Happy Mother's Day

It's been a while. Let me try to recall what we've been up to. Today we went out for Chinese with friends: get this 8 kids 5 adults...table reservation is so funny when you're in this parenting part of life. That was fun. Billie and Jackson will only eat white rice now when we're out...they're done with being adventurous. Here they are having ice cream post rice. While we're on the topic of food- Sloane has tried it. I know, she's only 5 months and still nursing like a champ but she is so FASCINATED by the food we are eating and so GRABBY when I'm trying to eat and somehow keep her contained on my lap. She seemed really interested so she had a couple spoonfulls of her own oatmeal yesterday. I think she liked it.
Our FISH school has come to an end and for our end-of-the-year-finale we got to watch Jackson's preschool class perform songs about the days of the week and the months of the year. Jackson knows all the words and wasn't intimidated a bit by performing in a group. He's a tall, skinny almost four year old and he's SO great.
Billie's Kinder/1st grade class did a performance about the water cycle (Percipitate!) and played accuratly pitched bells to the tune of baa baa black sheep, reading color-coded musical notes well enough to earn the approval of their super-seriously-strict music teacher. Whew! What a show it was!
We had excavators all over the backyard for several days working on the 'water line' and then a yard full of sand to fill in the hole that was dug. Now it's sprayed with bright green powder grass seed and i don't know how good that is for kids to play around and inhale- so, we've been spending even more time at playgrounds than usual...if that's possible.
bill is getting psycyhed for hiking up mt. ranier in July and currently getting ready for his job hunting trip back to VA in just a couple weeks. Time is flying here.

fun times

Last night we had two of Jackson's best friends sleep-over. The oldest Pascoe boys. We went for a walk in the dark wearing jammies with light-sabers (fashioned from glow-sticks). We watched a video, read stories and had a grand ole time. That was five kids folks. Yesterday we put the two big ones in the Burley car and tried Sloane out in the back pack on a big hike. Sloane did NOT like the back pack so she slinged for most of the time. By the way...I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote in that last post about Billie and Jackson being kind to eachother?! They spent the whole time in the burley bickering and consequently lost their opportunity for the ice cream we were going for! ACK!
We spent Saturday at the kids museum with our friend Eva along. Avoiding the rain and putting on shows for all the museum attendees.
This week is a busy one- there's a lot of meetings and stuff scheduled for the first week of the month and it always gets hectic.
We're off to gymnastics so I better go wake Sloane up.

Here we are at the cabin. Bill fixed the computer but it's almost midnight so I'm going to bed.

Oura Wan - take me away!

We had the NICEST weekend walking on the beach with a playground so close it was practically in the front yard of our cabin at Oura Wan. The reason I haven't written about it yet (and why there are no pictures posted here) is because our computer is broken. We're operating off the lap-top while Bill works on the mother-board and does other stuff that I don't understand to the pieces of our old computer laying all over the kitchen and dining room tables. So...sorry for being out of touch. Back to the best weekend ever: I went to a discussion group thing on simple living aka voluntary simplicity. this is a sort of movement thing and that's the internet research that lead me to the families who travel around the country in RVs and actually go and DO the crazy things they wish they could do when they wake up in the morning and think "What do I want to do today?" The discussion was interesting and really has me thinking more about what I buy vs. what I need and I'm going to start being more intentional when I make my purchases. Here's what I'm asking myself: How much/often will I use this? Is it green (not in the mono-chromatic color scheme kind of way but is it earth-friendly)? Where will my money go if I buy this? and it must meet one of these two requirements: beautiful or useful. If it's cute...that's not good enough...I just want BEAUTIFUL. Now, you may be asking yourself..."why is angi solley such a total FREAK?" 3 reasons. I hate cleaning. I don't like stuff. I don't like having to clean stuff.
Also, I've been to almost no malls in 6 years and I'm trying to ready myself before I get home and OD on things that are on sale for $6.99 at wal-mart.
THEN we went to Oura Wan and had just a few clothes with us, 4 toys, and how easy is life all of a sudden? All day is sit around and read time, talk with friends time, dig in the sand time. Doing dishes takes 2 minutes because there are only 5 dishes. LOVELY. I'm motivated...before we move I'm going to keep culling our collections so that we've got what matters...and are free from the other stuff.
As for the kids, Sloane is super cute and each day you KNOW she's at max cuteness and then the next day...a ponytail and even cuter. that's right...cuter! Billie and Jackson may have finally figured out that being kind to eachother is easier than fighting. Bill hardly goes to work at all because he's on his way out. Life is good.

