{Hiking and Rock Climbing Adventure}

We had such a fun day today. We were supposed to meet our friends by the expressway at 8:30 a.m. We were about 25 minutes late, partially due to the fact that we were SPEEDING; therefore, we got pulled over by the cops and were served a ticket. It was about a 45 minute drive to get to this mountainous area which is appropriately known as "Lost World" on the Motobu Peninsula. When we were close this is what it looked like...

It's very dense and thick forest. It's beautiful. This darn camera doesn't do it justice. In this picture below we started our hike. Our friends who invited us had enough rock climbing helmets for our boys too and they had to wear them not only when rock climbing, but also on our hike.

For most of the hike were were treking through rocky terrain. BIG boulders to little rocks. It had rained earlier so they rocks were VERY slippery. We were falling all over the place, especially on the way back. Luckily nobody was hurt in the process. :) It was about a 30 minute walk and Jaydon walked all on his own. He is such a big boy. He loved it. Here is Tanner below posing for a picture in the only flat part of our hike.

Here is the rocky wall we decided to climb. If you look you can see some rock climbers already on the wall. There is a HOLE that you can climb up into inside the mountain and it takes you to the top. We didn't try it, but our friend has done it before and i guess it was cool.

Here are the boys standing by there favorite spot. Right behind them is a cave. It travels downward a bit and then brings them out on the other side of the mountain. They played in this when they weren't rock climbing. It was a fun perfect cave for kids.

Here's Gavin rock climbing. He did AWESOME. He is a natural.

Here is Tanner posing for us. He enjoyed rock climbing. He was a bit cautious the first time, but the second time he was more confident and went up a bit higher than the first time.

Jaydon even did some rock climbing. He didn't get too far, but he did it! And he looked so cute in his rock climbing gear.

Shane rock climbing...

And me.....

Starting our hike back down to our car....

Jaydon had a great hiking stick. There were perfect THICK bamboo sticks, just the boys sizes. They grabbed them and used them as their hiking sticks on their way down our slippery, rocky mountain. I was holding one hand most of the time. He was slipping every 10 seconds. AND he nearly fell in a ditch. I thought we were safe, and we were at the end. He fell and i screamed b/c i thought he was falling into a rocky ditch about 6 feet down. Luckily, there was some kind of NET underneath some leaves he fell on. Lucky.

On our drive out....

And this is what happened on the way home....

We were there from about 9:45 to 3:45. It was so much fun. They have THREE boys as well. Gavin is just a little older than their first son, who is also names Gavin. Tanner is just a little older than their second son, Taylor. And Jaydon is a little bit older than their Third son, Owen. They all got DIRTY , head to toe. It was Taylor's birthday and his mom asked him what he wanted to do for his birthday. He wanted to rock climb to the top and watch the sunset and eat cupcakes. They told him he could invite TWO friends and he chose Tanner and is family as ONE of them. So sweet. So, she had lunch and snacks for us and they had tons of rock climbing equipment. Shane and I really want to do that more often. We also want to get scuba certified! So much fun! I realize we really are an outdoor family, but we need to get out a bit more to do those things.

We are going to make a trip with them to the Kerama Islands. It's about a 1 1/2 hour ferry ride to some of the most beautiful islands around, with some of the best snorkeling and scuba you will find. I seriously can't wait.

{Memories}

I will often smell something in the air, read someone's thoughts in a book, or see something out in nature that brings back childhood memories. Sometimes it reminds me of a forgotten memory, and the only thing i recall is that it was good. The other morning, as i was walking to my friends house to meet for our morning run, the wind was blowing, but not so much that it was obnoxious. It was a gentle breeze against my face. I closed my eyes and took in the delicate brush of wind and slowly took deep breaths in trying to take in the smell of the air. It was in that moment when the combination of the breeze and smell in the air reminded me of something, although i couldn't put my finger on it. What i do know is that it was a comforting and happy memory. I know that because that's the feeling that swept over and rushed through me. I stopped walking, trying to take in as much of that feeling/memory as i could, because i knew that as soon as i turned the corner the wind wouldn't blow the same gentle way against my face. As soon as i turned the corner that memory and feeling i was experiencing at that moment would go away. But i knew i needed to keep walking in order to meet my friends in time for our run. I started walking again, turned the corner, and that feeling quickly made it's exit.

I had another moment like that not too long ago. I was in the car with my boys and husband. Shane was driving, like usual, and we were driving through Okinawa streets passing by a bunch of homes. The weather outside was perfect. You know that feeling where if the air were 3 degrees cooler you would need a sweater? It was like that. Not chilly enough for a sweater, but perfect. Looking at the homes, feeling the breeze in my face and smelling the aroma outside and hearing the sounds sent a rush of calming feelings through my body. I love those moments. It's a moment of perfect inner peace and contentment. It was almost like it was a memory, a good memory, but again i couldn't point it to any particular time in my life.

