Today our school time was spent doing some art. We set out to make some wrapping paper for next month. I have some brown paper, wooden trees, and green paint and thought it would be fun to do printing. They were amused very briefly.

Then of course had to do hand prints instead of tree prints.

And then my plan fell apart. Rhino wanted to color in the whole paper instead and of course Heron had to follow along!

I hung it up to dry and we'll have some pretty green wrapping paper. Maybe we'll try again and print with red paint on it!

The boys did some puzzles and made some pictures with dinosaur stickers (counting dinosaurs, pointing out colors of dinosaurs, naming dinosaurs … Heron really likes dinosaurs lately!) Since we were playing with dinosaurs, I decided the boys could play paleontologist. I have a ton of dried beans sitting around, so I put a few different kinds in a box with some tiny dinosaurs (and a moose, dog, horse, etc for good measure) and handed the boys some spoons. For a little while they would dig through the beans with the spoons, scoop out the dinosaurs and put them in the bowl. Then they just decided to forget the spoons and have some fun with the beans!

For our reading time, Rhino asked to read about space. His favorite book right now is the Usborne Science Encyclopedia, which is awesome. The only thing is, it's a huge book for ages 9 and up. We look at it a lot, but he calls it his space book and really just wants to look at the astronomy sections. So today I grabbed some smaller, slightly more age-appropriate books: Usborne's The Solar System and Living in Space. Heron liked talking about all the planets but Rhino got a little bored. He really loved looking at the space station in Living in Space and we talked for a while about how different it would be to live in space!

We wrapped up with a little geography. We looked through a children's atlas and learned where we Grammy, Pop, Grandma & Grandpa live. I also pointed out Georgia because for the past few days we've been talking a lot about that state. Why? Because Matt just got his next assignment and that's where we're headed next! We don't leave until the end of April, but I'm glad we have this time to research the base and connect with people on Facebook. It will be a big change from snowy Japan, but I think it will be great to be back in the States and closer to family!

I'm going to attempt this NaBloPoMo daily posting all month again, so hopefully I'll stick with it and you'll be seeing more of us from now on. So … see you tomorrow!

We had fun talking through tubes, looking through lenses, checking out aircraft, control tiny planes, playing catch in a spinning room, getting strapped into a crazy contraption, jumping, chasing the pretty lights on the floor, and of course, pressing ourselves against the giant pin board!

It’s such a fun museum and Rhino got a kick out of a lot of the exhibits. I think it will get only more fun as the boys grow older and can understand more of what things are about. For now he had fun trying to jump on the blue cushion, feeling the different temperature coils, and playing in the really cool aviation-themed play room. There was also a tube that Matt, Rhino, and Jen sat in that shot them upwards that he definitely did not love. As soon as the doors shut he started screaming. I didn’t take Heron in, so I don’t know quite what it was like, but I’m told it was very loud as they bounced up and down in the tube. I guess that wasn’t the best idea for little Rhino!

We found the beach without much problem, despite some questionable directions. It was much, much colder in Noheji than we had anticipated. It was a short walk from the parking lot, past a gigantic mound of shells, to the beach and by the time we arrived at the ships we were all pretty chilly. We spent about five minutes checking out the wrecks before heading back. It was just too cold and windy. We are definitely looking forward to returning when the weather is a little more tolerable or we are better prepared. It is definitely an interesting beach!

We were all ready working our way up the hatchet and decided to keep going, to the tip – Cape Shiriya. This is a fishing town where wild horses roam the beach. We weren't exactly sure where to go to find horses, so we just made our way to the water. We found a gathering of horses. They strolled down the road, grazed and drank, and some even came right up to the car. We ate our bento lunches in the car as we watched the horses. Rhino was most interested in the water and would point out the window and "wow" at it. It seems the horses made him a little uneasy. Jen chose a favorite horse, which she named Raja, and Matt liked the shrine on the rock on the coast. It was too cold still to go out, so we drove past the horses and headed home.

It was a great outing and I'm looking forward to going back up along beautiful Mutsu Bay! — Need directions? Check out How to Get There: Shipwreck Beach

We went back this morning and made it in! Jen picked out some sake. We don’t really know anything about sake, so we couldn’t help much. The decision was made based on price and how pretty the bottle is. There are some very pretty sake labels! When we last went to the fish market, Matt and I tried squid ink cake. This time Jen and Rhino tried it, too. Yum! We also had some delicious, tiny dehydrated shrimp and saw lots of cute treats. Rhino was startled by a merchant showing off his live crabs. He danced to the music playing through the building and entertained the shoppers. We have to remember to go back to do actual shopping. A lot of the fish looked so good!

