Tarantula wasp

My beautiful sweet friend Amanda is trying out for "The Survivor". I was at her house helping her brainstorm and build a makeshift hut for her 3 minute video that she was asked by an executive to submit. While building the hut... Amanda squealed and told me there was a bug under this palm we were using. I started to laugh and thought... now come on Amanda you are trying out for this show....this better not be a 1/2" size spider. We slowly turned the palm over and good golly this horrendous bug crawled out! I have never seen anything like it...where did it come from? It looked upset flapping its wings and its stinger was changing colors and pulsating. KILL THE BUG !!! After we killed it, I had to admire what a beautiful bug it was. The coloring on it was amazing. When I came home I started googeling strange bugs to attempt to identify it and found out it was a tarantula wasp... SCARY !!! Amanda, I know this was a warm up for the the next step for the show. I stand behind you and support you in this tryout. I already feel you have a spot on the show... I look forward to watching you eat bugs like this on the show. Love you !

The Tarantula Wasp...
These insects are easily identified. Its dark black body shines with a metallic look, providing sharp contrast with its bright orange wings. The bright colors are probably important for establishing dominance, and attracting a suitable mate. They are nectar feeders, and can often be found in gatherings of a dozen or more feeding on plants. They are especially fond of milkweed flowers.
Their means of reproduction is what gives them their name and fascinates those of us with a morbid curiosity. Females who are ready to lay eggs is on the lookout for a tarantula. They often disturb the web near a tarantulas burrow, and when the tarantula rushes out the wasp stings the spider and injects venom.
Now this is where it gets weird. Instead of killing the tarantula, the venom only causes paralysis. The wasp then drags the tarantula to a burrow, stuffs it down the hole, and then lays her eggs on top of the paralyzed spider. Several days later the eggs hatch, and the larvae feed on the still living tarantula. Not a pleasant way to spend your last days! When the larvae mature they metamorphose into adult wasps to complete the cycle.

Marshmallow man

 

Slater the marshmallow man. I went to the grocery store with Davin. He spotted these gigantic marshmallows to surprise Slater with. We wrapped them up. When Slater got home from preschool Davin handed him his gift. The look on Slater's face was priceless when he opened it. It was as if he didn't know what to think...they were so big. I think one is about the size of 6 normal size marshmallows.

Carmel

Here are Caden, Davin and I holding the class bunny Carmel. Very sweet, soft and cute bunny!!

 

 

The Nile Monitor Lizard

Davin did another oral presentation. This time it was on the Nile Monitor Lizard.

Monteleone Meadows

My church held a women's spring tea at Monteleone Meadows. It is actually a hidden treasure right down the street form our house. It is a 5 acre private park with a lake, gazebo, wooden bridges to walk over, old fashioned lamp posts, waterfalls and an array of different animals situated on different parts of the property. Absolutely beautiful. I took the pictures of the different animals to show the kids when I got home. Overall, I had a wonderful time. Great food and a wonderful woman who was the guest speaker spoke incredible words of encouragement on the different challenges we women encounter on a daily basis.

The day after

Timeri woke up this morning and ran right into the back yard to check on her frog. She kept it in a box. She picked it right up and grabbed it. After I filmed this, she proceeded to shove the tongue of the frog into his mouth. My dad came to visit today. She was really excited to show it to him. He looked at me and said "That thing is fake right?" I said "NO, its real and its dead". Timeri yelled at me "NO IT'S NOT ! He's sleeping". She then put it on her head and walked away. Erin finally had to take the frog away from her and dispose of it... she was devastated. She keeps asking him, "where did you bury my frog?" Oh our little princess !

Belle and Ratatouille

Timeri and Slater found two frogs in our back yard. They jumped on the trampoline with them, swung with them and played animal hospital with them. By the time my battery charged in my camera, Timeri's frog finally took a long nap. I had to do everything in my power not to laugh hysterically when I filmed this. I can't wait for Timeri to see this when she's older. Too funny !!

Santa Barbara Fires

Here are pictures form the devastating fire in Santa Barbara that Erin was fighting. Whenever Erin goes out on a strike team I am usually worried sick. I always pray to God and ask for protection and safety for Erin and his crew. This particular fire exhausted me. It seems the wind and the weather conditions were not giving up. I was glued to the tv, and hour by hour I would hear another firefighter was injured. Erin would call, text me and send pictures throughout the days and nights. One night I received a text at 2 a.m. with him telling me how exhausted he was and still not having slept for over 56 hours. On top of the exhaustion, he was fatigued, hungry, dehydrated and his sleeping conditions were the worst... on a cot with no sleeping bag. All I could do was pray for him. Erin was gone for 6 days. By the fourth day I could no longer watch it on tv because the kids were becoming very worried and having their own anxieties with him not being home for that long. Thank heaven I know God protects him and I am comforted that he will always return to us safely.

What a blessing !

As a Mother's Day treat, my best friend Jillian took me on a surprise drive to Temecula Unique Ultrasound, to find out the gender of the baby. We piled all the kids in the car and we took all of them into the appointment with us. The kids all sat quietly in the room. The nurse technician dimmed the lights and the ultra sound started. They all waited anxiously with wide eyes not sure what they were looking at. The nurse took her time to explain all the body parts. And then she announced... "IT'S A BOY". Everyone was very excited !!!. To celebrate we went to White Lime to make ice cream sundaes. Then we went to Janie and Jack's boutique to pick out a special layette outfit for him to wear when he comes home from the hospital. All in all it was a very special Mother's Day. I am so blessed. I have a wonderful husband who is fighting the fires in Santa Barbara and still finds time to lavish me with a gigantic bouquet of spring flowers (I swear its three feet tall) and a gorgeous fleur de lis diamond pendant. And to top all that, God has blessed us with a 5th healthy child, our fourth boy and we couldn't be more excited.

Surprise visit

I had the greatest surprise visit from my friend, Teresa and her daughter Zully and boyfriend Michael. I was standing in the street and this driver drove up saying "Hey Sexy Mama". Zully !! I was totally surprised. Teresa lives in Northern California in Orland. I totally enjoyed the surprise and the visit time that we all had. Thank you for surprising me. =) I miss you Teresa!! Zully, I am so happy you are so happy. You deserve the best. And it seems like you have received it. Zully, you are a beautiful woman and have a huge heart, you deserve the best. I pray the best continues to come to you. Take care my friend. Thank you for surprising me !!