just missing Foster...

look at our pack!

Happy HALLOWeen!

The hostess Lauri cuts into the brain, bwaaaaaahaahhaaa!

Cora, Sophia and Nitta

Mrs. Mia Wallace, piglet, blue and red power rangers

NO halloween party is complete without a brain pannacotta!

another favorite treat!
our little chicken with Cleopatra (auntie Janet....)

Cora takes a nap on daddy... Greg was SO happy to be able to wear one of his fedoras again!

Our Japanese family -- YEP, we dressed like typical Japanese and Reid did, too (he's our surrogate teenage son). Notice the "ENGRISH" shirts we wear. (Some thought Greg was trying to be Howard Stern...) Please notice that I'm also sporting my new UGG boots that Greg got me in Australia. The funny thing is, we could dress like this everyday here and totally fit in.... not really a costume!

Greg's shirt says: "Correspond / H promotes Salzburg / Scenery today is not necessarily the same through all eternity thing"

Meg's says: "Breasts Hope eternal The human Springs Blessed"

HuH?

happy ALMOST halloween!

Cora dressed up like her brothers and sister for her daycare Halloween party! The children there were so excited to see "Kameko-chan Inu desu!" -- cora's a dog!!

We don't have big orange pumpkins in Japan... but we found this lil pumpkin gourd at the Commissary. It's good enough this year, but next year we're looking to carve! The Japanese pumpkins are a dark green... maybe that'd make a fun Jack-o-Lantern?

fun week....

her first Halloween! Here's some shots of Cora in her adorable pumpkin hat, hand-knit by Obaasan. Too cute for words :)

catch-up!

Gee, I kinda knew this would happen.... too busy with life to keep regular updates on the blog. BUT, knowing how many of you stay tuned to "lostinsasebo," so I promise to try harder! Balancing parenthood and working is quite a chore, and I only work part time! I have such respect for single moms who work full time...

We are good. Cora is changing daily, it seems. We're so happy to have gotten both sets of grandparents using Skype, so they can webcam with us whenever to see her in action. It's fun :) She now has 2 teeth and is working on her third. She seems to forever have the daycare nose, but only gets upset when I try to clean it, SIGH! Any tips there?

The past couple of weekends were fun and I have loads of pictures to share....

First we went as a family to Fukuoka -- the closest "big city" here in Japan. We stayed at a hotel right downtown and were able to do a fair amount of shopping! Our goal was some repairs at the Apple store, which ended up being easy as pie. We also hit BabyGap for some winter boots for miss Cora. We were thrilled to find a ColdStoneCreamery (which we used to travel to Guam to get when we lived in Saipan!) and were reminded how dangerously overweight we'd likely be if there were one in Sasebo! We also joined the locals for late nite snacks at little foodtrucks. We sat on tiny seats at a common table and enjoyed fresh gyoza (dumplings) and beer. It was lovely. Reminiscent of the riverwalk in SanAntonio or Singapore combined with Philadelphia..... someone has to get my point, right? Check out Cora's bath in the hotel sink... she treated it like it was her private jacuzzi :)

Finally, we hit the antique shrine sale that has become a favorite for me... Greg's first time, he loved it! We managed to get a 90 year old ship's compass that is fabulous and a little bench to match Cora's antique Japanese school desk. For now, it sits in our entry way for shoe dressing, as no shoes are allowed in Japanese homes -- very practical purchase!

Last weekend I went to Akizuki, a town not too far from home, to dress in kimono and stroll the town shopping. It was so fun to get all dolled-up! The women of the community offer this service a few times a year and it's loved by the Gaijin here (that's Japanese for white folk).... for 3000 Yen (about $40 with current exchange rate), I got to pick my own kimono, obi and gaeta (shoes), get dressed in it and keep it! We had a lovely day weather-wise and a great souvenir!

Right now we have a friend's 14 year old son staying with us and I'm learning the joys of parenthood to teenagers! Our friend is in Egypt for some Professional Continuing Ed. Reid has been pretty good -- but facing teenage attitude and morning grumpiness is a bit trying. Balancing school and extra-curricular activities has been challenging, too..... but all fine. We're having fun once the homework is done :)

weather and work...

Hi all -- just wanted to let you know that despite the crazy weather in the Pacific Rim lately, we are safe and sound here in Sasebo. The latest typhoon passed over us on the way to Tokyo, we only experienced some hefty winds. I lost a few flower pots and one roof tile, but that's all.....

Lovely fall has arrived and we're loving the upper 60s daily. I'm reminded of how cold the winter was last year and how my shampoo bottle froze... looks like miss Cora will be wearing layers!

ALSO I realized that I've failed to blog about GETTING A JOB here in Sasebo! Upon arriving here, I sought work at our health clinic on base, but was told that they could not hire a civilian. Since we don't have a hospital, I knew that I would be leaving the aspect of work which I enjoyed most -- catching babies. BUT, I do have other clinical skills.... The clinic here was without a female provider for a long time and many women were choosing to not get annual exams. I mentioned this to my doctor during my 6 week postpartum check and he IMMEDIATELY got the ball rolling to hire me as a Women's NP here. A couple of months later (and many speedbumps), I've been hired as a contractor here part-time. I am working 3 8-hour days a week at the main base and clinic annex on the housing base. My schedule is chocked full and I'm already hearing lots of praises for being here :)

Deciding to work again was challenging for me now that I am a mom. However, if we keep the Navy as our career, it's good for me to get familiar with the system so I can easily work at other duty stations. I was surprised when they asked me to "name my price" - I shot high (at least higher than colleagues stateside told me they are making) and got it! SO in addition to keeping my skills sharp, having some adult contact, getting known within the Navy healthcare system, we should have a hefty savings for a down-payment on our next house!

Cora's enrolled in Japanese daycare and is being treated SOOO well. They adore her and call her "Kameko chan". She's one of 2 babies there. I'm hoping she picks up some Japanese language this soon! The daycare is convenient and connected to a pediatrician's practice, so I feel safe leaving her there. Seeing her smile when I pick her up melts me each day...

my first tooth!

Happy 5 month Birthday, Cora!

She's getting more delightful by the day... probably due to the fact that she's so alert and playful and smiley :) She's survived her first "daycare" cold and is doing great!