Christmas Day 2009

Christmas Eve

Okinawa Zoo Chrismas Light Fesitival

The night before Christmas, our friends the Torres's and ourselves headed out to the zoo. THe girls and I had seen this exhibit last year but we wanted Robbie to see it this year. The girls had fun looking at the animals and then playing in the snow. After the snow, they did a light show with lasers. It was a little weird because it wasn't all christmas music - it included music from Pirates of the Carribean and Michael Jackson. Oh well, you never know what you will get with the Japanese!!! We had fun and that's all that matters!

Christmas Traditions

I know that I have been slack with posting. Each time I think that I am going to get better we get busier. Anyways, here's to an upcoming new year and better postings :)

On Saturday, we had our annual cookie baking day. Every year, as my mom did with me, I bake cookies with Gabbie and now Lulu. Typically, we only invite one friend but this year we invited two. The girls had fun baking the cookies although with 4 batches of dough, they left me high and dry at the end. As you can see in the pictures, Robbie and our friend Joe took care of decorating the rest.

Afterwards, we made dinner for the kids and we hung out with friends. Overall, it was a fun day...more fun days to come now that Robbie is on vacation till the new year!!! Woo Hoo!!!

Thankful

As Thanksgiving approaches, I have been thinking a lot about what I am thankful for. Last year this time, I had a lot of anomosity towards this island and the Marine Corps. I couldn't deal with the fact that as a family we had moved half way around the world and now Robbie was going to be gone for 10 of the first 14 months we had been here. It's amazing what God taught me about myself and strength and comfort in him. I survived teething, cranking nights, being a sick mom, flying back across the world with a 20 month old with no plan and not sure where the next flight was taking me to (and honestly I would do it again in a heartbeat...it was scary but fun). I have begun to look at our stay here through much different eyes than last year this time. The island we are on is beautiful. I have never seen skies as blue as they are here nor have I ever see the clouds pop in those skies the way they do here. I also know that I will never get a pedicure that EVER amounts to the ones I get here. Especially for the money. (I know it's a very wordly thing but if you got a pedicure here - you would be grateful for the samething...trust me - the states will never amount to it) And while there are a lot of negatives, being here has allowed our family to appreciate the things that we have back in the states and from now on maybe we can be a bit more grateful. There are going to be more deployments in our short future here and whether they be short or long, I am going to try to make the best of our 18 months we have left on this island. To see as much as I can and to appreciate the small things in life. Please enjoy a few of our pictures below from a recent photoshoot we did. You can see how beautiful this place can be.

Happy 234th Birthday Marine Corps

Happy Birthday to my husband and all the other marines in my life. I am so proud of my husband. I love you honey!!! Thank you for all you do and sacrifice for us. The birthday message this year was so good. Enjoy!

Happy Halloween

Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!! It rained at the beginning so the girls got soaked but then they passed out candy and enjoyed themselves!

Terrible Two's

It finally happened. Lulu has thrown tantrums but I have always been able to just stop that quickly. It's never been a huge issue. I have been waiting for the HUGE meltdown tantrum that everyone talks about with the age 2. It happened. Today. This morning she went to play with her friend Tyler. I had some errands to run and my friend Leigha said she would watch her. So I go pick her up and get a great report. She was fine. We get home and it starts. She didn't want to walk upstairs so she cried. I needed to change her diaper before she fell asleep and she didn't want to. She screamed, kicked, cried. Anything she could. Finally after about 5 minutes she just reached up and pulled me down and just held me. It was so sweet but so frustrating. She's just like her father. Hot one minute, cold the next!!! Ugh!! It's going to be a long year!!!

Happy 32nd Birthday Robbie!

Today is Robbie's 32nd Birthday! We are so glad to be together. Last year, he was in Korea. The year before we were together and the year before that he was in Iraq. Needless, when we get a birthday - we like to enjoy it. Even though he had his first full day back to work he got off a little early and we went to dinner. We came home and opened presents - he got a playstation 3 and had some cake! It was a quiet celebration but a nice one!! Happy Birthday Baby!

He's Home!!

After many plane issues and a long 7 months, Robbie finally returned to us today!!! Here are some pictures of his arrival. We are good and just enjoying each others company!! We love and miss all of you and hope to talk to you soon!!

Well I am sure that all of you are wondering where we have been. The girls and I have been trying to enjoy the last few days of summer and also have been preparing for Daddy to come home. We helped the Battalion welcome home the Advance Party a couple of weeks ago, spent time at the pool, and have done some major cleaning and purging of our closets and dressers!!! Other than that, we have just been enjoying each other. Gabbie starts school tomorrow. I can't believe that she'll be in 4th grade. Seems like just yesterday she was starting kindergarten!! Oh well time flies when having fun. Lulu has begun to talk and she chatters nonstop. The words of the week have included "love you" which Gabbie and I have been trying to get her to say for weeks now. Gabbie gets to take that honor because she told her first!!! Anyways, Robbie should be home soon and for that we are thankful. Please continue to pray for him and the marines as they make their way back to our little island!! We love and miss you!!!

