Move Over Bacon...

Here comes the GW.

It's been a long-awaited arrival after many local Japanese protests and an onboard fire in May, but the USS George Washington arrived safely in Yokosuka today, replacing the USS Kitty Hawk.

Here I watched briefly from base this morning as it slipped through the haze and into the harbor. The sailors were almost home and their families were lining up for a ceremony and celebration. I steered clear of that area, but throughout the day around base it was touching to see the telltale signs of many Navy families reunited: crisp uniforms and stuffed sea bags, hand-holding, and the more obvious "welcome home" balloons and banners. It made me pause to appreciate the challenges of all those spouses setting up a home alone and having to escort his/her spouse off the ship to that new home today.

But still I have to wonder how thousands of other military families ever assimilated without the new base signage, welcome community picnics, and special NEX sales marking our arrival to CFAY. Just an observation. Makes me feel more like mashed potatoes than bacon, I guess, if I read too much into it.

Tiny Dancer

Whenever Sydney dons a dress these days, she usually declares it her latest "dancing dress" as she twirls around the room, with or without music. So, I decided to take her to the community center on base to try the toddler ballet class.











First, you'll notice she's wearing an everyday dress while other girls have ballet outfits. She actually has a leotard on under her dress, and I gave her the option of wearing this dress or a skirt over it. She insisted on the dress and then wouldn't remove it for the class, since this is her "dancing dress." But my stubborn girl also insisted she wear the ruffley skirt under her dress, I suppose for added "poof."

Second, you should know these photos only make it seem like she paid attention. It is only a 30-minute class, but she followed the instructor for about 3 minutes then took a 7 minute break and ran around with her friend Aaralyn, repeating this pattern three times. But for the brief moments she was engaged, it was a sweet sight to see my tiny dancer learn some new dance moves to add to her repertoire.




"I do this one at home!"








"Oh wait, now what are you doing with your feet?"









"I think I'll just stay on my tippy toes...now, back to the arms...out. I can't take much more of this concentration..."

Seto Revisited

Well, I'd forgotten that I'd said I wouldn't return to Seto after last year's 17-hour bus ride plus shopping excursion for pottery...in the extreme heat...while pregnant. But I didn't reread my blog entry about it until this week--after I already went again.

It turns out maybe it was just the being pregnant part that was so miserable, not the long shopping day or the extreme heat. Because this time, it was very enjoyable. The weather cooperated and it was a little cooler since it was cloudy for a few hours in the morning. And here are two (Mel and Lauren) of many friends who went on the trip as well. We divided and conquered, so I'm still hoping to see all their treasures.

Here are a few of mine, all hand-crafted:

Sydney Goes to Preschool

Today was Sydney's first day of preschool! Here she leads the class out with her new friend, Hannah. Hannah was wearing a Dora shirt, which must have been a conversation starter for the two girls.

Standing next to Hannah, you may notice Sydney appears to be the youngest child in the class, unless of course there happens to be a classmate born just one day after she was--on the cut-off date of October 31, 2005. But she has big personality, so I have no doubt she'll be able to keep up.

Unless of course she gets tired before she even gets to school as a result of carrying her huge, albeit lightweight, backpack. (Gotta love mail order! I didn't realize how big it was until I received it. Guess I'll be searching online for one "big enough for a folder, but otherwise small enough for a little preschooler." BTW, her Dora lunch bag is inside her backpack, not because she wanted to hide it, but because Mommy insisted we put something in there.)


It is slightly sad that Sydney (and I) will never again be as free as she has been in her nearly three years of life. But I'm usually too excited to enter the "next phase" to be sad about what we're leaving behind. Although she's the one starting school, I think it's time for me to take better "notes" to remember all the adorable details of her early life.

Like when she says, "Don't call me 'Sweetie,' Mommy. It's just me...Sydney." Makes me want to call her "Sweetie" all over again...while I can get away with it.