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!

Summer Adventures Part 4

This is the village of Sauniatu. Here's a description of it I found in the Liahona:

"The village of Sauniati is tucked in the crater of an extinct volcano. Most of the island’s roads parallel the sea coast; very few lead into the interior. And though it is only four miles from the coast highway, Sauniatu is isolated. You can almost walk as fast as a car can drive up the bouncy, twisting volcanic path that appears to be a giant green tunnel through the lush growth on either side of the trail.

The Samoan word Sauniatu means “a place to prepare.” The early Saints who established Sauniatu had a vision about the importance of this place in the Samoan history of the Church. They knew they needed a place where they could prepare and build strength. In 1904, when they established Sauniatu, they had been expelled from their villages, persecuted, and unfairly taxed for being Mormons. Later they started a school at Sauniatu, and it became one of the Church schools in Samoa."

David O. McKay later visited Sauniatu and pronounced an apostolic blessing upon the village and its inhabitants and prophesied that there would one day be a temple in Samoa. There is a monument dedicated to him there and while we visited we could hear the school students reciting their lessons.

Sauniatu also has a beautiful waterfall. When my family visited nearly 15 years ago we were able to swim in the pool and play in the waterfall. Now you have to climb down about six feet of slippery rock to get to the water so we passed this time. It really is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.

This is Piula Caves where you can swim in fresh water caves. The water was quite chilly but the girls braved the cold anyway. About halfway through the cave there is a place where you can swim under the wall into an adjoining cave. The hole is at your feet so you have to swim to the bottom then swim/pull yourself through a relatively small hole. I was slightly freaked out by it but figured I would never get the chance again so I ought to suck it up and do it. It really wasn't that scary once I actually did it. You don't have to hold your breath very long and it's pretty fun. I swam through to the other cave where my dad was waiting and then sent my dad back to the other side to stay with the girls while Devon swam through. As my dad went down, Grace appeared through the hole! I couldn't believe she was brave enough to do it! I was quite proud of her. She's lucky her dad was on the other side with her because I'm not sure I even would have allowed her to do it.

Summer Adventures Part 3

We spent two fabulous weeks in Samoa with my parents. What an amazing opportunity to visit them on their mission. We were so excited to see them and when someone asks the girls what the best part about going to Samoa is the answer is always, "Seeing Gammy and Papa." I have so many fabulous pictures and stories that I will have to cover Samoa in several posts.

Getting to Samoa was not the easiest thing we've done. We left L.A. at 11:15 and the flight is 1o hours. That's a long time with a one-year-old. Luckily we sat on the bulkhead row and on the wall in front of us was a pull-down bassinet, similar to a changing table in a public restroom but with a mattress and sides. Right before we took off, the flight attendant told me I couldn't have my diaper bag for take-off because it didn't fit below the seat so she stowed it somewhere for me. Claire finished her bottle just as we were taking off. I sat her up to burp and she vomited everywhere. This was not just a little spit-up either; it was her entire bottle. So I stripped her down to her diaper, tried to wipe us up with the one burp rag we had and figured that would have to do until I could get my bag back. Five minutes later Claire pushed her head back and was out cold. So she slept in a diaper, which worked out just fine. She slept for 6-7 hours, which was about all we could ask for from her. She was amazing.

Claire's first airplane ride to L.A.

Looking a little haggard but happy to be seconds away from seeing Gammy and Papa.

Here's what we did on our first day in Samoa:

Learned how to open a coconut.

Went to the market with Papa. They have the most delicious miniature bananas called misi luki. They stay sweet and delicious for days.

Enjoyed the view from the backyard.

Napped.

Went to the beach.

Snorkeled.

Ate dinner in the ocean (just Claire).

Made some new friends.
Had a grand time all day and crashed into our beds about 7:30.