You're a Good Boy Son

In case Madison reads this in the future, I just wanted him to know what a good boy he has been lately. Rachel and I both agree that he has been behaving exceptionally well, which makes us very happy and proud. He tried so hard to be a big boy, never wanting help if he can do it himself, responding to our instructions without whining or complaining. He is a little hard headed at times but it's all because he tries so hard to prove that he too is smart and that he should participate in the decision making process.

He wanted us to buy him an online game last weekend but I told him it costed money and he needed to find 18 dollars. So off he went to grab his piggy bank and asked Mommy to help him count out "eideen talas". He came up $11.00 short but after giving Mommy his sad puppy dog eyes, Mommy lent him the balance and Maddy got his game and Mommy and Daddy got big thank yous and hugs in return. A pretty good exchange, if you ask me.

Maddy Bakes a Cake

Last night Maddy asked me if he could make a chocolate cake.

Of course I said yes, so off we went to the kitchen.

Maddy wanted to put all the ingredients in himself including the eggs,

which he is quite good at cracking open.

We didn't think we made much of a mess, but Mommy thought otherwise!

The cake turned out great and after Madison put the icing on it
we all had a nice piece of Madison's first cake. He's quite the little chef.
Licking the spoon and bowl was his favorite part!

Snail Mail

"Let's go and check the email" says Maddy. What Maddy is referring to is our mailbox downstairs. He calls it "checking the email" haha. He gets all excited because lately he has received a couple of parcels, cards and postcards in the mail from his Nana Michi.

"Thanks Nana, I Love receiving email."

Visitors from New Haven, Connecticut

Uncle Steve and Aunty Lu arrived Friday evening to spend the weekend with us. Unfortunately their visit was cut short, as a family member on Uncle Steve's side passed away. It was fun catching up with them and Madison took to Uncle Steve very quickly. They bought him a playdough set, gumboots and raincoat (so he can splash in puddles), pick up sticks game and oversized playing cards. Maddy loved them all! They also bought some housewarming gifts i.e. placemat set, matching tea towels and a serving dish. Thanks Aunty and Uncle!!!

We spent Saturday downtown DC at the National Museum of the American Indian and took a few photos and bought a few postcards to send to Nana, Papa, Grandma and Grandpa. The building itself was amazing in design and shape and the Kasota stone used to build it was beautiful. Surrounding the building was a cascade flowing over boulders known as Grandfather Rocks which symbolises the Native Americans relationship to the natural world ~ it was just beautiful! The many artefacts on display and exhibitions were breathtaking and I was able to capture a few pictures on our cell.

We ate lunch at the Airspace Museum cafe, stopped off at IMAX theatre to watch a 30 minute film about famous astronauts who walked on the moon, in 3D, and then headed off home to rest, before we ventured out for dinner to celebrate Uncle and Aunty's 33rd wedding anniversary. WOW ... 33 years is a longggggg time! :)

Looking for News from Samoa?

If you're looking online for news from Samoa, I'm afraid you won't find much, especially if you're looking for a news source that is updated daily. The Samoa Observer used to have a good site but it hasn't been updated in over a year, which is a pity because it was one of the only ways Samoans living overseas could keep abreast of what was going on back home.

Luckily for those of us living abroad, a few new Samoan news sites have popped up. Edwin Puni's EventPolynesia.com site has a nice little section on news from Samoa. I also found another site called www.wsamoa.ws which also has some regularly updated news from back home.

According to these sites it seems it is never dull in Samoa. The leader of the opposition party SDUP has stepped down after a failed leadership takeover, leaving Samoa without an opposition in Parliament. That can't be good. Also in the news, the Police Commisioner just crashed his car and the first officers on the scene just told him to leave the scene and that noone would know about it. I won't even go into how many parlimentarians have been suing each other and losing their seats to bribery allegations. On a lighter note, the newly crowned Miss Samoa was forced to step down because it was found that she was under age (17).

What's going on back home?

Madison's Prayer

Every night before Madison goes to bed, we all sit around the bed and say our evening prayers. Madison doesn't have a memorised prayer, he actually varies what he says each night while talking to God, depending on what he did during that particular day. Maddy's prayer from last night went a little something like this:

Tai Iesu, (Faafetai Iesu)

Thank you for my TV and my games. (He loves watching TV and playing games on the laptop.)

Thank you for my walks. (Mommy takes him for walks around the neighborhood each day to get out of the house and get some fresh air and exercise.)

Thank you for my flashlight and my toys. (We bought him a little Superman flashlight while grocery shopping yesterday.)

In your name we pray,

Aaaaaaaaaaaammmmennnneeeeeeeeee!