Jen and I wanted to go out one night to karaoke. I’d never been, but it is a big deal here in Japan. I know of a place right outside the main gate that we decided to try. I thought it would be a bar with tables and a stage that you get up at and sing. I was definitely not going to do that, but I’d cheer Jen on! When we arrived, we found that they are private karaoke rooms. We purchased a room for an hour and some bottles of water, were given some microphones, tambourines, maracas, and a control. We poked at the buttons on the control for about ten minutes before asking for help. The attendant showed us the “English” button (which we couldn’t read!) so we could browse through all the songs and artists. Jen had some solos, we sang a bunch together, we did some Christmas songs, I actually sang a solo, and then the workers ran in and interrupted our song, grabbed all the supplies, and kicked us out at exactly 60 minutes! It was all very goofy and the room was super hot, but we had a blast! Each room has a small kiddie section with toys and books, so next time I’ll have to take Matt and the boys!

I know there are sake bars around that serve sake in a traditional way, I just have no idea where they are. Jen wanted to try some, but didn’t want to crack open her new bottle. So we went to the bar next to the karaoke place and ordered sake. They asked what flavoring and Jen chose green apple. They mixed the sake with soda and green apple syrup, which I have never seen before. I’ve only ever tried it in tiny cups and warm. I had no idea that it was served this way, too!

Thanksgiving around here has been pretty relaxing. I brined our turkey last night and roasted it up today and it was delicious! I made a couple of pies that turned out so-so, and Jen and I whipped up some side dishes. Matt prefers instant dressing rather than homemade and canned cranberry sauce to real berries, so that makes things a lot easier (though next year we will have homemade stuff, too.) I had a butternut squash that I had planned to use for some amazingly delicious butternut squash soup, but thought it might make a nice side dish instead. I made some carmelized butternut squash and it was okay, but no one else really liked it and I didn’t love it. I should have just gone with the soup! Rhino enjoyed his meal and tried almost everything, but really just wanted to eat cranberry sauce.

We decorated for Christmas after our meal. We have an artificial, pre-lit tree, stockings, an advent calendar, a nativity, and some other small decorations. We put up all the special ornaments I had as a kid and that we’ve collected since we’ve been married. We didn’t have a tree topper, so we went out to the mall to browse their disappointing selection. We found an acceptable plastic blue and silver star, gave it to Rhino, and he topped our tree. We put on some Christmas music and are starting to get into the spirit. Now we just need some snow!

Today was our church’s Thanksgiving Fellowship. It was initially supposed to be a meal for the singles on base who don’t have a family to celebrate with, but not many singles showed up, so it was just another great church fellowship! It was a long day – we had our Sunday School then morning service, followed by the fellowship meal, then our evening service was moved up to after the meal. The boys handled it well, though! At last year’s church Thanksgiving, Rhino was just starting to eat solids and enjoyed just a little bit of mashed potatoes. I was hoping this year he’d dig in more, but he just wanted a bite of bread and lots of cranberry sauce! The meal was great, as always. I like that we did it the Sunday before Thanksgiving this year rather than on Thanksgiving day. Last year we had two Thanksgiving meals because we had the Armstrongs and the Kisers over for dinner as well as a church fellowship. This was all a little easier! We love our church family and they have been really good to us while we are so far from the rest of our family. I’m thankful to have them another year here and so glad that Jen share in an important part of our life.

Happy early Thanksgiving!!

On Monday we needed to run by the Shimoda mall to pick up the remainder of our Christmas gifts. I want to try and get everything mailed back to the States by Thanksgiving this year. I should be able to!

We always park on the same side of the mall and use the same entrance. Recently, someone was talking about the playground in the mall parking lot and I had no idea what they were talking about. So this time we parked on the other side of the mall and look! A big playground! Rhino’s a little too young to climb on most of the equipment, but there were some fun swings, his favorite springy/gliding animals, and some things for him to step on. It had just rained that morning, so there were a lot of puddles and mud. It’s just now starting to get pretty cold, so we didn’t stay out too long, either.

This is a great playground; one of many that makes me wish our boys were about 5 years older. Heron slept in the carseat while Rhino played around, swung with Daddy, admired the gorgeous leaves, and tromped through mud. He woke up for a photo opportunity and we headed off to get our shopping taken care of. It was nice to be out in the cold with the bright leaves. Rhino has such a good time running around these days and is so busy and energetic when he’s outside!

