Moench Kazoku

Leaving Yuma for Ann Arbor

2011-06-05T19:16:00.008-07:00

And so the journey begins...

Tate says goodbye to his classmates,

and Keri gets excited to go.

Our first real stop is in Salt Lake City for Easter with the Jones Family

Keri's first Easter egg.

Sachiyo and Keri share a moment

Sion and Hana enjoyed themselves

So did Tate

Thank you Michiru (and Makoto, too)!

Next, it was off to Idaho Falls and Menan

Ted came to play with the kids, and we met up with Ruth, Michael and Ben. Good times were had by all, though there were some tense moments when Ted became lodged in the slide. Hana talked him through....

In Menan, the Nelsons let us sleep, eat and jump off their roofs and on their trampolines.

Time to say goodbye to the Nelsons. Thank you Keith and Karie!

For some reason the kids weren't too intent on taking the whole tour around Mt. Rushmore. Maybe the 29 degree (F) temp combined with the 40 mph winds had something to do with it... Anyways, the gift shop was warm. The kids liked that, at least.

Home, sweet home. Our first home in Ann Arbor was the Motel 6, room 408. 10 days, 1 room, 6 people and 1 dog. Paradise...

Close quarters makes for some strange bedfellows...

We finally made it into our new home and Keri says. "moving is exhausting!"

After recovering from the move we started to enjoy our new surroundings.

Memorial Day parade in Dexter, MI. 90 degrees with 100% humidity! This is NOT Yuma!

Ann Arbor Hands On Children's Museum. An air conditioned escape from the humidity and fun and educational, too.

Japan trip

2011-03-05T22:28:00.005-07:00

Sachiyo, Tate and Keri were able to go to Japan in February and enjoy spending time with Sachiyo's family. They got to go to Disneyland and a lot of other fun places with Sachiyo's sisters and Tate and Keri's cousins. Here are some of the photos from that trip.

Aunt Nobuyo and Keri

Tate and Tomo at the Anpanman Museum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anpanman)

Sachiyo and Tate at Tokyo Disneyland

From left to right)
Sachiyo, Nozomi (bottom), Tomo (top), Tate and Shohei at Tokyo Disneyland

Keri in the O-furo (a traditional Japanese bath)

Saying goodbye is hard!

Top: Sachiyo and Keri
Middle: Tomo, Momoko, Nozomi and Shohei
Bottom: Tate

Keri rides the bus ride to the airport with Aunt Michiyo and Baba

See you next time!

Again? So soon?

2011-03-05T22:18:00.002-07:00

And here we go again:

If you can't tell (and I have no idea why you wouldn't be able to) Keri has just cut her first two teeth (both bottom front teeth).

Keri's favorite toy is an old audio visual cord....and yes we do not let her play with it unattended, or while the cord is attached to anything...

We visited the local fruit stand where the lady was nice enough to let the kids pick their own tangelos (think tangerine taste crossed with grapefruit size). Delicious and a lot of fun.

Catching up....again

2011-03-05T22:01:00.006-07:00

Catching up on the last few months.

Nov 2010:

Grandpa and Keri

The Phoenix Zoo

A trip on the Polar Express (http://www.thetrain.com/polar-express-5679.html)

The Grand Canyon

Tate and Keri

Dec 2010:

Keri with her Grandma at Mom and Dad's 50th Anniversary party

Hana and Sion all dressed up for the party

The girls loved playing under the hotel sink

Keri

Keri got her baby blessing

and love from her aunt Sarah

Jan 2011:

Hana and Sion's Birthday cakes (brownies). 2 Years Old!

At another party with their friends

Tate is tying his shoes now, after a few years of velcro shoes.

Feb 2011:

Hana and her horse at Grandma and Grandpa's house

Sion knows she can't have dessert until she is done with her food. This can lead to some interesting attempts to be "All Done!"

Valley of the Names. North of Yuma, there is a spot where people go to write their names in the desert with rocks...not much to do around here, I know. We felt we needed to take part in the tradition before we left. A little 4-wheelin' and here we are.

Until next time

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T20:53:00.008-07:00

All these holidays so close together is making it more difficult to be lazy about uploading pictures. Well, here goes.

Pumpkin Carving.

Finished products.

Hana as Dorothy Sion as Snow White

Carnival games at our Ward potluck/Halloween Carnival/Trunk or Treat/Soft serve extravaganza.

Sis Squires was awesome. She held Keri all night so that we could chase the other kids. Looks like Keri had a good time, too.

Tate (aka Darth Tater) and his friend, Asher

OK, here is where it gets confusing. On Saturday, the girls switched costumes. We invited some friends and went to the Halloween carnival on the base.

Sion combining Cinderella and Dorothy and Hana as a wind-blown Snow White

Mommy's Little Pumpkin.

The Gang: Our neighbors ( Silas, Jeanine and Jasmine), Tate's friend, Cole and Tate, Hana and Sion at the end of the carnival.

Found another one

2010-10-24T21:45:00.002-07:00

OK, OK. I know it hasn't been two months, but I had to post another picture.

OK, now I really am going to wait two more months. (Maybe)

September through October

2010-10-24T21:19:00.007-07:00

The last few months in photos:

Sion has decided that she wants to be the baby again so she gets more attention.

Welcome to the Moench Monastery. We meditate on our animal selves...

Super Tate!

Keri pics (what people really want to see)

Replacing the sink faucets and water shut-offs becomes a family project.

Sea World Parade!

Dad and Tate get soaked on the coaster

The sea birds here are pretty agressive

Carnival rides for everyone

Sion and Hana play in Elmo's playground

Keri has about as much fun as she can stand

We saw the dolphin show, which is now a dolphin/aquatic Cirque de Soleil show. Pretty Cool. The even have some big birds and pilot whales involved.

I think I'm turning Japanese. I think I'm turning Japanese. I really think so (think so, think so)

Hana

Sion

Tate

Keri doesn't have the Japanese clothes yet, but she is cute just as she is.

Hana trying to "cute" her way out of getting caught with her "Bubba" before bed time. (No Bubbas Before Bedtime!)

Is this punk enough for you? All she needs now is a tank.

Keri has decided that she gets the big bed, and we get the crib.

More pics in a few months......

We gave Tate a camera

2010-08-24T21:04:00.004-07:00

We gave Tate my old camera, because he always wants to take pictures. Over the last weeks, he has been running wild with it, taking pictures of almost everything. We thought that we would showcase his work here. While he is not behind the camera in every shot, he is directing the action of every image.

We start with Ice Water (a still-life)

Keri in Grandma's Hands

Tate in front of the camera....................and behind it

Cashus (OK, this shot bugged me. I have been trying for years to get that dog to give me a decent photo - Just one good one for your feeder, but no. Tate gets one within a few shots.)

Lightsaber Fights (with Cole)

At work behind the camera

Hana (the evil twin) being precious.........................Sion (the other evil twin) about to steal her mom's food

and thus concludes our exhibit of Tate's photography. We hope to offer more exhibits in the future.

