Blog Pause

We probably will not have Internet in China, so no more posts from us until we return. We'll take good pictures, and we can't wait to share stories and more with you all!

WINNING!

Call me Charlie Sheen. Well, except for the craziness, two girlfriends, violent outbursts where I destroy hotel rooms, etc. But I am winning today. Why?

RJ was offered a slot in the on-base preschool. I even got to choose the morning class. We filled out paperwork and went to orientation already. School starts Tuesday.

I'm super excited!!! It is a 5-minute walk. It is 4 hours, 2 days per week. RJ gets to keep the afternoon nap he desperately needs. I met one of the teachers and loved her. I think this is going to be a good fit for RJ! I'm sure Hayama would have been fine, but this is going to be better.

RJ will miss Jip's promotion ceremony on Tuesday, but RJ doesn't realize what it is all about anyway, so Jip's okay with it. The cute shorts I had made for RJ for the ceremony will have to wait until the party to celebrate the promotion on Friday.

Jip and I are both so relieved. I'm still unhappy that the base can't provide this basic service to everyone who wants it. But I'm grateful to receive this service and hope that the wait list is as kind to everyone else.

Yay for me for maybe having a window to get things done in! Yay for Ryleigh, as she will get some one-on-one time with Mama! And, yay for RJ!!

Do Not Crush and the Guacamole Monster

Someone in Jip's wardroom (group of officers) has a sense of humor...

We received a package with a replacement part for Ryleigh's car seat. Jip picked up the package at the SRF mailroom and put it in the wardroom locker room. The package was too big to strap to Jip's bike, so we stopped by the SRF building tonight to fetch it. Sometime between Jip dropping the package in the locker room and picking it up, a funny person saw our package and embellished it.

On a completely different note, I'm trying to use up our perishables before our China trip, so Ryleigh, RJ, and I enjoyed some guacamole at lunch today. RJ dips chips in guacamole like a grown-up. For Ryleigh, I put it on a spoon and hand it to her to feed herself. A lot makes it into her mouth, but some doesn't. Today, I would say it was about 50/50. What do you think?

Preschool Visit

We visited Hayama International School today. RJ was pretty excited. He even packed his own backpack.

Here are Dad and RJ in the scooter parking area (where we parked the stroller).

It took about 30 minutes to drive there. The school is in a beautiful setting--it sits atop a hill overlooking the ocean. The school has two buildings to house the preschool, pre-kindergarten, and kindergarten and the elementary school.

RJ was his usual self at the meeting with the admissions coordinator--crazy! He would not sit still, but that was good--he made a believer out of everyone that he is really 3, and barely so. After going over the tuition costs, uniform costs, and our random questions, we went to take a peak in the preschool. RJ was sort of interested in what was going on in the classroom when we peaked through the window, but he was more interested in the toys inside and a play log cabin outside. Jip and I were most interested in the daily routine.

9 am to 2:30 pm. Yikes, that is a long day for a 3-year-old! Heck, that is a long day for a kindergartener!

We have the option of 2, 3, 4, or 5 days per week. Bus service is available from the base if we do 3 days or more per week, but we are thinking 2, tops. Slots are filling up fast (Probably because everyone else on the base preschool wait list is going to Hayama, too.), so hopefully we'll get Tuesday and Thursday like we want.

We decided to sign up for a trial day on September 11. The trial is only 10-12--I hope 2 hours will be a good enough gauge.

When we got back to the car, Jip checked out RJ's backpack. RJ had brought some toy cars with him. It was so sweet and so cute.

Tonight, as RJ and I were reflecting on the day, he said he wanted to go back to preschool to play in the log cabin with me. I told him that I wasn't allowed to play at preschool with him. He then announced that he doesn't want to go to preschool because he'll miss his family so much. The trial day could be interesting.

Can we have a do-over?

Today was "one of those days," and several times Amy and/or I said, "Can we just start this day over again?"

RJ was not on his best behavior today.  He was loud, testy, aggressive toward his sister, had an accident in his underwear, and just not a joy to be around.  Amy asked him where the sweet RJ was and to let us know when he was back.  We saw glimpses of the sweeter version here and there, but for the most part, he was having a "terrible three" day.

Ryleigh had a sort of rough day:  she crawled headfirst into a door frame, RJ ran into her with his push alligator that we're trying to get him to relinquish to Ryleigh, she was hot and miserable at the playground, she didn't enjoy being in the vehicle while we went to run errands today--just to name a few things.

