Some New Random photos

Kntye loves bath time. I think he just enjoys being naked. He does this every time I am changing his diaper.
Madie had helped cook dinner and said the hat was for cooking. The apron would keep her clothes clean and the hat would keep he hair clean. What logic!!!
The boys love to help cook. Making the salad or just chopping stuff.

Here are just a few photos taken over the past few weeks. We like them so we thought you might.

Enjoy!!

Anne's First Dive Postpartum- Dec 3 2007

Well it has been about 11 months since my last dive, and today we finally found time to go. For us to dive does not take much effort since we are about fifty feet from the water. We suit up in the garage and head down the street to the seawall where we get in. The only difficult part about it all is getting the kids taken care of. Nikolas and Logan are at a friends house, Madilyn is taking a nap, and Knyte is with the sitter. (For the first time) Whew, I am worn out already! It was nice to get away for an hour or so. It is hard to imagine sometimes, diving in December. Can you see Mr. Fishy camouflaged in the rock and coral?

Turkey Day 2007- Gobble Gobble

The kids could not get enough of the scrumptious Turkey!


Tommy thinking about the prospect of just maybe getting some Turkey.

Knyte looking up at Mama after a long nap.

I am pretty sure it was the best Thanksgiving we have ever had. Fantastic food and even better company! Low key as it was and perfect. I enjoyed every minute despite being up till 3 am making pies for the big day. Our new found friends and neighbors joined us in our feast. The Kids stayed busy playing and watching movies. We captured some wonderful photos of the kids that day. Thank you Craig, Aviva, and Mia for joining us. Sorry we could not get a good pic of the Turkey before Derek started nibbling.

Thanks Aviva for the fantastic pics!!!!!!

The 5th Kid...

He is a two year old English Cream Golden Retriever who was a Internet purchase about 2 years ago. We found him on a web site called Whitedoveranch.com. We knew the moment we saw his puppy face that we had to have him. Now 2 years old he has finally matured and turned into a wonderful family pet. He has had very difficult "paws" to fill. Tide and Freedom both died of cancer. Freedom about 4 years ago and Tide just last year. Tommy only had the opportunity to spend time with Tide who most definitely rubbed off on him. Now with a new baby in the house Tommy has learned to be so gentle and very careful around Knyte. He loves the boys so much and just wishes that Madilyn would stop calling him"NO" He spends his days basking in the sun on our balcony and waiting for the boys to come home to go swimming off the Seawall. He loves chasing the crabs that live on the tetrahedrons and swimming in the tide pools.

Knyte at 8 weeks

Baby Knyte is 8 weeks now and is getting so big. He had his 2 month check up today and he is already 12 pounds 10 oz and 23 inches long. That is the 75%. As a friend says I think I have cheesecake milk. We are loving every minute with him.

The Girl Next door- Mia

For the last several weeks the boys have been very preoccupied with a new friend. I might mention that friend is a girl. Her name is Mia and she has BOTH boys dizzy. They fight over her on the bus every morning. Logan appears to be most confused. He cant quite figure it out. He knows he likes spending time with her but he is not sure why. Mia is torn between them. She manages spending equal time with both of the boys very well. It is a very fun dynamic between them.

Bend it like Nikolas...

Nikolas has been playing soccer for 3 seasons now. He has certainly improved. He has enjoyed the season and making new friends. Here are a few photos from one of his games.

Baby Knyte at 6 weeks Old

Knyte has changed so much in his short 6 weeks since he has been born. He makes some of the most amazing faces and boy can he eat. He sleeps better than any of the other children did at this age. He has started holding his head up better and cooing sometimes. He loves to eat and enjoys spending his time watching his siblings play.

