Sunday, July 24, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
everyday stuff...
Just thought I'd check in here. Not much is new, just finding our rhythm here. I still have no idea when our household goods will arrive. It will be so nice when the girls have their bikes here!--I think that's what we've missed the most this summer. Today I went to the clinic to get Kate's inhaler medication in the system here, even though I won't need a refill for a few more months. Also, took Ella to the clinic to get a referral for an ophthalmologist at the Naval hospital. Then we chilled out at home, did a little bit of work, and then swim team practice. We are loving the swim team. I took a few pics today.
View from the resort they practice at-
Gracie likes this little foot massage pathway-
View from the resort they practice at-
Gracie likes this little foot massage pathway-
Monday, July 18, 2011
the dogs are here!
They act completely normal....you wouldn't even know they had been traveling the past couple of days. I can tell they have been very well cared for. I am so happy to have them here. :)
And here are a few more pics I took last night while Scott was teaching the girls how to throw a frisbee.
And here are a few more pics I took last night while Scott was teaching the girls how to throw a frisbee.
Guam's climate
I found this great site that pretty much sums up the climate in Guam year-round. CLICK HERE if you are interested. Today it's pouring down rain, hopefully that storm to the north will be out of the way soon.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
weekend pics...
Our cute 4 year old neighbor, Alayna, taught us about sleeping grass today. It's is one of the neatest things I've ever seen!! We have several patches in our yard. This keeps the kids busy for hours!! :)
Loving the lizards around here, this one was scrambling to hide from me after trimming our overgrown bushes in the backyard:
And this sparked lots of lovely questions from the girls.
Our home is starting to feel more like a home- on the outside anyways. Lots of kids, hula hoops, sidewalk chalk, love it.
Poor Gracie, so worn out last night that she fell asleep eating dinner.
*The dogs are enroute to Guam!! YAY!
Loving the lizards around here, this one was scrambling to hide from me after trimming our overgrown bushes in the backyard:
And this sparked lots of lovely questions from the girls.
Our home is starting to feel more like a home- on the outside anyways. Lots of kids, hula hoops, sidewalk chalk, love it.
Poor Gracie, so worn out last night that she fell asleep eating dinner.
*The dogs are enroute to Guam!! YAY!
Saturday, July 16, 2011
weather, dogs, angry birds
There is a typhoon passing north of us, so our weather has been really interesting, lots of thunderstorms, and sudden downpours--so heavy that I've needed to get off the road because the rain was so blinding. Since our homes are made out of thick concrete (even the roofs)--we don't even hear it rain if you are inside. We are on the island towards the lower right corner. 
The dogs are enroute to Hawaii as I type this, and then to Guam tomorrow. Thank goodness, Continental was dream to work with after Delta. We are tracking our dogs' travels online, it's pretty neat. We actually won't be able to brings the dogs back to our house until Monday night or Tuesday morning, they have to get a health exam to be released from quarantine. Yes, we have spent a small fortune getting them here; they are 11 and 12 years old, and still very healthy. I told Scott in the beginning, that moving to Guam was okay---but getting the dogs here was important.
**Dad B, we are so grateful that you helped us out so much with this. **
So the past few mornings, I've picked up on my running routine again. We have figured out that the gym is exactly 1 mile from the house, so that's our morning run. Scott runs first, comes home to get ready for work, and I sneak out for a run while he's still here. The last 2 mornings I've gotten caught in sudden heavy rain. Usually rain REALLY annoys me, but here in Guam running in the rain feels really nice! So I just make sure to wear my baseball cap everytime I run....also it helps with the angry birds. We have REAL angry birds here! They dive bomb runners! It is SO annoying. They do it for sport. We have one that lives in one of our palm trees...he has this crazy call before he does it, but he swoops down again and again---I can hear him swoop within an inch of my head.
The dogs are enroute to Hawaii as I type this, and then to Guam tomorrow. Thank goodness, Continental was dream to work with after Delta. We are tracking our dogs' travels online, it's pretty neat. We actually won't be able to brings the dogs back to our house until Monday night or Tuesday morning, they have to get a health exam to be released from quarantine. Yes, we have spent a small fortune getting them here; they are 11 and 12 years old, and still very healthy. I told Scott in the beginning, that moving to Guam was okay---but getting the dogs here was important.
