tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46050644707341647592024-03-13T21:25:46.183-05:00It's a Love(ll) ThingAdventures of being newlyweds in the mid-west.Amy Lovellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900976439327157608noreply@blogger.comBlogger310125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605064470734164759.post-48300119125299457692018-07-09T08:37:00.002-05:002018-07-09T08:37:24.789-05:00Bridget Rei is here<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XXHGP7B7ySA/W0NkhP7oM0I/AAAAAAAAJhU/zDTIcRfpXuUuf-PGkJvbFibK9FuBgaclQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_4965.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XXHGP7B7ySA/W0NkhP7oM0I/AAAAAAAAJhU/zDTIcRfpXuUuf-PGkJvbFibK9FuBgaclQCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_4965.jpg" width="300" /></a>It was a Wednesday afternoon, and I was scheduled to have my 39 week appointment, even though the very next day I would be 40 weeks pregnant. I always hope, like I did with Preston, that my babe will come early, but that's never been the case after him.<br />
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John was still on break from the Holidays, so we took the kids to Araha beach to play, it was such a gorgeous day for it being December. I left the kids and John to play while I quickly headed off to my doctors appointment. It was the usual, no I have no complications. No, nothing unusual as happened. No, everything is fine. No, I don't have any questions, except will you stripe my membranes. So she did, or at least tried to, but informed me how tight everything still was in there. Nothing that hasn't been told to me with every single pregnancy.<br />
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I was feeling slightly discouraged, because I did NOT want to go over due, and I know my body well enough to know that it doesn't go into labor on its own, it needs help, and I was certain she failed at stripping my membranes. I began asking her how I could be induced on January 1st, since my mom was getting in the night before and I wanted to have every second of her being here count. But of course, as military rules go, the doctor was certain I wouldn't be able to be induced that day, since I wouldn't be 41 weeks yet. I left that appointment frustrated. Frustrated because I felt like this babe wasn't going to be coming anytime soon. Furstrated because I felt like the doctor was rather rude to me. And frustrated because I just wanted to have my baby and be done being pregnant, and I felt like it was never going to end.<br />
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I headed back to Araha beach with a few tears in my eyes, and after telling John what had happened, and how frustrated the doctor made me feel, we left the beach and he took us out to my favorite ramen restaurant to try to cheer me up.<br />
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That night I remember sitting outside on our porch swing, just hanging out with our kids thinking, I wonder if this will be our last night together as a family of five.<br />
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I woke up around 1am to use the bathroom, nothing surprising there, but I noticed I was having a few contractions. I tried to not think anything of it, and went back to sleep. Of course, with each hour of the passing night, I'd wake up to another few contractions.<br />
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When morning came, I jokingly came downstairs and said to John, "Do you think today would be a good day to have a baby?" I don't know if he believed me that I was actually feeling like I was in labor, especially since I had scheduled an appointment to get my eyebrows done that morning and was about to leave for it. I went to my appointment and then figured I probably better stop by the commissary on the way home and grab some groceries. At this point, I knew I was having that baby soon. I had to stop every few minutes in the commissary and pretend I was looking for something, when really I was just trying to get through each contraction.<br />
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I came home, and told John it was go time. Thankfully, our neighbors had offered to take Preston and Gwen with them up to the aquarium that day, before even knowing I was in labor, which turned out to be a major blessing. Another friend offered to take Josie for us, and I packed my bag to head out.<br />
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I was only dilated to a four when we got to the hospital, and even though my contractions were really kicking in, and coming every few minutes, the nurse told us they'd probably send me walking for two hours before I'd be admitted. Apparently you have to be dilated to a six before they'll admit you. Thankfully, the nurse came back and told us they'd admit me. I'm not sure why that was, maybe because they could see how strong and frequent my contractions were? I'm not sure, but either way, I was relieved to hear I wasn't going to have to go walk the halls for awhile.<br />
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As soon as we got checked-in to the room, I immediately requested an epidural. I was in SO much pain. Of course it felt like forever before the anesthesiologist got up to the room and could finally stick me with the needle to make me feel better. I should have known it wasn't going to work. I was already too far along for it to do much of anything, and at this point, I was in tears and sweating from so much pain. Even the sweet nurse said that I was catching no break between the contractions. It was rough.<br />
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My water broke quickly after that, and before I knew it, they were telling me to start pushing. The first few pushes NOTHING happened. I normally pride myself off of a super fast delivery once it's go time, but three pushes in and nothing was happening. I think at this point I said, "It's not working!" I'm sure they all thought I was crazy, but a few minutes and pushes later and she finally came out. But we didn't know she was a she just yet.<br />
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We never found out the gender, so as soon as she came out, I tried to quickly glance below to see what she was, and in the split second I saw her before she was placed on me, all I saw was the umbilical cord, which I may have mistaken for something else and shouted, "It's a boy!" Only to have the doctor pick her up about five minutes later saying, "Hold on...she's actually a girl!" We all got a good laugh out of that.<br />
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And I'll be honest, I was excited about thinking I had a son for those few minutes, but as soon as they said she was actually a girl, it was like I knew all along that was what I was having, and it just felt right.<br />
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I think we both knew immediately that we'd name her Bridget, it was a name we had talked about, but we wanted to wait for the kids to come see her and decide on her name. The day Bridget was born, also happened to be our nurses birthday, and she mentioned to us that the name Rae is a good middle name. Ray happens to be John's dad's dad's name, and Byrons middle name. So, we liked that it was a family name. After looking up spellings of the name Ray, we discovered that if we spelled it Rei, it was a Japanese name, and with the right kanji, it means Lovely. I couldn't not use the name after all of those meanings, a family name, our nurses name who shares a birthday with Bridget, and the fact that it's a japanese name and it means lovely.<br />
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Bridget Rei Lovell<br />
born at 1:44pm<br />
December 28, 2017<br />
8lbs 12 oz<br />
21.5 inches long<br />
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She's practically perfect in every way!<br />
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<br />Amy Lovellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900976439327157608noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605064470734164759.post-38958895323372609662016-02-25T07:35:00.000-06:002016-02-25T18:38:32.968-06:00Josie's Here<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: center;">When your first child comes early, you assume they all will, but Gwen proved that wrong. A week overdue wrong. Forced out of me wrong, and even that took some work. So, with this pregnancy, it was all a mystery if our little babe would come early or late, on her own or forced out. I like a good story too much, and I always complain that Gwen's birth story was less than exciting. In fact, her story aggravates me, but only because it took so long, and I have little patience. </span><br />
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I tried doing everything I could to get this girl to come on her own, but I was left thinking that even though my body did what it was suppose to with Preston, that maybe it just forgot how to go into labor on it's own. From 38 weeks on I kept thinking, <i>any day now, </i>but just like with Gwen, any day turned into three more weeks, so I tried to stop that thinking. Then my due date came and went, and I was certain her birth story would contain an induction, too. And I was sad. However, my due date was a few days early, because I lied about it. Mostly because I knew if I DID have to be induced, and the military refuses to induce before 41 weeks, unless there's a real reason to do it sooner, my child would come out huge. So, I fibbed, but only by a few days which really was a lame fib anyway. </div>
