The Squat Pot

This has tortured me for a year now. I have absolutely refused to even attempt to pee in this toilet. Yes, it is a toilet. We call it the squat pot. The mental image of urine all over myself has prevented me from any contact with this thing. The other day, we were at the park & I really had to pee. This was my only option. I cowgirled up & did it. It really wasn't so bad. I didn't even pee all over myself. I should have tried it months ago. I will no longer hide from the squat pot. Thank you Japan for bringing me out of my "potty" comfort zone. All hail the mighty squat pot!

SLIDES!!

We went to this awesome park today! The boys had a blast with their friends! I am amazed at the parks they have here. So much fun!!

Here is the "drop" slide. Sawyer took forever to go down this one. It is huge! He finally did, & loved it!

Yes, this is one slide!! It is a huge slide with rollers all the way down. The kids sat on cardboard & booked it down!!

Christmas!!

Christmas was awesome this year. It is funny, the older your kids get, the more expensive their presents become!! We were lucky enough to spend Christmas Eve & Christmas with some great friends. We ate a yummy ham dinner, watched Avatar, & sang Karaoke! It was a blast!! There are no blackmail pix of us singing, but here are a couple of the boys opening presents.

The boys on Christmas Eve sporting their new pajamas!

Tanner got a mongoose with a spartan from Halo. I think this might have been the only present he didn't know about!

We framed Chad's Masters Degree!! We are so proud of him. The boys & I signed the matting around it, just like his Bachelors Degree.

Saywer got 8 Bionicles from Santa this year! We had a blast putting them all together with him.

The boys first thing in the morning.

My Little Drummer Boy......

Last night was Tanner's first Jr High band concert. He did such a great job. It was a pleasant beginning band concert, if you know what I mean. He is really enjoying band drummer. He drums on anything & everything around the house, in the car during church. You get

the idea. I love that he enjoys it. Here are a couple of pictures from the concert!

Tanner played the bass tonight.

Concentrating......

Boys will be boys................

This is what Chad & I came home to after decorating ALL morning for our Branch Christmas party. Yep, that is a black eye you see. It was so much puffier on Saturday! Apparently, Sawyer wanted Tanner to wake up. Tanner wanted to sleep. Sawyer then decided to pick up a guitar from our guitar stash & try to "hit" Tanner awake. Needless to say, a tug of war in sued and you can guess who won the war. Yup, the guitar. I'm hoping Sawyer will not try to coax Tanner awake with a guitar anymore. The worst part is that he told everyone at church that his brother hit him in the eye. Poor Tanner said all the little kids were giving him dirty looks! Sigh.
I love my crazy boys.

Oh the Laziness of me!

I have not been on here since September! What can I say, I have been lazy & not too much has been happening. Just school for the boys, work for Chad & the busy life of a mom for me. We had our Ward Christmas Party last night & it was awesome. I don't think I sat down for more than an hour the entire day. We decorated, had time to shower & change before we had to be back for more prep & then it was over before I knew it. But the cookie spread I must say, was amazing!! I love this time of year. It helps me remember what is most important. I am thankful for the blessings I may take for granted when the whirlwinds of life strike! I need to hang onto my hat a little tighter when the winds get stronger so I don't lose sight as easily!!

Sawyer's Baptism

Well, they are backwards, but at least you get the picture. It was such a hot day, my eyeballs were sweating. Sawyer was baptised at Tagouchi Beach on September 12Th, 2009. It was such a neat thing, to see him come out of the ocean with the biggest, happiest Sawyer smile ever. He is such an amazing kid. I feel blessed to be his mom & love that he is still not embarrassed to hold my hand in public. Here are some pictures of the day.

Chad & Sawyer coming out of the ocean.

Chad telling Sawyer to plug his nose.

Chad & Sawyer walking out.

This is one of my favorite pictures. "Lead me, guide me" comes to mind.

Sawyer posing for his mom.

Sawyer was so excited.

Walking out to the beach.

Father & son.

Sawyer turns 8!

Sawyer turned 8 on the 6Th of September. He is so happy he is 8, but mad that he can't pass the Sacrament with his brother. He is devastated he has to wait 4 years to do that. Here are some pictures from his b-day.

Sawyer insisted on helping me decorate his cake. He used the entire bottle of sprinkles on his cake!

Make a wish. He said he could not tell us his wish or it would not come true.

Halo, of course. Notice the fancy wrapping?? I suck as a parent. I never wrap their presents. Ever. Wait, I do at Christmas.

Sawyer has been asking for these "knives" since we first got here. Don't worry Grandparents, they are not sharp. He has slept with them or with them in the general vicinity of his bed since he got them.

Tanner's 12th Birthday

Tanner turned 12 on the 1st of September. I can not believe he is 12. He got set apart for the Priesthood in his quorum on the 6Th which just happens to be Sawyer's birthday. He is so happy to be 12 & go to Young Men & pass the Sacrament. The following Sunday, the 12Th, he passed the Sacrament for the first time. I can't even explain the feeling I had looking across the room seeing my son as a Deacon. He is such an amazing guy. I am so happy to be his mom. Here are some pictures from his B-day.

