This and That

Here are two new additions to the Build-a-Bear line of stuffed animals. These are limited edition and limited time special. We have lifelike Dianna and Jarod Build-a-Bears. Take home your very own Jarod or Dianna - or both. So we journeyed out to the nearest Build-a-Bear Workshop to get a stuffed animal for the new Deaver Baby (hereafter refered to as Khalani). On a previous trip, we had already picked out a panda bear that we liked for Khalani, and after running it by Iva and Darby, we made plans to get him. We named the panda "Kinsie" after his new hometown. So in the next pictures, Jarod and Dianna are giving Kinsie an air bath and brushing him to fluff up his fur.

Notice the attention to detail as they "wash" little Kinsie.Here is Kinsie with the children after the bath. They are waiting for Kinsie's new pajamas.May I present to you all, Kinsie Deaver in his new jammies. P.S. Aren't the children adorable? I just love them!Jarod is just relaxing in the car on the way to the Build-a-Bear Workshop. Cute!!!Upon arrival at our destination, Jarod and Dianna wasted little time finding somewhere to pose for a quick cute photo op.
I am going to switch gears a little here and go with a school picture or two. Below is a picture from Dianna's Open House where she was able to meet her K5 teacher, Miss Daugherty (pronounced "Darty"). Jarod just had to get in the picture too.Here is a picture of my little Princess after her first day of school. What a big girl.

Lastly, here are some other pictures of Barbie's bulletin boards. The first is the completed Bible board with the references, and the second is the diagramming board that I was trying to describe in the last post.

We will talk to you all later. Thanks for stopping by. Alofa tele ia te outou uma.

A Call for Help and a Call to Action

Hello, my name is Bruton Gastor. I am here on behalf of not just the Florida Gulf coast, but for the entire state. The BP oil crisis has now touched the place that we all hoped would never be spoiled-the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. What was once an unspoiled water habitat for many water fowl species has now become marred because what has happened in the Gulf. Here is our lovely model showing us the unspoiled water of our resorts before the "Crude Crisis."
The behavior of our local wildlife has also been changed...and not for the better. Here is a bird that is foraging for food on the sand and not in the water like it should. Here is a squirrel that is obviously having some problems of some sort. I am not entirely certain what has caused this strange behavior, but I am willingly to lay blame at the feet of the BP oil conglomerate.

Here is a view of the direct effects of the oil on our beautiful shores. Not a pretty sight.Help us return our man-made waterways and recreational resort areas to their former glory. Thank you for your time and considerations. Donations can be made to the Tupua Disney Fund which will go directly to help fund future trips to help fund cleanups that may or may not take place. Help us preserve the Disney World we all know and love for our children and grandchildren.

(The preceding was a faux advertisement for the Tupua Disney vacation club. Which in no wise is connected to the Walt Disney World corporation. Also, this is not an actual solicitation for monetary donations. This was simply a satire on the state of the Gulf Coast. Thank you for reading. I hope that you had as much fun reading this as we did making it up.)

Grandma Ella and Grandpa David return to Pensacola, Palatka, and Orlando

Grandma and Grandpa are not just going to walk in here and say, "Here we are!!!" Okay, so they flew in, and we kneww in advance that they were coming. But anywho...my time may be limited as my computer is unreliable as of late. I'm running out of time!!! Just kidding. I have not been able to get on to Blogger, but today, I was able to get on here. So here goes my post. Enjoy. Love you guys. Here is Grandma and Jarod in Palatka.

Mom, I found the puppets!!!

Off to find our room at the Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge.

The Tupua Clan in Palatka.

Dianna and Jarod with their wonderful and loving Grandparents.

Fourth and Goal

The reason for my title is the simple fact that I have not posted in a while and I feel as if I do not post something now I will be so far behind. So here it goes, time on the clock for one play and it is fourth and goal.
I missed the photo opportunity here, but Mom had her towel draped over the bill of of her hat and I had said that she looked like a Bedouin in the desert. The beach was super bright that day. I could not recall a day that was that bright, or it could have been the fact that I forgot my sunglasses. Maybe.... Here Dianna is showing off her modeling skills at the Chinese pavilion at EPCOT. What a cutie!!

WHile at EPCOT, Mom spotted Rafiki and went to take a picture with him.

I bet that you all did not know that we had a little Norwegian in our family....his name is Jarod. Here Dad and Jarod are showing off the Norseman skills at the Norway pavilion (this was shortly after we listened to the Mariachi band at the border of Mexico and Norway).

Tai and Cheri came to visit Mom and Dad. It was a good visit. See Manny with Dad? He is so cute. Jarod is trying to hide behind Grandpa's knee.

This is a Tupua family tradition whenever you are at Disney's Contemporary Resort to take a picture in the Mickey ears. We were so happy to share this tradition with Mom and Dad.

This was at the Holy Land Experience after the telling of the Parable of the Good Samaritan. The man playing Jesus and the man playing Andrew were very gracious and so kind to us - to talk with us and take photos. It was a really good time. I would like to go back, because we left so much undone due to our search for lunch, which was right around the corner.

Beware!! There be Pirates about!!! I don't think I need anymore explanation. ARRRRGG!!! Avast ye swabs - to the next picture with ye!!!

This is when Mom and Dad first arrived at Disney. Beautiful!! See Dad Bailey in the back?

