Wednesday, November 30, 2011

December Daily 2011

Some years I have made a December Daily album, other years I have not. There is a huge following for this project which was all started by the talented Ali Edwards. The past few weeks I have seen some amazing albums coming together. At the last minute I decided to go ahead and make one this year. The goal is to have most of the album decorated and put together. Then, you just need to add photos and journaling. I decided to get my pages and numbers ready, then add to the pages as I go.


The kids are really looking forward to helping fill in the pages. Josh will be TDY for the first half of the month. I really want to make this Christmas season special for the kids. There isn't a 1 hour photo place here, so unfortunately I will have to order my photos online and wait for them to get mailed here. At least I can get our stories written down daily. This is our first Christmas in Okinawa. I think this will be the perfect project to record our new memories.


I love the papers I picked for the album. I think it will turn out really cute. I will still make some scrapbook pages from the photos I take this month. However, since I am over a year behind with my scrapbooking it will be so wonderful to get the stories written down and saved now. I hope to post my pages daily!

Join in Here

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Our 1st Date Night in Okinawa

On Saturday we took are 4 over to the McMillian's. We were so excited to go out alone for the first time since we arrived in Okinawa back in June. It was a much needed date and quiet time. Josh has been gone so much and will be leaving again this week. We had so much fun together. We walked around a festival for a little bit, ate dinner, walked around the BX, sat at Starbucks for awhile and went to the grocery store. Nothing too exciting, but without kids it was nice. The kids had a great time playing with the McMillian girls, as they always do.

7 Little Ones 7 Years and Younger


Friday afternoon and evening we had the McMillian girls over. The kids were so excited to have them over to play. We played Barbies, ponies, and the Wii. We had a yummy breakfast for dinner. Then watched a movie and ate popcorn. 7 Little Ones under 8 years old! The girls are so well behaved and are so much fun to have around. It was a great evening!

Our 1st Thanksgiving in Okinawa

Our first Thanksgiving here in Okinawa was nice and relaxing. It was sunny and in the 70's. We had the usual turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, rolls, and stuffing. We ate our yummy dinner and then went for a walk down by the seawall. Later we went over to our friends house for dessert, wine, and sitting outside by the fire. The kids had fun playing with the girls and running around outside. I can't believe I didn't take any pictures. Happy Thanksgiving!

Monday, November 21, 2011

Our 25 Days of Christmas Countdown

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This year for our advent calendar we will be doing something really fun. Daddy will be away for half of December. We will need something to keep us busy. This will be our first Christmas in Okinawa. We are really missing our friends and family. We really miss our church back in California. I really want to make this Christmas special for the kids. Christmas is always a really exciting time of year for us. We have been collecting Christmas books and movies, adding more each year. The kids always love reading these books, watching the movies, doing fun Christmas crafts and making yummy treats. I decided to combine all our favorites into our 25 days of Christmas Countdown. Each day we will read a Christmas book, watch a Christmas movie, make a fun craft or do a fun Christmas activity, and eat a yummy treat. Some days everything will relate to each other, other times it might just be certain parts.


I gathered our 25 Christmas books and wrapped them in brown shipping paper, wrapped crepe paper around them and added the day. I made 3 different tags for each day, 1 for the movie, 1 for the craft/activity, and the other for the treat. I wrote the info on the back. Each day all 4 kids will get to open a part. I love how the books turned out. I think they are really cute. The kids are really excited for our 25 Days of Christmas Countdown!

