The Greatest Show on Earth!

Come one, come all!  Come and see the parents who survived four years!  That's right - Anaya and Audie are FOUR!  Yesterday we marked the milestone with a circus-themed birthday party, complete with a clown.  We were blessed with a house full of family who traveled in for the occasion, and a couple of good friends.  Anaya and Audie had so much fun getting their faces painted, watching a magic show, pinning the nose on the clown, getting balloon shapes, and eating the cakes that they helped decorate.  What a day!  Let's just say everyone slept well last night.  Here are some highlights from the party:

All the kids, and their cousin Brooke, helped decorate the cakes:

 

 

 

As if she would stick to the theme - Anaya had to have a Sofia the First cake. 

 

Dependable Audie - chose a clown cake

 

 

 

 

 

I'm pretty sure a good time was had by all.  Let me give you a tip: A clown is a great investment!  Hire one!  She did all the work!  We could all use a little less work at a kids' party, right?  Good decision. 

 

I'll do more of an update later, I promise.  A LOT has happened over the past three months and I have slacked!  I know it!  I'll catch up now, though...I hope.

 

 

Happy Holidays! 2013-style...

 

As I write this year’s summary, Alan and I are on the road from Texas to Washington, D.C., which is where we will call home for at least the next two years.  Alan relinquished command of the 82^nd Reconnaissance Squadron in November and we headed to Texas for some much-needed down time and the opportunity to catch up with my family and our many friends there.  We were able to spend Thanksgiving there, and are heading to spend Christmas with Catherine, Robert and Pierce in North Carolina.  The kids are excited to see their cousin again, but I’m not sure how excited Pierce will be when he wakes up on Christmas morning and finds out that some of the stuff Santa left is suddenly for other kids!  Nevertheless, we are absolutely thrilled to be spending Christmas with family for the first time in five years.

The past year, as usual, was a busy one.  We kicked off the year with a family vacation to Australia.  Grandma Sissy even met us there!  It was the trip of a lifetime and a dream come true for me.  The highlight: Adam and Audie were both literally punched in the face by kangaroos!   Don’t worry, they were totally fine.  Now, they will have a great conversation starter for the rest of their lives!  Unfortunately, Mom fell ill with a stomach bug the last three days and we were forced to also experience a Gold Coast ER.  Definitely not a highlight.

The Australia Zoo - petting kangaroos!

And koalas!

That's Terri Irwin doing the Crocodile show!

 This was the view of the famous Gold Coast from our apartment:

 

The twins turned 3 in February and we celebrated with a “Thing 1 and Thing 2” themed bash.  They keep us on our toes every day.  Audie is still the sweetheart and is proving to be pretty athletic.  He still watches and imitates Adam’s every move and is looking forward to sharing a room with him in the new house.  Anaya is a princess – more Merida than Sleeping Beauty, but we know she’ll hold her own in this world.  Just yesterday she said, “Mommy, when I grow up, I must be the boss.”  I have no doubt she will be. 

In the spring, I took advantage of the opportunity to travel with a great group of women to Kyoto, on the main island of Japan.  It was just the beginning of the cherry blossom season and it was absolutely gorgeous.  We got to walk through the Sagano bamboo forest, and even saw a couple of real geishas!  It was a wonderful trip filled with temples, scenery, wine, friendship, and everything Japan has to offer. 

 The Bamboo Forest:

The Gold Pavilion:

 Just us and some random Japanese women!

 The group we traveled with:

 

Shortly after returning from Kyoto, Alan and I, along with a big group of good friends, ran the Ayahashi Half Marathon, which begins on the southern part of the island of Okinawa, then crosses a ¾ mile bridge over the ocean to Miyagi Island, then later crosses another ½ mile bridge to Hamahiga Island, then back across both bridges to the finish.  It was a nice, flat course, and the view was fist-class.  The day was extremely windy, which was only accentuated by the fact that we were running over the ocean.  It was all worth it to be able to witness God’s glory along that route.  Gorgeous.  And the Japanese spectators were amazing!  Taiko drummers, people handing out snacks and popsicles – so fun!

In the summer, we finally made good on our promise to the kids and took them to Tokyo Disney.  It was a nightmare.  But it was time spent as a family away from Alan’s crazy job and my other obligations, so we felt blessed to be there.  The kids even rode their first roller coaster, which should be a good sign of adventures to come…or just a symbol of the roller coaster that is our life.  Either way, giving our children the opportunity of these experiences in another country is just another way we’ve been blessed by God.

The summer was filled with dives.  We dove with whale sharks, dove the Kerama Islands, and dove favorite spots around Okinawa.  We tried to squeeze in as much as we could, anticipating a move to a not-so-dive-friendly locale. 

 

In August, Alan turned 40 and I knew I had to do something BIG.  So, I secretly arranged for Catherine to fly out and spend his birthday with us.  In the past, I have sponsored new teachers moving to Okinawa and I told him I was sponsoring another one and we had to pick them up at the airport.  At first sight, he was surprised at how much the new teacher looked like Catherine.  Then he realized that it was Catherine and was absolutely shocked that she was there.  It was perfect.  She spent a week with us and we did as much as we could.  It will go down as one of my favorite moments ever, seeing Alan’s face.  I’ve really gotten myself in trouble, though – I don’t know how I’ll ever top that. 

 
August also brought Adam’s 7^th birthday.  He opted for a Spongebob Squarepants-themed bash.  Adam continues to amaze us with his intellect.  He’s also a jokester, a magician and a budding artist, and is truly one-of-a-kind.  I made the decision to homeschool him this year to avoid the dreadful mid-semester change of schools, and to also give us more flexibility with our move.  Adam has handled it so well, which is a blessing.  A lot is asked of military “brats” and he keeps rolling with the changes.  What a trooper.

Once summer was over, “move mode” began and we started preparing to move back to the United States.  There was so much to do, so the last few months were filled with appointments and inspections and farewells, as well as Alan's fini flight and Change of Command, topped off with a 36.5 hour trip back to Texas.  We all made it in one piece, but were a pretty haggard-looking bunch when we landed in San Antonio.  Even Rosie made it back alive!  At 13 years old, I had my concerns…she’s a champ, though.  One advantage of flying on the military rotator was that I did get to see, feed, and walk her at each stop along the way.  I think that helped us both.  Once we arrived in Texas, the spoiling by Grandma began!  The kids have especially enjoyed getting to spend time with their cousin, Brooke. 

 

 

 Alan is anxious to get to work on the Joint Staff at the Pentagon – he isn’t quite sure what to do with all of his time right now, having had so much responsibility for the past six years.  I try to teach him the way I do things – you know, bon bons and soap operas and such – but that doesn’t seem to interest him.  I, on the other hand, am having no problems with the fact that I had to hand over my responsibilities as the Command Spouse and as the President of the Kadena Officers’ Spouses’ Club.  I’m enjoying all the “free time” when I’m not teaching Adam or playing Mom.  In all seriousness, the past six years have been such a whirlwind that it is nice to have a little break from both of our obligations so that we can recharge and get ready for what’s next.  Washington, D.C., get ready, because here come the Daytons!

*Our cell phone numbers are the same as they were before we moved to Japan.  If you need that info, or our new address, please email us at aadayton@yahoo.com.

Merry Christmas!