Happy 4th Birthday Tyler!!

Mr. Tyler's choice for a birthday party was to go to Tarza waterpark for the day. How could we say no when this will probably be the only time that he can have a party at a waterpark in January! We had a great time with friends and mommy even went down a super crazy waterslide. Believe me, I screamed loud before I was slammed with all the water in my face! See the web album for many, many more pictures.

Tyler and his girlfriend, Bella. He loves her so much!

Tyler and his new bike!

Miss Shannon came to help out with the kids. She's awesome!! Tyler loved being doted on by her since he has to share her with other kids at school but today she was all his!

Happy Birthday Tyler!!!!

Tyler's school birthday party

Friday we had Tyler's birthday party at school and had an impromptu song from our favorite McManus family. They sang a Happy Birthday song in acapella! I love their voices and it was such a blessing for Tyler as well as the entire class.

I tried to get him to turn around but he was just looking ahead so they had to sing to the back of his head!

Mrs. Sablan, Logan's teacher, wanted to get a picture with her and her Chamoele boys. Here on the island a chamoele is part Chamorran, part Haole (white). I guess they've been on the island long enough to deserve that title!

Aw! Brotherly love! Tyler was following Ryland around on the playground to "protect" him.

Boonie Stomping

It's been a while since I've posted any boonie stomping adventures which means it's been a while since I've done any! Tori and I were talking this morning and I happened to mention Geocaching which she's never heard of and I've always wanted to try. In order to do it you need a GPS because you are given coordinates to a secret cache or treasure box. Once you find it you can take whatever is in there as long as you replace it with something. Hunting for treasure....the exact phrase that made my boys jump up and run for the door! We looked for an easy to find place on the geocaching website, Nick grabbed his GPS and we were off. We drove around for a bit until we found the exact location that the box was hidden. Our only clue was that it was under a rock or tree. Gee....could it get any more vague?? I felt like I was searching for the hidden immunity idle on Survivor! We searched for awhile but no luck. Guess it will have to stay hidden for the next person to come along.

Next we headed to Champs for some burger fuel and to brainstorm where our next adventure would lead us. We decided on Fonte Dam which is a dam built in 1910 to supply the area with fresh drinking water. It was a fairly easy hike with a well worn path. The boys enjoyed it and are asking to do another hike. I think mama needs to get over this one first. ;-)

Beginning the hike to Fonte Dam.

Top of the dam. Notice the water down below...

Bottom of the dam. The bricks that the dam was constructed with were imported. I can't imagine having to lug it all the way there!

Fonte Dam/River

Bruiser takes a fall

The other day Ry (aka Bruiser) fell out of the john deere truck and hit the pavement head first. The next morning he looked like this. He looks like Lloyd Christmas from Dumb and Dumber with his new haircut and now he's added Rocky Balboa to that look. Poor baby! We're having our pictures taken next week but I may have to cancel because he looks like he got in a fight!

Montessori Moments

The other day I wanted to work with Tyler on his numbers. I wanted to see if he could recognize the number and match it with the items on the paper. I started off by drawing circles on a piece of paper and had him put beans on each of the circles. I told him that each circle was a bean bed so he put them to sleep on their circles. Then I had him match the appropriate number to the beans. He did very well and enjoyed his "home"work.

As you can see, he's very proud of himself here.

Out at sea

The morning started out with bright smiles in anticipation for our boat ride. Our neighbor, Nick is the Commanding Officer of the USCG Washington and he invited aboard for a dependent's cruise. Everyone was very excited to go.

Nick and the crew treated us to doughnuts for breakfast which is always number one in the boys' book!

Beautiful view right before heading out to sea.

And that's the last of our pictures because I got sick and I mean SICK. I think my stomach is floating out there somewhere. The winds picked up and the boat started rocking. I did my best to keep the contents of my stomach where they belong by taking dramamine and anti-nausea medication but to no avail. I spent the rest of the time in Nick's cabin half drugged and sick. Not sure if I'll attempt that again. The boys had a great time and are still talking about it. L was disappointed that we didn't get to fish but it was just too rough and by the time we got back all I wanted to do was put my feet on dry land. He did get a lesson on driving the boat as well as charting their course on a map. He loved it! I think I see sailing in his future. Nick and the crew were all very welcoming and accommodating aboard their floating home and we appreciate their generosity. I have a greater understanding and appreciation for the men and women of the US Coast Guard. They spend a lot of time out to sea protecting our shores and away from family. It's a huge sacrifice that is not recognized enough. Thanks guys for a great time!