As i was sitting on the couch reading a book, there were a few lines that started making me think about my childhood. It was bringing up in me those peaceful and content feelings that i felt that morning on my walk to meet my friends. And it was the same feelings i felt as we were driving around in the car with the breeze gently blowing in our face. I love Oklahoma. Tulsa, Oklahoma. The weather is awesome, nearly perfect. The evenings were the best time. We would sleep with our windows open at night. And if it was really hot we used those big box fans to keep us cool. Most nights i didn't need a box fan. I am so glad because otherwise i would miss out on the sounds that nature provided for us. It was the sounds of crickets chirping and locusts singing. There was a constant humming noise at night time. That was basically my lullaby. Sounds silly, but it was. It was what put me to sleep. It relaxed me, comforted me, and made me feel at peace. And when the breeze would blow in through the windows i would be able to smell the freshness of the newly cut grass. And sometimes i could hear laughter coming from outside and that made my memory even better. Or the smell of bbq coming in through the windows. I would wonder who cooks late at night, but i didn't mind because that smell was heavenly. Comforting. That's a wonderful memory. And maybe it's because of those childhood memories that made those comforting feelings arise in me during my walk to my friends house, and during our drive on the streets of Okinawa. I am grateful for those memories. I am grateful for all my memories. One other memory that came to my mind is when my dad would do his gardening.

My dad loved having a garden. It was his hobby. He never asked for help, he just went out and cherished his moments of gardening. I know how gardening made him feel. I could see it in his face. I could also hear it in his voice when he would tell me about his fruits and veggies as he was showing them all to me. I remember his blackberries. He always grew blackberries. They were always so plump and big, bursting with juice. He can make a killer blackberry cobbler. My favorite blackberry cobbler that i still think of to this day is when he cooked it in the dutch oven over the fire at our campground. I can taste it right now. Yum. Anyway, i am getting side tracked. I loved picking some of his berries and trying to pound as many as i could without anyone noticing that i was eating too many. I didn't like the taste of tomatoes at the time. BUT i did LOVE the smell of freshly picked garden tomatoes. Oh that smell is a smell to remember. He gardened many other things, but those are the TWO i remember because they were my favorite. When he and my mom come in April to visit us he is going to help me plant a few veggies and herbs. I can't wait. I can already see his face as he is helping me put the soil in the pots, and making sure the seeds and plants get planted in just right. He makes certain facial movements involving his mouth. He does it anytime he is in a zone, busy doing something with his hands. I always noticed it most when he was mixing something. It makes me laugh just thinking about it right now. :)

I feel like i forget a lot of memories, yet i remember certain one's in detail. Like the smell of my dad coming home from work. He smelled like scrubs, like a hospital. To some that might seem weird, but that's the way i remember the smell of my dad. I love the smell of a hospital to this day because that's what my dad smells like. I like being in a hospital. It comforts me. I feel safe. It makes me happy. If only all doctors could bring that same feeling of comfort and safety. :) haha!

In a world where there are so many bad memories that can be created, i sure am thankful for the good memories. I rely on those in times of sadness, loneliness or need. Because of the bad we can truly learn to love and appreciate the good. So, in a way, i am grateful for the bad because then i can understand and know when i have good. And i have lots of good around me. My husband, my kids, my friends, my mom, my dad, my siblings, my family in Idaho and Utah, the gospel, my Savior, my life, a home, food to eat, people who love and care about me, my health, opportunities to experience the world, to experience life. That's all i really need. Where your treasure is there will your heart be also.

{Jaydon, plus a couple updates}

First, Tanner got pneumonia. He started wheezing monday. I waited it out to see if it would slow down. It pretty much stayed the same up until this morning. He came and laid down next to me in bed this morning. He was wheezing in my EAR, but i also heard crackling noises with the wheezing. I knew that wasn't normal. I remember the last time he got pneumonia and the doctor was listening for crackling sounds. So, i took him into the ER where he and I and Jaydon spent the next 6 hours together. FUN, let me tell you. I didn't realize it would take so darn long. We probably saw the doctor a total of ten minutes. X-ray took a total of ten minutes. ANYWAY, i mustn't dwell on that. Turns out he has pneumonia, but he will be fine.

Now onto Jaydon.

Sorry , all his pictures are at the bottom because the DUMB blog is being difficult. Ughhhhh, my kids are driving me crazy right now! Let's see if i can explain this nicely right now. :)

Jaydon is very different from his brothers in ways. When Gavin and Tanner were small like Jaydon is now... Not small as in his size, but as in his age ... They didn't do lots of talking. Jaydon won't stop talking. Why this? Why that? What's this? What's that? It's pretty constant. The other boys asked questions, but not like Jaydon is doing now. No no no.

