The craziness that is training in DC after home leave

So to the kids and I, our time in DC was much more relaxing as we had no doctor appointments to rush off to and lots of museums to explore...so it was more like home leave to us. For Richard though, he had six weeks of training at the State Department education facility. Given we were migrating from a winter bidding cycle (aka moving in December/January like we previously had) to a summer bidding cycle (aka arriving in July) we ended up with this block of time that needed to be filled. Typically it is extremely hard to get enough time for training...so Richard was actually lucky and was signed up for a number of courses he had been wanting to take for a long time.

As I mentioned in the previous post, Mason flew into DC the day after Clarissa, Isa Lei and I drove up from Charleston. We had some visa paperwork and vaccination stuff that needed to be done that required Mason to be in DC with us. It also gave Mason some time to visit with my parents/brother & his family. One afternoon, after his arrival we went to our favorite Smithsonian museum...the Natural History Museum. This one gets hit every time we are in DC! They had a special narwhal exhibit....who doesn't love sea unicorns?!?! So since it was new, that was the only thing I took pictures of. Mason who had been thinking he was getting tall, quickly realized he was small potatoes in relation to a narwhal tusk!

Clarissa reading up (and then telling me....ha ha, see how I snuck some summer reading in!) how the narwhal tusk never stops growing!! That is a fun fact!

The following weekend was the Memorial Day holiday. My mom, sister-in-law, niece and nephew came over for some lunch. We had planned to do the parade but the weather forecast wasn't looking too nice so we opted to walk from our apartment to the Iwo Jima memorial and Netherlands Carillon. None of them had been to the Memorial and due to the holiday we got to hear the bells playing live in the Carillon. On our way, we passed a little hidden statue of King David, his wife Haggit, and their child Adoniyya. It is called 'The Family' and given my sister-in-law is a church youth minister I thought she might like it....Clarissa is blocking 'the child'.

This shot was my mom with her grandkids (less one grown one in Illinois), but the youngest wanted her mommy in the photo....it happens!

On our way back, we stopped at the a cool little pocket park playground I knew about to break up the walk for the kids. Clarissa loved finally having cousins her own age to play with!

As luck would have it, some of my/my brother's cousins from St. Louis were in the area for a vacation. We met up for some lunch one day and then hung out on the boardwalk. It was great seeing them and catching up. We let my sister-in-law (aka the 'out-law') take the cousins photo.....

Mason has gotten into collecting the special quarters series (really tricky and slow when you live overseas), as well as, collecting pennies. So given there are no mints you can tour in DC, the next best thing is you can go tour the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and see how money is made! You can head downtown super early in the morning, stand in line, and hope to get tickets for some point later in the day OR you can book group tickets in advance. I went with the group ticket option, unfortunately due to all the snow days in the DC area my nephew was still in school that day and my sister-in-law had to work. The rest of us went and had fun though!

Don't know why, but now I am humming "If I had a million dollars" by Barenaked Ladies again....

Our motley crew....

Since my brother and niece were cheating, Clarissa and I decided to cheat too!

Possibly the most interesting thing we learned was that $2 bills are still in production! Who knew! So the DC location prints $20, $2 and another denomination. The Texas location prints the other denominations. The main thought going through my head besides $$$$$$$, was if I worked here I would have so many paper cuts!

Great picture of Mason and my parents (now taller than my mom). There's my brother photobombing in the back.....sigh, little brothers!!  Afterwards, we headed to lunch!

So after doing a number to transits through DC, we have seen a lot of what there is in the nearby area. So for this trip, we expanded our horizons! We discovered that Hershey, Pennsylvania was a little less than 2.5 hours away. After doing many 3-4 hour trips slowly around Fiji due to villages and cows (National Speed Limit is also 80 km/hr....aka 50 mph)....2.5 hrs via freeway....easy! So one rainy Sunday we went to the Hershey Chocolate World! We did the free tour....it was a bit lame (all automated....like an old theme park ride) but we splurged on the 'Create-Your-Own-Candy Bar'.....and that was amazing! We got decked up like good ole factory workers (best part was the kid size aprons!).

