and I'll say it again. ROLLER SLIDES ROCK!
One afternoon last week I took the boys and a few friends to Tobaru Park in Chatan. It's one of the boys favorite rollerslides, and it makes them all tired and ready for bed in a few hours.
We took bubbles and snacks. Dayton and I played with bubbles while the big kids played on the slide. Dayton loves bubbles.
The sunset. From the top of the slide you can see the East China Sea.
I have been a bad blogger, a bad Mommy and a bad Wife these past few weeks.
I haven't blogged in almost 2 weeks! I am trying to get it all together and will catch up on the posts soon.
I need Nanny 911 to come help me deal with Braden. I need parenting advice on how to deal with strong willed boys(Braden) who blame everything on their Mother and argues the simplest things, and Boys who are too kind for their own good(Keegan), and let others run over them. Any advice, suggestions?
I caused Thomas to stay awake for 24 hours Friday and Saturday because I left Dayton with him to run a quick errand that took all day. Excuse my language, but Damn that JCI, agh!
Maybe I redeemed myself by driving him to the airport at 5am this morning.
Thomas brother called at 3 am yesterday to tell him his older brother Randy had died suddenly of an apparent heart attack. He was only 39. Thomas left this morning on his way home, by the time we made it to the counter to get tickets yesterday all the flights headed to mainland for the day were gone. He should be home Monday night, and the funeral is Tuesday.
He hasn't been home in 2 years so he is excited to see his family, just very sad this is the reason for his trip.
His sister also called this morning just as we were leaving for the airport to tell us his cousin had died. He wasn't very close to her, but she was only in her early thirties.
Please keep both families, and Thomas in your thoughts and prayers.
I am a nervous wreck when he travels. Arrive home safely baby.
That would be me!
The boys have, of course, been begging and pleading for Star Wars costumes for Halloween. Me, not being that big of a fan, and not wanting to spend that much money, or time making them, had almost convinced them to be other things.
Today Dayton and I made a quick stop into the thrift store on base and found a Darth Vader, Darth Maul, and Luke Skywalker costume! So, not only will they both have a costume, they will also have an option. That should help with the inevitable, them wanting the same one.
For only $3 each!!
I didn't intend to post anything politcal on here, as to not ruffle any feathers. But I just found this absolutely hilarious! I love Tina Fey.
As a final outing before Braden starts preschool we went out to the Zoo this past week.
Where we started our journey.
Apparently we came at nap time.
Taking a cat nap, ha ha. Sorry, I couldn't help myself.
I totally think she hod the hots for Braden. Look at her smiling and batting those lashes.
Getting ready to ride the boat.
Funny signs at the zoo:
Beware of Poo flinging primates,
and urine spraying felines.
Humans evolved from....rodents?
The side of a cigarette butt trash can(what are those called?).
My kids hardly listen to me, no reason to think this typhoon will. 
As you can see, he(she?) has veered away. No storm to watch after all. Just lots of rain to deal with. Poo.
We are the island right up above where is says 9pm Friday. It's going to be a rockin' Friday night here.
You can click on the picture to make it large enough to see.
Thomas took the boys to see Wall•E on Saturday. Well, apparently the movie they really wanted to see was Clone Wars. Yes, they are Drinking the Kool-Aid, and I think I know where they got it. I am looking at you Katherine. My two boys have tuned into Star Wars freaks. Something I know nothing about, and no matter how much I try, I cannot watch one of those movies. I feel like Keegan and Braden have this secret language I know nothing about. JangoFett? R2D2? Droids? Sounds like illicit drugs to me. Maybe I should get them checked, and that house around the corner where they like to hang out with their lightsabers. I still have my eye on you Katherine.
Since Saturday Keegan saw that Clone Wars was playing on Tuesday night. Between Braden asking every 5 minutes for the Red Bionicle "at the Peeeeeeeeeex, not the BeeeeeeeeX Mama", Keegan has reminded me that Clone Wars plays on Tuesday, and if I would like to take him, he will keep his room clean and not yell at Braden. Uh-huh.
So the day has come, and I take Keegan, Braden and a friend each to see this movie.
Let me just say. When I am 120 years old and they have to sponge bathe me. I better not hear a peep. I will, in my old squeaky but smooth voice remind them that I once sat through 2 hours of a movie that I had no clue what was going on except the slug was a really important guy.
