Run-down on the last 9 months

Hi.  My name is Jenny and it's been 9 months since my last "real" blog post.
And what a "Three Quarters of a Year" it has been! 

May 2011-DADDY'S HOME!  This may explain why my efforts to blog more last time failed.  After Daddy got home from his deployment (nearly 8 MONTHS!  ugh) the whirlwind began!  CJ also turned ONE this month!

This was taken at around 4am.  The SECOND time we went up to the hanger in the middle of the night to meet Daddy.  The perfect ending to the longest deployment in the history of the world.  (Please take no offense if you've actually experienced a longer deployment.  This is just the way I felt about it!)

June 2011-Celebrating the end of the MOSC Board Year.  This was a really great experience.  I volunteered to be the Administrative Treasurer for the Misawa Officers' Spouses' Club.  The timing probably wasn't the best (the board year started just days after CJ was born and shortly before Trevor deployed for 8 months.)  But the experience was invaluable.  Not always an easy job but it was great and I had great friends helping me along the way.

 July 2011-Katie's last day at Misawa Daiichi Youchien.  Katie started at this school when she was only 20 months old in Hiyoko Gumi, the Little Chick class.  She had such a wonderful time, learned so much and was involved in many Japanese activities that made our time in Misawa that much more special.

Katie and Junko Sensei

 August 2011- We said goodbye to the only home Katie remembers and the only one CJ has had.  We said "see you later" to all the wonderful friends we made, because we KNOW we'll be seeing them again in the future....some of them very soon since the kids and I will be visiting Misawa, Japan next week!

Jenny, CJ, Meg, Cassidy, Katie, Mary and Hannah Jane having out last picnic together at the Air Plane Museum

 September 2011- We visit Washington D. C. and Texas!  Trevor had to do a TDY en route to Korea, so we had the chance to see family along the way!  First, we flew into D.C. and were able to stay with Trevor's parents for nearly two weeks before Trevor had to leave for a school in Alabama.  The kids and I stayed a bit longer, then hopped a flight to Texas to visit my family. 

Trevor and Jenny at the Washington Monument.  It was post-earthquake, so we were unable to get any closer.

The kids while visiting Texas.  This is actually in Oklahoma while visiting the buffalo!

 October 2011-Halloween on the ROK!  We arrived in Korea mid-October and stayed in a TLF FOREVER, it seemed.  The kids had a blast trick-or-treating with friends and had their first 'apartment living trick-or-treating' experience.  Not quite the same as trudging door-to-door in the snow!  :)  We were also able to sign for the home we're now living in at the end of October.  We're living in a tower on Osan AB on the 5th floor and trying not to stomp on the floor too much.

 November 2011-Our first trip to Seoul, South Korea!  This was such a good time!  We hopped a train with our good friends, the Youngs, and headed for a festival in the city.  The Youngs have two daughters who are just about our kiddos' ages and make the perfect traveling companions!  We were able to walk along the river and check out the lantern festival where they had stationary floats similar to those at the Nebuta Festival in Aomori, Japan, but on a much smaller scale. 

Seoul Lantern Festival

 December 2011-The Nutcracker!  Katie and I, along with my friend Anna and her daughter Clara, drove into Seoul to see our first ballet!  Katie was so excited and had a really great time...aside from during intermission when she exclaimed, "I miss my brother!"  It was really sweet!  :)  After the ballet, we managed to find a TGIFridays for dinner!  I know most of you are cringing at the thought of Friday's after the ballet....but those of you who have been overseas for a few years know what was going through our minds when we found it!

Katie and The Nutcracker

 January 2012-Katie's 5!!!  Yep, our sweet baby girl is now five years old.  I can't believe it's been five years already!  Things have been a little crazy since arriving on the ROK and the holidays were nuts, so we just invited a couple of friends over (good friends from Misawa!  Who also happen to be stationed at Osan now, too!)  We enjoyed a little pizza and cake and lots of fun playtime!

Well, that about wraps up the time since my last post, and, hopefully, I can keep up with this and not have to post quite so much at a time!