VEGAS BABY!!

So...Friday afternoon at around 4 p.m. the Taase 15 seater van (rental of course) was on it's way to Las Vegas! For the most part it was pretty smooth sailing. Sunni and Puka both were still pooping brown water, luckily though there were no huge messes that required one of the 4 extra change of clothes I brought for them. We arrived in Vegas around 10 p.m. and because of some miscommunication ended up driving around Vegas trying to meet up with the twin's and their mom. When we finally did meet up, it was the sweetest thing. Both Ako and Sai jumped out of their car and ran straight for Fasi's arms...if only I were quick enough to grab the camera. The good-byes were quick and painless. We headed to my Auntie Fua's where we stayed the night and got reacquainted with the boys.
(Reunited and it feels so good....pix was taken just after arriving at Auntie Fua's)
Immediately all 7 were running around playing tag and chatting up storms. My cousins Tia, Moto, Manu and Tupu all stayed up to visit and hang out with us. Just after midnight Fasi and Manu made a late night run to McD's for the whole gang. After more running around and talking and playing all 8 (includes Fasi) knocked out. I stayed up a little later on purpose, to get a picture of all 7 asleep, together on the floor (see previous posts). I ended up staying up til 4:30 a.m. pow-wowing with cousin Tia...not too smart since the kids were all up 3 hours later.

Tia, and Fasi made breakfast for everyone and then we got everyone showered and packed up to head over to Circus Circus.
(Fasi with our tribe plus Manu and Tupu, waiting for the elevator in the Parking Garage..on the way into CC)
We were told that check in was at 2 p.m. and that we needed to call an hour before we arrived for check in...so we did. When we arrived at CC we had about a half hour to spare before 2 so we took all 9 kiddos (cousins Manu and Tupu came with) up to see the Circus acts and arcade. There went the first $40 dollars on games for all 9.
(Puka, Sai and Leila trying to get their game on in the arcade)
About quarter after 2, we hauled all 9 down to the front desk to check in and lo and behold...we are told our room is not ready yet and to come back at 3:15. So we head all the way back to the Circus acts (on the complete opposite side of the hotel) where we drop another $40 plus dollars on games for everyone.
(Puka, Always trying to blow stuff up...LOL)
At 3:20 we are all back at front desk hoping to pick up our keys, and once again they tell us our room is not ready and will not be until 5:30. This is when I step in (Fasi was doing all the checking in stuff, while I was trying not to lose the tribe) and demand a manager and give them an earful on how we did everything according to check-in procedure, also waited an extra hour and a half, only to be told to wait some more...I DON'T THINK SO!! After some rolling of the neck and pointing of the finger and major show of disappointment, miraculously a room opens up and we are handed keys to our room. As we walked towards the elevator reviewing the receipt the front desk clerk just handed us, we were pleased to see that $50 was taken off of the price of our room...SWEEET! So, we get to the room and not even 5 minutes in Puka slips off of the slippery bed comforter and hits his head on the corner of the nightstand. Dark red blood starts pouring down his face while all the other kids go into panic mode and start shouting about the blood. Fasi spent a good 15 minutes trying to get the bleeding under control and after he does, he and Puka and Manu go down to the Casino floor to find a store that sales first aid kits. The rest of us took a 2 hour nap and when the other 2 come back to the room, we got everybody up and ready to go to dinner. We called everyone we knew that could give us suggestions for a family friendly place to eat, and no one had the slightest clue...so we ended up at a Chinese buffet about 20 minutes from the strip...go figure. The food was pretty good and even though it was a little nerve wracking to get all 9 kids fed and contained, it was a pretty good first run with all the kiddos.
(Dinner at the Chinese buffet)
After dinner we made quick stops at Wal-Mart and the 99 cent store, also dropped off Manu and Tupu and then headed back to CC. When we got to the room it was about 11 p.m. We got everyone showered and in bed, and told them all to get good sleep because the next day we were doing the Adventuredome (roller coasters, and bumper cars, and rides, etc.)

*We made our first exception in a long time about Sunday, in that we didn't attend church and instead did something completely opposite of what we normally would do on this day. The kids were also so sleep deprived and having way too much fun to realize that it was Sunday...which is what we preferred so that they couldn't ever use that against us one Sunday when they're rebelling talking about not wanting to go to church.
So Sunday morning we all slept in...well kind of. I got up around 9 and got all the kids outfits and shoes picked out and one by one woke them up and got them ready for the day. We headed down to CC's brunch buffet and all had a great breakfast. Afterwards we headed upstairs to the Adventurdome (2-3 minute walk from the buffet area) to get our ride on! We bought all day passes for all of us and rode and rode until our hearts desire.
(Posing with Spongebob, while Dad buys the passes)
We knew the older kids would have a great time, and were kind iffy about Puka and Leila...but they loved it! Puka especially. He'd cry the minute he stepped off one ride, until he stepped onto another.
(On one of their favorite rides there. Sissy, Puka..happy as can be, and Leila)
It was such a thrill to see all 6 of them having a great time together (Sunni hung out with Fasi and I watching the rides).
(This was their 2nd go round on the Frog Hopper. Leila passed it up this time)
Around 5 o'clock we all needed a nap so we headed back to the room and got our nap on. At about 7 we headed over to the Circus acts and arcade area, where we ate dinner at McD's. People that would share elevators with us and/or standing in a line with us would ask if all 7 were ours, and how we managed to keep them all together...we'd just smile and tell them we're still trying to figure out the staying together thing. While we were at McD's every table around us had their eyes on us and we could see a lot of heads nodding our way and see a lot of whispering.
(At McD's, all 7 waiting patiently for their nutritious meal:))
We just thought it was funny that people were in awe of seeing so many kids, after all it was CIRCUS CIRCUS.
(Puka isn't in the pix, because he's throwing a fit on the floor. Here's Fasi with the others though..LOL..checkout Sunni's face)
Anywho, after dinner we headed back to the Adventuredome where we closed down the park at midnight.
(Sunni's first and only time she got on a ride...she didn't care too much for it)
(L-R..Sai, Ako and Apolo on that favorite ride)
(While Fasi took the other 3 on the water ride, these 4 battled it out on this game. Puka WON!!)
(Before the Adventuredome)
(After the Adventuredome..Look at Fasi, he's EXHAUSTED)

We took the gang back to the room where we once again got everyone showered and in bed. It was just after 1 when the last child fell asleep. Fasi went down to the Casino to try his luck and I stayed up packing and cleaning up to get ready to leave for AZ Monday morning.

Monday morning we checked out of the hotel just after 10 a.m. and then headed home for AZ. We of course stopped at where else...McD's for some breakfast sandwiches, gassed up in Boulder City and were on our way home.
(Couldn't get Apolo in the pix from this angle. On our way home to ARIZONA!)
However, it took a good hour and 20 minutes to get through Hoover Dam but with the portable dvd player (thank heaven for those) the kids were content and even kind of sleepy. The ride home was also smooth sailing except for the fact that instead of 4 passengers asking "ARE WE THERE YET", there were now 6 of them asking. LOL!

All in all we're so grateful for all the things that have come together to make last weekend happen!!

*Twin's mom for letting them come to AZ
*Twin's WANTING to come to AZ
*Affordable rental car and hotel room rates online
*Spring Break
*Tax Return
*Fasi's Job
*Auntie Fua and family's hospitality
*Heavenly Father's protecting hands

We're SO BLESSED!!!!