Tanner is not a big cake fan, so for the past three years I have made him Oreo Pie for his "cake". It is his favorite.

It's all about Halo. WHY is his hair all crazy? He had to open his presents the minute he woke up, which he did.

This is what Tanner woke up to on his birthday. This was one of his presents from Addison. A room full of balloons. You could barely see the floor. It was awesome. Every year I usually put the age they are of balloons on the floor, but this one topped it all. Sorry Tanner, but next year you will only get 13.

Our Title's of Liberty

Tonight for FHE, we learned about Captain Moroni, my fave, and the Title of Liberty. The boys loved the story and after the lesson we made our own "Title of Liberty. We took a fruit roll-up, wrapped it around a twizzler, then coated it with cool whip & wrote with a tooth pick our Title. It was fun and yummy too. I do think I have a bit of a sugar high from rolling my cool whip coated fruit roll-up around my twizzler & horking it down!! Here are some of the pictures.

This one is Sawyer's. He took the picture himself.

Mine. So yummy & fun. You might need a translator.

Tanner's is the blue & green one. He just wrote on the fruit leather instead of the cool whip. A fun FHE!

2009 First Day of School!!

Today was the first day of school for us. I think we started later than anyone I know! HE HE HE The boys were excited. Tanner started Jr High. I was sad & was feeling very old. He has to catch the bus at 6:11 am. Sawyer is starting 2nd grade & he does not start until 8:30. That is a little more my speed. Grin. I am not a morning person, but today--brace yourselves---I was up, worked out & dressed by 7am!! I was so impressed with myself I needed a nap! Their days went well. I didn't get much out of them about their day other than it was ok & they like their teachers. That'll do boys, that'll do.

Sawyer had to make sure I got "the whole thing", which meant his whole body. I had to take three before it met his approval. He is getting so big.

My handsome 6th grader. He was kind enough to pose for me. He is not a big fan of the camera. "Thinks he is too old". Hmmmm, I think I better torture him more with the camera!

The Whole Fam Damily!!

This was the best week ever. I so needed to see my family. The only thing missing was my older brother Matt, we missed you bro. We are all here, smiling & accounted for. I love my family! Thanks for the best week guys.

Pictures of Pearl Harbor

I can't seem to get the pix to load in order. Grrr. Anywho, we had a layover in Hawaii for like 24 hours so we decided to take advantage & go see Pearl Harbor. We arrived in Hawaii at 3am. There were no hotels available unless we wanted to pay $600. NO thanks. The boys slept in the play thingy tubes at the PAX terminal until the USO opened at 6am. There Tanner was up and Sawyer passed out on a chair while Chad & I did not sleep at all. At 8am, the car rental place opened, so we got a car, packed all our stuff into it, hopped in & motored to Pearl City. Here are some of the highlights. It was so much fun to be able to take the boys to see the Bowfin, submarine, the USS Arizona memorial & the USS Missouri. I love our country.

Actual oil coming up from the Arizona.

The boys on the Bowfin. This sub was uber cool.

The Bowfin.

Tanner posing in front of the Bowfin.

Guns on the Bowfin.

The Arizona Memorial.

These were placed on the ground all around the place you buy tickets and over by the Bowfin. They had so many cool things.

Are you feelin' lucky??

Surfin' USA

OK, so the pictures posted backward, but I am over it. My awesome cousins took us surfing. Thanks Jen, Holly & Brooke. It was so fun to watch them. Brooke & I weren't feeling well, so we ate a slice of apricot pie (soooo yum) and cheered them on. Here are some of the highlight. Chad got up multiple times, no shocker there, and Tanner was able to get up on one knee. Sawyer gave us & just played in the waves with Jen. So much fun.

My studly hubster

Sawyer striking a pose

Whaaaaa....nice Tanner

Jen teaching everyone to paddle.

Everyone just chillin. We had 5 surfboards on Jen's car. The limit was 3, but we just drove slow!

Uhh, yeah

OK, so I have know for quite some time that I missed all the "good lines" in heaven. You know, hair that does what you want it to, a chin with no waddle for heaven's sake, the one that you never gain weight (this one I am still really mad about cos I would have knocked everyone out of line so I could be first, vanity Alli) and my personal favorite, patience. This little "P" word it the bane of my existence. I suck at it. There is no nice way of saying it, I am not good at it. 16 months the past two years dealing with my retarded foot has left me bankrupt in the patience department. I'm talking, no sale, credit card declined bankrupt. Can you even take out a loan on patience?? We (idiots) decided to try to fly space A to go home for a family reunion. (Now this is the sad part people) We tried once last night & I am so tired I just don't even want to try it again. Am I pathetic or what? (Don't answer that) Of course we are going to try again this morning at 3:45 for another flight with only 6 seats available. Crazy has just reached a whole new level for Alli. I do not do well with surprises, let alone unplanned surprises with not a whole lot of sleep. But I will "cowgirl up", find my happy face & pray with so much fervor that hopefully we get on this flight today. Wish us luck!

