Dear Sisters,

To my sisters, Jaime and Jessi, this is about your children. No, it's not bad―well, your children have not been bad. But this serves as a notice you that I will gladly take your children at any time. They have been a blessing to me. I have loved watching them when you needed me to. I enjoy their vocabulary―words made up and those mispronounced. I love watching their faces for those unique expressions that make them individuals.

Sometimes things get a little gross and frustrating having to clean up peep and poop from the floor. But I know that one day I will be telling Aislynn all about the times where I had to clean up after her because she couldn't make it to the potty in time. She will be embarrassed because her aunt once saw her at a weak time in her life and will be revisiting those days. Aislynn will then duck her head as she blushes and wishes that I―once called "Bipper"―would just shut my mouth. But that is when I get my revenge. That is when I will be able to forgive her for making my hands dry from washing them so many times a day.

Sometimes they don't like to share with each other. But that's okay. For every cry, every tear, every tugging match where poor Princess Rapunzel bears the brunt, I can hear the echoes of their mothers and I screaming and pining for the toys to be ours. I don't cringe when I hear the whining, screaming, crying. I smile. I think back to when we were little girls (and our brothers were there, too), and though we did have our screaming matches and tugs of hairs on our heads, I do remember when we had fun and enjoyed playing with each other (or maybe that was just my imagination creating those memories because there were none). I know that one day your children will look back fondly to these days where playing with their cousins or sister is something they wish they could do more often.

Sometimes I get tired of making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. But if it makes them happy, I'll do it. And it's simple enough that I can make it! The last thing I want to happen to your children is food poisoning from me experimenting with food creations. I wouldn't mind a failed creation as long as it tasted/looked/smelled/[insert other form of description for food here] good or as long as they were happy eating it. If they liked it, it would be one failure I was actually good at...if that makes sense. But what am I talking about? Failure? What is that? I'm the perfect one, remember? That's right, born ON my due date. It was destiny from the start.

What I hope to see in the future from my nieces and nephew:

1. Kenleigh performing on stage. Center stage because she is going to be a fabulous dancer with that creative imagination, no-guidance-yet-naturally-talented moves, and she has fun dancing and moving around. Not to mention wearing those costumes!
2. Cameron in an all-star game. Whether it is soccer or baseball, I don't care with an arm and a leg that that boy has already. But who can blame him when he's been running with a ball at his feet since he could recognize what a round thing was. Weren't his first two words when he'd come into the house were "Josh" and "ball"?
3. Aislynn will be an innovator. She is constantly observing, irritating imitating others to the point where she knows what's going to happen next. She is smart, cunning, sly, and knows what's going on. I expect her to ask lots of questions beyond the normal whowhatwherewhenwhy, and how!

But please know that they do learn from you. I see you in each of them every time I see them. It's "tchüß" pronounced "choose" not "chooses." And when he picks up a marker with his index and middle finger, brings it to his mouth, then removes it, and pretends to blow out like he's smoking a cigarette, remember that he's 3. He emulates and idolizes you. How am I supposed to tell him that what mommy and daddy do is bad for his health and he shouldn't do that? Do I make you out to be the bad guy? No, you are the parent, but I don't want to see him being taught that being a victim of an addiction is okay. Biting is not okay, from anyone. I've seen 'em all do it, even to themselves. I don't really know if this reflects on anybody, unless you count tattoos as inflicting self-harm. (But then, again, so is joining the military...It's a catch 22)

I love your children. It has been a pleasure watching them during the summer and on the weekends. Unfortunately, this time is coming to an end. You do have wonderful children. I'm going to miss those BIG greetings I get from Cameron whenever he sees me. I'm going to miss being called "Jiffer." I'm going to miss those personal requests to be held. But I did have my camera with me for most of the time whenever we left the house, so I have those digital memories so long as the internet still works. Another note, your children are all photogenic and I've very much enjoyed looking at them through a 2 in screen while pushing a button when I think they are doing something cute.

