T-ball

Wilson just finished up his first t-ball season. He had a ball running around with the other kids and looked forward to practice every week. 

Nathan tried out coaching for the first time and was a big hit with the kids. By the end of the 6 weeks, he realized coaching 3-5 year olds is more like herding cattle than doing actual drills. The kids left with a smile every day, so he did a great job.
Here's coach with his assistant. 

M.A.

Part of the reason I've been so terrible at updating the blog lately is that I've been finishing up some work for my masters degree in elementary mathematics education. In the past six months I've completed 24 of the 30 credits I need to graduate. I'm taking a six month break for the baby and will finish up my last few credits in the beginning of next year.

The program I'm doing is online through Western Governors University and I really love it. You can begin a term at any time and you have six months to complete as many credits as you're able to. It's been nice to be able to make my own schedule. The first part of the program was math courses and lesson planning which I loved. The second part has been mostly research focused and I haven't really enjoyed it that much. My remaining credits are part writing and conducting my research project in a classroom and then an oral defense of the project. 

I'm so happy to have a live in tutor on this last research portion. Nathan has been helpful in proofreading my proposal and helping out with the statistics. He's also been a good listener when I go off on one of my it's ridiculous that elementary school teachers are writing research proposals instead of lessons, units or something that would actually be useful rants.

I'm happy to be taking a break for a few months and excited that early next year I'll have finished up my degree. I don't think this picture was necessary, but it is a super nice feeling to go to school in pajamas!

Beppu

 For our last weekend away before the baby comes, we decided to explore a part of Kyushu that we haven't been to. The Beppu and Oita area is about 3 hours east of us and is known for it's hot springs.

 The hot springs are all around the city of Beppu. There is a trek you can do to explore the Beppu no Jigoku or Hells of Beppu, which is what they call the eight best hot spring sites. We decided to just do one and chose Umijigoku, Sea Hell, because it is often voted the most beautiful. It did not disappoint!

Umijigoku is pictured above and named Sea Hell because the water in the spring is a beautiful shade of turquoise. There are a few different spots where you see the hot springs and there was also a lot of other stuff to do on the grounds.

The hot springs didn't smell the greatest. Sorry Leo for all the diaper checks when we first got there!

There were a few lily pad ponds that were really beautiful. At the end of the summer, they have a fun event in a shallow pond where kids can actually stand on the larger lily pads. We saw pictures and it looked pretty cool.

There was a neat trek up through some torii arches to a shrine. 

We stopped for some water along the way.

A lot of onsens, or spas, are in the Beppu area where you can get in the spring or do mud treatments. Umijigoku had a foot bath that was really warm. The boys had fun splashing around in it.

That night, we decided to stay in a traditional Japanese hotel called a ryokan. It was our first time trying out this type of hotel and it was a neat experience. The room was a traditional tatami room with great views of the ocean.

When we left for dinner, we came back to our 'beds' made up on the floor. This is when I started wondering if trying out the ryokan at almost nine months pregnant was a good idea!

There was a public bath on the top floor which is typical of a ryokan. You go upstairs in your robe and there is a shower area in one corner of the public bath. After you get all clean you relax in the large bath area. There is of course a separate area for men and women, but beyond that there isn't much modesty. They also had a family bath area that you rent out by the hour. I went up to check things out but decided the bath was a little too hot for me, but Nathan and Wilson went up and did the whole process together.

In the morning, a traditional Japanese breakfast was included and when we got downstairs we found out that you get served in a private room.

The breakfast was interesting and included all the traditional Japanese favorites. We had rice, hot tea, fish, miso soup and some other vegetables that we can never properly identify. It reminded us a lot of Japanese dinners, which we love, but didn't really want to eat so early in the morning. The presentation was really lovely though.

We spent Sunday driving along the beautiful coast and made it to the easternmost point of Kyushu. For those of you keeping track, we've hit the southern, western and now easternmost points of our island. It was a really neat drive to the point. Can you spot the sea arch in this picture? So cool!

At the point, there was a cool abandoned lighthouse that we had fun exploring.

Wilson was very proud of taking his very first picture at the point.
Your hair looks good Leo!

We had a really fun weekend in the Beppu area. The weather was great and we had a good time exploring the beautiful eastern coast. We'll definitely be back!

Tango no Sekku

On May 5th every year, Japan celebrates Tango no Sekku or Children's Day. It's held during golden week in Japan when there are many festivals going on. Most Japanese get a few days of the week off of school and work to celebrate the beginning of summer and the rainy season. In our area, pottery making is huge so during golden week there are a few towns that shut down every store and have pottery sales in the streets. 

In the weeks before Tango no Sekku, people hang up fish banners like the ones Wilson is holding above to celebrate their kids. You hang a fish for each family member and the banners are all around town.

The base held an event for the kids. Wilson got to pick his kimono and pose in front of the samurai armor which symbolizes strength for the children. He was very excited to look fierce with his sword!

There was a sword dance performed by a local teacher that was really neat. It was amazing how graceful he was while having a pretend fight.

We had a fun Children's Day!

Family visits!

We had such a great time hosting Nathan's Aunt Lynn, Cousin Alison and her husband James for a few days in April! They were in Sasebo at the tail end of their trip to Tokyo and South Korea and we were so happy they came all the way to Sasebo to see us. Japan seems like a small island country, but it is surprisingly spread out. It was no small feat getting here, but we were so grateful they were able to see the part of Japan that we've come to know and love. 

It was a little intimidating planning sites to see since Alison, James and Lynn are all such experienced world travelers, but we did our best to show them our area. We did have so much fun just hanging out at home and catching up. They made a run to our neighborhood bakery every morning, so it was nice starting off each day with a treat and some coffee.

Their first day here we had great weather and it was a whirlwind of activities. We drove an hour north to Hirado Island to check out the castle perched on a windy hill and had an awesome picnic overlooking the bridge to the island.

At Hirado Castle, there were so many blooming flowers. It was really lovely. Leo got a ride through most of the castle grounds from Alison. They were really sweet.

After the castle, we hustled back to Sasebo to catch the 99 Islands boat ride. It was a great day for a boat ride. The wind kept up, but the water was really clear and a gorgeous shade of blue.

That night, we went to one of our favorite restaurants, Za Watami, to celebrate Nathan's birthday. We got rounds and rounds of great food. Alison and Lynn ordered a neat orange drink that required a little work.

The next day, we drove south to Nagasaki to see the atomic bomb site and museum. It was an appropriately gloomy day for the trip and we got a little soaked at the site. A highlight of the day was a hole in the wall lunch spot that we found just wandering around Nagasaki. There was no English menu and the owners didn't speak any either so we kind of pointed around the restaurant at other people's meals to order. It was wonderful!

Back in Sasebo Nathan surprised everyone with a night out to see the Sasebo Beatles on base. Everyone ended up having a blast! Alison's favorite songs were She Roves You and Ret It Be. Lynn kept waiting for Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand - her favorite Beatles song that was recorded in German. It was James' first live concert ever. Nathan was a little disappointed they canceled the Beatles Trivia portion, but he wowed the host with some knowledge and got to bring home some huge posters from the event.

For their last day in Sasebo, we headed up to the top of Mt. Yumihari for the view and to the tiny Log Kit restaurant near the base that is home of the famous Sasebo burger.

We made a final stop at Dazaifu on the way to the airport to do some last minute shopping and see some Japanese bridges and shrines.

Overall, it was a super fun few days with our visitors. We loved every bit of it. Thank you Alison, Lynn and James for coming to visit!