Our 25 Days of Christmas (Movie/ Book/ Craft, Activity/ Treat)
Day 1 HOME ALONE, Santa Duck, Make Wish List, Cheese Pizza & Ice Cream Sundaes
Day 2 HOME ALONE 2, Mouse to the Movies, String Popcorn, Christmas Popcorn
Day 3 THE GRINCH, The Grinch, Grinch Mask, Grinch Milkshakes
Day 4 WILLY WONKA, A Wish to be a Tree, Decorate Candy House, Christmas Tree Candy Kabobs
Day 5 BARBIE A PERFECT CHRISTMAS, Barbie A Perfect Christmas, Barbie Christmas Party, Naughty & Nice Sundaes
Day 6 GOTTA CATCH SANTA, 12 Days of Christmas, 12 Days Craft, 12 Things Mix
Day 7 SANTA BUDDIES, Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bell, Bell & Bead Necklace, White Chocolate Santa Dogs
Day 8 CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS, Joy of Giving, Decorate Each Other as Trees, Christmas Brownies
Day 9 SANTA CLAUS, How Murray Saved Santa, Movable Santa, North Pole Cupcakes
Day 10 SANTA CLAUS 2, Who Will Guide My Sleigh Tonight, 2 Minute to Win It games, Reindeer Candy Bar
Day 11 VEGGIETALES A MEANINGFUL LIFE, God Gave Us Christmas, Nativity Scene, Star Cinnamon Toast
Day 12  MICKEY'S TWICE UPON A CHRISTMAS, Mickey Saves Santa, Coloring Page, Cinnabun Popcorn
Day 13 SNOW DAY, Snowmen at Christmas, Cotton Ball Snowman, Ice Cream Snowman
Day 14 OLIVE, Olive, Reindeer Paper Chain, Reindeer Noses
Day 15 MUPPETS CHRISTMAS, Room for Little One, Star Streamer, Star Cookies
Day 16 CHRISTMAS VACATION, Biggest Tree, Paper Tree, Cookies
Day 17 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST ENCHANTED CHRISTMAS, Beauty & Beast Enchanted Christmas, Fancy DressUp tea party, little treats for tea party
Day 18 PHINEAS AND FERB CHRISTMAS, Phineas & Ferb Christmas, 2 Minute to Win It games, Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows
19 VEGGIETALES LITTLE DRUMMER BOY, Veggietales Saint Nicholas, Feet Tree, Christmas Cookie
20 ELF, Little Christmas Elf, Elf Hat, Elf Cupcakes
21 POLAR EXPRESS, Polar Express, Cotton Ball Fight, Hot Chocolate, popcorn
22 RUDOLPH, Rudolph, ISpy, paper plate reindeer, Reindeer Cupcakes
23 A CHRISTMAS CAROL, The Night Before the Night Before Christmas, 2 Minute to Win It games, Christmas Pancakes
24 PREP & LANDING, Night Before Christmas, Thank you Note for Santa, Santa's plate
25 A CHRISTMAS STORY, Adventure Bible Story, Family Thank you Notes, fudge

**** Click here for our 2012 25 Days of Christmas Countdown: 2012 Countdown


Thursday, November 17, 2011

Cooper Lost Tooth #2

Yesterday Cooper had a field trip to the Zoo. He was so excited to go especially for the bus ride. When I picked him up from school he ran up and said he lost his tooth at the zoo. He also added that there was blood everywhere, something he does not like. The tooth has been very wiggly but he had been trying to wait for Daddy to get home to pull it out. This morning he woke and found that the tooth fairy had brought 10,000 Won! (About $8) You never know what the tooth fairy will bring here in Japan! He has decided he wants to buy the movie Jaws. Now he has to be patient and wait for it to arrive in the mail.

After School Yesterday & This Morning

Flashback Friday- 14 Months Old


Carson- 14 Months Old
First Stitches and a brand new baby brother
February 2005

Cooper- 14 Months Old
1st time walking at the park
April 2006

Emma- 14 Months Old
Still not walking but standing a little once in awhile.
September 2007

Parker- 14 Months Old
Standing a lot but not taking steps.
October 2009

Monday, November 14, 2011

Little Miss Photographer

Today Emma asked if she could use my camera for a minute. She promised to be very careful. Her pictures are so cute. I love her ideas and I love how they turned out!






Scrapbook Pages

I have had a very successful past two days. I have finally finished scrapbooking our pictures from May 2010! I love how these last few pages turned out.






Sunday, November 13, 2011

Scrapbook Pages

The kids are finally feeling better so I have had some time to make a few new pages!




Thursday, November 10, 2011

11 Things on 11/11/2011 at 11:11

11 Things I'm Thankful for on 11/11/2011 at 11:11

1. I am so thankful for God and all he has done for my family and I. We have had our ups and downs. We have had big decisions to make. We put our trust in God. I know that moving to Japan was a major decision, however we trusted that God send us on the right path. I am so thankful that the kids want to learn about God and are really enjoying learning bible verses at AWANA's. God has blessed me with so much. I am deeply grateful.

2. I am so thankful for my 4 amazing children. Carson, Cooper, Emma, and Parker bring so much joy into my life. They are all so funny and have a wonderful sense of humor. They all love doing crafts and having movie nights. They love to explore and go on adventures. They are a lot of work, but I wouldn't change anything for a second. I love having 4 kids and I can't imagine not having all of them.

3. I am so thankful for my wonderful husband. He always knows how to make me smile, even when I am grumpy or tired and don't want to. He loves to cuddle and always gives hugs and kisses, just because. With our crazy busy life we really enjoy our evenings together. He will always go out of his way to help me out or to do something special for me. He is a wonderful father and husband, I couldn't ask for more.

4. I am so thankful for my parents. Even though we are thousands of miles away, our times are opposite, I still talk to my mom daily 2-4 times. I love that they taught me the joy of packing up the car and heading out for an adventure, no big plans, sometimes last minute, big adventures and small. My parents would do anything for me and my family. They are always there if we need anything. My parents are even more wonderful grandparents.

