It's Never Too Early

We bought this mini skateboard when she was only months old and I didn't expect to give it to her so soon, although she discovered it during the move and couldn't resist! She even stayed standing while I pushed her on it and loved it. Yippeeee. We should buy her a real helmet...

That's my girl!

Quick Mission: Move!

What was originally going to be quick a check-up on the house in Oki and return back to vacation in Cali, took an interesting turn and we ended up moving! No, not moving out of Okinawa and back to the states, but just to another place off base. We had been discussing the possibility of moving to a larger place before, but Dan's deployment on such a short notice made that impossible at the time. I was glad to make this check-up on the house, since we came back to some mold problems. Even after getting it all cleaned out, it was easy to find more reasons to just move now and start fresh again. S0 although Dan is still deployed, now turned out to be the time. I ventured to take on the task of finding a new place, packing up the entire house and moving.

Initially, the lack of housing agencies' replies and the slim selection of listings online were discouraging. But sure enough, as God always does, He provided. After one day of viewing some properties, the following day I was signing a new lease. It's not a brand new complex like our first one, but definitely more fitting for us -- one story , 4 bedrooms, and ample space for Leyna to run around. No more squeezing in between the coffee table and the tv...no more baby gates at the top and bottom of steep stairs...my office finally gets to be an office in itself, so Leyna gets a separate playroom instead of playing underneath my desk...and guests don't have to feel awkward about using the toilet-sink (our old post of the home tour shows this water saving method of washing your hands)! I'm definitely looking forward to having an American oven, washer & dryer...to let our American sized couches breathe...and it will simply be nice to have more company over!

Moving is still in progress. I'm not completely moved out of the old place, and boxes here are still piled high, but so far the upgrade is worth it. My goal is to get us "settled" and ready to leave to Cali in the next 2 weeks. Here's a few pics of the moving adventure so far...

Waking up to a terrible wind and rain the day of moving was not fun. The movers did a good job regardless. Notice, the Japanese still keep their shoes off in your house even when moving! Leyna tried to help out by carrying anything she could find...I attempted to keep Leyna entertained and out of the way by hanging out in the laundry room most of the time. She's loves singing n dancin to Beiber songs! haha

Excuse me are you standing on the wall? ...why go through the trouble of trying to squeeze things down the stairs when its much easier to just lower it all down from outside. Of course!..and here's a peek at our place. Moving makes you hungry, Leyna was enjoying some fries while touring the new space.I hope to post more pics before returning to Cali! Back to unpacking many many boxes...

Rocklin Rocks! Part 3: More Apple Hills

Our next stop in Apple Hills was to visit some farm animals! The boys were much braver than Leyna when it came to getting near the animals and feeding them....too small to ride horses for now...

Matthias' close encounter with a cow got a little too close for comfort! haha.Leyna finds something interesting...

...oh a rock..to taste?! ewe gross!

Time to clean up and move along...There's tons of picnicking areas scattered wherever you go. Along the road we found this great spot to stop and enjoy our sack lunches in the shade. More great space for the kiddos to run around and there was even a little waterfall and stream running through it. Grandma and EJ enjoyed picking wild berries!

Melissa and I relaxed in the nice scenery with the lil ones..

Sticks are fun. Leyna shows off some more fighting moves (I think she's a natural)...

After this the kiddies were tired out, so while grandma watched them napping in the car, we strolled through High Hill, a popular spot with a lake surrounded by various shops, vendors, activities...We tasted apple cider milkshakes, visited the fudge factory, and grabbed some homemade apple pie at. Just so much to do in Apple Hill. Definitely a place to come back to. Couldn't leave without bringing a box of fresh fruit home!

Rocklin Rocks! Part 2: Apple Hills

If you drink apple juice and eat apple pie, likely you have consumed the fruits of Apple Hill. Apple Hill Growers consist of over 50 ranches that contribute to produce and ingredients for foods all across the states, and they include Christmas tree farms, wineries, a micro brewery, spa and vineyards. It's an enormous community, each ranch providing visitors with a different assortment of old-fashioned fun -- picnics in the orchards; petting zoos; pony, train, & hay rides; crafts; open markets; homemade goodies, pies, jams, fudge, fresh pressed juice; and of course loads of tree ripened fruit and farm fresh veggies! It was a great day to spend with the fam. Grandma even drove up the same weekend that Leyna and I arrived, so she joined us on our excursion to Apple Hills.

First stop, Rainbow Orchards famous for their homemade apple cider doughnuts! We held off on breakfast to try what my brother was raving about all morning. They were delicious! Judging by their sugared faces, we know the kids loved them too!Leyna did more cinnamon sugar tasting than actual eating though...that's one more doughnut for us!These are my brother's favorite, can you tell?! haha
After all that sugar, thank goodness there's lots of space for the kiddos to run it off......hay to climb (or chew)......and don't forget to take the tractor out for a spin!
Matthias' shirt got stuck while climbing haha
Enough tractor fun. Off to the next stop!

Rocklin Rocks! Part 1: Meet the Cousins

Thanks to the only commercial airline that travels to/from GITMO, we avoided the Space A route, and getting back to Cali took half the time as getting there. We first flew 3 hrs in a small twin-engine propeller plane of about 10 passengers, stretched out on the last row of seats with nothing but the luggage piled behind us (no lavatory), earplugs in our ears (but a challenge to keep in Leyna's while she was awake), and soda cans in a small cooler sitting near the pilot (thanks, but again there's no lavatory). Surprisingly the flight into Florida was smooth with little turbulence. The most uncomfortable it got was enduring the thick heat in the cabin before take-off, the freezing cold air while up in the sky, and dodging the sun peering through the windowshade-less windows (I chose the wrong side of the plane to get comfy on!) Finally, the remaining 3 legs of flights via Southwest brought us safely into Sacramento where fun with my brother and his family began!

This was the first time they all met Leyna so it was her first time to mingle with her cousins. It's great they are all close in age, EJ is few months shy of 3 yrs and Matthias recently turned 1. Leyna had a lot of toughening up to do though since she's typically surrounded by so many girls back in Oki. Girls just don't unpredictably "rooaar" at you like boys do, so sure enough our lil Princess came crying to me many times! Nevertheless, they had plenty of happy playtime together. The clear skies and cool air in Rocklin made for a perfect day at the park.

At the start, they were more interested in playing in the ground cover and grass rather than the actual playground. It's nice how kids can be so easily entertained.Leyna takes a moment to practice her Tai Chi!

...and a quick ride on a seahorse...

Then onto the big stuff. Leyna followed the boys up to the slide...then realizes she doesn't know what to do next. haha. She wanted to walk down it instead of sit......walking up could be easier... ...or not!...the boys show her how its done...and Matthias (a climbing expert since before he could even walk) wins the race back up again.

Swing time! EJ loved running around trying to push them......soon they will grow out of these baskets *sigh*...

Nothing like the air flowing through your hair...and your mouth!

What joy!

Up Next...good times at Apple Hills!