Your Sister,
Jennifer

A Reader's Guide to Children's Words

As you may know, I have been watching my nieces during the weekday and occasionally my nephew on the weekend in addition to the girls. What you don't know is the second language that is spoken at my house. These words are based on English, but to the outsider, we are using made up words or even misusing words that have been around for ages. Here you will be able to learn about these words and maybe even use them with a smile on your face because you know some very bright, adorable children helped create the new uses of these words.

fridgenator - noun. No, this is not a superhero to help you eat the healthiest foods. This is Kenleigh's word for the "refrigerator." "Jennifer, I can't open the fridgenator."

empy - adjective. The description of an object that was once full but is now empty. "Jennifer, my juice is empy."

peep - verb. The act of urinating. Past tense: peeped. "Jennifer, Aislynn peeped in the chair!" (We are trying to potty train her and she had a slight accident. You poop, why not peep?)

screwdriver - a cob knob. "Ducky, I can't eat this. I need that screwdriver." (With some context clues, we figured out to give the child something to hold on to.)

Propunzel - Princess Rapunzel.

perprize - interjection. That thing you yell when someone walks through the door to catch them off guard (surprise!). "Perprize!"

pappy - noun. a child's pacifier. "Oh, pappy? Where are you?"

posiple - noun. What Kenleigh calls a popsicle. "Jennifer, I want a posiple."

ogert - noun. A dairy product commonly called "yogurt" by most Americans. "I want a Spongebob ogert, Jennifer!"

color - noun. Any marker, crayon, pen, pencil, paint, etc. Anything that makes a mark and you can color with. "Bipper, I *grunt that sounds like want* color (while pointing to an Expo marker)."

baby - noun. Any small, stuffed animal or doll that can be held on to while either niece goes to sleep. "Here's your pappy, your blanket, and your baby. Now go to sleep."

Ebu - Proper noun. Pronunciation: EH•bu. It's what Aislynn calls Evan. Example: Whenever I am on the phone or Skype, Aislynn says, "I *grunt that sounds like want* talk to Ebu."

Eban - Proper noun. Pronunciation: EH•bin. Cameron's attempt to say Evan's name.

share - verb. Stop playing with something and give it to me. Example: Kenleigh was playing with a tape measure for a solid 20 minutes. Aislynn came into the room and thought that would be fun to play with, so she tries to take it. Kenleigh refuses. I say, "Kenleigh, let Aislynn play with it. You've played with it for a long time, it's time to share." About 30 seconds later, Aislynn is screaming because Kenleigh is trying to take it back. When I go to investigate, Kenleigh explains, "Aislynn won't share!"

That's about as many words as I can recall right now. But this is what I speak either daily or weekly. We add new words whenever a new experience occurs, so you might expect a second edition. Thanks for stopping by!

Trip to Japan

After I found out I was medically disqualified, Evan and I booked me a plane ticket to visit him in Japan. So after I had my finals, my graduation, my best friend's wedding, I flew on a 22 hour trip over three planes and a train. I left on a Saturday morning and arrived midnight on Sunday, all at local time.

For my 24 day trip, the first two weeks were spent at the Navy Lodge because Evan and I did not have a house. So while we were hunting and figuring out bureaucratic, behind-the-scenes paperwork, we stayed in a hotel room. Evan did have to work some, but his boss was kind enough to let him go at lunch most of the days he had to work. He also got days of leave.

During the first two weeks, we went to three different houses over several days. We did find the house we wanted (and signed the lease on)!

It's quite large but, you'll hear more about that later.

We went on a hike up a mountain to Mt. Yumihari lookout point. We did not know how to best get up there. So we decided to wing it. We looked at the point from the base, and just started walking. As it turned out, we were pretty lucky and our path was exactly wear we were aiming for. It took a total of 5 hours for the trip. We spent close to an hour at the lookout. (Evan's got the pictures of that trip)

We did eat lots of sushi! Since we did not have a place of our own, we did not have a place to really, cook, prepare, or store food. So almost all of our meals were eating out at a restaurant. There were ordinary food choices as well as foreign-to-me food choices.

At the beginning of my trip, I felt like a visitor and like I didn't belong--I shouldn't be there. But as time went on (and we owned a piece of Japanese real estate) I felt more like a resident that I am and less like a foreigner.

Evan and I are both really excited for he and I to both be in Japan together! We'll see when that will be. Until next time...

That's not my name

What most people don't know when they read my name is that I have two last names. It's treated like a name with a hyphen, just without the hyphen. My maiden name did not become my middle name. I just leave out my middle name and write only my first and last names. So officially, my name reads Jennifer Allyn Thompson Valdyke. But because most people don't want to know your middle name, and it's not wrong to just write your first and last, I simply write Jennifer Thompson Valdyke.

