"...we can have lots of good fun that is funny."

These kids are getting very good at playing with each other (or at least next to each other), especially on rainy days.  They like to seclude themselves in the corners of the room and see what mischief they can get away with before I realize what's happening. 

Sometimes they raid the kitchen cupboards, always the loudest one.

They've also been having quite a bit of fun with this tunnel lately.  I like it when Vivien wears it like this and scoots around the house, like a weird periscope with tiny feet.

All the time inside has led to the acquisition of new skills, like watering oneself (Mom and Dad are really happy about this one.  Rafe LOVES water and gets really angry when he sees you drinking while he is not)

We also took the kids to check out the indoor pool.  Daddy tried to talk Vivien into jumping in, but she was pretty hesitant.  Maybe it was because I threw her in the water to see if she could swim yet . . .

She did however have a grand time monkey walking, safely suctioned to the side of the pool. Rafe was pleasantly oblivious to water danger.  

Happily, the weather here is actually pretty pleasant when it's not drizzling.  Depending on how long we have before it's either time to eat or time to sleep (which is surprisingly often), we have lots of options for outdoor exploration.  The easiest is to open the door and let them run up and down the TLF lawn.  

Or dance, if they so desire.

Then there is a park on practically every corner of base for quick excursions in the sun.  Rafe got stuck in this tunnel like a hamster in a wheel trying to climb up the side.

And if we're lucky, we get to go exploring with the Landrys.  They drive a Cube that has 8 seats crammed into a car about the same size as our 5 seater.  It has no trunk space, but it's just enough room for the three of us and the three of them and all the carseats while husbands are at work.  Today we went for a picnic lunch at Yuu beach.

The water was frigid, but the sand and the sun were heavenly.  Vivien dabbled in beach modeling.

And Rafe took the tractor for a spin.  

Doesn't a day at the beach make you feel a little more fond of everyone?

A taste of Japan

We are getting really excited to move into our apartment.  This one bedroom thing is starting to wear on everyone.  

 Rafe has been getting up uncomfortably early, ready to play, then crashes by 8 wherever he is.

Maybe we'll let Vivien and Rafe co-sleep shut away in the bedroom and Drew and I will take the sofa bed.  I think they'll be just fine, don't you?  Maybe not . . .

We did a lot of tasting this week.  Drew took us to Sushi-go-round on Saturday.  The bottom conveyor belt goes from the kitchen all the way around the restaurant and you take a plate off if it appeals to you (I'm sorry to say none of them appealed to me.  Raw fish on rice . . . no thanks.).  The top conveyor belt brought things you ordered on the flatscreen menu straight from the kitchen to you.  As you eat, food keeps whizzing by you to other tables.  It was a crazy place.

Traci Landry and her kids also made us a little goodie bag of all their favorite Japanese treats.  Drew didn't seem too interested in eating miniature jelly cups, so Vivi and I tested them.  

There were an assortment of cookies with chocolate: more of the koala cookies, little chocolate mushroom tops with wafer stems, chocolate covered pine tree cookies, etc.  There was also very strawberry flavored fruit snacks and a package of 4 pancakes that were pre-buttered and syrup-ed that would be awesome for breakfast on the go.  

Drew had the day off for MLK day, so we went with the Landry's to Miyajima Island.  We rode the train up to the ferry terminal.  Vivien made fast friends with Charlie Landry, which was fun because then she would say "Look at this Charlie!" all day in her little voice.  And it was pretty darn cute. 

The ferry ride was short, but we got to see an oyster farm out on the water, and we had a nice view of the famous water shrine as we approached.  

There are a whole bunch of tame deer all over the island that walk up to you for food.  Like chipmunks, but bigger! 

Charlie also warned us that they like to try blankets and gloves if you're not careful.  Apparently they like sleeping babies too.  Good thing Vivien was there to watch out for her brother. 

We explored a street lined with shops and made mental lists of all the souvenirs we will bring home.  Then we walked past the water shrine.  There are pairs of statues all along the walk, sort of like lion statues at the entrances to castles, but they are dogs.  They look kind of like the SoftBank dog (that's the cell phone company here).

One of the statues grins and welcomes good spirits, and one growls to scare away bad spirits.  We weren't ever sure which was which.  I made Drew pose as one of them.  He was so pleased.  

Up on the hill is the hall of a thousand tatami rooms.  We didn't go in because we were headed to the aquarium.  There is also this beautiful five story pagoda, but no one's allowed in it.  I can't believe this stuff stays standing in the typhoons they have here.  It looks like it would be so delicate!