5. I am so thankful for all our family. Grandparents, Brothers, Sisters, Uncles, Aunts, Cousins. You all bring something different to the table. All the pieces come together to make one awesome family! Even though we are spread around the world, we are still family. Family is the most important thing in life. I love you all dearly.

6. I am so thankful for my friends, some new, some old. I love having other moms to talk to about our kids, cooking, the latest movie or books, husbands, and all things girly.

7. I am so thankful for technology. I don't know what I would do without the internet, skype, facetime, email, and text messages. This is the only way to stay connected to friends and family. Near or far, we can stay connected so easily.

8. I am so thankful for all my scrapbook supplies. I have been scrapbooking for a long time. It is something I really enjoy. It is my big stress reliever. I love that I can start a page and work on it for 5 minutes and then come back to it. Mommy duty requires a lot, so I don't always have an hour straight to work on a page and finish it. I love being creative and I love preserving my families many memories.

9. I am so thankful for Starbucks. I do not like black coffee. I do not like any other brand of coffee. I love my iced mocha's and only Starbucks makes them right. Starbucks was a daily thing in the States, here it is a special treat on the weekends or once in awhile during the week. I am very thankful that there are 2 Starbucks within 20 minutes of me. I don't like the price, but it is so worth it!

10. I am so thankful for my camera. I have captured over 20,000 images, all special memories of my family and little ones, who are not so little anymore. We all love going back and looking at older pictures. The kids are growing up so fast. I want to remember all of this.

11. I am so thankful for our health. I was blessed with 4 easy, rather uneventful pregnancies, other than the 4 c-sections. We had 4 healthy, beautiful babies. Yes, they get the usual colds and flu. They have had some bumps and bruises, and a few stitches. They have had speech delays but have overcome those. Over than that, they are healthy wild little ones.

Happy Veteran's Day

Happy Veteran's Day Handsome! Thank you so much for all your hard work. We are so proud of you!


We miss you tons, love you lots!

Flashback Friday- 13 Months Old

Carson- 13 Months Old
Just started walking, waiting on his new brother to arrive
January 2005

Cooper- 13 Months Old
Pefected Standing and taking lots of steps
March 2006

Emma- 13 Months Old
Not walking or standing, but so happy and chubby
August 2007

Parker- 13 Months Old
Not walking or standing but perfect his signature scoot
September 2009

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

6.9 Earthquake


On Tuesday we had a major earthquake at 11:59am. It was the strongest earthquake I have ever felt. It lasted about 45 secs, maybe a minute. It was so loud. It was centered about 100 miles west of us in the ocean, so it could have been worse. Poor Carson was in the shower trying to cool off. He came running out naked and soaked and having no clue what was going on. Parker and Emma were terrified. Cooper thought it was pretty cool. All our movies fell off the shelf and some pictures in our room, but no real damage. It was crazy!!

Sick, Sick, Sick Days

Oh where do I start??? The last few days have been exhausting. 4 sick kids, crazy strong earthquake, major 2 day rainstorm, and no Daddy.

Friday- Emma had a fever, chills and tummy ache. She spent the day on the couch. She was feeling much better the next day, just a runny nose and cough.

Saturday- Everyone seemed fine so we went to the BX for lunch then grocery shopping. That evening Parker was really crabby and fell asleep at 6:30.

Sunday- Parker woke up with a fever and was not feeling good at all. That afternoon Cooper started getting a headache and fever.

Monday- Cooper still had a fever and headache. Parker's fever went down a little but he was still pretty out of it. The boys stayed home from school. Later in the afternoon Carson said he was going to take a nap, something he never ever does. I knew then he was getting sick. He woke up with a high fever and tummy ache. That night he got sick all over everything.

Tuesday- Emma just had a cough. Parker had a pretty bad cough and was very crabby. Cooper had a little cough but wanted to go to school. Unfortunately for Cooper, Carson was still he really sick so he didn't get to go to school. Carson threw up throughout the day. He was hallucinating and thinking things were attacking him. I put him in the shower to try to cool him off. In the middle of the shower we had a major earthquake, 6.9. It was crazy.

Wednesday- Emma and Cooper were fine. Parker was up all night with his horrible chest cough. Carson woke up and threw up again. So, no school again. Carson was out of it all day. In the evening he was able to keep some crackers down and seemed to be coming around.

Thursday- Parker was up again with his cough all last night. This morning Carson was talking and eating a little. We took Cooper to school which he was very excited about. Especially since they have Friday-Tuesday off of school. Carson stayed home because he still wasn't feeling 100%. I am now trying to clean up the house and catch up on laundry.


I am exhausted. Oh how I wish Josh would have been here. We have watched a bazillion movies. The laundry pile is huge. I am praying this doesn't happen again for a very long time!!

Happy Moments

Happy Moments before the sickie days came. We sent these to Daddy to cheer him up. The kids and I really miss him!