Halloween on the Sea Wall- Okinawa-2007

This years Halloween did not end up as we had planned. We thought we would go on base since the Japanese don't typically celebrate this holiday. The day before Halloween we spoke to a neighbor who told us quite differently. She said that our neighborhood was a definite attraction this time of year. All of the Japanese came down here to celebrate. She said that we would be amazed at the number of people and that we were. It was a mob up and down our entire street. The locals love this holiday. So we set up shop on our driveway with some friends and their child. We had two huge bowls of candy and we were ready. The kids dressed in the neatest costumes. Nikolas was Spider man, Logan was Optimus Prime, Madilyn a Pink Tulip Fairy, and Knyte was a very popular Sorcerer's Apprentice. We had all of our fantastic pumpkins out on the driveway and lit. They were the hit of the evening for sure. We were not outside 30 min and our candy was GONE. We gave 1 piece to each child and it was still all gone. Crazy!!! We had fun to say the least. Madilyn had not grasped the concept yet that Halloween is not everyday. She loves to say "Twick o' Tweet" to everyone in hopes of getting more candy. It was better than we imagined and we are so glad we stayed at our house to experience it.

Uncle Bugs visit to Okinawa Aug 28-Sept 28 2007

Uncle Bug also known as Kenny came to visit for a month this summer. We did all sorts of fun things and visited some great places. He made us some fantastic dinners and his world renowned waffles for breakfast. Derek took him diving a few times and they saw some really neat stuff. He enjoyed some of our favorite restaurants here. The boys had a blast with Uncle bug everyday. As usual Kenny took some wonderful photos of all of us while he was here. He always seems to capture the moments we seem to miss. He has played a vital role in many if not all of the memorable times since we have known him. (11 years) While he was here Knyte was born and he had a chance to stay with the kids while we were at the hospital. The stayed up late, watched movies, and ate plenty of junk food. All of the things a good Uncle Bug should provide.

Logans 6th Birthday costume party at the beach

This party was right up Logans Alley from
the jumpy that was of course a huge truck to
the kids all dressing up in great costumes and having a fantastic time. We rented a cabin on the beach at Torii station and invited several of Logans friends and some of ours. They had hot dogs, thick juicy burgers and a few wonderful salads that mom made. He got really fun gifts and even had a friend spend the night up in the loft at the cabin. It was a beautiful night that could not have turned out better for him.

Omi's Visit to Okinawa- Sept. 28- Nov. 5 2007

Omi (Anne's Mom) is what all but one of the kids call her. She has been to Oki now 3 times and just cant seem to get enough of it. She loves the people and cant get enough of the fantastic Sushi. She has managed to make so many friends here that she is able to have her own daily agenda. She gets up in the morning and makes the boys breakfast, takes them to the bus stop, and visits with all of the other moms. She takes walks on the seawall with the kids or sometimes just a visit to the local grocery store. She is an enormous help with all of the cooking and laundry. It is great to know the kids are getting time with a grandparent even though we are so far away. She has helped so much with the introduction of Knyte into the family and getting a routine established. We have had some really wonderful times while she has been here. We will iss having her here all the time.

As for Maisey Mae-Our one and only girl

Madilyn Ashley has quite the busy life as well... She spends her days with Mama doing all sorts of fun things. She goes to the coffee shop with the ladies, visits the park with the other neighborhood 2 year olds, or she and Mama stay home together doing laundry and playing in her pool on the balcony watching the surf. She has become such a girl. It is pink and only pink in her wardrobe. She is very fashion conscious. She goes with Mama to the local well renowned Co Co's Nail Salon where she sits next to Mama and gets her toe nails painted (in Pink of course) by the Okinawan ladies who giggle at her the entire time. She is such a joy amongst all the boys. She adores playing, swimming, and just being with her brothers.

A day in the life of a Neathery boy

Nikolas & Logan have it pretty easy for two boys of 7 and 5. Each day they go to school at Bob Hope Primary School on Kadena Air Base. They love their school and their favorite part of the day is going to Japanese culture and language. When they get home from school they either go to the park across the street or they get lucky to have Derek come home early and take them snorkeling. They have really perfected their swimming this way. They enjoy searching for undiscovered sealife, shells, and seaglass for Mama. Derek takes underwater photos and videos of the boys and what they find. The bottom photo is a Rock fish which is a fish indigenous to this area. Poisonous and very well camouflaged. After a long day the boys love to sit down and hold their new baby brother and tell him all about what he has in store for him as a Neathery boy. Here is an underwater video of the boys snorkeling. This is their favorite after school activity.