4 sugar n spice, 1 puppy dog tail

Slides!

2009-03-16T17:09:00.001-07:00

On Sunday, our good friends Dave and Amanda, took us to the neatest Japanese park. It had two slides that were something else! I have never seen the likes of them in America. One was a roller slide (pictured above). We used cardboard to sit on so that our rearends wouldn't hurt by the time we reached the end.

As you can see, Kenna cried the whole way down.

Not the best idea I have had!

Shawn and Kenna getting ready to try the "drop slide". Notice that Kenna would not ride alone! Poor kid...

Catching Up

2009-03-10T19:00:00.000-07:00

So, it has been a little while (ok, 4months to be exact) since I lasted blogged anything. It might have been because our camera was broken, or the holidays, or that we were supposed to be moving. However, since we now have a new, awesome camera and the holidays are well done and gone, and that we are NO LONGER moving, I can post something new! Yeah!!!

Kenna and her bestest buddy, Band-Aid. No, we did NOT get a dog!!!

Kenna is 3!

2008-11-10T19:42:00.000-08:00

We had a party for Kenna's 3rd birthday this past saturday (Nov. 8th). Nothing big. Just a few neighbors and two of her favorite friends. We cooked hot dogs and let the kids run around, opened a few presents, and enjoyed homemeade cupcakes. It wasn't much, but it was everything to Kenna.

Then on Monday the 10th (her actual birthday) we gave her our presents. This was the year for dress up. Every little girl loves playing dress up and Kenna is no exception. She was so excited about it. She loves the "fancy shoes", the clip on earrings, and hats. This girl even has quite a few purses that she loves to carry everywhere we go!

Here is she all dressed up for the first time with her new stuff.

It wouldn't be the same at our house if Daddy didn't join in all the fun!

You've come a long way, Baby!

2008-11-02T21:25:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to me

Happy Birthday to me,

Happy Birthday dear Melissa,

Happy birthday to me!

Tink and Peter Pan

2008-10-31T15:20:00.000-07:00

So, Halloween has to be one of my favorite holidays since moving to Okinawa. Being from Minnesota, the trick was to figure out what your costume was going to be, while still fitting it over a winter jacket. Definitely not cool for a princess or ballerina. However, the weather here is perfect for costumes and the greatest thing- NO NEED FOR WINTER JACKET!!!

This year, Kenna was more excited about getting dressed up and even remember how to say "Trick-or-treat". With her obsession with Peter Pan and Tinker Bell, nothing else would do for Halloween. Plus, it mean that Daddy could get in on the fun! What a daddy won't do his daughter!

Happy Anniversary!

2008-10-14T16:03:00.000-07:00

I join my life to yours, not merely as your husband, but as your friend, your lover, and your confidant. Let me be the shoulder you lean on, the rock on which you rest, the companion of your life. With you I will walk my pathfrom this day forward.

With you I will walk my pathfrom this day forward. Whatever lies ahead, good or bad, we will face together. Distance may test us for a time, and time may try us. But if we look to each other first, we will always see a friend. Look to me for all the days to come!

I promise to give you the best of myself and to ask of you no more than you can give. I promise to respect you as your own person and to realize that your interests, desires and needs are no less important than my own. I promise to share with you my time and my attentionand to bring joy, strength and imagination to our relationship. I promise to keep myself open to you, to let you see through the window of my world into my innermost fears and feelings, secrets and dreams. I promise to grow along with you, to be willing to face changes in order to keep our relationship alive and exciting. I promise to love you in good times and in bad, with all I have to give and all I feel inside in the only way I know how. Completely and forever.

A good marriage must be created. In marriage, the little things are the big things: Never being too old to hold hands, Remembering to say "I love you" at least once a day. Never going to sleep angry. Having a mutual sense of values and common objectives. Standing together facing the world. Forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family. Speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways. Having the capacity to forgive and forget, and the forgetting what you forgave. Giving each other an atmosphere in which to grow. Not only MARRYING the right person, but BEING the right partner.

Chinese Garden of Zen

2008-10-04T03:00:00.000-07:00

In the middle of downtown Naha. In amongst the cars, noise and hustle and bustle of the city, is a small garden. It is peaceful and quiet except for the roar of the waterfall. There are fish and turtles to feed and even a view worth seeing from behind the waterfall. Kenna managed to make some friends with a young couple who shared their bread with her. So that she could feed the fish. Imagine their surprise when she said "Domo" (thank you) and even bowed. Aside from the two elderly couples that had to take pictures everywhere and of everything, we were pretty much all alone and on our own!

