Memorial Day Weekend Camping Escapede

Jen's family and ours (me and the three kids) packed half of our houses and headed up to Whidbey I
sland on the Memorial Day weekend for our annual camping trip!  This is our third time camping together and Saya decided to join this time.  I always look forward to our camping trip because it's a lot of fun bonding and playing plus it whips my spoiled butt into shape.  It is not uncomfortable because Jen's family has some nice gears like mini oven and mosquito net equipped canopy, but we have to live with what we could bring.  There certainly isn't a dish washer and we have to be creative to keep ourselves warm at night.  All those work which sounds inconvenient is actually refreshing to me and makes me appreciate the life I have at my cozy home. 

The children were super happy of course.  We stayed at Deception Pass State Park and it is one of the most beautiful camp ground around.  It is located on the north tip of the Whidbey and surrounded by two beaches called West and North beaches.  We can see Canada from the West beach and it reminded me how far north we are.   Our lot was large which allowed us to park two cars comfortably and had no neighbor on one side, which was really nice.  The kids explored the woods a bit pretending they are training for an army.  Saya was happy the older kids promoted her to general. 

We ran into Sean's friend from school at the West beach and that was kind of fun.  The rainy beach was beautiful - the dark sky and roaring waves created a melancholic atmosphere.  Kids were in their own sunny place though, building a fort with beach logs.  The rain didn't bother them at all despite being cold.  There were many pretty rocks as well which looked more like river rocks with smooth surface and rounded corners.  The girls collected some for their souvenir. 

The meal time was a bit chaotic, but that is part of the fun in camping!  Jen and I decided we are going to eat well, so Jen grilled up Korean barbecue one night and I... what did I make?  I honestly cannot remember what I cooked one night.  Oh gosh, it must have been deleted from my memory for good...  All I know is that we ate very well and didn't settle for any instant meals.  The best part of eating,at least for kids were, Kevin's s'mores.  I had one on my gluten free bread and I must say that he roasts the marshmallows perfectly.  He never burns them and waits until marshmallow becomes like a melting ice cream,  Just as they hang dangerously from the roasting stick, he catches it with the chocolate and graham crackers.  Yummy, they were so good!

The weather was not perfect but it turned sunny on the last day.  We headed to the North beach and had a picnic there on the beach.  Kids had a lot of fun building another fort with beach logs and dog watching.  We could see the famous Deception Pass Bridge from the beach and were admiring the view.  The bridge was built in 1935 and still looks quite elegant after 81 years.  There were many tourists at the North beach and they were all walking to the same direction towards the West beach.  We wondered what they are going to do there.  We had a nice relaxing time at the beach. 

The unpacking took a lot long but of course we were bit sad about leaving.  The Collins can't camp next year, so we have to go camping on our own next time.  That kind of got me thinking, maybe if we have a RV, Noah can come camping, too.  I checked out some RVs online and an used RV for a party of six is about $28k.  It is a lot of money and I cannot justify to purchase it to save money for travel, however for the memories we make with kids it might be worth it.  The kids are growing up so fast and soon they will be in teenage years in which  they prefer to hang out with their friends than parents.  I guess I need to start buying lottery or start getting busy taking more pictures! 

Thanks Collins for the wonderful time!  I love camping!!

Recent Photography Happenings

My photography business is a bit slow since I am not advertising it much lately, actually not at all.  My focus is at school and day to day activities a bit too much and haven't had time to work on my business.  What can I say!?  The end of school year period is always crazy!  I did have a couple of opportunities to shoot though so my creative side is still alive and well.  Maybe I should rent a studio so that I have to be serious about committing to this business.  Any Bellevue photographers out there looking for a studio space? 

First set of pictures are from the family portrait session I had in May.  They were taken in local trail, so it was quite dark.  I was able to find some patches of sunshine and took advantage of them.  The family is gorgeous.  The children, in particular the daughter is stunning!   She is a great model just like her Mom!