Jaydon refused to say his name for quite awhile. I just thought he was being stubborn, but turns out he just didn't know how to SAY his name. We (shane) finally got it out of him last night. He just kept calling himself "ME". We would point to him and say "who is this?" He would say "ME". He always says ME instead of I. It's cute. "Me hurt my knee." "ME have to poop." I like his "ME" phase.

Jaydon loves to play, loves to be tickled, LOVES to wrestle endlessly with Shane, LOVES to tease Tanner. Boy does he love to tease tanner. It's his favorite thing, i think. Tanner doesn't like it. AND he likes to tease everyone else in the family. EVEN me. He thinks teasing is so fun and he really enjoys it.

Jaydon is a thrill seeker. He does things all the time that scare me. The other boys never really took big chances. Tanner is our MOST careful boy. He is cautious. Jaydon is our crazy one. He likes jumping off of everything, among other things.

He is soooooo loveable, just like the other boys. He loves to take care of mommy and anyone else who needs it. My favorite time with him is when i tuck him into bed. He just wants to hold onto me and not let go. And he plays with my hair and tells me he loves me. It's the BEST.

He loves to have friends. He sticks up for himself, but he doesn't like to be mean to his friends. So, usually when he sticks up for himself one of the little nursery kids will hit him or bite him. He told me after church the other day, "my feelings hurt." I said, "what happened"? He said, "Me friend hit my face." It was so sad. Gavin did something mean to him the other day and Jaydon said to me so sweetly, "Galin(he says gavin with the L instead of a V) hurt my feelings." It's so sweet.

He likes to try and take charge of his brothers. He thinks he is the boss. He has a strong personality. He is a thick boy! BIG. One day he will be playing some football. I can see him getting into rough and tough sports like football or rugby.

On the other hand he can sure throw a fit. AND of course he does it IN public where he knows i can't put him in timeout. He often hits his brothers. Gavin and Tanner never were big into hitting each other. Then Jaydon comes along and he just swings that arm left and right at those boys. It bugs me. He is soooooooo stubborn too. SOOOO stubborn. Much more than his other brothers. He has a strong personality.

He loves to be cuddled and loved. He can never get enough of it. He is aware of people's feelings. He really is such a sweetheart. He melts hearts everywhere, especially the Japanese. He sure puts on his big cheesy charming smile for them. He is so funny. He sure is mischevious too.

Jaydon brings lots of excitement and laughs into our home. I love that he is always making us laugh or smile, especially when we need it. He lights up a room. He reminds me a lot of his daddy. He is so full of LIFE and energy, and i felt that from the time he was in my belly. When he was in my belly i got the sense that he was READY to get out and start LIFE and get the party started. I had this sense he would come EARLY because he was too antsy to WAIT until full -term and he came 3 weeks early! And he has always been that way.

{Tanner}

Tanner's turn. I meant to post about each of my boys in a week , BUT of course that didn't happen.

Tanner is our rational boy. You can reason with him, you can calm him down, he doesn't let his emotions control him. He is more laid back and calm about things. Starting something new isn't usually a problem as long as i prepare him for it about a week before.
He has a very level head about him. When his other brothers are whining and complaining about having to clean or do something we asked them to do, he is the one who just goes and does it. When i feel like i DO NOT want to hear anymore complaining from Gavin or Jaydon that's when i look over and notice TANNER doing what was asked of him without complaining. AND THAT helps me to not completely turn into a crazy lady on the other two boys. :) It warms my heart.

I am so grateful for Tanner's sweet and calm presence. It is refreshing. He definitely has his moments though. For example, he has a very specific way of needing his shoes tied. He will almost panic if the loops(bunny ears) aren't the same exact size. If one loops is bigger than the other then be prepared for him to start all over. He doesn't like the strings that are left hanging after he has finished tying his shoes. So he makes sure to stuff those underneath the laces. And often times his socks will bug him. He ends up taking his shoes off to adjust his sock. To me it doesn't look like he adjusted anything, but to him it makes all the difference. He will have a melt down if he can't dress himself or pick out what shoes or flip flops he wants to wear. He DOES NOT like wearing pants and refuses to wear pants even when it's in the 50's. He is very picky with his clothes. I admire that in a way. I feel like the way you dress says a lot about you. Trying to have someone else pick your clothes and dress you is like asking someone else to tell you who you are. If you have ever seen JOE VS. THE VOLCANO you know what i am talking about. I love that movie! And that scene has stuck with me ever since because it is so true.

