Easter

I love Easter.  It's a close second to Christmas for being my favorite holiday.  I've always enjoyed Easter and the Easter I spent on my mission in Russia was very memorable.   I was serving with a brand new missionary in a very challenging area.   Nevertheless, the people we worked with were wonderful and generously shared colored eggs, kulich, and other easter treats with us.  We translated a movie into Russian for the members of the congregation to watch about Jesus Christ's last week.  That combined with the kindness all the members had shown us really solidified for me the Easter message, that Christ lives and was resurrected and, hence, we all live again.  My sweet companion, who I was serving with at the time, later suffered a brain tumor.  This happened four years ago and she still has not regained all her physical abilities.  I so deeply admire her courage and optimism.  What a miracle that we will all have perfect bodies free from disease and ailments someday because of Christ's resurrection. 

We hosted a little Easter brunch/egg hunt/fundraiser for Heifer International, a fabulous organization that 'provides livestock and training so that families can improve nutrition and earn income for health care, shelter, and education for children'.  Check them out if you aren't familiar with them.  They make it very easy to donate online.  We had a lovely morning and raised enough money to buy a goat, pig, and two flocks of hope for some families.  Towards the end of the event, a friend who was very shaken up came up to me and another friend, Sarah.  She had just found out and told us that Michelle, another friend from church, had died suddenly and unexpectedly that morning.  Michelle, Sarah, and I all worked together in the Young Women's organization.  My heart sunk.  I couldn't believe it was real.  It has consumed my thoughts ever since.  She has six wonderful children.  She was the busiest woman I have ever known, but yet the most thoughtful.  Our presidency meetings were normally at 10:00 in the morning.  She'd usually been to at least one other meeting before ours and had something scheduled for right after our meeting ended.  Yet, she'd remember Samara's favorite snack and have picked it up for her.  My heart aches thinking of her sweet kids and how much she will be missed by all of us.  Life is so fragile and uncertain.  I am grateful for the Savior, that He overcame death, and that we will all be reunited with those we love someday.

Big Girl Ballet

Samara started dance class last week.  The class is called "baby ballet" but don't let her hear you refer to it as that.  "It's big girl ballet!"   The photos are from week two and sadly the teacher wouldn't let me come in to photograph.  So, these were taken through the tiny viewing window and some are just reflections from the mirror.  It was semi-torturous not being able to go in to get the shots I wanted.  Hopefully, they'll have a recital or parents' day or I can find a way to bribe the teacher.  I am not being cheeky, but I truly wonder will delicious cookies do the trick?

I got all teary-eyed watching her the first week.  She seemed so grown up.  Not long ago we couldn't even get her to go to nursery class.  The first week she kissed me goodbye and went and sat in her place.  She listened very intently and tried to follow everything.  It breaks my heart how fast she is growing up. 

Honestly, how completely adorable are all these little girls?!?  I am pretty sure Samara is the youngest in the class as she is definitely the shortest.  The highlight is when the teacher tries to have them hop on one-leg.  Only one girl can do it and they all fall and crash into each other and the wall.  It is adorably hilarious.  Samara didn't even try this week.  She just walked back and forth.  She told me after class, "Ya, mom.  You know the dance teacher?  She told us to hop on one leg but I just walked.  Why did I?"

After week one, the teacher told me Samara listened and followed instructions very well and that she was quiet.  Quiet?!?  She must have really been concentrating.  No one has ever accused her of being quiet.  I constantly get comments about what a chatterbox she is.  In fact, the taxi driver today asked me four times more than once if she always talked that much, ever stopped talking, etc.  As we were nearing the condo,  he looked at the trip calculator to see the exact time we started the trip and said, "She's been talking for 18 minutes straight.  It will be 20 minutes by the time we stop."  Thanks, Uncle.  You're no mute yourself.

Perth, AUS: Fremantle

Western Australia, in general, reminded us a bit of Arizona and southern Alberta, where Ben is from. We spend a good amount of time in the town of Fremantle.  It reminded us a little of Boulder--super hip, a bit hippy and artsy with great food.  Fremantle is definitely worth a visit even if you are spending your holiday down in Margaret River.

A yummy crepe vendor at the Fremantle Markets
They have markets on the weekend that are worth visiting.  They were established in 1897 and housed similarly to the Faneuil Hall Marketplace in Boston, though these are not as large.  

One of our favorite things about the trip was all the fresh local produce.  Singapore doesn't really grow anything of its own.  Our apples come clear from the US so they are exactly local.