More Keri Pics

2010-08-24T20:56:00.003-07:00

More Pictures of Keri

Keri's first bath

Drying off with her chicken towel

Keri dressed for bed (our bed, since she still refuses to sleep alone)

Mutual inspection

Keri enjoying a post-meal stretch

It was a dark and stormy night...

2010-08-18T15:51:00.005-07:00

It was a dark and stormy night. The wind howled and the night sky was illuminated as bolts of lightning leaped from cloud to cloud, never quite touching the ground. As the woman's screams echoed down the hall, the masked man picked up a knife and walked slowly, calmly toward the woman, who was unable to move...

OK, it was windy and there was a thunderstorm on the horizon, and the doctor was masked, though he had a scalpel, not a knife. And they were moans rather than screams from Sachiyo, who was rather heavily drugged (by an anesthesiologist, not self-medicated) but I think you all get the picture.

At 2154, on 17 August, Keri Moench entered the world at 7 lbs 4 oz (3.3 Kg) and 19.75 inches (50 cm). Mom and daughter are doing fine. Both are lovely and will be home soon.

Keri, about 45 seconds after birth

Keri under the heat lamps going from blue to pink

Keri meets mom and big brother

Keri Moench

Tate's First Day

2010-08-18T15:47:00.004-07:00

Tate started school on 16th of August. He is growing up so quickly. After a few days, he is really enjoying school.

Though his school district has only full-day programs, he is attending for only half a day. This is thanks to an Arizona law requiring school districts that have only full-day programs to offer a half-day option to anyone who requests it.

We think having 5-year olds in school for almost 7 hours a day is a little bit of overkill. He is still studying at home with his mom, so he is definitely not going to be falling behind academically. If anything, the opposite is true.

Devil Pups

2010-08-18T15:34:00.003-07:00

We went to Camp Pendleton on the 7th to see Seth Trunick graduate from Devil Pups, which is a 10 day training program/summer camp sponsored by the Marine Corps. Seth did great, recieving one of about fifteen fitness awards out of 324 graduates. He had a perfect physical fitness score. We are very proud of him.

Promised Pictures

2010-07-04T16:52:00.008-07:00

Tate at his preschool Easter Egg hunt (March 2010) and at his school spring performance (Apr 2010)

Story time can be a handful...

Camping with Tate and Cashus in the Muggins Mountains, east of Yuma. Both Tate and Cashus had to be carried at various times while hiking this canyon.

The obligatory "kids in sunglasses" pictures (Hana and Sion)

Hana and Sion in their Easter dresses

Easter egg hunt in the backyard (Sion and Hana)

Hana found the most eggs in Tate's basket, so she followed him around "helping" herself

Opening day at Chase Field for a Diamonbacks game.

Labor Day (the girls first time at the pool). Sion loved jumping (falling) off of the side.

The kids love that space by the fridge. (Hana in the back, Sion in the front)

Daddy and Sion

Hana loves the stuffed animals. Sion loves the books. Actually they both love the books and have to each have a book while in the car.

Tate graduated from preschool at the Learning Pad in May

Tate turned five in June and we had a party for him at Jump Up, an indoor tumbling, acrobatics facility. He had a bunch of friends come and everyone had a great time. Especially mom and dad, who did not have to clean up afterwards.

My unit had a Family Day at the local aquatic facility and this time all the kids enjoyed the pool.

Another Update

2010-06-27T21:13:00.001-07:00

I've been told that we haven't been too forthcoming with our plans for the next few years, so I thought that I would update you on what is going on.

Sachiyo and I have decided to stay here in Yuma for another year. This was due to a combination of reasons. One, Sachiyo will be giving birth in August (if the kid waits that long) and was not reassured by me telling her that I was sure we could find a vet somewhere in the middle of Kansas or Missouri, if she went into labor during the week-long trip. Now we will be able to have the baby here in Yuma close to friends and family, with a support network already in place. This has lowered our stress level about this considerably. The thought of dropping Sachiyo off by herself in the hospital in Ann Arbor to give birth when we had no one to watch the kids was a little scary.

The doctor has assured us that the baby is a girl and Sachiyo has a planned C-section date of 20 August (if the baby can hold on that long). We don't really need ANY clothes or toys. We have accumulated a ton of things over the years. If you feel you must send something (and it is not at all necessary), gift cards to walmart/target/Sam's Club for diapers would be great.

The Second reason that we are staying is that I have learned that I can get a waiver to apply for a Marine Corps Program to go to law school (unfunded) and come back in the Marine Corps, as a JAG, when I am done with school. While I am in school, I will pay tuition with my GI Bill and will work for (and get paid by) the Marine Corps during the summers. I would continue accruing "time in grade" while going to school and would finish 15 years active service, by the time my commitment would be up. One of the nicest things would be that I will keep our insurance during school.

I will not find out whether or not I have been selected for the program until March of 2011. I'll let you know when I know.

Either way, the family will be moving to Ann Arbor, MI in May of 2011 and I will be attending the University of Michigan. I will be starting the summer semester around June 1st, 2011.

Tate will be starting kindergarten here in a few months and is very excited about it. He and his sisters are enjoying swimming anytime they can get to the pool.

I have been called as the Venture Crew leader for scouts. I am breaking in a new CO and Operations Officer at work, while being the only instructor and training three new pilots (one of them my boss and the new Operations Officer). There is nothing like telling your boss that he is all messed up....

Sachiyo is still working with the Activity Day girls at church (8-11). She is also continuing to teach Tate at home. She does a great job and Tate is now reading well ahead of his age and will read books to himself when he is bored.

Sion and Hana are busy learning new things like how to push a chair up next to their high chair in order to climb in and demand food. They also like to have lightsaber fights with their brother and enjoy bringing their lilghtsabers up to you and hitting you in the leg with them while saying "hyah!" Cute and deadly. That's my girls.

Pictures coming...

Catching up...

2010-03-21T17:54:00.006-07:00

Here's a few pictures to quiet the grandparents who have been complaining about not being able to see their grandkids. Most of these pictures were taken at the park during Tate's last soccer game. This season, his team went over .500, and Tate even scored a goal! The girls love coming out to the game and we have to pull them off the field a few times a game as the try to get involved.

Hana and Mommy. Sion and papa.

Sion pushing Hana in their baby stroller. The girls playing chase around the big stroller.

Hana at the park chasing down papa and the camera. Hana at home, trying to look innocent.

Sion offering me a flower. (I took it so she didn't eat it). Sion at home.

Tate after his last game. Tate leading a fast break.

Ok, this picture makes Tate seem all grown up...I'm not sure how I feel about that.

One year ago...

2010-01-18T17:21:00.005-07:00

Sion and Hana were born. It is so hard to believe that they are already a year old but, here we are. They have graduated to their bigger car seats, they have a bunch of teeth, the bottles are all put away. They are walking (or trying to). They have developed into beautiful little girls who are completely different. We love them very much and are blessed to have them with us.

