The kids gorged themselves on cookies, played some games, jumped in the bouncy castle (twice!), made a few crafts, rode a choo-choo train (also twice!) and visited with Santa (twice again!)!
Sunday 12 December 2010
Children's Christmas Party
On Saturday, while I was at a photo shoot, Jason took the kids to the Maintenance Group Children's Christmas party. It's the first year we've attended it and I think they had lots of fun. I joined them about halfway through the party and promptly gorged myself on cookies as well! Nothing like Christmas cookies.
The kids gorged themselves on cookies, played some games, jumped in the bouncy castle (twice!), made a few crafts, rode a choo-choo train (also twice!) and visited with Santa (twice again!)!
The kids gorged themselves on cookies, played some games, jumped in the bouncy castle (twice!), made a few crafts, rode a choo-choo train (also twice!) and visited with Santa (twice again!)!
Saturday 11 December 2010
Sweet Potato Picking
The end of the year is always packed with festivities-and hippotherapy is no exception!
At the end of the year, Mr. Toma (the owner of the horses) treats the children to an evening of sweet potato digging and delicious sweet potato treats afterwards! The sweet potatoes in Okinawa are very different than what Americans are used to. They are called beni imo and are a deep purple color. They also are not as sweet and the texture is a bit more fibrous. The first time I had them, I didn't care for them much, but it' grown on me-and the kids love them! We eat them at home sometimes, steaming or roasting them and adding a drizzle of honey. At Mr.Toma's, the sweet potatoes are sliced and fried into potato chips with a sprinkling of Okinawian brown sugar (also different than American brown sugar) and balled into mochi with a sesame seed coating. Both ways are equally delicious!
In the boys opinion though, the best part of the evening is riding in the back of the farm truck out to the field and then digging up the potatoes. Last year, Kieran was really too little to fully participate, but this year, he was all about the potatoes! Brendan had a blast this year too-he was quite independent and kept shouting out each time he found a potato. Both boys ended up pretty dirty-as expected! Dirt plus shovels? Of course!
After the potato picking, the boys washed up and dug into the food that the families had brought to share. They both ate a few fistfuls of the sweet potato chips and of course, cake. Kieran is quite the cakeaholic and I'm pretty sure he can hear the word cake from a mile away!
After a tiring evening we headed home to baths and bed...but not before we got 2 big bags of sweet potato chips from Mr. Toma and his wife!
At the end of the year, Mr. Toma (the owner of the horses) treats the children to an evening of sweet potato digging and delicious sweet potato treats afterwards! The sweet potatoes in Okinawa are very different than what Americans are used to. They are called beni imo and are a deep purple color. They also are not as sweet and the texture is a bit more fibrous. The first time I had them, I didn't care for them much, but it' grown on me-and the kids love them! We eat them at home sometimes, steaming or roasting them and adding a drizzle of honey. At Mr.Toma's, the sweet potatoes are sliced and fried into potato chips with a sprinkling of Okinawian brown sugar (also different than American brown sugar) and balled into mochi with a sesame seed coating. Both ways are equally delicious!
In the boys opinion though, the best part of the evening is riding in the back of the farm truck out to the field and then digging up the potatoes. Last year, Kieran was really too little to fully participate, but this year, he was all about the potatoes! Brendan had a blast this year too-he was quite independent and kept shouting out each time he found a potato. Both boys ended up pretty dirty-as expected! Dirt plus shovels? Of course!
After the potato picking, the boys washed up and dug into the food that the families had brought to share. They both ate a few fistfuls of the sweet potato chips and of course, cake. Kieran is quite the cakeaholic and I'm pretty sure he can hear the word cake from a mile away!
After a tiring evening we headed home to baths and bed...but not before we got 2 big bags of sweet potato chips from Mr. Toma and his wife!
Sunday 5 December 2010
Holiday Festivities
The holiday season is upon us! Our Thanksgiving turkey leftovers are pretty much gone and it's time to start thinking about Christmas! We're very excited for Christmas-we'll be having visitors-Mama, Papa and Uncle Ian will be joining us for Christmas and New Year's.
The boys are very excited about Christmas. Brendan, at 4, is quite knowledgeable about Santa and how the whole present and stocking thing works. Kieran, at 2, doesn't understand quite as much-but he's very into Santa and Christmas lights, trees, everything! I think he's so excited about it because Brendan is-I don't remember Brendan being as into Christmas at two. Kieran points out Christmas lights and trees everywhere we go.
We started our Christmas festivities by attending Tinsel Town on Kadena AB on the 4th. This is the fourth and last year that we've gone. There is lots to do-games, rides, food, Santa...