Amy is getting a cold or something because she's been sneezing and sniffling all day. Hopefully, she feels better soon.

It was too hot to do much of anything outside. While Amy went to the grocery store, I tried to take the kids to one of the nearby playgrounds, but it was so hot that even RJ had had enough after about 20 minutes, thus we went back home and stayed cooped up in the air conditioning.

Oh, and RJ got up at about 0500 this morning...Sunday morning! Ugh.

Tomorrow will be better!

-Jip

Cape Tomyozaki

An officer's spouse formerly stationed in Yokosuka wrote this dandy little book called the Gaijin Guide.  Now, we had already done a lot of the stuff in the book or at least knew of it and it was on the to-do list.  But, there are also some very nice tidbits in there you just don't really hear about by word of mouth.  For instance--love hotels.  Jip and I, and even my Mom when she was here, had seen these hotels scattered about, primarily on major thoroughfares, with a rest price and a stay price.  We never understood that until we read the Gaijin Guide.  These little two-tiered pricing structure hotels are love hotels for, um, lovin', in the biblical sense.  Because living with your family, particularly your parents, is so prevalent in Japan, and given that most Japanese houses have paper-thin walls, people choose to go to love hotels to have some quality couple time.  We've never been to one (why would we--we didn't even know what they were!), but the Gaijin Guide explains that the attendant is either behind an opaque bank teller's window or you deal strictly with a machine.  Most hotels have a lighted menu in the lobby showing the rooms that are available.  If you don't pay ahead of time, your room will remain locked until you pay.  I've also read on a couple of other websites that the hotels will provide you with some extras, like furry cuffs, massage oil, etc.  I'm sure these places are like every other place in Japan and extremely clean and maintained in the most sanitary way, but it still weirds me out.  You will not see a blog post about Jip and I going to a love hotel--I promise.

Another tidbit in the guide is one we took advantage of today.  We went to Cape Tomyozaki.  It is this tiny little beach hidden on some back roads in Yokosuka.  The Gaijin Guide author's directions are spot on for getting to this place, and they need to be--when I'm saying back roads, I'm not kidding.  Narrow, tall grass on both sides.  But, you get to the end of the road and poof!  There's the parking lot on the right and the beach on the left.  The park also houses a lighthouse that was originally built in 1648.  It was destroyed in the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, but the city rebuilt it to look the same in 1988.  The great thing about this beach is that it is so hidden and is not near a train station at all, so it is not crowded.  I'm guessing there were fewer than 50 people in the whole park--beach, park by the lighthouse, and all.  That is extremely rare in this densely populated land!

RJ didn't touch the water--well, he did touch it, but only when it was in his bucket.  Today was all about playing in the dirt for him.  Ryleigh, on the other hand, loved being in the sea.  She squealed with delight when the waves came in and splashed, splashed, splashed.

Our set-up.  A little bit of the Clampetts there, but it did the job.

One of our views--and every once in a while, we'd get a crazy wave like this one.

RJ learned quickly that if you play behind the line of seaweed, your creations won't get destroyed by the waves.

Jip took Ryleigh down the beach a little ways to hang on some rocks with some cleaner (not so much seaweed) water.

Ryleigh loved splashing and pointing at the stuff that the waves brought in.

Look at that determination to get some water.  Look at how much sand RJ has on him.

"Thanks for filling my bucket, Dad!!"

Mom and Ryleigh wandering out deep enough to play in some calm water.

The top of the "old" lighthouse.

We've always said we're really not beach people, but maybe we're getting there.  The sand wasn't as nice as Kailua in Hawaii.  The water wasn't as clear and warm as Cancun.  But, it was still fun, and I'm guessing we'll find an excuse to go again. 

Chaos

Last week I met a very nice woman who had three girls, one of whom is just 2 weeks older than RJ. Her oldest is a year younger than our neighbor's daughter, so given that we had some kids with common ages and that two of the three ladies have physician husbands, I volunteered to put everyone in the same room. So, it was the three mamas--me, K, and E--and 8 kids (neighbors brought a friend).

It was chaos! Fun, but chaotic!! It was so out of control, I couldn't even snap pics. I was busy talking RJ down every time someone had a toy he suddenly needed. I was busy keeping Ryleigh from being under foot. E was keeping e erroneous safe. K was circulating inside and outside because a couple girls didn't want to be outside.

All in all, I think everyone enjoyed themselves. RJ cried hard when everyone left. He was a super sweaty head, which happens when he plays hard. Ryleigh loved the hum of all the activity. I loved hanging with two lovely ladies.

