Busy and Fun Week

This past week was VBS at our chapel and that meant waking up each morning by 6:45 so we could get everyone up, fed and dressed before leaving and getting things ready.  We were on the go most of the day so our meals this week were leftovers or super easy 15 minute prep meals followed by some family fun each night.  Some nights we jumped on the trampoline others learned how to climb walls and one night was movie night.  We learned how to Strand Strong with God and as the week progressed and many volunteers had emergencies come up and miss and we got to see God help the leaders stand strong!  So thankful for friends on the island I could call up to help serve - Abby and Grace came and helped in crews and stations and loved on the kids!  On Thursday we presented the gospel and 3 kids accepted Jesus which was pretty awesome!!!  The kids were begging to go back to chapel on Saturday and were disappointed when they found we won't be going back everyday next week.

Saturday for fun we went to the Japanese pool - one of the favorite places for the girls.

 

Molly loved being in the big kid class

Running around in high heels - what every girls does, right??

Something I am more comfortable with -
Climbing walls without high heels!

Family de-stress time

McNinja.
Maybe 6:45 5 days in a row was a little much for some!

Saturday fun - Japanese pool

Rockin the swim caps

Daddy throwing the water toys

Birthday Fun

For my birthday this year I got to celebrate with over 50 kids from our chapel.  Knowing that Jon and I planned on a low key afternoon and night since he had the day off.  Let me just saying directing and being an active volunteer are a little different but still a lot of fun.  So glad Jon had the day off so he could help me on the first day.  The girls love it and Molly already has some of the songs memorized.  Her favorite being Soon and Very Soon - she gets excited and screams the words.  For dinner we went to Chili's and then came home for cake.  Jon and the girls picked out Smurf decorations with blue icing to celebrate.  Riley told her first joke at dinner - she pointed to me said you are daddy and started laughing.  I asked why she laughed and she said joke then kept repeating it and laughing.  All in all it was a fun day.

 

Kindgom Rock - VBS!!

 

Good Day

Fun times

Birthday Fun

More Birthday Fun

Facebook vs. the Blog

While I love the blog I am battling facebook and its instant gratification.   I click a picture write a note about it and family get to see part of our life.  The only problem is I can't print a book form of that out at the end of the year.  So I am trying to be more on top of the blog - that being said naptime which is also dinner prep, workout time, clean up and my free time is really the only time I get to sit down at the computer and write so it has been pushed off for a bit.  The girls and I continue to see the island with friends and drag Jon around.  How do I know we get out - one day where we needed to stay home the first thing Molly tells Jon when he gets home is that we haven't left the house the entire day. I love day trip adventures especially when we get to go with friends.  Today we ventured to the aquarium with our neighbor who invited a friend she met working out who also invited a friend and it was actually some of our friends - BONUS! 

Life with 3 small kids is a lot the same anywhere with the added bonus we can run to the beach for a few hours and get back for naptime.

I have enrolled the girls in a Christian Japanese school where the big 2 will go 2 days a week.  Riley's class is on the second floor and the fire escape is a slide to the playground which they practice daily for safety reasons - how awesome is that???

 

Here is photos of the past month - ordinary life in the McP house.

On a side note Riley got her first black eye - must be something about being 2 in this family that was a rough year for Molly's head!

 

 

Playtime most mornings finding all the toys that we cleaned up before bed time

Where I earned my SCUBA certification.
Dive buddy day 1 was Bones from Sweden
Dive buddy day 2 was Malta from Wiesbaden Germany

Art time

The loudest by far, wakes up crying, goes down crying and cries sympathy tears if anyone else is crying.

Popcorn after church

Standing in the ice cream freezer - coldest place on the island

Swinging

Beach bible study days

Art wall with all our artwork

birthday party and everyone needed a big kid seat

This was before the panda took her head off
showed herself to be a man inside and was held back from beating another man.
Ahh family friendly entertainment

Because who doesn't want their food shaped like a panda?

