The "right" answer

One portion of Dondan's homework asked for the shaded portion of a prism:


I had to help him with this because "HIS" answer was NOT one of the choices.
Dondan: "Mom NONE of them is the right answer!"
Mom: "Okay, then what IS the right answer?"
Dondan: "It's a parallelogram Mom."
I would have to agree with him on that, but after much deliberation and convincing we concluded the answer was rectangle.
I was rather impressed, I didn't know he even knew what a parallelogram was.
Go Dondan.

Daddy?

Nona has adopted this little fellow from the thrift store here on base.
She has been calling him Daddy and giving him kisses... and taking him shopping.





In unrelated news Nona STILL goes to the bathroom like a boy-girl, she sits down backwards. It's better than diapers and yes she still likes hangin' out in the buff!

Dondan on adoption

It's morning before school, i'm combing and spiking his hair, "but NOT like a mohawk" were his specific instructions.
Dondan: "Mom?"
Me: "Hmmm?"
Dondan: "When I grow up I'm going to adopt."
Me: "Um, okay?"
Dondan: "I'm just saying when I get big I'm going to ADOPT kids."
Me: "That's nice, but you might want kids of your own too."
Dondan: "No, I don't want to mess with babies, they're too messy, you have to change diapers and they don't know how to eat and they make a mess all over the place."
Me: "So you want kids that can already take care of themselves?"
Dondan: "Yeah, they can go to the bathroom and you don't have to wipe their butts."
Me: "mmm hmmm." "Well, I think you might change your mind when you get older."
Dondan: "No I won't." "When you grow up do you HAVE to get married?"
Me: "No, you don't HAVE to, that's your choice, but you might want to."
Dondan: "I just want to have kids, so I don't have to be alone."
Me: "Well, you'll never be alone, because you always have your family, you have Mommy, daddy, aye Michael and Nona." "You can see us anytime you want." "Now, off to school."
Dondan: "Okay."

More pix i just got in the mail...

Family pictures we took with Lola in Dec 2008

Foto OP

Abuela Cynthia and Lola Emily came to visit in (Sep'08)

Christmas in Portland (2008) we had so much FUN!

A recent photo we took on island 2009.

Fresh Sashimi

from the local market deli. There's a window where you can watch them slice and prep the fish.

This was awesome sashimi and it was only $5!

The shrimp in the picture we bought pre-battered, we fried ourselves, it was YUMMY!

Decisions, Decisions

Vending machines have a variety of drinks like juice, sports drinks, sodas and coffee. You have an option of getting the coffee HOT in a can right out of the machine. Tommy Lee Jones like "Boss" brand coffee as you can see.

Castle Bakery Okinawa

This is a quaint little bakery and cafe. Yes, every thing tastes as good as it looks if not better.

Our goody box :D

Toenail approves

Nona hangin' with Ronald

We went to McDonald's in town and it was nice. Looks like most Micky D's anywhere, except in Japanese. The food quality was better than in the states, I had to try the spicy chicken teriyaki sandwich. Don't think you'll see that one back home any time soon.

Nona had a blast.

Fitting in

It's always hard fitting in to a new place, a new school and especially a new country.
Dondan having several challenges with this move is starting to open up a bit.
It was really hard at first, he would "tic" and then the "tics" would change, they would go from mild to aggressive from one day to the next. I talked with the school nurse, she recognized his behavior as "tics" and was right on board with what to do and how to help.
Everyone is so helpful. Dondan's teacher is but a phone call or e-mail away and we have contact on a regular basis. She informs me of any changes or concerns she may have. That's how I found out he wasn't eating his lunch at school. We were able to remedy that situation quickly.
Dondan wears his hoody jacket, everyday to school, with the hoody on. It's been down right hot some days, but he won't remove it. I'm thinking it's a security blanket for him, he can "hide" inside his little world, interact and still be part of the world outside.
He's been "burrow" more often lately than not. I've rigged his hammocks in his room to the top bunk part of his bunk bed, but he wants our basement back. It's all we can do for the time being.
This morning I spoke to his teacher and she informed me that, yesterday he finally joined in to play a game with the other kids. It's a start and I am happy for it! He usually sits off to the side and watches or he'll play alone. He will try and mingle without completely being involved. Milling around the out skirts, without making any actual contact, I know it's weird. It's like he's yearning for that friendship, but he doesn't what to do. Everything is just so new and he is coping how he can. I always ask about the kids at school, in his class and if he's made friends. We have a neighbor boy who is close in age for him to play with, but he hasn't wanted to make friends yet. He made a comment the other day in a loud voice saying, "There's NO Jefferey here in Okinawa!" I felt so bad, he really misses his best friend back in Washington.
Dondan's been doing great with riding his bike, we moved him up to a 20" bike and he has a blast riding on 2 wheels. He tries to keep up with Mike jumping the speed bumps and what not. One evening on our walk he threw a rager fit when we wouldn't let him ride down the BIG, STEEP hill. Far be it for me for not wanting him to break his neck. We compromised and let him start from the middle and go down. It worked out fine, no spills.

Mike has no problems fitting in except that his teachers find it weird that he is "too comfortable" in his new surroundings. They can all stuff it and I have no problems telling them that. I've had a conference with one of his teachers and I made it very clear where I stood. That's another story which I will not divulge on here.

Anyways, Mike has made several friends and true to form most of them are girls. He even has a stalker already, go Mike. His best friend so far is a girl named Marissa, she's a very sweet and kooky young lady, who happens to be LDS. Though not into WoW, she still likes mythical creatures and fantasy related things. They are like peas in a pod and have been joined at the hip since they met.