I can't believe it!

My family is coming to Okinawa!
I am so very excited, I could scream. Ok I actually have screamed in excitement, when my mommy told me they just bought the plane tickets!
Honestly I thought that they would never make it out here! Tickets are pretty darn expensive! But after planning and saving and many many talks where the kids and I "talk up" the island (not that we ever needed to.) they are finally coming!

I wish I could say, my daddy was joining everyone on the plane and spending at least a little time here. But he is not. The head honcho in the wine bottling business, cant just pack up and leave the country for months, or even weeks.

~ My dad and mom. During our last trip home to see them. Out to eat for our big family dinner a few days before we left.

My little brother is scheduled to fly out first. He is a big boy and wants to make the trip all alone! Today marks, 9 days until he leaves! I cant wait to see his handsome face! I have SO much planned for us to do! I'm going to surprise him with a new snorkeling set, so first thing, we can get into the ocean before it gets a little to chilly in the water!

~Look at that face...How adorable is he?! A total brat and trouble maker, but still adorable!

~Another one of my mommy and Calvin. We are a beautiful family!

About a week after Calvin arrives, Little sis and mommy will be here!

While I'm very excited to see my mom and have her in Japan with us, I am most looking forward to doing this again...

I'm going to hug and squeeze Hannah like never before! She thought I hugged her good when we arrived home in June...Nope, she's in for a huge surprise!

Sophia is also pretty excited. She already has plans for Hannah to sleep in her room, play with her toys and follow her around like a lost puppy! I'm SO glad, we don't have to wait until November 2010 to see them again, that would have been WAY to long!

~This face...this beautiful face, this amazing long, full blonde hair, is what I'm looking forward to! I can see it now, She will be attached to my hip and Sophia will be following her around like usual! The three of us will be inseparable! I cant wait!

Summer dreams

As much as I complain about the nasty humidity and heat, annoying mosquito's that seem to over populate humans, jelly fish that take over our ocean for 2 months in the middle of summer, creepy bugs and scary snakes that live just over the fence in my back yard and spiders that are larger then my head, I do love the summer time here. Despite all of my complaints, I'm on a tropical island for god sakes! Get over it right?
As bad as I just made this place seem, it's really not. I am in heaven here! I really do love it. The weather year round is amazing. We only get hit with about two months of slightly chilly weather. Just long enough to cool down our sunburns and turn off the AC for a while! The people here are amazing, and I love the culture and way of life! I have picked up some cultural habits here, that I'm sure I will carry with me for a very long time.
The food is wonderful too! I love the food! Not all of it, but most of it is a wonderful, amazing thing! I'm not a huge fan of fried, breaded foods that are a big part of Okinawa cuisine, but the fish, soups, rice, and sushi are to die for! I will save that for another time!

The whole point of this one is to grasp the fact that summer time is coming to a end. We will still be running around in tank-tops and flip-flops, but a lot of the summer festivals and activities are over.

These are from a recent trip to White Beach. We had more planned, but there were quite a few jelly fish around, so we stuck to the sand.
The pics are not much, but one day when we are back in California, I will look back and get even more "Okinawa sick" AKA homesick, then ever!

We LOVE to BBQ on the beach! Chicken and corn on the cob! Yummy!

A perfect beach day. Kids running around, Sophia eating sand, BBQ food, music, cold beer and snorkel gear!

Time to get back to my island life. Today we have planned to explore a few beaches, other islands and get into the water now that we are jelly fish free!
Throw in the snorkel gear, body boards, sunblock, mini BBQ and food (firecracker shrimp and sesame noodles!) and GO!!!

OkiNapa Wine fest 2009

One of my best Okinawa buddies, Alana treated me to OkiNapa wine fest! We had a blast! I thought I would go on a empty stomach, since I heard the food was amazing! Turns out we ran into a lot of people we knew, and before we knew it the night was coming to a end (at the wine fest anyway) and after we drank our weight in wine and Japanese Sake, we met up w/ some more friends and hit the bar scene!

