"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden." Matthew 5:14

Thursday, April 29, 2010

I can't believe April is almost over!  We have been so busy this month and I thought I would share a few highlights from the month.

This month I signed both Kaylee and Abby up for swim lessons.  Abby and I did a “Parent-and-Child” class in the mornings and Kaylee was in the preschool level in the afternoons.  I thought Abby would be scared of the water and not like it much and I was certain that Kaylee would have a blast...WRONG!  Abby was a little scared at first and had a death grip on my neck for the first class or so.  She didn’t like when I would hold her out to float on her tummy, but she didn’t mind the back float since our faces were close and we all sang “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”  She loved throwing the ball or duckie and then swimming/reaching for it.  Abby also thought it was fun to stand on the side of the pool, while I counted to three and then she would jump in...well, I basically pulled her in, but she liked it all the same.  I am really happy that I decided to do swim lessons with Abby.  Originally, I had only planned to put Kaylee in, but Abby and I had a great time and it was sweet Mommy-daughter time.

Kaylee on the other hand, didn’t enjoy swim lessons the way I was hoping she would.  She liked going and was always very excited the day of, but the only thing she would do was sit on the edge and kick her feet.  The first day, she did get in, but there were a couple of other kids bouncing up and down and water was splashing up on her face...I think she got a little scared...so she climb out and that was that.  A few of the days, the kids got to ride in the boat, which she did and seemed to really enjoy.  By the sixth class, she was actually smiling and laughing and splashing around on the boat.  During a few of the classes, she would jump in with her life jacket on.  However, she would tell Ms. Sasha “just guide me in please!”  She didn’t actually jump, but at least she got a few minutes in the water.  She did really well the last day of class by allowing Ms. Sashi to hold her and swim around.  If only she had one more week, I think she would have conquered it.  Well, I’m sure she’ll get plenty of practice this summer!

Last week Ryan went out at 4:30am to wait in line to sign Kaylee up for Pre-school.  I had called two weeks before and the secretary informed me that there were 40+ spots for the 3-year old two day class and that I probably didn’t need to be there too early, but we didn’t want to take any chances (there are a lot of kids here).  Ryan was the fourth person in line, with the third being a friend of ours.  They opened the doors around 6:50am, so at least he was able to seat inside for the last hour.  He said that the staff was beyond nice and very organized.  And I have heard so many great things from other parents and I really think Kaylee will enjoy it!  Needless to say, Ryan had a very long day, but we are very excited that she’s in!  She will be starting early September!

Two weekends ago, the base held it's Spring bazaar, where lots of local vendors come in and sell Asian merchandise.  We decided to go on Sunday afternoon this time, because they usually will start to mark the prices down.  I was hoping to find a piece of Asian furniture, but I didn't want to spend too much.  We saw a lot of nice things and I got some place mats with chopsticks and a few gifts for friends and family.   I did find a piece of furniture that both Ryan and I liked...it's called a Step Tansu...it's has three pieces and can be arranged to have steps coming down from the top (I'm not exactly sure how to explain it).  We decided that it would be best to put the pieces together instead of arranging it as a step...since we have two little monkeys running around.  I really like it and it gives me more storage and gives my dinning room an Asian feel!  Now if I can just learn to make Yokisoba!
Check it out...


The next weekend, we drove up to Yokota Air Force Base to check out their bazaar and to shop at the exchange.  The base is very big and the exchange is bigger than ours and had several things that we don't have here...they had A LOT more clothes for Kaylee than our children's department has.  So, I bought her a few outfits, Abby an outfit, some movies, kids plates, and books...that's my weakness...children books.  They had a lot of the same things at the bazaar, but I did mange to get two really cute and unique tote bags.  You like?  I wonder if these are in the states.  They are made out of juice wrappers...really neat and they make great bags for going to the library and running errands!

 Yokota Air Force Base

 Driving home from Yokota...Kaylee was holding Abby's hand while she slept.
 
So this week (the last week of April) has been a little tough, however not as bad as I thought it might be.  On Sunday, we told Kaylee that nap time would be the last time she could have her pacifier or “pa” as it is called in our house.  So on Sunday night we told her that she was a big girl now and that she couldn’t have her “pa” any more.  Luckily, several of her “pas” had holes in them so we had already been tossing ‘em in the trash.  She cried and fussed and screamed, but after about 30 minutes she was asleep.  Monday nap time was a little tougher because I didn’t have Ryan here for moral support.  She got up a few times and cried a little, and she never actually fell asleep.  So Monday night went pretty well, because she was super tired.  She only fussed as I was walking out of her room and I went back in, sang a song, and gave her a kiss and she didn’t cry out anymore and was asleep with 20 minutes.  Tuesday was about the same, she did take a nap though which was nice.  So we are making progress with the no “pa.”  The only thing is she does seem more tired than usual.  She has been waking up around 6:30 every morning and just seems to be irritable at times throughout the day.  So there has been a lot more whining going on lately, which I must say at this point of motherhood, is my pet peeve.  However, I am happy that we have started working on breaking this habit.  I have no issues with pacifiers and found myself more attached to Kaylee having one...I guess taking it away means she’s growing up (sigh) and becoming a true “big girl!”  I’ve caught myself wanting to say “where’s your pa?” as I tuck her in only to realize that she doesn’t have it anymore.  I have thrown out all the pacifiers except one...not really sure why I’m hanging on to it, because I think she'll be fine...soon.  As a reward, when she goes several nights without fussing we will take her to the store to pick out a new toy, book, or movie.  At naps though, I’ve told her, if she doesn’t fuss and stays in bed then she can have a few M&Ms or a Peppermint Patty when she gets up.  So, we will see what the rest of the week holds.
 Kaylee & Abby

Well, May is looking less busy...which is nice not to have to run out the day every morning.  However, I will be preparing for our trip back to the states...we leave in three weeks for a 12 week vacation back home!  I'm very excited about seeing my family and friends!  Unfortunately, we will not see Ryan much, but chances are he'll be traveling a lot this summer anyways.  Please pray that God gives all of us safety as we travel!

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