Going to the Dogs

Eric is in Argentina and so I asked him to send some pictures of Buenos Aires, since it is supposed to be very beautiful.  Well, Eric sent me these two pictures....I guess this trip is going to the dogs!

Dinner in Santiago, Chile

Eric has the good fortune to be traveling in South America this week.  Below is a photo of his dinner:

Beef. It's what for dinner.


He couldn't even eat the whole thing.

The two side dishes are an avacado/celery salad and hash browns.

All really good.

They then served cotton candy as an in-between dinner and dessert. He hadn't had cotton candy since he was about 12 yrs old. An interesting dinner intermission item!

Battle of the Books

Yesterday, Carli and her team, The Protaganists, competed in the regional finals of Battle of the Books.  There were 59 teams present...it was a bit crazy with excitement and energy.  59 teams would be whittled down to 16 teams and then four and then one.  Carli's team scored a total of 78 points after their two battles.  Unfortunately, the cutoff was 80 points.  The kids were disappointed but I fully expect us to be there again next year!  Anything that builds excitement for reading and books is a great thing!

Fifth Grade Play

Last night was Carli's fifth grade play.  The play tells the story of American history from the very beginning.  There was singing, dancing, comedy and lots of talent and energy.  Carli sang in a group song, a solo and was a narrator.  The kids did great and I think it is a wonderful way for kids to learn and remember history!

Carli's Birthday Slumber Party

I have neglected my blog duties because Carli's birthday is a month-long event!  After the family party, the day-of celebration, the classroom celebration and finally the slumber party, we have now concluded Carli's birthday events!!  I need a year to rest up for next year's festivities!

Carli had great fun at her slumber party.  She planned every detail carefully.  The evening started with a Fear Factor-like game of guessing what you were touching while you were blindfolded.  The girls got quite dramatic about it, but had a good time.  They were pretty good at guessing the items, too.

We then moved on to a M&M game where each girl had a bowl of M&M's and needed to pick up two at a time without looking.  If they were the same color, they could chew them but if they were a different color, the girls had to suck them.  At one point, Carli had 18 M&M's in her mouth!

The girls then danced with the Wii and watched "Pitch Perfect".  It was then time for ice cream sundaes.  At midnight, the girls were still going strong (and I noticed that the remaining sundae toppings had been eaten--hence the sugar high the girls were on!)

In the morning, the girls woke up at 6:45 and were ready for their Nutella and strawberry crepes.  It was fun and Carli had a good time; although I was very tired the entire day!  It is good to be 11!

Carli, the Snowboarder

Eric took Carli up to the mountain yesterday to snowboard for the first time.  It was beautiful and Carli had a great time.

Pearl Turns 5

Difficult to believe that Pearl turns 5 tomorrow.  Tonight we had family over.  Pearl was a bit overwhelmed by our family's generosity!  Tomorrow we have a kids' party with Pearl's friends.  I believe it will be a bit wilder than tonight!

For some reason, I cannot add pictures tonight, so I will try again tomorrow!