Brown-Eyed Girl

This week started off with a bang, or I should say bark.  Our neighbors next door have a little girl Yorkie.  We've politely told her several times since we've moved in that our dogs do not like other dogs.  Yet, she continues to allow her unleashed dog to taunt Bailey and Sable.  Well, Sable had had enough.  To our horror, Sable wiggled out of her collar and bolted for this dog.  After tackling her and rolling her around, she picked this 5 lb dog up in her mouth and ran off with her.  Fortunately, the Yorkie is fine, and might I add still taunting our dogs.

Monday was another rainy day so why not watch TV in your underwear?

Tuesday's date was to a place called the Olive Garden...no kidding...the Olive Garden.  No Italian food here though.  We left our shoes at the door and sat in Japanese style tables (your bum is on the ground and there is a cut out for your feet).  Ever been sitting at your table and wondering where your server is?  Not in Japan.  Your table is equipped with a button to page your server.  It kind of looks like a garage door opener...very convenient.  If you notice in the top left corner of the picture, there is Pooh.  You see little icons like this in the most crazy places.  There is a car dealer whose billboard has Santa and his Elves year round.

Random picture of the week is this beverage machine which they have one of on the side of the road about every 50 feet.   Why Tommy Lee Jones?

Wednesday's homemade pizza night is also back.  Dough, sauce, everything from scratch.  Oshi! That's Japanese for delicious.  Nothing like pizza and movies to get you through mid week.

As we continue to strive to be healthier, I thought I'd try to make there Japanese mushrooms.  They kind of just melted into the pasta I put them in.  Oh well.

Grayson doing a different kind of curls for girls.  

Friday night was our Hail.  All you Navy people out there know that when you arrive to and leave a command you have a get-together and they say nice things about you and you eat and drink.  Our new command did our Hail at the top of one of the beach hotels.  You could see miles of the island lit up and they had the largest sushi rolls I'd ever seen.  Here's a picture of my friend Shawna and her baby Tirey.  Grayson and Tirey love to give each other hugs.  It's simply adorable.

The gift corner got a new shipment in from the Philippines.  Grayson got these grasshoppers for his play corner wall, and Mommy got a new floor lamp for the table area of our great room since we don't have overhead lighting. 

Saturday night we had Chris (Mac) and Emily from VP-5 CAC 1 over.  This was Michael's Nav and co-pilot on his old crew.  It was great to catch up with good friends. 

Sunday, after brunch and church we decided to venture a little further out into town and find the Toys R Us.  Kinda of cheating I know, but baby boy has a birthday next weekend and we need presents!

This is a picture of what the Americans affectionately call Gate 2 street because, well, it's outside of Gate 2.  It's where all the bars, tattoo places, and shoppettes are, sort of like a college uptown.

I'm posting this picture because you can see the city and beyond it the ocean and beyond that an outer island.  This is basically your view from every hill on the mainland of Okinawa.  Although Okinawa is an island it also has smaller islands that belong to it.

After our adventure out in town we were hungry so we went to our default place to eat.  Chili s on base.  Not the best restaurant in the world, but if you don't feel like being brave and ordering something that you have no idea what it is, here is where you go.

Daddy is teaching Grayson how to color.  It went pretty good until...

Grayson tried to taste the blue crayon and we had to take it away from him.  He's been testing us with the word no.  We say it and he cries to see what happens.  It sounds bad, but it's really hard not to laugh at him.

Our next room complete in the house is the kitchen.  It wasn't hard to get this room done.  The walls are tile so you can't hang or paint anything.  I did do some curtains and stencils though that you'll see.  It's in an L shape.

(Built-in desk)

April is Military Child Appreciation Month.  Usually I don't get into these themes, but this one hits home.  As a Navy wife I've thought about how my son will never know the comfort of growing up in one house.   He will never joke with his high school buddies about stuff they did together when they were 6.  He won't have the family around for all the holidays and birthdays throughout the year.  

But hopefully this military lifestyle will show him just how big this world is and what great things it holds for him to explore, more than any book could in a more sheltered life.  Hopefully, moving every few years will teach him to be more social and outgoing.  Hopefully, his Daddy having to be gone on deployments and surges and random trips will help him to be strong and independent.   Hopefully me staying home with him and your constant letters and care-packages is enough to make him feel security and love within his family and friends.   So do something extra special for your little tikes out there that are military children.

We'll leave you with this clip of Grayson full out walking.  He's moving everywhere.  Look out world our little baby is turning into a big boy.