We took our tickets and scanned them at the first computer station where we picked what we wanted in our bars. Richard and I opted for dark chocolate (yum), Mason went with white chocolate, and Clarissa went straight milk chocolate. You could also pick add-ins like rice bits, cookie bits, sprinkles on top (both kids added sprinkles). Once done there, you entered production, scanned your ticket, and pulled the magic lever!

You then saw your name/bar up on on the production schedule with everything you had selected to put in it.

A shell that is the chocolate type you picked comes down, then what ever add-ins are dropped into your shell, then all go through the milk chocolate waterfall and get covered in chocolate. Then if you selected sprinkles they are added before the chocolate solidifies. Watch as our bars move through the chocolate waterfall!

You then could watch as your chocolate bar "cooled". That was probably the longest part, during which you headed to another computer to design your cover. You could add icon's, fancy font, resize your name....all kinds of fun stuff!

Once dried, your bar went to the boxing section. It was super neat in that the machine boxed your bar and then laser printed your name onto the box! After it was boxed it moved to a real person who put it in a tin, slipped your cover around it, and handed it to you.

It was pretty neat and fun....as we all had one of a kind Hershey's chocolate bars!!

Based on everyone's faces, I think we all had a blast!!

With the ticket package we had gotten we also had a viewing of their 4D movie, while the kids enjoyed it - Richard and I thought it was really cheesy. They did have it so you could text what you were at Hershey celebrating...since it was only a day after, Richard texted we were celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary....aah how sweet! So during the show, they acknowledge birthdays, anniversaries, and other things being celebrated. They also had Hershey, Kiss, and Reese walking around for photos. We didn't run into Hershey but we did the other too!

Later that week, the kids and I did find our way to coin mint in DC. It doesn't do tours (anymore?) but they do have a little shoppette you can buy some things you didn't know you needed! The guy working the shop happened to be a foreign service brat....so Mason had fun talking to a grown up who lived survived this lifestyle! Mason ended getting himself a set of uncirculated 2018 coins! On our way back, we had a little impromptu Chinatown photo shoot (because why not?!?).

Mason then headed back to Texas for another month with his dad. Clarissa and I took Richard to the Chesapeake Brewing Company for Father's Day. We picked it because we like the cool mermaid logo and we know Richard enjoys a craft brew from time to time. As luck would have it, on their sign when we walked in, it said they were giving Dad's free pint glasses for Father's Day! Richard collects pint glasses! Score! I do have to say, Annapolis is a very sleepy town on weekends.

So for months now, Clarissa has been wanting to have a lemonade stand. Living overseas on orders with visas and such....earning money is a no-no. We had thought about trying to have a stand at my in-laws, but they live on a quiet street without much traffic....so another bust. Given her cousin is not much younger than her....I approached my brother/sister-in-law....they have a house on the corner! We decided a weekday when everyone was heading home from work would be perfect. So that afternoon we passed the 'is it time yet' time by having the kids make posters and the lemonade. We had regular and a special lavender mint brew!!

I had sewn Clarissa a money apron for this (and the yard sale) that she proudly wore. She was the money keeper (because she was the oldest of course)!

Once up from her nap, my niece even got in on the action!

They did awesome! Not from volume of sales, but more from tips they got. Working the cute factor while they have it!! We did a few more fun things in DC. I had (another) Groupon for a pottery painting. So Clarissa painted an ice cream bowl for her and Richard to share evening ice cream in (even has a line down the middle so nobody eats too much) and her cousins painted a plate and car. It was fun. I also signed up from some sewing classes for myself (I can now do patio cushions with piping) and Clarissa wanted to take a class too! So she learned how to make a pillow! She really enjoyed it and hopefully I can find some classes in Doha for her to take.

