DH Trunk-or-Treat '09

We got done with our pumpkins just in time to get our costumes on for our ward trunk-or-treat. We had dinner at 5pm, then the kids took a trip through a "Spook Alley" that the Youth put together. We had a cake walk in the RS room and unlike the Elementary school, the kids got to walk around until they each won a cupcake- yay! Toa and Mote showed up right in time for the trunk-or-treat so the boys got to make their rounds with Samiu and Toakesa. I thought it was a really good turn out! Lots of people from Mountain's Edge, both members and non members. Mostly every trunk was decorated and there were lots of cool costumes! The kids got a ton of candy and had lots of fun.

Siope with Bishop and his pet Ostrich

When Mote won at the cake walk he chose one of the cupcakes that we brought... of course

Samiu, Toakesa, Siope & Nic. Mote was too busy making his rounds
Sister & Brother Davies!! Our favorite pirates in the whole wide world!

Sleepover at our house

Ti Tonga and the boys

Me and the boys

Carving Out Memories

Yesterday we took the boys to get pumpkins. We have our 2 "faux" pumpkins on the porch that we plug in each year, but I think the boys are finally getting old enough to appreciate and enjoy pumpkin carving. We took a trip to Smith's and let each of them pick out a pumpkin. Mote of course ended up with the biggest one, Nic got a medium sized one and Siope- the smallest one... go figure. It turned out to be so much fun! We cleaned them out out in the backyard so that we didn't have to worry about making a mess. Me and Ti Tonga helped, but for the most part they each scooped out the inside of their own pumpkins. They chose a design from our carving book and poked out the design, then me and Ti Tonga did most of the carving.

Here's the finished products. Can you guess which pumpkin belongs to which boy???



?

?

?

Silly face pumpkin for silly Siope

Mote's Pumpkin

Nici's choice

Happy Halloween!

Halloween School Parties

I really like the idea that Nevada Observance Day always falls on the day before Halloween. This meant all the boys (including Siope) would have their class parties on Thursday. Siope had his party at the Yellowstone Clubhouse. Marci didn't want them in costumes because she had several crafts planned out and didn't want their costumes getting dirty before Halloween. She did however ask them to wear Halloween colors. Since Nic and Mote would both be dressing up that day I wanted Siope to still be able to wear something Halloween themed so he wouldn't feel left out. So I found a cute little pumpkin shirt at Walmart and he was set to go. He came home with yummy cupcakes that he made and a darling necklace. He kept telling me that he went to a different preschool today and thought it was pretty cool. Marci let them play on the playground for a little bit and I guess Siope took his jacket off while he was playing. On the way home she asked him where it was and he said, "Oh, I think I left it in that other backyard." He really thought he was at someone else's home. He's so funny.
Mote was super excited to wear his Power Ranger costume. We got a note saying that there weren't any masks or weapons allowed so I let him put everything on for pictures that morning, before heading off for school.
Two down one to go. Nici for some reason is always the last one to have a turn. I got him dressed a little earlier than usual so that I could take some pictures of him before school.

To infinity aaaaaand beyond!

Nici and Cruz

Our favorite little Morgan boy! Cruz!

After I dropped Nic off at school I came home for a little bit then headed back to the school to see Mote's parade. Grades 1 through 5 were marching outside on the playground for everyone. It took me a while to finally spot him, but when we did he was so excited to see us. He had no idea we were going to be there and was jumping up and down when he saw us in the crowd.

Mote and his teacher Mr. Larsen

When the big kids were done marching me and Siope headed over to Nici's class to watch the Kindergartners parade. I am so glad I made it! They marched a couple times around for us, then danced- it was the cutest thing! It wasn't rehearsed at all. One of the teachers came out and played music while she lead the kids in dance. It was darling!!

Next year all 3 boys will be up at the elementary which I think will be a little exhausting, but a lot of fun to see.

