Happy Easter

Happy Easter Friends and Family! This Easter has been one of the most memorable. On Thursday night we began a new tradition. As a family we talked about the Last Supper, Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, and His Betrayal. We had unleavened bread and grape flavored Tang (our substitute for grape juice here in Dominica) as Morgan taught us about Jesus instituting the Sacrament. Then on Friday night we talked about the Savior's crucifixion and how they laid Him in a tomb. In Primary today, Luke learned about Jesus' resurrection and he kept saying: "They took His body" referring to how Mary first responded to the empty tomb. We hope to expand on this idea of making each day of Easter weekend special and a time to remember what the Savior has done for each of us. We would love to hear any ideas that have worked for your families!

Morgan, Kristin, Luke and Miriam Fife in Dominica

Friday morning the 3 little boys got together at our apartment to dye and decorate eggs for Saturday's Hunt.
Saturday our Branch's Egg Hunt was held at Cabrits. Luke was so excited to be with his friends. Here he is creating his own game of hopping down each step. He had quite the following of kids after just a few moments of playing. He's a great leader already!
Blake Benson is teaching Metz and Drake how to play baseball.
Luke and Miriam just waiting to get the hunt on!
Metz, Drake and Luke- the 3 boys! They are waiting to climb the hill and begin the Hunt!
Wow! A plastic egg! Luke would only keep the plastic eggs even though he found several hard-boiled eggs. He knew that candy was inside the plastic ones and nothing that he liked inside the other kind!

Hmmm....this one's a keeper.
Miriam loved finding eggs too.
Look another one!
Most eggs were on the ground, but the keen Luke was able to find this one in the tree.
Luke and Miriam with their eggs.

The 3 boys showing President White what they found.
Mmmmm, this bag is so tasty!
Mmmmm...this plastic egg is so tasty. I have just about given up on keeping objects out of Miriam's mouth.
Miriam loved the rice crispy treats that Sister White brought and I loved the one that Luke didn't eat!
We hope that your Easter was as special as ours. We love you all and miss you terribly.

Early Easter Carnival

This has been a baking weekend! Friday night I helped with RSO's (Ross Spouses Organization)Spaghetti Dinner by baking cupcakes. Luke and Miriam just couldn't resist eating a cupcake while I was frosting them. After they finished eating/destroying their cupcakes, I was so grateful that I had taken all their clothes off beforehand...Miriam was by far the messiest...
Then on Saturday, I had to bake cookies to take to the RSO Easter Carnival as well as hard boil eggs for the Easter Egg Hunt. There are no plastic eggs on the island so we all contributed eggs for the hunt. Here are pictures from the Carnival....

Luke got to make his own bunny hat.
Miriam loved wearing hers for all of 10 seconds...
Luke and Grace participating in the water balloon toss. Notice how carefully Grace tosses it to Luke...

then Luke throws it with all his strength at Grace! Obviously this was the throw that popped the balloon. They loved it!
Kids always find things to play with...

Luke decided to play inside the Ball Toss bin rather than throw balls into it.
Miriam wanted to go inside too, but Luke defended his fort well.
Now time for the Egg Hunt. I didn't find an Easter basket here so I had to get creative with Luke's water jug basket.
Luke was really good at finding the eggs in the sand.
Uh-oh. Competetion for eggs...
"What am I supposed to be doing again?"
Miriam inspecting the eggs that Luke found.

Rainy Day Fun

Please sing the following to the tune of: "Oh, What do you do in the Summertime?"

Oh, what do you do when it's raining, when all the world is wet? Do you build sheet houses or dress up in masks, or have treats that you can't beat? Is that what you do? So do I.

Please forgive my lame lyrics but I am not a lyricist by any means. We have had a few rainy moments lately and here are pictures from my efforts to keep the kids entertained.

Luke loves drinking from his "big boy cup." We love the milk moustaches that he gets as you can see here.

Luke loves to make sheet houses. I think he likes them better than the Thomas tent that he got for Christmas. Ah, the simple things are often the best.

Even Miriam thinks it is fun to play inside while we read stories and have snacks. Maybe it's just the snacks she likes.
Mom and Luke being silly.
Luke's new costume accessory is Morgan's snorkel mask.
Luke is telling Miriam the importance of having a great disguise if you are going to be a Super Hero.

Island Life

Last Thursday when I walked out the door, I was surprised to see a small flock of sheep. Is anyone as shocked as I was to learn that there are sheep on this island? I thought that it would be a fantastic picture if Luke would stand by them. However just as Luke was in position for the shot, a sheep said "Baaaa" and scared Luke to tears. Now each time he sees the sheep he wants to put them in time out for "not being nice to Luke." Speaking of time out...Luke even tries to put the wind in time out when a hard breeze closes his bedroom door. He's pretty silly like that!

Anyway, here are a few shots that I took before having to run in away from the sheep.

Our apartment building.
Here is one of the secrets to my weight loss...this steep hill! It is the only way that leads to our apartment that doesn't have mean dogs along the way. You can also see Cabrits and Fort Shirley across the way. (See previous posts). We are doing well and learning to just accept Dominica as it is. It is very different from the United States but I am finally starting to enjoy the island for what it has to offer. I love being a mom and not having another job on top of motherhood. I love having sunshine while Seattle is covered in clouds. I love the simplicity in which the gospel is taught here. I love that I have learned so many self-sufficent skills here. I love my kind friends and the times we have shared. I love my husband more for the sacrifices he makes and for every single second that I can be with him. So far this has been a tremedous learning experience that I feel we really needed as a family.

Dance Dance Revolution

So I have a confession to make...secretly, I am a Dance Dance Revolution fan. I envy those that can really bust a move and hope that my DDR skills improve in the future. When I get stressed or want to exercise, I put the game in and let down my hair. My kids have seen how much fun their mother has with it and now each time I DDR, I have to let them have a turn after I finish my turn. Here are some video clips of Luke and Miriam showing off their best dance moves.

New Lewis Cousin

My brother Scott and his wife Brandi are now the proud parents of Connor Franklin Lewis. This is the 2nd grandson for my parents and I am sure that my Dad is already thinking of the many ways to employ his grandsons on the farm. Here are some pictures of Connor that I received from Scott. Look at his blonde hair!

What a beautiful sleeping baby!

Congratulations Scott and Brandi! We can't wait to meet Connor in May!

Happy 1st Birthday Miriam

"Happy Birthday to Me!!! Now what do I do with this?"

Luke: "What's inside Miriam?"
Luke:"Here, let me show you how its done."
"I love presents!"
Here's the Birthday girl all ready for carrot cake.
It is much more effective to eat this way.
Miriam studying the best way to tackle the cake.
Here's an after shot of her birthday cake eating experience. Not too bad!

Here are pictures of Luke enjoying Miriam's birthday party...
Of course Luke had to wear the Birthday Tiara too!

Mmmm...I love to lick the frosting!

Morgan felt obligated to teach Luke how to arm wrestle after the tiara wearing episode. Luke's manhood has been restored!

Enjoy this little clip of Miriam eating cake.