We also spent some time at my parents (though I didn't take pictures of us sitting around...lol). The kids and I enjoyed our relaxing time in DC (less the construction on our patio from 9am to 4pm everyday....the noise was horrific and ran us out everyday). After this training, we headed back to Charleston for a little bit of vacation time before we head to Doha! Coming soon in another post!

The Birthday that would never end.....

When we decided we were going to take our R&R over the first term break which falls in April, we told Clarissa, 'Oooh, this is exciting you can have two birthdays one in SC with Nana & Bajoo and your cousins there and one in Maryland with Grandma & Grandpa and your cousins there'. That was going to special! Two birthday parties with both grandparents....I thought I was going to get off easy.....what, why are you laughing?!?!? You know where this going......of course you do....and then Clarissa was all and then I can have a party when I get back in Suva with my friends and at school (oh boy....we're up to four parties now). Well then came the proverbial icing on the birthday cake..... our tickets got booked for our flights and we were flying back ON Clarissa's actual birthday....nothing says fun to a 7 year old like keeping your seatbelt fastened while you are seated for your whole birthday! Cue a couple extra celebrations of Clarissa's 7th trip around the Sun!

Yes....7! So my sister-in-law has an Etsy Shop (look closely you might catch our names/initials on some items). I requested her services for a custom shirt (primarily for those airplane rides on her birthday....maybe Clarissa could get a full can of sprite or something!!). I also ordered a bow because they were so cute and being in the south makes you want personalized things....lol (my not being from the south is obvious in the fact I can't tie a bow so it sits properly....).

Anywho, now that someone is all dressed up and ready for birthday party #1....let's go! Since most of her SC cousins are Mason's age. She picked something they would enjoy....bowling! She also invited her 'oldest best friend' (we are reading the Ella Diaries by Meredith Costain. It's an Australian Scholastic series, that is starting to be released stateside....anywho, Ella typically has BFFs for particular locations....she went on a cruise and had a cruise BFF aka CBFF.....which works well with our lifestyle!!). So we called this friend Clarissa's CharlestonBFF or CBFF.

Nice form gentlemen! The CBFF!

My kids obviously don't bowl very often...lol.

After the second game. CBFF won the second game (and came in a close second the first game). One cousin was not too happy about being beat by a 7yo....lol. Clarissa just had a blast....I don't know why Mason was hiding behind the ball....

Afterwards, we went to Sesame for dinner....yum yum and yum! The fact they have black bean burgers on the menu makes my heart go pitter patter and the fact you can choose from multiple options for toppings (just as many as those meat eaters)....heaven! We brought in some cupcakes for the kids and sang to Clarissa after we had all eaten.

Sesame is a pretty small restaurant and I think nearly everyone looked over as we were singing. Surprisingly, Clarissa didn't go hide under the table like she has been known to do in the past....after dinner the kids went outside to play some cornhole (I didn't name the game)....and she said 'see you when we're are back in a year' to her CBFF (CBFF is only 6 months older....the height difference cracks me up!!).

Next up was a special lunch with Clarissa's other SC cousin who couldn't make it to the bowling party. Clarissa was okay with it, since it made it technically party #2.....lol. Lunch at Chick-fil-A....nothing fancy...but okay. Unfortunately, we didn't get any pictures....but it was tasty!

Party #3 was once we arrived in Maryland with the other Grandparents and cousins. Since her cousins up there are younger than her, she opted for the age appropriate Chuck E. Cheese's. Since we are in the Lego VIP program (can't imagine why), I was checking out their website for info on free mini builds while we were stateside (can't beat free Lego's!)....and there just happened to be one on the same day we had planned to do her party! Score! Extra event with free Lego's to add to the fun (only drawback was it was at 9 am). So we started the day making a LegoFriends lemonade stand....you can tell who is most into the mini build...couldn't be bothered with pictures!

