. I want to be able to eat what I want and exercise helps accomplish that goal. Also, with the heart attack rate in my family, I want to be around for my kids and grandkids. Again exercise will help that goal.

So by kicking my FB habit, I will have time to jumpstart my exercise goals and get rid of always feeling I need to be on FB. So see all you FB friends in about a month!

Confessions of grown woman...

For a new year, I am accepting the following about myself...

I am a junk food junkie. I love junk food and more junk food. I love to eat it lots! I will no longer feel bad because I suggest Burger King for lunch (because they have an indoor playground). The Whopper is pretty yummy.

I am a fast-food junkie. I love most fast food places and have heard many horrible things about how yucky that food is, but I still love it anyway.

Not a "granola mommy" in any way shape or form. I do not understand using cloth diapers -- none of the reasons sound appealing to me. I recycle cardboard, plastic, cans and glass...but I am not buying organic recycled stuff because that is the "in" thing. I'd rather save money on buying the cotton PJ's not labeled "organic" and go out to eat.

Which reminds me that I love going out to eat -- restaurants are so wonderful. You don't plan the meal, shop for the meal, make the meal or clean up after the meal. As M's grandmother says, "My favorite thing to make is reservations!"

I frequently delete off of my FB list. I go through and if I think you probably don't care about what's going on in the life of a Stay at home mom with 3 kids you will probably get deleted. I really truly don't think you care about my FB updates about my kids. My life is too boring to share with 800 friends on FB. So please don't take it personally if you are deleted, I am saving you from boring.

We like boring -- as a couple and for our family. We don't have screaming matches or knock-down drag out fights because that would be too much drama for our house. We have adventures in living all over the world, why would we need to create drama?

I love TV. My husband and I watch TV together and we do consider it "quality time" no matter what all the marriage books say. We love watching hours and hours of TV. Our current show isBurn Notice. I like most things Spy -- Bourne Identity series and all that.

I hate technology but am extremely addicted thanks to my tech savvy husband. He hooks up all kinds of things in the house and now I get super frustrated if the Apple TV is too slow, if the IPod doesn't sync, and if the Internet is down.

I do not enjoy cooking, but have recently enjoyed it more because my brother was telling how much he enjoyed the meals I would make for him. Of course when the Chow Hall or Taco Bell are the options for his dinner, my cooking would be enjoyable. Seriously, it has been more fun when M even compliments the meal.

I could spend all day talking on the phone. It would not bother me to put L in front of the TV and talk to friends and family for hours. I think this partly has to do with being so far away from everyone and partly has to do with being able to speak to an adult. Unfortunately for me, L sees me get on the phone and immediately "needs a drink of water" or "wants a bowl of blueberries" or "needs to poop on the potty". So the conversations are few and far between but I still love almost nothing more than getting a phone call.

I don't like when overweight people talk for hours and hours about eating healthy. Really? I might take some flak for calling people out on this, but its true. Don't comment on my meal choices when you weigh 8 of me. And I'm not talking about the people who need to loose a little weight.

I do not like hearing birth stories. I think it is a gross and disgusting process. I think it is a miracle that our bodies can do amazing things (like become huge enough to carry twins) but I don not think the details are miraculous. Please please don't take offense to this ladies --- I love you women. But your baby's birth story? Really? You think that your baby's birth story is so special that you need to share it with everyone? You do know that millions of babies are born all the time. That since the beginning of man billions and billions of babies have been born. You really think that your baby's birth story is so special? I am not talking about people who share on their personal blog -- your blog you get to say what you want and people can choose to read or not. But sharing with the people in the grocery line, and on your FB page and the mail man and the garbage driver. Some perspective people. Yes, your baby's birth is special to you and the people close to you. But not to everyone you meet. Don't want to know and don't really care. Babies are born all the time, we as a public don't need to know every detail. I will celebrate with great joy that you have your beautiful baby! That is super duper very exciting! But don't want the details.

I forget to think about where people are coming from when they make choices or say dumb things. Half the time I am saying something dumb. 99% of the time I will not know even most of your story, so why do I feel the need to judge even if its just in my head and I didn't express my opinion aloud. M is teaching me to look more at where people are coming from and to be more understanding. Getting better but not there yet.

I am a college graduate with a degree in Education and I am too lazy to check my grammar when writing Posts. I don't care if you get uptight about where my coma is. I write the way I hear the words in my head, not according to the rules.

I LOVE Georg W. Bush. I think he did an excellent job and that most people don't understand how truly hateful the terrorists are. Sending good vibes to the terrorists and trying "to work it out" is not an option. I am reading his book and love him even more so. Whatever you say about him, we have not been attacked again. My "bucket list" used to include teaching in Special Education and teaching in HI. Since I did both of those before 22 years old, I haven't been able figure out what to add to the list next. The only thing currently just added to my list is meeting President Bush. I want to physically meet him and shake his hand. (I told you we were boring).

