January so far...

(The line up on Christmas morning.)
So far the new year is treating us just fine. Christmas was wonderful, the kids enjoyed it and we were able to have a bunch of the young soldiers from Tom’s clinic over for dinner. I managed to be slightly less busy this year than last year which gives me hope that maybe next year I’ll do even better and actually have time to enjoy the holiday season! We also decided, as we do every year, that the kids get way too many presents and we won’t buy as much next year. (Alyssa got a white kitten to replace the one we rescued and had for a few weeks.)
(Danica got this Arial doll that is all tall as Alyssa. I often find her wearing the girls clothes and we regularly get spooked by her when we walk into the girls room at night.)(This is Hayden's expression the moment he realized he got a Lego set!)

On New Year’s Eve we had our friends over for a party. We let the kids stay up and cheer at 8:30, we had them all in bed by nine. There were 13 kids sleeping in the bedrooms of our small house, quite remarkable. We enjoyed the evening playing games and then at midnight we grabbed Hayden out of his sleeping bag and took him outside to see the fireworks because we promised we would wake him at midnight. He lasted 1 minute and asked to go back to bed! Maybe next year we will let him actually stay up.
Hayden started third grade and is loving it so far. He still complains about homework like always but loves the class work especially learning cursive. His best friend, who lives next door to us, is in his third grade class so that is great. I asked if he’s made any other new friends and he said “well, I have an acquaintance named Pete, I think eventually he’ll be a friend.” He continues to plow through Percy Jackson and is on the 4th one now. I’m still trying to teach him to play the piano and hope that I’m not doing irreparable damage. I plan to get him a real teacher once we move. Here he is admiring the rain on the hike we did the other day.

Danica got new teachers at church, the parents of one of the really unruly kids in the class. On the first day the dad, a marine, was explaining what will happen if you’re bad in class. That night Danica dreamed that she was being bad at church (something that has never happened.) In her dream she was talking to her friend so she got put in the “green chair” and then kicked out of class. She woke up very upset and for the rest of the week she would, at random times, say things about not liking her class. Apparently her teacher really got his point across. I should have given him the heads up that with Danica all you have to do is imply that you might frown at her and she will do anything you say! (I have since then talked to the teachers and they talked to Danica and assured she won’t go in the green chair. She’s fine now!)
Alyssa has sadly lost a tooth. She hit it really hard a year or so ago and we worried she’d lose it then but it seemed fine. Since then she’s hit it a few times but been okay. Then last week Tom was brushing her teeth and realized it was VERY loose! After he spent the whole night unable to sleep because of nightmares about her tooth he took her to work with him and did some x-rays which revealed that she had no root and the tooth was on the verge of falling out. Within a few days it was wiggling so much it was hurting her and she should wouldn’t eat so Tom just pulled it out. The x-ray revealed that the other front tooth has a very short root as well and will fall out soon. So lucky for her she’s in the right family and will be fitted with some little prosthetic teeth once they arrive on island. Once we realized it was loose Tom took her out for one last photo shoot... here are the before and after shots. We’ve got her convinced her lost tooth is adorable so she loves to show it off! Plus, the tooth fairy brought her a lollipop so she thinks this is the best!

Tom had the prosthodontist that he works with do a soft tissue graft on his front tooth (#9 for those who care.) It’s been a bit sore but he’s been downing the percocet so he’s been happy. A few weeks ago I went on a tour of a shrine that is all decked out for the ongoing New Year’s celebration. I learned a lot of cool things about how the holiday is celebrated here. We passed this idol that is supposed to bring good fortune with having children. I was really tempted to leave an offering. Then we all got our own written oracle (fortune) and after reading it had to tie it to the tree.

We are getting excited for our visit from Dave and Adina and our trip up to the mainland. We’ve nearly worked out all the little details. It’s going to be an awesome trip. I’ve been working on convincing the girls they are really lucky to have a babysitter sleep over for a week... so far they like the idea! We enjoyed a long holiday weekend and realized this was the last time he’ll get two days off for Martin Luther King day.... there are some perks to being in the military!! On Monday we hiked up Mt. Nago. It was a little too cold and rainy but we made it. We went with a few other families and Hayden had a great time running up and down the mountain with his friends. It was all perfect until Tom slipped in the mud on the way back down and took a hard fall! Too bad I don't have pictures of that!
(You'll notice Tom can't smile due to his surgery.)