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Saturday morning, my actual due date, I woke up at 1:25am to take my usual middle of the night bathroom break. The moment I sat up in bed, I knew something was happening. I had had some bleeding going on from them stripping my membranes a few days prior, so when I sat up in bed and felt a really large amount of something coming out of me, I just thought I was bleeding more than normal right then. And then I got into the bathroom, and noticed how incredibly wet I felt, and it was all clear liquid. Yes, something was most definitely up. With my last two, the moment my water breaks, the baby is ready to come out. Yet I wasn't having any contractions at this point, so I was kind of confused. I had been having contractions on and off for days now, but they always went away as soon as it was time for bed. </div>
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I debated if I should tell John or not, still slightly confused about whether or not it really was my water that just broke. That had never happened to me anywhere but at the hospital. I've always heard stories of peoples water breaking, but I never thought I'd be one to have a story that involved that experience, too. I climbed back in bed, and tried to go back to sleep. But a few minutes later I had to get up again, and of course, the same thing happened the moment I sat up. A huge gush of water came pouring out of me. I leaned over to John and said, "Hey, I think my water just broke!" And of course he got a little panicked thinking we needed to rush to the hospital right then. I assured him that I didn't think it was go time yet, heck, I wasn't even having contractions, so what was the rush, right? Bless his heart, he called the hospital and of course, they said I should probably come in...but it would be ok if I showered, packed my back, and ate some food first. I interpreted that as, we'll go in when it's not the middle of the night and we don't have to call and inconvenience someone at 2am. </div>
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Thankfully my instincts were right. Contractions didn't start until a little later, and although I desperately wanted to fall back to sleep, sleep was NOT going to happen that night. </div>
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Preston and Gwen thought they needed to wake up extra early that morning, 5:30am early. Ugh! John brought Gwen into bed with me, and he went and laid by Preston and we both crossed our fingers they'd fall back to sleep. But of course, that didn't happen. Children! </div>
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I kept looking at the clock thinking, I'm sure I can make it a few more hours until we actually need to go to the hospital. Normally I take forever to dilate, so I wasn't too concerned I'd get there and be a 10. My contractions were still pretty mild, too, so really, I found no rush in getting us out the door. </div>
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We all got up around 6:30, I made us breakfast, took a shower, finished packing my bag, and decided it was probably time to call someone from the branch to come over and hang out with our children for the day. Of course the one person I called and assumed would be up by then wasn't and I totally woke her up. It was 7:30. Whoops!</div>
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She and her husband came by just after 8, we gave them some guidance on things our kids do/don't like, nap schedule, etc. and headed out the door. </div>
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It was close to 9 when we finally got to the hospital, they took me into triage to see what was going on, to make sure my water really did break, and to monitor the baby. They checked my cervix to see how dilated I was, and I was only a three! At 39 weeks I was a two, so, that goes to show how slow things usually progress down yonder. </div>
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They did a test, and for some reason they still weren't sure it was my water that broke, but they decided to admit me anyway around 9:30. About an hour later John left to get some food because he was starving, and we assumed we had a LONG day ahead of us. They told me they check your cervix every four hours, and once they checked it in four hours, and if I was wanting an epidural, it could be taken care of then. But the moment John left, my contractions started getting really strong, and the pain was starting to get really bad. In my mind I was still at a three, maybe a four if I was lucky, and I couldn't understand why these contractions were SO bad. With Gwen I got to a seven and still didn't feel too miserable. I was being a wuss. That's what I decided. I even told the nurse that I was in a LOT of pain, but I couldn't figure out why, and I felt like a big ol' wuss. Finally John got back, and I told him I thought I was going to die, it hurt SO bad. He asked if we could get the anesthesiologist up right then, but I could tell the nurse was thinking, <i>but we don't do that until we check you, and we check you every four hours, and it hasn't been four hours yet. </i>It had only been two. But thankfully the anesthesiologist came up, and I was about to get some relief. The contractions were so intense, and coming every 30 seconds to a minute apart, I felt like I was getting no break in between. I was light headed, nauseous, in pain, and I really felt like I wasn't going to make it. The doctor started the epidural, and I couldn't hold it together, I barfed all over. Thankfully into a bowl, but I couldn't believe that was actually happening. I seriously felt like I wasn't being me. The girl who usually has high pain tolerance, who jokes through labor, and usually finds this day to be really "fun" in a weird way, was throwing up during labor and on the verge of tears. I don't throw up!</div>
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The epidural didn't work. I was barely feeling numb in my legs, and it was doing zero in terms of subsiding the contraction pains. NOTHING. It literally did nothing. So, he tried again, claiming the first time he did it it went in way too easy. So, epidural number two happened, and the only thing that came from it was numb legs. I still felt every contraction and couldn't understand why my legs would be numb but nothing else. Oh, well, the nurse finally had the bright idea to check my cervix, only to discover I was at a 10 and her head was right there ready to come out. Oddly enough, even before my legs got numb, I didn't feel ANY pressure down there, or I would have informed the nurse she needed to check me way sooner. I was annoyed. In pain and annoyed. Why did they wait so long to check me?! Why couldn't they treat me like an individual patient instead of having to follow the, check cervix every four hour rule?! I suppose I should have asked her to check me, regardless if that was following the "rules" or not, but because I typically dilate so slow, I assumed I was only at a five, and that was being optimistic, so what was the rush? </div>
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Once they discovered I was at a 10, the doctor rushed right in, got my legs all set up in the lovely stirrups, while I tried my best to get through every contraction that was coming my way. The doctor told me to do a practice push, whatever a practice push means, and was shocked that when I did that her head was practically out, two more pushes and out came our baby girl. I'm pretty sure the pushing time was under 5 minutes! We were now a family of five. </div>
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With both kids the first question I've always asked is, "What color is his/her hair?" But when this sweet babe came out, all I could think was how glad I was that that pain was over, and the thought of hair color didn't even cross my mind, yet I was shocked when I looked at her and saw this cute little face, and a head full of dark brown hair. She was perfect. She was our little Josie Marion Lovell. A solid 8lbs 12 oz, and 22.5 inches long, born at 12:36pm, roughly three hours after being admitted to the hospital! I guess I can labor/dilate faster than I thought. Third times the charm. </div>
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We decided to name her after both of our mom's mom's real names. I remember visiting John's grandma Benson just before we moved to Japan, and discovered her real name is Josie, not Fern. I'd always liked the name Josie, and at that moment, I knew I'd one day have a little girl named Josie, too. </div>
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She's the sweetest, calmest baby, and I couldn't imagine life without her. She's definitely given me a run for my money since discovering she'd join our family. I was told at my 20 week appointment I had placenta previa and that she had a cyst on her brain. I freaked out, bawled my eyes out, and prepared for the worst. Thankfully there was no worst. By 28 weeks, my placenta had moved, and the cyst disappeared. Which was normal, and excepted by the doctors, but they're still really scary things to find out about. </div>
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On the way to the hospital I noticed I hadn't felt her move in a long time, so of course I'm thinking worst case scenario, and even in triage, the nurse couldn't find her heartbeat at first. Freak out moment for sure! And now, here we are, on the verge of being admitted to the hospital because the poor girl has really high bilirubin levels and even with light treatment, which she's been under going more or less since Tuesday (she was off it yesterday) has been rising everyday. If it's gone up again tomorrow when I take her back to be checked, I'm afraid the only thing left to do is admit us to the hospital and let them try to work with her. It shouldn't be scary, but anything involving a sweet and precious newborn is scary. I'm trying to be optimistic and hopeful but as a mom, it's just plain scary. I've hated that her whole first week there has been little holding on my part. Yesterday she wasn't on the light treatment, and I think I held her all day long. I couldn't get enough of her in my arms. And now, unless I'm feeding her or changing her diaper, I just have to sit by her side and stare, and try to calm her down without her being in my arms. It's heartbreaking. In every way possible. </div>
