Friday, March 30, 2012

Spending our Anniversary Evening at White Beach

After school we picked up pizza and drove out to White Beach for a dinner picnic. The kids were so happy they got to eat pizza at the beach. Josh and I laid on the a blanket and watched them explore. We were the only ones there. It was so quiet and peaceful. The kids were occupied and worn out when we got home.

Emma always loves going to the this beach. There are always lots of really pretty seashells. Cooper loves this beach for crab hunting. He had a whole bucket of hermit crabs.

And one final picture. The only picture taken of us today. 10 years later. So happy and in love!

Spending the Afternoon Together

Today was our 10th Anniversary! I am so happy Josh made it home so we could spend the day together. Even better, he didn't have to go into work. While the boys were at school, Emma, Parker, Josh and I went to Sunset Beach. Josh and I sat on the beach, drank our Starbucks, and watched these two play in the sand.


After relaxing on the beach for awhile we ate some yummy ice cream then left to pick up the boys from school.

The Best Surprise

Yesterday was the greatest day. Josh surprised us all and came home a few days early. He got home around lunch time and surprised Emma and Parker first. They were so surprised. Later we surprised the boys at school. They ran and attacked Josh. They were shocked! Carson almost started crying he was so happy to see Daddy. We were all so happy he was home, especially me. He made it home for our 10th Anniversary!


After school we went to the Dolphin Park. Emma had been begging all week to go to this park. They played on the playground for a little bit. Josh pushed then on the horse ride. It was a beautiful day.

The park also has a beach area. The tide was out so we went exploring for creatures. Carson found this little guy. The most exciting find was some starfish, finally. Cooper is always looking for starfish and we never see any.

Parker loved watching the planes fly over the beach. Emma had fun playing in the coral and rocks. After the beach we picked up CoCo's and headed home for a yummy dinner.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Our 1st 10 Years of Marriage

2002
- March 30, 2002 we got married. Josh was 19 and I was 20. 
It was a beautiful wedding put together in only 3 months.
- In April we drove across the country to our new home, Little Rock AFB, AR
- In June we got our dog Jack. He was a handful but so adorable.
- In December we celebrated our first Christmas married in Portland.

2003
- In April we found out we were expecting our first baby.
- In August we flew to Portland for a surprise baby shower.
- December 31st, 2003 we welcomed Carson into the world.
We were now a family of 3.

2004
- We were new parents enjoying our new life with Carson.
- In May we went on our first family trip. We drove from AR to
Coronado, CA to visit my Aunt & Uncle.
- In June we found out we were expecting baby #2.

2005
- February 18, 2005 we welcomed Cooper into the world.
We were now a family of 4.
- In April we moved to Beale AFB, CA.
- We hosted our first Thanksgiving with all my family at our house.
That Thanksgiving we also found out we were expecting baby #3

2006
- In May we learned Josh would be going to Iraq.
- July 21, 2006 we welcomed our baby girl Emma into the world.
We were now a family of 5.
- In September Josh went to Iraq. The kids and I moved in with my parents.

2007
- In January Joshua came back from Iraq and we moved back down to CA.
- In July we went on a big road trip through CA.
- We hosted Thanksgiving at our house again.
- In December we found out we were expecting baby #4.

2008
- In June we found out Josh would be going to Iraq again.
- August 8, 2008 we welcomed our last baby Parker into the world.
- In December Josh went to Iraq. The kids and I moved in with my parents.

2009
- In June Josh came home from Iraq. We moved back to CA.
- In August Carson started Kindergarten.
- We had our first Christmas home at our own house.

2010
- In April Josh went to Bahrain for a few weeks.
- In August Cooper started Kindergarten.
- In December we celebrated the kids' Dedication at Church.

2011
- In February we found out we would be moving to Okinawa, Japan.
- In June Josh and I went on our first vacation together to Las Vegas, just us.
- In June we moved to Okinawa.
- Josh went on 4 TDY's.

2012
- March 30, 2012, 10 amazing years together.

Our Wedding- 10 Years Ago


10 years . . . . wow, how did time go by so fast. We had an amazing wedding put together in just 3 months. Our wedding was when digital cameras were brand new and not popular yet. I don't have our wedding pictures in a digital form. So, I had to take these pictures with my camera, of pictures. Luckily with editing they look a little better.

I am so lucky to have such a wonderful husband. Is he not the most handsome man in the world? Josh is always making me laugh. He works so hard for our family. He would do anything for me. I love him so much. Josh was 19 and I was 20 when we got married March 30, 2002.

The wedding seemed to go by so fast. We were the first of our friends to get married. Some thought we were making a mistake and that we were too young. What did they know? We have never been happier. We have been blessed with such and amazing family. We are so happy we made that decision 10 years ago. We have spent our entire adult lives together and I wouldn't want it any other way.


I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with my wonderful husband. If it's anything like our first 10 years, we are in for some fun and amazing memories!

Joshua, I love you with all my heart and always have. You are my best friend. I have never been happier. I can't wait to go on our 10th anniversary trip in June!



Wednesday, March 28, 2012

1st Visit to Toguchi Beach

Today the boys didn't have school. The weather was perfect again, blue sky, no humidity and 74. We met the McMillan's at Toguchi Beach. The kids were so excited to spend the day with their favorite girls, Hannah and Addie. It's always nice to get together with friends, especially when all 6 kids are missing their Dad's.

Toguchi Beach has a great playground, lots of paths for exploring, really cool caves and hidden areas, and a wide strip of sand. First we explored some of the paths that overlooked the ocean and cliffs.

We continued walking around until we ended up at the bottom along the water. Parker couldn't wait to get down to the water and start collecting treasures.

What started as just getting a little wet turned into full on swimming in the caves. Carson, Cooper, Hannah and Addie had no fear. Parker and Emma played some in the deeper water, but they are more timid in the ocean. The other 4 had so much fun!

This was such a great beach for exploring. Not the best for swimming, but that did not stop them. I loved all the cliffs.

I am so happy the kids have made such great friends. They just love playing with Hannah and Addie. They get so upset when we have to leave. They all get along great and are so funny together. I mean really funny!

Here is a short video of the kids swimming in the caves. I haven't included a video in awhile but I have been meaning to. Enjoy.

After Toguchi Beach we headed to Torii Station for a lunch break before heading to some other beaches. What a perfect day!

Our 2nd Beach Stop

After stopping at Torii Station for lunch we headed onwards to a new beach. I'm not sure the name of it, but it was beautiful and we had it all to ourselves. The kids didn't waste anytime running down to the water.

The kids played and played. They were all pretending to be sharks. They took turns chasing each other. They were crazy. They all were having so much fun!

All of them would have stayed in the water all day. The water was so beautiful, so many different colors of blue and green. Next time we will be better prepared with swimsuits but the kids didn't mind getting their clothes wet.

This is the goofiest picture of Cooper. He just loved wearing Addie's goggles. He was pretending to snorkel, but those goggles just don't do the job. I guess we will be purchasing snorkel gear for this summer.