Happy Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. We spent the afternoon with our friends the Salas' and then in the evening we went over to our neighbors house the Slattery's.

Our Thanksgiving food was fabulous. Leann made a turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, fruit salad, stuffing, a few casseroles, apple, cherry and pumpkin pie. Her mom is in town and made all the pies, and helped prepare so much. I made the fried turkey, rolls, sweet potatoes, bourbon carrots and rum cake. Leann had her neighbors and another couple over and they brought all the appetizers. We had so much food, and it all was so delicious.


The kids all played outside until it was time to eat. Bryson and Carter love to spend time with Anthony, and I love to spend time with Allissa. Its fun to have a girl around.

I am really thankful that my family is all together this year. We really missed Joe last year.

Special Olympics

The special olympics were held here and we decided to go and cheer them on. During the races they had some japanese drummers preform. We had a great time watching them.

Mura Park - Okinawa, Japan

A friend of mine asked me to take some family photos of her and her family and we decided to scout out a park here in Okinawa for the perfect picture spot.

We ended up choosing another location but here are a few picture I took while walking around. I would like to bring my family back for some photos here. It was a lovely place.

7 Months

Chase your dad and I are holding you back. You want to crawl so bad but every time you lay on your belly we pick you up and sit you back down on your butt. Or I will yell at Bryson and Carter to pick you up. I will admit it....I don't want you to crawl. Once you start crawling its over, you will be a mover and into everything. You won't be out little bitty baby, you will be on your way to a toddler.

Because we are always picking you up you have found other ways to move around the living room. You hop on your butt! Its the cutest thing to see, and it works. We will set you in the middle of the living room then you hop on your butt all the way to the coffee table and then pull yourself up. There really is no stopping you, you are one little determined child to get where you want to go.

This month you also said your first word. Mama. This was a shock to me as Bryson's first word was ball and Joe remembers Carter's first word as being Dada but I will have to double check that.

You love all your fruits, sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes. I think you have eaten your weight in sweet potatoes.

You weigh 20lbs.

You love to talk now, you babble at the boys and they just laugh.

You still love to be held and you get mad when nobody pays attention to you.

You were left for the first time while the rest of the family went to a movie without you. We went to see A Christmas Carol. You stayed with our neighbors Andrea and Chris. They love to watch you.

Chase you are one special little boy and we are so thankful for you.

Okinawa Zoo

We decided to go to the Zoo for Veteran's Day. Bryson had already went on a filed trip with his class but the rest of us had never gone. It was a nice day and not to hot. It was a nice zoo, I was rather surprised. Of course there were a few animals I felt really bad for with being in such a small cage but they all seemed to be pretty happy.

The elephants there even put on a show for us. They bowed, shook their heads, played a harmonica, made a basket with a basketball, and the boys were even able to feed them.

It was funny to see pigs and horses here in the zoo. Though its not like the states where you see horses down a country road.

Counting to ten....in Japanese.

Carter has learned so much in his pre-k. You can click on here and watch him do flash cards when he was just 2. He really does love his numbers.

A rather large snail!

Look at the size of that thing! I found this snail in our yard. I put a quarter next to it for a size comparison. Huge isn't it??

Ghost Brownies

I made Bryson's class some brownies for Halloween. He and the class loved them and so do I.

Pumpkin Patch in Okinawa, Japan

I miss fall! I miss fall even more because Chase missed his first pumpkin patch festivities. The hay ride, the leaves changing, wearing orange while getting your photo taken. Do you remember last fall? You can read all about it here. Joe had just left us for nine months and we were trying to stay really busy.

Back to the pumpkin patch. I was feeling really sorry for myself and Chase, and how his infant fall photos won't be with pumpkins. So sorry for him that I decided I would make my own pumpkin patch. I paid way to much for pumpkins that the grocery store ships in. I bought 3 very large ones that cost a lot. I then bought 3 medium ones, 5 tiny ones, 3 white ones, and some corn. There is no place to buy hay so I made do with my wicker basket. I also borrowed my neighbors 2 pumpkins.

They will have to do. This is all he will have and I will make myself be happy. Poor kid is going to be three before he ever sees a real pumpkin patch.