International Children's Ice Festival

Seriously there is like a festival EVERY weekend around here (when the weather permits).  This past weekend we went to the ice skating rink in town and met with our Japanese neighbors.  It was a lot of fun......for Elijah!  I was super cold and bundled up - I drank hot lemonade (another vending machine favorite of mine)!  We got to walk on the ice in our snow boots.  The kids played ice hockey, tug-of-war, bowling, etc on the ice.  Elijah spent MOST of the time on his backside sliding around like boys do.  Here are some pics:

                                                  Ice rink bowling

                                                                             Ice Hockey
                                                                ....just sliding around :)
                                                       he is just as happy as a 'pig in slop'
         He was chosen to ride while Japanese pulled him around....looking a bit nervous huh?
                                                  Elijah's newest Japanese friend
                                                 tug-of -war didn't last very long on the ice

Green Eggs and Turkey?

Elijah and I celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday this morning.  We made green eggs and turkey vs. green eggs and ham.  Sorry the commissary doesn't have turkey ham :)  Bummer!

Now I remember my mom making these for me when I was little and I was too excited!  Making them as an adult is a different story though.  I was grossed out by the GREENNESS (is that a word?) of the eggs!  

Elijah enjoyed it ....ate every crumb!

P.S. - yes we eat on Styrofoam plates now........seriously with Eddie being gone...it's one less dish I have to wash! 

Love "The Sumo Wrestler"!

My BEST sumo squat!

Here are some pics from the scavenger hunt this past weekend. I bet you thought I was playing when I mentioned  the sumo suits huh?  I mean the suits even had fans attached to the pockets to blow it up!  Oh wait -- also included wigs to make my hair look like it was pulled back in a ponytail!  Did I mention my team won?  Hey it was a $2000 prize -- donated back to a scholarship account......not so much money in my pocket:( 

for the time being....

........Eddie is deployed.  He will be gone for awhile.  Because we have to be aware of information we give out to the world (anyone can look at this blog) I can't tell you all where he is or when he will be back.  Sorry!  But if we talk I can 'try' to code it in a way that gives you some idea.

We (Elijah and I) are doing alright.  We are trying to stay as busy as possible so it seems as if the time doesn't stand still.  This weekend we participated in a scavenger hunt with the teachers!  YEAH!  We are SUPER tired....at least I was...Elijah spent the day eating pizza and playing with kids!  I mean I am amazed at all the "STUFF" teachers have around  their house.....i.e. two sumo wrestler costumes, a Florida shaped candle, a Rock Fest ticket stub, glow in the dark pumpkins and 7 pairs of angel wings!  Really?  I am pretty sure I had 2 things on the 7 page list......workout gloves and a completed coloring book!  ha ha ha ha!

What's YOUR heart's desire?

I'm telling you ..... if you ever get over here to Japan, you will NEVER go hungry with the plethora of vending machines available to you. Now I am not talking about the typical snacks and drinks, coffee etc. Check these out!

freshly fried french fries, hot chicken nuggets, sushi and hot soup with dumplings! Yes, it really is fried in the machine when you order it.

Hello Kitty is BIG TIME out here....I mean BIG TIME! You can watch the popcorn popping in this machine when you order it...you can choose butter, salt and cheddar toppings!

Our Lil Super Star

So I decided that I was going to play American Idol on the Playstation....hmmmm until Elijah walked in the room and literally took over the mic! I think this is reading fluency practice at its best! I mean he asked to change the character to a male, picked his songs and all.....pretty bold for a 7 year old huh? I couldn't even get upset - he is just so cute:)

I found more snow festival pics!

These were pretty cool too -- I thought I would share these as well!