Black eye - don't head dive off the couch into the basket.

Modeling new PJ

Pirate ship beach park next to the new preschool

My little ladybug

Aquarium with friends!!

4th of july, scuba and family fun

Fun times are happening all over this island:)  For the past 2 weeks Molly has participated in swim class and LOVED it.  But that means many of our days were spent at the pool because it takes so much effort to get out the door we packed a picnic lunch and would spend a few hours there.  We got a break for the 4th and went to the aquarium with some friends to celebrate their daughters birthday.  While up in that area we got some Pizza in the Sky and it was just as good the second time.
 Also I started my SCUBA class and it is awesome!!  The first 5 minutes were a little rough - not gonna lie.  If things had not gotten better I probably would have stopped but I finally figured out the breathing and being calm part.  I can now take my mask off, take my regulator out and find it, do an emergency assent and rescue dive (but hoping those last two are never needed).  After a day at the pool we moved to the open water and got to redo all our lessons under the sea.  I saw an octopus, orangutan shrimp (rare sighting so said my instructor), sea snake (not excited about that), and all of nemo's friends and family.  I have now spent 1:58 minutes under water and have 2 more dives until I am certified, then we will get Jon certified and going diving together at least once! 
Other things going on in life:
The girls love playing with each other and must always have a purse.  While doing a clean up this afternoon during nap time I found 20 purses downstairs and that doesn't count those hoarded up in their room:)
We continue to find awesome parks to play at all over down.  This weeks find had a zip line, workout equipment, shallow pool and roller slide.
I found a place that gives 9 scoops of ice cream for 500 yen on the 9,19 and 29 of the month.  So we went and I am glad they had a picture menu! They give you a card and you mark the 9 you want unless you can read a lick of Japanese then they give you a picture menu to choose from.  Green tea and one other were not so great but the rest tasted pretty good.
Molly's friend Ayla is leaving the island and going to NC (to her friends as she says).  So for her birthday we made some busy bags which were a flight lifesaver for us.  Friends gave us ours for the girls birthday and now we got to do the same.

Happy 4th from the McP

McP's and the whale

Sisters love to play dress up with their live baby doll

Exciting days make dinner so hard to stay awake for

9 scoops!!
Note to self - don't get green tea ice cream:(

Enjoying our 9 scoops

BUGS - the locals are running around trying to catch them

First day of SCUBA class!!

Getting a workout while at the park

Busy bags for friends leaving us soon

Potty Training Fun

Looking through my pictures we came across this video and have had some laughs!!  I didn't realize I caught her accident on video until now.  Enjoy!

Love being out and about

The girls and I find something to do every day that is out in town.  I love getting to experience the culture and it wears them out so they take 3 hours naps every afternoon so I can workout, clean house and do dinner prep in peace!!  Here are some snapshots of our past week - enjoy:)

 

 

Park thanks to Stroller Warriors and a 40 minute run/walk.
They make it so the kids find the benefit of mom exercising!!

The last Friday of the month we celebrate birthdays - yet another reason the girls love me exercising

Awesome slide - all she had to endure was sitting in the bob for 40 minutes

Her too - one day she will get kicked out and Kelly get her spot

Molly found the camera at the pool and took a few pictures of herself:)

mini-zoo, eggs and a crazy lizard thing - what more could you want??

Oh yeah custard at the end

Why you need to shop at the local farmers market - not only fresh but CHEAPER!
Basil on left $1 grown on island.  Basil on right from the commissary $1.79
Glad I have friends who showed me the ropes

Everyone on their phone on the trampoline.
Kelly is only mad because I had Molly grab her for a picture - I promise!!

Beach day with our bible study group

Playdate with some friends we made at a community center.

I am trying to let them help cook at least twice a week.
Nutella cheesecake and dump cake were the creations this week

Trampolines and water - oh so fun!!

Prize for accident free days.
 

Seriously almost nightly we go out on the trampoline for family fun

And Riley hangs out of my lap instead of jumping