TSA

Poor unexpected boog was playing here just before the water came tumbling down behind him.

TSA

Latu was chosen as one of the volunteers at the dolphin show. It was cool! He got splashed by the dolphins and got a gift certificate to Whataburger for volunteering. The splash pads at the aquarium was a nice way to cool down after the exhibits. Definitely a great place for family fun.

TSA

Touching the stingrays and sharks was cool for the kids. Look at Ngani's reaction to touching the stingray. Too funny. Sesi was a bit more excited. Feeding time took it to a new level for them. Everyone wanted to do it but when the stingrays came to suck the fish from their fingers (they don't bite) the kids squealed and moved their hands (and fish) out of the water.

TSA cont

TSA2

Texas state aquarium

We had a fun time at the Texas State Aquarium with Lusi and Wes yesterday. The kids really enjoyed themselves. There was a lot to see, do and learn. It was more entertaining for me, watching the kids reaction to the animals and new experiences. Learning is fun!

Tsa3

training day with koni

https://youtu.be/FS2beZ_nNhY

So the video won't upload but here's the link for the video for koni's training

People Let Me Tell Ya Bout my Best Friend!

The funniest couple of ding dongs this side of Texas.  I love watching them play but not as much as they love playing together.  Best Pals. Here's a link if the video's not working.
https://youtu.be/tWLkKTTtbdw

A Lone Star Halloween- 2014

 

What do you call a mom that get's no sleep, who is determined to make and search for materials to create costumes for several kids at home in one day (the 31st of Halloween, to be exact) with one sewing machine, a pair of scissors, paint, markers and a glue gun?  Answer: The craziness that is Ligo and Lusi, Halloween 2014.

 Last year's Halloween will be one for the books.  Lus' and I outdid ourselves, literally.  Fueled with DP and Cherry Coke, we got down and dirty and into the Halloween spirit.  In all seriousness, it was loads of fun... well, I can't speak for Lusi, but I enjoyed the challenge! haha!  We worked our fingers to the bone, up until it was time to head out the door for trick or treating.  Nacho, this is for reals.

We had been tossing around ideas all month for costumes and before we knew it, Halloween was upon us and the only kid with a costume was 'Ala.

 

Our goal was to create budget friendly costumes and find the materials we needed in, hopefully, just a couple of hours, so we could get home with enough time to put them together.  With that in mind, we set out first thing in the morning to Goodwill where I found an old blue kitchen towel, a black turtle neck and black tights for Jeremy, a white turtle neck and white tights for Sesi, an old sheet(I think) for Salesi and Sesi. hmm or maybe Lusi had extra white sheets?- all for $7.

Side note - originally they tried charging me at regular retail price, almost $20, but when I refused to pay and said I'd leave  it , the cashier asked me what price I'd be comfortable paying and gave it to me for $7! Ugh! Don't pay retail  prices at a second hand store.   The price can be negotiated, if you think they're asking too high, especially if its not in great condition, they probably are.   If they aren't willing to lower the price you might as well go buy it new in good condition at retail or wait to find a better/fair deal.

After Goodwill, we hit up Fallas Par-something( miko store),Party City, Hobby Lobby, and WalMart for costume accessories, fabrics, wigs , etc..  We dashed home to sew, paint, glue like mad-women!  How we did it with the 4 younger boys at our sides all day is beyond me.  That's the power of a Mom.

 

 

Lincoln and Sesi were Mummies.  They wore white tights or long johns  and we tied white strips of cut up sheets around them, which were supposed to be sewed on but I missed that detail.  Still, I think it worked out pretty well.

 .These guys took the cake.  The Florida State mascot.  Just. Wow..  Lusi did a fantastic job on their costumes.  It was so original and awesome cause these boy's are huge fans of FSU just like they daddy.  Perfect.  Lusi sewed Vita's hooves and glued stripped material to his back for the horse, Renegade's mane. He wore a long sleeved onsie and tights that she polka dotted with paint or marker.

Look at that spear! She painted feathers and glued them to a rod and also shaved down foam for the spear head and colored it grey.  I loved this costume so much.  It went so well with the kids who wore it, too!

There was nothing to Salesi's costume.  I knew whatever I put him in, had to be simple and easy cause he would take it off.  Sure enough, he did.  I just cut and sewed a sheet together and cut out holes for his eyes and mouth and glued black satin there for effect.
 Ghost's are the best! I found the ideas for the ghost and mummy costumes online and we modified it to what we had time for.

 Lus, what was Latu again?  I didn't even know it then.. lol.. I think he was a stick figure? Sorry, Mai!

 Leva was Count Dracula.  He used his own jeans and white button up shirt . I sewed his red sash and bought the cape.

 Last, but not least, Megamind was Megamind himself. His cape was the blue kitchen towel from Goodwill and some black plastic-like fabric I cut and sewed together. I cut his turtle neck on the front side, down the middle and stuffed it with cardboard and sewed it shut to help his collar pop out.  Alas, his head was so big, you could barely see his winged out collar.  I blame his neck, you see.. he never really had one!  I cut and glued felt fabric to the front of his outfit and found perfect strips of that metal material at Walmart to glue to the rest of his costume.  I also found the pointed metal ones but went with the flat ones for safety.  Could you imagine the pointed ones on his costume? Poking him in the face. Disaster!

 It was fun seeing the costumes put together and the best part was that the kids liked it, too!  I'm looking forward to another crazy Halloween.

Corpus Parade 2014

    Last year around football season we attended an annual parade in Corpus .  Lusi and I had a BLAST cheering the Friberg boys on as their floats passed by.  It really was a lot of FUN!! As the groups and floats went by they passed out leis, candies, snacks and more.  The kid's were in heaven.  So much had happened during that time that I never had the time to share. As I cleaned out my camera a couple nights ago, I couldn't help but want to post.  It was a great night out for the family.

    We cheeehuu'd! and chee-haw'd!  We yipee'd! and woohooo'd!  The weather was cool, we sat next to a good crowd of people who "woooo'd!" and "yeeeaaah'd!!!" along with us as we cheered.  Texas has good people.  People who love football. "Love" might even be an understatement.  Here's a picture of the High School undefeated football team. 

 

 And here is one of our boy's, the Flour Bluff Outlaws!!! CHEEEHUUU!!!

 Talk about undefeated, this little team of terror's beat every other football team they played in their bracket last season.  Even beat the All Star teams the other coaches put together from the best of the best of the opposing teams.  SKILLS!! 

                                   What's up, Whataburger Man? 
Did you know that Whataburger originated in Corpus Christi, Texas? - I KNOW! (Monica)  There are more Whataburger's here than there are Mc'Ds.  Betcha didn't know that it's actually really good.  That Whataburger on the corner next to the old Food City in Az didn't do it justice.  I spit on you, Whataburger in Az!  Pthh!

 And here is the junior (I think) team, Latu-zees team, wearing pink for cancer awareness month and doing the haka on their float.  Malie, Laaaatuu!! Siiiihuuuuu!!!  As always, Latu led them on like a champ.  Their team was super excited to learn the haka.  I was so surprised and proud of how he took control whenever it was time to perform.  Made me want to get right up there and "faaakaaarooongooooo!!!" it up with my pukana.  Moli Clements it up. I always wondered why the old fogies would dance right next to the performers during numbers, even block them from the audience some times... Well, now I know why.  Haha!

                                The boy is always entertaining.

                                  

The float from our favorite, the grocery store of the south, HEB.  The store that you always gravitate to.  The store that has it all... because "Here-Everythings-Better"... and it is!