We finally made it to the aquarium, and it was awesome.  The minute we walked in they were feeding their archer fish.  They hung a cutting board with a bunch of food stuck to it about 2 feet above the water and the fish gathered around it and would spit water at the food till it fell off.  Their aim was pretty incredible.  We explored the exhibits for awhile, then stopped by the penguin enclosure.  They brought out two penguins for the kids to touch. 

Then they just let them roam around the aquarium so you'd turn a corner and there'd be two penguins strutting around, keepers in tow.  

We also watched them feed the Asian small clawed otters.  They were very friendly and tried to touch you with their little paws through the glass.  Rafe thought they were great!

We spent a good long while in front of the finless porpoise tank.  There was a baby one that was having a great time trying out his new body, doing swirls and jumps and coming right up to the glass to check us out.

The last thing we saw was their sea lion show.  Rafe tried to pick up on the Japanese beauty sitting next to us.  

On our way back to the ferry we stopped and ate some Okonomiyaki.  It's a pancake with a whole lot of stuff in it (cabbage, egg, pork, noodles, etc.).  The best part was the sauce on top--it was like soy sauce and molasses.  Vivien likes to use chopsticks, but she calls them tweezers.

It was low tide as we headed back, so we took the short cut across the shrine.  It was raining quite a bit by this time.

This was our view on the ferry ride back.  Doesn't it look just like you thought Japan always would?  I wish I could've gotten a better picture of it, but I forgot to charge my camera before we left, so we had to make do with the iPhone camera.  

The Chicken Shack

We finally had a night this week where I got 6 consecutive hours of sleep in my own bed that I was not sharing with a child.  It was amazing.  Sleep is good for man (Theosopholans 6:20).

Sadly, the increased night-time sleeping doesn't seem to have cured day-time fatigue.  When Vivi rests (because "nap" is not a word we use in association with her), she likes to "be Mary."  Does this mean we are doing a good job with our scripture study?  I hope so.

When she is not pretending to be the Virgin Mary, she assumes her role as Queen of the Realm.  I'm afraid the kingdom is a rather barbaric place to live under her rule.  If you are a baby and you crawl too slowly, the door will get shut on your tender toes.  If you are a Daddy and your head is in reach, you will be head butted.  She doesn't spare her royal self either.  I think she must have quietly pinched her own finger in the door and then proceeded to paint herself, the walls, and the floor with blood.  Thankfully the paper crown is now lost, and I'm hopeful that without it she'll be more willing to listen to the instruction of her struggling peasants.  I mean parents.  

At any rate, it appears we'll need to add a few more dresses to Her Majesty's wardrobe.  She is not interested in pants.  In fact she is SO not interested, she wears all her dresses at once.  At least she stays warm while we are out exploring?

We went on a couple outings this week but I forgot my camera for most of them, so instead I am posting a thousand words per adventure.  Ha, ha, ha . . . 

We spent all last week agonizing over which of two off-base houses we should live in, so on Saturday we decided to drive to each of them and see how we felt.  

 The one on the left was close to the ocean and had a dishwasher.  The one on the right had a great main room and an American oven.  Both were in good neighborhoods and had great parks near by.  We were just as conflicted about the houses as we had been all week.  Drew told me that he had actually prayed on Friday that if we were supposed to be on base, we would need to get an offer that weekend because we needed to make a decision by Monday.  That pretty much clinched it for me.  So, we said, "So long!" to our stupor of thought and we will be living on base.  

I started exercising again this week.  Vivien, Rafe, and I took a bike ride along the sea wall one of the days.  We felt like we were in the new Persuasion movie, especially since I was so out of breath from pulling the bike trailer.  A marine base is an intimidating place to work out; so many of the people you pass look like they could dismember you with their pinkies.  But they are usually really nice.  We stopped at the grocery store on our way home, and as I was loading groceries into the back of the bike trailer the burly marine who had parked his bike next to us told us we are awesome and that he can't wait to have kids now so he can take a bike trailer to the grocery store too.

What else this week?  We went to two different dinners they host weekly at one of the clubs on base.  Mongolian BBQ and Taste of Italy!  Hurray for still not cooking . . . I also got my driver's license, and not a moment too soon since Drew is the EQ President and had to go early for a meeting on Sunday.  I made it to church without pulling into the wrong lane or turning on my windshield wipers instead of the blinker.  It's hard to make your brain do something opposite.  I also got called to be in the YW presidency!  We have 6 young women and they're all really nice girls.  The other counselor in the presidency is a new convert and it sounds like they wanted her in the YW presidency so she would have a chance to go to YW in her life, and I understand that she's loving it.  I am really excited to do Personal Progress again, to have a chance to serve in the branch, and to find out what military life in a foreign country is like for teenagers.  

