Rachel's Here!

We're so happy to have Rachel here with us.  We might not send her back!  Mom and Dad, if you want her, you'll have to come and get her.  

We're having a great time, and the kids LOVE spending time with auntie Rachel. 

More to come...

Wild Life

Tonight I met an owl.  I was  driving home down our unbearably bumpy dirt road (we could almost justify a Hummer, but wouldn't) when I saw a white figure swoop over the road and land on a telephone wire.  I stopped the car, turned off the lights, and spent a moment admiring the owl.  We locked eyes, and as I felt him looking at me I nervously expected him to swoop down and nab me for dinner.  Glad I'm not a rat.   We live in such a beautiful wild place.

In the Natural History Guide published by the National Park Service says:  "The barn owl or lulu is a highly beneficial bird in American Samoa, but some people fear it because they associate it with ghosts or aitu. Its ghostly white appearance and its preference for flying at night enhance its reputation as a mysterious bird....Without owls, Tutuila and Manu'a would probably be over-run with rats. A lulu seen flying through a village should not be feared or hated but welcomed, because it will probably mean one less rat near your fale."  Thank you LULU!

We also frequently see lovely blue rails on our road.  Their cousins in New Zealand are called pukekos, but here they have the unfortunate name of Purple Swamphens.  Pukeko sounds much more exotic and appropriate. Samoans call them manu ali'i (chief birds).  At night Ephraim calls them "veloceraptors" for their prehistoric screech that sends shivers down your spine.  They run and flap into the bushes like chickens, but they're stunningly beautiful.

We also have tons of fruit bats, it's like Halloween every night.

I imagine this valley hasn't changed much since Day One.  And we get to be part of it.  I can't wait to show Rachel when she comes.

She's Coming

Can't wait to see this girl!

Haven't seen her since before this.

What will she be like now?!   What will she think of our island?  Will she still like us?  I just can't wait til Thursday!

Triple Birthday Party

Since our neighbors on both sides had birthdays the same week as Ella's we planned a big party, rented an inflatable waterslide,  and invited the world!

Then we found out birthday boy #1 had CHICKEN POX!  Too late to cancel, we just warned everyone about possible exposure and figured if it was just our three families, we'd get to go down the waterslide as much as we wanted.  Fortunately some people did show up.

The waterslide was a big hit.  (Literally.  Kids were getting hurt.  Ephraim climbed up in there to regulate.)  They loved it!  And I'm glad because it was dang expensive.

We followed NZ tradition (the other two families are from NZ) and played "Pass the Parcel", which sounds more elegant, like "Poss the Possol" when they say it.   To play you pass a multi-layer wrapped gift while music plays and when the music stops, the person holding it unwraps a layer.  This continues until one lucky person unwraps the last layer and keeps the gift.  Or throws it on the ground, in our case.  

I fashioned a pretty funny-looking pinata.

 

Chicken leg + ice cream cone = good times

I look kind of grubby.  As usual, really.

The big moment came with the cakes.  Poor pox boy is the one with the shirt that looks like it's from the Red Cross.  Or Switzerland.  To honor his condition his mom made little spotty cupcakes. He was really eyeing B-day boy #2's gorgeous dino cake, which was brought over that very morning from Apia on his grandma's lap.  

Ella designed her tiara cake, so she was happy with it. 

Overall it was an exhausting but fun day.  

p.s. Isaac's birthday is coming up in July.  Maybe if we don't tell him, he won't notice.