He loves quoting movies. And he is very fickle. Here is what i mean by that...1. He was the first to jump on board the raw fish train. He was willing to try a whole sardine(dried up) and liked it. He likes sushi and seaweed(i don't like seaweed). He likes this whole Japan cuisine. 2. He caught on very quickly to swimming. The teacher was really impressed that he was able to catch on and do everything she asked of him. He was learning swim moves at age 4 that kids don't usually learn until they are about 8. Now, here is the fickle part. Maybe fickle isn't the right word, BUT he was always so nervous and hesitant to try new things. He didn't believe . He either didn't believe in himself OR he didn't believe the teacher would be there to catch him. I think it was both. I just wanted to grab him and say "just trust her! She won't let you drown. Believe in yourself and believe she will be there." He really struggled with it. Not only that, but when he was learning to ride his bike it was very very scary for him. He kind of got it down when we were in texas. He would ride his bike down our driveway and then turn around and ride back, but he was too scared to ride on a straight level rode. When we got to Okinawa he didn't want to get back on his back. He acted so scared of it. I am not sure what it was. Shane MADE him go out to try to help him learn to ride. I left temporarily b/c i couldn't handle having him MAKE Tanner do something he didn't want to do, more specifically that he was making him ride a bike. To me it seemed so unimportant and he would eventually get it. I left, BUT when i came back Tanner was riding his bike up and down the street with a big smile on his face. He was so proud of himself. At that moment i realized that we need to do that with him, in SOME cases. He needs lots of encouraging and he needs to know we KNOW he can do it and we need to help him see that in himself. And he did that day. It was awesome.

He is smarter than he lets on. He knows a lot, but really struggles with answering a question when you put him on the spot. I am the SAME way. I would know lots of answers in my classes, but i never raised my hand to answer b/c i was afraid of it being wrong or stupid. BUT also there were times where i knew an answer and my teacher would RANDOMLY ask me a question. ANd i would freeze up and not be able to answer it. And a couple minutes later i felt so dumb b/c i did know the answer, but just can't seem to do it on the spot. He is like that. I just have to help him be more confident in himself.

He has been such a good brother to both his brothers. He loves to play and have a good time. He doesn't like to be teased a lot. He tries to make sure that the boys are doing what they SHOULD be doing(most of the time)....he still gets mischevious. He is honest. He doesn't usually show AS MUCH interest in gospel topics when we talk about them, BUT i know he is listening b/c there are many moments where he answers many gospel topic questions, and surprises me with his answers. And i think "i knew you were listening!"

He is such a good boy. We love him and are so thankful for his sweet and calm presence in our home. :)

{blah}

Today is one of those days.

Jaydon got sick yesterday. I think it's strep because of all the symptoms. Funny how as soon as we

take Tanner's tonsils out that Jaydon gets strep for the first time. bahaha! It's really

NOT funny. Tanner has been complaining of his throat hurting. I think

he is at that point where it will be scabbing over and so i know it can be sore when that

happens. Tomorrow is ONE week since his surgery. ONE more week

and he can start eating NORMAL again. thank goodness. I woke up feeling pretty

light headed and have a slight headache. I have been getting headaches

lately. I don't get headaches so it's kind of weird.

SHANE took his PT test on Monday and received a 97%!!! If these guys score a 95 or higher

they will receive a day off of work. SO, he is taking off next Monday! whoop whoop!

I really enjoy cooking. It's my new passion and hobby. Well, not really NEW.

Probably for the past 1 1/2 to 2 years it has been. AND lucky for me

i have some AWESOME friends here with tons of AWESOME recipes that i can't wait

to try! SOOOO good. :) I would love to eventually make my own tortillas and

peanut butter...i already make our breads, pancake mixes, etc. When my parents come in April my dad

is going to help me start my own veggie garden. Of course, i can't build

it in the ground. I have to buy big vases and pots and tubs, but i will make it happen!! :)

I am going to grow grape tomatoes, cilantro, basil, and a couple more things. I am

sooooo excited! :)

Gavin is still working hard at reading 100 books. So far he has read 30 books. He is a lucky boy because he rarely gets sick. He has only missed ONE day of school since 1st grade

started. And it wasn't because he was sick. He does gets tons of

homework, BUT i think it's good because he is learning a lot.

It's getting warm around here. The sun is shining and it's in the 70's, although the

sun does feel a lot hotter than that. It feels AWESOME.

Last night i was talking to the boys in their room as i was putting them to bed. Shane was gone home teaching. I enjoy having evening conversations with the boys

because they really open up to me about lots of stuff, usually spirtual things. The conversations

are always really good.