The second set of photos are from the Transgender Film Festival in Seattle.  I was asked to take photos of the event and although it was a long assignment, it was a lot of fun.  I had the longest headache spell in my life from the tense neck carrying my camera.  I need to learn to properly carry my heavy camera.  The headache did not go away until I went to see Dr. Owen, my Chiropractor.  He was surprised how messed up I was!  I need to stretch and strengthen neck, arm and shoulder muscles if I want to take a job that lasts many hours.  I learned my lesson!

Flag Football

Sean has been playing flag football in a local league since April.  It's a breeze compared to the tackle football he played for the past two years.  No gears, just clothes and mouthpiece.  The practice and game are combined to one day, so it is only once a week.  Sean likes it because he doesn't have to wear heavy pads and helmet and his best friend is in his team, too.  This week is his last game and it's a playoff!  Sean has been playing good enough, but the team has more losses than wins.  Mike says there are several good players, but many of them are not so motivated.  I was hoping his team is more aggressive, but it is what it is.  Sean himself is not that type, either.  He is so skinny just like how I was when I was a kid.  He has a low muscle tone and although his is light, he doesn't have the power.  I am working very hard to put on muscle with yoga, too, and I can just imagine how he will be as a teen - unless, Mike's gene kicks in after puberty!  He wants to do basketball this summer, so I will find a class for him.  Life with a pre-teen sporty boy is a busy life.  I am glad he enjoys being active outside!

Happy 7th Birthday, Saya!

This is what Saya had to say about her party.

In my birthday, I played a game. I really liked it. It was fun.  My favorite part was eating.  My favorite food was the chocolate cream cookies,  I had a chocolate kitty cake with strawberry cream filling.  My Mommy made it for me.  All of my friends came to my birthday party.  After eating we went outside to play.  We played on the see-saw and the swing.  We also rode on the little tricycles.  I had a good party.  I liked all the presents, too!

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Saya celebrated her 7th birthday with friends at home.  Most of her friends from school came and she had lots of fun celebrating with her pals.  Little girls can party hard, is what I learned!  We had a good time though.  I hoped Mike stayed to help out but he cleverly left and I was alone with 10 little girls.  We played scavenger hunt, did flip flop craft and piñata on the deck.  A little girl bumped her head and kept crying and I felt so bad for her.  Since I was by myself I couldn't properly comfort her and that is one regret I have about the day.  She was OK though and I think I will invite her for a playdate again so that she won't have a bad memory about being at our house :-)

Saya at 7:

- She does not like to lose and she will throw a massive tantrum when others do better than her. 
- She enjoys writing short stories about animals.  Her funniest or craziest story she wrote is "Go to War" and it's a story about a dog named Lily who wants to go to a war and fight.
- She is a very good student.  Focused and always score perfect on spelling and geography.
- She started saying "I don't care!" when I tell her something.  I do not like that.
- Her favorite food is cheese pizza.  She tends to like creamy things like cheese and I wonder if she will have a cholesterol problem in the future.  I need to make sure I teach good eating habits.
- She still has the cutest bottom.
- She hates frozen.
- Her favorite toy is Lego.  She wants to be like her brother and build neat things with it.
- She says she wants to be a Vet. 
- She likes gymnastics and working hard to get to the next level. 
- Her favorite animal is arctic fox.
- Her favorite book is "Sheep" by Valerie Hobbs. 
- Her reading level is L or it could be higher by now.  She is a very good reader!

Spring Hike

My family and I enjoy going on a hike together to the nearby trails.  Pacific Northwest is blessed with beautiful mountains, ocean, lakes, rainforests, deserts etc...  There are abundance of trails near our house and we try take advantage of it whenever we can.  Our city is situated near three mountains, Tiger, Couger and Squak.  I would love to climb one of those mountains with the kids someday, maybe in a couple of years.  Saya seems to think she is still light as a toddler and asks me to carry her when she is tired.  The baby of the family likes to act like a baby whenever it's convenient for her to do so.  She slows down when she is tired and even a short walk can take a long time with her.