The commissary was all sold out of my favorite deodorant last week. I blame that darn pad of coupons hanging below that made them a price of a sucker from being free. Anyhow, my deodorant was all sold out. Not all that uncommon to fall in love with a detergent, flavor of chips, or fresh vegetable and then not see it again for months. One of the prices we pay to live in paradise.
I am cleaning up the living room Monday afternoon, crawling around on the floor picking up the 200 or so alphabet cards Dayton has strewn about for the millionth time in the past 24 hours. I know there are only 26 letters in the alphabet, but I think he threw them together so much some reproduced. Now there are more. So I am picking them up and I keep getting a whiff of what I am sure is the arm and hammer carpet fresh for pet owners. I like to use that to make the house not smell like whatever we had for dinner. It doesn't have a wildflower, or orange, or bubble gum scent to it, just a clean scent. I think I have convinced a few with it. And before someone emails and asks. We do not have pets. Not be definition, I think Dayton counts. He took his diaper off and peed in the floor just today. Which reminds me, to buy duct tape next time I am out.
I know I smell it somewhere. One of the kids must have dumped half the box under a cushion, behind the sofa. I am crawling around on my knees searching for a white powdery substance that I never find. An hour later I go to change into my pj's and I smell it again, but upstairs this time.
**drumroll**
I smelt my new deodorant.
Except for the fact it is hitting on the weekend.
I had blogged a few weeks back wondering where all the Typhoons were this year. I suppose the season is just late this year. Last year we had several close calls and 1 major storm by this time.
All is well though. Thomas should get the day off Friday. It looks like it will hit as a Cat 3 or 4, but in the early am, so I might not get any video of it. But believe me I will try :)
I am just happy he is here to help prepare for it. He is leaving for the Mother Land in a few weeks. Leaving me here all alone with three kids to go PLAY for a few weeks. At least he will be able to see his family, which he hasn't seen in 2 years now. I have already started the shopping list.
We were walking around Kurashiki Dam Friday afternoon and a friend took this picture of Dayton.
I make cute babies :)
That are really bad. The sun was very bright.
Katherines kids came over to play a few weeks ago. We were outside blowing bubbles and playing the pool when I got this genius idea to put baby shampoo in the pool.
It has been awhile since I blogged last. We have been very busy around here. Braden was accepted into Sure Start, kinda like Head Start in the states. You know..preschool for the poor. Whatever. He is excited. Very excited. His teachers came to visit yesterday. The teachers' assistant was so patient and let him tell her all about his Bionicles. I think he may propose to her next week when he starts. His teacher seems very nice too. We have heard great things about her. I am excited for Braden to make some friends of his own and start to discover his own likes and dislikes. He falls under Keegans shadow and lives and breathes whatever Keegan and his friends are into. Hopefully he will have his own friends and his own interests soon. However, I am very sad to have him gone all day. Don't get me wrong. I am looking forward to the break, but I will miss him too. I have been pouting the past few days about it, when I do he says "Mom, you are so weird! I will come home to you everyday! I promise." That makes me feel better.
The point of that paragraph being started was to explain why I have been busy. I am sure Harvard has less paperwork to fill out before admittance. We got shots up to date. Dental checkup, Physical, which he failed the vision test. Optometry cleared him the next day though. An hour and a half wait at the pharmacy for eye drops. More school shopping, library visits, and a hot dinner date at Macaroni Grill on a Thursday night with three of the most handsome men on this island.
Keegan is sailing through second grade like a pro. He is doing very well. I must admit I was worried. This summer asking him to read elicited the same response as I would imagine me telling him he had to swim with sharks. He is going great, and reading wonderfully now though. Who knew that a flashlight could make reading that much more fun.
Dayton has officially become a kid, per Keegan. He is no longer a baby. His hair is cut, he no longer fits into the cute little carters one piece outfits, and he got his first pair of real shoes this week which he loves. Seeing him walk around in a t-shirt, denim shorts, tennis shoes, and haircut. I swear he looks 2 already. He is talking alot too. We can make out a few words, Mama, Dada, juice, dog, and ball. He is also saying a few words together in a sentence. I want touch! I want down! and What's that? He loves to read, and will sit still for close to an hour listening to me read. He loves dogs. Every animal is a dog and every animal barks. He also loves to watch sports. He has never watched a cartoon. Sometimes if one is on and a song is playing he will stop for about 10 seconds and listen. Put on Olympic diving, beach volleyball, or tennis and he is still for 2 hours. No kidding.