Movie Night- Where the Wild Things Are

Last night we took the boys to the Drive-In. It's been a while since I've seen a movie at the Drive-In... actually it's been years. The last time I saw a movie outdoors was when Mele and Ofa took us to watch Lion King at Redwood. About the only change that I noticed last night was that they got rid of the little speakers they used to have set up at each parking spot in exchange for a radio signal that transmitted the sound of the movie to our car speakers.
We normally wait for movies to hit redbox because they are so darn expensive to watch in the theaters. When Mote turned 5 we took the boys to South Point and watched The Incredible Hulk. We spent almost $100 on tickets and snacks-- and that was for a matinee.
So despite the Drive-In being a little further away and not as pretty as the theatres, I was thrilled when I seen that we could see new movies for $6.25 an adult. And even happier when I found out that Tuesdays were family nights and me and Ti were only $4.25 each and the boys free!
We went and watched Where the Wild Things Are. The boys read the book last month and fell in love with the tale of Max and his adventure with the Wild Things. I was really impressed with how much the Wild Things resembled the illustrations in the book. The movie was a little different. Not really what I thought it would be, but I liked it. I was worried the boys would get bored in the middle, but they did pretty good at paying attention. The ending was really sad I thought. I actually had to try not to cry cause I felt that it would be embarrassing if I got caught crying over a children's film. When we left I turned to the back seat to ask the boys if they liked it and noticed tears on Mote's cheek. I was surprised that he connected that much with the movie and understood the story enough to feel sad. I guess you should never underestimate kids and their ability to comprehend whats going on.
Anyway, I'm so glad we found this Drive-In. I'm excited that we get to watch more movies with the boys without breaking the bank. Sunny With a Chance of Meatballs is still playing, so I'm thinking we should watch that on another Tuesday night.

Wright Elementary's Fall Festival '09

Last night we took our family to Nici and Mote's Fall Festival at their school. They've been anxiously waiting for the weekend so that we could go and take part in all the fun at their Elementary. I remember taking them to a festival at the school before Mote was even in Kindergarten. So when we showed up last night I was surprised to see how many people were there. In 2 years the community and support here in Mountain's Edge has grown so much! The turnout at the festival was awesome. They had a lot of the same games with a couple of new ones added (Plinko, Miniature Golf, Fishing, Cake Walk). They also had a trunk or treat section, a picture booth, dunk tank, and face painting. The first year we went I remember the DJ being the bomb, this year was no different- except that it was a she. Siope danced as we walked around and again at our table as we ate funnel cake and kettle corn. It was just fun to spend time with the boys outside of the house. They had so much fun playing games, collecting their goodies, and saying Hi to friends and teachers. Mote got to show us a lot the school personnel there (librarian, art teacher, etc.) So it's nice to put a face to the people that he thinks are awesome... I think they're awesome too. It was just a fun fun night with the best weather- a cool 80 degrees. I love Fall in Las Vegas. I wish it would last as long as the Summers.

Night Out- Kobe Sushi

About 4 years ago in Atlanta I tried sushi for the first and last time. It was horrible! Ti Tonga and the boys LOVE sushi. I, on the other hand, am not a fan of any type of seafood. I decided tonight though to give it another try since

A.) It was for a good cause
B.) I didn't feel like cooking dinner, and
C.) All their sushi was 50% off for the night.

Ti ordered a couple different rolls for us all to share. I have to admit I managed pretty well with my chopsticks. I lasted 3 pieces before I threw in the towel which I thought was pretty notable given the fact that I don't like any form of sea life. The weird thing was it wasn't even the filling that got me... it was the seaweed. The last piece was pretty thick and the seaweed was almost more than I could stomach. All in all I was pretty proud of myself for trying 3 different flavors <--- is that what they're called? Ah, I don't know. Ti enjoyed it though. I think he was annoyed that I didn't like it as much as he did, but at least there was more for him. Hopefully the next fundraiser will be at an Italian spot, then it'll be my turn to be in heaven.

Baby Les

Last October my best friend Crystal gave birth to her first child {Lesieli Lolomani Tuaone} Soon after my first baby announcement was created.


Can you believe how much she weighed?... and that something that big could come out of Crystal?! Well this month Lesieli will be turning one... my how time flies. The bday girl will be partying it up alongside her friends and family in sunny Florida- how lucky! She is such a doll and has been blessed with some of the best parents in the world. I love this family so much and wish I were able to make it out to Florida this weekend- oh how I wish!!

Happy birthday Lesieli! There is no doubt in my mind that you will be spoiled rotten on Saturday.