~Colin took this picture. He always tells me how pretty I look and always wants to take a picture! I love that kid! Sophia and mommy before I left.
~The girls...Heather on the left, Alana and Me

~A picture of the main wine room. Alana is in the middle of the pic, in the black dress holding up her wine glass! I love this picture!

~Alana, filling up her wine glass, again!

~Alana being her silly self. I think she was either trying to steal that plate of food, or she was very ready to go!
Left, Doug's wife she is pregnant and adorable! Then Doug and Alana


~The girls again. In Misty's car headed out to the bar!
(On left, Misty, Alana, Heather and me)
~After the wine fest and the bars, we went to a friends house for a after party! I love my Misty, and her and Alana traded dresses! Sorry girls, for opening the door to let a few of the guys see you trading! Oooppss...

In a few weeks we have the Beer fest! More fun with friends and more parties!

Potty Training Update

Sophia is doing GREAT at potty training! She is still in a pull-up during naps and night time but I'm in no rush to deal w/ possible accidents in the bed!
First thing in the morning, she comes down stairs, takes off her pull-up herself and throws it in the trash. All day long she walks into the bathroom to go potty without being reminded! I don't remember the last time she had a accident. Even when we are out of the house, shopping, playing or at the boys soccer practice, she does great! Despite having to "pop a squat" at the soccer field because there are NO bathrooms!
Going "#2" is a completely different story. Yesterday was the second day that she held it in! I know she has to go, she whines and tells me she has to go, but just wont do it on her potty. So she holds it in. I know I could give in, when she begs for a pull-up to go "ca-ca" in, but I think it would set us back. So what do I do? Give in to the pull-ups for #2, or let her hold it in??? Something I really should Google today!
How funny is that...A mother of three, Googleing how to potty train?! HAHA!

Make-over Time!

With big brothers back in school, Cakes and mommy need to use our imagination to stay busy, have fun, and get threw the day.
A few days before I went to the OkiNapa Wine Fest, we took a trip to the store to get mommy some new make-up. I take that back, not new make-up, just SOME make-up. I never wear the stuff, so I had to start somewhere!
(OkiNapa pics to come later...)

Of course, Soph was alot more excited about playing with the make-up then I was!

She jumped right in, and opened everything and asked me to help her put it on. Sophia even got a manicure and pedi!

She had a blast playing with all brushes.



When we were done applying her eye shadow, face powder, lip gloss, and mascara, we checked out our handy work to see how we did.

Sophia looks a lot more glamorous then mommy does
I love having a little girl. She is fun!

The new leotard!

Our little gymnast finally got her new leotard! Her first leotard! I'm so happy it fit well, and now I cant get the thing off of her!

This week in class she worked on her positions, like straddle, pike, tuck and layout. She also did some pretty awesome backwards rolls on the wedge mat ALMOST by her self!

I think I am starting a new obsession... Finding the cutest leotards for my little girl and the cutest gymnastics attire! Much more gymnastics pictures on the way!

My little gymnast

Yesterday my little baby girl had her very first gymnastics class! Being a gymnast myself (long long ago...) I was SO excited, and I was waiting for this day since I found out we were having a girl!
She was very excited too. For two days before her class, she was talking about it like crazy!
When the boys were little, we tried a gymnastics class, but it wasn't put together very well and the kids basically ran around, jumping on the mats and doing whatever they wanted.
This class was a lot different. The coach was actually teaching them poses, and had them doing things that were slightly advanced. Which is exactly what the kids need to move forward! So I was happy!

~Soph getting spotted to do a forward roll (even though she can do them great by her self)

~Learning a straddle roll on the wedge/cheese mat

~Forward roll on the cheese mat

~Showing off her "ta-da"

~Helping Soph walk across the mats with "airplane arms"

~Trying to keep her still. she got a little wild at the end of class.

The day Sophia started class, I jumped online and ordered her a adorable leotard! I cant wait to see her jumping and rolling and eventually flipping around in it!