Spring and Easter

Tiberias trying Japanese food. 

Easter event on base :

Athena is a smart girl. And as much as she loves the Easter bunny she noticed this year that the Easter bunny was a costume (the back gives it away). She asked me, "Mom, is the Easter bunny real?" I knew the question was coming because I saw her face...the moment she realized it was a costume.

I told her the truth and she was okay with it. I will miss her magical relationship with the Easter bunny...that might be gone now.

We moved into our new house a few days before Easter. I took the kids to an Easter egg hunt and party that was within walking distance from our home. It was a nice day and we had a great time!

We saw a Denny's off base. So, we had to try it out! It was like no Denny's you'll ever see in the states!
It was a Japanese style Denny's. The food was Japanese. The only pancakes on the menu were three mini pancakes in the desert section. The kids menu was more Americanized. They actually offered a hamburger and a pancake. Athena and Luke both ordered the kids pancake which came as a single little pancake. Japanese people don't eat much breads or sugars.

The kids' menu was cute with little animal clipart. The Japanese love their cartoon characters!

I have eaten so much Japanese food lately that I felt I needed a break. So I ordered the only Italian dish on the menu...pasta. Sterling got this meal...

Athena helped me get started in painting her bedroom. The boys were at school when I put color onto their bedroom walls. The paint I bought from the Japanese store. And it was bagged. They sold bags of precolored paints. hehe

Today Sterling took us to see some cool these Japan has to offer. Distance wise it wasn't far but the GPS warned us that it would take an hour to get there (due to traffic). That is normal for Japan. Where we live it takes a long time to drive anywhere!

Miyagase Dam has a huge park practically attached to it. We drove there. The park is called Aikawa Park.
Spring flowers are starting to die so I am very thankful to be able to see them before they wilt too much. And next year I will be able to enjoy them from the beginning of flower season.

There was a hill of flowers:

We walked around the park looking for the playground. We found the flower hill, the air bubble, the bridges, the dam but no park. The walk up the flower hill was a workout but then we took it further, turning it into an all out hike, by going the rest of the way up to the dam. Sterling wanted to see it. Only Sterling. But we love him so we went along.

 Tiberias was acting like a ninja and practicing flips and rolls too...

 They had a vending machine for hot foods!

 An Athena sized ice cream cone...

At the top the kids and I were so tired we were happy to see an elevator to take us back down. So, we did that...hoping it would take us close to one of the places we started at (a short walk to the parking lot). It was lunch time and we were hungry. Our lunch was in the van.

When we got down the elevator and out of the dam wall it let us off in we were not sure where we were. We had another hike and being lost to get from there to our lunch.
It started to rain and we were lost. By that point we were starving. There were maps randomly posted throughout the park...but they were confusing for some reason.
We found ourselves leaving the park and entering the town (homes and cars). But a park sign right there told us the fastest way to our car was to leave the park and walk the rural streets.

We hid under some trees for ten minutes but the rain did not stop. So we hiked into the town trying to find our way. It wasn't easy. It wasn't quick. But we made it to the parking lot alive. With three starving children and one grouchy mama.
Sterling probably knew it was all his fault for taking us up to the dam and then leading us further and further from where we wanted to be. So he kept telling the kids about how this was an adventure and adventures don't happen without trials. I'm not sure if it helped the kids keep going but I appreciated his attitude. He could have been grouchy like me but he wasn't.

Panoramic shot of the lower part of the dam:

At the car we ate our lunches and then decided that since it had stopped raining we would go attempt one more time to find the giant playground. Once we found it and the kids started playing the rain began again.

Here are Ster and I hiding under a gazebo to get out of the rain...cozy and cute. The kids...they were out in the rain on the playground. And if you saw this playground you wouldn't blame them. It was huge and amazing!

When we got back to the military base around 3pm I noticed a facebook message that said "The Avengers are at the BX until 4pm!"  So Sterling dropped me off at the house and the kids changed out of their rain wet clothes. Sterling took them to meet the Avengers...
The god of thunder was moved by Athena's sweetness in wanting hugs from him:

Tony Stark and Iron man :

Antman:

Captain Marvel and Captain America:

Black Widow and Captain Marvel:

Spiderman!

Did you notice? All of the characters are played by Asians. :)

Where was I? I was at home trying to take a nap. I don't sleep well at night because I have a shoulder injury that flares up at night. I've had this problem since December. I must have hurt it during a workout session.
I finally went to see a Dr. about it because it is just not getting better. He believes I hurt myself and then overstretched another muscle or joint trying to overcompensate.

The Dr. had to find out exactly where the pain was coming from. So he poked and prodded until I was in pain. I was in pain the rest of the day. And that night, it increased 10 fold. Ibuprofen did not help with the pain. So, for two nights now I have not slept much.
I am waiting for a call from physical therapy to set up an appointment. Hopefully they will help me get back to normal so I can sleep at night, workout my left arm normally again and be healthy!