Kenna and Mommy resting

Kenna looking up the pagoda

Simply beautiful! (Look closely, there is an aparment building behind)

Kenna and Daddy feeding the fish and turtles

Beach Time!

2008-09-29T16:12:00.000-07:00

Kenna has been asking to go to the beach. So we took some family time on Saturday morning before things got busy and headed to a small beach on Camp Courtney. We were lucky that we were the only ones who had this thought as we got the beach all to ourselves! Kenna and Shawn were free to run and scream and play without me having to worry to much about who they were bothering! :)

It is always fun to watch Kenna play in the water!

Shawn and Kenna exploring the caves at the beach

Another creature enjoying the beach!

Trip to Cocoks

2008-09-24T16:10:00.000-07:00

Here in Okinawa there is a wonderful place that all of the women love- Cocoks. I have to admit it is a favorite way to spoil myself! Recently, I took Kenna with her bestest friend ever- Becca! They both were tickled pink about sitting and soaking their toes and getting to pick out what they wanted on their toes!

Kenna and Becca

Here they are soaking their toes and Becca is still trying to decide what she wants!

Sitting in the big chairs watching their toes get done!

Birds, Birds, Birds, and a Scared Little Girl

2008-09-01T16:26:00.000-07:00

Since it was Labor day weekend and we had a family pass to Neo Park, we took a trip up there. Kenna and I had been there before, for a birthday party, but this was the first time for Shawn. The park is full of wonderfully beautiful birds and opther exotic animals. We fed the birds bread and dodged the rain drops as it decided to rain while we were there.

Shawn developed a friend with this bird. It followed us through the park, eating from his hand. It was the prettiest color. It had a bright yellow beak and tail feathers, light blue eyes and a black body! Note the other on-lookers!

As you can see, Kenna is deathly afraid of birds! If we weren't holding her, she was glued to our legs!

Favorite Day

2008-08-06T18:14:00.000-07:00

Today has to be my most favorite day in Okinawa (since the Hughes left the island that is). It is actually Shawn's birthday. He is 33 years younger today. In honor of that, he had the day off and we spent some family time biking and geocaching. Biking around our neighborhood allowed me to look at little closer at the houses and people.

Plus this well. Doesn't look like what we would think a well would look like. It got me to wondering how old it was and if at one time people used it for their water. However, now it is has overgrowth and algae. Anyway, it is amazing to see how simply the Japanese live. I am also shocked by how quickly new buildings, several stories high, go up. And while they live almost on top of each other, they still managed to make cement look beautiful and very livable.

Geocaching caches that were new and close to home added to our fun little bike trip. Even though we really only found one cache and then had a party pooper (Kenna) we still enjoyed ourselves. Kenna kept telling me to move so that she could see her daddy. How do you explain to a two year old that if you move she will fall over?! Remind me again why we put her seat on the back of my bike?????

Happy Birthday Nay-Nay!

2008-08-01T00:12:00.000-07:00

Mona's Jungle

2008-07-24T16:54:00.000-07:00

So with sun and humidity beating down on Okinawa, we try and find things to do indoors. This ensures that no one melts! Today we went to an indoor play area. If anyone remembers Discovery Zone, it is similar to that choas. Only the prices here are better!

Kenna and her friends like to run, climb, and of course eat snacks. She met a little Japanese boy on this trip. It was fun to watch them run around and play together. One speaking English and the other speaking Japanese, but it didn't matter to them. I didn't manage to get a picture of them together. I wish I had.

Saying goodbye

2008-07-19T15:54:00.000-07:00

Having to say goodbye to one's child is not easy. While it is not that they passed away or that they are taking a right of passage like going to college. No, I am saying goodbye as we prepare to head back to Okinawa for Shawn to return to duty. 30 days of leave never seems like enough time. However, I don't think that all the leave in the world would make any difference.

Our last day together was filled with mixed emotions. Jenaya woke up rather ornery and Elle was quiet. She was in her thinking mode. Ian and Marni constantly picked at each other. I knew that it had to do with being torn. They were ready to go home. They were excited to see their dad and mommy number 2-Kelly. They wanted to see how much their little kitty, Pippa, had grown. However, all of these things meant that Mom, Shawn and MacKenna were leaving... again.