Happy Birthday Hayden!

Even though we’ve been busy with the holidays we can’t forget to say Happy Birthday to our favorite boy!! Hayden turned 8 years old on Dec. 23rd and is loving it! This past year has been a lot of fun for him. I’m not sure where to start with Hayden because there is so much to say about him! He’s such a fun, energetic, smart, funny and intense boy. He loves to read and is currently devouring the Percy Jackson series. He enjoys reading science books and watching Planet Earth, which has turned into a bad thing because he’s now “too smart” to go in the ocean where there are dangerous creatures lurking... we go to the beach a lot and he just digs in the sand or reads a book. Hopefully eventually we’ll get him back in the water!
He’s got great friends in the neighborhood and they love legos, computer games, climbing trees, making clubs, riding bikes and everything else boys do. He's playing basketball right now and looks forward to soccer season starting up. Hayden hates to do homework and will complain for hours before doing 5 minutes of work but he likes school and enjoys learning. He writes fantastic stories at school, with great detail and drama. To his excitement he just recently got to “s.a.g.”, his made up name for skipping a grade. After Christmas he went to third grade instead of second grade. So far he really likes it and hasn’t missed a beat. Hopefully it will continue to be a positive thing for him.
One of my favorite things about Hayden is his sense of humor. He’s always loved jokes and I took great pride in making a comment that was rewarded with “good one mom!” His current thing is to mimic a drum and say something like “ba da chee” in response to a witty comment. It’s awesome and I live for it. He still enjoys challenging me as the authority figure but more and more we will battle it out and in the end he’ll say “yeah, you’re right mom.” It's giving me hope that we will survive the teenage years. I wish I had the video camera rolling all the time. The other day he couldn’t find his ipod and I suggested he check the pocket of the pants he put in the dirty clothes. A minute later I was caught off guard by a huge thank you hug. Love it.
Hayden will tell you that he thinks his sisters are annoying but I know the truth. He plays with them all the time and they have so much fun together. Every morning before school he tries to coax one of them to get under the blanket and snuggle with him to stay warm on the couch. He loves long hugs before bed time but usually treats me to a head butt when I try to hug him at the school. He finally lost one of his top teeth... actually Tom yanked it out. Now we’re working on the other one. Here is the last picture of Hayden with his top baby teeth.
For his birthday party this year we did a movie party. Very easy. In true “Tom” style it couldn’t just be a regular movie, it had to be huge, like a real theater. It turned out really well. We did the party early in the month before his best friend left town. Then closer to his birthday we enjoyed going bowling together as a family. On his birthday he took a friend and we went to the zoo and the science museum there. Here they are feeding the elephant at the zoo...so dressed up! Later that night we went to a lights display at a botanical garden, it was awesome. All around he had a fabulous birthday!!! Hayden just seems to get better every year. I can't wait to see what this year brings!!!

2011

Happy New Year, the Year of the Rabbit!

Christmas Letter 2010

Dear Family and Friends,

We have enjoyed a wonderful year full of fun and adventure! It was our last full year in Okinawa and has really flown by! I can’t possibly summarize all of it so I’ll share just a few of the highlights! Most of these activities were made even more memorable by the fantastic friends we’ve made here in Okinawa. They’ve become our family while we are so far away! We’ve been sad to lose so many of them this year but are grateful for the technology that allows us to keep in touch with all of them and the family that we miss so much!

Some of our favorite things this year: (details on all of these fun times can be found on our blog!)