We had a few friends over for dinner and cake on their birthday and had a great time.

Hana and Sion in their "princess" headgear (which I thought we did pretty good to keep on them for over 5 seconds)
.

The girls got a babydoll stroller and a shopping cart. They love to push things around and LOVE to fight over them, so we had to get two so they could alternate.

Sion and Hana with their cake...

BEFORE:

and AFTER: Want to share?

As much as we laughed at the girls eating their cake, Tate wasn't much better.

New Year's Bowling

2010-01-18T17:06:00.009-07:00

We spent our New Year's Eve bowling with our friends. Having the little ones made it a little more challenging, but Sachiyo still managed to beat me handily (at bowling). Hana and Sion seemed to enjoy themsleves, too.

Tate had a fun time throwing the ball. He didn't really care what happened to it after he threw it, but he had a good time. He had more fun playing with his friends running up and down a nearly empty bowling alley.

Merry Christmas

2010-01-18T17:06:00.004-07:00

We had a great, if low key, Christmas this year. Sachiyo's sister, Misaki, and her family came down from Vegas to spend the holidays with us. Of course, everyone got sick so it was a typical Christmas.

Tate opened his presents...

Hana opened the dishwasher....she likes that better than any of her presents.

We decorated cookies and just enjoyed being a family together for the holidays.

The girls in their Christmas dresses

2009-12-14T22:08:00.005-07:00

Sion and Hana in their Christmas dresses. We tried to get a cuter picture of Hana, but she wouldn't stand still (it's too much fun walking, I guess).

Save me from the demon!

2009-12-14T21:55:00.004-07:00

Mommy! Save me from the demon dog!!!!

The end of a perfect season...

2009-12-06T19:13:00.004-07:00

Tate finished a perfect season of soccer (0-12). He had a great time. He is pretty sad that he doesn't have anymore practice.

Tate running through the tunnel after his last game.

Alex, Tate and Hunter (The Three Stooges: they never paid attention to the coach - luckily Alex was the coach's kid, so I don't feel too bad).

Tate getting his medal and pictures from one of his coaches at the post-season pizza party.

All in all it was a good experience and we finally got the "soccer mom" usage out of the minivan.

Hana is walking

2009-12-06T18:18:00.004-07:00

Hana went from her first step before Thanksgiving to walking across the room on the 2nd of December. Sion won't be far behind.

New Identity Theft Prevention Method

2009-11-20T09:54:00.003-07:00

We have discovered a new way to prevent Identity Theft. Until now, we have been using a crosscut shredder, which chops things up into tiny little bits. Now we are using a two-way "chew and slobber" shredder (Patent Pending - not really). Not only is the information on the paper unrecognizable, it is also way too disgusting for any identity thief to want to touch. I feel safe, and the girls are earning their room and board. Perfect!

The last two and a half months....

2009-11-17T12:59:00.007-07:00

OK, here we go with the last two and a half months..... Take a deep breath.

Tate is playing (?) soccer on the "Rangers." He likes it but I don't see a MLS contract in his future. Hana and Sion are still working on their "Manipulate Momma" face. They are getting pretty good.

In October, we were able to visit Grandma and Grandpa and let them be manipulated by the babies for a while.

Caroline got to change her first dirty diaper. Thanks to Hana for providing the opportunity. Caroline loved it. Don't worry we'll get you some more when we come down for Thanksgiving.

After the visit to Taft, we hit Legoland. Tate loves Legos and had a great time. I enjoyed the Iwo Jima Memorial. It was only about 8 inches high.

Sion and Hana are getting good at waking each other up from naps and rearranging the toy shelf.

Tate is going to pre-school and enjoyed their "Fall Festival." I hate political correctness.

Halloween was a good time. Tate drew the Jack O'Lantern's face and then helped me cut it out. Tate was Obi Wan Kenobee (sp?), Sion and Hana dressed appropriately for the "Trunk or Treat."

Hana and Sion in their Marine Princess dresses and everyone dressed up for College Football Saturday.

That is about all we have had time to capture on film for the last few months. Hopefully, we can keep up with the happenings a little more regularly.

Labor Day pool fun

2009-09-09T11:21:00.003-07:00

This Labor Day, we had a little fun in the pool. Tate was enjoying himself, for those of you that are wondering. He asked me to do this a few times for him, after he saw another kid doing it. Tate swims like a fish now. He loves to be in the water and we have to force him to get out when he turns blue and can't stop shivering.

Launch Phase

Rotation Phase

Landing Checks

Reentry Phase

Catching Up

2009-09-05T11:19:00.006-07:00

Well, August was busy. Here is the update

Both girls cut their first two teeth. Both have their two bottom front teeth now.

Both girls are crawling.

Hana is sitting up and trying to stand up already. I think she'll be walking by Thanksgiving. I don't know whether to be afraid or excited or both.

Sachiyo finished her last Master's class. Individual and Corporate Income Tax. Yuck! If you THINK the tax system is messed up, try studying it for a couple of months. Then you will KNOW it is messed up. She got an A (of course).

I got qualified as a Night Systems, Search and Rescue Instructor (that means I get to work a lot more nights).

I attended a Inland SAR planning Conference in Boise for a week and enjoyed hanging out with Ted. Boise is much more pleasant than Yuma in the summer.

Both computers crashed again....at the same time....the week of Sachiyo's final. Mr. Murphy, if I ever find you....

I have spent a lot of time prepping for his law school applications, which become available in September. I just wish I knew where I was going to apply to. The list keeps changing every few days. I'll let you all know in a few months which school actually accept me. Right now, most of my time is being spent on my personal statement, which for most schools, usually consists of the answer to the following prompt: Tell us something about you that we couldn't tell from the rest of your application. Sounds simple enough except that the personal statement is usually weighted the same as your GPA and your LSAT (Law School Admissions Test) and is considered the "make or break" portion of your application. No pressure. I think that I have rewritten, scrapped, restarted, scrapped, rewritten, etc about 30 times so far and I still don't like it. Good thing I don't have to send them in for a month or so.

OK enough writing, here are the pictures that most of you come here to see:

Sion in the foreground, Hana behind.

Feeding two at a time gets busy. They are starting to feed themselves crackers and such

Tate enjoys building tree houses (prisons) for his sisters.

Part of the prison literacy program?

Sion pauses her destruction of the house for a Photo Op

Sion says, "Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for the seat!"

Jesus can't swim?

2009-08-07T09:13:00.004-07:00

The combination of Tate learning to swim and his friend's baptism the other day may be to blame, but this morning we heard Tate singing to himself:

"Jesus can't swim. That's why John the Baptist had to hold him in the water......."

What do you say to that?

First solid foods

2009-07-07T19:36:00.006-07:00

Well, the girls ate their first solid foods Sunday. They both did very well...I only had to put each mouthful in about 20-30 times. That's good right?

Sion first....Before and After.

Sion wanted to play with the spoon and since she did so well I let her. This is the same spoon my mom fed me with.

