Gyoza House

Two months in and we finally hit a real Japanese restaurant on Sunday night. 

The Gyoza House.  I didn't take this picture, but lifted it off the "Iwakuni Eats" Facebook page. 

It was a bit Waffle House in that there were formica booths, plastic menus in the holders on the tables already, and cooks shouting out orders (I'm presuming).  Lots of "Gozaimas" or at least that's what I think I heard.  What does that mean on its own?  Hopefully I'll find out soon.  I started a 3 month long Japanese class last night.  Once a week, out in town, two hours a week. 

ANYWAY.....they asked us to sign in for a table and while I'm pretty sure they could have sounded out our name if I would have written it in Roman letters; I asked Olivia to write her name in Japanese.  About five minutes later, the hostess called out "O-li-via?"  I was so proud! ☺ They have four "specials" in school:  music, art, P.E. and Japanese language and culture.  They go to one for two weeks and then switch.  Audrey hasn't had her Japanese yet, but Olivia had just finished her first two week session of it.  She had to concentrate, but she remembered!!!! Way to go O!

Claire and Audrey ordered the kids' meals which had a hot dog on a stick with a squirt of BBQ sauce, some soggy french fries, fried rice and perhaps some very breaded chicken nuggets.  How did they know to put in the American flag in their rice for us?  ;-)

I mean, we look so Japanese, don't you think? 

 Claire might have given our American selves away with her choice of dress.

Lately when we leave the house she has been sporting Olivia's Halloween costume from when she was 3.  A Strawberry Shortcake Princess dress that includes a full taffeta and tulle red skirt with green accents.  It's stunning.  ☺  Audrey is showing off her Melon Float!

I have food in my teeth so trying to hide it with my weird smile, but wanted to put it in here for the cute picture of our Japanese writer!!!!

She's drinking a Ginger Ale Float.  She actually didn't order anything, but that. 

I had fried rice and gyozas (pot stickers) that were fabulous but everybody else (I'm looking at you Mick!) barely picked at their food.  I take that back.  Claire ate some.  And Gigi was a big fan!

It was so good, she had to shovel it in.  And yes, we took her out in pajamas.  It was a wee bit chilly and I don't have enough cooler weather clothes for her. 

Need to make sure she didn't miss any!

Trying to get more local!!!!!!

Cheater's Lasagne

Tonight I made "Cheater's Lasagne" with Frozen Beef Ravioli, jarred spaghetti sauce, shredded mozzarella and (shhh!) sour cream instead of ricotta to make it a bit creamier. My family is THE.PICKIEST.EATERS.  It is so.tiresome cooking for them.  But ding!ding!ding! WE HAVE A WINNER!  Everyone ate, everyone liked, most thanked.  ☺

Gigi was a bit of a mess. 

Time for a bath in her jacuzzi sink tub!  

I'm so glad we have her as our very own littlest sister!  

College Football

We are 14 hours ahead of Central Standard Time and it makes it a wee bit difficult to watch college football.  This is the second morning since Mick's beloved college football started that he got up at 4:30 on Sunday to watch Texas play.  (Mick is a big fan of Saturday mass while we live here in Japan.  When we were in the States there was NO WAY he would go to mass on Saturdays during college football season!) 

Let's not talk about the score, shall we?  Let's talk about his cute companion he got toward the end!  

Kinda takes the sting away after a big loss, huh? 

I bought a smaller, back-up digital camera yesterday.  It will be good to have!  Who wants to miss pictures like this one? 

Skype Babysitter

I was on Skype with my Mom and Dad today and Claire and Olivia were behind me.  Olivia was reading and Claire was naked (that was at 10 a.m., it's 4:45 and she's still naked.  She even napped naked today!) and running around.  We were getting ready to hang up and my Mom said, "Uh, Mommy....you might want to look behind you at Claire."  And I turn around and Claire is standing on a narrow side table, that's higher than my waist when standing, and at that moment leaped onto an armchair.

My Dad said, "That's okay, Susan.  You don't have eyes in the back of your head."

I need them with her around though!!!!!

No pictures!  I didn't want encourage her!

Olivia's Birthday at 3 Falls

Sunday was our sweet Olivia's seventh birthday and we celebrated with a day trip to 3 Falls.  

It was about a 30 minute drive.  It was our first time as a family out of the city of Iwakuni.  The roads can be sooooooo narrow!

This is a two lane road!

We parked and then went on this hiking trail for a half mile or so. 

We got to a fork in the road.  Which way do we go?

Oh okay.  That way. 

And this is what we saw at the end of the path!

There was only one other family there.  Such BEAUTY!!!!!

The girls climbed right up the rock, little cliff.

And then Audrey was the first one to JUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!

GERONIMOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gigi had pulled our good camera off of the desk the day before and we need to send it in for warranty, so we took a few disposable cameras as backups.  The one I took of Mick jumping in didn't turn out, but here goes Olivia!!!!

Sassy and Seven Years Old!  Audrey is in the background, getting ready to slide down waterfall #1.

"Be there just in case I need you, okay Daddy?!?"  ☺

Then Olivia, Audrey and Daddy swam over and climbed up the waterfall and slid down it a few times.