** Visit from Papa and Grandma Barb in March!!!
** Karamas: A trip with friends to a small chain of islands. We stayed in a traditional Japanese tatami room and had the best snorkeling ever! We saw huge sea turtles and even a manta ray!
** IE Island Half Marathon: Tom and Tracey ran it together!
** Trip back to the states: Lake house with the Stinchfield’s in Washington and tons of shopping then off to Utah for the 4th of July with the Rowan's, seeing old friends, going to the temple with my sister Rachel, relaxing in Park City and playing at Lagoon!
** Iheya Island Marathon: Tom ran and met his goal of under 4 hours! While on the island we went exploring and found the most amazing beaches!
** Tour de Okinawa: Tom and I trained for a participated in a 110 mile bike ride. It was pouring rain and there were insane hills but we had a great time!
**Parks - Karaoke - Beach - Snorkeling - Aquarium - Rain - Dragonboat races -Water slides - Cultural sites - Fish market - Bike rides - Races -
Hayden: He continues to amaze us with his mind and abilities at school. We were sitting around one night after dinner trying to solve some riddles and Tom and I were both stumped when suddenly Hayden blurted out the answer. I imagine it’s not the last time he’ll show us he’s smarter than we are! He took first place in the school science fair and placed second at district. He’s a reading machine and recently finished the Fablehaven series. This past year he played soccer and basketball and likes them both. Most of his time is spent creating with legos, playing computer games, doing science experiments and running around with his friends in their imaginary world!
Danica: It’s been a really big year for Danica as she has grown a lot physically and emotionally. Her confidence and enthusiasm for life has really grown. She’s doing at gymnastics and can’t get enough of her time at preschool. A while back she began begging me to teach her to read and she loves it! During the summer she learned to swim on her own and has now taken the training wheels off her bike! She spends all her free time coloring with markers and playing “mom and dad” while dressed like a princess. Last week she turned 5 and tells everyone she can find!
Alyssa: She has such a great outlook on life and approaches every new situation with a smile and sense of adventure. In August she turned 3 and in September she started preschool. Although she’s the youngest kid at the school she loves it and is doing really well. Her teachers report that is always full of smiles and hugs, constantly telling them she loves them. If it were up to Alyssa she would have me push her in the swing all day, going “super, super high!”
Tracey: I’ve had a busy and fun year with not enough time to sit and read. I was the Girls Camp leader which was a new and exciting experience. For Christmas last year I got a road bike and I spent this year learning to ride it, culminating in the 110 mile ride in November. I’ve been very busy at church, the kids schools and running my family. To stay sane I have kept up on running and exercise. I listen to audiobooks throughout the day while doing housework and love the multi-tasking!
Tom: He has spent all of his free time this year in training for one event or another. It started with just a half marathon but then he decided to do a marathon in October and the bike race in November. He was faithful to his work out schedule and succeeded in both! He’s also in the progress of getting scuba dive certified and found a new interest in racquetball. He officially turned in his separation from the Navy and will be getting out this next summer. Although he has enjoyed his time serving in the military and all he has learned he is looking forward to the next adventure in life!
We truly are so blessed and recognize the hand of the Lord in our lives daily. He watches us over always and we feel his love. It is our hope that you to have found peace and happiness in 2010.

Love,

The Stinchfields

10 Amazing Years

Happy 5th Birthday Danica!

We’ve had a fantastic time celebrating Danica’s 5th birthday! I can’t believe she is growing up so fast. She is our little sweetheart and just the nicest girl ever! Her smiles are captivating and she is so loving, considerate and caring. Alyssa quite possibly has the best big sister ever. Danica spends a lot of her time taking care of Alysss and playing with her. I can always count on Danica to help me out when I need it. Today we took a snuggle nap together on my bed, I loved it! She won't leave the house without a hug and kiss. She loves to play polly pockets, baby dolls and dress up. She loves to color, cut and draw. This year she has taken the training wheels off her bike, learned to swim and learned to read! It’s been so much fun but I wish we wouldn’t grow up so fast!

Her party was early in the month, we had a princess tea party theme with lots of little girls and two boys. She doesn’t like cake so we made a huge cookie and put candles in it- that was a big hit! We drive past the Macaroni Grill on base several times a day but never go there and Danica always asks to. So, Saturday night we finally took her there and we had a great time. The kids thought it was so fancy.... I guess we need to take them out more often! Today she got to open her presents, wear a fancy new dress Grandma sent and eat her favorite dinner of chicken and broccoli. What a great birthday!






The girls did a photo shoot with dad while they were in their new princess dresses!

Tropical Island Thanksgiving

Again this year we went up north to Camp Schwabb and stayed at the cottages on Oura Wan beach. It was fantastic. We had 7 families, tons of kids, tons of food and great fun. The kids biked, played, did a treasure hunt and just ran free. Every night we put them all to bed and gathered in one of the cottages for games until late. We pulled all the tables outside for our Thanksgiving dinner and it worked out great. I cooked the turkey the day before because we had no oven up there and it still tasted good! We had an awesome turkey bowl with real flags and some serious competition!

One of the days we went over to the Neopark and had a blast checking out all the animals and the unusual petting zoo with dogs, ponies and guinea pigs! We had a blast!