Nurture and Nature

Grandpa enjoys (endures?) a game of Candy Land with Logan.

I’m telling you, this girl’s got personality!

Grandma reads the kids a story before bed.

At the entrance to the Prefectural Museum, both the kids were a little unsettled by the see-through floors and aquatic scenes underneath.

Photo session!  Mom Sharp requested a family shot and Janet kindly obliged.

Okinawa tree lizard.

Naomi exults in her triumph over nature.

Of course, it’s helpful that said “nature” is actually very friendly.

Henry and Janet headed off to China.  I’m not sure our next adventure was quite as fabulous as theirs, but we enjoyed it anyways.  Pictures of Manzamo Point and snorkeling coming next!

Checking Off the List

Our to-do list on island is getting pretty short, which is good, but there are still a few more places we want to check out before we leave.  We hit up another playground that I’d heard about while Henry and Janet were here.

This one was a little further away from the house, which is why it had been on the to-do list for a while without us getting around to it.

This is the view from the top of that rock structure in the previous picture.  While the roller slide is nice and long, it was, unfortunately, rather slow. 

Lots of fun places to climb too.  (Red shirt—Logan, blue shirt—Naomi.  Yes, Naomi did scale that net all by herself.)

There were some interesting obstacles . . .

and fun peekaboo spots.

As a bonus, this pasty white American cameraman was filming a couple of karate masters in a field near the playground.

As we get ready to leave, Logan climbs the stairs inside the rock formation for one last trip down the slide.

Bye for now!

Round 2

We actually rated a second visit from Henry and Janet!  I really didn’t think anyone in their right mind would want to make that trip out here twice, but they managed to coordinate seeing us and taking a trip to China afterwards.

 

There haven’t been as many good pictures of Logan recently (he’s been hard to catch), so I’ll give you a double-dose here.

 

Naomi got some good grandpa snuggles.

More snuggles with Henry.  Errrr . . . wait, different Henry.  Whatever, he’s still snuggly.

They requested we take them to the Wonder Museum and we were happy to oblige.

Peas in a pod . . . or something like that.

The kids always have such a good time here; I love it!

We hadn’t been to this place in a LONG time.  Jake and I went to Fukushu-en when we first got on island.  It was nice to get back there with Henry and Janet and show them something they didn’t see the first time around.

The gardens were just as nice as I remembered them, very tranquil.  Even with the kids!

     Smile everyone!

  Exquisite.

Across from the gardens, Logan shows off one of his new playground skills.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not to be outdone, Naomi would like to remind you that she is only 14 months old and already sitting on the swing by herself.

 

More adventures of the extended Wilde’s coming soon!

Another Episode . . .

of your two favorite munchkins.

We headed out looking for a kimono exposition and instead found a small kimono sale, a marching band competition, and a great place for a picnic lunch.  The fountain/courtyard that Logan is overlooking was in front of the kimono sale area.

Of course we found a playground as well.  How could you doubt that?

Logan and Naomi were both really interested in watching the marching bands warm up but I was too busy alternately making sure neither of them got trampled on and responding to the “Kawaii!!!” cries to get any good pictures of them watching the bands.

      
Back at home, we get a glimpse at a few of the many faces of Naomi.

These are both faces of pure concentration.  Hammering toothpicks into playdough is serious business.

Naomi is VERY interested in books about animals and animal sounds.

We found yet another new playground.  This one was interesting because the whole thing was handicap accessible.  In fact, as we arrived a small group of young people in wheelchairs were just leaving the playground. 

I’d never seen a playground like this before, but it was really interesting and lots of fun.

Look how big Naomi is getting—on the swing all by herself!  And look at that great, big brother smile!

Summer is Fading, but the Living is Still Easy

Just kicking up my legs and looking at a book.  Life is good!

I see trees of green and red roses too, I see them bloom for me and you, And I think to myself . . . what a wonderful day for a bike ride to the playground! 

Playground = obstacle course for the expert bike rider.

Logan’s friend Isabel launches herself off the highest platform.

And nearby, Naomi tries to figure out how she can fly too.  

   Nothing unusual.  Just a really nice day.

Sorry about the recent slow-down of posts here.  Other projects took precedence for a while, and frankly, I lost my motivation.  I was determined to get caught up before we went to Thailand but then that fell through and blogging didn’t seem quite so urgent.

Really, though, you shouldn’t complain—I’ve already posted far more this year than I ever have.

One more for the road.