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Oh how I love this sweet girl of mine. Preston and Gwen are obsessed with her, and Gwen asks for nothing but to hold her all the time. I hope my kids always love each other the way they do as children...or babies in my case. Nothing makes me happier than seeing the love they have for each other. And I hope that love continues to grow and grow everyday. </div>
Amy Lovellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900976439327157608noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605064470734164759.post-45744294325814694402016-02-03T00:22:00.002-06:002016-02-03T00:22:38.178-06:00The kiddos It's been almost a year since I last posted about life in Japan. One day I'll be kicking myself for not documenting this life of ours better. Thank goodness for instagram, but even that doesn't capture every moment of this life of ours, just bits and pieces here and there that I'd like public praising for. Isn't that the true purpose of social media these days? It seems that way. Which is rather pathetic. So, this here blog will now be updated, not for praising, but so I can look back and remember the small things, the cute things, the fun things, the exciting things, and all things kids that are worth remembering. Last night I asked John if he remembered something from when Preston was Gwen's age. He had no recollection of it. It made me sad.<br />
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So, here's a kiddo update, because really, they're all I mostly care about anyway.<br />
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Preston:<br />
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Oh Preston, my sassy, spunky little man. He'll be four in three months, and that seems pure crazy to me. He's in preschool and LOVES going so much that he begs to go back the moment he gets home. Some days I wish I could send him right back, but really, he's my little sidekick, my best helper (when he wants to be), and actually makes my life easier when he's around...well, as far as entertaining his sister goes. They adore each other. The other day, he wasn't listening to a thing I said, so, naturally I got frustrated at him. I asked him why he obeys his teacher at school (who has told me countless times that he's awesome in class and one of the few students she doesn't have to worry about misbehaving) and not me. To which he said, "Because she's my teacher and you're my mom!" I almost burst out laughing, because what three year old says that? My sassy, spunky three year old, that's who! He likes to play all sorts of games. The other day he wanted to play like he was going to rescue us when we got hurt, so he said, "I'll be God!" John and I burst out laughing, but then he clarified and said, "Because he helps people." Right, ok, at least he's on the right track there. Whenever I ask him to clean up his toys, he somehow convinces Gwen to come over and do it for him. And then get's mad when I get mad that he's not doing it himself. If I give him a really nice long piece of rope, he'll be entertained for hours building booby traps. If he wants another show, or cookie, or whatever it is that he's wanting, he will always say, "Just one more, this is the last one, I promise!" I don't think he knows what the word promise really means. He gets one more of whatever it is he was wanting and then I hear the same thing on repeat. The other day John was giving a guy in our branch a blessing while I was upstairs putting Gwen to bed. Half way through the blessing John feels little hands on top of his, Preston had grabbed a stool and was standing next to John with his hands on the guys head. After the blessing the guy thanked Preston for helping, and Preston just nonchalantly said, "I was just using my powers!" He gets to give the prayer in primary on Sunday, and I'm crossing my fingers he's in a good mood that day, otherwise we may be in trouble. I'm always worried about how he's acting in school and at church, because I know how he can be for me at home, but I've been told numerous times that he's always "an angel!" so, at least I know he's good other places, which I prefer anyway I suppose. He really is the best. He's tenderhearted, and when he knows I'm upset he starts to cry because he hates me being mad...yet he makes me upset a lot, so, really it makes no sense. He's three. I guess that's why it makes sense. Oh how I love this boy. He likes to cuddle with me and hold my hand. He loves to give me kisses and can be my best bud. He makes me laugh, and makes me scream. But really, he's a good kid, and I'm proud to be his mom.<br />
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Gwen:<br />
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Oh sweet little sassy, Gwen. Everything she's learned, she's learned from her brother. My friend watched them for me today while I was at a doctor's appointment, and when she dropped them off for me she mentioned how she'd never seen Gwen so crazy before. Crazy is the name of the game over here half the time. I just looked at Preston, who was running around like a maniac, and said, she gets it from him. She seriously adores Preston. She usually wakes up before him in the morning and almost always asks for "Presty". She squeals with delight when she sees him, especially once he gets home from preschool and hasn't been around for a few hours. She wants to do everything he does, yet I think she's more daring than he is. She's been talking a ton lately, not like Preston was at her age, but enough that I can tell more often than not what she's saying. She knows a few phrases in Japanese, and speaks them like she's fluent when we're out in public. She loves to sing, and pretty much sings all day long. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and I Am a Child of God are two of her favorites. She screams when she has to go to nursery, which is so odd to me since Preston never cared to go. She's obsessed with her baby doll, and babies in general. She loves to kiss my belly all day long and say "hi baby!" She's going to be such a good big sister, and it makes me happy that these two will always have each other. Poor Preston has to endure another girl in the house. She loves to swing on things and has pretty impressive upper body strength. She grabs onto anything she can and just hangs there. It's her thing. I wish I could get her into gymnastics already. She loves to make us laugh, and she really is funny, without trying. But she also frustrates me like no other when we're eating and she throws all of her food on the ground. She has the biggest sweet tooth and will try to sneak into my baking stash and get out the chocolate chips and devour them as fast as possible. I'm pretty certain she would just eat treats if I let her. I'm also pretty certain she would potty train right now if I'd just make the time to do it. She tells me when she has to go and doesn't throw a fit when she's on the toilet, but alas, I've made no time for it. Maybe one of these days, before the babe comes. Cause that would be ideal timing and I'm sure make for no accidents. She's pretty great, and it makes me sad to think she won't be my baby anymore. I guess I always knew she'd be a middle child. The very first time I ever held her I instantly thought to myself, <i>you poor middle child</i>, but hopefully she rocks the middle child job she'll soon be promoted to. She loves to color and make messes. She's obsessed with books but has ruined more than I can count. And she likes to dress herself, with a little help of course. In some ways I feel like she's my big girl already, but I forget she's really just my little baby. And she really is little. It makes me both happy and sad to be adding to our family already. She tells me every morning she wants pigtails in her hair, but usually rips them out and then looks homeless the rest of the day. She has a nice little mullet going on and I have no idea how to really do girls hair. But she's still cute and everyone loves Gwen! She gets more attention than she probably cares to get. If she only knew, I'm sure she'd miss it one day. How I love this little girl of mine. She really is the best.<br />
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<br />Amy Lovellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900976439327157608noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605064470734164759.post-31678863060496321782015-06-15T07:38:00.003-05:002015-06-15T07:38:37.515-05:00Tokyo Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
And some more pictures, because, well, why not? </div>
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Takeshita Street:</div>
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Wearing out our little traveler:</div>
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Wearing them out but also trying to keep them happy. Swan paddle boat ride? Sure, why not:</div>
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The Imperial Palace...hidden in this picture, but it was there, and we saw it:</div>
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Mixing the imperial world with the modern one:</div>
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And again, just trying to keep the little ones happy. I'd like to think we succeeded, more or less:</div>
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Our gorgeous view of Tokyo from where we stayed. </div>
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The famous Shibuya Crossing, the worlds busiest intersection:</div>
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Followed by the best ramen we've had out here. Oishi! </div>
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And we ended the trip by walking to the temple:</div>
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I'm sure this was just our first of many trips to Tokyo.</div>