Frog guts

How awesome is our school? Here are the kids checking out their Science teacher dissecting a frog. (This is really just Billie's K/1st grade class but they let the preschoolers come in to have a look if they were interested...Jackson was.)
I'm REALLY going to miss this school group when we leave.
That was yesterday, today we went on a tour of the firestation with our playgroup. Got to try on the helmets and sit in the truck (but I forgot the camera). Then it was a playground picnic for lunch, pick up the Pascoe boys and off to yet another playground. They had so much fun making up a game that was something like "King of the mountain" with a bunch of Japanese kids who only knew "What's your name?" in English.
When we finally dropped our friends back at their place and arrived back home at 3:30pm there was Bill on the couch! "I've been off since lunch!" Having spent the whole day here (not picking up one darn thing) and wondering if we were ever coming home. (My cell phone wasn't charged- I hate that thing!)
Ah well...
Other exciting events this week: Morning at the beach playground (find Billie and Jackson in picture. Hint: Billie is wearing bunny ears...I can barely get her to take them off for a bath and Jackson is pushing a stroller) when Noah plopped right off the stepping stones and went for a dip with the fishes! He had pond scum in every possible crevice...but I suspect that he just wanted to find a 'mommy- approved' reason to get nudey booty. And Sloane got the COOLEST monogrammed diaper bag (it's a good thing I get to wear it or I'd have to steal it from her) from our good friend Jill. How happy are we?! Also, we're working out as a family in the 'active parent room' at the gym. The kids play in a padded area with toys while Sloane lays around and watches them and tries not to get stepped on and Bill and I do eliptical trainers and stuff...17 lbs. to go. And I've become obsessed with reading blogs, of other people and hippie families and mostly people that drive around in RVs and unschool their kids for a LIVING. So exciting to consider reading about the Boston tea party and then touring around Boston! Talk about a learning experience. Karate continues to be fun. I guess that's it for now.

Tomorrow we're off to spend the weekend at Oura Wan. Should be fun!

Easter bunnies

This morning was fun. The easter bunny had string going from Billie and Jackson's beds all through the house, under the table, around the doorknobs, through the bathroom, and every which way...when they finally got to the end of their trail they found their easter baskets. What a blast. And bunny ears from Nanna! Hooray!

Okay, here's our photo session from the photog. the old stuff.
http://serenanicolestudios.smugmug.com/photos/sspopup.mg?AlbumID=922533

what's the state of your vagina?

Because mine is ALL GOOD! When I was at the OB this morning for my check-up she didn't think I had delivered vaginally and said I had "nice muscle tone!" How cool is that?! I know this isn't a normal blog thing...I don't know about your job but there's not much positive feedback for me. I get things like "I wish this grilled cheese didn't have black on it." So, it's really nice to get some recognition. Keep up the kegels ladies...i guess they really do work!
I won't include any pictures here...though I am tempted to order myself a t-shirt or something. Surely there is some type of medal I can get?

Oki playground

This morning was lovely again (thank goodness...trapped by rain all day is NOT fun). So we hit up a super cool park and made some Japanese friends. Billie has learned a little Japanese at school- just enough to make friends and play together. Here's how crazy Okinawa is. There were two kids at the park that looked a little raggedy and the boy (5 years old) was wearing some beat up hello kitty shoes on the wrong feet. (Billie and Jackson wear their shoes on the wrong feet about 95% of the time because if it bothered them, they'd change it...i'm not going to argue with them over THAT). But i NEVER see other kids doing that (apparently, most moms will argue this point). But then I noticed that he was in charge of his 2 year old little sister as he was helping her wash her hands and that their mom wasn't even AT the park!! There's apartment buildings all around the block so i guess she could just peek out and see them but they had a bag, like a grocery type bag, with some snacks in it so i guess she wasn't planning on joining them anytime soon. isn't that awful? you think at first...but the kids were so nice to eachother and i talked to the boy a little bit, his sister was fascinated by Sloane and they were just fine really. and it's just so darn safe here- there's not really anything to worry about. isn't that what life was like when my granny had her kids? i bet she just let them run around the farm and i guess someone could have gotten hurt or fallen but they would just have to send a sibling to get Mom in the house or something. sometimes i question being protective now...like, it's a little paranoid. i'm TOTALLY freaked to have the kids in the States because (maybe this is how a canadian sees it) it seems like some shooting range and kid napping also seems really frightening. feel free to email me any uplifting stories of random acts of kindness if you see them!

that's odd...i couldn't include the pictures. will they work here? will they work anywhere? will they, could they on a boat? could they would they...with a goat?