Hana next. She did well, but enjoyed blowing bubbles in her food rather than eating it. Before and after.

She saw Sion playing with the spoon and had to try, too.

That afternoon, we went to the local park for some relaxation. It was only about 103 out, so it felt rather cool.

The end of a long day. I love this family.

4th of July

2009-07-07T19:23:00.003-07:00

As we gathered at our friend's house to celebrate the 4th and the great blessing we have to live in this country, we thought of family and friends. We also thought of those who were away from family and friends, fighting to keep this country great and to give the same opportunities to others that so many of us take for granted. I would ask that we all try to remember the opportunities we take for granted and how we might, in the future, take those opportunities and make this world a better place.

Now for the cute kids...

Sion and Hana looking cute in their 4th of July, patriotic headbands made by their mom.

Us imposing on the Rodgerson's hospitality......again. Thanks guys.

Ted got Tate some weird shark pool gear that Tate enjoyed. He also tested it to see if it would stay on while jumping off the diving board. Tate told me that he didn't want any help today so he and his waterwings spent a few hours enjoying the pool. He only "almost" drown once, so I think things went well.

Everyone had a great time.

Just in case you forgot the girls...

2009-06-20T21:45:00.002-07:00

After all the attention shifting to Tate the last few weeks, the girls thought they would be especially cute tonight and try to get some more publicity...

Hana on left, Sion on right (both pictures)

Birthday party report: From Tate

2009-06-20T21:11:00.004-07:00

I just wanted to give everyone an update of my party. I had a lot of fun and a lot of my friends came. Here's what happened...

First, I got my gifts from Uncle Ted.

Thanks for the lacrosse gear and the blanket, Uncle Ted. The blanket's on my bed and dad finally took me out to play lacrosse. Cashus likes it, too. I can use the lacrosse sticks to pick up Cashus' ball and throw it without getting slobber all over my hands.

Dad told me that if I didn't mow the lawn, I couldn't have a party......

My friend, Mr. Sean had his buddies from the Yuma Fire Department stop by for my birthday. I got to climb around on the truck and play with the gear. It was a lot of fun. Thanks YFD!

Dad rented an inflatable waterslide for the backyard. It was awesome. I think I might be the only four-year old who had to kick the teenagers out of his party after three hours. My mom LOVES the remote control tarantula that the Rodgersons got for me....Cashus hates it. It's awesome!

"Can I be five tomorrow? I want to have another party." (Actual quote from Tate)

Tate's Birthday

2009-06-14T19:12:00.005-07:00

Well, Tate turned four on the 12th. His "party" is next week but we had cake (from our home teachers) and presents on his birthday. Thank you Grandpa for the Red Ryder BB gun. Mom and dad got him some Lego's.

Sion (pink) and Hana (green) had a good time at the party, too. We just couldn't get them to smile at the same time. We even tried the "one good one for your mother" line, too. It didn't work.

On Saturday, we went to see UP, in 3-D. Tate had already seen it, thanks to his great babysitters, but Sachiyo and I needed an excuse to go see it. It was a great movie. If you haven't seen it, GO. The parts about traveling with kids and the talking dogs had Sachiyo and I laughing hysterically, even if Tate didn't get it.

Then we went to the lake to let Tate and Cashus swim. Tate is doing really well in the water. He didn't want any help. He just wanted to kick around with his water noodle. Cashus was also having a great time in the water, chasing his tennis ball.

Cashus was really tired by the end of the day, and we had to pull Tate out of the water before he got hypothermic.

Tate woke up early on Sunday and finished his Lego car. All in all, it was a good birthday weekend. We'll update on the party next week.

Lots of catching up to do

2009-06-10T22:41:00.006-07:00

Sachiyo's computer got a nasty virus so we've been down to one computer and I haven't been able to get the pictures downloaded for a while so the next few posts are my attempt to catch up. Here is the low down on the last few months.

Dan got his night SAR pilot certification. Still working as the Ward Mission Leader.

Sachiyo started a Master's Tax class for her accounting. She must have been bored with all that free time. She also got called to be the Young Women's secretary.

Dan and Sachiyo celebrated their 7th wedding anniversary.

A trip to Sea World and the Zoo.

Sion and Hana have both learned to roll over both ways and started inching around.

Lots of wet and dirty diapers.

Tate finished pre-school (We immediatly found a babysitter to help Sachiyo a couple times a week).

We've purchased Mother's Day gifts for both mothers that are still sitting in our house.

Dan and Tate went on a Fathers and Sons campout.

A lot of swimming for Tate.

and a lot of other things I am sure that I am forgetting.

Enough of the typing, here are the pictures.

Sion and Hana at the Hotel in San Diego

Tate holding a sea star (no longer allowed to call them starfish...they aren't fish) at Sea World

Tate playing in the Sesame Street play area at Sea World

Tate and Dad in the 'Spin and Puke' at Sea World

Tate beat dad at the Shamu game so he got the Shamu

Sion (white/yellow....the clothes) and Hana looking cute

Tate's drawing of his sisters (I don't know which is which...take your pick)

Hana being independent

You can't fall asleep on the floor when your kids know how to crawl

Hana will never live this down...I'm sure her future love interests will enjoy this picture

The girls....plotting (Sion on left, Hana on right)

I am really hoping it is a camera trick and that she really didn't inherit Grandpa's eyebrows...please!

Sometimes the kids just have to make due. (Hana)

Sion's favorite position, on her side. It lets her see everything.

Thank you Aunt Ruth

2009-04-19T22:18:00.003-07:00

Sion and Hana just want to say thank you to their Aunt Ruth for the beautiful headbands that she made. We had a lot of people ask where they could buy those headbands. Sounds like Ruth has a business opportunity on her hands that she can take up in all her free time.

Girls' Blessing

2009-04-19T20:59:00.006-07:00

The family was in town over Easter weekend in order to participate in the blessing of Sion and Hana. It was really nice to have everyone over that could make it. A few members of the family were unable to make it and they were greatly missed. There was a lot of talking, eating and passing of the babies over the weekend. Sachiyo really enjoyed the opportunity to cook, her first love, while someone else watched the kids. I am still trying to get the recipes so that I can post them here, for those who want them.

Thank you again to those who were able to make it down here. We know that it wasn't easy or cheap for any of you. We love you and look forward to seeing you all soon (at someone else's house).

Of course, like most Moench family events, the weekend was capped off by the boys going out and shooting things. Tate got his first chance to fire a real gun and did very well. He keeps asking me when we get to go out and do it again..... Grandpa he might need his Red Ryder BB gun a little early.

The Fair was in town.

2009-04-19T20:52:00.003-07:00

We took Tate to the fair at the beginning of April. This is about as big as it gets here in Yuma. The girls stayed with a babysitter so Tate could have our full attention. We had a great time. Tate got to ride a lot of rides and eat a lot of junk. He got to have his caricature drawn and got to pet the pigs and cows and goats, etc. It was nice to just have a night for Tate after all the focus on the girls.