24 Month Check-up

So Lulu had her 24 month check up today. She is doing good. Here are her stats:

Height: 2ft 10.9 in - 70-75%

Weight - 26.2 lbs - 40-45%

Head - 19.7 in - 90-95%

I talked to the doctor about Lulu's ear infections that she has been having lately. He told me to just wait because she was developing fine on the her language and also with her hearing. So we are just on a wait and see time right now. Other than that she is a fine and healthy two year old!! She was such a good patient and did everything that the doctor asked her to do without me even having to coach her. My baby is getting so big!! We are just counting down the days till daddy gets back to us!! Please keep his safety in your prayers!!!

Lulu's Birthday Party

Here are pictures of Lulu's family birthday party we had here tonight!!! Enjoy the pics!!!

The decorations in the dining room
Decorations in the kitchen

the cake I made...it looks red but it was more strawberry

Lulu thinking about her wish

Blowing the candle out

Enjoying the cake

Typical Lulu face

The napkins

Opening presents

Happy 2nd Birthday Lulu

Above is Lauren's Bday movie. Pictures from the past 2 years. I can't believe that 2 years have passed. There will be pictures from opening presents and other stuff later on in the day. Right now, please enjoy the movie!

Happy 29th Birthday

So yesterday was my 29th birthday. I actually had a fun day even though I was missing my husband terribly. I took Lulu to lapsit and Gabbie to swim lessons. We then went to Macaroni Grill and had lunch with some of the ladies that I volunteer with at the Battalion. It was nice to sit and visit because so often when we get together it's all about the business. In the evening the girls and I went to dinner with our friends Herlinda and Alexis and then Gabbie's mom, stepfather, and 2 stepsisters. It was a lot of fun and we had a good time. Now we just have to get through Lulu's birthday and the countdown is on!!

My bday cake that melted some on the kitchen counter!

Here I am embarassed that we are at Chili's and they are singing to me - we had almost EVERY server...and they were SOOOOO LOUD!!!!!
Trying to figure out who put them up to it - It was Gabbie and her mom...they worked together


Enjoying my milkshake

Typhoon Preparations

So this post is mostly for Robbie whenever he checks out the blog again. This past week we ALMOST had a typhoon. We definitely got the outskirt bands of it but it just happened to turn southwest before it hit us. Thank Goodness. Before I knew that it wasn't going to be as severe as they thought I had already put the outside furniture away and strapped it down on the back porch. I have since figured out that I could just pile it all on the back porch and it won't go anywhere. I stood on the back porch during the worst of the wind and you couldn't even feel it. I guess that's a good thing. Oh well, now I have to unpack all of this mess!! Enjoy the laugh!

The storage closet
The backporch

One Last July Update ...

So the last weeks of July have been somewhat uneventful. We have been continuing swim lessons with Gabbie now taking some. I got the flu for a week. That was fun trying to be a mommy and being sick. Don't recommend it. Trust me it was bad. Thank goodness I was able to have the girls spend the night away one night to regroup myself. Lulu got ANOTHER ear infection - so yes, I will be speaking with the doctor at her next drs appointment about that situation. The good news as July ends is that we are now down to counting weeks till Daddy comes home. Please pray for us and him. Pray that the he and his marines continue to finish their mission but continue to be safe. As we start to count weeks, I get more nervous that we've made it this far. Please just keep them in your prayers. Pray our family. With Robbie coming, it brings change to rountines. Some of us handle this well - some of us don't. Just pray that we can adjust easily and well being a family all in the same place. We handled it great last time - I know we'll do great again! Enjoy the pictures below!

Lulu posing in my shoes!

Cheese

This is one of my favorite of her looks

Jamming on the guitars

Sweet pic of Mommy & Lulu

One of my favorites

She looks like she's going to school

Her new favorite thing: Her backpack

For Robbie: I rearranged the downstairs

See I think we have more room now!

Swimming

Lulu LOVES to swim. She has had swim lessons for the past month and now I can barely get her out of the pool. Below our some pictures that her swim instructor took with an underwater camera. She and Gabbie are getting ready to start another session of lessons. Hopefully, they will continue to have fun. I can't believe that it is already the middle of July. I guess when you are having fun at the pool the summer flies by! For us, that's a good thing!!

Lulu working on her tummy float

Lulu putting her turtle in the water during the turtle bubble song

Lulu jumping off the wall - one of her favorite things to do

Lulu's face under the water - we are proud that she already keeps

her eyes open underwater. According to the instructor, this is such a

good thing because sometimes older kids won't do that!

To get her underwater - we have a deal. For every time she goes,

I have to go. Too bad I seem to go more!!

Lulu and only other student in her last class, Alex. They loved climbing the stairs

in and out of the pool