Easter Egg Scramble

This weekend was the big Easter egg scramble on Zama. Abby was thrilled for the chase but incredibly annoyed by the life-sized man in the Easter bunny costume. Staying by dad was the way to stay safe.

It also doesn't hurt to throw out a few stank eyes.

Waiting for the moment of truth...

Here is Abby getting a better look at the Easter bunny.

Checking out the loot.

Some of the eggs were spinning tops, rattles and erasers.

Taking the treasure home.

Abby did not know what to think of this ball pit. She just went in and sat down. Then it was apparent we needed to get her out before the tears started.

Big hugs from dad helped.

Fun with the family.

Abby and I love this tree at the Shrine Park.

Here is a quick shot of Abby on her way to church today. She is still pretty fascinated by all the Easter excitement. She couldn't peel herself away from this squishy egg for a good shot. She got that beautiful goose egg by sliding into the wall last night.

Good Times

I know you're all dying to see how fat I am. Here is 22 weeks of baby bump goodness. Feel free to revel in my plumpness.


For some reason, Abby really wanted to play in her crib today. I'll blame it on the rain. She was really yucking it up. Whatever floats her boat!

There's a video, of course!

Shower-ific

We had a fun shower yesterday to welcome baby Isabelle.

The food was delicious, as always.

It was all fun and giggles for the ladies. Lisa (on the end) is next in line to pop.

Crystal relaxing.

Adorable Easter dresses all around!

We got to change diapers blindfolded and guess Isabelle's current weight. I lost at both games.

Congrats, Marlaina. You make super cute kids!

Shrine On

Jeremy caught our flu Sunday afternoon, so Abby, Beth and I went to the Shrine Park so he could sleep. It was such a beautiful day. The great outdoors is where Abby thrives. You can almost feel the excitement...

Abby singing on the bench.

There are so many paths to explore. Abby likes the ones less traveled :P

Beth likes the hang out in the shade and make friends with insects.

Just some of the beautiful flowers.

My two favorite people.

Spring is Here!

Every Friday I meet up with some of my favorite moms and their baby babes for super fun play dates. This week's adventure lead us to Sagamihara Park. The fun zoo, beautiful flowers and variety of playgrounds are just some of the draws.

Abby must have got a whiff of the pigs behind her.

Ready, set, jump!

Bombs away.

Riding Abby style.

All the single ladies.

Just a sample of the ladies.

Once the foliage starts to grow these become super cute bush animals.

These flowers were full of bees but Abby didn't care. She spits in the face of danger.

Just a snazzy dog out for a walk.

Crystal rolls with four kiddos in her stroller. She's a mega mom.

Video Love

Two little videos for the grandparents:

Monkey See Monkey Do

I wonder where she picked up this habit?

Be sure to get every last drop!

And be sure to leave lots of goobers for the rest of the family.

Step by Step

When Abby was little, getting her to sleep was a two-step process: wrap her snugly and put her in the crib.

Now she has a strict list of rules that must be followed before she even thinks of shutting those precious eyes. Her daddy is only too quick to oblige her every wish. She is going to be in for a RUDE awakening when the new baby comes or when Jeremy starts traveling for work again.

Here is a sample of some of her joy:

Bedtime starts with a bath, scripture story, prayer and tooth brushing. I'm certainly okay with keeping the initial stages of the process.

Then Abby and dad lay on the couch together for about 15 minutes and cuddle.

The next step is to put Abby in bed with her monkey and two babies. She needs to two blankets on top of her and my boppy as her pillow.

Then she will call out to help adjust the thermostat. Jeremy lets her press the up/down button.

Next the humidifier must be turned on. Abby loves to watch the steam come out.

Then she requests a warm bottle of milk to drink while she contemplates sleep. Don't worry; as soon as I know she's sleeping I come and get it from her so her teeth don't rot.

She will usually call out for an extra prayer, drink refill or a trip to the potty three or four times over the next half hour. All requests Jeremy will fill with a skip in his step.

Sometimes she just needs some more hugging time or to find out if we're sleeping yet. Um.. that's a no. She also likes to update us on her status -- Abby's not sleeping yet, or Abby's playing with her dollies, or Abby likes milk. Sometimes she just can't contain her love and needs to yell out her innermost thoughts and feelings about how much she loves and misses us. I can't reciprocate the missing her stage less than an hour into her bedtime.

And the list goes on and on and on and on.

Should I cut out her nap time so she'll go to bed on time at night? Should I make her bedtime later (maybe from 7 to 8)? Should I just put her to bed and let her have "quiet" time by herself for that hour? Any advice?

Arts and Crafts

We've been trying to keep ourselves busy while waiting on our moving orders. Jeremy has utilized the majority of his time at the arts and crafts center on base.

First he learned to make his own stereo equipment. Then it was welding. Then he learned carpentry/woodworking/frame making skills. Then he moved on to covering and beautifying tea boxes with traditional washi paper. Here is an example of that:

I am incredibly proud of his desire to master new skills, and I am so thankful he uses his own allowance to purchase the expensive parts needed to complete his projects. That being said, I am getting a little flustered at the huge piles of his stuff that is taking over my house.

It's under the tables and on the coffee tables...

It's covering up the book club selections on my dressers...

It's in my closets...

It's behind my bookshelves (all my bookshelves!)...

It's under Abby's bed...

It's piling up in my closets...

And in boxes all over our storage areas...

So when Jeremy let me know that he bought an Irish flute, I was a little bit concerned. He already has a saxophone and a guitar that he doesn't play. Those are not small instruments and we lug them all around the world with us. Even if he mastered the flute, where in the world would he play it. Is he going to bring it on his work conference and play it at science conventions? Is he going to write me love songs and play them passionately over Sunday dinners?

He managed to convince the whistle-maker to donate the $75 he paid for it to the charity Stepwise that we fundraise for, which is pretty significant because Africa is the only place I am going to let him play it.

The things we do (or put up with) for love!