This one's for Dad

2009-03-15T20:46:00.005-07:00

Dad, they had a Skyraider at the Yuma Airshow on Saturday. Single seater, so no rides. 1 of only 15 flyable Skyraiders left in the world. Sorry you missed it.

The Big Debut

2009-03-15T20:34:00.004-07:00

Today was the girls' first day at church. Dad, thank you for the cute dresses. Sion is in yellow and Hana in blue.

Tour of the mountain west

2009-03-15T18:44:00.004-07:00

Well we just got back from a week long road trip. Our excuse to go was in order to tour the law schools at BYU and University of Colorado - Boulder. We did do that. We had more fun visiting family, friends and new places though. Tate was able to see some real mountains. We got chased out of Provo by a snow storm, so Tate got to see snow fall. We played in the snow in Colorado and got some pretty good sushi in Vail. We got to see some bighorn sheep up close and personal on the side of the road. We spent a night in Monument Valley, which I highly recommend and got some real Navajo fry bread and Navajo tacos (delicious). Tate and the girls did great in the car up to 8 hours in a day at some points.

I want to thank Sachiyo's mom for making the trip possible, without her help, it would have been all but impossible.

Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon and Commandant's Own

2009-02-25T08:46:00.003-07:00

Yuma is the spring training ground of the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon and the "Commandant's Own" Drum and Bugle Corps. They do their first show here every year. On the 24th we took all the kids, Tate's cousin Jason, and Sachiyo's mom to see the show. Everyone had a good time as we sat on the grass with some friends and watched the show. I only came close to strangling Tate once, as he decided that the Marine Corps hymn was the perfect time to run around screaming. Typical kid.....perfect timing.

After the show, we were able to take some pictures with members of the Silent Drill Platoon and the Commandant's Own.

Bragging about food.

2009-02-24T21:54:00.000-07:00

I've noticed a trend in the family to brag about the food they ate in order to make the others feel as if they have missed out on something delicious. I would never stoop to using words to attempt to make others feel as though they missed a life changing culinary experience.....

Helping Hands

2009-02-22T21:32:00.002-07:00

We wanted to thank all those who are helping pick up the slack around here (and pick up the kids).

They can do it themselves

2009-02-22T21:30:00.002-07:00

Sion and Hana

Sachiyo will take sleep anyway she can get it

2009-02-22T21:28:00.001-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa came to visit

2009-02-08T19:10:00.004-07:00

We had the pleasure of having my mom and dad come visit for a few days. They made some time to visit with the girls and Tate between used bookstore shopping. Everyone enjoyed themselves. Dad got to read some of Rudyard Kipling's Just-So-Stories to Tate and I think he gave each of the girls his "Don't try to scam your mother" speech. Mom still remembers how to put a kid to sleep, too.

Come back soon, Tate wants to play some more. The baby blessings will be on the 12th of April for those that can make it.

Family Resemblance

2009-02-08T19:08:00.003-07:00

Some people say that Hana looks kind of like me....I don't see it.

First Bath

2009-02-08T18:54:00.002-07:00

Sion and Hana after their first bath.

Got Breast Milk?

2009-01-27T16:41:00.001-07:00

One Week Anniversary.

2009-01-24T18:31:00.004-07:00

To celebrate their One Week Anniversary and in a surely futile effort to stop the tide of irate emails asking for more pictures of Sion and Hana....here you go.

I remember being told that my dad used to read Homer's Illiad and The Odyssey to me when I was a baby....Does the fact that my newborn children's first book is "Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr. Seuss say anything too telling about me?

Pictures

2009-01-20T13:29:00.003-07:00

Hana
Sion
The sisters
Big brother and Sion
Baba and Sion

Already?

2009-01-20T13:17:00.002-07:00

OK, the twins slept through the night last night....2330 to 0700. Are we good parents or what?

*I don't expect this to last.

Our first big screw-up with the twins....more to come I'm sure.

2009-01-20T13:12:00.004-07:00

OK, after watching the twins for a few days, filling out their birth certificates and bringing them home, we realized we had given them each other's name. Didn't take us long to mix them up. In the womb the one we had been calling Hana was the calm, laid back one and Sion was the wild child. Well, they were born out of order due to Sion ripping her placenta off the wall of mommy's uterus so I got confused. I went back to the hospital today and changed thier birth certificates so all should be good now.

That's why I think that you should be able to take them home for a few days/weeks before you decide what to name your kids. People take that much time to name their dogs and I think that kids are more important.... The nurse looked at me funny when I tried to explain this to her almost 4 years ago when they wouldn't let us take Tate home until when actually gave him a name.

Anyways.....

To recap:

Sion was actually born first 5 lbs 12.7 oz 17.75 inches

Hana was born second: 6 lbs 9 oz 19.5 inches.

In other news, mommy and the girls are home now. I will try to get more pictures posted soon. I just have to go back and relabel all the pictures I took already.

I can't wait for the Christmas mix ups....

The girls are here!

2009-01-18T12:20:00.008-07:00

Sion and Hana were born at 2341 and 2342 respectively on the 17th of January. Sion's placenta tore away from the uterine wall and ruptured, requiring an emergency C-section. Sion spent about 3 hours in the NICU getting her lungs suctioned but was fine. Mom and the girls are doing great. They are all adorable and I feel so lucky to have been a part of their birth, even if it was mostly as a spectator. Sachiyo was amazing, as always. I am always suprised at how much faith and strength she has. I love her very much.

The girls and mom will be in the hospital for about 48hrs. More to come.....

Sion: 2341, 17 Jan 09, 5 lbs 12.7 oz, 17.75 inches

Hana: 2342, 17 Jan 09, 6 lbs 9 oz, 19.5 inches

The girls back together after Sion returns from the NICU

Mom gets to enjoy the fruits of her labor (pun intended)

Tate gets his first shot a "big brothering"

My dog is addicted to peanut butter....

2009-01-11T21:08:00.004-07:00

I seriously think that Cashus is an addict. He can only go 24 hrs between hits of Jiffy. After that he starts pacing and whining and walking around in circles. If you let him go long enough, he will start chewing on his own feet. He walks back and forth between the kitchen and you. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. Then he normally sits in the kitchen and cries. It is pitiful to see (and hear) a grown man cry...even if he is a dog.

I bet he is thinking, "Lassie made this look easy...why do I have to live with this idiot? Even Timmy could have figured this out! Just get me the peanut butter!"

Could you say no to this face? Sachiyo can't.

The Haul!

2009-01-11T20:08:00.004-07:00

OK, I would like to start out by giving a huge "Thank You" to Lara Smith and Mikki Stuart for hosting, planning, and making cool invitations for Sachiyo's baby diaper shower (as opposed to an adult diaper shower which would have been kind of creepy). Lara also donated about five square feet of baby clothes a month ago.

