Dayton's First Day of Preschool

We were all up bright and early this morning!  It was Dayton's first day of preschool, my first day back in the classroom, and the first day we have all had to be up and ready by 8am in a long time!

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Dayton was excited, but I don't think he realized it was actually the day until we arrived at the school.

He really loves his teachers.  Here he is with Ms. Andrea.

After being in the car for only a few minutes, this is what I turned around to see.

Wearing Big Brothers Underwear...

...leads to hungry butt!  Thanks Bekah for that term :)

Kindergarten

Here he comes!

Tuesday was Bradens first day of Kindergarten and he did wonderful. Was up and ready by 7am and so excited. We did end up being just a minute late because he insisted on riding his scooter and locking it up with the others at the school. I am a bit challenged when it comes to bicycle locks.

I know every Mom says it, but I just can't believe he is in Kindergarten! I couldn't help but think on our walk to school that morning that it seemed like just a few weeks ago I was walking Keegan to Kindergarten for the first time only days after arriving here on Okinawa. Then I was pushing Braden in the stroller. Now Braden is off to school and Dayton is left behind with me.

Starting tomorrow that changes also! Dayton starts part-time preschool and I finally get to feed some little minds (besides my own of course!). I am so looking forward to teaching them their ABC's and hopefully teach a few to read.

Back to School

It's that time if year again.  Keegan started 3rd grade this past week.  3rd grade, the land of cursive and multiplication, maybe we will survive.  Braden starts Kindergarten tomorrow!  I can't believe my little guy is ready for Kindergarten, but he is.  Lastly Dayton starts a part time preschool on Friday.  I am looking forward to him having some time to socialize with other kids his age.  He is very excited and wears his backpack almost daily.

I hope to get back into the habit of blogging now since the boys are in school.  I think I will have more time to give my computer love.  

Maybe.  

Thomas also started school last week.  He is taking American Govt, which I regret recommending.  All of our dinner conversations have revolved around the constitution.  I did recommend this class so I could follow along and try to learn more about our Government as I have never felt very educated on politics in general.  However, no more death penalty talks with the meat loaf will be fine with me.

I also start teaching again this year.  I am teaching 4 year old preschool at the same school Dayton is attending.  It's only three days a week so I hope it will be a good transition into me going back to work full time in the next couple years.

Keegan and Braden both start Soccer this week.  This is both exciting and a little scary too.  I love to watch Keegan teach Braden things and I think they will enjoy practicing together.  I also worry about practices and games being at the same times on different sides of the base.  We should get a schedule soon and hopefully I am worrying over nothing.

Like I said, hopefully I will keep this blog more up to date.  I have a classroom blog I will be updating regularly so I should be able to do this one too!

Oh, and of course, a few pictures :)

Keegans first Day of School we all walked down. Mostly because he had a ton of supplies and couldn't carry them all. He did request that the camera stay at home that day though.


Can we say long legs? Keegan will be as tall as me soon! He and Braden both rode their scooters and I didn't get a picture before they put on their helmets.

These are from Bradens Kindergarten Open House.  He was very excited, can you tell?  I ordered the Superman shirt a few weeks ago and it has been hanging in the closet waiting for the special day.  I thoguht it was being saved for the 1st day of school, but I guess not.

The backpack that caused a little drama when it sold out on landsend.com before I ordered it.  Luckily I was able to call and order one of the last few they had.

Decorating his cubby.

Braden with his teacher Mrs. Erwin.  I think we are going to ahve a great year!

Happy Fathers Day

Sunday was Fathers Day and also, the first day in over a week the sun had shined!  Yay!  We decided to take the boys to a resort located up in Onna called the Renaissance Resort.   They have an indoor and outdoor pool and the boys are crazy about the pool right now.

In the libby there were a few parrots they could see up close.

Once we got changed and sun screened and to the pool we were already to dive in, except Dayton. 

He spent the first couple hours hanging out on the side of the pool enjoying the water in a safe depth.

Braden however jumped right in.  Thomas is helping him with his back float which is a requirement to pass onto the next level of swim lessons (he still hasn't mastered it).

Eventually Dayton did let Daddy carry him out into the water, you can tell by his arms and legs, he had a very tight grip on him!

Braden has mastered the front float and was more than happy to show us several (hundred) times.

Keegan has gotten very good with his strokes, really hard to show that in pictures though.

After enjoying the indoor pool for some time we went outside to look around.  In one area they have Dolphins that you can snorkel or swim with, and next to that there is an area with a few Manta rays and a shark (Keegan says it is a nurse shark?)

There was also a touch pool with a few ocean critters the kids could pick up.  Dayton really thought he had discovered something special when he saw this bright blue starfish!

After that we headed over to get lunch and enjoy the outdoor pool.

One of the lifeguards offered Dayton a pair of water wings and he took them.  We put them on, got back in the water with him and gradually pried him away from me.  Once he realized he was floating and it was ok he was so excited.  He grinned the rest of our time there.

Still working on that backfloat.  I have always said the kid has lead in his butt, to be as skinny as he is, he is so heavy!

Hope your Fathers Day was awesome too!  Thomas and I both have lost our Dad's in the past few years so this day is very bittersweet, but also reminds us to be grateful for each other and or family.

Playing Catch-up

A few of our family members and friends aren't on facebook (yet) so I am goingto go back and post some pictures here that I have already posted there.  So, if you are my FB friend, bear with me :)  You are going to see it all again!

Blame it on the Bat.

I am going to blame my months long blogging hiatus on a bat. A handmade bat if you will.

Last fall I joined a group of ladies in creating an Okinawan Memory Quilt. There were 20 ladies and each person made a different square of something representing Okinawa. In the end we all exchanged our squares and we are each left with enough to make a beautiful quilt (one day ;)

Kimono


Koi Fish

Gecko (these are everywhere here, and make a slightly annoying sound.  Other than the sound we love them though.  They eat bugs!

Three tears symbol (The Three tears are a symbol of "death before dishonor." The three tears represent three men - a 16th Century Okinawan and two Japanese samurai.

The Okinawan was being restrained by the samurai, who were ordered by the Okinawan King to throw him into a vat of boiling oil while he watched.

To show his indifference to death and his disdain for the king, the Okinawan grabbed the two samurai and dove headfirst with them into the vat.

The story is so well-known in Okinawa, and the action is so highly regarded, that the three tears symbol is incorporated into the Okinawan flag.)

Kokeshi Doll (very popular wooden dolls)

Musical instruments of Okinawa (Taiko and Sanshin)

Bonsai tree

Paper lanterns.  Seen all over the island, mainly at festivals.  The kanjii reads friendship.

Hibiscus

Fan (my Japanese students gave me a beautiful fan this past Friday :)

Shisa, without a face.  I will add one later.  Shisa are these little lion dogs (usually ceramic) that are placed outside of all homes and businesses to protect them from evil spirits.

Map of the island with the big bases marked.

The used car lots have these huge neon plastic palm trees out front, this is the main one, B.C.'s

Pineapple

Whale Shark, these huge shark are off the coast of Okinawa and there are a couple huge ones at the Aquarium here.

Lastly, my Bat.  The bats are huge here, and everywhere. We have one that hangs under our porch overhang.  If I run out to the car at night and don;t turn on the light first I almost get hit by it!

So you can see his little red eyes.