Playgroup at the Beach...

 

 Not very many beaches come with a perfect baby-sized pool...  Many people seem to sort of sneer about our beach here on base, but I love it!

 The mamas can sit on the rocks and chat while the babies play...

 Miss M wanted to go snorkeling...

And she had fun playing with little Miss A, who is also three.  Since moving, Miss M hasn't had much play time with girls her age...  So it makes me happy that she could play at the beach!

Perfect day!

Off to School...

Here is the sweet Miss A, off to first grade.  After a tumultuous school year last year, I am very happy and grateful that she loves first grade, and has a wonderful teacher.  I have gone a couple times to help in the class, and her teacher seems firm, but very loving and kind, with an even, soft voice.  Perfect.  Hallelujah.  Oh, and I love that they wear uniforms!  I think this is the greatest idea ever. 

Haputo Beach...

On Labor Day, we took advantage of our superb baby-sitter (she stayed with the girls and made stepping stones and painted flowers with them) and went on a kidless hike to Haputo Beach.

 This is the trail head.  Straight down, of course.  Most trails in Guam go straight down to some sort of water, then save the straight up for when you're all tired from swimming...

 This, I think is a pandanus plant.  Isn't it pretty?  There was a big one growing in the Climatron, back at the Missouri Botanical Garden.  Little did I know then that I would someday live in the Climatron...

 View of the ocean.

 This spider web was incredible!  It's hard to see, but much of it was perfect little squares.  It looked like graph paper.

 B picked up some baby coconut crabs...  Sort of freaky.  I think they could still nip off a finger...

 And this is the beach.  Um.  Have you ever seen such a perfect place?

We went snorkeling.  I love the little blue fish!

 Here's a picture of me.  Shocking I know.  I am not fond of having my picture taken...

 

 We saw lots of pretty fish.

 Lots of puffers!  They're so cute.  I was surprised by how many beautiful colors they come in.  I always assumed they would all be brown, like the puffer fish on Finding Nemo.  But we saw brown, and blue, and green, and orange.

 Sadly, we also saw lots of these.  This little guy right here?  He is a cone snail.  I am developing a nightmare-inducing terror of cone snails.  Do you want to join me?  Watch this:  http://video.pbs.org/video/1811431815  It is a video about the world's most venomous creatures, and it contains a very... enlightening section about cone snails.  They completely freak me out.

 There's B, checking out the surf breaking out on the reef.

 We climbed along the rocks to this little cove.  The rocks were covered with crabs when we came around the corner, but they disappeared pretty quickly.  We sat on a rock and let the waves break over us.  It was nice to be in waves again.  Here in Guam the reef almost always keeps the waves out of reach.  Which is nice, usually, but once in a while I like a good big surf.

 B took more pictures of me...

 And more...  This is a little cave we climbed up to.  Oh, and it looks like I'm missing a hand, but it is still there, just wearing one dive glove.

 And the view from the cave.

Then we walked along the beach.

 A pretty mushroom rock.

Is this not the perfect beach?  Paradise.

Surprise Visit...

We got a wonderful surprise last week!  Our good friend J made a quick visit to Guam.  She flew in from her boat and spent the night with us.  The next morning we got all ready to show her the beautiful beach here on base.  We got in our swim suits.  We packed up the towels and toys.  We put on sun screen.  We drove down the amazing cliff to the beach.  We headed to the water.  And then... J got a call saying the plane was ready to fly her back to her boat...  So, the trip will have to wait!  Hopefully her boat will pull in here sometime, and we can give her a proper Guam tour!

Couch Potato...

(Disclaimer:  This was done despite my disapproval...  I have a strict no baby touching the remote rule, but when B saw her lounging on the couch, he stuck it in her hands so he could take pictures...)

Experiment: Homemade Crackers...

I had to take a side to the squadron picnic, and since I'm usually a confirmed cookie person, I thought "Hey, crackers are just like cookies right?  But qualify as a side?"  So I tried two types.  The first ended up like Wheat Thins, but I didn't roll them thin enough.  Therefore they were chewy and largely inedible.  These cheese crackers, however, were about the best things I've ever tasted.  (They didn't go well at the picnic- I don't think people knew what they were- but that was fine, because there were more for us to bring home!)  Here is the recipe:

1 c butter, room temp
6 oz finely shredded cheese (I used cheddar)
1/2 t sea salt
1 t black pepper
3 t fresh herbs (I used rosemary)
2 1/2 c flour
2 T water
-Mix butter in mixer until creamy.  Add other ingredients one at a time.
-Roll into a log on plastic wrap, chill for 30 min.  (You can of course roll out and cut with cookie cutters.)
-Slice and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Squadron Picnic...

Gotta love mandatory fun!  Especially when it is at one of our favorite places- Gab Gab Beach.

The kids played on the private beach (you can read about the private beach here) while I chatted and B kayaked around the bay.

 Turns out Miss R is quite the fan of kayaking.  See her little head poking out?

 B gave her some coral chunks to chew on, and she was perfectly content.

And you needn't worry, the water was only a foot and a half deep.  It would have been physically impossible for the kayak to tip.  And besides, she was safe with a daddy...

She loved it!

 The big girls constructed an intricate water project with their friends.  Here is Master C, surveying the excavations.

 I'm not sure who this girl is, but she was very good at dams.

 Master M found the most amazing shell!  But... it was inhabited.  So he let it go free.

 B came over and let the little kids push him around.

 Gausali flowers hang over the beach- so pretty...

 Miss R did some lounging...

 Then Daddy deserted her to go pick up her big sisters.  It was very sad...

 But then- Miss R saw our friend K pull up in the gorgeous kayak she made herself.

 Miss R perked right up, and promptly tried to climb in.

I guess kayaking is something we'll have to do more often!