Sachiyo and a bunch of friends got together on Saturday and Sachiyo came away with approx. 750 diapers and 1500 baby wipes. By my calculations (which are most likely wholly inaccurate) that should last us about two and a half weeks, give or take. Our love and thanks go out to all those who have been supporting us and keeping us in their thoughts and prayers over the last 36.4 weeks.

She is twice as big as she used to be....

2009-01-11T20:06:00.001-07:00

She really is, I measured. She is like Sputnik!

The New Year means Tate is a Sunbeam!

2009-01-11T20:05:00.002-07:00

Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu

2009-01-02T09:50:00.004-07:00

...or Happy New Year.

2008 has come to an end...and still no twins. There goes my tax breaks. Well, it was a good year anyways. Sachiyo and I were able to look back and realize how blessed we have been this year in so many ways. I sit here while my wife is on the couch and the beginning of her 36th week of pregnancy. The twins are both growing well and Sachiyo is doing about as well as we could ask for. My job allows me more time with my family and everything seems to be falling into place for law school (now if only we could agree on where we want to go). Tate is learning and growing very quickly. He is pretty much over his shy phase and is speaking English very well (probably connected).

We have made some very good friends out here in Yuma and feel more accepted here than any other place that we have lived since we got married. People call Sachiyo and blackmail her into letting them take Tate for a few hours at at time to give her a break (Bless every one of you!!). We cannot express our gratitude enough to our family, friends and our Heavenly Father.

We feel that our Heavenly Father is watching over us so much and we hope that through the coming year we can in some way bless and enrich the lives of those around us as much as we have been blessed.

Christmas Day

2009-01-02T09:28:00.004-07:00

Christmas was great. Tate let us sleep in until about 0830. Awesome. We went out and Tate tried to open all of the presents...he is so helpful. Thank you to everyone. Cashus was a little stressed out at first. So he destroyed one of his presents right away...pretty typical. After that he calmed down a bit and the rest of his presents have survived. Ted's box was found on the front porch in the morning. I guess Santa couldn't get through the door and we don't have a chimney.

The evening ended with some friends asking us over for dinner. We had a great time. Sean made some great lasagna (secret family recipe) and we really enjoyed the company. Thank you Rodgersons.

It was a Merry Christmas and We hope you all had the same

Christmas Eve

2009-01-02T09:19:00.004-07:00

Well, we were able to spend Christmas Eve with friends who were nice enough to invite us over for dinner. We really enjoyed ourselves. The kids were able to act out the nativity scene. Tate was a little overwhelmed with the other kids and ended up sitting out the acting portion of the night but we were able to get him to dress up a little. It was a fun evening and everyone ate way too much junk food. A big "Thank You" to the Smiths for including us in their evening.

Hiking in the hills

2008-12-21T19:29:00.003-07:00

Tate, Cashus and I went hiking in the hills around Yuma for about 2 hours to give Sachiyo a break. We had a good time and the kids got worn out but Tate only slowed down for one picture. I think Sachiyo enjoyed the time off more than anyone else.

Tate's Christmas Party

2008-12-21T19:23:00.004-07:00

Just like his Dad did, Tate has a new girl following him at every turn. (OK, no sarcastic comments please...)

She's not crazy....she's pregnant

2008-12-16T20:15:00.004-07:00

One of our "Winter Visitors" (read Snowbird) stopped me at Church last week to ask about Sachiyo. He had been sitting behind us in Sacrament meeting and had seen and heard Sachiyo as she leaned on the bench in front of us and groaned as she moved from side to side searching unsuccessfully for a comfortable position.

He looked at me with a very concerned expression and asked, "Is your wife OK?"

"Yes" I told him. "As OK as you get when you are 34 weeks pregnant with twins."

He looked relieved and said, "Oh good, I thought she might have some sort of emotional or mental problem from the way she was acting in the meeting."

You just gotta love old people.....no tact whatsoever...

So just to clear up any confusion, Sachiyo is not mental, she's pregnant.

Some pictures from the Christmas Party

2008-12-12T20:56:00.004-07:00

Well, my work Christmas party was today. Tate and I went and had a good time. There was games and cookies and presents from Santa. Tate really enjoyed the games. He has got a good arm on him. He really liked the game where you had to throw the football through the hole. The three step drop and......in the hole. (Tate got it in the hole about 8 times, I think I got it in there once.) Tate focused on the top hole and he was doing really well until he got distracted by Santa's arrival.

This one's for Amie

2008-12-12T20:55:00.002-07:00

A picture of the "baby bump" for Amie

Gracie, we'll miss you...

2008-11-27T13:26:00.006-07:00

In an unfortunate beginning to our Thanksgiving weekend, Gracie (our female boxer) passed away during our ride from Yuma to Taft. She did not suffer as far as we can tell. Gracie brought countless moments of joy and laughter into our family. We are unsure of the reasons behind her passing but we are sure that she will be missed.

Good Girl Gracie.
Goodbye Baby Girl.

Tate said the prayer tonight

2008-11-12T19:43:00.004-07:00

Normally I help Tate say his nighttime prayers which we do as a family. Tonight he decided that he wanted to help me say the prayer. So he said it then I repeated after him. Everything was going very well until we got to the "please bless" portion.

After blessing Grandpa and Grandma and Baba (Sachiyo's mom) and Sion and Hana and Grandpa and Grandma and Grandpa and Cashus and Gracie and mommy and Grandpa and Grandma and Baba and the school and his books and Cashus and Gracie and Grandma and Grandpa and Baba and Sachiyo's sister and Sachiyo's sister's husband and the lights and flashlights and balls and Grandpa and Grandma (By this time I was trying somewhat unsuccessfully to supress my laughter) he said "Please bless my sunscreen." I lost it. I had to bury my face in the pillow to laugh because I looked over at him and he had his eyes open staring at me with that face he does when he is trying to see how far he can push Sachiyo and I.

Speaking of Sachiyo, where was she during all this? Right behind him trying not to burst out laughing as well. All I needed was for her to prompt him with "And we say these thing in the name........." Nothing. So I just had to end the prayer myself. Tate immediately responded with "I'M STILL PRAYING!" This did nothing for my ability to hold myself together. So by the end of the night we are all laughing together and Tate is now too hyper to sleep. Good memories....but it's going to be a long night.

Tate's Christmas Wish List

2008-11-11T15:31:00.002-07:00

When asked today what he thought that he wanted for Christmas, Tate immediately replied "Toilet Paper!" There you have it, Tate's wish list. Cheap and useful. Oh, don't get him any 1-ply stuff either. Only the good stuff.

Happy Birthday Marines!

2008-11-10T20:56:00.000-07:00

233 Years of protecting Americans...

whether they wanted it or not.

Semper Fidelis

The Great Pregnancy Weight Challenge

2008-11-10T11:56:00.004-07:00

After reading a bunch of pregnancy literature that invariably talks about husbands gaining "sympathy" weight, I have decided to try and match Sachiyo pound for pound as her belly swells to contain the two extremely active girls (Really, it is kind of weird to sit there and watch Sion and Hana roll around in there....like that movie Alien. I am just waiting for one to rip its way out....anyways....).