{Whale Watching}

Shane and Gavin went whale watching today. I was supposed to go with them, but i decided it's best that i stay with Tanner and not leave him with our friends since he just had his tonsils out. BUT it sounds like i REALLY missed out because they HIT IT good today! The whales were everywhere. There were even groups of dolphins swimming with the whales, which i guess has been a rare thing to see.
Gavin even spotted flying fish! He never would have known it was flying fish if we didn't have the LIFE and ANIMAL PLANET videos that show us all of that cool stuff! These next 2 photos are hard to tell exactly what part of the whale you are looking at. He caught the pictures a little late, and they were really close to the boat. And shane said when they blew out of their blow hole it was so loud, especially right by the boat. I can only imagine HOW COOL that experience was for them. I am jealous. When they were telling me about it i felt like i was there. I want to swim with the dolphins and whales so bad. I love the ocean. I would live in it if i could. :)

There were FIVE other boats out there with them. AND it just happened to be a BEAUTIFUL day today! SUN was OUT, it was in the 70's! We have been getting a lot of rain here for the past couple of months! Driving me nuts!

Here are the dolphins!

Two of my favorite boys getting ready to head out to sea!!! They had to arrive to Kadena Marina at 7:30 a.m. They got back around 12:15. It took about an hour and a half boat ride to get out to where the Whales and dolphins were.

SOOOOO cute!!!

Poor shane got a little sea sick on the ride OUT and the RIDE BACK. When they got out there to watch the whales he said it was pretty smooth, BUT apparently the ride to and from was pretty rough. There was another woman on the boat ride that was puking the whole time. Poor lady.

{Gavin}

I would like to dedicate a post to each of my kids and my husband over the next week. First, i will start with Gavin.

Here he is....hahaha! This is Gavin with his SORT OF upset face. It's that face where he is upset and is making it more dramatic than it needs to be. He kind of likes to play it up a bit. :) Anyway, i thought i would get that picture out of the way first. He is fun to tease.

In this picture below he is playing some football with his friends. He invited a couple of them over after school recently. They played football and played mario on the Wii.

I feel like i need to apologize for my photos. I havent' been taking pictures like i used to, nor have i been TRYING to make them look awesome like i used to. I think what happened is that i was spending too much time on it. I was spending too much time on this passion of mine and it was taking my time away from my kids. It was frustrating me. So i stopped. I still love photography, but i guess i don't know how to find a balance. With photography i feel like i am either IN or OUT. And when i am IN it takes too much time. I really want to go out and take some good pictures of them by the beach though. I CAN make time for that. :)

Gavin is very outgoing. Socializing comes fairly easy to him. He loves his friends and loves having friends. And his friends love him. It's fun to watch him in his zone when he is around his friends. Gavin likes and needs friendships. And kids just gravitate towards him.

Gavin is doing great in school. He catches on very quickly to his homework. They give him lots of homework. Maybe it's not a lot for these days, but when i was a kid i don't remember hardly any homework! He has about 1 hour of homework to do each night, AND if he forgets one night then he has TWO hours to do the next night. There have been times where we are so busy and we saved the homework for the night before it was due. Not good. It takes hours. Each week he has math assignments usually involving counting the time, counting money, or addition and subtraction. He always has 23 new words each week that he is given a spelling test on. Throughout the week he has to write each word in a sentence, put them all in alphabetical order, say them out loud to me, i quiz him on them, he has to find them in a crossword puzzle, AND he has to unscramble the word into it's correct spelling. Then he has to read a poem out loud to me so that he can recite it clearly to his teacher on Friday. He also has a few sight words that he has to know. He has a story he has to read each week and answer questions to. It's quite a bit. But he is learning a lot and progressing quickly.

Another thing he has to do each night is read a book. When he reads each night he writes the title on a list. When he reaches 10 books on his list he turns the paper in and gets a star on the board at school. Once he reaches a certain amount he will get a prize from his teacher. He is working really hard on that to make sure he reads each night. Right now he is reading Magic Treehouse Books. They are books that can have up to 100 pages or more. We count a chapter as a book read, since most of the chapters could actually be counted as reading TWO books. He is doing well. Gavin really wants a skateboard. I told him that once he reads 100 books we will buy him a skateboard. He is so excited. So far he has read 20 books and as fast as he is going he will reach that goal in no time at all.

Gavin is such a good big brother. He takes care of his brothers. He loves to play with and tease his brothers. Emphasis on TEASE. :) He loves to go over to the basketball courts often to play basketball games with his friends and with Tanner. If it's raining out then they will dribble the ball in the house up and down the hallway, which isn't very big at all. He gets along , mostly, with Tanner and Jaydon.

Gavin loves to play games with me. He is always up for a game of cards...Old Maid, Go Fish, or his scrambled States of America card game.

He loves to talk and have conversations. He likes to listen to anything we have to say about our childhood. We have a list of 100 questions and it's called , FAMILY TALK. It has lots of questions you can ask each other and it helps start good conversation. He really likes to ask us these questions to hear what everyone says.

He likes to DRAW pictures. The pictures he draws are mainly of his family members, either doing something silly or drawing us the way he views us. It's funny.