I'm hopeful our crazy afternoon translates into solid sleep tonight!

Our days as soccer parents have begun!

 

It's official! We're now soccer parents. RJ started soccer practice tonight at 5 p.m. I was lucky enough to get out of my office early enough to be there for almost the entire practice. Amy had bought RJ some great shoes, shin guards, socks, and a small soccer ball so he was fully prepared.

Tonight was fun. When he focused on the task at hand, he kicked very well. When he wasn't focused, he...well...let's just say that he had other ideas of things to do on the field. Here are some pictures of the momentous occasion. Enjoy!



 

Where is RJ on this beautiful August evening?  The team has gathered!

Oh.  Here he comes being escorted by the newest soccer mom on the block.

RJ and Mom have some mad skills.

This is fun!

Look at me kick, Mom!

This is where he started to lose focus as he headed off on his own.

Good picture for the scrapbook (if we had a scrapbook).

Now, he really lost focus as he pretended to be an airplane flying around the soccer field.

RJ doing is best concentration pose as I explained what he needed to do--fingers in mouth and other hand on his belly button.

It's all about the form!

Concentrating or shutting down?

I don't want to play soccer anymore today.

And the soccer journey begins...
-Jip

Kidbits

Kidbits = Kiddos + tidbits about them.

So it's been a few days since I last blogged.  I've actually been pretty boring, so I haven't had much to share.  As it turns out, I'm still pretty boring today.  Just a few tidbits to share about the kiddos.

I'm not sure if RJ got the idea about camping from a TV show or a book somewhere, but he's been into "camping under the stars" the last few days.  Amy has been nice enough to tie up a blanket in Ryleigh's room for him and he's been very excited (and bossy--"Mom, lay down here.  Dad, you lay down over there.") to pretend play.  Tonight, he was on top of the sheet which was laying on the foot stool.  He moved over about a foot which looked like an okay option since the sheet was level from the top of the foot stool over to where it was tied off, and fell off the side of the foot stool down to the floor.  From my angle, he simply disappeared and all I heard was a thump as he hit the floor.  I jumped up to see if he was okay (he was) and he said, "Dad, I fell and hurt myself.  I want to do it again!"  He's such a boy!

Ryleigh has been affectionately known as the "moon monster" lately.  RJ and I have quite often played rocket ship with a blanket over our heads over the past few weeks.  One day, we pulled the blanket off and Ryleigh was headed our direction.  Since we were pretending to be on the moon, I said, "Oh no.  Here comes a moon monster."  It stuck.  Now, I find myself referring to her as the moon monster on occasion and RJ will say, "Go away, Moon Monster."  Hopefully, it fades away soon.  I don't think that she wants to be known as the moon monster for the rest of her life.

RJ sang a song tonight about wanting to be a cowboy with a hat and riding a horse and swinging a lasso.  Again, I'm not sure if he heard it on TV or if he made it up.  If he heard it on TV, it's just more proof that he has Amy's uncanny ability to remember songs and quotes.  If he made it up, he's certainly creative!  Much more creative than me.

Ryleigh was wound up tonight and somehow figured out how to take one of RJ's plastic toy nails that came with a plastic work bench, put one end in her mouth, and blew to make a whistling sound.  She did it over and over.  I wanted to show Amy after she came downstairs, so I tried to do it myself and I couldn't.  Dang...out performed by a 10 month old.

Well, I can't think of any other kidbits for now.  I have to pick out more food for my wetting down coming up and then I need to write up the invitation for the same event. 

Have a great day/night!
-Jip

Green

Green describes me lately. But not just green, as in amateur, but other greens, too.

1) Green with envy. I've heard some wonderful news of promotions of a few of my former coworkers from one of my old workplaces. I am truly happy for them. Each of the three selected for promotions are superbly-qualified and will serve the organization very well. But, I'm also quite jealous. I can't help but to think that if I could have stayed there, one of those promotions would have been mine. I wish there would have been a way to make the Navy's plans for Jip and my career ambitions mesh better. At least if I ever get to return to my old stomping grounds at the IG, I know people who would give at least some consideration to welcoming me back.

2) The grass is greener... I'm trying to remember this old adage almost daily as I see posts on Linked In or Facebook about being working mamas. I would love to be a working mama--but I bet a few of them would love to be a stay-at-home mama like me. My "choice" to not work wasn't really a choice, but it was more about logistics. If it would have been more of a choice, maybe the grass wouldn't be so green. Anyway, I'm grateful that our financial situation is such that I don't have to work, but that doesn't mean I don't miss putting on my suits and heels and telling government organizations how to do their jobs better (and they actually have to listen to me and fix what I find wrong). I miss it. Every. Day.