Ding dong............

So we were watching a movie last night, Chad & I, on our lovely surround sound. The door bell rings (in the movie). Chad jumps up, pauses the movie, & starts running for the door. I am doubled over with laughter at this point because I realized it was from the movie, still waiting for Chad to catch on. He stops & looks at me. I asked him if he was going to get the door & he says yeah, then seeing the look on my face, the tears streaming down my face he goes, wait, that was the movie? Yepper. Totally made my night. Thanks Chad, & Happy Father's Day!

Ohmigosh.........

So we got Edward Scissor hand's from Netflix this past week & the boys have watched it a couple of times. Sawyer still thinks it would be cool to have scissors for hands, as long as he could switch back & forth with real ones. So I was sitting at the table last night, with my hair pulled back in my forever ponytail, apparently I had some stray fly aways hanging out, cos next thing I knew, Sawyer was snipping them for me with a pair of scissors. I screamed "What are you doing, you don't cut mom's hair"! He looked at me like, duh, I was pretending I was Edward. Doh. So this morning as I was pulling my hair back into my ponytail, (I have come to terms with my forever ponytail, it is just way too hot here) there were these few pieces of hair that would not fit. Ahhhh, I had to smile and use a little more hairspray! Thanks for the trim Soyboy.

Holy Humidity!

My friend, Kelly, has once compared living in Florida to living inside some one's mouth. I am going to have to extend that comparison to Okinawa. It is like living inside some one's really big mouth, who could sometimes use a breath mint. Ugh.

Incredible Edible Balls....

Nikki says to blog about FHE, so here you are Nkki! Smile. We made Liahona Peanut Butter Popcorn Balls tonight. Of course I had to add some Reece's pieces. What are popcorn balls with no candy?? So fun. I made them way too big, shocker! We couldn't even finish them. Sawyer in all his cuteness says, "I can't believe they had popcorn balls back then". Gotta love it. Found an awesome, easy recipe! Counting down till we leave for Cali! Can't wait. I have never missed home as much as I do here.

I see your sword is as big as mine....

For FHE tonight, we had a lesson on listening to the Holy Ghost, by talking about Nephi and his struggle with killing Laban. After the lesson we made "Sword of Laban Bread sticks". We had fun making them, especially since the dough got very mushy here. We sprayed butter on them, sprinkled them with sugar & cinnamon and added "gems" with cherries. The boys had fun so that is all that matters. They were quite yummy with frosting drizzled all over them when they were hot!

DOH!!

So, as a parent, I consider myself decent. Not all encompassing brilliant, but decent. Except when it comes to being the tooth fairy. I completely suck as the tooth fairy. Sawyer lost a tooth yesterday, was so excited singing the "I am going to get a dollar song" put his tooth under his pillow and went to sleep in Tanner's room. I was just so happy that the boys were asleep last night, that I totally spaced him losing a tooth. So this morning, he gets up and says, the tooth fairy didn't come. Holy crap, mental head slap, I forgot!! So Chad tells me to look around with Sawyer as he does damage control. He slips a dollar under his pillow upstairs and tells Sawyer to go look in his room because he thinks the tooth fairy might have been confused because he did not sleep in his bed last night. So, Sawyer goes upstairs and checks. The happy dollar song follows and all is right with the world. The last time Tanner lost a tooth, I just handed him a dollar & he just laughed because he knew I would forget to put it under his pillow.

Bios on the Hill

I was lucky to be able to go with Sawyer last week on his field trip to Bios on the Hill. It was so much fun. I can't wait to go back with Chad & Tanner. The kids had a blast and we got to hike all over the park, go on a boat ride, see water buffalo (!!) and have a picnic lunch.

This is the boat we rode on. I felt like I was on the Jungle Ride at Disneyland. I kept waiting for the fake parana & hippos to pop out at any second. No such luck. We did get to see the big behind of a water buffalo who left quite a BIG surprise on the ground behind her!! Not awesome.

They had about 4 of these huge swings. So much fun.

One of the awesome log forts. The kids had a blast playing here.

Sawyer & his teacher Mrs. Adams on the boat ride.

Sawyer squirting water out of the wooden syringe thingy. You could also pump water through the pump. So cool.

This is a water buffalo. I kept singing the water buffalo song from Silly Songs with Larry after I saw this. Poor thing has a rope between his nostrils. Later on in the day it had a pretty purple flower in it's horn.

Another awesome log fort. I want to build one for myself!!

Sawyer & his friends standing on the huge dragon made of earth, grass & rocks. It was amazing!

Duno what these creepy things are, just wanted to share the picture of them. Raarrrr.