September

There's a lot I could say if I wanted to catch up. Basically we went away for a month this summer, saw family, we're back, school started with a whirlwind, and we've been in that whirlwind since then. It's good. More busy than I'd like to be while living on an island. But good.

Here are some random pictures of September.

Here are the kids after school on the hammock with lil' lappy.

Ella did my hair.

Owen's dressed as a "guy".

Can you tell who's who?

Doesn't he look like Ephraim?

Matching hair again.

This was teachers-dress-like-a-superhero day. We were the only two that remembered/were aware. That could be embarrassing. Or not.

I'm SuperNerd. Ms. Tania didn't have a name. Maybe just "T".

Beach Fun

We've upped our beach attendance lately. There are a few factors:

#1-I'm not pregnant anymore.

#2-The Monson's moved in and they're pretty much family-adventure addicts, and we love them.

#3-After a month on the mainland, I have beach catching-up to do.

#4-Since I've been back, I need beach therapy more often, to cope with life here.

#5-Although some may call this our "winter," the term doesn't apply. It's hot.

So here are some picture of recent excursions.

Larsons

Fatumafuti

Two Dollar Beach

There's something about the saltwater and sand that tempers the soul.

My Birthday

I turned 33 last Wednesday. It was a nice day.

I had fun at school. They made cupcakes for me.

We went out to eat. Ella dressed me and I was heavily accessorized.

Ephraim made a chocolate cake and frosting from scratch.

A few days later, Helen of Wales watched the kids so Ephraim and I could go on a birthday hike.


Yay!

Kid History

We've been loving these. If you haven't seen Kid History yet, please do.

Molars are Big

I've had a toothache for a week. On Friday I got an appointment at the dental clinic, paid my $10, and got to see the doctor. We found which tooth was giving me troubles, and he said, Okay, let's take it out. Are you ready?

I said, What? Uh, give me an hour.

So Ephraim and I went to lunch, fed baby Linus, and returned to face my destiny.

Ephraim had horrific stories about when his wisdom teeth were removed. Stories involving cutting, digging, cracking, and lots of blood. So I was really nervous, but decided to be a big girl and get it over with.

Dr. Koroi was very reassuring. Thank heavens for local anesthesia. I couldn't feel a thing. I was bracing myself for an hour of yanking, cracking, and gushing blood. To distract myself, I started reciting and pondering the Articles of Faith of our Church. There are thirteen of them--(statements of our basic beliefs).

By the time I got to number three, "We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel," the doctor was all done!

Amazing! I asked if the tooth fairy makes stops at the hospital at night, but they said no she doesn't. So I asked to take my tooth home and see if I'd have better luck there.


Wow-zer! That tooth is humongous! I'm used to my kids' itty bitty baby teeth. That monster left a huge hole in my mouth.

So today I'm sipping smoothies and potato soup. Overall, not a bad experience. For $10, I may even do it again.

Ghosts of Litter

Remember the hubbub of our school public service announcement? Well we finally got it on youtube, so you all can enjoy it. Remember, we're beginners, so be kind. We had lots of fun. Hopefully there will be a little less rubbish around our parts now.

If you love it and want to donate to Ta'iala Academy, you can go to our website here.

(I have lots of updates, for later. Sorry for blog neglect.)

34 Years

Happy birthday dear Ephraim!