Instead of normal "sympathy" weight, I am trying for "sympathy weight-loss." I started my diet about 14 weeks ago which is about 14 weeks after Sachiyo got pregnant, but she was unable to keep any food down for the first 3 months, so we are about equal as far as a starting point.

After 14 weeks, we are just about equal: Sachiyo at +22lbs and Dan at -21lbs. Sachiyo's doctor wants her to put on about 40+ lbs by the delivery date so we will see if I can keep up. If I can keep pace with Sachiyo that will put me at about 205lbs by the due date. I think the last time I was that weight was most likely 6th grade.

If anyone is interested on my methodology, here it is...

I got my RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate) tested. If you don't have a place to get it tested, there are quite a few RMR calculators online. I use my RMR as my calorie goal for the day, (Not the calorie goal after daily activities - given by most RMR calculators as well. That calorie level is to sustain your current weight). I picked up a "Calorie Fat & Carbohydrate counter" book and a "Food and Exercise Journal" book. Both books are by The Calorie King and are $8 and $3 respectively and both found at Barnes and Noble or online. Both are 4" x 6" books and easy to carry around.

I have tracked my eating for 14 weeks now and after about 3 weeks it is no longer annoying. I eat exactly the same way I did before my "diet," I have just adjusted portions and timing so that I hit my goals. Sachiyo and I have not had to prepare any special meals or shop fifteen days ahead of time of a set menu. I have just started eating the amount I am supposed to instead of the "American" portion. I eat three meals and have three snacks during the day (granola bars, crackers, chocolate, etc.) and I find that I do not get hungry during the day. I ignore fat, protien and carb levels and just track calories. Just writing stuff down has kept me from making bad decisions throughout the day on many occasions. I have not increased my physical activity by any appreciable amount during this period either. You will be surprised at how easy it is to eat more than your daily calorie level at one sitting in a restaurant...so be prepared.

One thing I did notice when I started tracking my calories was that I was regularly eating 2 times as much as I should in a single day. That was a shock. I also got my metabolism tested and was told that I have a pretty fast metabolism...there goes that excuse. I get tested (free on base) every ten weeks and my metabolism has actually gone up since starting this diet. That means I am now eating more and still losing weight. Which is nice. I have more energy, my clothes fit better, the physical activity that I do leaves me invigorated instead of tired now and overall, I am happier. I do splurge every once in a while and I haven't seen any negative affects. In N Out is good for the soul, if not the waistline.

It really just required me to look in the mirror and DECIDE to be healthier. Giving up my excuses and telling myself every time that "If you don't want to lose weight more that you want______, you don't really want to lose weight" was what it finally took. I still tell myself that when confronted by Ho-Ho's at the gas station. It even works sometimes. (Not being able to keep up with a three year old helped too.)

Time will tell whether I will be able to keep this up, but after 14 weeks, it is no longer a pain so I think that I will. Once I get to where I want to be, I will be able to relax a bit as well.

Time will also tell whether or not Sachiyo or I will win the Great Pregnancy Weight Challenge. Stay Tuned

We've decided on the names for our girls...

2008-11-10T00:12:00.004-07:00

Sachiyo and I have decided, with help from the Grandmas on both sides what the girls names will be. *

One of the girls will be named Sion (pronounced "she-on") - The Japanese word for a Tatarian Aster (That is a flower-pictured below- for those of you that are horticulturally challenged). It is also the Japanese pronunciation of "Zion."

The other girl will be named Hana (not Hannah, pronounced "Hah nah"..OK, that doesn't make it much clearer.....call me and I'll tell you how to pronounce it OK?) - Japanese for flower

These names give the girls a little bit of a connection without saddling them with rhyming names and are pretty and pronounceable in both languages.

We are not planning on giving the girls middle names.

*The author of this blog reserves the rights to change his mind and/or the names of his future daughters, at any time with or without reason and with no regard to the feelings or opinions of anyone (except maybe his wife who makes all the decisions anyways)

Halloween Fun Cont.

2008-11-02T21:20:00.001-07:00

After the Jack O'Lantern was finished we went to the Church for Trunk or Treat. Tate was dressed up as a cowboy. We let him take the hat off during the event because it was over 90 degrees. Costume designers make costumes assuming it will be cold and Tate's was a little warm. Tate had a great time and really got into the Trick or Treating spirit. He was even nice enough, when he finished, to hand out all of the candy that he had collected that night to other kids. He did keep a few pieces for himself of course, but got rid of all the cheap stuff. There was nothing but chocolate stuff left by the end. Dad was so proud.

Halloween Fun

2008-11-02T21:01:00.001-07:00

Tate and Dad made a Jack O'Lantern for Halloween. Mommy and Tate drew the face for the creation while Dad was at work but Dad got to carve it. Tate promised to help, but once he had felt the insides of the pumpkin, he decided it would be more fun to watch Dad make faces as he gutted Jack.

Passport to Safety

2008-10-12T16:41:00.001-07:00

These are so much cooler than Mom's minivan...

I had the opportunity to fly one of our birds out to a public safety fair on Friday. Tate and Sachiyo came out to visit and we got to go see a bunch of the different displays.

Enjoying the few weeks of nice weather...

2008-10-12T15:45:00.000-07:00

Well, the weather has finally cooled down enough that we can enjoy being outside, while staying warm enough to play in the water so we had a family pool party in the back yard last week.

As you can see a good time was had by all.

The results are in....

2008-10-09T10:30:00.000-07:00

The doctor confirms it.....it's still two girls. They are still growing on track and are doing well. Make sure to get your vote in for when the babies will actually show up.

Weekend in San Diego

2008-09-28T20:46:00.001-07:00

We were lucky to be able to go to San Diego for the weekend over the 20th to be a part of my brother's wedding. I thought that I would post some of the pictures that were taken. San Diego was wonderful. Cool and sunny....unlike Yuma which is deathly hot and sunny. The weekend's activities (outside of the wedding, of course) involved large amount of Japanese food, a visit from Tate's favorite baby-sitter, playing at Balboa park, Japanese food, my brother's wedding, Japanese food and time with family (and some more Japanese food on the way home). We finally got to meet Tate's cousin Cooper (actually Benjamin Cooper Arnell, but I call him Coop). Tate likes to call him "Benjamin Ben-Ben" for some reason. They seemed to enjoy one another's company.

It was great to be with family and we only wish more of them could have made it. I am sorry, but I don't really have any pictures of the wedding....hopefully, we will get some from someone else. I was busy chasing Tate around and taking him for walks so that he didn't destroy the very nice house the wedding took place in and Sachiyo was busy trying to breathe, so we didn't get as many pictures as we would have liked. I don't know why but the girls are doing their best to choke Sachiyo from the inside.