<br />Amy Lovellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900976439327157608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605064470734164759.post-79824812426991721052015-06-15T07:20:00.003-05:002015-06-15T07:20:59.727-05:00TokyoI love that mainland Japan is just a hop, skip, and a jump away...more or less. Over Memorial Weekend we decided to go check out Tokyo and see what that big city hype is all about. It definitely had some crazy moments, but you know, in a city thats deemed to be one of the world's largest, and busiest, it was kind of nice when we'd walk down streets and be the only visible people.<br />
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Meiji-jingu Shrine:</div>
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Oh hey, look who we ran into, "Big Jeff" as Preston would say. It always makes me happy when I meet up with family so many millions of miles away from home. </div>
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Senso-ji Temple:</div>
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Everyone loves Gwen!</div>
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National Gardens: </div>
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<br />Amy Lovellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900976439327157608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605064470734164759.post-647801152372686232015-05-28T08:49:00.000-05:002015-05-28T08:49:07.096-05:00Happy First Birthday Baby Girl <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I just kissed my sweet baby girl goodnight and laid her down in her crib as a one year old. A one year old! I'm not going to say the inevitable, that that was the fastest year of my life, because in many ways, it wasn't, but it a lot of ways it was. Nonetheless, I now have a one year old. She's not my baby anymore, although, she'll always be my baby, no matter how big she gets.<br />
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It's always a bittersweet thing, that whole first birthday thing. It's exciting to watch your children grown up, but you want to savor those moments of them being so itty bitty and dependable, too. These years are the cutest years. Trying years for sure, but they're definitely the cutest years by far and, while some days I know I wish these days to speed up a little faster, I know without a doubt I'll miss them when they're gone.<br />
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Gwen has brought such a joy to our family. I was so worried about having two kids, afraid I would be a terrible mom to two. Afraid I'd feel torn with how I'd have to share my attention with both of them, but when it comes down to it, Gwen has made having two children easy. She's made it easy since the day she was born. What a blessing that has been.<br />
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She is self-entertained, almost too self entertained that sometimes I don't think she even cares if I'm around. But then I stand corrected when I run outside to throw the trash out and she comes running towards the door screaming for me. I'd like to think it's because she likes me close by, even if i'm not interacting with her, she just likes my presence, but in reality, I think she just screams because she wants to come outside, too. She loves the outdoors.<br />
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She can sit and read books for hours. I'll usually set her down in the playroom first thing in the morning to play while I make breakfast, and I can almost always count on her walking over to the bookshelf,plopping herself on the ground, and pull book after book off the shelf as she reads them to herself. It's rather darling.<br />
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She's obsessed with dogs and owls and has really mastered their sounds, along with sheep, elephant, snake, bear, and a lion. The girl loves to growl. We have her brother to thank for that one.<br />
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She loves songs and will get the biggest smile on her face as soon as you start sining twinkle twinkle little star to her. Since the day she was born, that song has always comforted her when she's sad. Preston loves to sing it to her. She's pretty awesome at the actions for it and I'll catch her singing it to herself, actions included, throughout the day.<br />
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She says hi to EVERYONE and EVERYTHING she sees. She LOVES to say "hi!" I'm guessing she picked that up from he Japanese people over here who loves her to death. They're always coming up to her saying "hi!" and now she does it to them before they even get the chance. She turns lots of heads with her little hi's.<br />
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She recently started counting, or at least saying "two" when she hears you say, "One, ...".<br />
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She's a water baby, just like her brother, and even the sound of the bath tub water running is enough to get her to squeal. She can't get to the tub fast enough...she also loves to drink the tub water...<br />
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I'm a little worried about the drama she's going to be full of, she already gets really mad when she doesn't get what she wants. She screams when her brother gets a little too close for comfort. And she'll hit things out of your hands with such force that it shocks you. She knows how to get what she wants and she doesn't stop until she does. Like screaming in the middle of the night until I finally go in there...or continuing to scream when John goes in and she just wants me. Girls got some lungs!<br />
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She puckers her lips and makes the cutest looking duck face when she wants a kiss. She's pretty much mastered it, and it's pretty much the most adorable thing ever.<br />
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Oh how I love this sweet baby of mine and I'm so glad she's just that, mine! I love her carefree personality with just a touch of spunk to keep things lively around here. She really does make being her mom easy, and I hope it always stays that way.<br />
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Happy first birthday baby girl, I sure love you more than you will ever know!<br />
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<br />Amy Lovellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900976439327157608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605064470734164759.post-30734205278978234222015-05-13T08:15:00.003-05:002015-05-13T08:15:42.134-05:00Cars and Trucks and Things that Go Party We love Richard Scarry in this house, well, I should say, we love his book, Cars and Trucks and Things that Go. Preston can spend hours looking through the pictures in this book, finding Goldbug, and having me read him page after page of that 60 page book. I try to get away with reading his three favorite pages, but we usually spend far longer than I anticipate reading that book at night. I got this book from one of the sweetest older ladies in my ward just before Preston was born. Little did I know it would become one of his all time favorites.<br />
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It only made sense to do a birthday party revolving around this book, so, thanks to my sweet husband who can take my ideas and turn them into something far better, we turned our house into a Cars and Trucks and Things that a Go wonderland. With 13 kids riding around our house, it was quite the afternoon.<br />
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Happy 3rd Birthday, Preston. We sure love you more than you will ever know.<br />
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Trick candles my friends, they were too perfect for a boy who LOVES to blow out candles! <br />
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The end!</div>
Amy Lovellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900976439327157608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605064470734164759.post-66918854423057737952015-05-13T07:02:00.002-05:002015-05-13T07:02:35.274-05:00Happy 3rd Birthday, Preston <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I still remember the day Preston was born like it was yesterday. I'm sure every mother will always remember the day their precious baby was born and store those memories away in a very special and safe place, never to be forgotten. Because the day your child is born, is one of those most special days you'll ever experience.<br />
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I've now been mothering this sweet and rambunctious boy for three years. Three whole years?! It's been a good three years, but boy have these years been filled with lots of ups, and a whole lot of downs. This past year has been pretty trying on my little guy, and I wish I would have had more patience with him and understood this better. But I'm human, and we're all learning, and quite frankly he just doesn't listen, and I just yell too much.<br />
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This boy has had to deal with lots of big life changes these last twelve months. From getting a new sister, to leaving his house and friends behind, to bouncing from one families house to the next, and then finally flying across the ocean to a whole new country, bouncing from one hotel room to the next, moving into our house with government furniture, only for that to be taken away a few weeks later, and our actual household goods apeparing, it was rough. In fact, Preston even went through a period of extreme stuttering and we realized the poor boy had gone through so much stress, that this was his bodies way of dealing with it. It broke our hearts.<br />
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We've had days where everything starts and ends in a tantrum, and no matter how hard we try to reason with him, you just can't reason with a two year old. Days where I don't know how I even survived because my house was nothing short of one crazy circus act after another. The boy is strong-willed and it's hard to stare at this sweet little face and see all of your worst qualities coming out in him. But we're learning.<br />
