Bringing in the New Year

As we prepare to bring in the New Year we continue to be excited and amazed at what lies ahead. We are looking forward to purchasing our first home, a new car, my return to school, and the opportunities that we might find in Oklahoma. We spend much of our time right now getting ready for the move and figuring out all the things we want to do when we get back. I have applied to five nursing schools and should start finding out in April or May if I am going to get in or not.

Ryan has been enjoying his time off from school this holiday break and even more than that I think that Colin has enjoyed having him home. He loves his brother so much and although he has many ways to annoy him, he really misses him when he is not around.

Matt got his official orders and so we can finally start making the plans and appointments necessary to out process this base. We also got our port call and will be leaving here and arriving in the states on February 16th.

The kids had a good Christmas, although we kept it small this year, I think it was still enjoyable. They ran out of the lego sets that Ryan really wanted more than 2 months ago at the BX and so I know he was a bit disappointed, but I told him he could pick one out when we get to the states so he will have something to play with there.

We aren't doing anything special for the New Year, but we will be taking in a performance of Tops in Blue ( the Air Force's own singers and dancers). This will be our third time seeing them and I am never let down. They always put on a new and great show. If they ever come your way, you should consider going to see them.

I put some random pictures in this time from Christmas, Boy Scouts, and one of our new house. I hope this finds you all happy and well...until next time!

Ohhhhhhh...KLAHOMA

"...Where the wind goes sweeping through the plains!"

I guess that is going to be our newest theme song! As most of you already know we will be going to Tinker AFB in Oklahoma City. We are very excited that we will be back in the states even if it is going to be a ways from home. We are also excited that we are most likely going to be able to buy our first house! Now that we know where we are going, we are ready to pack our bags and be on our way!

Ryan has been sick this last week with a really nasty flu bug. He has had a fever for about five days, but it finally broke last night. He has his last soccer game on Saturday and if they win (well technically we don't keep score...but) we will be undefeated. He has been much better at soccer than we anticipated and we can really see the improvement in he ball handling skills. His speed has also increased a lot, but I think that is partly because he has grown so much recently. He is doing well at school, although his teacher just had a baby and now he is going to have a substitute for at least 2 months. I just hope he continues to do well with the new teacher.

Colin is getting to be quite the little pain sometimes. He likes to cry for the opposite of what you say. If I say lets go to Pizza Hut he cries and says he wants to go to Burger King, so then if I say, "okay we will go to Burger King" he will cry for Pizza Hut. Sometimes you just can't win with him. Right now he is also very particular about what he wears and will often times insist that he has to wear red because red is "cool". It can be very tiring, but I guess if we ever thought Colin might get lost in Ryan's shadow that thought is gone now!

Matt has been finishing up his football season. I think they are 3-3 now and so if they win this next game or two I guess they will make the playoffs. Matt was supposed to be in the middle of Airman Leadership School righ tnow, but he lost his slot to someone who needed the class sooner than he did. I guess he will have to take it as soon as we get to the states. Matt is looking forward to leaving his desk job at this base behind and going to a more outdoor job in Oklahoma. Only time will tell if he will like it or not, but an excited attitude will certainly help.

I have finished taking classes here in Japan and now have enough to earn my associates degree. I won't be walking with a cap and gown or anything, but it is still nice to have. My last week of work is this weekand since Ryan was sick I will only be working the last 2 days. I am happy to be done and I am excited to get a start on the house stuff that needs to get done. I also plan on going to the gym a little more often.

We had a good Thanksgiving and I was really happy with the way that everything turned out. The turkey turned out very tender this year and everything was really good. We always wish we had family closer to spend the holidays with, but it is nice to have our friends around too. I hope everyone is happy and healthy. Hopefully the next time I write we will have our actual date that we are leaving!

Love you all...enjoy the pictures!

Our List

I don't have too much news other than that our list of possible bases came out. I will list them here in the order that we chose which is from most preferable to least.

Bolling AFB, DC,    Peterson AFB, CO,    Tinker AFB, OK,   Mountain Home AFB, ID,      Barksdale AFB, LA,    and Cannon AFB, NM

We should find out where we are going in the next few weeks and hopefully no later that the first week of November.

The pictures above are mostly from Colin's soccer and the one of Matt is after he ran the half marathon. I wanted to get a picture of him as he crossed the finish line, but I was there too late.

We are staying busy here as Ryan plays soccer, we all go to school, and Matt prepares for another exercise at work. I will update more around the first of the month with the kids halloween pictures and hopefully our next base! 

School Days Again

Well, I made it back to update with some news as well...

We have been busy as usual over here in Okinawa. Let me start with some comments for the pictures above. Some were taken during our last camping trip to the beach. Some are from the Eisa estival we went to in Naha. A couple are from Ryan's firs day of school. Then there is one of Ryan sleeping with his football and one of Colin playing guitar. There are also two pictures of the boys with spray-on tatoos that we got out in town and one of a lizard in our backyard.

