Andy at Auburn?

Look at this sweet face. Andy's a big 5-year old now!

Recent email from Lisa regarding Andy:
I think the pressure of "growing up" - with graduating preschool soon and starting kindergarten - is getting to him. When I was closing his door after tucking him in, he said, "Mommy? Do I have to go to college to be a carnival ride operator when I grow up?" I said, "No, you don't have to for that job, but you can if you want to." He said, "Good, I never want to go to college." When I was halfway down the hall, he said "But I'll go to Auburn if you want me to."
For my Japanese readers: Auburn University is where Larry & Lisa (Andy's parents) graduated. It's located in Alabama.

Hmm, Sugar & Spice. . . ?

Natalie & Amelia in their "dresses" from Thailand. Guess they've grown since December . . .

Received recently from Lisa:
Well, the girls are growing up. We took down their cribs and set up their twin beds. This is their second night in them. When Andy went from the crib to his big bed, he didn't realize he could get out of it by himself for about six months. Not so for the girls. About ten minutes after we put them to bed last night, we went in to check and Amelia was at the foot of Natalie's bed saying, "Come on. Come on."

After about three times of us going in there, they settled down and slept. Until 4 am. At 4 am, I went in there after being woken up by shrieking and giggling and all of their clothes were pulled out of their dresser and on the floor, all of the stuffed animals were in Natalie's bed, and they were both jumping on Natalie's bed. This scenario repeated until 5 am, when I took a sleeping bag and slept on the floor between their beds.

They didn't take a nap today - they redecorated their room instead. And somehow Andy (who was supposed to be taking a nap in his room) ended up locked in their closet.

Tonight, they kept asking to go to bed. We put them to bed an hour early and I went in to check every few minutes. At one point, they were both sitting on their bookshelf swinging their legs and singing "Frere Jacques." Every time I went in, I asked who got out of bed and they blamed each other. I looked under the door at one point and when they heard Larry's footsteps coming down the hall, Amelia raced for her bed and they both laid down and pretended they were sleeping. So far (except for the bookshelf incident) I haven't seen Natalie out of bed. But when I leave, I hear her say "Come here, Amelia. Let's jump. You can do it", so she is not totally innocent.

Twins at the Park

Natalie gets a drink with Daddy's help.


Daredevil Amelia

Natalie & Larry ("Fun Daddy")


Amelia & Larry


Amelia enjoys swinging!

Baby Birdie Incident (Never a dull moment in TN)

A boy and his dog. (Callie & Andy)

From Lisa in a recent email:
Hi -- I wanted to explain what happened with the baby bird I sent you a picture of. I was on the phone with my mother and our dog, Callie, dropped a baby bird at my feet (unharmed). It was a baby robin - with hardly any feathers and her eyes still unopened. Andy and I took her to a wild animal rescue about 45 minutes away. The robin was chirping the whole way there and Andy was very concerned that she was hungry. He wanted me to stop and get some worms.

He loved the rescue facility - they had squirrels, turtles, possums, and all kinds of birds. The most beautiful one was a giant horned owl. He got to meet the vet in charge and she told him all about how they take care of the rescued animals and that she had a group of baby robins in an incubator that our robin could join. We got there at feeding time so he got to watch two squirrels eat their food.

Now he is playing with a stuffed cardinal toy and pretending he is an animal rescue vet. He is trying to convince Larry (who is trying to take a nap on the couch) to go outside and help him get worms.

The next day I received an update from Lisa: Callie brought us another baby bird last night. The animal rescue was closed, so first we tried putting it in a basket and tying the basket in a tree. At 10:00 last night, Larry heard it peeping like crazy and the parents had not come, so he brought it inside. He named it "Sir Peeps a Lot" and has been feeding it with a dropper all night. Hopefully we can get it to the rescue asap this morning.

Springtime in Japan -- April 2008

We're off on our bikes again today. Some of my more astute readers have noticed that we're always on our bicycles these days. Well, it's because Stan decided we did not use our car enough & sold it. So far, no problem for me because I always ride my bike anyway. But when it's raining & blowing, I can choose to stay home . . .

Anyway, it's a beautiful spring day, so off we go!Playground & mid-rise behind us.


Looking up at our building where the last of the scaffolding is starting to come down on Ingrid's side.


Lots of families enjoying the playground today. See the two little girls swinging back to back? It's always nice to see daddies here with their children.

White dogwoods in bloom outside the townhouses near our apartment.




Near the front gate. MCAS Iwakuni's Great Wall . . .

Stan in front of the new white wall & entrance near the front gate.


Pink dogwood off-base. I know it's officially Spring in Japan when the cherries bloom, but for me, I guess it will always be the dogwoods & azaleas . . .

Another one.

Flowers in front of a business.






A crane walks in the riverbed as we cross the bridge at low tide.

Pansies along a wall.


Beautiful backyard garden that backs up to the local train track.


Boys' Festival is one of the 4 holidays during Golden Week. Each carp on a streamer usually represents one boy in the household. Read more about Golden Week here: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2282.html

Yes, Spring is truly here . . .

Happy Birthday, Sherri! 4/28

Sorry, I could not post this yesterday, but I started having trouble with the blog . . . could not get back in until this morning. Anyway, hope it was a GREAT birthday.

Molly Malone's in Hiroshima 4/26/08

At the Iwakuni train station. We've been invited to join Hiroshi today and his volunteer group that recently conducted tours at Miyajima Island. Read more here: http://www.miyajimanetwork.com/index.html
The group is meeting at a very popular Irish pub in Hiroshima. We're very honored to be included and excited to see Hiroshi again. His wife, Eiko, cannot join us because she's working today. We tease Hiroshi that Eiko works, so he can play . . .


Stan's buying our tickets. These children are very excited to go!


On the platform, it's time to pick out a drink for the trip. There are LOTS of choices.

Haven't seen this flavor before -- Chocolate almond coffee. Stan got a hot one and I got a cold one. They're both in the same machine, but the cold has a blue line underneath, and the hot, a red one. It was delicious!


On the platform looking across the track at Iwakuni station. The Kintai Bridge display is in the glass case.


It's a beautiful day as we ride along on the local train.

Hillside of azaleas through the train window.


Riding the train along the sea near Miyajima.


Our train stopped at a side track to let another train pass. This doesn't happen very often, so I took the opportunity to take a picture of this efficient, automated parking system.

Don't know what this sign above the toilet paper in the train station toire (potty) says, but I figured out how to use it anyway . . .


On the street in Hiroshima, young people were handing out flyers. We assume it has to do with an upcoming election. Look at how nicely they are dressed.


After a short walk from the streetcar, we've found the building that houses the bar. Do you know what 4F means? It took me a couple of years of living here before I figured it out.

We're a half-hour early, but we decide to wait in the bar for Hiroshi & his friends to arrive. We have no trouble finding the building and see that Molly Malone's is on the 4th floor! Fortunately, there's a small elevator.


What a charming place! Can't believe we're still in Japan. Check out their huge menu, here: http://www.mollymalones.jp/mm_menu.htm


Stan's taking a picture of me . . .

. . . while I take a picture of him. The bar is pretty empty this early. It's about 4 PM Saturday afternoon.


The proprietor of Molly Malone's is actually Irish. When I asked him how he ended up in Hiroshima Japan, he replied, "Very well, thanks!"


Margie