Surprise, Surprise!!

Well, I guess we should finally make this announcement even though it hasn't quite hit me yet, but we are expecting our fourth child March 4th. So, with that said I am just over four months along and things are going well. We always thought there would be fourth in our future, but I was waiting until we went back to the US and a normal hospital. I've heard too many not so good stories about the WWII era hospital here. I also have to admit that I wasn't exactly jumping up and down at the news, only for selfish reasons, like wanting to fininsh my Masters degree, wishing for more space in our already cramped quarters and the fear of gaining the weight that was so hard to lose. I'm committed to my current exercise routine, so I hope that will help with the whole weight thing. It will all work somehow because there is someone who is smarter than we are, although I still haven't quite figured out how I can parent one more with so much time diverted to the three that we have. Aaaah, the feelings of inadequacy! I seem to be the only one with reservations, since Duane was ecstatic about the news and when we finally told the kids they too were excited. The only voice of concern came from Ryan who is sandwiched between two girls. He distinctively said that the baby must come out a boy or he would be angry. Fearing the wrath of Ryan if it is a girl, we will not be finding out the sex of the child at the ultrasound in a few weeks. I just don't want to hear about how angry he is for the following four months. I figure if the baby is here he will love it no matter the sex. He does need a brother, so for his sake it may be a good idea. Miranda said she may not mind a boy, thinking it may stop her brother from bothering her so much. For me it does not really matter what it is because both are a challenge in different ways. Anyway, everyone will have to wait until the baby arrives to know what is being added to our family. Until then, we'll all live life and make preparations for our new arrival.

Off to Preschool She Goes

So, Olivia started preschool on Friday and she was very excited. She was ready to go with her backpack and packed lunch. She is anxiously awaiting the backpack and lunch box we ordered online. I dropped her off at her classroom and she didn't even bat an eye. I didn't have too much time to ponder the fact that she had no qualms about me leaving her with a bunch of strangers because I was off to take my midterm I'd been studying for all week. When I picked her up I saw this little group of kids with backpacks that were as big as they were. Olivia had so much fun and can't wait to go back on Monday. She couldn't wait to tell me about her day. She said they learned about the number one and sang a song in Japanese for the culture portion of the day. Although I missed her, at least I'll have time to get my homework done and not feel guilty about her watching cartoons.

Snorkeling in the Pacific

Over Labor Day weekend we went snorkeling with some friends. They found a great beach on the southern end of the island. It was quite a hike down to the beach, but we were the only ones there and had a great time! Duane and some friends went diving and he said it was the best dive he's ever done in Okinawa, since there was so much to see. The kids snorkeled around, but unfortunately by the time Duane got back from diving the tide was coming in too strong for me to go snorkel. Needless to say, we'll just have to come back so that I can see the beautiful marine life that is there.

A view at low tide, which is the best time to snorkel.


The beach was perfect, with this area where the kids had a lot of fun climbing the rocks and swimming in the shallow water.

These fish are a beautiful shade of blue. I took this picture in the shallow water.

Miranda, who is normally a nervous Nelly, had a great time collecting hermit crabs. She tried to convice us to let her bring this little family of hermit crabs home, but we had to tell her they needed to stay where they were.

Ryan had so much fun playing with his friends that he fell asleep on the way home. Yes, he fell asleep with the towel over his head. Duane couldn't resist taking this picture.

And the Season Comes to an End

Ryan had his last baseball game last Saturday. He really enjoyed this season and had a great coach who took extra time helping Ryan in the batting cages after practice. Ryan is eagerly awaiting the start of football season in December. He has already informed Duane that they need to start throwing the football in order to prepare for the upcoming season.

Ryan was very excited to play catcher for the first time this season.


Ryan is waiting for his turn at bat.

Ryan worked really hard this season at hitting the ball. All the extra practice paid off and he really improved.

Ryan is running to home plate to score for his team.