Happy Birthday Shawn

Happy Birthday Shawn! We had a little party with balloons and cake and many, many, many, candles!!!

Enough candles to burn down a house....how many candles??

33...

and he didn't have any trouble blowing them all out...

Columbus Day Weekend

The boys loved having daddy home for 3 whole days! On Sunday, we took the boys to the Ueno Zoo, which is just north of Tokyo. On the train, it was about a 2 hr. ride.

Here's the new stroller we were given by a fellow family on base. It's a sit or stand stroller. There's not really a seat for Caleb, rather a platform that he can sit on or he could stand, which he doesn't do. This stroller has been a blessing. It keeps both kids happy without the bulkiness of a double stroller. I love it, especially since we walk so much!!

This picture is on the train. Caleb thought being on the train was the big event of the day. Check out his new smile (he's saying, "cheese).....I know what you're thinking....we've already been in Japan too long....Caleb is starting to look Japanese! (hahahaha)

Riley really liked looking out the window, especially if another train was passing us. I think we've got another train lover in the family.....and of course, Caleb loved being on the train. He explained everything he seen to Riley; his exact words were,"Riley, look backhoe" or "Riley, yellow train". (Backhoe is Caleb's new word)

The boys did so well on the train ride there. Not one complaint from either of them for the whole 2 hours.

Right before the entrace of the zoo there were several food vendors. This one is chocolate covered bananas on a stick. Doesn't that sound good? We'll I didn't think about what it would look like to eat it, only what it would taste like......

Okay, so one day Caleb will kill me for taking this picture!!!! I told you I didn't think about what it would look like to eat it. Wow!!! That just isn't right!!!! Anyway...

Here's the entrance to the zoo. Instead of clerks taking money and giving tickets, here they had ticket machines. You put in your money and voila, your ticket comes out. Of course, you wouldn't find this sort of convience in the states because no one in the states can be trusted to buy an adult ticket instead of paying for a child's ticket. There were SO MANY PEOPLE but the line moved incredibly quick.

A Japanese man and his family asked us to take their picture. As Shawn was getting ready to take the picture, he counted off, 1..2..3. I'm sitting there thinking that these people are like what is he saying.....but then they offered to take this picture of us. It was neat to hear him try to count out to us in English....1...2...ok.

It was kind of sad when Caleb went up to the signs next to each exhibit and asked us to read about the animals (most kids don't pay attention to the info) and we had to tell him that we couldn't read it (it was all written in Japanese). He's going to start telling people that his mommy and daddy can't read.....

Caleb's favorite exhibit was the Gorillias. The male silverback was enormous! The animals were all very entertaining. Sometimes you go to the zoo and the animals are sleeping or hiding. This trip all the animals were very active and engaging with the visitors. One of the female gorillas came right up to the window at Caleb and showed her teeth a few times.

Our little growling zoo animal (he thinks he's a lion).

These next pictures are just some of the things in Japan that I find silly or interesting.....

This woman was at the zoo. Would you ever wear this to walk around the zoo??? And she wasn't the only one by no means wearing such attire!!! Can you imagine what her feet must feel like at the end of the day?? And she had a toddler with her!!! This is not an uncommon sight in Japan.

Okay, this is just nasty!!! Would someone please tell this GENTLEMAN that a bird has pooped on his "Hello Kitty" bookbag!!!! Yes, this is a man! Men here carry all kinds of bags and purses of sorts. It's crazy! Sometimes you think he must be carrying his wife's purse only to see that she is carrying her own purse....It's way beyond the man purse. I seen a guy at the zoo who was carrying a metallic silver purse with a matching wristband!!!

Okay this is the last picture. On our walk to the train station here's this guy cleaning the road. Look at the road, does it look like it needs to be cleaned?? And he's out there on a busy street with no bright orange vest or caution cones. It's crazy!! Again, not an uncommon sight in Japan. It is beyond clean in the area that we live.

6 Months Old

Riley is 6 months old. He had his well baby check-up and he's 27 inches long and 17.2 lbs which puts him in the 75th percentile for height and the 48th percentile for weight. His head measurement puts him in the 10th percentile. Caleb's head measurement was always very small also. I'll tell you what....I was glad to have babies with small heads at their births!!!! I don't think they look like they have small heads though....maybe I'm blinded by the fact that they're my babies and no matter what they are perfect. So you guys be my eyes...Do my babies look peculiar with small heads?