Same night as the last photo, but with Dad and Jarod. Cute picture.

Well that is all for now. More later, but I feel as if I accomplished something in the way of getting a little bit caught up after vacation. Love you all. Talk to you all later. Alofa tele!! It is hand off to the halfback. He is scrambling, breaks a tackle in the backfield. He has a blocker - it is Lakemanumana. He is in the endzone!! Touchdown!!!!!!!!

Vacation with Grandma Ella and Grandpa David

So here we are at The Holy Land Experience. It was a great time. I thought that it was pretty neat for the children to hear and see Bible stories from somewhere else other than church and from their parents. In this picture, Dad took part in the telling of the David and Goliath story. Dad played, who else - David. He did a great job!! Encore, Encore! Here we are in the lobby of the resort before heading out to the Holy Land Experience. Are the children not cute in their new ofus from Grandma and Grandpa?

We are on the bus returning from our day at the Magic Kingdom. Can you see me trying to sneak into Dianna and Dad's picture?

Jarod and Grandma hanging out on the bus to the Magic Kingdom. The children have truly enjoyed having their grandparents around - they are always trying to hold their grandparent's hand or be with them.

This is Dianna hanging out in our bedroom while we unpacked and waited for Grandma Ella and Grandpa David to come and join us on vacation.

Here we are exploring the lobby of Disney's Polynesian Resort while waiting for our breakfast reservation time.

Waiting to go into the Magic Kingdom. Yippee!!!

As of late, Dianna has been into posing for pictures and not just taking picture. Here is one of her looks. Notice how she is really exploring the space and blending with the surroundings. Cute!

Pausing for a photo op at Disney's Animal Kingdom Park. I think both children are striking poses in this one.

These children are truly children after their Mother's heart. Making a plan of attack to optimize the time we will have in the Animal Kingdom Park.

We are having a blast!! We love you all and are looking forward to the rest of our time with Mom and Dad. Post at you all later.

A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That...

Hello there, all! Here is a just a quick look at what has been happening around the ole' homestead. We are very ready to be on vacation next weekend. Just have a few more details to work out and set things in order around here - so that when we return, it would not be an unpleasant homecoming.
Here in this picture the children are relaxing while watching something. I like how Jarod is propping himself between the couch and the coffee table. Dianna has a little something on the edge of her big toe; so she is soaking it in some warm water and Epsom salt. Here is a picture of the garden (I realize that it is hard to really see the plants because the tomatoes blend in with the yard around it). It is our Vegetable Garden in the Hidden Back Yard!! They are Ninja Tomatoes!!!

Here is a picture of my beautiful family. Barbie took a break from grading school work to pose for a photo op with her darling children. Jarod was saying, "Mama, I am taller than you!" They are so adorable!!! I love them!

Here are the Guardian Shinobi Three of the secret garden village. They take such good moving pictures outdoors. Dianna is wearing her yellow Samoan shirt that Mom and Dad sent to her for her first Christmas; back then she wore it as a night shirt. Look how she has grown.

This last picture of my little Buster running in the yard. Can you tell that he is dragging his Etch-a-Sketch? Jarod is also wearing a Samoan shirt from Grandma Ella and Grandpa David; it fits him too.

Well that is all for now. TTFN! We are looking forward to seeing Mom and Dad in Orlando in just over a week. Yippee!!!!!!!! Alofa tele. Have a good Sunday, everybody.

Uncle Resa Came to Visit

It was such a treat to have Res come to visit us from Arkansas. We have had a great time with him; the children were so excited to see and share time with their Uncle Resa. Before he got here, Dianna asked "Will Uncle call me Buck? I like it when he calls me Buck." And call her Buck he did. She absolutely loves her Uncle Resa. Jarod James has had an equally great time with his uncle. Whenever we came home from school, Jarod would ask "Is Uncle Resa still at my house?" And then he would run off to the door to check if he was around. Though hes has only been here for a couple days, I think the children will take a couple of days to adjust to not having Res here. We are all doing well and are counting down to vacation when we can see Mom and Dad. Here are some pictures of the children. Enjoy.
Well, this past Sunday was Dianna's Master's Clubs award ceremony. Here is a picture of her before leaving for the program. The LORD has truly blessed us with a wonderful and smart little Princess. Can you see all of her badges that she has earned this year. She has eleven badges in this picture and received one more at the program (that is not pictured).

Last Thursday was Dianna's K4 Parent Day. This is a one hour program that her class puts on in her classroom for parents and grandparents to see what they are learning and have learned throughout the year. Here she was selected to be the "Lilly Pad" in the acted out version of the song "The Little White Duck." She was the cutest little lilly pad ever!!! Here Dianna is at her seat at Table 4 (pink barret). She was so cute as she sat there with her hands in her lap and waiting patiently. Every now and again she would shoot us a smile and hold her hand up in the sign language language for "I love you."

This is a picture from the awards program. The ribbon she is wearing is in recognition of completing her second book - her 4yr old book. She is not smiling because she could not find us in the crowd. She did the same thing when she was in the Christmas program two years ago. I need to just find seats first,and show her where we will be sitting, so she will know where to look.

This last photo is of the children and their Uncle Resa hanging out on the couch. C-u-u-u-u-u-t-e!!

Love you all so much. Have a great day!!!