Olivia's Turn

Olivia saw all of the kids going down the slide and even went down with me and Duane, but she decided she would try it on her own. She was very excited to go down the slide...

but then she started to come down and I think she was terrified and wasn't sure what she had gotten herself into...

and when she reached the bottom, I think her face tells us that she will not be attempting this again on her own.

From a Tiger to a Wolf

Well, Ryan completed his first year of cub scouts and has advanced from a Tiger scout to a Wolf. They had a wonderful day full of fun and food for the boys and their families.


Duane and I couldn't resist taking a turn on the big inflatable slide. We have to say, it is not a very smooth ride down the slide. You kind of bounce, hop or flip your way down to the bottom.

The hit of the day was the inflatable slip and slide. The kids had so much fun and played on it for at least two hours before they decided they might want something to eat!

Hmmmm, we may have lived here too long if Miranda is now going to flash the peace sign in pictures! If you don't know, the Japanese are notorious for flashing this symbol in all of their pictures.

Our Eisa Dancer

After two long months of practicing, Miranda the Eisa dancer was finally able to show us what she had been learning! Eisa is an Okinawan folk dancing and they performed two numbers, one with a small hand drum and one without. She was so excited about her opportunity to participate in this club and was the only Caucasian girl in the group!

Olivia's New Bling

Well, I took the kids to the 100 Yen store, which is the equivalent to the US dollar stores, and Olivia found something she just could not live without. I couldn't resist getting her these jewels and she wears them so proudly.

Duane's New Discovery

Well, Duane and I are still having so much fun with our new camera! Duane was never one to do picture taking, but he has gotten really excited about using our fantastic new camera! He had a great time taking pictures at one of Miranda's basketball games!





Ryan loves playing outside with the other boys in the neighborhood. We are so lucky to live in a neighborhood that has an overabundance of boys his age to play with. He is all-boy and loves climbing trees with his friends.

Going to the Air Force

Okay, so no Duane did not temporarily go insane and join the Air Force. Since the Army does not provide any tuition assistance for spouses pursuing Master's degrees, I decided that I would go to the Air Force. Well, it worked and I received a scholarship that will pay for a few classes!

I just love it when the cakes have pictures on them! I am the picture on the top right hand side. I was a bit disappointed when I passed the cake after it was over and I had indeed been devoured! Oh well, it is a cake!!

Cooking With the Footes

We decided to invest in a new camera and we took the advice of my good friend Destry (thanks Destry!!) and got ourselves a Nikon D60. Well, we have been having a great time getting used to our new camera and Duane has had a lot of fun taking all kinds of pictures. We can't wait to find out all the neat things we can do with it!! Duane, the cameraman, caught me in the middle of slicing cucumbers for a pasta salad, so I struck a pose for the camera.


With me behind the camera, I knew I needed to take a picture of Duane the BBQ Master. He loves to BBQ and grills whenever he gets a chance. He's come a long way in his technique!! There's no longer burnt burgers that are still raw in the middle! He's evolved into a man who can cook a steak perfectly!

Well, tonight's grilling menu was Asian Flank Steak. I have to tell you that I am usually really cheap when it comes to buying beef. To my husband's delight, I have on occasion decided to splurge on the nicer cuts of meat. I remember my Mom telling me that I should never pay over $2.00/lb for meat, so I've tried to stay true to that advice. Well, it's almost impossible these days and my husband insists that the pricier cuts of meat are part of the reason his grilling has been so successful lately. I will continue to tell myself that even if the flank steak cost me $8.00, the entire price of the meal is still considerably less than going out, right?!

So, it's not just Ryan that has talent in the kitchen. Miranda didn't want to be upstaged by her younger brother, so she decided to try her hand in the kitchen and treat us to some chicken nachos. She insisted on no assistance, including when it came to shredding the cheese. They actually came out pretty tasty! She was very proud of herself and insists on having her recipe put in the Foote Family Cookbook that will debut at the end of this year.

Another Cheering Season

Yes, another cheer season is upon us. Miranda started her basketball cheering season and loves it just as much as she always has. She is loud and confident and we enjoy seeing her have so much fun!

Go Kadena Blue!!

Chef Ryan

We woke up last Sunday morning to a Ryan who was very excited. He proceeded to tell us that he had cooked us eggs for breakfast. We thought, okay, he cracked some eggs into a bowl and needed help cooking them. Well, we were wrong. He cracked them, seasoned them with Emeril Essence, and cooked them all by himself! We were so impressed that we didn't scold him about using the stove by himself, but thanked him for the breakfast and then reminded him that cooking on the stove was not the safest thing for a 7-year-old to do by themselves. All in all, the eggs actually turned out well and we didn't find any shells.

Torii Beach Opening

We had a great time at the Torii Beach grand opening. They had free food, games and entertainment. The kids loved playing in the ocean and going down the waterslide. I think we're going to spend more time at the beach this summer.

The kids really enjoyed the contraption floating just off the beach. Miranda was afraid that she was going to float out to sea even though we explained to her that it was chained to the bottom.

It took Olivia a little while to get into the water, but once she was in she didn't want to come out.

Olivia loves to jump on the bouncers. We struggled pulling her away when it was time to leave.


Ryan was our Spiderman, making his way up to the top of this web.

Our Citizen of the Month

So, I was cleaning out Ryan's backpack and came across an invitation to an award's ceremony for the citizen of the month. Well, luckily I hadn't missed the big event! It was scheduled for the next day. I asked Ryan the next morning if he knew anything about it and he was just as surprised as I was. He was very excited to be chosen for citizen of the month for his class and I wasn't going to miss being there for his award!