Today it's rainy and we're stuck inside...the good bit about that is that I get stuff done around the house (because in case you haven't noticed, we don't spend so much time around here chillen). Most mornings we do school (now that Billie is officially five- I feel like I've got to do that at least 4 times a week) which is pretty fun but requires all my attention and we do it while Sloane has a morning nap. I'm not too strict about it since I went over a list of 1st grade requirements and Billie has them ALL beat with the exception of just a few. She can read little words, add, subtract, count beyond 100, count by 10s, find several countries on map and (just so it's not like i'm bragging...we must remember ALL she's learned) lie. She lies sometimes now like stepping on Jackson's bag of popcorn and saying "It was an accident" also yesterday at the beach when she kicked sand on her friends drawing and I said in the 'stern mommy' voice "Come here, Billie." she replied "I didn't do it!" ...interesting. i think i did that kind of stuff as a kid.


Jackson doesn't really lie. (he's the good one)

Also, Bill and I have decided that we should ALWAYS have a 4 month old in the house. Isn't 4 months just the PERFECT age? (i know...i would have said 3 months if you asked me last month!!!) But she's SO cute. She's round and smiley and sweet and she can't squirm away too far and she doesn't ask questions just accepts things. She's so cuddly to hold and when you get in bed at the end of the day right next to the warm spot she's made up in the bed, and you just get to put your arm on her tummy and spoon with her little breathing and sweet face. ...there just couldn't be anything better! i seriously don't know how i will ever overcome the urge to have BABY babies around for very long.

Billie had the happiest birthday ever with a few of her friends and lots of fun. The cupcakes were in an ice cream cone, we made candy braclets, had a treasure hunt and popped confetti balloons.
Jackson got a new 'mean-guy' helmet, which he has been wearing everywhere. Sloane has learned to stand propping herself against the japanese (low to the floor) coffee table. Isn't that freaky? apparently being cranky is a good work out because she is STRONG.

today i'm ILL in a big way with some sort of head flu. i won't go into the details of mucus colors here. Just post some pictures and get back in bed.

Billie turns 5!

We woke up this morning to a new cukcoo clock from Nanna (a REAL German one!) and had birthday pancakes. Billie reminded me "Mom, remember bunnies do NOT eat with their noses." It is important to note that the number of chocolate chips used in your pancakes is in correlation with the number of facial features present. Clearly, she did not fall for my most recent submission of a bunny with no mouth.
Jackson seems a little frustrated with the way this morning is going. It's the first year he's cognizant enough to realize all the ways he'll have to be really nice to his sister today in the hopes that she'll share some of her loot with him. When I first sang the birthday song he kept asking. "Why are you singing that? There isn't any cake!!"
I need a shower and then we're off to the kids museum with playgroup. We're bringing cupcakes along! We'll open one gift tonight and then we'll wait for the party on Saturday(Jackson has 3 gifts to open then). I've included a pic of Jackson and Sloane here so we don't forget about them!

Karate

We started Karate this week. (with Billie's Christmas money from several of you...Thanks!) Jackson is adamant that he wants to "be only in gymnastics." After watching the class once and then watching while Billie participates unti,l on the drive home, we are talking about the order of belts and Jackson says "Actually, I would like to do Karate so that I can earn a green belt." And Billie keeps asking when she will be able to earn a pink belt. It's a class for 5-12 year olds, off-base in a real Do-jo. Billie struts in wearing a striped shirt and flowered pants (picks out her own clothes, as she has since she was 2) not a bit intimidated by all the kids in the proper uniform, the youngest kid by far. She goes right to the front and follows Sensei's every move. Afterwards the teacher told us "I've seen a lot of kids...I mean a LOT of kids and she's really GOOD." They had us do a trial class because she's so young they have to make sure she won't be a disruption to the class. She is a follower 100% which will be a concern when she's in her teens but earns her a lot of praise at age 4.
Jackson is the NICEST kid. He isn't much of a follower, doesn't care about making other people happy- he won't say 'hi' to strangers unless he feels like it. He's just nice and friendly when it matters to someone he cares about. He's fiercly protective with his family and he is the most thoughtful when someone is hurt...or when someone has hurt feelings. There's not a mean streak in him. He gets a little wild sometimes and he doesn't always (ever) follow directions but he NEVER does a mean thing. He's made a lot of friends, being such a nice kid, with no need to impress any random grown-ups who approach him at a store with happy questions like "Let me guess...are you five?"
That's it for the kids. Sloane is still herself. The most difficult baby I've ever had. Totally adorable and CRANKY!!!
Bill is getting loads of contacts about jobs and it looks like we'll be able to get a nice job nearer to our starting date of Aug. 1st.
I'm working on a little project of my own to start and keep me busy (because i don't have enough to do now) when we move. More on that as it develops.

