Kaden and I got to go to a Korean kid's cafe for the first time! These little businesses are genius. The room is set up like a giant play place, complete with two story indoor play structures (like they have in McDonald's in the States), bouncey houses, ball pits, indoor swings, play cars, and a wide array of toys for all ages. You pay $8 for two hours of unlimited play, which includes a drink. Then you can either play with your children, or the kind staff will play with your kids for you while you sit in the cafe, drink coffee, and chat! At first, Kaden was a little unsure. But soon enough he followed Riley out onto the play floor and soon they were having fun cruising around in a black plastic pick-up truck. They are too cute! We will definitely have to go back to one of these kid's cafes soon!
We also went out to eat pretty frequently with good friends. It was great catching up after over 4 weeks apart! We love our Fiend family. :)
I was really bummed that James missed Kaden's first 4th of July. Normally, we can manage fairly well without dad around. But somehow the separation becomes much more emotional when you miss holidays. Kaden and I found some good ways to stay busy throughout the day, though. That morning we took a long walk to the local farmer's market to pick up some fruits and veggies for dinner. This market stretches for several blocks and offers everything from produce, to nuts and seeds, sea food, clothing and housewares. We found some delicious cherry tomatoes that I used to make a caprese pasta salad for our squadron potluck BBQ later that evening. Delicious! 
I normally try to limit how much TV Kaden watches. But I figured that I'd treat him to "his" favorite movie. (Really, it's the movie we've decided is his favorite. He doesn't seem to notice or care much yet.) But Disney's 'Planes' just seemed like a perfect candidate for a little boy. Kaden paid attention as long as I held him or let him have the remote control. The rest of the time, I mostly enjoyed vegging on the couch as he crawled around and played with his toys. I look forward to real movie dates in future. :)  |
| (You can't see it in this picture, but I've got some red shoes on!) |
Later that afternoon, Kaden and I got all decked out in red, white and blue clothes and drove out to the squadron for a 4th of July BBQ. The base planned to launch their fireworks over the flight line, so the squadron building would have a perfect view. I knew Kaden needed to go to bed before then, so we didn't plan to stay for the whole time. But it was nice to get out of the house and celebrate with our extended squadron family.
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| Clancy is a female pilot who LOVES playing with our kids! |
Our close friends, the Pipers, had just welcomed their beautiful (and tiny) baby Sofia the week before. We joke that she and Kaden are betrothed. This was a sweet first meeting. :) He's clearly enamored already.
Kaden must have sensed the excitement in the air because he refused to go to bed on time. I was afraid the fireworks would scare him, but also really didn't want to miss the display myself. So when I heard them counting down to the start on the loud speakers, I grabbed him out of his crib and we walked out on our balcony to watch the show. I was surprised: Kaden actually really enjoyed the fireworks! We had an excellent view, but were far enough away that they weren't too loud. I managed to take a few pictures while holding him. It was a very impressive show! We missed James a lot, but I enjoyed sharing that special moment, snuggling with Kaden and watching the flashing lights. He may not remember, but I always will.
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| You can see, they were right on the flight line. I found out later they had an F-16 in the front. That silhouette would have made for some excellent photos if we were down there with the crowd. Oh well! |
We also had the pleasure of sponsoring a couple we knew in Misawa as they moved to Osan. Hunter "CAIN" Powell, his wife Brenda and beautiful toddler Kate moved here from Shaw AFB in South Carolina, with a 6 month stop at weapons school in Las Vegas. Hunter is going to be our new weapons officer. We knew them previously in Misawa, so we're having fun catching up and introducing them to our friends in the squadron. I helped them get settled in - finding a house and cell phones, giving them directions to the commissary, and getting all their new social attire custom fit and embroidered. They've both hit the ground running and are already very active in our group activities, etc. I'm so glad they're part of our Fiend family!!
While I was doing all this, James was hanging out in Alaska with some of his closest friends in the squadron: Caleb Cienski and Tim Six. I know it was a frustrating situation to be in, but they certainly made the most of their free time. Over the 4th of July weekend, they went camping and hiking in Denali national park. In addition to breathtaking views of Mt. Mckinley (the tallest mountain in the U.S.), they saw some live grizzly bears and caribou! They also ate out quite a bit, watched a lot of baseball, and saw a few movies. Not a bad gig - getting paid to have a 3 week Alaskan vacation with your best bros. Let's just hope he never repeats it. ;^)
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| Mt. McKinley |
FINALLY - after almost a month of waiting - the AF decided to fly James and Caleb home commercially. As of right now the jet is STILL broken and another group of guys are roughing it in AK while they wait. But I'm so thankful to have James home. I KNOW Kaden is glad to have his daddy back. We met him at the bus station. I tried to take a video of Kaden's reaction when we saw James for the first time, but really, it was very anticlimactic. He was more interested in the busses. But pretty soon, that big grin took over. What was really fun was seeing him jumping and squealing the next morning when James woke up and joined us in the living room. It was like he was saying, "You're still here!!!" haha. Precious moments born from hard circumstances. :)
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