This was the kids' favorite part of the markets.

The Round House, the oldest remaining building in Western Australia.  

The architecture in Fremantle was beautiful.  We could have spent a lot more time walking and driving around looking at all the charming buildings.

What's a visit to Australia without the didgeridoo?

We took a tour of the Fremantle Prison.  It was built as convict barracks in the 1850s and was used for locally sentenced prisoners starting in 1886.  The prison was in operation until 1991.  Fremantle Prison was notorious for the poor conditions.  Condemned as uninhabitable in the late 1800s, it remained occupied for another 100 years.  It was very interesting to tour though a little too real for me.  I felt eery and awkward as we toured the prison.  I kept thinking of how it was so recently used and of the prisoners who had been housed there.  I couldn't help but think that each prisoner started out as a perfect and innocent baby.  It was very sobering thinking of what may have led them to a life of crime and how many of them probably had dismal childhoods that were a factor.

A class of children on a field trip.  I can only imagine they went home vowing to be law-abiding citizens.

A courtyard

Artwork done by the prisoners.  Art therapy was used within the prison for education and rehabilitation.

Prison cells.  There was a riot in 1988 during which the prisoners lit the building on fire.  The whole roof had to be replaced.

One of two churches within the prison.  This is the Anglican church.

Prison Cell 1850-1860

Prison Cell 1980-1991

Perth, AUS: Beaches

One of the perks (things that sort of stink) about living oversees is that you get to file two tax returns, one for the country you are working in and a US one. I really should be working on our US one since April 15th is fast approaching but I don't want too. Plus, I doubt I have enough nap time left to complete it. And really why start it if I can't complete it? Did I mention I have to paper file? Going through photos from the trip is way more fun. Plus, I already filed the Singapore one this week, which is also due the 15th. You really shouldn't have to file more than one country's return in the same week, right? I usually do our taxes the moment I have W2s so we can get our refund. However, since we won't get a refund in the US and Singapore doesn't do refunds, it's been easy to put it off. Singapore's taxes are really much simpler, but they don't take taxes out throughout the year. So, you file, find out what you owe, and then can either pay it off in a lump sum or make payments over the course of a year interest free. I always heard people say they don't like giving an interest-free loan to the government but I have to say it is nice getting a refund instead of having to pay a chunk of money. You pay it either way but it stings a little less.

Anyway, on to the beach! Spending time at the beaches was definitely the highlight of the trip. It was so much fun having the Smiths with us. Samara adores their kids and they are all so great to her.  It's so nice for her to have kids who are like cousins here in Singapore. The beaches in Western Australia were beautiful and clean (which is not always the case in SE Asia). The sand was nice and soft. We stayed in Rockingham (south of Fremantle) and the beaches were all quite nice and not crowded. For those planning a trip there, our favorite beach was probably Coogee Beach just south of Fremantle.  It has a big covered/shaded playground as well as BBQ pits, restrooms, and showers. We'd definitely recommend it if you were staying in Fremantle. The one place we really wish we would have gone is Rottnest Island. It's similar to Catalina, i.e., no private vehicles allowed. It looks like an amazing place so I guess that means we'll have to go back to Perth....we'll just do a better job checking our flight times.

Poor Will is the only boy in the group.  He is so cute and an athletic prodigy. They are building a volcano.

"I'll be right back guys.  I saw some good sand over here."

She fell and had a face full of sand.  She didn't mind but Ben saw it and immediately took her in the ocean to wash it off.

 I had uploaded this image in color and black and white and couldn't decide which I liked better.  I didn't finish the post during nap time and Samara came in, looked at it, and said, "Oh, I really like black and white pictures mom.  Put that one on the blog."  I'm glad she is more decisive than I am.

We found a starfish one day and that was definitely a highlight of our beach time.

Ah.......can I come back.......please?!

Samara loved getting buried and being in the ocean.  She even likes the salty water and kept slurping it off her fingers saying she was making salty soup.

This was her 'bathtub'.  She sat there for over an hour.  She kept asking me to bring her bath toys (rocks/coral).

Two little buddies.  Both of their girls are so wonderful with Samara.

The sky was really this blue!

The weather was very windy a couple days because of the storm, but otherwise very pleasant.  Not too hot and no humidity and we enjoyed the brisk evenings and mornings.  The water was a bit chilly, but after a few minutes in you hardly noticed.