Cup a Noodles

This is just a misc. post about some random things. I entitled it 'Cup a Noodles' because that illustrates what we've been up to (or not up to I should say) since the last post. We are here in the country of Japan, known for it's noodle cuisine, and this is what Trips had for dinner the other night; a cup a noodles from the Mini Mart nextdoor. He went back to work last week (students start tomarrow) and I have been attending AOB/ICR (Area Orientation/Inter Culteral Relation) classes. By the end of the day we haven't had the energy to pack the girls up for a hop onto the bus and a walk into town. Things tend to be a bit more difficult with an infant who's completely dependant and a 3 year old who can tend to lose control of her emotions (yes, we all know who she got that characteristic from). We've also been trying to go out with housing agents to try and find ourselves a home more suited for us than this Navy Lodge room, which can be it's own special type of torture with screaming kids and an agent who barely speaks our language and comes from a culture where being load in public is kinda rude. We've been fortunate to have some very understanding agents, but I have uttered the phrase, "Gomen nasai" several times. This will be my first Japanese language lesson to my readers. "Gomen nasai" = "I'm sorry"!
The girls:
They were in daycare last week. The CDC (Child Developement Center) offers both hourly and fulltime daycare. We got the girls into the fulltime center for the week of my AOB/ICR. In the beginning I didn't want to take them, especially Lacey who has never been with someone other than me or family. But, by the last day I was sad that I couldn't bring them back! The place was really great and they took great care of the girls. The ladies (5 total for both classes) were wonderful and I very much liked all of them. Lacey cried alot at first, but I think she gained some independance. It was the best thing Stella could have done. She was aching for some playtime. Unfortunately, the wait list is quite long so I don't see them going back there anytime soon.
Stella has been amazing at understanding her surroundings. She has become a wiz at paying attention to signs. Not the word kind, but the picture kind. She's helped T and I with several questions, like where to change Lacey's diaper!
Stella has also proved to have her Gran's interest in mystery. She's discovered Scooby Doo and loves it. Alot of you are aware of her pention for 'scary, scary stories' being told to her. That interest has developed further. She's really into 'scary' things. She's been wanting to see 'scary' movies alot so, I rented the Wizard of Oz for the first time. I was very excited for her to see it and my expectations were met with the expression on her face when Dorothy opens that door and the color of Oz is revealed. PRICELESS.
Lacey is still a baby. Her first tooth has made it's way through. She has not learned to sit up, but manages to get around on the bed by scooching towards what she wants. She is grabby. Very, very grabby. She has a very high pitched scream, which I'm sure is not popular around the lodge. She still smiles a ton. And, as I mentioned before, she's a hit with the Japanese public.

Hopefully, my next post will be about our new house. Until then...

Some pictures posted on Photo Journal page