We started out by seeing a magic show by Colonel Popcorn. Brendan sat up with the rest of the kids. He was very hesitant and quiet at first, but really got into the show towards the end. It was a very funny show with lots of laughter and yelling from the kids encouraged. It was overall a silly show. For his first trick, Colonel Popcorn told the kids he was going to make water disappear from a glass. He poured the water in, held the glass in his hand and covered it with a magic cape. Then, he put the magic cape over his head and quite obviously drank the water-and then insisted to the kids that he had made it disappear. The kids got a kick out of this, shouting and yelling that he hadn't made it disappear at all, but that he drank it. While he continued to insist that he had made it disappear, he began the trick again, only this time the water did disappear-much to the amazement of the kids! The rest of the show was like that-silliness mixed with tricks. It was great for the kids and parents alike.
After the magic show, we went to see the tree lighting. However, once we walked outside, we discovered that it was already lit. (Who screwed that one up?!?!) Even so, the tree was beautiful and huge! This is the first year they've had a tree like this.
We had some dinner and then took the kids over to play in the bouncy houses and run around. We ran into the newest member of Jason's shop and his oldest (5) and Brendan ran around for quite awhile having fun. Kieran got into the mix as well, running around with the hula-hoops and having a grand time. After the bouncy house and running around, it was time to let the kids ride a couple of the rides. Unfortunately, Brendan had a mini-meltdown over not getting the spot he wanted in the train, so instead of getting to ride the train in another spot, he got to miss out on it all together. Kieran happily rode the train in the spot that was left for him. I'm pretty sure riding the train was the highlight of his night!
We continued with Christmas fun tonight at home as well with decorating our Christmas tree. The boys jumped around while I got the tree out and generally got in the way while I set the tree up. :) They were pretty overexcited about it. After a break for dinner, the kids got their jammies on and got right to work putting ornaments on the tree.
I have a (not nearly large enough) collecttion of wood and plastic ornaments for the boys to hang. These are also the ornaments that decorate the bottom half of the tree. Brendan knew exactly what he was doing and started hanging right away. I had to show Kieran how to open up the loop of string and hang it over a branch. After a few tries, he got the hang of it-and then proceeded to pretty much hang every one of the ornaments he grabbed on the same branch! Brendan helped him move them to other areas. Kieran then spent the rest of the time taking off and rehanging his ornaments. I can see this being a daily issue
The boys decorated the bottom half of the tree and I decorated the top half while Jason took pictures. He played around with the tripod and some of the settings on the camera to get a nice shot of the tree in the dark room. I think they came out pretty well!
After hanging up stockings the boys headed up to bed, protesting the whole time. I know that tomorrow they will make a beeline for the tree as soon as they are downstairs!
The boys are very excited about Christmas. Brendan, at 4, is quite knowledgeable about Santa and how the whole present and stocking thing works. Kieran, at 2, doesn't understand quite as much-but he's very into Santa and Christmas lights, trees, everything! I think he's so excited about it because Brendan is-I don't remember Brendan being as into Christmas at two. Kieran points out Christmas lights and trees everywhere we go.
We started our Christmas festivities by attending Tinsel Town on Kadena AB on the 4th. This is the fourth and last year that we've gone. There is lots to do-games, rides, food, Santa...
We started out by seeing a magic show by Colonel Popcorn. Brendan sat up with the rest of the kids. He was very hesitant and quiet at first, but really got into the show towards the end. It was a very funny show with lots of laughter and yelling from the kids encouraged. It was overall a silly show. For his first trick, Colonel Popcorn told the kids he was going to make water disappear from a glass. He poured the water in, held the glass in his hand and covered it with a magic cape. Then, he put the magic cape over his head and quite obviously drank the water-and then insisted to the kids that he had made it disappear. The kids got a kick out of this, shouting and yelling that he hadn't made it disappear at all, but that he drank it. While he continued to insist that he had made it disappear, he began the trick again, only this time the water did disappear-much to the amazement of the kids! The rest of the show was like that-silliness mixed with tricks. It was great for the kids and parents alike.
After the magic show, we went to see the tree lighting. However, once we walked outside, we discovered that it was already lit. (Who screwed that one up?!?!) Even so, the tree was beautiful and huge! This is the first year they've had a tree like this.