He loves to be funny and loves to laugh and make his friends laugh.

While Gavin can be very emotional, i think with it also comes the ability to sympathize with others.

Gavin LOVES playing his DS or the Wii or XBox. Yes, we have too many electronic games. If this were a house of girls i might have more say in what we get around here. Anyway, for having so many electronic games, they aren't allowed to play very often. But when we do play he loves it.

He isn't very adventurous when it comes to trying different foods. He likes to stick with what he has known for the past 7 years. haha!

He loves to tease and wrestle around with dad.

He is understanding a lot about Heavenly Father's plan for us. We have many conversations and one time we were talking about people who do things that aren't right, but that doesn't mean they are bad. He said "Yeah, they just don't understand who they are and where they came from." I loved that he said that because i feel like if we know where we came from, our purpose on this earth, and where we are going after this life, it makes going through this life easier when you can keep an eternal perspective.When we know the WHY of what we are doing and being asked to do then it is so much easier to do what we are asked. I just hope he remembers that one day when things get more difficult.

He is such a good kid. We love him so much. He is our first born. He was my biggest pain, just as i was my mom's biggest pain. I can't imagine life without our sweet Gavin.

{Okinawa}...another post

I want to fill you all in on a little bit about Okinawa. I love learning new things and love sharing them. Some people don't care to hear about it and so it isn't exciting telling them, BUT when i write it out and post it i receive a lot of satisfaction because i feel like maybe there is someone who will enjoy reading it and i have fun telling about it. :) There is a TON still that i don't know, but i will tell you what i do know for now.

This island is 60 miles long and 18 miles wide. Yes, it takes us about a 5 minute drive to get to the beach outside the gate. The population size in Okinawa is 1,318,218 people. There is a significant American influence here. Mainland Japan doesn't want hardly any of our bases on that land, so they stuck the MAJORITY of them down here in Okinawa.

Okinawans like being called Okinawans, not Japanese. It all has to do with what happened during WWII and how the leaders of mainland Japan didn't want the war to occur on mainland so they used Okinawa has their scapegoat. They had only just owned Okinawa for about 30 years at that time. Okinawans got the shaft because of that.

When Okinawa was their own kingdom, along with the TONS of other islands surrounding it, they were called the Ryukyu Kingdom. There is a lot of Chinese Influence here and lots of things they have and do here are derived from the Chinese because during that time they did lots of trading with the Chinese(for hundreds of years). And actually during the 14th and 16th century the Ryukyu Kingdom was an established trading hub between several Asian Countries because of the Island's convenient geographic location.

When people think of Japanese alcohol they usually refer to it as Sake or Osake. BUT Okinawa's Spirits are known as Awamori and Kusu, not sake.

There are many types of sushi; Nigiri Sushi, Gunkan-sushi, Maki-sushi, Temaki-sushi, Chirashi-sushi, Inari-sushi.

Goya is a bitter melon that lots of people eat here on Okinawa. It can be traced back to East India and Southern Asia. It is a VERY bitter melon. It looks like the HULK version of a cucumber. :)

Okinawa's meat of choice is PORK. And they love SPAM.

There are MANY caves all over the island. The caves were the Okinawans safe place of refuge during the war. The caves are a reminder of the war and carry Historical Significance. Most of the caves are located near the beach.

Dragon Boat Racing is a big event here. The dragon is a symbol of power and it is said that they govern the clouds and rains, and rule the rivers, seas , and oceans.

There is a HUGE tug of war that occurs here in Okinawa, located in Naha. It's a HUGE event. The rope used in the tug-of-war is the largest rope made from natural materials in the world. The streets are packed, just like NYC ON new years eve, with people who want to be a part of the tug-of-war. The history of tug-of-war in Asia goes back to 71 A.D. in China. A tugging contest was held to decide which religion, Buddhism or Taoism, was superior. Tug-of-war in Japan always carry some kind of religious implication.

Okinawan tombs can be found EVERYWHERE on the island. They are usually fairly large(larger than any you will see in the states), but becoming more rare because of space considerations. During the battle of Okinawa the tombs were used for protective shelter by the Japanese forces. But many tombs were destroyed during the war.

Okinawa is surrounded my many many small islands. And the south part of mainland is filled with tiny islands. I think they call that certain area "99 islands".

Okinawa has tons of castles on it. They are known as Gusuku. There are a total of 38 confirmed castle sites in SOUTHERN Okinawa dating back to the 14th century. You can go see what remains, which is usually the wall and foundation.

Many people in Japan and Okinawa practice Shinto and the Chinese version of Buddhism.

The Battle of Okinawa occured in 1945. It was a sad sad situation. Over 200,000 civilians, Japanese, and US service members were killed.