3) What about a green thumb? Okay, that is not a green that describes me. The front flower bed is sad looking, but I think it will stay that way until mums season.

4) And, finally--just plain green. Newbie. Amateur. That definitely describes me as I try to figure this preschool thing out. Green describes this upcoming Thursday when I become a soccer Mom and take RJ to his first soccer practice.

I'm sure there are a few other greens to add to this list, but it is late and I'm sure as God made little green apples (See? There's another.) that it is time to go to bed.

A Couple More Sunday Pics

When we returned from Yoyobubba yesterday, we came home to a cul-de-sac of kids playing. So, RJ ran inside and grabbed his helmet and begged to get his bike out. Jip put Ryleigh in the backpack and they were off!

RJ rode his bike a few feet then spent the rest of the time running around with his helmet on. The two other 3-year-old boys in our cul-de-sac were playing, too, and in the typical crazy boy fashion, a few falls and collisions occurred. I cleaned a scraped knee and palm, but after the tears, it was right back to playing!

RJ grabbed a neighbor girl's hand and told her to come with him. Miss S did a fine job of complying, even though she wasn't sure what she was getting herself into.

Chilling' with Dad.

The hard outdoor play was a great way to end our Sunday!

Another Trip to Yoyobubba

We ventured to Yokohama again today, or as RJ called it this afternoon--Yoyobubba. The reason for our trip today was Disney On Ice. I loved the Ice Capades when I was little, and I thought RJ might get the same kick out of the ice skating, costumes, and music.

We knew the dialog would be in Japanese, but we were surprised that all the Disney songs we know and love were in Japanese. I thought those lyrics would be untouchable. Heigh-Ho and Be Our Guest just weren't quite the same in Japanese. Despite not understanding a lick of what we heard, Jip and I still got the gist of all the stories--but that was probably because we've seen the movies. I don't think RJ got any of the story lines, but I think he still had fun. We bought some outrageously expensive popcorn and icee-type thing in a souvenir bag and cup and I was very grateful for all those times my parents did the same for me!

I only took pictures of the first part from Aladdin, but you get the idea.

Tinkerbell tied all the stories together.

I'm always impressed when two skaters can coordinate their movements--especially when wearing a camel costume!

Most of the skaters were not Asian. I counted only 4 principals and 1 chorus member who appeared to be Japanese, including Jasmine and Aladdin.

RJ was engrossed about 80% of the time.

Ryleigh clapped at all the right times.

Lastly, this sign was in the restrooms. I never knew I was supposed to gargle after using the restroom!

Despite having to wait an hour to get out of the parking garage, it was a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

Hard Rock Yokohama

For the last 50 years, SRF has been associated with the Shiratori-en, a home for the mentally challenged.  SRF does a Christmas party in the Winter, a Spring clean up, and typically a Summer gardening/yard work visit.  I/We have not joined the group in the past, but felt that we could go help today.  We waffled a bit this morning, but at 0705 made the final decision to go and then spent the next frantic hour getting everyone ready.  At 0800, we were at SRF and ready to roll.  We took off in a caravan of about seven vehicles and made it about 2  miles from the base when we got word that the rain was coming..hard.  We all stopped to confer, and decided that we should hold off for today and cancel the Shiratori-en gardening event. 

Amy, RJ, Ryleigh, and I decided to drive on south on the peninsula for a ways to see if the rain would pass and if we could possibly find somewhere else to go and play or something.  The rain that came in turned out to be a downpour.  I'm glad we weren't caught outside!  As we soon figured out, the rain was not going to lessen anytime soon, so we headed back to the base.

After getting home, feeding Ryleigh, and changing into more appropriate clothes, we decided to go to Kid-o-Kid up in Yokohama near Minatomirai station and the Landmark Tower.  We've been there before and both RJ and Ryleigh seemed to enjoy the play time.  Today was no different.  They both were all smiles and didn't want to leave.  Here are some pictures from today:

Ryleigh thought these wood beads were terrific.

RJ liked the indoor sand pit.

"I'm good, Dad.  I don't want any help."

"Help, I'm in jail!"

"There's no way out of this thing."

"I'm starting to sink here, Mom."

"Help.  Help.  Help."

RJ enjoyed the pool of balls as well.

Ryleigh had a ball, no pun intended, with this simple wooden ball rolling track thing.