On Mother's Day, we went on a hike to a loop in the base of Tiger Mountain.  I like to hike in the area because there are varying landscapes and relatively flat.  It is so close to our place, about 10 minutes drive, yet very quiet and peaceful.  We exchanged "Happy Mother's Day" to all the Moms hiking and that put all of us in good smiley mood.  Mr. Noah was walking quite nicely and didn't try to run away.  The narrow pathway through the forest let him stay on track and he was keeping himself busy by jumping onto logs and climbing rocks.  That boy enjoys climbing and he was able to swiftly climb onto high rocks which my other children hesitated.  He was showing off his talent to his siblings and I think they were impressed!

I took some beautiful pictures of the trees and plants.  Nature is marvelous.  The lively greens, rustic browns, bright yellows and shadowy black were all so breathtaking.  I was not initially into nature photography, but I enjoy capturing uniqueness of the shapes and colors now, finding the special art in the abundance of natural beauty.  Saya was starting to whine and the last stretch of the walk took forever.  We somehow made it back to the car though and headed out to Redmond to try the new Molly Moon ice cream shop that came to the Eastside.  Molly Moon is a local and organic ice cream chain with some unique flavors such as strawberry and balsamic vinegar ice cream.  My favorite is maple walnut and that is what I had.  Kids all had melted chocolate ice cream and they loved it.  It's not probably best for dieters, but I am so happy they came to Redmond.  In fact, Mike has been taking kids there every weekend now because he wants to eat it.  I am willing to eat light all day and have Molly Moon for dinner. 

So, we had a great hiking Mother's day!

April is Gone!

Oh boy, April was a terrible month to be blogging.  I have to work my butt off to get this blog back on track! 

I hope you are having a great spring or fall if you live in the southern hemisphere.  Mike and I lived in Australia for three years, so I am used to thinking about our friends in the opposite season countries :-).  We have been having a great weather this year or had been I must say, as the rainy weather returned with cool temperature since last Saturday.  It has something to do with El Nino (I want to put the wavy line over the "n" but I am too lazy to do it) or his sister La Nina, that this summer is going to be a very hot one and the winter harsh with lower temperature.  I do like the hot summer since I hardly get to wear my T-shirt when Seattle has a cool summer.  The girls get to wear their cute sun dresses and what not to love about cute little girls in sunny dresses ?!

Where do I begin?  I had my birthday in the early April and that passed quietly with my family, a few presents and a chocolate ice cream cake.   I didn't eat the cake because I am gluten free now.  I am not sure if I wrote this before, but I've decided to go gluten free since February.  I don't have severe allergy to wheat or anything but it makes me feel very bloated after consuming pasta or bread.  I've decided to test to see if the bloating goes away and it went away in about a week after I stopped consuming wheat.  I've made many mistakes thinking certain food does not contain gluten but my tummy always let me know afterwards.  I am now better at choosing what to eat and I feel a lot better!  I also lost about 12 pounds since going gluten free.  I eat healthier consuming more vegetables than rice.  I was surprised how easily I could give up the carbs.   I was a typical Japanese who could eat lots of rice, definitely too much rice.  I still eat rice but not as much as I used to.  It's as if I was released from the spell of carbs and I am able to make food choices with clearer head than before. 

On one sunny day in April, it was in fact the last Saturday of the kids' spring break, Mike and I took the kids to a native animal zoo near the glorious Mount Rainer.  It was a beautiful day and we were determined to enjoy it outside in a place we have never been to before.  Mike and I argue sometimes about visiting new places.  I love to explore visiting places I have never been before whereas Mike is just as happy going to the same old place.  Note that I inserted the word "old" in there :-).  On the night before, we got in an argument about where to go since Mike didn't want to go anywhere far for the sake of visiting a "new place".  I exclaimed to him as he walked to the bedroom that I will find a place within an hour and half of driving that is new and fun.  And I did.  I was so proud of myself that I wanted to wake him up to tell him, but knew it certainly would not go well so I stopped.  He has so much to be thankful without even knowing it, right?