First Haircut

I've been putting it off because I want to keep my baby A BABY but I guess the mullet was getting a little unruly so it had to go. I'm not gonna lie, I was close to tears when his hair was being cut. He did great too. As I was watching his blonde locks fall to the ground I had flashbacks from when Tyler got his first haircut. I guess I've forgotten the similarity between the two until today. We made a trip to the doctor's today because of some suspicious looking white bumps on his tongue. I was afraid it was Hand Foot & Mouth disease because his little bud, Mia was just diagnosed with it yesterday. The doc confirmed my suspicions and he indeed has it. He sure is a cheerful, highly energetic little guy for being sick. I would never have known except for the bumps on his tongue. He also has an ear infection too. Just in time for daddy to come....

PMM (Proud Momma Moment)

Today the school gave out quarterly awards. Tyler received a reward for being the most patient and that he is. I guess it comes from having an older brother who always wants to be first. (Don't worry, I'm working on L!) Logan received three awards, one for being the most friend and sociable, the second for excelling in his Bible verses and the third for making the principal's list! He has to get all A's for that one! Great job my boys! Mommy is proud of you both!!!

Lunch w/ friends

We went over to Jenn's house for lunch on Thursday. Jenn is the momma of a little boy named Benji. Now if you know Tyler or have seen this blog in the past, you'll understand why today was so important. You see, Benji is Tyler's BEST friend. Every night before we go to bed, we say our prayers and he says, "Don't forget Benji!". He loves his friend so much. We've been out of touch for a little while because we sort of live on seperate parts of the island. We used to see each other frequently because we attended chapel that Benji's dad preached at so Ty got his weekly fix of Benji. Here's a few pictures of our day...

GO BABY GO!

Silliness!

Friends

Curiosity....

Ryland and Mia

These two are best buds. When Ry first met Mia he was a little put off by her "mothering" which was hilarious to watch. Now the minute I mention her name he starts waving and running to the door for his shoes. It's great to see how they've bonded at such a young age. My friend, Dot has a slideshow of these two over at her blog.

These are the days of Ryland

Ryland watching a man give the tree a "haircut". He was completely fascinated by this man climbing his tree! He kept waving at him while he was up there.

Following suit with his daddy, the boy loves to clean. Would you believe that when he dumps his blocks out he almost always puts them away when he's finished with them....without being prompted to do so!

Ah, this little 4 wheeler has made through 3 boys. It was given to Logan by my sister and is still going strong. Ry just learned that if you push the button it will move. He bucked half way across the yard on this thing.

A Wii Tragedy

This video was actually taken to get a glimpse of Ryland playing along with the Wii like he was doing just a few moments before but what I caught on tape was one of L's fits if he doesn't win. Ugh. He won several times before but by some freak occurrence Tyler actually won (L runs a little faster that Ty!). How in the world does one teach their child to lose gracefully??

Kendo Martial Arts

I babysat Isabel and Jojo today because they are moving off-base. I ended up taking all of the kids to see a Kendo demonstration today. If you're wondering what Kendo is, it's a form of Japanese martial arts with use of the sword. I knew this would be something that my boys would love to see! It was quite fascinating to watch actually. They explained their protective gear to the crowd and gave a demonstration using swords made of bamboo. Afterward, they asked for audience participation and little Isabel jumped right up. She's not shy! It took some coaxing for Tyler but he eventually got up on stage and didn't want to leave! They got to practice using the bamboo "swords". Once that was finished they had the master come up to give a demonstration using a real Samurai sword. He used it to cut through a rolled bamboo mat and we were told that this actual simulates the thickness of a human neck. Uck. When the sword was still used about 125 years ago they would aim for where the neck meets the shoulder and slice at an angle cutting their opponent in half. Pretty gruesome. The MC for the last event was done by a famous Japanese actor/comedian. I didn't catch his name because they talk pretty fast in Japanese but he is the equivalent to Adam Sandler. Wow.....we were in the presence of greatness! ;-)

My little Samurai Warrior

An oldie

This picture is for anyone that ever doubted me when I told them I was once blonde. Here's my proof!

This picture is of my mom and me 9 or 10 years ago.