And then they swam in the little pool of water to the bigger two waterfalls. 

SOOOOOOOOO BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!

 Doesn't this sign describe the scene above perfectly?

 Then it was Mommy's turn to JUUUMMMPPPP!

It was a bit scary and I had waded in and knew that the water was COLD!!!!

But if my new 7 year old can do it!!!!!  (I still had to plug my nose.  I hate water in my nose.)

Such clear water and so beautiful, but COLD!

 So what are Claire and Gigi doing?

There they are!  (See the board in the top right that we walked across to get to the fun side?  Nothing but safety on our minds when we're having fun in Japan!) ☺

Gigi was really into the rocks.  As in she was into putting them in her mouth.

And how about Claire? 

Claire is so Claire!!!!  ☺  (She didn't jump though!)

It was a GREAT FUN place and we want to go back often!  The family that was there with us has been in Iwakuni for 4 1/2 years and they said they have the tradition of going to 3 Falls on New Year's Day and jumping in!  Shall we do it too?

☺   What a crazy polar bear plunge that would be!  ☺

It's not every day you get to spend 2,780 yen at McDonald's....

Audrey had been dying to go to McDonald's.  And not the one in the top of the FujiGrand Mall.  She wanted a  real McDonald's.  With the Playland.

Don't know why, but I thought it a reasonable request so we made it happen this Monday night.   

 No Diet Coke (What is their fascination with Coke Zero?), but the girls are loving the Japanese sodas.  Today we had White Grape and Melon. 

Gigi is our first kid who actually wants to walk and has the scars to prove it.  Let's go around her face, shall we?

Start above her left eye with her cyst removal (slight) scar.  Go to her left eye on the outside corner.  Standing at our bed and fell and hit the side.  Then her chin?  She was standing right beside me at a friend's house and just went BONK.  Right on top of a basket.  Don't know where the scratches above her right eye came from.  Ending with the bruise, an attractive yellowish/greenish/black above her right eye, near her hair.  I think that happened when she was standing at her crib, so tired and couldn't give it up and hit her head on her crib.  Sluggo.  It's so sad.  :(

And then there's Claire.  She's just funny.  Yes, she has blue paint in her hair.

And I'll save you the trouble of looking up the conversion rate.  Three kids meals and two adult meals (I had the Teriyaki McBurger!) was $33.04.  When we go out in town, I understand why we get our COLA.

Green dots, yellow dots and red dots

When we were packing up the house, everything had a dot. 

Red dot = Went to storage

Yellow dot = Regular shipment.  By sea. Limited to about 13,000 pounds.  Never heard the final count, but I think we only brought about 8,000.

Green dot = Express shipment.  By air.  Limited to 1,000 pounds.  Which theoretically would get here and be delivered when we got our townhouse.  But really got delivered four hours after the regular shipment. 

Today I looked at my coffee pot that I thought at the time was such a green dot item.  Life is so busy and overwhelming here at times, that I rarely take the time to make a pot of coffee.  I actually have bought the Maxwell House coffee bags (like tea) and upped my intake of Diet Coke. 

Third week of school starts tomorrow. And my first full week of care for Gigi.  (Two wives are taking turns watching her.)  I'm hoping I can start to gain on the backload of work and get us settled.  And perhaps have a cup of real coffee.  But whatever.  Maxwell House is good to the last drop.

The girls are hoping Daddy finishes the "Apple Treehouse."

And Claire?  Claire's just Claire.  Watering plants and trees. ☺

Sayonara!

I guess we'll be getting that gate out

Sooner.  Rather than Later.

Gigi, "Sluggo" Wagoner, on her way up!

Like a duck to water....or a zebra to Serengeti...

ACTION!

I just love this video ("SUSAN!  BRING THE FLIP...QUICK!") because it, of course, gives us the first clues into her Division 1 full-ride athletic scholarship since she's so talented....ahem....but her "Da.da.da.da.day!" chattering going on.  Audrey also had just one word forever "Mia" and it was so, so precious and somehow I missed getting it on video.  I could listen to this all day! 

Tzusu Beach is not for swimming, but for shelling

But the girls had a lot of fun looking for the pretty shells and sea glass!

Audrey brought her friend Jayna (she met her in her DEFY camp), on the left and Macy, center, was there with her family and another family from our street.  All three girls are in the same 6th grade class!  ☺

Claire and Gigi L-O-V-E-D playing in the sand!  

Olivia liked doing both things.  Sand playing and sea shell hunting!

I know these are nearly the same, but I love the action shot above of Gigi helping Claire and then I love her smiling for the camera here.  There were none of Claire looking up.  She was entirely too busy.

Gigi didn't mind getting dirty at all!

Hmmm.  That's an interesting animal track.  What is that?

A little hand print and a back and forth slide.  Hmmmm.

Ahhhh!  A new crawler!  A very cute species!

A very pretty beach, not for swimming, but lots of adventure to be had.  The tunnel to the parking lot stairs had lots of interesting (BIG) bugs and a great Echo! Echo! Echo!

 And look at my speckled, sandy girl!  

She didn't mind a bit!

Lots of fun at Tzusu Beach!  About 10-15 minutes from our house!