Ok, babies are up from their nap. Hope you got a few smiles out of this or can relate. Many people comment on how I am known for just saying it "how it is". This is how it is for me. The great thing about what M and I are doing serving as a Military family is that we are some of the people who love that you get to choose how you feel and I get to choose my opinions! I still might secretly think you're and idiot but that is part of the beauty of our freedoms! (Actually the people allowed to read this I probably don't think are idiots, I already deleted them on FB).

Please don't make stupid remarks on my page...I will probably delete those.

Here is one my my favorite pics of late.

Any confessions brewing in your mind?

Hate no more

I no longer HATE my life! I am so excited to come to this point! We have survived almost a year of 3 kids in two years, 3 kids 2 and under or a toddler and twins. However you phrase it, we have made it!

The trip back to the states was quite a lifesaver! The boys are on schedule, the kids lay down at the same time in the afternoon! All of our schedules are matching up!! It is just beyond thrilling to come to this point where we are no longer surviving from day to day. I am appreciative of our close friends who have twins (we stayed with them while in the States) who helped us figure out the twin thing better! The trip was so so refreshing as well. My friend prayed before we left that I would feel refreshed and that prayer was exactly answered! My other good friend flew back with us and it was so wonderful to share our home and a little of our Okinawa experience with her. (Though while she was here we ate fast food about 6 times in a week because all 3 kids were puking and we had little time to go out or cook).

I am grateful to so many friends and family who have supported us over the last year! Without you, we would have drowned in our herd of children. We had family who spent vacation time and $$$ to come help! We had people who sent encouraging notes (yes Mrs. Keesee, that's you, all of you notes are still up in my kitchen). Our local friends have taken care of us spiritually and in every other way!

Another milestone we have crossed -- I was able to sort through the pictures of when the boys were first born. Up until recently I couldn't even look at the pictures. But after our trip to the States; where the boys have met many more of our family members, I went through the pictures. I sorted all of their first "born pictures" and slid them into a photo album to keep out forever. I didn't cry or struggle looking through the pics. Just looked at them and got them organized. For whatever reason, I wasn't able to sort through until now. I am excited that the boys have met many of our friends and family. I am also excited for them to meet those of you whom they have not met yet!

These little boys are amazing! Some "day they were born" pics and some pics from recently...

Caleb the day he was born

Connor just after being resuscitated

Caleb beginning to struggle breathing -- just having been cleaned up a little

Two munchkin warriors taking care of themselves

One other event, my brother's time in Oki has come to an end. He is now stationed back in the States. We miss him terribly. L frequently walks around the house on her phone for up to 20 min. at a time talking to Uncle BaBa. We adore him and are so grateful for his help.

I suppose the only other thing to write about is the latest skills the kids have acquired -- all but grandmas feel free to stop reading now -- this is just mostly to keep grandmas in the loop as to what the kids are up to.

L -

She sits and reads books a lot

she loves craft projects especially painting

she talks all the time about the world round her

she is curious about everything and the "but why" & "how" questions have started

she is back in school and loving it. yesterday I heard her counting in a mix of English, Japanese, and Spanish (thank you Dora)

she LOVES her babies -- talking care of them, feeding them, putting them to bed and comforting them

she enjoys watching my reaction when she tortures her brothers (and sometimes calls it torture, I may need to rephrase how I address that one)

she enjoys basketball, soccer, going for walks and is excited about the possibility of gymnastics

she enjoys her piano she got for Christmas.

likes to help cook dinner

she still ADORES Shrek and anything Shrek

she constantly talks about her birthday and she can tell you her Bday in on April 7.

she wants a cake for her birthday that she can smash with her fist just like Shrek did in the Shrek 4ever After.

Connor -

low-crawls while holding onto as many of his favorite toys as possible

cruises along furniture when motivated

we think he says "dada"

has the best laugh and giggle (reminds me of my brother Brian)

LOVES balls and cars

very independent soul not wanting to slow down for anyone

has one tooth

Caleb -

low crawls/all four crawling

we think says "mama"

is a mama's boy through and through (i suspect he would be the one living in my basement until he's 35 except mama kicks kids out at 18!)

now smiles all the time

no longer cries all the time!!!

his favorite toys include any soft thing he can snuggle with

has 4 teeth in his little mouth

is about ready for his first haircut

OK, grandmas, you are officially updated. Anyone else, I am impressed if you kept reading. Thanks for prayers!

I am grateful to be in a place where I am enjoying my kids and can keep up with the disgusting mess they make daily!

All 3 kids Pumpkin Picking for the first time.

