Palin Comes to Greenville

Thanks to Keith (he drove an hour, one way, on his "lunch break") , my political groupie friend and I were able to get tickets to see Sarah Palin in Greenville at ECU's campus. When we drove up to the site, we were greeted by Obama supporters...

The line snaked to and fro and took an hour and a half even though we were there early. I never did find out how long the last person to get in waited. I do know that some were not able to get in and had to watch it from televisions somewhere else.

Secret Service was in place watching the festivities...

Here's Suzy and me sitting happily in our seats waiting for everything to get started. Suzy has been a God-send, she comes over and watches debates with me and we talk politics all the time. I guess she's been a God-send to my friends and family because if it weren't for her, I'd be talking to them about politics!

A few politicians spoke to prep the crowd. Elizabeth Dole was one of them...

Of course, Sarah was a few minutes late (I've noticed the main speaker is never on time when I go to these things) and we were all getting restless.

Here's some prep work for the secret service - it drove me crazy because they kept hinting she was coming and then she didn't come. Which is why as you will see in a moment, that I only have a short bit of Sarah entering - the battery ran out and my extra batteries were at my seat.

Here's a bit of the speech live (thank God I had brought extra batteries or else I would have nothing of her - except for the brief entrance).

She's a good sport with all the signs, she took any that anyone handed her. She constantly tried to back track - against Secret Service wishes - and sign for everyone (unfortunately, she didn't get to me) and I saw later on a news report that she requested that a woman holding a baby and a sign that said "Downs Syndrome Blessed" come to her so she could hug the baby - we saw her hugging a baby but I didn't know the whole story until I saw it on the news.

It was a wonderful night. I wish I could do it all the time. The fact that I want that crazy life of politicking is another reason I have the vision for FPOTUS and FFLOTUS Berry.

I also wanted to send out a big thanks to Kim for watching the kids for me, including taking them to soccer practice and spending the night so I could stay out late to watch the debate in Greenville.

Soccer Season

I don't think you need much explanation so I'm going to leave this as it is for now...

Almost done...

Letter from Michael:
September 27, 2008

I have been back at Kandahar Airfield (KAF) for about 2 ½ weeks now. Life here is bliss compared to what it was like at FOB Dwyer. We can shower whenever we like. We have plumbing. We can eat good food at the chow hall whenever we want. The soda is cold, as are our tents due to the air conditioning. We have next-day laundry service, gyms, a running trail, and electricity. Life here is good. But, the Taliban do a good job of reminding us that we are not in America . We have taken rocket attacks each of the last four days. It’s funny, because I can recall that when I first arrived, these rocket attacks scared the living daylights out of me. I wasn’t able to sleep the first night. Now, they are just an annoyance, kind of like the flies were at Dwyer. They get in the way of our busy schedules and cause us to have to stop what we are doing to take cover. Speaking of busy schedules, I have been busier than ever now that we have returned. There are many investigations that I must oversee. Investigations must occur whenever we suspect that a Marine has committed some transgression or misconduct. Most of them deal with momentary lapses in judgment, but some can be serious. My job is to make sure that everything is done by the book, and in a professional manner. It can be tedious, but I view it as a way in which I can distinguish myself as an asset to my boss. I have somewhat earned the reputation as being the resident nobel laureate, so any written document that is of any significance is either written or edited by me. It’s a role I assume with pride because I know that they would not ask me to do it if they didn’t think that I possess some kind of talent for it. I suppose it means I have found my niche in this world dominated by type A personality alpha males who are in the business of killing bad guys and blowing things up.

I have less than one month remaining until I am on the airplane and headed home. This deployment has certainly been an eye-opening and career-changing (perhaps even life-changing) experience. Where I go from here remains to be seen. I hope that I emerge from this a better Marine, husband, father, son, and friend. It’s not over yet, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Kids sleeping and awake...

Here are some cute pictures of the kids sleeping and some more getting ready for soccer practice.



I have some more pictures and videos from soccer that will be coming soon...

Tropical Storm Hanna

Last Saturday Tropical Storm Hanna (formerly Hurricane Hanna) came through and just happened to be at her strongest at the time we are usually out and about. Because I had no concept of how bad it would be I decided that we would just stay in our pajamas and hang out in the house for the morning. It became "backwards day". If you know me, it was a hard day for me because I really struggle with staying home even just for a few hours.

Anyway, to make it fun we moved the picnic table over and made a big mess in the playroom and did lots of indoor things. We colored...
We watched Charlotte's Web for the first time...

We flew to Afghanistan...


Time at the airport in A'stan...


We worked on the computer and sat...

Finally we were able to get out later in the day, but it was confusing for all of us. Our schedule was opposite!

Update on the kids...

