Monday, May 28, 2012

Happy Memorial Day 2012










Memorial Day is a very special holiday to us.  I try my best to teach the boys the meaning of the day, but really it's everyday that we should be so grateful.  Being on Okinawa surrounded by a huge military community, we are reminded around almost every corner why we are so lucky to be born American.  This year, we are blessed to have Nina here for the holiday, so we packed up our things and spent the day at the beach while Fletcher is in Australia.  We were blessed with an overcast day, so we could spend a little more time there.  The sun here is so strong....a little goes a long way.  Thankful for clouds and breeze and boys that love being outside with their dumptrucks and a new frisbee.  We finished off the day with happy hour and a little redneck swimming in the backyard.  Happy Memorial Day! 

End of the Year Program






The boys did a great job at their end of the year program.  It was a hectic day, but I managed to snap a few pics.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Mother's Day 2012

Ahhhhh, Mother's Day.....leaving it up to 3 boys to plan a day for mom.....no comment.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Beachin' It



We stop quite a bit at Baba Beach Park after school.  I actually keep our beach gear in the car, so we're ready when an extra hour or two presents itself.  Monday was beautiful, so we stopped by for some fun in the sun.  As you can see, the boys gave the beach all they had.  They didn't even make it to the couch when we got home.

Kodomo-no-Hi 2012




The first week of May is Golden Week in Okinawa.  It's a weeklong celebration including the dragon boat races and most of the Japanese schools let out for a few of the days.  The final day of Golden Week is Children's Day or Kodomo-no-Hi.  It's just what it says it is a celebration of children.  One way to celebrate is by putting up one of these beautiful carp kites.  You'll see them all over the island blowing in the wind from houses, across bridges, etc.  The weather this time of year is just about perfect, so the combination of the flying carps, Golden Week, and beach weather puts us in great spirits.  Fletcher bought us our own carp kite, so we flew ours proudly in celebration of Bennett and Beau.  I snapped a few pics of kites around the island.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

LOUD Soccer Mom!



My greatest challenge to date is to muzzle my mouth during soccer season.  Maybe not my "greatest" challenge, but it's definitely a challenge.  I'm ultra-competitive.  Acknowledging the problem is the first step, right?  I was this way as a child, so apologies to my parents.  I find myself talking soccer strategy before and after practice with Fletcher and then Bennett and then back to Fletcher.....a lot.  He's 5!!!  Why is it that I think my 5 year old SHOULD score every game.  I was so close to yelling "get your elbows out and be tough" the last game that I made myself sit down.  Self-induced time out.  I'm sure there's a pill for this and I need to get my hands on a prescription.  The bright side.....most of the thoughts (and suggestions) I have never actually make it out of my mouth.  Not yet anyway.  One more game....Praying I make it through the season with my dignity still intact.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Baba Beach Park



One of our frequent stops on school days is Baba Beach Park.  The playground is awesome, but the beach never gets old.  It's right in the flight path, so the boys love watching the jets and C130s coming into Kadena for landings.