Heron Baby,

Hello sweetheart! I’m sorry that I missed writing your letters for the past three months. And my, how you’ve changed in that time! We went to the doctor when you were three months and you weighed 14 pounds and were 24 inches long. Healthy! You also got your first shots ad did just fine with those. You have such a big personality and are certainly becoming your own little person now. Daddy likes to call you Bipolar Baby because your moods are so extreme. You are known to scream and scream for hours on end, leaving me baffled about how to soothe you. Then you may suddenly switch and flash me a humongous grin! You are giggling now, too — not hearty belly laughs yet, but happy little chuckles. Usually your brother gets your laughs. You are usually very friendly with everyone and will grin at anyone that looks at you. Sometimes though, all it takes is a look and you’ll burst in to more screams. You definitely keep us guessing!

I assume part of your moodiness is due to all your recent changes. We believe you have been starting to teethe this past month, though I don’t see any budding pearly whites yet. Your fingers are constantly in your mouth and you will chomp down on anything that gets too close. You are drooly and have had some minor fever, so I expect to see some chompers any day now. In the meantime, you get very angry, usually when I’m just ready for bed.

At about two months you rolled over from your back to your tummy. I had thought it was a fluke and you were only able to when you were on a cushy couch or soft bed. We saw a little bit of this for about a month, but you never did it when you were on the hard floor … until 3 months. You did both sides — front to back and back to front — at pretty much the same time. Now when I set you on the floor for anything, you flip right over to your front. It is difficult to keep you down for diaper changes too – you always want to roll!

You’ve taken some trips around the area this autumn. Your Grammy and Uncle Ron came to visit and we meet them down in Tokyo. You were snuggled in a baby carrier against me the whole week, but you got to ride on trains and subways, go to temples and shrines, go shopping and to Japanese restaurants, and had your first night in a hotel room! Grammy brought you some toys and books that you like to stare at and your brother likes to take from you. We have also gone to Hachinohe, Towada, Shimoda, and Aomori with you. You used to sleep the whole time on outings, but you’re starting to be more alert. You generally hate the car and often cry a good portion of our trips. You’re happy once you get in a baby carrier or a stroller, though. I think you just get tired of looking at the back of the seat and want to actually view the scenery.

You’ve settled in really nicely into our family. You and Rhino amuse each other, you smile at Daddy, and you coo at our friends at church. My favorite times with you are snuggling and nursing on the sofa and looking through books with you. You get such wide eyes whenever you see words or music notes and try to reach out and grab them! We all love you so much and are thrilled that you are a part of our family! I can’t wait to see what changes in you over the next month!

I love you,
Mommy

1. Because it tells us of God. His love and power to save sinners. Genesis 1:1; John 1:1-3, 14; John 3:16; Romans 5:6-8; Luke 19:10; Hebrews 7:25; John 6:37; II Peter 3:9.
2. Because it tells us where we came from. Genesis 1:26-27; Colossians 1:13-17. Why are we here? That we might have a choice of our future eternal state. Your decision here in this life is final. Deuteronomy 30:15; Ezekiel 33:11; II Peter 3:9. Where we are going when we leave this world? Hebrews 9:27; Romans 14:9-13; John 5:24; 3:18, 36; Luke 16:19-31.
3. Because His word is settled in Heaven. Psalm 119:89
4. Because His word is founded forever. Psalm 119:152
5. Because His word endures forever. Psalm 119:160
6. Because His word stands forever. Isaiah 40:8
7. Because every word of God is pure. Proverbs 30:5
8. Because His word is incorruptible. I Peter 1:23-25
9. Because it will never pass away. Matthew 24:35
10. Because holy men of God wrote it as they were moved by the Holy spirit. II Peter 1:21
11. Because it is all inspired of God. II Timothy 3:16-17
12. Because in it we learn how to be saved. II Timothy 3:15
13. Because it is the sword of the Spirit. Ephesians 6:17
14. Because man is cleansed by His word. Ephesians 5:26; Psalm 119.9
15. Because it is a lamp and a light to our feet. Psalm 119:105
16. Because we are sanctified by His word. John 17:17
17. Because it is like a fire and a hammer. Jeremiah 23:29
18. Because by hearing it faith comes. Romans 10:13-17
19. Because by it we can know that we have eternal life. I John 5:13
20. Because every soul will be judged by it. John 12:48

I’ve never read the bible all the way through. I’m working on it. On New Year’s I challenged myself to get through it in a year, but it has not been quite as successful as I had hoped. So I’m going to start over and try again this year. Our old pastor gave us his schedule: so many pages of Old Testament, 10 Psalms, 1 Proverb, and so many pages of the New Testament each day. That way, he could get through the whole bible four times each year. Yikes! I’m going for the whole bible in a year in 2010. I have a million excuses why it hasn’t happened. I could be doing that now rather than writing this blog! Matt and I set a schedule for devotions, prayer, and bible time together each day. We stick to it for a few weeks, then something changes and we end up trying to get our time in independently, but we aren’t as loyal when we aren’t setting aside time together. This is definitely something I am trying to change.