Colin is still going to the daycare center. He has fun there playing with his friends and really enjoys it more than I ever thought he would. He loves pulling out the little guitar whenever Matt has out his. The guitar was actually a present for Ryan, but it is clear that Colin enjoys it much more. Colin is still rather stubborn about many things, but what three year old isn't! He is in a soccer league for 3-4 year olds where they don't have any games, but they learn some of the basics. At first he didn't want to participate, but he is doing much better now.

Ryan is really liking first grade. He really likes his teacher and he says the work is "a piece of cake!" I am really happy that he got a good teacher, since I know that can make all the difference. Ryan started soccer practice this last week. As usual, he is one of the more athetically inclined kids on the team. However, he doesn't know much about soccer so it will be a learning process. He continues to play tackle football with the neighborhood kids. We try to watch that he doesn't get hurt though as they are all a couple years older than him.

Matt made Staff Sergeant (I forget if I said that last time) and although he doesn't get to sew on yet, it is really nice to know it is coming. He has been even busy at work as he gets taked with more "projects" now than he used to. He seems to have alot on his plate to also include taking two classes this term. He is also getting ready to run a half marathon this coming weekend. I think it is going to about 13 miles. I believe he will also start playing flag football soon and I guess he may be the quarterback this year.

I have also been busy with work and then school. I am taking three classes right now and still working 40 hours a week. This keeps me away from home at least three nights a week and then on the two nights I am home Ryan has soccer practice. There are only four more weeks in this term though and then I won't be taking as many classes. I am also planning on quitting my job sometime in the beggining of November so that should free up quite a bit of time.

Our list of possible bases comes out soon...about three more weeks and we should have a good idea. We cannot wait. In the meantime Matt and I both have birthdays coming up as well as an anniversary. We hope all is well with all of you and will look forward to writing next time with where we may be headed!

Hot Summer...

Well, as usual it has been awhile since I have updated. I am off work today, so I guess I better do something useful! We had a typhoon hit about two weeks ago. It was our first of the season and the strongest one to hit us in our 2 1/2 years on the island. Everything here is made out of concrete though and took the storm well. The trees didn't fair as well, but no major damage in Okinawa to speak of. I guess it did quite a bit more on the mainland, but they are not as ready for storms as we are here in Typhoon Alley. 

Matt just finished up his anatomy class yesterday and was very happy to have that over with. He has gotten more and more busy over the summer at work and is often stressed out about that. He will find out in about two weeks if he made the next rank or not. We are keeping our fingers crossed, but I don't think he is that confident about it. Matt also reenlisted for another term so we won't be done with the Air Force for at least another five years...2012...that seems so far away.

Ryan has been spending his summers at the school age program here on base. It is nice for him that he gets to go on lots of field trips, but he is picking up several "less than desirable" things being around all those older kids. I am ready for school to start again so that he is not there for 9 hours a day. Ryan took the summer off where sports are concerned, but he is getting ready to play soccer this fall. Matt was going to take a season off from coaching so he could concentrate on work and school, but we have just been informed that they have less than 1/4 of the coaches needed, so we will see. We don't want to see kids not get to play. Ryan is getting skinnier and skinnier. I guess he is just so active it is hard to keep any weight on. Who knows...I guess that happens to a lot of kids.

Colin is still going to the daycare center where I work. He likes it there, but also picks up some bad habits. He is all the way potty trained now (even at night). We are really happy that he is becoming such a big boy (well, I might be a little sad). He is still pretty easy going most of the time and seems pretty happy more often than not. He is learning his colors, shapes, and numbers well and often surprises us with all that he knows. He is also signed up for soccer and this will be his first "official" sport.

I have been busy at work and, like Matt, I have been having to bring work home many nights just to get everything done. I definatelywill not be working in daycare when we get back to the states. Between the parents, the kids, and the management it is a lot. I am also getting ready to take another class. University of Maryland is finally offering some more science classes here, so I am going to take physics. I have also been trying to work on my scrapbooking a little bit as I have fallen way behind.

We are counting down to the beginning of October when our list of bases comes out, but in the meantime we are trying to enjoy the island in between all of our other happenings. We can't wait to see everyone and are so excited that we are almost down to six months! I hope all is well with everyone and that you enjoyed this little update!

Let Summer Begin

Wow! I can't believe it is June already! Ryan has one more week of school and then ten weeks of summer break. We have all been keeping busy as usual and still counting the days...I mean months until we return!

Matt has been taking Anatomy and Physiology this term and last term. He is doing well in the class and trying to study for his Staff Sergeant test as well. He tests next Monday, so hopefully all goes well. He has been working hard still and trying to take in as much as possible at work. He was also coaching Ryan's basketball team which just wrapped up the season last week. He will be taking a break from coaching for the summer so that we can have a few more free weekends. He is still taking guitar lessons and has really gotten a new passion for learning songs to play. He is contantly on the internet looking up how to play different songs. Luckily he is talented enough to do it that way.

Ryan had a good season playing basketball. He was certainly not the star of the league, but I would say he falls in the top ten players and some of those we already seven! He had one week left of school and although he is finishing up strong in his academics he is not doing so well with his behavior. He has been having a lot of anger problems so he has started seeing the school counselor who has recommended that he see someone else as well. So he will start seeing someone over the summer and we will hopefully see some changes. He will be taking the summer off as far as sports are concerned and will start off again in the fall with soccer.