March 21, 2006

Okay, so I got through the baby shower, most of the time with a baby on my person (that's nicer than saying 'boob') and most of the women were smiling and everything except for the cake was yummy. Is that good enough? The recital was fantastic- Billie danced her heart out and I let her switch back to gymnastics (thank goodness she wanted to...the hair work alone is just too much trouble!!) Today we're making paper dolls and music books. Bille wrote numbers up to 39 when we did school this morning. They are going over to the Pascoe house later for a playdate. And then it's Kindermusik this afternoon (for them, not me...I taught my final class last week) at Mrs. Melanie's!

I have been working on a binkie for a steady MONTH but she's insistant on sucking her fingers. I can't get them away!


 

Our super-cool playgroup had exercise day this week- lot's of fun at the gym. Here is Billie demonstrating a move with our instructor...you guessed it...she's not afraid to perform.
We checked out an off-base Karate class (Okinawa being the originator of Karate and all) and Billie can't wait to sign up, Jackson just wants to stick with gymnastics. In her 4 (almost five) years she's loved everything she's tried: gymnastics, ballet, kindermusik, school (of all variations), T-ball and more. Jackson likes to play and sports but he's not all about performing. Jackson is happy reading a book, playing on the computer and being my 'helper'. He's a sweetie!


Girls just fall madly in love with him sometimes, like this little chick in the picture here. She just kept following him and clinging to him all day.
Now I'll get some Sloane pictures on here. Sloane is an 'in the moment' kind of girl. When she's happy- she's ECSTATIC and when she's not...well, she's REALLY not!
Happy St. Patricks day!
-angi 

This morning we woke up, early for a Saturday (early for any day, really) BEFORE 8am. We had to...to start on hair. There was water and gel and all sorts of things because there "should be no bangs with a lion's mane." Billie's ballet class all dressed in outfits handmade by their interprative dance teacher to the tune of the Lion King as little ballerina lions. How can she not have bangs? AND a bun?!! So, that took hours and then she was SO great at the recital. We're all set for next week.
So, the Moms went shopping and the Dads took the kids to see Hoodwinked- a movie about red riding hood, which sounds like it was fun. Home again, cooked a meal for another family that just had a baby (everyone did it for me so I'm payin' it forward) and then hopped back in the van to have dinner at a sushi bar with friends. The dragon roll was delicious!
This blogging thing is turning out to be rather easy so I'll stick with it. Is anyone reading it? Bueller...Bueller...Bueller?

 

more March

So, here's what's going on with us: Billie brought a rain gauge home yesterday from school and we're already putting it to use. She has her own little weather station here with a homemade barometer and all- they're doing it in Science. Jackson came home with a leaf rubbing and his favorite part was P.E. because they got to tie balloons to their ankle and try to stomp on everyone elses. The homeschool co-op has been so much fun and they enjoy having different teachers and classes each week.
Sloane lets everyone else get a chance to hold her while I teach Kindermusik there. Right now I'm planning Tiffany's baby shower, Lucia's welcome to your forever family Camille shower and Billie's birthday party. Also, her big ballet recital is coming up in two weeks and stay tuned for pictures on that. 2006 is getting crazy quickly.
A big shout out to Annabel Sampson- Sheri just had her second little daughter and it sounds like all is well there.
We are looking forward to the U.S. and catching up with all you friends again.
Bill gets calls about his resume on our Skype phone; usually one a day and he's emailing and networking that constantly. He'll start in August so he's considering a trip for interviews in May or June.
Sloane is the most adorable kid- much more so now that I cut dairy out of my diet. This requires more research than you'd think...did you know lunchmeat has dairy in it? Sloane did.
Love you!
-Angi

Fun in Okinawa

Well, the weather has finally taken a turn for the better. It had rained for what at least seemed like weeks, the kids were bouncing off the walls, but finally the sun came back. We've been going to a few new playgrounds and having a great time. The japanese really know how to build playgrounds. They have cool stuff like roller slides, crazy spiderweb things to climb on, and more. It seems like american playgrounds are all the same prefabricated playground replicated in a million places. The kids are doing great, Billie's ballet recital is coming up soon, Jack is still having fun in gymnastics,Sloane has grown so much she's hard to recognize, and Angi and I are doing great too.
Till next time......