Happy 3rd Birthday Isaac!!!

Isaac wanted a PJ Mask themed birthday and boy, oh boy, did he get the best PJ Mask party ever!

Lia took on the cake making business and since it was Isaac's birthday she let him help in the important task of licking the bowl.  Do you think he likes this?

Emily decorated the cake with Catboy, Owlette and Gecko... the main PJ Mask characters.

And here is our birthday boy!  We asked Isaac what he wanted for his birthday party and he had very definite ideas.  He requested that it be PJ Mask themed, that we have party hats and party blowers and he wanted balloons.  I think we knocked out his wishlist!  (Never mind the Finding Nemo party hats... that is the best I could find at Walmart)

And the cake was delicious!  You've come a long way since your first birthday when you didn't like cake.

And the rest of the party.... plus the balloons.  :-)  I call it a successful birthday!

And the video:

DC Trip, day three and four

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

7:15 A.M. Hotel Breakfast

8:15 A.M. Board Bus

9:00 A.M. Newseum

11:30 A.M. Smithsonian – Natural and American History

1:30 P.M. Lunch

3:00 P.M. National  Shrine Tour and Mass

5:00 P.M. Dinner – Ben’s Chili Bowl

8:00 P.M. Washington Wizards game

10:30 P.M. Arrive at Hotel

11:00 P.M. Lights Out

Thursday, March 23, 2017

7:30 A.M. Board Bus

7:45 A.M. Breakfast

9:00 A.M. Mount Vernon

12:30 P.M. Lunch

3:30 P.M. Arrive at Airport

. Dinner  at airport

6:05 P.M. Depart for Houston (United #1411)

8:39 P.M. Arrive Bush Intercontinental Airport

PLEASE MEET AT BAGGAGE CLAIM in Terminal C

DC Trip, day two

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

7:45 A.M. Hotel Breakfast

8:30 A.M. Board Bus

9:00 A.M. World War II Memorial, Korean Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial

10:30 A.M. Arlington National Cemetery

12:15 P.M. Wreath Laying, Kennedy Gravesites, Challenger Memorial

1:30 P.M. Lunch

3:00 P.M. Ford’s Theatre

4:30 P.M. Smithsonian Air & Space

6:00 P.M. Dinner

7:15 PM Night Tour, Jefferson Memorial, FDR Memorial, MLK Memorial, Kennedy Center, Iwo Jima Memorial

10:00 P.M. Arrive at Hotel

11:00 P.M. Lights Out

Emily took about 300 pictures on her DC trip... These are *my* favorites but if you would like to see them all, I'm sure she'd love to give you a full report. ;-)

A little fun with the Washington Monument...

And the Linclon Memorial...

Vietnam Memorial... all the names!

My Longhorn girl at the WW2 Memorial!

Arlington Cemetery....

And the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  Emily was fascinated with the way the guards always take the same exact number of steps in the exact same stride.  She said you can see their footsteps worn into the marble.

DC Trip, day one

Monday, March 20, 2017

6:30 A.M. Arrive at Bush Intercontinental Airport

PLEASE MEET in Terminal C

8:56 A.M. Depart for D.C. (United #6027)

1:00 P.M. Arrive in D.C.  

Board Bus

1:45 P.M. Lunch – Capitol Visitor Center

3:20 P.M. Capitol Tour, Supreme Court, Library of Congress

6:45 P.M. Dinner

8:15 P.M. Alexandria Colonial Tours Ghosts & Graveyard

10:00 P.M. Arrive at Hotel

11:00 P.M. Lights Out

Cherry blossoms!

Glad to see she's getting a dose of her own medicine here!

Emily's DC Trip - Citizenship Award

We were surprised and super-proud to find out that Emily won the Washington DC Citizenship Award!  Here is what was said by her Assistant Principal at the awards ceremony:

Each year our 8th grade class travels to Washington D, C and spends four days together exploring the history of our great country. The Washington D.C. Citizenship Award is given to one student who is recognized for leadership and citizenship. This award is inspired by the famous line in John F. Kennedy's 1963 inaugural address challenging youth to assume the responsibility of American Citizenship through the memorable line "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."  

Chaperones are asked to nominate students for this award and here are some of the things that were said about this student. This year's recipient was a wonderful leader and role model.  This student asked the right questions when other students were too shy to ask our tour guides.  This student was interested in the subject matter no matter where we were and invested herself in discovering new information everywhere we went.  This student was essentially our tour guide and was truly interested in everything we did. She helped guide our group and get the other students interested in the museums and other attractions. Please join me in congratulating Emily Nelli on receiving the Washington, D.C. citizenship award.

Emily's 8th Grade Washington DC Trip - Class Pics

Emily's 8th grade year was one to remember with a class trip to Washington DC in March.  They had a jam packed itinerary and got a whirl-wind tour of all the must see and do of this great city.  I love all these pictures... Again, it was really cold.  You can always pick out Emily because she is the one wearing the penguin hat!

White House

Capitol Hill

Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

Escape the Room

We got to celebrate Courage's birthday at the Escape Room!  It was a lot of fun and very challenging!  We did not "escape" and ended up needing some expert help but we did solve a lot of the puzzles and I was impressed with everyone's contributions... it definitely took the whole team to do it!

From the website:

Escape the Room is an interactive, real-life group gaming experience for people of all ages and skill sets. You do not need to have any special knowledge to solve the puzzles and have a good time. Just be creative and curious! 2 to 10 players are locked in a room and must work together using logic and teamwork to escape in under 60 minutes, so move fast! You will have to crack codes to solve puzzles using clues, some of which will help you, and others that are just red herrings that are here to hinder your progress! Your thinking and problem-solving skills will be put to the ultimate test!