Moving on...

Riley's pediatrician is absolutely in love with Caleb. Every time we take Riley in, Dr. Malarie comments on Caleb and his behavior and his development. Well, this last time he commented on Caleb's speech. He suggested I have Caleb tested at his three year old check up. I guess at three, the school system steps in for speech therapy instead of the hospital. I'm a bit heartbroken about it. It's difficult to think about your baby having trouble in any area of development. Shawn and I have kinda worried about his speech in the last year, but in the recent months we've really been wanting to have Caleb tested. However, I don't think either of us wanted to totally admit that there was a problem....and there still might not be, but I'm thinking there is. I don't think that there is an issue of him understanding objects, but rather an oral dysfunction. He's very smart and loves to talk, but it's very difficult to understand him. Like for instance, he'll say "why" for "dry". We've always thought it was cute, but he's starting to get frustrated when we don't understand what he's trying to tell us and we get frustrated too. He'll go off and tell Riley what he's saying, like Riley is going to then interpret for us....

Commissary Nightmare

I am so irritated! I went to the commissary twice today once this morning with both boys and then again after Shawn got home without the boys. The first visit got me halfway through the store before my cart was too full to keep going. (we literally had no food in the house). Caleb was very impatient in the store and kept running down to the end of each isle yelling back at me,"Let's go mom!". It's so easy to keep your mind on the task at hand when you're 2 year old is giving out commands (NOT!!!). So, I decided I'd go back when Shawn got home from work. When I went back, the shelves were empty....there was no lemon juice, no light brown sugar, no half and half, no bagels, no madarine oranges, no chunky applesauce, (and these were the items on my list, who knows what else they were sold out of). It's so irritating!!! There's no Kroger or Super Walmart across the street to supplement the sold out of items at the commissary. UGH!!!!! This happens so often. Last week, there was not one pack of size 2 diapers on this base. I had to buy Riley size 3, which are way too big. Ususally it's milk or bread that is sold out. There is a sign above the bread that reads, "no more than 5 bread items per family". CRAZY!!!!

Okay, I guess I'm done complaining. I'll just have to try again later this coming week to get my shopping list items.

No, I lied. I have one more thing to complain about. My hairdresser is moving to San Diego!!!! I don't know what I'm going to do now!!

Okay, now I''m done...

Rain Rain Come Again

Our weather has been beautiful lately. However, on the one day we had rain, I pulled out the matching raincoats I bought the boys from Children's Place. Seeing them look so cute, now I wish the rain would come again...

I don't think that one other person noticed that they we're matching. How could anyone miss it? Am I bias? I don't think so!!

Shawn insists that they don't like matching. But, I think he's just feeling left out....

Riley is such a serious baby. He always looks so intent. His smiles are kept for special occasions only. Have you all noticed that there are not many pictures of him smiling? I almost don't know what to make of him sometimes. Caleb is so easy to make smile, although he doesn't like to smile for the camera anymore.

I'm blaming all my girls who have talked about nothing else but the "Twilight Series" for my week of absence at blogging. My curiosity got the best of me and I went and bought the first book in the series and haven't been able to put it down. It's such an easy read and it grabs you and pulls you in. I don't even know what's really that great about the book other than to say it's kinda like reading "Dawson's Creek" with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"....kinda. And those shows rocked when I was 20....about 10 years ago. Maybe that's what I like about the series, it makes me think I'm young again.

Anyway, the one thing that I've learned this week is that reading isn't the same as it use to be. Finding the time to read with two little ones and still having all the other responsibilities is a challenge. I get to read 10 pages at a time and then anxiously wait till the next time I have 10 minutes to sit down. And if I read at night, I'm so exhausted that 10 pages is too much before I fall asleep.

Different Parenting Styles

I know every couple has a different way of raising their kids. And within that couple each person has their own parenting style. Shawn and I are no different. Below are video examples of our styles. Watch both and tell me which style you think works best.....

I don't know about all of you, but I'd rather laugh than be scared. Eek!!! I think Shawn may need some parenting classes.....