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| We look a little weird-it's the wide angle lens. |
We had some dinner and then took the kids over to play in the bouncy houses and run around. We ran into the newest member of Jason's shop and his oldest (5) and Brendan ran around for quite awhile having fun. Kieran got into the mix as well, running around with the hula-hoops and having a grand time. After the bouncy house and running around, it was time to let the kids ride a couple of the rides. Unfortunately, Brendan had a mini-meltdown over not getting the spot he wanted in the train, so instead of getting to ride the train in another spot, he got to miss out on it all together. Kieran happily rode the train in the spot that was left for him. I'm pretty sure riding the train was the highlight of his night!
I have a (not nearly large enough) collecttion of wood and plastic ornaments for the boys to hang. These are also the ornaments that decorate the bottom half of the tree. Brendan knew exactly what he was doing and started hanging right away. I had to show Kieran how to open up the loop of string and hang it over a branch. After a few tries, he got the hang of it-and then proceeded to pretty much hang every one of the ornaments he grabbed on the same branch! Brendan helped him move them to other areas. Kieran then spent the rest of the time taking off and rehanging his ornaments. I can see this being a daily issue
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| If you look right above K's right hand, you can see all the ornaments hanging on the same branch! |
The boys decorated the bottom half of the tree and I decorated the top half while Jason took pictures. He played around with the tripod and some of the settings on the camera to get a nice shot of the tree in the dark room. I think they came out pretty well!
After hanging up stockings the boys headed up to bed, protesting the whole time. I know that tomorrow they will make a beeline for the tree as soon as they are downstairs!
Sunday 21 November 2010
Churami Aquarium and Shikwasa
We spent the day at Churami Aquarium today-one of our favorite places on island! We bought our last annual pass-it's sad to think this is the 3rd and final annual pass we will need. (For those of you in Oki that don't know about it, the annual passes are a great deal. They are 3600 yen per adult-which is the same as two admissions. So, if you only go twice in the year, you've paid for it! Plus, you get 10% off at the shops and restaurants.)
We typically try to go to the aquarium once every couple of months-if it were closer, we'd go more often. In reality, it's not actually that far away-probably around 30ish miles-but it takes about an hour and a half to get there! For those not in Oki, yes, that is a pretty accurate estimate. Speeds here are very slow and traffic is heavy. Even on the expressway, the speed is only 80/kph, which is just about 50/MPH. The rest of the roads vary around 30-60/kph.
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| Kieran after he flung the sea cucumber. |
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| Kieran and Daddy touching the starfish. |
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| Brendan checking out one of the smaller starfish. |
After the touch pool, we ventured to the first of the aquariums. Kieran promptly pointed out a "purple hish" and was quickly corrected by Brendan- "blue fish." After watching for a few minutes, we headed to the next aquarium, where the kids thoroughly enjoyed watching the bigger fish swim about. Kieran yelled, "Hark, hark!" several times as the sharks swam by and then headed around the corner to hunt out Nemo. We saw the shark several more times, as well as a sea turtle, gigantic eels and hundreds of other fish.
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| "hark Mommy, hark!" |
We continued on, looking at the smaller aquariums filled with various eels, lionfish, hermit crabs and all sorts of other water creatures, ending up at the cafe by the HUGE tank. I believe this tank is the 2nd largest in the world. We ate taco rice (the boys and Dad) and spaghetti (Mom) while watching the whale sharks, rays and tuna swim by.
After lunch it was time for the creatures of the deep-crabs, more fish, more fish and um, well, more fish! By that time the boys were pretty antsy, so it was time to head outside to see the sea turtles and dolphin show!
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| Brendan waiting impatiently for the dolphin show! |
Brendan anxiously awaited his favorite trick-the dolphin spitting out the fish! In this trick, the trainer throws a fish into the dolphin's mouth-and the dolphin spits it out. This continues on until the trainer picks up the bucket of fish and shows it to the dolphin-who "nods" yes. The trainer throws all the fish into the dolphin's mouth and the dolphin eats them. Even though we see this every time and Brendan knows what's going to happen, he still gets a huge kick out of it!
After the show,we headed up to the plaza where they had some sort of Autumn Festival set up. We enjoyed a little sea salt ice cream and some Shikwasa juice. Shikwasa is commonly known as "Okinawan lime" and is a citrus fruit (but not a lime, as I discovered on Wikipedia!) that can be used like a lemon or a lime. It is delicious-and not sour. In fact, I like the juice so much I wondered if you could just eat the fruit like an orange. Lucky me, we had to stop at a market on the way home for some potatoes and I bought a small bag of shikwasa-and sure enough, mmmm! They are fairly tart, but sweeter than either a lemon or a lime. I will be eating them as is, but Jason thought they were a little too tart for him. Brendan liked them and I expect Kieran will too.
