King Steakhouse

Saturday we decided to take a scenic ride around Iwakuni. Charlie drove us around and pointed out some places he has gone on bike rides. He took us to a dam that was pretty neat. It was the first time Clara Grace had seen anything like that, or at least that she is old enough to recall. While out, we decided to try out a steakhouse that several people have recommended. What a great idea!

The kids each got a "happy meal" that came with a small hamburger steak, rice, what looked like a cheese omelet with ketchup on it and vanilla pudding. Clara really enjoyed her meal. Zach picked at his, which is funny because he is generally a little more open to different foods than she is. Charlie and I both ordered steak that was cooked perfectly and was delicious. It arrived on a sizzling cast iron platter accompanied with potato wedges, carrots and corn. We each had a warm dinner roll I slathered with butter. We were able to choose between a red wine dipping sauce and some other, we chose the red wine but the steak was so yummy without it that we only dipped a couple bites. It was wonderful and I left not a single morsel of my meal on the place. Our meals also came with the soup, salad and fruit bar which wasn't that great for me but Charlie loved it. Clara went with me on my trip and we picked out Japanese cucumbers, broccoli and something that she swore was jello and insisted on trying. I appeased her, but she said it tasted like coffee. Zach, on the otherhand, enjoyed it and ate all of that I had put on my plate. Who knows what it was.

I tell you what I do know though, I will be going back! They had an English menu and there were quite a few things I'd like to try. They also had a high chair which was a big bonus for us.

The Compromise

As mentioned in a previous post, Clara Grace wants her ears pierced. I had the day all planned for when she was around 12 or 13 and we would have a girls' day...manicures, pedicures, tea, a trip to the make-up counter and getting her ears pierced. Plans change. Clara Grace decided she was big enough and could handle both the pain of the process and the maintenance. So, we made an appointment for today.

The ears before...
Here she is, all grubby from a day at school but excited as she awaits the piercing.

I decided to not document the tears. She really did great, I must say. When she saw the "gun" she began to get a little concerned. She asked Hannah several questions about how she was going to do it. She did cry for a moment with the first ear and I was a little concerned. She said it hurt. But when she pierced the second ear she only said, "Ow Ow Ow Ow!" and that was that. No tears. Then we spun her around to see how she looked and this was the expression on her face.

She has no regrets and says she would do it again knowing how much it hurt. I'm still not sure how I feel, but I do admit she looks very pretty with them.

Snow, Snow, Snow, Snow!

This past Saturday we woke up to see a few flakes falling from the sky. Those flakes picked up speed and there was quite a bit of wind as well. Charlie predicted a couple of inches but I didn't believe it. Last winter there was no snow, and while we've had many flurries this winter there has been no accumulation. Charlie was right. We didn't get much, probably between 2-3 inches but it was enough to get out and enjoy. We needed to check the mail and I had left the camera in my classroom so I asked if we could swing by and pick it up to document what might be the only snow we experience while in Iwakuni. This first picture is taken from outside my classroom. That dark line just beyond the car is the sea wall. This is outside the apartment building. I personally wanted a shot of the teen building a fort. It looked like he was gearing up for a serious snowball fight. Clara Grace was busy at work attempting to build a snowman.
There was enough snow that we saw several good ones, but by the time we made it out there wasn't much of a chance without a lot of grass involved.

That is Zach off in the distance with Charlie on the playground. I was trying to get a shot of that kid building the fort. Notice all the snowman tracks where people were rolling the balls.

There they are!

We had a lot of fun in a short period of time. Charlie and I had quite the snowball fight and the kids had a blast. Zach wouldn't wear gloves so we were just out for a few minutes. It wasn't that cold for us but without gloves...not a good idea. The trip ended when Clara Grace got too excited watching us have a snowball fight and decided to throw one at Zach. She doesn't have very good aim, and well, she hit him in the head. Fun in the snow over. Hello hot cocoa!

Anyway, it was a good thing we got out there when we did because it was pretty much gone a few hours later.

This week in the House of Hollowell...

Not much happened this week, and most of this is rambling about the kids. Let's see...

• Zach was mauled at daycare. One of the kids was sitting beside him at the table and just turned and with both hands raked the nails down his cheeks. One side is worse that the other. I have to say, I know the age is prone to doing things like this...but this is why I am maniacal about making sure Zach's nails are trimmed. For his safety and that of other children. He is healing nicely though.
• Clara Grace has requested to have her ears pierced. I planned to wait until she was older, but I'm willing to make this compromise. If I can figure out how to have them pierced here in Iwakuni that is.
• As a parent, you just never know what your kids are going to do. Last night, I was returning some items to Zach's room. As I walked in, the light was already on and I glanced to the right to see Clara Grace standing on the glider. Like she was on a surfboard. And the glider just a gliding. Before I could say anything, she anounced that she was practicing surfing. And got back to business. Of course I had to end the fun, but I found it hysterical.
• Disney has a hold on Zach. He loves Mickey. A lot.
• Clara Grace is currently memorizing the books of the Old Testament for AWANA.
• If rumors are correct, there WILL be a spring bazaar this year!
• I cannot believe Zach turns two next month!

Have you ever been so tired...

you dreamed about it?

I tend to be a bit drained by the time the weekend rolls around. This past Friday, after falling asleep in Clara Grace's bed, then dragging myself out to the couch only to fall asleep there as well and then making it to my bed I fell into a deep sleep. I was dreaming about work, and was talking to someone about how exhausted I was, when my voice woke me up because I was talking out loud! As I woke, I turned and Charlie was staring at me and just burst out laughing. He laughed so hard that I couldn't help but chuckle too...before falling back to sleep.