After playing hard for almost an hour, we walked a short distance to one of the Queen towers, as they are called, and had some lunch at Hard Rock Cafe, Yokohama.  I know, I know, it's an expensive and ridiculous restaurant in any of the locations around in the world--no different in Yokohama--but the menu was in English, the staff spoke English, and the food was delicious, believe it or not.  To quote Amy from a Facebook post made while were there:  "Being lame Americans at a lame American restaurant--and it tastes so good and feels so right!"

With our tummies full, we made our way home to spend  a little bit of time outside (the rain had passed and the sun was out) and to do a few chores.  All in all despite the rough start, it turned out to be a pretty good day.

-Jip

Another Pool Day and A Major Bummer (Not Related)

RJ begged me to get the pool out in the backyard, and I agreed it would be fun. The kids were good while I blew up the pool and filled it up. But, the clouds arrived while we were putting swimsuits on. But, it was still plenty warm and we enjoyed almost 45 minutes before the water got too cold.

(I'm sill playing with the photo software on the iPad. This effect is called "aqua" with some playing with the brightness.)

Now for the major bummer... I checked in with the on base preschool this morning and received BAD news. Despite being on the wait list for 5 months, signing up before RJ even turned 3, we are still number 25 on the wait list. They've already selected the one afternoon class and the one morning class for the year. They don't think they'll be able to get enough staff to open up another classroom, so the likelihood of RJ getting to go to preschool locally is very low.

I'm devastated. I need RJ to interact in a structured setting with kids his own age. I need a few hours a week for just Ryleigh and maybe 15-30 minutes for just me. I need someone else to be an authority--maybe RJ would listen better to someone other than me.

I'm incensed. The Navy goes through so much pain and requires that everyone here goes through health screenings so that they can ensure the hospital can provide any needed services. Why can't they do the same for education? They know how many people are here--it shouldn't be too hard to estimate how many school slots are needed. They do it for the elementary, middle, and high schools. They never say, "Sorry, there is a wait list for juniors." I know, I know. Preschool isn't required, while all the other grade levels are. But still, preschool is pretty commonplace these days. I don't think I'm expecting too much to have my child be in a preschool on the base while we are stationed here.

So, what to do? I have NO interest in sending RJ to a Japanese preschool. Japanese preschool works for a lot of families here, but it just isn't something we want for our kids. So, that leaves us with Hayama International. I'm just not sure RJ is ready for that kind of school. It is a full-day prekindergarten in English, complete with taking a bus and uniforms. The costs are unbelievable. We can afford it, but is it worth the cost to get RJ some playmates and give Ryleigh/me a break? Will the kid who had to hop out of the pool every five minutes during swimming lessons because he missed me be able to handle it? I just don't know. We have some research and thinking to do.

I've never thought of myself as a strong enough person to homeschool, and I certainly wouldn't do it in a structured way, but maybe that's what needs to happen--I develop a lesson plan and we sit down for a few minutes each day and focus on the plan. That doesn't achieve the social aspect that preschool brings, but at least RJ wouldn't be behind when we go back to the States and actually choose a preschool.

This is just further proof that we need to get back to civilization as soon as possible. I need choices again. I added crossed toes to my crossed fingers today that at least the kids and I will be Stateside a year from now, with RJ enrolled In a preschool I actually want him in, our furniture out of storage, and a Target within a reasonable distance.

Green Beach Day

You thought we went to the beach, huh? I'm not that crazy to pack a 3-year-old and a 10-month-old for a beach outing by myself! I was just crazy enough to pack them up for a pool outing, though.

The pool that is used for regular swimming is called Green Beach. The name came from the beach just a few hundred feet from the pool where 1000 Marines landed in WWII and the Japanese surrendered the Yokosuka Naval Base.

Enough history... We met Melissa, Jack, and Maggie there. We hadn't seen them for 6 weeks or so, as they spent some time in the States. It was great to catch up with them! All went pretty well until they left, and RJ decided he didn't have to listen anymore. That's when I decided I was done being there. It took me 10 minutes to round up RJ and get shoes on him and then we were out of there. It will be awhile before I take two little ones to the pool by myself again--I'm just not very good at the zone defense, especially when both kids require, for different reasons, man-on-man. But, they sure were cute when we got there.

Some Internet Funnies

We don't have much to report today, so we thought we'd share some funnies we've received via email or that we've seen on Facebook or Pinterest. We hope they tickle your funny bone!!

And for Danika, DDS...