Utah, here we come

Hello all my UT friends. We are taking a MAC flight to UT for over a month! We'll be there from Feb 26th thru April 2nd. I hope to touch bases with any and all my friends from SLC to Vegas (we are meeting my parents in Vegas for 10 days). So all you St George people...I'll be coming though. Can't wait! See you then.

Kiser's visit the Love Motel

Yes, we went to a Love Motel. For those of you not from Okinawa this is exactly what it sounds like. There are a strip of hotels that rent rooms by the hour (or 1/2 hour in some cases). There are lots of reasons that the Okinawans have these. Many people live in multi-generational houses and there isn't much privacy. Also there are GI's that meet local girls and need a place to go. They aren't sleezy or dirty. Lots of LDS couples go to them. So I decided to surprise Rob and steal him away to one of these since we've been wanting to check it out for awhile. While I'm glad we had this cultural "experience", I don't think we'll be heading back to one anytime soon since it ended up being 6100 yen (roughly $68!) for just over an hour. Granted we did get a fancy smancy room with a swimming pool in it, but it was the most expensive sex we've ever had! Here's the picture tour (don't worry they aren't "graphic").


First we went out to dinner. This is pretty typical Okinawan yumminess. I got rice with yakatori chicken on top. I also got a Nan bread pizza. Rob got shrimp sushi and some tempura stuff which included even the lettuce in the crusty coating.

Here's our destination

First there is a drive through with all the available rooms lighted up. You look at the rooms and decide with one you want. Then, you drive to the room number.

You pull into the assigned spot and pull a curtain behind your car so no one can see who is in that spot. It lists the hourly rate and hours.


The room itself was 2 floors with a spiral staircase in between. Downstairs was a bathroom, a couch and living room, a kareoke machine and even slots! We didn't sing (or gamble), but we posed for an effects picture.





Upstairs was the pool, bedroom, more kareoke machines and the shower. The shower was great with about 10 different spouts and all sorts of buttons that I don't know what they controlled.

The entire experience takes place without seeing a soul. When you're ready to check out you pick up this phone and say "check out". There is a drive though bank type clear tube that you send your money up and they send back your change. Overall, we are glad to have this experience, but it was way overrated. If you ever come to Oki, check out the lovely Mint Hotel.

Funny kid things this week

While brushing the kids' teeth we tell them we are getting all the "cavity bugs" out. Tonight Issy told me to make sure all the bees are gone. Apparently bees and bugs are the same thing.

I told Noah that I had a dream last night where I was a spy (I'm sure it has NOTHING to do with the fact that Rob and I are addicted to watching Alias the last few weeks). He told me girls can't be spies. WHAT? This is my child growing up with stereotypes. I was pretty bummed....so I showed him a scene from Alias where Sydney is kicking some spy butt.

My super amazing husband

One of Rob's "collateral" duties is to organize surveys that the Navy sends out to patients after they visit the dentist. Here are some of the comments he received for the last quarter. Way to go babe!


LT Kiser

28 JUL: This appointment was for my 8 year old son. He is a little apprehensive about the dentist. Today his visit went very well. Dr. Kiser and Ms. Exina were obviously very well versed in dealing with kids in the dental chair. He did GREAT!! I was very surprised at how well he did! Thanks!

10 OCT: Hats off to Lt. Kiser and his two lovely assistants for a job well done! I walked out of the clinic with a smile because they did a super great job! Thank you!

11 DEC: Dr Kiser was very professional and helpful

10 DEC: I was so impressed by the care given, I have been recommending DDS Kiser to everyone I encounter. It is common for people to compare the treatment they get from Military doctors to those who work in civilian care. I am extremely happy to report I received more personalized, informative care from Dr. Kiser and his assistant then I ever received in the civilian world. Extremely impressed, Thank you for caring.

16 DEC: Dr Kiser was very helpful. He worked on all 5 of my teeth in one apt. He was professional and upbeat. His bedside manner would calm someone who was nervous about dental procedures. I was very impressed by how the dentists worked together to juggle clients so we would get our dental needs met. It was great team work and professionalism. Thanks again for the hard work Dr Kiser did and the optimistic way he did it.

Christmas and Ben's 4th birthday

We've had a lot to celebrate over the past week with Christmas and Ben's birthday. Here are a few (too many) pictures from it all. They are out of order, mostly b/c I was too lazy to upload them properly. Sorry!

Here are the kids after their "Salt Lake City" Christmas where they got these cool jammies from their grandparents and the toys from their cousins. Thanks everyone!

We have some streakers in the neighborhood. Jake and Issy have taken to stripping down. The first time it was kinda funny and I broke out the camera. The second time it wasn't so funny and she has been threatened that there better not be a next time...


Noah intently working on his gingerbread house on Christmas Eve and his final product.


Noah has been a coloring maniac lately. He can't get enough images to make brighter.

Rob assembling the gingerbread houses ahead of time. We hot glued them to the milk cartons...makes it easier for little hands to spread frosting and decorate.

We spent Christmas morning with my parents on Skype. It was so nice to have them "with" us for Christmas.

All the kids on Christmas Eve with their creations.

Issy loved "decorating" her gingerbread house too. First she'd lick it them gleam with delight.



Switching to birthday party mode (two days after Christmas), here is Ben blowing out his candles. I think someone was about to snatch the candles off the cake and Hayden and Noah and trying desperately to stop the culprit.

Calvin as the Hulk. Nice abs for a 3 year old.

The kids decorating their superhero shirts. We had a superhero theme. Ben was, at first, the Hulk, but switched to Spiderman later on.


Isabella on Christmas morning with her new kitchen and dress up clothes. She is so girly, loves to cuddle and soooo cute.

All in all, we've had a nice couple of days. I hope your Christmases were magical too.

"My dad's a pirate"

A conversation we had today-

Ben: My dad is a pirate.
Max (our 6 y/o neighbor): Your dad's a pirate?
Ben: Yeah, he has a gold tooth so he's a pirate.
Max: He has a real gold tooth?
Ben: Yes.
Noah: He has a gold tooth, but he's not a pirate.
Melissa: Daddy is a sailor, not a pirate. Sailors fight pirates. You're dad's a sailor too, Max.
Max: My dad fights pirates?
Melissa: Well, our daddies fight cavities. But if they were on a ship, they'd fight pirates 'cause they are sailors.
Everyone: Whoa!

Rob gettin' jiggy

Someone from Rob's unit posted this video of him at our dental battalion Christmas dinner. It just gives you a glimpse of how crazy he gets when dancing. Oh, and by the way, he doesn't drink so this is 100% sober. I love how uninhibited he is. This was supposed to be a contest to win best dressed, but turned into a dance off.