Once you finished the mini build, they gave you another little set (a Lego Friends sewing machine!!). Given it was Easter weekend, they also had Easter Lego eggs hidden around the store. If you found all 8, you also got a prize....the kids totally scored on that one! Next we headed down the road to Chuck E. Cheese's for pizza and

games....lots and lots of games!

Clarissa loved the jumping one....the higher she jumped the higher her character jumped in the game

Even the grown-ups played some! I played my all time favorite skee-ball to earn tickets for the birthday girl....

After Mason blew through all his 'play points' (they now have cards with your "tokens" on them), he helped push the pedals for the vertically challenged....

Clarissa is normally super shy around dressed up grown-up types....but she was super happy to see Chuck E. Cheese at her party! Even grabbed her cousin over for another photo....who is this child, have you seen my daughter?!?!?

I love this picture of the two them making an ID card.....I think they both made a handful each (they wanted one of each type!).

So her birthday party ended up being a bit of a 'progressive party', in that we moved one last time for our dessert. We went to Sweet Frog frozen yogurt...that way everyone could get something they like....(and we had not been in over a year!!). We made another spectacle of ourselves and sang to Clarissa in the shop. Luckily there was only one other family in there with us.

The employee working was super sweet and brought Clarissa out a pair of frog eye glasses and some coloring books/stickers for the little kids. The glasses totally rock!

As you can see they worked well for the happy 'it's my birthday face'. They also work perfectly with the annoyed 'can't you see I'm eating yogurt - back off' face.

As well as, the happy Grandpa face! Party # 3 is done!

So after we discovered we were flying back ON Clarissa's birthday and since she now plays with dolls and not drag them by their hair but is not so old that dolls just sit and collect dust. Richard and I decided our gift for Clarissa would be while in DC, we would take her to the American Girl store and she could pick out her doll. The AG store in DC is HUGE (2 stories!) and even has a cafe attached...so we could make a whole day of it!! When her grandparents asked what she wanted for a gift, she asked for a gift card or cash so that then she could buy accessories and other things from the AG store since we would be just getting her the doll.....so our American Girl day was Celebration/Party #4!!!

We had done some research online beforehand (party planning???) and had decided on which doll she was going to get. Her doll needed to have brown hair with bangs like her. That was the most important thing. We had found one that had greenish eyes, so not quite a perfect match (Clarissa's eyes are more blueish gray like my dad's but on some days depending on the lighting they have a green tint to them). Per my email confirmation, the doll was in stock and all was good. Of course, she had to get matching glasses and she picked out some outfits and a hairbrush to buy with HER money.

I'd say the look more like sisters wouldn't you...lol. She named her MaryAnn after both of her grandmothers. One of the Historical AG dolls, Melody has a recording studio. They had it out in the store. Clarissa played with this for a long time. MaryAnn is apparently a record producer.

I didn't make reservations for the Bistro (apparently you should do that beforehand), so we had to wait a bit for a table. When they call you, Clarissa had to pick up a "treat seat" (aka doll booster seat that attaches to the table) for her doll to sit in. They gave MaryAnn a tea cup and saucer (which she got to keep!!).

Clarissa then ordered lunch. She was telling me how rude it was to take a photo while they were eating lunch!

She decided to order the 'decorate your own cupcake' for dessert. It was the right decision. I think it was technically suppose to be one for you and one for your doll....but she ate both!

Not sure if she put on enough icing.....

If there is a will, there is a way to get all the icing in your mouth!

Once Richard got out of training, he was able to meet us at the store....like I said...we spent the whole day at American Girl!! (actually when waiting for our turn in the Bistro we did walk down to the Lego store and Disney store for a little bit). Since there was cake, it totally counts as a party...so Birthday Party #4 done!

Our next birthday celebration occurred on her actual birthday. Having been able to sneak into Target at one point sans kids, I was able to get her a birthday card (typically not easy to find overseas) which we gave to her prior to heading to the airport (ignore the face making tween in the background).