Connor and Caleb enjoying the park in cold NJ.

Caleb not sure about Santa.

L and I got to go to a Mickey Mouse Magic show...she was delighted!

Connor and Caleb finally hold their own bottles!!!

The boys' cribs are set up...no more guest bed, sorry grandmas. Their room is officially done and they are in their own beds. They have been for awhile, but the cribs were right next to each other due to the guest bed.

Also, the kids got upgraded in the bathroom department. I loved my daisy bathroom, but too many breakables. Now the kids can enjoy a bathroom made for kids!

We are all unpacked and sleeping back on Okinawa time. We were so thankful to see so many friends and family! We are amazed that the boys will be L's age when we get back to the States again, but we are half way through out tour! This year is harder than last year to be away from family for Christmas. I would so love to be spending the holiday with my little brother and sister or our niece and nephews....but that will be another year. I think because we were just with everyone, it is fresh in my mind how wonderful it is to be around family and friends in the States. We are appreciative of all the WONDERFUL friends we have here and will enjoy our holiday celebrations with them!

I am especially sad for our close friends who have their loved ones over in the sandbox. We are grateful for your service and appreciate all that military families sacrifice for our country! (As we travelled, I kept thinking in my head during the very rough spots, "You're welcome America for serving overseas! Because if we didn't server overseas, we wouldn't be having to do this long flight back and forth!!!" Seriously, we are truly appreciative of the men and women who are in the midst of combat. Thank you and Merry Christmas.

We have plans to go to one of the restaurants on the base we live on. We will be sharing a meal with several friends. We are excited to have daddy home or several days ---maybe go to the Aquarium or something! Basically we will be having a very quiet Christmas in sunny warmer weather.

Merry Christmas to all!

Christmas Carols

I am actually humming Christmas Carols! This is huge because I only hum when I am joyful and the last 6 days and been FULL OF JOY!

You know we went to the States from Oct. 28 - Dec. 9. So many of these joys are a result of that trip, but I am listing them out so you can know why I am so thrilled.

1. The boys now go to bed/sleep at the same time. This is a gift my good friends, who have 2 year old twins, blessed me with.

2. The boys hold their own bottles (also gift from friends above).

3. The boys are using bottles only (that means no more parasite-like action from my body. We are done nursing which means that after about 3 years, my body is mine again.)

4. The boys are now sleeping from 7 pm to 5 am. Take a bottle and were in bed today until 8:45 am!

5. L is back to being a sweet child now that we are adjusted to being back home.

6. While on our trip we got to see so many family members! Family flew in from Bermuda, South Carolina, and Kansas City. We also got to see lots of our family who lives in Jersey.

7. I am able to keep up with the house this week because the kids (all 3) take naps in the afternoon at the same time!!!

8. I get to shower each and every day because I can now count on the boys taking a nap in the AM at the same time!!!

9. I was blessed with a fabulous family who kept the kids 3 different nights while we were in the States so that I could have a full night's rest and relaxation.

10. I am grateful for webcams and all of our family who takes the time to get on and talk with the kids! For families who live far away, this is an awesome way for kids to stay connected!

11. I actually got to buy clothes that fit and didn't have to return them through the mail!

12. It is so easy to live in America! I really enjoyed the ease of being in the States.

13. Thankful for a husband who works a job with health insurance, because C and C have had to make a couple of trips to the ER/Dr. lately.

14. Loving the warm weather this year again in Okinawa as the States have it terribly cold and snowy right now and you know how I HATE the cold!

15. Aside from an Act of God, we will not have to do the newborn thing again! This has been the hardest year of my life (worse than recruiting and you may remember how hard that was). I am grateful that the itty bitty phase of our lives is over.

16. I am grateful to be celebrating Christmas with all 3 of my children -- the boys had a very rough start so I am so appreciative of the fact that they are overall healthy and here.

I hope that you are feeling Christmas cheer in your life!

Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday Jesus!

Coupons

One of my family members suggested I share the following with you. One way to support military families is to send coupons! In overseas duty stations (which is where we are) we can use coupons up to 6 months after the expiration date. So if you have coupons that you are willing to mail, our family would greatly appreciate them! I went shopping a couple of weeks ago and saved $30.00! If you are interested in helping families across the military, here is some info. on coupon support.

Our family specifically uses the following coupons:

Tide

Joy dish soap

Huggies

Luvs

All baby wipes

Bounty

Charmin

Daisy sour cream/products

Any packaged baking mixes

Cheese sticks

Batteries

I suppose those are the big ones. Please feel free to send any of your expired coupons and I will pass them out to friends. Thanks for you support!

Send a Facebook message if you would like our mailing address.

P.S. Our commissaries let us stack most coupons. So no limit for most coupons for us to use on any one product. That means some products end up being free!