I throw people way off when I say aloud my name because they can't see it. So, they just think I have four names, two of them being middle names. To help them out a little bit I make sure to give a longer pause between my first name (then my middle) and say my last names without a pause so they can hear my names are supposed to be together.

I learned that changing your name is not easy in America. To me it makes sense to officially change one's name with the Social Security Administration otherwise I could have multiple identities floating around and that can be chaotic. It turns out that is not the case. I found out after trying the logical way that I was supposed to go to the DMV to show them that I was married and they would change my name. And then I could take that ID to the SSA and show them that my name was changed. That doesn't make sense to me that it was too easy to change your identity by showing a marriage certificate to the DMV to get a new ID card. I feel like that is too easy to cheat the system or escape the government. Because even though I changed my DMV according to the DMV and all the police that might pull me over, according to the United States Government, my name is still Jennifer Allyn Thompson, making my my "name change" really just a joke.

The funny part about the DMV is that they cannot make a name hyphenated or anything like an amalgamation of names for some reason I don't know. (I think they were misinformed because according  to their website, as long as I had my marriage application that has my desired married name, then they could make it that. The SSA told me that they needed the application in addition to the certificate to legally change my name, but that was not what their website said. I had to show up in person to find that out.) But since I did not want a hyphen, she saw no problem with just adding another name to the end of mine.

Additionally, when addressing a letter. It is incorrect to say "Mrs. Jennifer Thompson Valdyke." Since my last name is different from my husband's I would not be a "Mrs." I would be a "Ms." It is also incorrect to address it as "Mr. and Mrs. C. E. Valdyke" Because I'm not a Mrs. and he is not a Mrs., it doesn't make sense to write us a letter calling us by the wrong name or gender. If it is being addressed to both of us, it would be correct to formally address it as "Mr. C. E. Valdyke and Ms. Jennifer A. Thompson Valdyke."

Now that you know, please don't screw it up in the future; it really wil perturb me if you do. I will remember and just might "accidentally" call you by the wrong name.

May

May came and went really fast.

It was completely full from beginning to end. The first week of May was finals week. I said in my last post that my computer crashed so I had to write the rest of my 20 page final paper on a netbook that did not have Microsoft Word. So I had to download a word processor to finish my paper in less than three days. But I did it. And I had my last final on that Friday. It was easier than I expected and I got out of there faster because of it.

My mom and two nieces came up to Atlanta on that Friday. On Saturday, we began to pack all my stuff and take it to the storage unit I got. It was no easy task with a 4 year old and a 19 month old running around, getting into stuff and undoing the progress. But luckily, Josh joined us after his soccer games in Kennesaw. One of us could watch the girls while the other two could move. We weren't moving long before it was time for dinner with the in-laws. We met at Six Feet Under for a nice break from packing (for us) and driving (for them). After dinner, everybody came back to the apartment to load the moving truck with all my stuff and unload it at the storage unit. That was a seriously big help they lent. I honestly couldn't have done it without everyone.

On Mother's Day, I graduated with honors (it turns out) from Georgia Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science degree in History, Technology, & Society.

Everybody went home and I continued to pack up the rest of the apartment for the next couple of days. I thought I Was going to be able to load the rest of my stuff that had to go to my mom's house into my car, but it turns out that it was twice as much stuff as expected. So fortunately, my sister came up to Atlanta and got the rest of my stuff.

The following Sunday, my friend had her wedding. It was absolutely gorgeous! There was a threat of rain, but it held off and was sunny for the ceremony. We all were so happy for her and I can't wait to see pictures! That day was also the day that Jessi left for Army boot camp. She graduates 10 weeks from then and we all will be so excited to see her on graduation day.

After that and before my trip to Japan, I was supposed to have that time to pack and do any sort of final preparations I needed to do. Well, my nephew was sick and needed to be picked up from day care because he had a fever. So as I was on my way back from Macon picking up my fixed computer and books for Evan, I had to make a trip to the day care to get Cameron. He was such a sweet boy the time that I had him. Even though he was sick, he was still energetic and mischievous but I still love to watch after him.

Lastly, I flew to Japan on the morning of the 21st and arrived in Sasebo midnight of the 22nd. Somehow a travel time of 22 hours turned into two whole days out of my life.