When boarding the plane to LAX, we had our first person acknowledge her birthday shirt (mental happy dance). Which on cue, Clarissa got super shy with all the attention. During the second drink service, the flight attendant who had noticed her shirt brought cookies on a plate with dry ice below it on second plate (probably leftovers from first class because the rest of us got pretzels...lol). It was pretty cool.....then a handful of flight attendants sang happy birthday to Clarissa. I think she liked it since she took a photo of her fogging cookie....Richard even gave United a little shout out for the extra nice thing they did (since it was just days after the infamous dragging incident).

As to be expected, when we checked in at Fiji Airways our passports were all checked to verify all traveler info (kids are not typically checked for domestic flights). So the check in agent saw it was Clarissa's birthday and put a special message on her boarding pass. That was pretty cool. 

As you saw the other day, Clarissa fell asleep before we boarded the plane. So even though due to the time change she ended up gaining three extra hours on her birthday, she couldn't power through and really enjoy them. Since there was a card, happy birthday sung, and a sweet treat consumed, we are calling this celebration/party #5 and it is done! When she woke in Fiji, due to flying over the international date line, it was two days after her birthday (at least we didn't skip her birthday....that would have been bad.....no birthday for you this year....lol).

Once back at school and getting a handle on the jet lag, I coordinated with Clarissa's teacher to pick a good day to bring in cupcakes for her class. The weekend before her celebration our banana tree that had a 12 hand bunch of bananas growing decide to ripen. So we had bananas galore! 

That is probably about a third of them. Her school is real big on morning tea time being 'sip and crunch' time (water and a crunchy....aka raw fruit/veggie snack)....so I asked Clarissa if she wanted to take some bananas in for her school party....she said yes! They were a hit....her teacher had said only one cupcake per person, but multiple kids came back and asked for another banana!! 

I totally cheated and used funfetti frosting but I don't think the kids minded....they were inhaled! Of course, not until they sung Happy Birthday to Clarissa....

...being American, she blew out the candle before they sang the Australian/New Zealand second verse (Happy Long Life to You)...let alone the 'Hip Hip Hip....Hooray' part....ooops. Party #6....done!

As the birthday festivities were finally wrapping up, Clarissa had her last party with her Suva friends. Party #7 celebrating her 7th Birthday....look how that worked out....perfect! So given Clarissa is into everything girlie, when looking around for ideas I found this little Spa Party kit for her and 3 friends....ooh perfect....if she's sold it would be a small party! When I said spa, she said yes! Now the hard part was deciding which 3 friends....she lucked out and all 3 could make it!

We divided the party into two parts. First, they made a bath bomb, sugar scrub, and fairy sparkle gel. We had that set up before everyone arrived.

The kit came with cute containers and molds and some supplies. It also used some household cooking supplies. They made bracelets and necklaces while everyone was arriving. Then we dove into bath bomb making....some worked better than others....but there was lots of giggling watching the duds bubble all over the place.....

After everything was made, I sent them out onto the porch for some fruit, veggie & pretzel snacks. Richard went out and took some pictures of them all being silly (mainly to control the chaos), as I switched out the table cloth and turned on some battery candles. Viola, it was spa time. I looked up at one point while doing this and all 4 girls were peeking in the window at me...it was too funny. First up....mud masks with CUCUMBERS....real cucumbers!!!

There was so much giggling and I'm not sure what they expected but it was not how cold the cucumbers were...lol. Next up, I let them give each other pedicures....much more fun then some mom painting their toes....

They also did glittery tattoos before it was cake time! Months ago, Clarissa had found a photo online of a three tier pink and white flower cake with a tiara on top and decided that's what she wanted. When we started talking about her party cake, she went and found the photo she had printed out and reminded me the number need to be a 7 and not the one on the photo. While not as grandiose as she may have hope, she loved it and her friends 'oohed and aahed' it. 

And just like that party #7 was done.....and finally the birthday that would never end.....was done!!!!!!