Colin has moved from his toddler classroom to one of the preschool rooms at the daycare. He cried for the first few days, but now he is doing well. He is doing well at potty training, but he still won't poop in the potty. He is still a good buy, but really knows how to bother Ryan now and takes full advantage of it. He is starting to take more of an inerest in coloring and now also has a huge interest in basketball and football....I wonder where that comes from!....

I am still working at the daycare center. I work in one of the preschool rooms and although it is very challenging at times, I don't mind the work. I could't do it for years, but for know it works. I took a couple of classes this last term to try and get myself back into the swing of things. I am still waiting for my grade in Calculus, but I am hoping for a B. I am also still taking piano lessons, but I am not as motivated or as talented as Matt. I'll be working on it for awhile.

Only four more months and we should have a good idea of where we are headed. We can't wait to at least know what is in store for us. I am sorry for taking so long between posts and I promise I will try to do better!

Ryan's Birthday and Rainy Season

I can see that once again it has been a long time since I have written anything. I guess it is better late than never! As you can see from the title we are now into the rainy season here and the nice days are wonderful, but don't come as often as I would like. We also just had Ryan's birthday party, and luckily it was nice outside that day. He had an Army party. We sent out Draft Notices as invitations and painted everyone's face with camo paint. It was a lot of fun, and Ryan got way too many presents.

Colin is doing well. He is going to daycare now and seems to like it. I check on him several times during the day and he is always playing and having fun. He is still working on potty training and I think we are slowly making progress, but we are no where that I would like to be. Colin loves to play outside and as you can see from the picture above, we have put him on Ryan's old bike. He wanted to ride it at first, but now he hardly uses it. I think the trampoline is still his favorite toy.

Ryan is doing well in school and football season is now over. He is taking a break from tennis right now because it is really hard for us to get him there. He is playing basketball though and is really enjoying that so far. He gets mad though because a lot of the kids aren't that great so he tries to be a ball hog. He has started going to the school age program that they have here and he really likes it. They get to do a lot of fun activities and he can keep really busy.

Matt and Ryan went back to the states for a funeral, as most of you already know. They had quite an adventure coming back though. They traveled for almost ten days because they got stuck in several airports trying to take space-a travel through the military. It was certainly a long trip and it is nice to have them home. Ryan didn't even want to leave and has asked to go back several times already.

Matt is going to start taking classes again this term and is also busy studying for his staff sergeant test. He will proabably test sometime in May and then find out sometime around June or so if he made it or not. He is also coaching Ryan's basketball, which is always rewarding and challenging all at the same time. He is working on settling abck into work right now and getting used to being back home.

I have started working at the child developement center here on base where Colin goes to daycare. It is nice because I am able to check in on Colin whenever I want. It is also pretty challenging because some of the kids as well as the parents are very difficult to deal with. I am still taking two classes online and I am doing okay in them. It has really been a struggle to take my math class online, but I am making it through.

We are really looking forward to coming back home...only about 91/2 more months. I can't believe we are under a year now and I know a year can fly by like nothing! I can't wait to see all of you!

Christmas and More

Well, I guess the title just goes to show you that I have really been slacking when it comes to keeping this updated. I can't believe my last update was a Halloween one! I will try to get all the important things in since then....

Ryan has been playing flag football. He is really good as far as athletics goes, but has a bad attitude sometimes and we have to make him sit out. He is probably our best passer on the team though and may be the best reciever as well. He is reading like a champ now and his teacher says he is doing very well at wirting sentences. He also has a real interest in math so we try to keep up with that at home since the kindergarten math is a bit too easy. He really enjoyed his Christmas this year and probably got a little too much stuff.

Colin had a good Christmas as well, even though he wasn't too happy in the beginning. He had been up several times during the night so he was still very tired when it was time to open gifts. He is working on potty training right now and is doing okay. He pees in the potty about 50% of the time, but hasn't done much else. It continues to be a challenge as he would much rather go in a diaper. He really wants to "go to school" though so we are trying to use that as incentive.

Matt has been busy coaching Ryan's football. He is the only coach and it is very stressful sometimes having to deal with so many kids. He continues to wish that his job allowed him a little more to do than sit at a desk while he studies for his rank test. The Cowboys got knocked out of the playoffs in a very disappointing early game, so now there is only the draft to look forward to where football is concerned.

I have started taking some classes to get me ready to re-enter college when we get back to the states. I am taking Calculus and Biology online. I am really nervous about them so I have been spending a lot of time working on those. I haven't volunteered in quite awhile, but I am hoping to get back to that sometime. We have also gotten addicted to the show "Lost" but have to try and save it for the weekends so we don't try to watch the whole season in one night!

We also had a visit from my Mom at the beginning of the month. It was so nice to have her help with the kids and the house for a week. Also just to have someone we love so much be here, was really nice. Her visit went too fast, but I know it will only be one more year and we will get to come and see everyone that we miss so much!