It's so fun learning about the many traditions(and there are many!) that they have here. It is one of the safest places in the world and also one of the most beautiful. The houses aren't beautiful, BUT the scenery is. And it is one of the best locations in the world for scuba diving and snorkeling.

There are many celebrations and festivals here, usually ocurring between march and october.

{Okinawa World and other things...}

This is from our tour we took around okinawa from ABOVE. I sat in the front and he even let me control the plane temporarily until shane LOST it. I guess my steering was bumpy b/c i totally made shane lose control and he puked. Poor guy. honestly, i was close to puking as well and was soooooo glad when we finally landed.

This picture is when Aunt Mandi was here. What would a visit be with a JENKS without basketball?!?! Definitely not the same.

We took Mandi to Forest Adventure Park where they have the ziplining and some other fun things. This place is a blast. We had tons of fun here. This is a picture shane took of me getting ready to climb up to the platform.

We indulged this night, after eating sushi. We ate some Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake. I am not usually a fan of cheesecake but this was pretty good. :)

Here we are at the Sushi -go- round. We had mandi try some of our favorites. I discovered my NEW favorite. The kind of sushi i enjoy the most is nigiri sushi. It's a little clump or rice with raw fish on top. I do not like the rolled up sushi because i don't like seaweed. It tastes fishy to me and i don't like the fishy taste. So, my favorite Nigiri Sushi is Aurora Salmon. OH SO YUMMY!

Tanner clinging to Aunt Mandi. He is afraid of heights.

Here we are at Araha Beach. We enjoy playing on most the kids playgrounds here as well. Japanese playgrounds are the best. This particular one is right on the beach.

We took our boys to the Kodomo -no -kuni zoo. It's a fun zoo that we all enjoy.

Oh, here is a random picture of my homemade bread. I no longer BUY bread. I make my own each week. I make 3 loaves and it lasts the whole week. It's the BEST homemade WHOLE WHEAT FLAX bread in the WORLD. We love it.

Here are the Eisa drummers at Okinawa World. There was some other cool stuff, but the lady told me to stop taking pictures b/c they aren't allowed. I didn't know, but funny thing is that right in this picture you can see the sign that says no cameras are allowed. haha! Anyway, its lots of fun watching Eisa Drummers. They move their legs all over , as you can see to the left of the picture and they do cool twirl jumps in the air.

Shane and i tried FISH THERAPY (Dr. Fish). It was on our way out of Okinawa World. You put your feet in and the small little fish surround your feet and eat all the dead skin on your feet. I didn't know what to expect. It tickled. It was this tiny vibrating feeling from each fish, plus it TICKLED. It was hilarious. They loved Shane's feet a lot more than they loved mine.

At Okinawa World they also make glassware. We watched the process and it was so cool. In this picture below the glass is very hot , which is why it is red hot. It's amazing how fast they can go. I could watch it all day long.

Oh, they have these kind of displays EVERYWHERE in Okinawa. We try to take advantage of them b/c the kids love it.

Another one in the cave.

We went through such a cool cave here. It was the biggest and longest cave i have ever experienced! I was amazed. It was fairly humid. We walk on this platform and most of the time there is about 1-2 feet deep of water underneath us. They have the biggest stalagmite here in all of Japan. Stalactites and Stalagmites here are definitely a site to see! In the water you would see tiny little fish. There was even a small waterfall in there with some water pools.

Another one! :)

We went to Okinawa World's snake show. It was fun watching! At the end of the show you can take a picture with this LARGE snake. We each took a picture. I put Gavin's in here b/c he was brave enough to do it alone AND his face went so red. It was so cute. The poisonous snake here in Okinawa is called the Habu snake. They showed us a habu and we saw pictures of what happens if it bites you. It's SCARY! BUT apparently the sea snakes are more venomous than the Habu is! Crazy. The mongoose is an enemy to the Habu. It can kill the Habu. The island brought mongoose here to control the Habu population, BUT turns out the mongoose became more interested in feeding on other things so now they are trying to control the mongoose population.

This is called a sanshin. This is the Okinawan guitar. Three strings and you can see part of it is made of snake skin. You will hear the sanshin in most of the music here on the island.

Entrance to Okinawa WORLD. :)

{Happenings as of late}

Kokusai Street...It's a big shopping street. It's a hot spot for tourists too. They have lots of stuff to buy and lots of FUNNY things we saw along our way. Too funny. Mandi was with us at this time and we had tons of fun. :)

Okuma. We love Okuma. It's beautiful.

The boys love going across the street to the basketball courts. They sometimes meet other friends over there and play basketball together or they go over and ride their bikes. It's so convenient that it's right across the street. :)

Here's Jaydon giving us his tough karate pose.

We took a flight around Okinawa to see what it looks like from above. Unfortunately it was a fairly hazy day. BUT it was still beautiful. In this picture, can you see the bridge? That bridge leads to my favorite little island...Kourijima. It's beautiful....absolutely beautiful.