**Dad B, we are so grateful that you helped us out so much with this. **
So the past few mornings, I've picked up on my running routine again. We have figured out that the gym is exactly 1 mile from the house, so that's our morning run. Scott runs first, comes home to get ready for work, and I sneak out for a run while he's still here. The last 2 mornings I've gotten caught in sudden heavy rain. Usually rain REALLY annoys me, but here in Guam running in the rain feels really nice! So I just make sure to wear my baseball cap everytime I run....also it helps with the angry birds. We have REAL angry birds here! They dive bomb runners! It is SO annoying. They do it for sport. We have one that lives in one of our palm trees...he has this crazy call before he does it, but he swoops down again and again---I can hear him swoop within an inch of my head.
Monday, July 11, 2011
the dogs...
So the dogs are not flying today, & I'm very upset about it. Scott is flying home without them. We have done SO much to get them ready, but Delta would not let them fly because of a certain shot not given within a certain amount of time....I think it's the rabies shot. Ugh, I'm just sick about it. I don't understand. Guam has SUCH strict rules for getting a pet here, and we followed them.
Quick update---I'm SO SO angry. We met all the requirements. I called the Dept. of Ag. in Guam--and they said this has never happened before. To sum it all up, the rabies shot the dogs were given in April 2009 expires in April 2012--it's good for 3 years. Guam told us that was fine. Well, Delta says that Guam says that's not okay (basically the rules haven't been changed since there is now a 3 yr. vaccine.) Now looking at flying them Continental. Continental promises that this won't happen with them. Still, such a hassle--they will need to get new health certificates, new permits issued--everything is time sensitive. *Thank you, Dad B for helping us out so much with this the past month. I had no idea this would turn out to be such a pain. We are very grateful.
On a happier note, late in the afternoon I took the girls to the pool. Gracie can jump in --whole head totally submerged underwater---and comes up wanting to do it again and again. She's got a life jacket on the entire time. And she floats on her back without me touching her. She's a little water baby.
Quick update---I'm SO SO angry. We met all the requirements. I called the Dept. of Ag. in Guam--and they said this has never happened before. To sum it all up, the rabies shot the dogs were given in April 2009 expires in April 2012--it's good for 3 years. Guam told us that was fine. Well, Delta says that Guam says that's not okay (basically the rules haven't been changed since there is now a 3 yr. vaccine.) Now looking at flying them Continental. Continental promises that this won't happen with them. Still, such a hassle--they will need to get new health certificates, new permits issued--everything is time sensitive. *Thank you, Dad B for helping us out so much with this the past month. I had no idea this would turn out to be such a pain. We are very grateful.
On a happier note, late in the afternoon I took the girls to the pool. Gracie can jump in --whole head totally submerged underwater---and comes up wanting to do it again and again. She's got a life jacket on the entire time. And she floats on her back without me touching her. She's a little water baby.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Ella is blogging now...
Check out her blog here:
http://www.blossomstories.blogspot.com
I will monitor this closely--but she will be doing every step of this on her own.
http://www.blossomstories.blogspot.com
I will monitor this closely--but she will be doing every step of this on her own.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
pool pics-
Few pool pics-
Gracie showing how creative she can be-
Here is my slight ocean view from my back porch, I sit in a chair and talk on the phone out here in the mornings. Mostly talking to people in OK and TX--where the temperature has been 100+ all summer. Crazy!! Hope it gets cooler for them soon.
I just was telling Scott how much I love it here, and how we need to really consider him EXTENDING his time here. He keeps saying, 'Just wait babe, let's see how you feel 6 months from now.' I get it that people get sick of being on a small island, but I'm a bit of a homebody. I love being at home with my family--and home can be anywhere. I'm loving the temperature here. It's hot, but we are already acclimated to it. The current temperature is 79, but feels like 84...that is a typical evening here. It's lovely. I know I won't be getting sick of that.
Gracie showing how creative she can be-
Here is my slight ocean view from my back porch, I sit in a chair and talk on the phone out here in the mornings. Mostly talking to people in OK and TX--where the temperature has been 100+ all summer. Crazy!! Hope it gets cooler for them soon.
I just was telling Scott how much I love it here, and how we need to really consider him EXTENDING his time here. He keeps saying, 'Just wait babe, let's see how you feel 6 months from now.' I get it that people get sick of being on a small island, but I'm a bit of a homebody. I love being at home with my family--and home can be anywhere. I'm loving the temperature here. It's hot, but we are already acclimated to it. The current temperature is 79, but feels like 84...that is a typical evening here. It's lovely. I know I won't be getting sick of that.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Guam swim team and a few pics...
