Bucket list

It has been a nice and somewhat relaxing summer. Having Abby out of school for the next couple of weeks means we have been trying to fill our days with fun activities, and fulfilling our Japan bucket list. It's hitting me more and more with each passing week that this is our last summer in Japan, which means our last time to go, see, and do things while the weather is nice. 

To start off the week right we went grocery shopping to get food for meals and to snack on for our fun adventures. Yes, I took all three kids grocery shopping by myself and to say it was ambitious would be an understatement. I honestly don't recall the food I grabbed and threw in the grocery cart because I was just running up and down the aisles, chucking food in our cart and hoping that the kids would hold out as long as possible before the melt downs occurred. I know I looked like a crazy lady because I had several people tell me, "wow, looks like you have your hands full." It was my first time putting Brayden in the seat in the cart and he loved it. He felt like such a big boy driving all around in the car cart, and even mastered being the annoying little brother as he kept trying to grab Connor's steering wheel. At this point the melt downs commenced and we still had three more ailes to race up and down. 

The good news is we lived to tell the tale, and I do not have any intentions of doing that again if I can help it. We got all the food we needed and then some... does anyone know what I can make with several cans of cream of mushroom soup??

Before I forget, Connor has really taken to his little trike this summer. I love watching him ride up and down the sidewalk on his little bike. We even went to the BX the other week and let him pick out a helmet. He decided spiderman was the best choice (but I really think it's just because its was the only red helmet and Connor loves the color red). At this rate he will be riding a bike better and at a faster rate than Abby who is a complete scary cat. 

Our first adventure of the week took us to Shmona mall where we walked around, tried a delicious donut from Mr. Donut store, and even bought a couple Adnpanman DVDs. I always enjoy my time at Shimoda mall cause even though it is very different from an American mall, it still gives me a little familiarity of life back in the states. 

Off to the Statue of Liberty park for us. It is this giant park with a large pond and a miniature replica of the Statue of Liberty just by the mall. Apparently the Statue of Liberty at the park has the same latitude coordinates as the real statue in New York. It was a beautiful afternoon and we practically had the whole park to ourselves. The Hydrangeas were in full bloom, the water was still, and the kids enjoyed our walk around the park followed by a stop at the playground and roller slide. 

Every time I wanted to take a picture Abby would turn around and strike that"pose" that she oh so loves. She is really working the peace sign, shifted hips, and open leg stance. Oh that girl, I am sure she will give me a run for my money the older she gets, but as for now I love all the sass and think it's absolutely adorable.

On Saturday we packed plenty of snacks and got ready for the two hour drive north to Mutsu bay to hopefully see the wild horses, light house, and the infamous Gates of Hell. This shrine is a buddhist temple location that is very well known in Japan as a very sacred place. It was built between several mountains on a sulfur field, so it smelled horrible but the puffs of steam escaping from random crevices in the earth gave the place a very eerie feeling. It was a long drive there, and of course Kyle complained the whole way there and the whole way back. He is not much for an adventurer and would rather spend his Saturdays glued to the couch watching sports. I reminded him that he didn't have to come but he chose to, so he needed to stop being the party pooper to our fun exploring. I have a bucket list of places to go and things to see before we leave here and I am not going to let grumpy pants Kyle get in my way. 

It turned out to be a neat experience, even though we had to cut it shorter than I was planning on and not see the wild horses (it would have been an additional 50 minutes of driving and we were all spent after being in the car for so long). Gates of Hell, check! It only took us almost 3 years to finally make the trip to see this amazing and sacred place.

We just got our #teamlennox shirts! My sweet nephew, Lennox, was diagnosed with a brain tumor just a couple weeks ago. They successfully removed the tumor, but with it being cancerous they are having to undergo chemo and radiation treatments for the next couple months. My heart just hurts for Carly, and Gary. I can't imagine the pain and heart ache they are going through. As a mother I honestly can't imagine what I would do if It was one of my kids in that situation. 

We ordered the shirts to show our support for Lennox's fight, but really we want to do more! It's times like this that make living overseas so hard and difficult. We want to be near family, we want to help out, and we want to mourn with those that mourn and lift other's burdens. Here is our small tribute to this giant uphill battle that is ahead for our distant family.