We filled the day with packing and searching Papaa's house for forgotten items and lost treasures. The kids filled their suitcases to overflowing and packed the back of the van. Already, the house seemed less full of life.

We did have one last hurray. Nay-Nay wanted to have a whipped cream fight and I had told her yes. To be honest, I didn't really want to. I was tired and depressed and struggling through my own emotions. However, she must have known something that I did not. She must have known that we all needed to laugh one more time together. That, as a family, we needed to be silly.

Shawn bought 7 cans of redi-whip and we all dressed in 55 gallon drum garbage bags. Those bags were huge! Poor Kenna had to wear a garbage sack instead. Less to cut off and less around the middle. However, all the rest of us wore one. Ian had to tie his on the side so that he had room to run and move. He looked like he was dressed back when it was in fashion to tie your shirt in a knot on the side of your outfit. Nay-Nay figured out that you could tie two of the corners between your knees and you would look like you had on knickers of sorts.

Flying handfuls of whipped cream and screams of laughter erupted from Papaa's backyard. Somehow the kids and I were more covered than Shawn. Must be some military tactics that he used. It may have only lasted for 15 minutes, but it was worth the memories and the laughter it created on such a yucky day.

While saying goodbye is never easy for me, I have strength in knowing that this road is the road that God wanted for me. I find comfort in knowing that He is in charge and has blessed me.

Oreo race

2008-07-08T14:32:00.000-07:00

Did anyone else know that Oreo's were good for other things besides eating???

I had read somewhere that you could race with them. So Shawn, all the kids, and myself tried it. We split the cookies in half. Getting all the cream filling to stick to one side. Then we licked the frosting and stuck it to our foreheads. The loser was the one whose cookie fell off their face first.

Marni, Shawn, and I managed to break our cookies in the process of sticking them to our foreheads. Kenna didn't really understand what we were doing and proceeded to stick her cookie to her check, hand, and anywhere else that would make us laugh.

Elle, in all her wisdom of 13, decided that we were too silly and did not partake any further than being the photographer of us goofballs.

It took so long for the cookies to fall off (our body heat was supposed to melt the frosting, but I think I remember it needing to be double stuffed-oops) that we had to resort to helping them. We tried jumping jacks, but that only made us out of breath. We tried wrinkling our foreheads, but that only felt weird and maybe only loosen their position.

Finally out of frustration, Shawn pulled his cookie off and ate it. Winner or not, I was left looking like a dork all by myself!

Queen of three letter words

2008-07-03T06:25:00.000-07:00

The kids and I have been playing Boogle like it is going out of style. It is amazing to me that even Marni and Ian can play. And since when did Jenaya get smarter than me??

There is something about sitting around the kitchen table with all of us searching for words, that has filled me with a sense of peace and greatfulness.

Peace, because I can see all four of my kids and know that they are healthy and happy. I can see how they have grown and the changes that they have made.

Greatfulness, because all seven of us are under one roof. I get to be mom, even if it is only for 30 days. This past year has had its moments when I questioned if we were going to be OK. God has shown me that he keeps His promises no matter what. He never forgets and always remembers.

And so I am off to be the Queen of three letter words!

Beauty Parlor

2008-07-01T16:12:00.000-07:00

Kenna played beauty parlor with her big sisters, Miss Elle and Nay-nay!

She also did her own make up!! Isn't she beautiful?

Here she is putting "lips" on her client.

Nay-nay doesn't like how her "eye lash polish" went on.

Miss Elle let the new nail technican paint her nails

(Thank God for soap and water)

A good day to re-enlist

2008-06-18T18:24:00.000-07:00

Today dawned hot and humid, but that didn't matter. Today my marine re-enlisted! I love you and am so proud of you!

I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic;

that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the Presidant of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me,

according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.

Happy Birthday to Ian

2008-06-15T17:11:00.001-07:00

So my only puppy dog tail turned 9 on the 14 of June (ok, I am a few days late). I found myself that day watching the clock and thinking about the day that he was born. Do all moms do this? With time some of the details have become fuzzy, but some are still so fresh and new that it was like it happened yesterday.

I remember going to the hospital the night before he was born. Contractions were not strong, but were regular. However, the doctors had told me to not mess around since this was baby number 3 and my last labor only took three and half hours. I also had the pleasure of being dilated to a 3 and almost completely effaced without any help of contractions. So, needless to say, I was scared of having a baby in the car.