It's nearly 9 a.m. and the girls are still sleeping...we are truly on a summer schedule now. My mind is spinning with everything that still needs to be done. We have received a partial shipment of our first 1,000 lbs.--our unaccompanied baggage---but still not my jogging stroller or the girls' scooters, grumble, grumble. The jogging stroller = I can run = happy momma = happy children. My car has arrived at the port, yay!---but I need Scott to go with me to pick it up, and it will take a while to take care of that, so I try to patiently wait until Scott returns back on Tue. night (WITH THE DOGS!) :) Meanwhile we drive around Scott's little Mazda that he purchased here in Guam.
A couple of days ago, I decided to take the girls up to a swim team...not on a base, about 30 min. away. I took their swimsuits in my purse just incase they wanted to try out. The team practices at a resort hotel--in a small pool---about the size of a diving pool. There were so many kids, my first thought was , "Oh, my gosh--so many kids in a small pool! There is no way this will work."---but we sat back and watched for about 20 minutes, and saw that the kids were mostly Kate and Ella's age--and about their skill level. The 2 Japanese coaches that we watched spoke very broken English---but were excellent coaches, the kids were respectful and knew what to do. Instead of doing flip-turns at the end of the pool, the kids hopped out and walked around the pool in an organized line--and then did that again and again...always in constant motion. One of the coaches was in the water focusing on technique with them. It kind of reminded me of when Kate went to a private Japanese kindergarten in Japan at age 3, and thinking that it was pretty insane to have a class of 30+ students to one teacher...especially for 3 yr. olds---but quickly we learned that their system was very orderly and it worked. The swim team was very diverse--lots of children from the island, a few from the bases around here, and several Japanese children. I love the diversity. I spoke with the head coach--he said they could get on their suits and try-out, so I walked with the girls to the locker room, as Kate and Ella were moaning and groaning about how different this swim team is compared to their last one. Finally, I was like, "Look--give this a try. If you don't like it, fine. But let's try-out and see how it goes! Give it a chance! Have a positive attitude, please!" (I certainly did not want my girls feeling like they were being forced to do something--when I know how much they love it!) ...so thankfully, that's what they did. The coaches knew the right things to say to get them smiling and relaxed. Then they were tested and they determined that both of the girls could swim with the practice group we had been watching, and they let me know more about how the team works. 3 practices a week, and Sept. through May, 2 meets per month--one short course, one long course. The girls finished out the practice and LOVED it. I was very proud that they gave it a chance, especially after being very hesitant...a good life lesson for them. Being at a resort pool is so different from being in an indoor high school pool...right across the way, there is a hula show going on--and really good food being served to the guests of that hotel. The hotel lets the team practice there without charging a fee, so the cost of being on the team is much lower. Anyways, we are excited to go back for a full practice today.
We are also enjoying the pool on the base. They are very strict about their rules, no goggles on the slide or diving board, but once the girls got used to that--they love going there too. It's a large pool---and they can swim laps there, infact they usually have the lanes all to themselves. Gracie is loving the water--she wears a life jacket, and we are working on having her float on her back---and RELAX. She's making progress.
Couple of pics:
A katydid grasshopper---took me a while to see what the girls were talking about--blended in with our yard perfectly. Kate especially loves all the new bugs.
Gracie's favorite part of the house, the master bedroom has these mirrored closet doors--at any given time, one of the girls is there--singing, dancing, or just checking themselves out. :)
A couple of days ago, I decided to take the girls up to a swim team...not on a base, about 30 min. away. I took their swimsuits in my purse just incase they wanted to try out. The team practices at a resort hotel--in a small pool---about the size of a diving pool. There were so many kids, my first thought was , "Oh, my gosh--so many kids in a small pool! There is no way this will work."---but we sat back and watched for about 20 minutes, and saw that the kids were mostly Kate and Ella's age--and about their skill level. The 2 Japanese coaches that we watched spoke very broken English---but were excellent coaches, the kids were respectful and knew what to do. Instead of doing flip-turns at the end of the pool, the kids hopped out and walked around the pool in an organized line--and then did that again and again...always in constant motion. One of the coaches was in the water focusing on technique with them. It kind of reminded me of when Kate went to a private Japanese kindergarten in Japan at age 3, and thinking that it was pretty insane to have a class of 30+ students to one teacher...especially for 3 yr. olds---but quickly we learned that their system was very orderly and it worked. The swim team was very diverse--lots of children from the island, a few from the bases around here, and several Japanese children. I love the diversity. I spoke with the head coach--he said they could get on their suits and try-out, so I walked with the girls to the locker room, as Kate and Ella were moaning and groaning about how different this swim team is compared to their last one. Finally, I was like, "Look--give this a try. If you don't like it, fine. But let's try-out and see how it goes! Give it a chance! Have a positive attitude, please!" (I certainly did not want my girls feeling like they were being forced to do something--when I know how much they love it!) ...so thankfully, that's what they did. The coaches knew the right things to say to get them smiling and relaxed. Then they were tested and they determined that both of the girls could swim with the practice group we had been watching, and they let me know more about how the team works. 3 practices a week, and Sept. through May, 2 meets per month--one short course, one long course. The girls finished out the practice and LOVED it. I was very proud that they gave it a chance, especially after being very hesitant...a good life lesson for them. Being at a resort pool is so different from being in an indoor high school pool...right across the way, there is a hula show going on--and really good food being served to the guests of that hotel. The hotel lets the team practice there without charging a fee, so the cost of being on the team is much lower. Anyways, we are excited to go back for a full practice today.
