Summer Adventures Part 9

This was our last night in Samoa. I have to say it was not fun to say goodbye again. (It didn't help that I was getting on an airplane for a ten-hour flight with three kids at midnight.) We feel very blessed and grateful for the opportunity to spend two fabulous weeks with my parents on their mission and to have created such a wonderful memory for my kids. Thanks Gammy and Papa!

After Samoa we headed to Bear Lake. It was quite sad to be there without Gammy and Papa (and a lot more work!) but we had some friends to keep us company. The Robles family joined us for the first part of our trip and we played countless games, played at the beach, swam in the pool, ate tasty food and thoroughly enjoyed each others' company. Then we got the stomach flu. That was not so fun!







We also had a visit from the Stephens. Unfortunately, our time with them was cut quite short because we shared the stomach flu. Major bummer!!


Thanks to our friends for joining us and thanks to Gammy and Papa for use of their house!

Summer Adventures Part 8

Devon was only able to stay in Samoa for one week but the girls and I stayed an extra week and thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with my parents. We played lots of games, hunted for seashells, did crafts and even went to tea. The following picture is my girls at tea with Sister Wendt. She hosts a formal tea party at her house every week. Her husband was the Samoan ambassador to the U.S. and she collected a whole bunch of tea sets because they were hosting foreign dignitaries. (Hope I have that story right, Mom.) So now she serves tea and food every Wednesday. It was so fun to have an actual tea party. And yes, I'm a complete nerd, and took pictures of the food because it was so beautiful (tasty too).






Inside this beautiful little package were scones. In the little cups are whipped cream and lemon curd to put on the scones. I had never eaten lemon curd before--it is delicious! In fact, the next night my mom and I went to a Relief Society meeting (formerly Enrichment) and Sister Wendt taught us all how to make lemon curd. Somehow I got home without my recipe so I'm hoping my mom still has hers!

Little sandwiches and quiches.

Super tasty cream puffs.

(And thanks to Papa for watching Claire so we could go to tea!)

Summer Adventures Part 7

We stopped one day at this gorgeous waterfall. I'm not sure I've ever seen a prettier view.

The girls trying their hand at some Samoan drums.

One of the best things we did on this trip was give away goody bags to kids. Before we left for Samoa the girls and I prepared bags full of candy, balloons and toys to distribute to the kids in the villages. My parents also had some books that our ward had donated and sent that we gave out. The kids weren't quite sure what to think of us at first but once they realized what we were doing their faces lit up and they were so excited. These are children who have very little so it was like Christmas to them. What fun!

This picture will give you an understanding of what these little goody bags meant to the kids. This is their house:

Don't you love their school uniforms? Every school is a different color.

More playing at the beach.

One day we drove out to the area affected by the tsunami. Shockingly, my parents said this is much improved from when they were first here. There used to be little to no vegetation at all and there was garbage everywhere. Still looks pretty bad to me.

This was a brand new LDS church that was destroyed by the wave.

Summer Adventures Part 6

(Are you starting to wonder if our summer adventures will ever end? We're just getting started-- at this point we still had a month to go!)

We went with Papa one morning to the fish market. You have to go early in the morning while the fish are fresh. I thought it was fascinating, but I'm sure you can tell from Grace's face that this was not her favorite place. Don't you wish it were scratch-n-sniff?!

This is Return to Paradise Beach, named after the movie that was filmed here. Isn't it beautiful?! Unfortunately, our memories of this beach are not so beautiful. The ocean at this beach almost made me a widow. Devon was snorkeling and got caught in the current and carried out to where the waves were breaking. There is no way, with my limited writing abilities, to truly express how frightening this was. Without question it was the scariest thing that has ever happened to me. Devon finally managed to clutch onto some coral, rest, and say a prayer before swimming to meet my Dad. His legs were completely bloodied from the coral but he was alive!

Devon and I had the pleasure of attending the temple thanks to some babysitting from Gammy and Papa. It is one of the most beautiful temples I have ever seen. The glass work, carpets, and lighting are amazing.

Summer Adventures Part 5

One morning my parents kept Claire while the rest of us went to visit the Robert Louis Stevenson home. The author spent the last part of his life in Samoa. He had a great love for the Samoan people and they for him. The house is set up as it was when he lived there and they give tours of the house. It's beautiful, as are the grounds.



Later that night we stopped on the way to dinner to feed some turtles. It was such a blast. The turtles preferred the papaya we brought and my kids were so brave! I have a series of pictures that I didn't dare post of me trying to feed the turtles then screaming and jumping away when it gets close. Totally embarrassing but my kids had no fear.




In this picture the turtles started fighting and completely drenched my kids. It was hilarious.




After the turtles we drove out to a resort for dinner (can't remember the name). We were trying to catch the sunset and were thwarted by some clouds, but it was beautiful nonetheless.

She had no idea the flower was there and wore it all through dinner. A true Samoan baby!