Weekend at Oura Wan Bay

We had a fantastic weekend with friends at the beach over the weekend. The guys (Jason, Tom, Noa, Kent, Allen and Dan) did a 70 mile bike ride around the island while the wives and kids met them at the cottages for a weekend stay. What a blessing it is to have amazing friends! I wish we would of discovered this place sooner. It will definitely be on our list of things to do again. The weather was great for the most part, except for the torrential downpour late Sunday. The kids didn't care-they were having fun playing in the rain! Game night was a blast...gotta love Mad Gab! Even though the guys killed us (Jason with 19 in a row!), we all laughed till our stomach's hurt. I will remember this weekend for years to come! Our cabin was called the Eisa. Each one had it's own theme with decor inside to go with it. There was a playground right across from our cabin-PERFECT for the kids! Sophia loves pushing Grace in the swing. What a sweet girl! And here comes the guys! It was great to see them and hear all about the ride. Yummy food that night! Little Ella in her usual pose...sleeping. So sweet! Grace was all about Ella. She loves babies! If you've never played this game before-go get it! It is so much fun to play!
Awe...so cute! We have our "happy wine" faces on. Enjoying some adult time after the kids were asleep.This is my wine of choice!

I love this picture. Julie just read the question to the guys and she has the evil look of, "ha, ha you are never going to get this answer right, look." But I can pretty much guess the did get it right...they always get the easy ones!Jackson giving Ella some lovin'.

Grace loves the swing!

Part of the girls saying cheese!
Grace is in the point at everything stage...
She hates hats...as you can see she is trying to get it off her head!
Kai got a slip n slide for his birthday and was so sweet to bring it along to play. The kids loved it! Jackson's reaction when he saw why he went to get his swimsuit on...pure joy!



Our cabins were at the end of the cove which made it perfect for the kids to play. It was perfect for them to ride their bikes around.
The guys making paper airplanes for this kids.
Playtime!
I caught Gracie doing what she does best...screaming at the top of her lungs. Yes, she has found her voice!


AJ and Soph watching a movie together...

The kids...it is fun to see them growing up together. They are such good buds! Here are some beach pictures. It was a beautiful day for the kids to get out and play in the sand for a while. Sorry for the crooked picture...
our best friends the Grubbs and us saying cheese!

Random pictures...

I had some random pictures of the kids I have been meaning to download...so here they are. Jackson and Grace love to play with each other. They keep each other occupied for quite a while!
Jackson making his funny face.
Grace LOVES her baby...she sleep with her every night. I told Mom I would get this on the blog! So cute!
She has just enough hair to get a bow in it...just barely! I look forward to the day I can actually put them in her hair and they stay put.
This is a classic Grace face...she is always being funny. Jackson wanted me to get a picture of his feet in the air. A little strange, but he thought it would be fun.
The kids on AJ's motorcycle. I think they are pretty cute! ;-)

Pictures and a song for a VERY special Papa!!

Happy Birthday, Papa!!! We love you SOOO much. Have a great day and we will be seeing you in just a few short months!





Jackson was such a big helper today...he noticed Gracie's diaper was wet so he took it upon himself to change it all by himself. As you can see from the step=by-step pictures he did a great job! Gracie was so patient with him during the entire process. The end result was priceless!!

It was a beautiful day here in Okinawa! After 5 days of rain we went to Comprehensive Park to enjoy the sunshine. Jackson made friends with the local high school girls...who helped him get on the zip line to go for a ride. The kids are really starting to play with each other. It is so fun to see them interact and play as well as it gives me a little of a break! ;-)

My little princess!
She wants to do what Jackson does...even if it means climbing up a tall slide!

My handsome Jackson posing on the Tori.
Gotta love the Shisha dogs! This one keeps the evil spirits out. (Hence it's mouth is shut.)

Grace is starting to walk! ;-)

I'm back to the blogging world! It has been so long since I have blogged...I believe almost a month! My mom was here for 5 1/2 weeks and we had SO much fun with her here. We did so many things, and a couple of new things for all of us. I think this was her 7th trip here, so she has done pretty much everything there is to do on this little island of Okinawa. Who knows, it might be her last, depending on if we move to Europe for next school year. I'll be sure to keep everyone posted as we hear any news the beginning of April. Jackson and Grace had so much fun with her here. Every once in a while my Jackson will say, "I miss GaGa." I tell him that before we know it we will be in the States to see everyone. We were just getting back into the swing of things here at the Scherden house...then Grace got sick with the stomach bug...then Jackson got sick with the stomach bug...then I got sick with the stomach bug, too!! Jason is a ticking time bomb before it is his turn. Jason took off work today to take care of the kids so I could get some rest. And thank the Lord he did, because I would not of been able to do it without him! He is such a sweetheart! I am hoping it doesn't get to him, but it's inevitable being surrounded by sick family members.

While we were hanging out last night, Grace started to take off when she was standing! She only took about 3 or 4 steps before falling, but it was so neat to see! I got a little of it on camera to show her off. She gets so excited when she is about to walk. Hard to believe she is 10 1/2 months old and starting to walk. Time sure does fly with the second child...