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While he may have a side of extreme crazy, he can also be the sweetest thing you ever met. He loves to try and get us to smile and be happy, even when he's in the middle of being, well, Preston!<br />
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He requires you to lay by him when falling asleep at night, or watching him from your own bed, if neither of those things happen, and we try to let him do it alone, we'll soon find him coming down stairs saying, "Hi, mom, how was your day?" or "Hi, mom, I just wanted to talk to you." He'll do anything he can to stall going to sleep. The boy thinks he hates to sleep, but I'm trying to convince him otherwise.<br />
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He has a mild obsession with water and can spot even the smallest puddle from miles away. He begs to help wash dishes, just so we can stack everything on top of each other and declare he's made a waterfall. He likes to water our imaginary garden outside...I should probably plant him a real one, and he can take a bath for hours if we'd let him. He loves to play in the ocean, even on a cold day he finds a way to sneak his feet in, which usually turns to fully submerging himself, so, we let him. And it's a darn good thing we live in a place where we don't have to pay for utilities, otherwise we'd have one heck of a water bill.<br />
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He loves to play pretend fighting, but usually wants to play the bad guy much to my dismay. He likes to pretend he's shooting everything with his pretend shooters, and runs through our house like we're under attack.<br />
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He likes to pretend he speaks Japanese, and will randomly throw out the few words he actually does know, mixed with a whole lot of jibberish. He acts like he's nothing short of fluent. His favorite word use to be quedgi-wedgie. I don't even know where that word/phrase came from, but he rolls with it like he's Japanese himself.<br />
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After writing all over his arm with a sharpie marker the other day, and then declaring he hadn't done so, I looked at him and said, "Preston, what did you do?" To which he responded, "anything!" in the most serious tone a two year old is capable of. I don't dare correct him and tell him its actually "nothing" because "anything" is far funnier.<br />
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He ends up in our bed six nights out of seven, and we usually let him stay, even though I swore I'd never be a parent to allow such things to happen. But sometimes it's just easier, and when I already feel sleep deprived, I see no reason to add to it. I always tell John we bought a king sized bed for a reason. But yet it still feels squishy with three.<br />
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He loves to draw and color and do all sorts of art projects, unfortunately the wrong parents stays home during the day to really help unleash his inner Picasso.<br />
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He loves to think he's in charge, and throws all of our lines we feed him right back at us. "You know the rule!" or, "Do you want a spanking?" It actually makes being in charge rather difficult.<br />
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He likes to think he can stop traffic, and anytime we cross the street, he sticks his arm out, and with the most serious face, practically scowls at the oncoming cars as if to say, "don't you dare get any closer." I got mad at him the other day for running away from me down the sidewalk along a busy road. I tried to explain why that was dangerous and that he shouldn't be near a busy road without me. After trying to explain why that could be scary, and that cars are big, and he is small, and sometimes big things don't see small things, he looked at me like I was an idiot and told me he can just stop the cars himself. It's hard trying to separate his imagination from reality. He thinks he can do anything.<br />
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My love for this boy is deep. While I want to strangle him most days, and we butt heads a good majority of the time, I still try my best to let him be little, and do the things little boys do without such as a gripe from his mom. But it's hard. It's hard to just let him be him sometimes when the things he wants to do aren't always smart, or safe, or realistic. But oh how I love this kid so much. How is it so possible to be so incredibly annoyed and frustrated at such a little being, yet I just want to grab him, and snuggle him, and smother him with kisses because I just love him so. He's my best buddy. My little sidekick. My three year old that think's he's the king of the world. And sometimes he is, because in that boys imagination, anything is possible.<br />
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Happy third birthday to my little man.Amy Lovellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900976439327157608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605064470734164759.post-35922644349291933632015-05-13T07:02:00.000-05:002015-05-13T07:02:01.414-05:00I love visitorsSo, my sister came to town, and our friend Nicki, and it was rather glorious. Have I mentioned how much I love having visitors? It's one thing to have had family come visit us in Oklahoma and then St. Louis, but being thousands and thousands of miles away, separated by an entire ocean, and living in an entirely different country, makes visitors all the more special. It was a short visit, but a fabulous one at that. I'll take visitors for as long or as short as they'll come.<br />
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Even though it was a short visit, we tired to cram in as much of the Okinawan goodness as we could, and I'd like to think we succeeded. <br />
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The Aquarium, Pizza in the Sky, Japanese Naval Headquarters underground tunnels, Fukushen Gardens, Kokusai Street, Beaches, roller slides, delicious Japanese cuisine, shopping, and pedicures at Cocok's of course, I don't think we really stopped the entire five days they were here.<br />
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The Aquarium:<br />
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Pizza in the Sky:</div>
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Naminoue-gu Shrine:<br />
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Fukushuen Gardens:</div>
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Meada Flats:</div>
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Manzamo Point:<br />
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Hamahiga Island:</div>
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Arashis:<br />
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Cape Zanpa:</div>
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Roller slides:<br />
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Pedicures at Cocok's overlooking the ocean:<br />
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Shopping:<br />
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The dreaded goodbye:</div>
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I wish we could redo this vacation all over again in another year, unfortunately, I know that won't happen. Thanks for coming to visit, I miss you already!Amy Lovellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900976439327157608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605064470734164759.post-25336984613351952015-04-05T06:53:00.001-05:002015-04-06T21:57:15.793-05:0010 Months of Chubby Cuteness <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Poor Gwen, she's already been the recipient of far too many, second child problems. I feel like I never blog or post about her and I'm pretty sure I was blogging and updating the cyber world with Preston's life far more than I should have.<br />
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I can't believe the little lady is already 10 months old. In so many ways she still seems SO young to even be 10 months old by now. I mean, Preston I feel like was already saying SO many words by now, but Gwen, not so much. She has down "mama, dada, h-ah (hi) wa wa (for water of course) and she did say nana (banana) the other day when I pulled out a banana for her, so I'm counting it.) She's really got her b sounds down, but that's about the extent of her vocabulary as of late. Oh, and of course she can say "uh-oh" but I swear kids are just born to make that sound. Either way, we'll add it to her "list" of words for the time being. </div>
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She may not be the most vocal yet, I'm sure that day will come in due time, but she sure is ALL over the place. This is where she has Preston beat. She stands. She crawls. She's trying so hard to walk. She gets into EVERYTHING. And she whines to get her way far more than any 10 month old should...but she does have an older brother who is troublesome so, it's semi-understandable. </div>
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She's become so curious about her world and is always pointing at things wanting to know what it is. And the things she does know, she gets really excited about. Like ceiling fans for example, she loves to watch the fan in my bedroom spin in a circle and she mimics the motion with her hand spinning round and round in a circle, too. She likes to growl when she sees a picture of a bear or lion, and, without fail, she always has to kiss the Owl in one of the books we read. She loves owls.</div>
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She LOVES to blow kisses and play peek-a-boo, she loves to wave hi and bye, and she loves to grab at your face. Which hurts by the way and she usually leaves some nice scratch behind to mark her territory.</div>
