Jack's #7

 Before we left Okinawa, Jack was eager to have a birthday party with his friends as part of a one last hurrah. He chose to have it at the bowling alley and all of the boys that came could not be happier. There was craziness all around and a good time had by all. The bowling alley was a perfect place for a party, in my opinion. There's no set up, no clean up, and all I had to do was bring cupcakes. Low maintenance, and that was probably my favorite part. I'm all for a well planned, well decorated party. But at this particular time, with all the craziness of moving, this was exactly what we needed. Luckily, the boys enjoyed it just as much as if I would have spent hours working on the perfect party.

 Anderson invited his cutie little friends, Jayden and Henry.

 Back row: Zac, Gavin, Bran, Kaden, Jack, Cole, Tanner

Front row: Henry, Anderson, Jayden

Audrey and Taylor were a little upset that they didn't get a chance to bowl.

 On his actual birthday, he woke up to presents and the birthday bucket. He decided that he wanted to eat at a restaurant on Kadena called Jack's Place. Very fitting, right?

 They were thoroughly entertained by the talented chef that was cooking our meal in front of us. We got dinner and a show all in one!

 As we were walking out, we ran into the "Jack" of Jack's Place. We snagged him to get a picture of both Jacks, and even though our Jack was a little embarrassed, I couldn't pass it up!

 This little boy...what can I say? He's smart, funny, sassy, adventurous, and is really close to the spirit. He loves to read and his favorite thing to read are learning books. He loves science, and learning all about animals, space, the weather, volcanoes, and anything else he can get his hands on. He is a huge help with Taylor and they have a special connection. He would rather be at home with his family, then at school with his friends, and we love that about him.

Mother's Day 2014

 So thankful to be a Mom to these three kiddos. I love the reminder that I get every Mother's Day of how grateful I am to be a mom. It has forever changed me. There are days when these three are about to put me in the loony bin, but when all is said and done, I wouldn't trade them for anything. It also helps me to reflect on my own mother. Now that I'm a mom of three, I realize how much she had to put up with and how much she did for us. I'm glad I have her to look to.

 The youngest.

 The oldest.

 And the crazy in-between!

I owe a big thanks to this man. There are days when I don't feel qualified to be a mom. He helps me when I feel like I've failed my kids, and inspires me to be better. I absolutely could not be a mom without him. He is my right hand man and the longer we are married, the more I rely on him. We make a good team!

Back to Oki

 Bob and Denise came with us to Okinawa so they could check out our stomping grounds. We started out at the Peace Prayer Park. It was Golden week, so they had the fish flags flying everywhere. The boys had fun running though rows and rows of fish flags.

 My favorite is still the origami they leave at the memorials. I wish I had one of these to bring home. They are gorgeous and it looks like it would take forever to make.

 Taylor, happy as a clam. :)

 If you look closely, some of these kids are waving at us. It was always fun being the only blonds around. We were celebrities!

 One of the last things we did with Bob and Denise was go to the Kerama Islands. We were hoping for a little warmer weather, but decided to go anyways. I was going to stay home with Taylor, but got a babysitter at the last second, and even though I'm not in any of these pictures, you'll just have to believe me that I was there. :) I'm usually the one behind the camera! We did lots of snorkeling in the chilly, but crystal clear water and just sat back and enjoyed the view. This was the longest I had been away from Taylor since he was born. I thought about him all day, but luckily, he was with someone who took great care of him. We were glad to be able to sneak in one last trip to the Kerama's.

We will be forever grateful that both our parents took the time and money to come and see us. It meant the world to us being so far away from home. We created memories with them that we will always cherish.