After a long day of the aquarium and stopping by the market, we headed home for a steak dinner and bedtime for the kids! Unfortunately, it's the end of the weekend....Monday looms.
Thursday 18 November 2010
Oh the Places We'll Go!
Now that we're on our countdown to leaving Okinawa, the big question looms...where next?!?!
Well, the short answer is:we don't know yet.
However, the long answer is: Dear Air Force, please, please keep us overseas! We tried for a long time to get an overseas assignment!
Brendan has offered to help. He said he'll write the places we don't want with a "x" over them and send it to the Air Force. I wonder if they'll listen to a 4 year olds pleas?
So the new question is...where do we want to go? And the answer to that is, well, we're fickle and it changes all the time. Top of the list is Europe. But mainland Japan (Yakota in Tokyo) is looking inviting as well. And of course, there's Hawaii....sucks to be stuck there for medical-but we could live there! And we're looking at Korea again...
In reality, there's just no telling where we'll be. We'll know as soon as March-or as late as August. So, keep your fingers crossed everyone-and let's hope there's a reason to keep renewing those passports!
And PS- Mom and Dad-we're still hoping you find a civil service job wherever we go next! Maybe? Please?!?!
Well, the short answer is:we don't know yet.
However, the long answer is: Dear Air Force, please, please keep us overseas! We tried for a long time to get an overseas assignment!
Brendan has offered to help. He said he'll write the places we don't want with a "x" over them and send it to the Air Force. I wonder if they'll listen to a 4 year olds pleas?
So the new question is...where do we want to go? And the answer to that is, well, we're fickle and it changes all the time. Top of the list is Europe. But mainland Japan (Yakota in Tokyo) is looking inviting as well. And of course, there's Hawaii....sucks to be stuck there for medical-but we could live there! And we're looking at Korea again...
In reality, there's just no telling where we'll be. We'll know as soon as March-or as late as August. So, keep your fingers crossed everyone-and let's hope there's a reason to keep renewing those passports!
And PS- Mom and Dad-we're still hoping you find a civil service job wherever we go next! Maybe? Please?!?!
Tuesday 16 November 2010
3 Years! Really?
We arrived on the island of Okinawa 3 years ago today and those three years have simply flown by!
This is Brendan and me, Sunset Beach, Nov. 2007-our first time out exploring in American Village! It's amazing to think that he's younger in this picture than Kieran is now. I can't believe he's grown up so much! I miss this baby in the picture-but of course, I love the ornery preschooler we have now. <3
This past 3 years has been filled with adventure, on and off of Okinawa. We explored, shopped, ate and made our merry way around Okinawa. We added a family member-Kieran-and new adventures began with him and navigating his challenges. Jason deployed and I took a Space-A flight with the boys to visit family in the States. We went to Hawaii twice for medical stuff/surgery and then finally got to take a real vacation this summer to Hong Kong!
This last year is going to be busy! We've got two vacations planned (Sapporo Ice Festival and Tokyo), Brendan will start kindergarten and we'll be preparing to PCS. Right now, we're just trying to fit in everything that we haven't done in Okinawa, as well as things we can't do once we leave. I find it a little sad every time I look out at the ocean, knowing I only have one more year to see it whenever I want...but I'm definitely going to enjoy the last year we have here as much as I can!
And, here are a few more early pictures.
This past 3 years has been filled with adventure, on and off of Okinawa. We explored, shopped, ate and made our merry way around Okinawa. We added a family member-Kieran-and new adventures began with him and navigating his challenges. Jason deployed and I took a Space-A flight with the boys to visit family in the States. We went to Hawaii twice for medical stuff/surgery and then finally got to take a real vacation this summer to Hong Kong!
This last year is going to be busy! We've got two vacations planned (Sapporo Ice Festival and Tokyo), Brendan will start kindergarten and we'll be preparing to PCS. Right now, we're just trying to fit in everything that we haven't done in Okinawa, as well as things we can't do once we leave. I find it a little sad every time I look out at the ocean, knowing I only have one more year to see it whenever I want...but I'm definitely going to enjoy the last year we have here as much as I can!
And, here are a few more early pictures.
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| Playing at Marek Park (the playground isn't even there anymore!) Nov or Dec. 2007 |
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| Christmas 2007-First Christmas in Okinawa. Brendan is 18 months |
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| Baby Kieran is home! Sept 2008 |
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| Halloween 2008 |
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| Kieran, 1 year! This would be after being stripped down-he had cake and icing all over! |
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