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She loves to kiss animals in the books we read. And she kicks her legs and squeals with delight when it's a page or animal that she's really into. </div>
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She's still so baby like and falls asleep in my arms almost everyday. I'm pretty sure Preston did this close to never. In fact, in order to get him to have a nap I'd just have to lay him in his crib and he'd cry himself to sleep. Gwen will scream and scream until you get her and help her fall asleep. It's both annoying and cute. Mostly annoying when it's in the middle of the night and I just wish she'd fall asleep from her crying and not just get more and more mad. But more and more mad is her reaction, so, we deal with it. </div>
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She loves to sing songs, and to this day, Preston singing, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" will still calm her down when she's upset. It's rather adorable. </div>
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While she can be a major drama-queen, she's also the cutest thing I ever did see and I love that she's mine every single day. </div>
Amy Lovellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900976439327157608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605064470734164759.post-16148652536339199332015-04-05T06:34:00.000-05:002015-04-05T06:34:02.578-05:00Tadake FallsWe're on a roll of visiting waterfalls lately. I remember when I first found out we were coming to Okinawa, I was scouring pinterest to see what things the Pinterest world could tell me about this foreign land I was about to call home. One of the pins had this beautiful waterfall that looked intriguing and I knew it was going to be one that we'd eventually visit. It was even more appealing when I read that you had to hike through a river to get to it. Sounds fun, right? I thought so.<br />
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Last Saturday, the weather looked nice so, we decided to jump in the car and head north and find this so called Tadake Falls.<br />
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Such a fun hike through this beautiful island. Even Preston wanted out of this hiking carrier so he could splash his feet in the river as we headed up stream to find the falling water. It was such a perfect day with the weather just turning warmer, but not too warm that it was miserable, and the water while cold, was bearable and refreshing. I don't remember how many bug bites we each walked away with that day, but it was enough to leave us looking like we'd been beat up a little. However, it was worth it! We can't wait to go back and do it again.<br />
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<br />Amy Lovellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900976439327157608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605064470734164759.post-71977191463178193292015-03-24T06:38:00.005-05:002015-03-24T06:40:33.140-05:00OkumaHand foot mouth disease hit our house this past week. Both John and Preston (and Gwen for maybe a day) had lovely red spots covering their bodies. It'd tell you to feel bad for us, but seriously, you'd never know anyone was even sick around here if it wasn't for those darn pesky red spots. I think John had the worst of it with a sore throat for a few days followed by sensitive/tingly hands, but that was about the extent of it, and it lasted all of a day. Literally! Yet he was ordered home from work not to return until the spots disappeared...that is, after he showed up initially and was then sent to the isolation room at the hospital...they thought it was measles. Ha!<br />
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Since John was quarantined from work, and consequently couldn't go on his TDY on Saturday, we decided to make the most of out his no work schedule for a few days and headed to the beach. We even threw in a hike to Hiji Falls and decided to explore the northern tip of this island a little bit since we had yet to venture all the way up there. We pretty much didn't have a care in the world for the weekend and it was rather lovely.<br />
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Before you get all worried warts on me about us taking contagious people out into the public, I assure you they were no longer contagious. In fact, I know they HAD hand foot mouth disease, and most people warned me it can lasts a couple of weeks, but I'm convinced they had the most mild case of it possible. Also, I'm sure the relaxing atmosphere helped heal them instantly.<br />
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Sadly, this is our only beach picture...I blame not having my phone, which got wet in the ocean a few days prior...<br />
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Amy Lovellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900976439327157608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605064470734164759.post-34166070342703093632015-03-22T05:48:00.001-05:002015-03-22T05:48:06.173-05:00Little StrikersI put Preston in swimming lessons last summer, thinking, <i>we're moving to an island, he needs to learn how to swim. We'll literally be surrounded by water. Swimming is essential. He HAS to know how to swim. </i>That was a good idea for all of two minutes. He hated swimming lessons. He screamed and whined and threw tantrum after tantrum until his 15 minutes were up and he was free to get out of the water. Without fail, he'd always want to get right back in, he just didn't want to be forced to do anything. His way, his pace, he's golden.<br />
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Fast forward to February, and I thought almost a year later, swimming lessons would be a good idea again. He's a little older now, surely it couldn't be as bad as last time. I was wrong. So very wrong. It was just as bad. Not worse. But just as bad.<br />
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After three lessons in February, we decided to hold off on actual lessons again for awhile. Kids eventually learn how to swim anyway, right?<br />
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I wanted him to be part of something, so, the next best thing was soccer of course. Isn't it a requirement that every little kid play soccer? Of course, the morning of his first practice (all it really is is practices right now, just to teach the kids the basic skills of soccer, actual soccer soccer doesn't start until September), he flipped out and said he didn't want to go. So, of course, I pulled up YouTube videos of the USA team playing soccer to show him just how cool soccer really is. It pumped him up...kind of. Enough to get him to his practice without throwing a fit. And more or less enough to get him to participate with the other kids better than I thought he would. In fact, for a change, he was actually participating better than most kids. It was kind of miraculous.<br />
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Of course, when the next week rolled around he said he hated soccer and didn't want to go. But, we got him there anyway and I'm pretty sure he had some fun. At least a little bit of fun. How can you not have fun when you're the best one there? Kids don't really pick up on that stuff though, do they? I'm certain he's the oldest one, but hey, he was still the best out there. It's nice to see him be part of something for a change.<br />
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Soccer may not always be his thing, but at least he has "fun" doing it, at least enough fun that we signed him up for next month, too. And that's saying something.<br />
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Amy Lovellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900976439327157608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605064470734164759.post-79629810502277488192015-03-19T08:39:00.000-05:002015-03-19T08:39:00.091-05:00Exploring I used to be an awesome...or at least consistent, blogger, before anything really exciting was ever going on in my life. Then I had a child, and my blogging became sporadic. Then I had another one, and I forgot what blogging was even all about. And the cherry on top was us moving to Japan, and, well, I've documented pretty much nothing. It's pitiful.<br />
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Exciting things happen in my life and I stop documenting it. It would be one thing if I was at least excelling at writing in my personal journal, but I can't even say I'm doing that either. What the what?<br />
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I was just thinking about one day, many many years down the road, when I'll look back on these days with such fond memories, and wish I had blogged more. So, here's me hoping to be a little bit more consistent in documenting our journey in Japan, if for no one else but me and my little family.<br />
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Last weekend John had Friday off of work, so, we decided to head north and wander around a waterfall. Preston is obsessed with waterfalls. The boy has always loved water, but it goes deeper than just love, everything he does somehow gets turned into a waterfall. He begs to wash dishes just so we can make some type of contraption in the sink that he then proclaims is a waterfall. They're usually impressive...which is something else I need to start documenting...<br />
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The waterfall was pretty mediocre at best, but, it was still water, falling off of a high cliff, and Preston still thought it was awesome. Next time it would make more sense to go after a good rain storm, if there is a next time anyway.<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">And our little walk/boulder climbing was followed by a bought at Sesoko Beach, and some Pizza in the Sky. A perfect day in my books. </span><br />
