Saturday, April 28, 2012

Our 10 Hour Adventure Today

Today was a very long day but so worth it. We all had so much fun. I really wish Josh would have been here to join us. The long day did help keep our minds off Daddy being gone.

5:45am Woke up, got everyone dressed and fed, packed a lunch, got myself ready
6:40am Out the door
7:00am Met the McMillan's at Starbucks and got on the expressway headed north- 700 yen
8:20am Got to the Motobu Port, bought our ferry tickets- 3340 yen
9:00am Got on the ferry to Ie Island
9:30am Got to Ie Island, got on a bus to go to the Lily Festival- 550 yen
9:45am Lily Festival
11:30am Ice cream after lunch- 1000 yen
12:20pm got on the bus back to the port- 550 yen
1:00pm Ferry back to the Motobu Port
1:30pm Said bye to the McMillan's and start driving the long way home
2:00pm Stopped at the Nakijin Castle
3:00pm Headed home- 700 yen
4:40pm Home

A fun-filled day for sure.... but I am tired!

Ferry to Ie Island from the Motobu Port

We have talked about the ferry ride to Ie Island all week. The kids have been on their best behavior, well, for the most part. They didn't want to lose the chance to go on a boat. We drove up to the Motobu Port which was about an hour and a half from our house. It poured the whole drive up there. As soon as we got on the boat the rain stopped but the clouds looked very threatening. We lucked out though, just a few sprinkles here and there. I haven't seen my kids this excited for something in a long time. They just thought it was the coolest thing ever. They all stood the entire time, which was only about 25 minutes. We saw some flying fish which was pretty cool.

The Gang



The ferry was actually pretty big. I was thinking it was going to be smaller, mainly because everything here is smaller by American standards. The ferry ride back was pretty empty. We had the front area to ourselves. It is hadn't been so cloudy and overcast, the ocean would have looked amazing. We will have to go again on a clear day.
Ie Island
Cooper and Parker were buddy buddy today. Carson and Hannah always tend to stay together. Emma and Addie are inseparable. That leaves these two. I think its great. They were so cute. Parker was tired and Cooper offered his lap as a pillow.
It was pretty windy on the way back. This area was like a wind tunnel. The kids all just loved it! We all loved the ferry ride. It is something we will do again for sure!

Ie Island Lily Festival

We arrived at the Lily Festival on Ie Island a little before 10 and before the crowds arrived. It was so beautiful. There were 1000's of white Easter lilies everywhere and in full bloom.

They had a few horses you could pay 100 yen to feed. The kids got to feed them 1 carrot and then a 10 or so green onions. They thought that was so cool. Although Emma thought it was too scary. I was surprised since she loves horses and always says they are her favorite animal.

The kids ran and ran. They ran up and down the rows of lilies. They ran around and over the lilies. They ran and ran and ran. They laughed. They played tag. They played hide and seek.

We tried to see how close to the water we could get. We headed down but it was just too rocky. That of course didn't stop the kids. It was like playing on the moon.

I just love this picture of Parker. He found a snail. He insisted on sitting right there until he came back out of the shell. He is just the cutest little guy. He tries so hard to keep up with the bigger kids. He is able to do it for the most part, but 3/4 of the way he finally gets tired. I wish he would stay little forever.

Finally, here 2 of the few colored lilies at the festival. I just love the pink colors. The Lily Festival was so cool. The kids had an awesome time. It was beautiful. We really lucked out with the rain. Every once in awhile it would get dark and you would think it was about to pour, but it didn't. Just a few sprinkles here and there. We will definitely be going back to this festival next year!

One Last Stop at Nakijin Castle

After saying bye to the McMillan's we decided to take the long way home. We made one last stop at the Nakijin Castle. I didn't realize how big of a castle it was. We just checked out the outside walls. We will go back again when we have more time to explore. The kids did find a nice patch of flowers, or what we would call weeds.

They all had fun gathering "bouquets". They were all being so silly. After our all day adventure I was surprised they still had so much energy. They can really just go and go.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Low-tide at the Beach and 100's of Crabs

Today was a beautiful day. We have had so many rainy days lately, especially afternoon thunderstorms. Today was all blue sky and 81 with low humidity. After school we headed out to the beach for a little bit. The tide was out so we just stopped at the closest place to our house. The tide was out pretty far. There were crabs everywhere!!! Emma was very scared at first and refused to walk onto the sand.

She slowly got over it, very slowly. The crabs really were everywhere. The kids all said it looked like the crab scene from Pirates of the Caribbean. Watch the video and see if you agree!


Carson was very determined to scare all the crabs away from Emma. He did a great job but had the silliest face.

Cooper of course spent his time trying to catch as many crabs as he could. They were fast but they were everywhere. Cooper was so happy about the whole crab situation.

After playing with the crabs the boys headed into the water. They ran and jumped, laid in the water and crawled in the wet sand.

Carson and Cooper of course had to pose for the camera. These were the poses they chose. Cooper went with his "sexy" look. Carson called his the "my legs are broken" pose.

Emma worked on a sand/mud castle, complete with seaweed details. She always prefers to build sandcastles rather than play in the water. She hates getting salt water splashed into her eyes. She insisted on wearing her cherry swimsuit, the same one she has had since she was 3. Isn't she just beautiful!


Carson decided to try to fly. After an hour and half of fun it was time to come home and have a late dinner. Daddy left today for another TDY, a longer one than usual. The kids were all sad about Daddy leaving. The beach cheered them up somewhat. We had a great afternoon at the beach. Enjoy the video at the bottom.