Araha Beach. This beach has a fun pirate ship playground for the kids to play on. It's a wonderful little spot.

Shane is no longer going to texas in march. It is now scheduled for May and he is going to alaska. I think i might have to meet him there so we can do an alaskan cruise. :) AND he is going to alaska at the same time as the epic ride around okinawa, which means we can't do it. bummer. :) haha!

It's starting to warm up around here lately. I am happy about that. I can't wait to get in the ocean again.

I got a pedicure done recently, while mandi was here with us. We LOVED it. It was so nice and i love the way they do pedicures here. They do AWESOME detailed designs on each toe and is doesn't cost extra. It's one set price. Its the best, really. I already can't wait to go again.

For V-DAY i signed shane up to get some reflexology done. He came out looking sooooooo calm and relaxed. It's a rare thing. :) Soooooo i love seeing him that way. It makes me laugh. He needs to get that done MORE often i think. I am thinking he needs to do it every other week. I really think it will help him too. AND he totally loved it and is ready to go back already. :) I am proud of myself for doing that for him. haha! It can be really hard to surprise him.

I am signed up to do my FIRST HALF-MARATHON in April. I am really excited, especially since we get to run across the bridge to Kourijima, my favorite place. I think it will be awesome.

Jaydon is going through TERRIBLE TWO'S right now. It's stressful for mommy, but i am making it. :) He is VERY stubborn. VERY. The other two weren't quite like this, although i do remember have a difficult time with Gavin. He had terrible two's and horrible three's. The way jaydon is going he will have horrible three's too. I can't imagine that one.

Tanner is still really enjoying his preschool. He is a smart kid, but underestimates himself and usually will never show a person what he is really made of if he is put on the spot. You just have to watch for it in his daily activities. I think he acts more mature in many ways in comparison with kids his age. Don't get me wrong, he has many moments where he acts like a kid his age would, but he often surprises me with his calm nature and understanding.

Gavin is growing a lot. He is very outgoing and full of energy. His big thing right now is that he wants a skateboard. I told him i would buy him one if he reads 100 books. He is on a mission. We bought him one of those alarms for kids who wet the beds. Ever since we put that thing on him he has been waking up on his own. Amazing. haha! That alarm doesn't even have to go off b/c the THOUGHT of it going off in his ear makes him wake up on his own in the night! i love it. As soon as he gets it down, we will use it on tanner. So far gavin has only gone two nights without peeing. That's great though. Anyway, gavin is a great reader now. He loves playing outside with his brothers and friends and loves spending time with mom and dad too. I can't wait until his eighth birthday! I am going to throw him a BIG birthday party to celebrate turning 8! It's going to be so much fun for him. :)

{What r u up to?}

We are up to a lot lately. Shane's sister Mandi came to visit us last week and we had tons of fun having her here with us. I think we kept her busy the entire time too. :) So much fun and laughs. We loved it. I need to post pictures from that week here soon. Probably not until this weekend when i have more time to post some pictures.

Shane is leaving me for about 2 1/2 weeks in MARCH to go back to the STATES. tdy. He has some training to do and he also is going to take leave to go see his family while he is there. JEALOUS. :) I would love to see family. AND i would also love 2 1/2 weeks break from my children...well, maybe not that LONG, but close to it. :)

My parents are coming in APRIL. I cannot wait!!! They will spend 2 weeks with us. I wish they could stay longer.

Shane and I are doing something together in MAY called, "The EPIC ride around Okinawa". We will BIKE around the entire island. yippee. We will bike 231 miles in 3 days. Really, i am excited that i will get to say i did it. BUT am i excited about 231 miles in three days? Not too much. Shane really wants to do it though and really wants ME to come. Sometimes we do things for the one we love that we don't really want to do. This is one of them. I am sure i will gain a lot from this experience though. I might end up loving it and i know the ride will be beautiful. Sounds like there will be 7-8 of us. Yes, we will ride on the busy roads the whole ride. SCARY. I told Shane "If i have to pick a way to die it definitely wouldn't be on a bike road in Okinawa." :) Anyway, in order to prepare for this i am going to have to work a BIT HARDER at my biking and getting in shape. I don't want this ride to be torture b/c i am not physically prepared....if i am prepared it will be enjoyable. Here's to forcing myself into shape and experiencing the EPIC ride around Okinawa. After this i think i will set out to do whatever physical activity i want. If i can do this, i can do anything. i want to do an olympic triathlon and a full marathon. hahaha!

Life just seems to get busier and busier. It's going by so fast. Gavin is signed up for basketball starting in march and tanner is starting KARATE in March as well. In APRIL they will ALL start swim lessons again and from there we will be swimming all summer long and going to the beach all summer long.