Sinlaku moving away

Well, I have to say that I'm a bit disappointed. Typhoon Sinlaku is moving away and we won't get a direct hit from her. I know that I should be happy, but I was rather excited for my first typhoon. Now we'll just get some wind and rain and it'll make for a cruddy weekend. At least we won't be on lockdown. There are still 2 more months in typhoon season.

Gordie's Hamburgers

I know....there are too many pictures with just about every post I do. Tuff. It's my blog and I can do what I want. That being said, here are some more pics. We discovered yet another little restaurant called Gordies. It's actually a hamburger joint. It only has hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, onion rings and fries...oh, and beer for those of you that are into that sort of thing. I had a terrikaki burger and Rob had a BLT hamburger. Both were divine. It is run by a husband/wife team that look younger than me. I love it and plan to go back soon. Almost across the street the kids didn't miss a beat noticing the playground by the seawall. Of course we had to mosey over there after our meal. There are basically no safety standards for the playgrounds here which makes them VERY fun. There's a zip line at almost every one and this was no exception. The sun was setting and it was just really nice family time. Life doesn't get much better than this.


Soup and fries with every hamburger.

Two thumbs way up!






When did Noah start looking so big? He looks so old to me in this picture.

The two cutest brothers ever.

Aren't we a darling couple?

PS-I'm writing this just after I put the kids to bed. I hate it if they get up after I put them down. Before I went upstairs to tell them to settle down "OR ELSE" I had to think of a good threat. So this is what I came up with:

Mom: If I have to come back upstairs because you guys are making noise/goofing off then I'm going to make you stand outside when the typhoon hits.
Noah/Ben: NO!!!!
Noah: So if we stay in our beds, then we can stay inside when the typhoon comes?
Mom: Yes, but only if you stay in your bed and I don't have to come upstairs again.

Ahhhh...it's been 20 minutes and I haven't heard a peep from them. Am I a horrible mother or what?

Typhoon Sinlaku

Who's betting we get a direct hit from Typhoon Sinlaku? For those of you not from around here, we live right above Naha. Click on the above map to see more clearly. It's starting to rain already and they don't predict it'll hit until Saturday. "The rains came down and the floods came up...."

I forgot to post...

I forgot to post this darling outfit that Rob bought for Isabella over in Bangladesh. She thought she was so cool. She's also eating the Bangladesh version of a fruit roll up.

1st day of preschool

What little girl doesn't carry around a gun to protect her doll? It's what every good mother would do.

Noah putting his name on the apple tree.

Noah with his new teacher. He also has a Japanese teacher's aide that is in his classroom. He loves them both and is truly enjoying preschool.

This kids being goofy before Ben left for his first day (Noah goes 5x/week and started on Tuesday, Ben goes 3x/week and started on Wednesday).

Ben all proud to leave the house.

Ben's wonderful teacher, Mrs. Blodgett who has been teaching for 31 years! Ben exclaimed "I'm learning!" when I picked him up. He is dying to do something more than I provide for him. I'm excited for what's in store for both of them.

Sesoko Island

We headed up north to Sesoko Island for our Labor Day. The usual gang came with us and we headed over to Pizza in the Sky for dinner afterwards.

First, the girls went out snorkeling. It was pretty fun, but hard to get over the cresting waves so we could see fish in deeper waters.

Ben loved this blue starfish.

Noah loves snorkeling too. He's wearing my mask in this picture.

Pizza in the Sky. Loved this place. There is only one kind of pizza per day (today it was hot dog, corn and green peppers), but it was still fabulous. They also have this incredible salad that I was literally dipping my pizza into the dressing it was so good. Rob and the kids loved the yummy fruit drinks. All this while catching a beautiful view of the ocean and surrounding towns/islands from on top of a mountain.

The Wife's thoughts on Bangladesh

Rob makes a lovely addition to the water fountain outside their 5 star hotel on the layover in Thailand.

Bamboo sticks were used in construction all over the place. Who knew bamboo was as strong as concrete or steel?

It blew my mind that people live in conditions like this. This is someone's home.

They were in 3 different locations within Bangladesh. Everyday there were throngs of people waiting for care. Here is a picture of people lined up.

Rushing the gates.

I know my husband is a dentist and that he does more than fill cavities and do routine oral health screenings, but it still freaks me out every time I see him pulling someone's tooth. It just doesn't seem right to have someone pulling on a tooth this hard. The crazy thing is that everyone could pull teeth here. You're a nurse...here, pull this tooth. Oh, you're an administrator with NO medical background at all...do this easy one in front. Everyone was pulling teeth over there.

Bombed out teeth. This is why you should floss and brush everyday!

This is a HOSPITAL folks. This is their "sterile" environment. Rob said there were goats and chickens wandering around.

Every night the officers were treated to a Bangladesh dinner.

Tonight the menu was curry and BBQ pigeon.

Rob moonlights as a rickshaw driver.

One place had this lovely bed for him.

Here is another place he slept. I love the "tent" he sleeps in to keep out the bugs!

All the Bangladesh and American officers on the trip.

I scored with all the gifts Rob brought for me. Here are the plethora of pearls he got...just for me (and a couple for Isabella). Pearls were dirt cheap so he stocked up. We also got about 25 movies, a new skirt, Issy got 2 outfits...too many things to name. Thanks Hunny! We're so glad to have you home!