Today Mikey started Kindergarten. We had a good time. It's really a tough task to prepare all the curriculum and balance all the kids and teach well, but it was really great. I just loved how we were all doing something together. I think the kids loved it. I can definitely see how homeschooling really has the potential to create an extremely close-knit family. I can also see how homeschooled kids could get a sub-par education. Fortunately, I'm extremely motivated to challenge them with very high standards for education. I plan to start teaching them Latin in 3rd grade. Speaking of language, we started Spanish today as well. I'm really hoping that in a couple of months Mikey will be able to have a basic pleasantry conversation with someone in Spanish - I'm also hoping that Roman and Sami pick up the language with him. I was also talking to another homeschooling family and she suggested a program for starting them on piano at 6 years old. I'm going to look into that when it gets closer.

Let's see... interesting things about the kids lately:

• Yesterday Jasmyn came running out of the Quizno's bathroom and proclaimed to the crowded restaurant that Mikey didn't wipe his privates. Nadia said in a quiet voice to settle her down that Mikey was a boy and boys don't need to always wipe their privates....
• A couple of weeks ago Mikey said he wanted a strong wind to come by because he wanted to fly....
• Roman has learned the very annoying trick to pretend that he doesn't want to come to me when someone else is holding him. He thinks it's so funny - I don't.
• Mikey asked me the other day if the United States gave Daddy a sword.
• Sami is very sneaky and has learned that if she behaves as though she's hurt she can usually get away with getting a kiss and getting her brother in trouble.
• Mikey made an airport with legos the other day.
• Roman likes to make airplanes, trains, cars, etc go "vroom".
• Mikey and Sami feed the dogs every day twice a day so I don't have to - Roman "helps" and sometimes feeds himself....
• Sami can count in English and Spanish to ten and if in the right mood can quote Psalm 23 and the Ten Commandments - without her brother's help.
• Mikey has practically memorized every children's Bible story we've ever read.
• Sami just fell out of her bed - she broke one end of the bed so she's sleeping at the foot where there are no side rails. She had a very sad cry.

That's all I can think of for now...

Looking Forward to Variety

Letter from Michael:
August 25, 2008

Here's a picture sent a couple of days ago with the guys having some nearing final days celebration with BBQ and flag football.

This will probably be my last journal entry from FOB Dwyer, unless anything interesting happens within the next two weeks. We are inching closer to our departure date, and we are all looking forward to being back at KAF. Of course, nothing compares to our desire to get back to the United States . Being out here has certainly refreshed my outlook on what is important in life and how the little things that you take for granted can really be missed. So, I thought I would dedicate this entry to what I am looking forward to when I get home other than the obvious (the “obvious” being family, friends, electricity, and running water).

I am looking forward to walking through Wal-mart, taking my time, feeling the cool air on my face, and having the option of buying just about whatever kind of food I want. You see, we have been eating the same 2 meals for about 2 or 3 weeks now. And while I appreciate the fact that we get hot meals served twice daily, it does tend to get monotonous. I am looking forward to being able to eat whatever I want, whenever I feel like it. Being the health nut that I am, however, this means that I can’t wait to sink my teeth into a nice cold cut sandwich, with ham, roast beef, salami, turkey, sprouts, baby spinach, roasted red peppers, yellow mustard, salt, pepper, and vinegar.

I am looking forward to sitting in the car with Kelle beside me, and the kids in the back, making all of their noise. We don’t have to have anywhere to go or be in particular, just the fact that my family is with me again, all in one place. I can’t wait to be able to listen to the radio while driving in the car, and if it gets a little too hot, I can just turn on the a/c and, voila, instant coolness. I look forward to collapsing on my couch after a long day, wearing nothing but shorts, t-shirt and flip flops, and turning on the tv to watch some sports. Out here, of course, there are no tv’s, and I have been wearing this same uniform for the past 5 months. Even when I go to bed, I keep my trousers on. I look forward to wearing different clothes every day.

I look forward to walking through a mall with my wife and kids in tow. The food court will be like a slice of heaven, with all the selections to choose from. But, me being me, I will probably opt for that cold cut sandwich.

I notice a trend in these things that I look forward to upon my return. I seem to crave variety and choice. That makes sense, because out here, there is no variety, there is no choice. The military is not a democracy, and rightfully so. Everything we do is governed by rules, someone else’s rules imposed on us “for our own good.” Right or wrong, like them or not, as a Marine and especially as an officer, I cannot complain about the rules, I cannot disobey the rules, I cannot try to undermine the rules. I must not only enforce them, but I must set an example for others. Yes, it gets old, but there surely is always a method to the madness. I hope so, because it can certainly get maddening doing the same thing day after day.

Until these desires are filled, I will have to continue putting on my game face, being resolute and steadfast in setting that example, and I will have to look forward to getting back to KAF, which is the first huge step in getting home.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

From Michael:
August 17, 2008

It has been nearly a full month since I last wrote. Not much has really happened in that month. Our convoys were struck by IEDs, resulting in some serious injuries, but thankfully, no deaths. By my count, we have had 4 IED strikes on our vehicles thus far, none resulting in fatalities. We have been either extremely good, or extremely lucky…probably a mix of both.