The zoo was a lot of fun.  There were a lot of people since it was a spring break for many in the area, but the park was big enough with plenty of space for kids to run around.  Then animals were all native animals and many of them were hiding somewhere in their enclosures.  They blended into their area so well, it was like playing find the animal game every time.  The bears were sleeping near the viewing area though and being cute rolling around in the hay.  The zoo has a large kids' play area with water fall, man-made creeks, and a giant tree house in the middle.  The four children went nuts over it.  It was hard to keep track of Noah as he moved fast amongst the crowd of children, but he was having so much fun.  Mike and I teamed up and he took charge of upper area and I watched him in the lower area.  The kids were sweating and getting red-cheeked.  They would have played all day in there though if we let them. 

As much as we like the place, the bus tour we took at the end of the visit tarnished the enthusiasm of the day.  The tour took us to the large property they converted to a nature reserve with free roaming native animals such as deer and mountain goats.  The first 20 minutes was fun, but then realized that the tour was an hour and half long!  It was educational, but being stuck in the hot bus for 90 minutes was a little too much for an easily excited person like me.  Even the kids were asking when it is going to be over.  A baby on the bus was crying and we had enough of listing to this habitat and that habitat.  All the passengers looked so happy when we finally got off the bus.  I realized then why the passengers coming off the bus were smiling big when we were waiting to board.   I gave a good luck glance at the people waiting in line.   They have no idea, I thought...

Our April story will continue to the next post.  I will post it within 3 days I promise so stay tuned!

Spring Happenings 2

Good evening everyone.  We had a gorgeous Saturday here and we went on a family hike to a nearby mountain this afternoon.  It's one of those days which I felt content being a Mommy to four children, despite all the quarrels and noisiness that are permanently stuck in my ear at all time.  It's a miracle how a beautiful weather turns the crankiest to a cheerful butterfly.  I even took a bunch of pictures which I will share later in this post.

Falling behind in my post on this blog become a source of stress, so I am doing something about it today not to fall father behind.  I enjoy writing and it gives me a challenge and stimulate my otherwise autopilot neuron pathways in my brain.  The Psychologist I saw in the past told me that I am a type of person who needs lots stimulation for my brain to function properly.  I believe it's true.  This blog and my photography are very important part of my well being.  I may slow down in frequency in some months, but I will keep writing as long as I am well and alive.  It would be amazing if I could write say, for 40 years.  Maybe it will have some historic value plus a great gift for my family in the future.

To continue with the last post, I will post the pictures from the recent happenings and write a caption for what we did.  It will cover about my Mom's visit, my birthday and kids' spring break.

Sean, Aly and Noah and I took Grandma to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival on the opening weekend.  The traffic was horrible but the kids were pretty good in the car and the spectacular display of tulips made the trip worthwhile.  Just look at those large globes.  The tulip field lit up the land and sky like neon signs and it made me think of the power of plurality and unity. 

These red bulbs were very pretty.  Look at their leaves!  They match the shape of the petals.  How pretty!

The blushing color of pink is so pretty!

Kids were impressed with the beautiful display.  Noah was very good at the farm and when we went to lunch at a nearby town.  He was in fact the best kid!  He followed directions and didn't cry. 

The yellow outline on the petals made this tulip pop. 

One of the many attractive things about tulips is the curves.  The leaves, stems and the petals have beautiful curves like they are in dancing motion.  They seem quiet but has lots of line movements. 

I am not sure how many varieties they had but it seems like there were at least 30.  Every one of them had their own unique elegance.

I do like purple.  My wedding bouquet was purple tulips!

My Mom.  She is 77 this year.  I hope I age like her. 

I will post about my birthday and spring break tomorrow.  Time to sleep for me now!