Today's score: Girls - 2, Boys 0

2008-09-08T20:45:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen,

I believe that the title of the post says it all. The ultrasound tech assures us that he is 100% positive of his determination. We are now referring to the girls as Girl A and Girl B instead of "the parasites." Sachiyo is very happy, I am still in a bit of shock (but still very happy). 99% of the name suggestions we recieved were for boys. Now we need girl names. Jeez, now we have to decide on first names and middle names (Maybe). Your help will be appreciated. I hope to hear from you all soon......I have to go buy some pink paint.....

Tate is moving on to harder stuff...

2008-08-31T19:10:00.000-07:00

This was made by Tate with pretty minimal coaching. He is getting very good at following the picture instructions. This doesn't mean that Tate needs 1 million piece Lego sets for Christmas though. Like Father, like son (though he is more intelligent than I am)

Tate's first Scorpions' Game

2008-08-31T18:59:00.001-07:00

Well, Tate and dad went to Mormon Night at the local minor League baseball game: the Yuma Scorpions. We got matching baseball hats and Tate lasted for about 6 innings. He mostly amused himself by chasing the mascot "Stinger the Scorpion" around. He hates Santa Claus but doesn't mind a human sized scorpion. His only complaint is that he wanted to know when he got to go on the field and play. He was a little disappointed that he wasn't allowed on the field. So the next day we went home and broke out the T-ball gear and Tate got to play some baseball. He has a really funny "Happy Gilmore" style approach to the ball.

Some pics from the disposable camera...

2008-08-14T21:10:00.000-07:00

Magnets

2008-08-10T21:40:00.000-07:00

Just some pictures to show Grandma and Grandpa what Tate is doing with the magnets that they bought him for Christmas. He loves them and yes, he did these all himself.

The dangers of reading.....

2008-08-10T21:32:00.000-07:00

Tate learned a hard lesson last night about reading in the nude. After his bath he ran into his room and grabbed a book and was reading to himself while I cleaned up the bathroom. As his mom and I were walking into the room, he finished the book and snapped it shut. Let's just say that it snapped back and he found himself caught by the....you get the idea. He just sat there for a moment looking confused before he started crying. Mommy and Daddy's laughter probably didn't help.

Some pictures from work

2008-08-07T21:59:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would send some pictures of what I am doing at work now. For those of you who don't know, I am now working as a Search and Rescue pilot in Yuma, Az. What we do when not actually rescuing anyone is train to rescue people. That is what is going on in the pictures. We are repelling a Corpsman (like an EMT) down to a simulated patient and the either hoisting (pulling him back into the helo) or short-hauling (simulated hoist failure where the Corpsman stays at the end of the rope and we move him to safety and then set him back down again). I will try to get some more dramatic pictures when I start working harder areas. The most difficult part is taking the pictures while flying....

Always Ally of the Justice

2008-08-04T20:59:00.000-07:00

Wonder Space can be found at "58 Wonder Earth"

Back from Vegas....but no pictures

2008-08-04T13:22:00.000-07:00

Well Tate is back from Vegas and our heartfelt thanks go out to the Harwoods who watched him for 3 weeks while Sachiyo was throwing up. About 1 hour into our 5 hour drive up to Vegas, we realized we had forgot the camera. We bought a disposable camera but you are all going to have to wait until we get it developed. On the way home we stopped a few times in the desert to show Tate the different types of plants and cactus and to just let him run around a bit.

When we got home we found a package waiting for Tate from Grandpa and Grandma with some puzzles and a few cars. They were also nice enough to send a bunch of tennis balls, which explained why Cashus was so interested in the package.

1st Trimester is over.....Sachiyo is still sick

2008-07-28T19:23:00.000-07:00

Sorry, we don't have any new pictures to post this time, but we thought that we should update everyone from Sachiyo's doctor's appointment. Well, we saw an actual doctor this time and he says that everything is going fine. The babies seem to be doing well and developing as they should. It looks like we will be going the the doctor every two weeks from now on. Sachiyo was prescribed some new anti-nausea meds so we will have to see if they actually work.

We are going to pick up Tate this week from his sumer vacation to Vegas. A big thank you to Uncle John, Aunt Misaki and cousin Jason for hosting Tate. We really appreciated it.

Well, it has been verified that we have twins and so we are busy surfing yuma.craigslist.org for baby items (not too much there). Thank you to everyone who has offered to help. We can't buy too much until we determine for sure that it is two boys (like Dan thinks) or one each (like Sachiyo thinks). Hopefully, in the next month we will know.

Thanks to all for their prayers and ind emails (and the gift from Seth for Sachiyo). We appreciate all your help.

Anyone want to buy a 2006 Toyota Tacoma 4dr 4wd w/17000 miles.....we need a minivan.....

Sachiyo is loving her pregnancy...

2008-07-14T20:31:00.000-07:00

Sachiyo thinks that she gets such bad morning sickness in order to teach me how to be useful around the house. She is ensuring I learn the lesson....

Tate can dress himself.....

2008-07-06T19:56:00.000-07:00

Yes, those are shorts on his head and a shirt on his legs. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for the clothes.

Blue Steel! or is it Magnum? Underwear on your head is so hot right now.....

Tate loves grapes......

2008-07-05T20:15:00.000-07:00

Catching Up

2008-07-04T21:25:00.000-07:00

Just thought that I would post some pictures that would allow everyone to catch up on what we have been doing over the last few weeks. We have moved into a new house in a new city: Yuma, Az. It is very hot here but we like it. The people are friendly and we actually bought our house so now we can do things without asking like paint , do some building projects and go camping...

The Big News

2008-07-03T20:00:00.000-07:00

Most women should be able to tell you what you are looking at here. The bottom picture is a little clearer than the top, but either way there are two beating hearts in these pictures. The midwife who was doing the ultrasound said, "Yep, there is definitely only two of them in there....of course, I have never been able to find triplets until the third or fourth month...." so we can't guarantee that there aren't more but...

Sachiyo is doing as well as can be expected. She is having very bad morning sickness. It was bad last time and seems to be worse this time...2x the fun? Hopefully, it won't last seven months like with Tate. Tate is looking forward to being a big brother. He says he wants boys. Right now they are saying that the due date should be around the 24th of January.

Obviously we don't know the sexes of the kids, but we'll keep everyone informed. It took us until two days after Tate was born to decide on a name for him now we have to decide on at least two names....Wish us luck.

Names

2008-07-03T19:45:00.000-07:00

Once the sex of the children has been determined, we will start taking suggestions for the kid's names. Actually, I guess you can start whenever. If your name suggestion is chosen you will be given something in thanks...(it will probably be something really cheap since we have to buy a new car seat, high chair, stroller, crib, etc.....)

The Rules:

Boys names only:
1 Syllable....much easier to yell.

Either boys or girls:
No middle name
The following sounds cannot be used...unpronounceable in Japanese:
TH
TI
TU
L

Sachiyo likes the idea of names with a connection....both starting with same letter, rhyming etc. I am not too sure about that but with will be accepted. You can suggest names for both or just one. Let the names begin....