One of the doctors that Drew works with and his family just moved here and his wife has really gone out of her way to make us feel at home.  She took us and another of Drew's coworkers to The Chicken Shack for dinner on Saturday.  It was like The Mayan, but Japanese.  

You wander around and look at all the things until you're ready to order.  There were lots of little shops where you could buy very Japanese looking food.  There was even a display of plastic play-sushi.  The grounds are decorated with lanterns and fountains and statues and cardboard cutouts of cartoon characters that blow bubbles . . . It was kind of a bizarre place.  

When we were ready to eat they took us inside and seated us on pillows.  From me going clockwise is Traci Landry (the doctor's wife, sorry no face because I made Drew take the pictures on his phone), Natalie Hoidal (a P.A. at the clinic), Traci's son Calvin, Traci's daughter Charlie, and the server. 

 They brought us tea first.  Paula, I made sure we got a picture of the cup for you, because I thought you'd like it :)

We had rice, edamame, incredible gyoza (potstickers), and chicken on a stick.  I wasn't sure how to eat it, so I had just picked up the entire thing and started eating it like a popsicle when a Japanese lady came up and started saying something to me.  I thought she was telling me I was eating the chicken wrong, but Traci came to the rescue and told me she was just saying that I look like Princess Diana.  The Landry's have hosted some Japanese foreign exchange students, so they're much more comfortable with the accent than I am.  

The Landrys also had these cool chopstick trainers that they let Vivien try out.  She was pretty good with them!  Actually both kids ate really well.  They are adventurous eaters.  When you all come visit, we will take you to the Chicken Shack.  It needs to be experienced!

The T.L.F.

Hey Rafe!

Guess what?

We've made it more than a week in Japan!

That's how I feel too, buddy.  

Both kids picked up impressive colds this week somewhere along the way (because having to adjust to a new time zone when you can actually breathe at night is just too easy!).  I guess it's a pretty common occurrence, talking to some of the other moms on base.  So, we've been staying in the warm and trying to get as much sleep as possible.  And honestly, there are few people I'd rather be cooped up with more than Vivi and Rafe.  

Vivien is so entertaining. She likes to wear all the pajamas she owns in the course of a day.  She likes to try on Rafe's clothes too (she's wearing his sweats in the picture below).  Recently she's taken to tying the silkies around her head like do-rags ("I make a pig tail").  

  She's always loved to arrange her stuffed "amials," but I thought this pose was especially elegant, with the ankles crossed and all:

We took Drew to see Frozen at the theater on base this week.  Vivi is pretty enchanted with it.  She likes to run back and forth through the kitchen singing "Let it Go" over and over.  She's even fashioned herself a Broadway Glamour Gown like "Elfa's".  

She will look at me out of the blue and say "I'm the queen."  Today she asked me to make her a crown.  I thought she looked a little like Max in her crown and pajamas.  

She also came up to me today and said "Momma.  Come run the pine trails of the forest!" and then ran away.  She's been watching "Cocohontas" on the iPad when she hasn't felt well enough to play.  And, all you have to do is start singing the song from the Barbie 12 Dancing Princesses and she starts spinning away, pausing every so often to talk to Genevieve.  In her sweet little voice.  She's F.U.N.

Rafe is cruising.  I had not been watching the diaper stores closely enough and we had to make an emergency trip to the commissary in the stroller.  When we got back I just let them loose while I put away all the purchases.  He took off after his sister as fast as his little legs would go!

 He's quite a favorite of the waitresses at the restaurant on base.  And how could they not love him?  His smile is irresistible! 

So, it will be nice to have a little more space, and especially separate bedrooms again (so maybe Rafe will remember how to sleep longer than 5 hours in a row by himself), but the TLF really hasn't been too bad so far.  I mean, when can you do 3 loads of laundry at once for free?  And I've never had such a magical refrigerator:

 It opens from both sides.  Which has actually been highly convenient. 

And I would love to be taking advantage of having an American oven until we move into a Japanese house, but I have none of my baking equipment, and I don't really want to have to move a big bag of flour and sugar etc. in a couple weeks.  So, we just make sure we cook all our quesadillas and tuna melts in the oven while we've got one.