We are also enjoying the pool on the base. They are very strict about their rules, no goggles on the slide or diving board, but once the girls got used to that--they love going there too. It's a large pool---and they can swim laps there, infact they usually have the lanes all to themselves. Gracie is loving the water--she wears a life jacket, and we are working on having her float on her back---and RELAX. She's making progress.
Couple of pics:
A katydid grasshopper---took me a while to see what the girls were talking about--blended in with our yard perfectly. Kate especially loves all the new bugs.
Gracie's favorite part of the house, the master bedroom has these mirrored closet doors--at any given time, one of the girls is there--singing, dancing, or just checking themselves out. :)
Monday, July 4, 2011
playground pics:
Happy 4th of July!! Super cloudy here, looks like rain. Not sure how we are celebrating the 4th yet.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
tid-bits...
Okay, so overseas moves are no cake walk. Everything is good, but I'm still feeling very unsettled. Scott is in the states this week. The dogs aren't here yet. I'm just ready for my WHOLE family to be together here on this island. We don't have our things yet, so entertaining the girls is getting a little harder day by day. Although, I will say--the 'school' part of our day is going especially well, better than I expected. :)
So, here is their summer school: (I'm so glad I packed these in our suitcases.)
Kate (age 10)
-Math: teaching textbooks, level 6
-Reading: one hour a day
-Wordly Wise 3000, book 4
-the story of the U.S.A book 1 (she loves these! I wish I would have brought all 4 workbooks...I love the short stories.)
-Typing Instructor
Ella (age 8)
-Math: teaching textbooks, level 4; plus Horizons math, level 2
-Reading: one hour a day (she's into Judy Moody books on the kindle)
-Grammar Practice book-grade 3, McGraw Hill
-Typing Instructor
Gracie (age 2)
-Books: we brought My First 1,000 words---one of my favorite Usborne books! And If You Give a Mouse a Cookie-we LOVE that book. We just read these over and over. And play with her vintage little people that we brought with us.
That's it. They aren't complaining about doing school, which is a bit of a surprise. This keeps them busy for about 2-3 hours every morning. Today we went to the pool, then about an hour after we got there, the sky turned black--and it started POURING. When it rains in Guam, it POURS. I have yet to see 'light' rain here. The girls and I have been exploring the base, trying to learn where everything is. I'm trying not to shop at the BX too much. That's about all here. Just ready to be SETTLED. :)
Also, I'm reading a REALLY good book right now:
5 Conversations you MUST have with your daughter by: Vicki Courtney
(there is one for sons too.)
So, here is their summer school: (I'm so glad I packed these in our suitcases.)
Kate (age 10)
-Math: teaching textbooks, level 6
-Reading: one hour a day
-Wordly Wise 3000, book 4
-the story of the U.S.A book 1 (she loves these! I wish I would have brought all 4 workbooks...I love the short stories.)
-Typing Instructor
Ella (age 8)
-Math: teaching textbooks, level 4; plus Horizons math, level 2
-Reading: one hour a day (she's into Judy Moody books on the kindle)
-Grammar Practice book-grade 3, McGraw Hill
-Typing Instructor
Gracie (age 2)
-Books: we brought My First 1,000 words---one of my favorite Usborne books! And If You Give a Mouse a Cookie-we LOVE that book. We just read these over and over. And play with her vintage little people that we brought with us.
That's it. They aren't complaining about doing school, which is a bit of a surprise. This keeps them busy for about 2-3 hours every morning. Today we went to the pool, then about an hour after we got there, the sky turned black--and it started POURING. When it rains in Guam, it POURS. I have yet to see 'light' rain here. The girls and I have been exploring the base, trying to learn where everything is. I'm trying not to shop at the BX too much. That's about all here. Just ready to be SETTLED. :)
Also, I'm reading a REALLY good book right now:
5 Conversations you MUST have with your daughter by: Vicki Courtney
(there is one for sons too.)
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