Samoa.... Day 19

LET THE CELEBRATING BEGIN!! Today is Manamea's birthday and we planned a pretty good dinner for the family. We started our day off by doing a little more shopping. We're running out of time to get everything that we want to take home. Manamea and I went to the market with Peta and Maima while Dad and Kasala went across the street to the fish market. They went to get some fresh yellow fin tuna to make oka with for dinner.

I've come to the conclusion that Samoa is not a stroller friendly place. Next time we come I'm not going to waste my time with a stroller....  you can't take them through the market because they don't fit and there are stairs here and there. You can't walk down the sidewalks with them because there are too many people and the sidewalks are crap in most places. And people just stare at you like they have never seen a stroller before too.

Anyways back to shopping. We were able to find some bracelets and a few necklaces for Terina. I finally found her some small earrings too. It's nothing fancy but they are small enough that she doesn't look too grown with them in. We got a few t-shirts and then Manamea went crazy. I guess she knew I wasn't buying anything for her. I did get her a Coke though and we went to have fish and chips for lunch.

After our shopping trip it was off to KK Mart to get food and then home to start getting things ready. Thankfully Manamea took a really good nap today so I could take pictures and help get food ready.

Kasala, Papa and Mama killed a pig, Ala made some coconut milk for the food and Peta decorated the and cooked a bunch of stuff. I guess I didn't really help get the food ready.... I just took pictures and kept the kids out of trouble. I felt really blessed today. It was overwhelming to see how much Kasala's family loves the girls. They went above and beyond to make Manamea's birthday in Samoa the best 1st birthday that she could have.

Peta bought Manamea a new dress that she wore for her birthday dinner. It was really cute with a pair of leggings. Her hair on the other had is a whole different story... we need to do something about that. But it was a great day together as a family. Everyone was there and everyone did something to help make Manamea feel special. I'm sure she had no clue that it was her birthday but who knows... maybe she did know that it was a special day for her.

I thought today was perfect... with the exception of the gross cake. I was really disappointed. We ordered a cake from a bakery that everyone said was super good. We paid a good chunk of change for it too. And it came home with some gummy bears stuck on top and a freaky doll. Everyone seemed to enjoy the cake and ice cream though so I guess, again, it didn't really matter. I noticed that there weren't a lot of sweets to buy in Samoa. At the bakery where we always bought the keke pua'a they had donuts but they weren't really sweet. They had like a whipped cream filling but the donut part was more like bread than a sweet thing. Even the pineapple pies weren't that sweet or anything. 

The birthday dinner was a success. I'm very grateful for Manamea and the blessings she has brought to our lives. She's very hard headed and determined to do what she wants to do. She's a mean girl too. She likes to scratch and pinch and bite and pull.... I'm hoping this is all just a stage and she'll grow out of it it soon but until she does we'll continue to do our best to teach and love her. She's full of energy and love and I'm so glad that I can call her my daughter. I love you Manamea and  hope you had a wonderful 1st Birthday with your family in Samoa.