That being said, I am now energized to make it through another week. This weekend was very productive in terms of home, work, family and sleep!

Photo Update

As promised, I'm uploading a few photos taken since Christmas. This is a common scene. Since Clara Grace has a DS, she passed her Leapster on to Zach. He has no clue how to play with it, but loves to tote it around to be like his big sister. He is such a happy guy...most of the time.

Don't ask. Clara Grace loves to create little clubs around the apartment for her and Zach. As usual, Zach is up for hanging out with his big sister.

This is a picture after Hurricane Zach hit our apartment.

This construction project was halted when the demolition team (Zach) swept in causing a huge reaction from the construction crew (Clara).

Clara Grace at the 1st Semester Awards assembly.

The next karate kid?

Wheeee!

Just hanging around....

...wanting to be just like my big sister!

Vroom Vroom! Zach LOVES the bike. As does Clara.

And of course, Charlie loves it too.

especially when we have a day that warms up to the 50's.

Clara just a swingin'

January

The month of January has been a bit of a blur and very few, if any, pictures taken. I'll see what I can recall...

• Clara Grace ended up with a slot for a private swim lesson. We had to put her on the waiting list but were fortunate enough to get the slot. We just finished week three and I am very pleased with her progress. She will continue through February and if they are offered in March I'm going to do my best to get her in then too. In order to swim without a life jacket here on the base, children are required to pass a swim test and get an arm band. Even with what she is doing now, the instructor didn't sound promising about her passing the swim test any time soon. However, like I said, I think she is doing great! She is floating, swimming under water, juming in, and able to move rather quickly. I'll admit that she often refers back to the doggy paddle technique when the head is above water though. She is becoming quite a young lady though. She and I are so different but we seem to be able to find a middle ground. She is really doing better with how she treats Zach and problem solving before yelling at him for touching something of hers. It seems that every few months I see a noticeable growth in maturity. I notice that she is getting so big too. She was stuck at 30 pounds for about three years. This year alone she has gained 7.5 pounds. As much growth as she is making, she is still a small fry. She said her current sneakers are too snug. I thought they were a size 10, checked them and they are a 9.5. We are looking for a pair online, but I'm not digging the selection. We have decided to stop her riding lessons for safety reasons, with the promise to resume (if she is still interested) when we get back to the states. She handled it well.

• Zach is really picking up quite a few words! He is pointing to lots of things and adds the sounds to lots of the animals. He understands so much of what we tell him too. He is a sweetheart, and the ladies at daycare says he takes care of the little girls. However, he takes nothing from the boys or he uses the chompers. We are working on that, but I had to sign yet another incident report yesterday. These reports are not super frequent, thank goodness, but he is a bit of a brute. He loves cars, trains, and airplanes. Charlie took him to work to pick up some papers last weekend. He showed him around the trucks and all. And he said a pilot taxying (how do you spell that?) by waved at Zach and that it was thrilling for him. Getting him to leave was not easy. The train table is a big hit for him. And books! If you need to divert him, usually the offer of reading a book will excite him. At bedtime he is getting cranky with me when I put a stop to the reading, but it only lasts until the lights are out. All in all, he is a really happy guy and thinks the world of his big sister. It is so hard to think he will be two years old in just two more months. He is growing like a weed too. He needs new shoes too and we'll be ordering a size 6 for him. Luckily, it is just ordering the same exact shoe, new size.

• Charlie is doing great. His physical therapy this week has been hard but rewarding. He said he feels like he is turning the corner and feels like he will progress quite a bit in the next month. They have him on a schedule to get him back to running. He is also really enjoying work right now. And of course he is still loving the Harley. Due to the cold weather, he hasn't been riding as much now but he ordered some cold weather accessories so we'll see how much he enjoys it. He is slated to have a short deployment within the next few months but no more details than that at this time. I have seen so many commericials about "opsec" (operation security) that are quite humorous actually but I hesitate to share more details. Of course these things change as well so we'll see. He has to be off limited duty to do it anyway.

• I'm doing really well too. I did have a minor dental set back. At my last appointment I had two very small cavities beginning and a silver crown I have had since grade school needed to be replaced. I was able to quickly take care of the small cavities, but the crown has been a bit more drawn out. He removed it but was concerned I might need a root canal, so after doing whatever he needed to do and putting a temporary on there I am to go back next week to determine if anything else needs to be done. Then when the porcelain crown comes in they will complete the process. Although I am not enjoying all this time I am spending at the dentist, it is kind of nice to be losing my "silver tooth". You do not know how many students over the years have informed me that I have a silver tooth. I was a bit concerned that I might need the root canal because after everything he did that tooth was quite sensitive but now it is starting to feel much better and I am even doing a little chewing on that side. On other news for me...I have decided to pursue a little more education. I will be attending Walden University online and getting my M.S. in Education with a specialization in curriculum, instruction and assessment. There are people I work with that have this particular degree from the same school and I am fairly confident it will go well. If I hunker down and do it continuously, I can complete it in 18 months. It is a bit intense from what I have heard but with appropriate time management it should be ok. I just got my acceptance letter this morning and will start classes February 28th.

That is our month in a nutshell. Well, it seems like I just wrote a novel. I'm going to work to get some pictures over the weekend and post them. The kids seem to change so quickly! It is hard to believe that we are almost at our halfway point of this tour. There are so many good things that have come from being here, but are very much looking forward to returning to the states.

Clara Grace is asking to be fed, so I'll skip proofreading and post now so forgive me any glaring typos please. I'm off to the kitchen...