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<br />Amy Lovellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900976439327157608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605064470734164759.post-89837518628817887872015-02-22T08:12:00.005-06:002015-02-22T08:12:53.685-06:00Terrible Twos?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It was 6:30 this morning, I had already gotten up once to feed a crying little girl a few hours before, and I now had my spunky little two year old lying next to me in my bed, tossing and turning. I didn't fall asleep last night until well past midnight, thanks to some neighbors who thought throwing a part late into the night was a good idea. And, it probably was. They don't have kids. Don't think we didn't think about sending our children outside to play, bright and early this morning, as payback.<br />
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Needless to say, I was already on edge from the day before. A day full of parenting...to myself, or so it seemed. Everything I asked my child not to do, was done, on repeat. I was speaking to a broken record all day. Everyone always comments on how well he speaks for his age. On how well he annunciates his words. On how smart he is. And, how driven he is for a two year old. It's great. In fact, I LOVE that I can have conversations with that boy that typically make sense. I do. But with that comes a whole lot of sass. I mean a WHOLE lot of sass. I get it, he's my child. Enough said. But boy do I feel like a helpless parent most days. </div>
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Anytime I get mad at him, he breaks down into full fledged crying, and then tells me "I need a hug" and "be happy mom, where is your happy face?" If I ask him to stop doing something, he literally looks at me and does it again, and again, and AGAIN! When I give him options, he changes the options to the things he wants to do. When I tell him to eat his dinner or he has to go straight to bed, he always shouts, "NO BED AND NO DINNER!" and runs away screaming. More often then not if I start counting (he knows at three he gets a spanking) it works, but I HATE having to count. </div>
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Whenever I apologize to people for his behavior, I always get the "It's just his age" response. Yet, I've yet to see other kids his age acting this way. Please show me some so I feel better.</div>
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We rarely get a babysitter because I've been scarred by the fact that I know people don't like watching my children, even when they're both in bed before we leave...he always knows we're gone and wakes up. And lets be honest, there is so much personality from my child that even I have a hard time handling, I can only imagine how well it goes over for a 13 or 14 year old. Actually, I already know, because they always tell me how he undermines everything they ask him to do. As hard as I've tried to teach manners, and to respect adults, he just doesn't care. When I tell him I'm the mom and I'm in charge, it's always followed by a profound "No, I'M in charge!" To which he then tries to boss me around. If I ask him if he wants a spanking, he turns the question right around and tells me he's going to give me one instead. Writing this all out is kind of humorous, I realize. I mean, the kid isn't even three yet. But gee whiz, I feel like I'm going to lose it on most days.</div>
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In his defense, he really can be the sweetest, cutest, and funniest little boy to be around. His sense of humor is my favorite, and his laugh is contagious. I love that boy. But I'd be lying if I didn't say there are lots of days when I wish I could find him a new mom for awhile. You can read that with extreme sarcasm or not, because either way is probably correct.</div>
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This morning, while he tossed and turned next to me in bed and wouldn't fall back to sleep, and was so loud he woke up his sister, I day dreamed of my single days, living in DC. My mind went back to the days of sharing a room with my sister and sleeping in a twin bed. A twin bed that seemed far more roomy than my king this morning. I imagined getting up early, not because I had to, but because I wanted to. It all seemed so glamourous. </div>
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Did I choose this life? Absolutely. I chose to be a mom, and with it I chose the good, the bad, and the ugly. And listen, my life has a lot of ugly some days. But I know I can handle all of the "fun" that gets thrown at me. Of course I can. I mean, in the midst of being super annoyed at my crazy child this morning, I overheard him singing "I am a Child of God" to himself while I was doing dishes, and my heart melted a little. It's crazy how much I can love a little person, a little person who drives me crazy most of the time. Like literally drives me crazy. Yet I love him so much it hurts. </div>
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I haven't had a real break from him (or being a parent in general) in almost three years. I've never been away from him for more than a few hours. And let's get it straight, being in the hospital to have another baby doesn't actually count as a break from being a parent. It's no wonder he and I get on each others nerves. And it's no wonder that even though when he has naps, and then won't go to bed until almost 10pm most nights, I still NEED nap time. It's my only break, well, that is if both kids decide to sleep at the same time, which isn't actually happening lately. But nonetheless, I need nap time because I need an hour or two of sanity in my day. </div>
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So, if anyone bored themselves long enough to read my little pity party for myself, congratulations. I'm impressed. If anyone has awesome parenting advice you'd care to share. Share away, but it better be awesome, or keep it to yourself! Kidding of course, but I'm all about awesome. And things that work. I kind of stink at being a mom I've decided. So, I'm all ears.</div>
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Also, if anyone is now convinced they want to watch my children for a week, in September, I'm taking applications. I told John we will be going on a birthday trip, sans children this year. I'm turning 30, and it's the only present I want. </div>
Amy Lovellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900976439327157608noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605064470734164759.post-51768619462286212132014-12-17T07:31:00.000-06:002014-12-19T06:52:05.396-06:00Kyoto Day 3We took the scenic route to the train station our last day, and decided to walk and explore along the way.<br />
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We stopped by the tallest Japanese temple (at least I think it is...or the tallest of this style anyway..something like that), and then made sure we had enough time to get a nice big bag of fresh Belgium Waffles at the train station before we headed to the airport to fly back to Okinawa. </div>
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<br />Amy Lovellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900976439327157608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605064470734164759.post-46582803680411161512014-12-17T07:06:00.001-06:002014-12-19T06:53:00.649-06:00Kyoto Day 2Our second day there we decided to take a half day guided tour...with two kids nonetheless. I'm sure you can imagine how it went, but we survived, learned a few things along the way, and regardless of the tantrums and outburst, deemed it money well spent.<br />
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After our tour was up, we caught a train up north to the ever famous bamboo forest, and oh, it was just lovely...as was all of Kyoto this time of year. Seriously, I'm already itching to go back. I kind of want to live there. Forever. But I think I'll say that about most places we visit. I can get used to this traveling the world business.<br />
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Amy Lovellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900976439327157608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605064470734164759.post-62853389629534798562014-12-17T06:51:00.003-06:002014-12-19T06:56:33.532-06:00Kyoto Day 1 With John having a few days off over the Thanksgiving holiday, a trip was in order. If we're going to take advantage of exploring where we live, our travels might as well start now. We decided to travel up to mainland Japan, simply because, it's close, but also because John doesn't have to take leave if we stay in Japan. Win win! I'm not sure how we decided on Kyoto for our first trip in Japan, but goodness gracious, I am SO glad we did. Kyoto is AH-MAZING!<br />
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While at the airport we ran into a few Americans who told us, upon hearing we were going to Kyoto, that Kyoto is exactly what you think of when you think about Japan. Temples everywhere. Japanese architecture everywhere. The place just screams Japan. And, they were absolutely right.</div>
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Apparently fall and spring are the best times of year to visit Kyoto. Fall because of the gorgeous fall leaves, and the spring because of the Japanese cherry blossoms that blanket the city. I will definitely be visiting Kyoto sometime in the spring, it's on by bucket list to see cherry blossoms in Japan. I've seen them in DC and they're breathtaking, so, now I need to see them in their native land, because I can only imagine how amazing it will be. </div>