The hospital would not let me go home once the contractions stopped (I guess they too were afraid of him being born in the car) and I had to spend the night listening to my then husband snore and praying to God for the contractions to start. They never did.

The doc showed up oh so early the next morning (9am) and broke my water. Contractions started quickly there after with unbelievable pain. Thank God for the creation of morphine shots in the spine.

Three and half hours later, I was the proud mommy of her first and only son. It took me a moment to understand that God wanted me to have a boy (I really wanted a house full of girls. I know, I was totally crazy) and ever since that moment he has been the apple of my eye.

We named him Ian Braham T. I didn't realize then how special his name would really come to mean. Ian means beloved and it is the truth about him. He is loved by everyone. Those who have the joy of knowing him know that laughter and silliness are who he is. His sense of humor is very refreshing and his giggles contagious. His middle name, Braham, is my mothers maiden name. My grandfather, an only boy himself, is a serious, but deeply loving man. I see this in Ian now, unknown then how much he would reflect this.

Nine years have past and everyday I am so blessed to have had God gift me this child.

The Hughes Family

2008-06-08T16:06:00.000-07:00

It seems that there is never enough time. I am struck by the reality of the military life and how it changes you so completely.. You enter a world of unknowns and learned flexibility. You may get orders before you finish your original orders. Leaving is a quality all military men and women and families know well. As I write, I think about all those families that are moving on and going where God's wants them next... However, it is one family that has touched us so completely, that I will never be the same!

The Hughes Family

Even though you are family, it is still hard to see you go. You are the reason we have a church and Shawn found salvation. You are the place where Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter always takes place (unless we are geo caching). You are the ones who take us to the beach when it is raining and managed to get stranded while on your second honeymoon! You are the place where a house became a home!

David, you are the brother Shawn never had.

Leta, you are the sister I never got!

Em, Cole and Becca, you are the kids that helped me miss mine just a little bit less.

We thank God for you every day!! We love you!

We are AWANA Cubbies.....

2008-05-21T15:06:00.000-07:00

So we had our last Cubbies (sad sigh)..... This is my second year as a leader. I have to say that the year started out a little shaky. Lots(40 plus) of little ones and not enough help. Plus our church moved into its temporary facility (an old grocery store) which really made space tight. However, we triumphed. Proving yet again how God is so good. Even when times are interesting.

Though our group looks little, we have slowly lost Cubbies since about January. This is the nature of the beast when all of the families are military. Moving often comes quickly and swift. So, even though there are only four little ones in the picture, five others have moved. How much I missed their smiling faces!!!

Things that I will miss:

Christian singing his verses each week. What a sweet little voice!!

Clara and her sunglasses! Plus a memory that could tell you a verse from the first week of Cubbies. My little Cubbie is moving to Washington. I will miss your smiling face and wonderful giggles.

Mr. Matthew and his super powers. (However these were lost when moving to Okinawa or so he says). I am sad that you will be going on to Sparkys!

Summer and teaching me Japanese! Another headed to Sparkys!

And my partner in crime- Angela!! I will miss our ideas and fits of giggles we got at things the kids said or did! No one will be able to replace you!! I was so looking forward to being a team next year, but of course you had to go and get orders to Fort Polk!

Thankful Friday

2008-05-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

Today I will share some of the things that I am thankful for.....

My son, Ian's tonsil surgery going well. I wished that I could have been there, but was not able. Hopefully the Japanses Freezer pops will make up for it?!

For a gentle spring/summer here. Normally, there really is no spring. It just hits in March with high humitidty and tons of sun. This year there has been a lack of the stickyness and not too hot yet.. I know that it is coming, but it has been nice

My friend L. She always makes me laugh. I love when I look at my caller ID and it says that it is her. It surprises me how much she and I think alike and agree on things! Almost like two peas in a pod. She is getting ready to move and it will be hard to be here without her. No one will call at 7am to talk about nothing or just to tell me that the kids are driving her crazy...

My hubby. He loves me unconditionally and so completely. I never wanted to get remarried after my first one didn't work out, but God had other plans. He blessed me with a man that is so much my equal that I am humbled. My hubby is my best friend. He is my rock and my hero. I love you!!!

Thank you God for keeping your promises. You said that things will be fine and they have been since you said so. May I never questions your promises to me!

Clothes for Kenna. Two dear women from church has blessed my daughter with more clothes than I know what to do with. Such an answer to prayer! God does provide.