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Kyoto is just a short hour and a half plane flight from Okinawa up to Osaka, and from there you take an hour train ride to Kyoto. Not bad, and totally doable for a short weekend. I totally thought our trip was doomed from the start when we landed in Osaka and got separated from John. We all got on, what we thought was our train, to relax before it took off. I had changed Gwen's diaper and John stepped off to throw it away. The train wasn't supposed to leave for 15 minutes, so, obviously there was enough time to throw away a diaper in a trash can that was 20 feet from the train. Or so we thought. As soon as John threw the diaper away and turned around to come back to the train, the doors closed and we started leaving. I'm pretty sure I felt like we were about to be separated for good by my outburst, and immediately following my scream, Preston burst into tears. Looking back, it's pretty funny now, but at the time I literally thought we'd be lost forever. Thankfully, we're still in Japan, and our phones worked, so I called John and we tried to figure out what to do. Thankfully this sweet Japanese lady watched everything happen and totally took pity on us and helped us out. In her little english and my little Japanese, we made it back to John and got on the right train this time...we were on the wrong one and would have never gotten back to him and he stayed on it. Dumb Americans!</div>
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Since Kyoto is crazy busy during the fall, especially over Thanksgiving since the Japanese also have a holiday then, there was virtually no place to stay. We looked and looked for a hotel, but we weren't about to pay $400 a night for a room. Instead, we ended up finding the most random place we could, because it was all that was left. We thought we were staying at someones vacation home, but it turned out to be an old dance studio that someone bought and just threw a bunch of cots into and called it good. It definitely made for fun dance parties at night. </div>
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Our first day in Kyoto we rented bikes and rode all over the city checking out the Fushimi Inari Shrine and the Tofukuji Temple, and then up to a gorgeous park that we thought was supposed to have a roller slide but ended up just being a pretty area to walk around. All in all, our first day was a major success...even the kiddo's dozed on the bike ride, which is saying something.<br />
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Amy Lovellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900976439327157608noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605064470734164759.post-89396466650183595832014-11-01T06:05:00.000-05:002014-11-09T06:22:46.537-06:00Salt FactoryI was on a hunt to find a certain spot in Okinawa that I've only seen pictures of. So, one Saturday afternoon, in our typical adventurous spirit, we set off to discover the area surrounding the Okinawan Salt Factory. I have a feeling we'll be back to explore this area more. Our late start and an early sunset left for little time to explore. However, the little exploring we were able to squeeze in was rather gorgeous, wound't you say...<br />
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<br />Amy Lovellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900976439327157608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605064470734164759.post-71421418369979274112014-10-31T05:23:00.000-05:002014-11-09T06:35:41.663-06:00HalloweenHalloween is not my favorite holiday. In fact, if I didn't have kids, I'd probably do absolutely nothing to celebrate the day. How boring would I be? Thankfully, I do have kids, and therefore we celebrate the holiday over here. Thanks to my mom for supplying Preston's costume, otherwise, he'd probably be a boring ghost with a sheet thrown over his head.<br />
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His request was to be a monster this year. I relayed the information to my mom, and in an effort to not make him scary, she found inspiration from one of my favorite children's books, Tickle Monster. So, Tickle Monster he was and he was the cutest Tickle Monster to ever exist, I'm sure of it. </div>
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We just throw the Panda hat on Gwen and called it good. We figured Preston was a panda for his first Halloween, Gwen could be the same...and, the Giants won the World Series a few days prior, so, it worked. </div>
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Also, I'll have you know we "entered" them into a costume contest at the commissary and, thanks to a poor showing, these two cuties scored us $50!! Boom!</div>
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Happy Halloween...a few weeks late. </div>
Amy Lovellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900976439327157608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605064470734164759.post-45568665902806928992014-10-25T06:14:00.000-05:002014-11-09T06:22:25.117-06:00Off the beaten pathSometimes we just drive down random streets to see where they take us. Random streets, narrow roads, and a little off roading can lead to some amazing locations. Oh, beach life, I think you suit us well.<br />
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Amy Lovellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900976439327157608noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605064470734164759.post-1798541830363772762014-10-25T05:18:00.000-05:002014-11-09T06:24:33.658-06:00Park Hopping<br />
If there's one thing the Japanese do right, it's the parks...ok, and their bakeries, but we'll just stick to the parks for now.<br />
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We LOVE the parks here. I'm pretty sure I get just as excited as Preston every time we discover a new park. Mostly, we love the roller slides. They're fast. You fly. And it's a blast at any age. Seriously, they're amazing. I flew off of one over a month ago, and my backside is still hurting from the landing. But it was fun regardless. </div>
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It's pure joy at these parks. America really needs to catch on to the awesomeness that is Japanese parks. </div>
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Amy Lovellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900976439327157608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605064470734164759.post-91588645733152848412014-10-19T07:26:00.002-05:002014-10-19T07:26:35.509-05:00A taste of Okinawa I remember way back during our dental school days reminiscing about where we'd eventually be stationed for awhile, and talking about the likelihood of Japan. John was convinced Japan wouldn't be a good fit, if for nothing more than the food alone. His idea of good "Chinese" food is Panda Express, and the mere thought of Japanese food sounded anything but appealing<br />
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Or so he/we thought.<br />
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And then we came here, and within a few days of being on the island, we had already devoured some the goodness that this place has to offer and were left craving more. John's in love with their ramen. I'm obsessed with their dumplings and chili shrimp. And then we're told they have amazing bakeries, and who can do wrong living in a place with amazing bakeries?. Those are still to be discovered, I'm holding off as long as I can before I can't stop myself from running to one nearly everyday. It won't be good for my waistline, I'm sure of it.<br />
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Good food is just addicting. Thank goodness we're living in one of, if not THE healthiest place in the world.<br />
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<br />Amy Lovellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900976439327157608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605064470734164759.post-89921772391825370522014-10-19T07:13:00.005-05:002014-10-19T07:13:51.786-05:00Sesoko BeachWe're doing our best to discover all of the good beaches around here, so, if/when we finally have visitors, we'll know just where to take you.<br />
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Enter Sesoko Beach, oh goodness gracious, this place was gorgeous. Before even moving out here, everyone warned us that the prettiest beaches are up north. I like to think every beach is gorgeous, but, there was definitely something pristine about heading north and visiting Sesoko island.<br />
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We started out at the main swimming area, but thanks to the lack of shade, and the hot hot weather, we went seeking some coverage from the baking sun. Thank goodness for that to, because we discovered all sorts of goodness that we probably would have missed otherwise. Like caves, and gorgeous rock formations, and tide pools, and an isolated beach all to ourselves.<br />
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Just look how gorgeous this place is:<br />
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<br />Amy Lovellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900976439327157608noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605064470734164759.post-40413167647584725282014-10-18T05:27:00.000-05:002014-11-09T06:24:49.455-06:00Cape Zanpa<br />
We try to get out and explore a new part of the island every weekend. Whether it's a new beach, a park, or just some yummy new food. I suppose being new to a place makes everything we do a new adventure, and I have a feeling, we'll have lots of new adventures over the next three years. This island may not be that big, but it's full of so many things to do, I bet we'll barely scratch the surface before it's time to leave.<br />
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A few weekends back we went exploring out near Cape Zanpa, unfortunately the area surrounding the light house was under construction so we couldn't go up into it, but we had fun wondering the cliffs and taking in the gorgeous views regardless.<br />
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Seriously, this island is breathtaking. </div>
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Amy Lovellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09900976439327157608noreply@blogger.com0