The temperatures have been steadily in decline as of late, which is welcome relief from the 130-degree days of June and July. I believe the high yesterday was a cool 111. The “milder” temperatures do bring one bad omen, flies. I guess not even the flies can survive at 120 degrees plus, but at 110, they do just fine. I put up one of those disposable fly traps that Kelle sent me near my living quarters and, despite the fact that it smells like rotted flesh, it does a very good job. Flies, it appears, like the smell of rotted flesh, as the trap literally has about an inch of dead flies floating on the surface of the water in the trap. Yes, disgusting, but just think about that layer of flies swarming around your face all day long. Equally disgusting if not more so.

We are nearing the end. We used to have a saying that “the light at the end of the tunnel just might be a train coming in the opposite direction”. We can all see the light at this point, so let’s hope it’s not that proverbial train. The focus at this point is transitioning into what we call “retrograde”. This is actually a very labor-intensive and detailed planning process. Unpacking upon our arrival is easy, it’s putting everything back into the box that is difficult. Add to that the rush that everybody is in to get out of town, and you have some serious safety concerns. At this point, the most dangerous people on the battlefield are ourselves.

I admit that it is difficult to keep focused when it feels like we are so close to going home. But Marines are professionals, and I cannot let my guard down, even for a moment. There are Marines that depend on me doing the best job I can, and if they see me ease up and get lazy, it sets a bad precedent.

I am looking forward to eating normal human food back in Kandahar , and then eating good normal human food back in the States. I can’t wait to have good Tex-Mex and good pizza.

Swimming Fun

It's summertime and what would summer be without the pool and the beach.

The kids took swimming lessons and that was fun, but too much for Mommy without Daddy. It was four days a week for two weeks straight. Translation, nothing but the pool for nearly two weeks. I like to get out more, sorry to those fish out there.

Other than those two weeks, we've been heading to the pool and/or the beach at least once a week all summer. Unfortunately I don't have many pictures, not enough hands, but here are a few of them...

Mikey loves his goggles and he is now swimming underwater. He loves the water, but he is cautious. I don't mind that!

Not only is Sami adorable in her Tankini's and Surfer shirts, but she is cute in the water. She's great at going underwater and experimenting. She is timid, but she's gaining more confidence as we go each week.
Then there's Roman...he's totally going to be a surfer. In his swimming class he wanted to skip learning to float and stand on the floating board. And he actually did with exceptional balance. He also is perfectly fine with going underwater and loves to blow bubbles in the water (btw - he's 18 mos this month). He's NOT cautious and very daring.

As I mentioned earlier, we head to the beach often as well. I figure that we live too close to the beach not to go often. However, I have to admit, it's not my favorite idea of fun with the kids. Don't get me wrong, it's fun, but it's exhausting for me. There's so much that could go wrong and so much work, sand, and sweat that goes into a trip to the beach. Needless to say, my beach chair doesn't get much use.

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures from the beach (again, not enough hands, although perhaps Beth got some good ones when we met her there... Beth, any good ones?). But, I can tell you that next summer I'm hoping I can convince Michael to get all of us to take surfing lessons. I love the idea of surfing and the kids thought standing on the boogie board was the coolest thing ever.

I know, they're a little young, but I'm sure they have something we can do with them to begin to teach them surfing. I plan to sign them up for more swim lessons through out the year to improve their swimming skills so we can try surfing asap!

Haircuts

A few weeks ago - I know, I'm way behind - I took the kids to get haircuts. This was Roman's first haircut so he got all his baby hair cut off. It's still hard to tell a color but the hair in the floor didn't look like his because it looked so brown. I should admit here as well that I got a little choked up picking up his baby hair. He's probably my last baby and it was a little sad for me.

Mikey was up first:

Sami and Roman waited while they ate bananas
Sami was next and happy to get started
She doesn't look so happy now, but she is. This is her, 'no one can see that I have emotions' look. She's cute with the little metal clips holding her hair in place so the lady can cut. She's such a big girl!
I really think she loved getting her haircut, you'd just never know it from the look on her face. Then there's Roman...
Clearly, he didn't like it...

Here's the outcome: Cute little kiddos!

Blueberry Picking

We wanted to make sure we picked some blueberries before the season was over so here we are with our buckets. The blueberries were very yummy and very cheap. The only problem was that the Berry family didn't get enough blueberries because we kept eating them and spilling them. But, hey, it was fun nonetheless.


















To my surprise the kids did a great job at picking blueberries (besides eating and spilling them). They were very good workers and also seemed to enjoy themselves.

















Roman wasn't so good at picking blueberries. He crawled and drifted alot. A couple of times I couldn't find him because he could get through the rows so easily I'd lose sight of him quickly. But we found him having fun on his own.


















Sami was her usual quiet self. She stayed to herself and kept picking. She actually picked alot, but we just didn't take home much. She did wonderful - until she had to go potty. I don't know if you know this, but there are no potties in blueberry fields.



















She was quite pleased with her work.


Once I fed Roman a blueberry he figured out that he wanted more. Unfortunately he didn't figure out picking them off the trees (or bushes?) he kept picking them up off the ground, with a handful of dirt. So, unfortunately, the mess you see is mostly dirt from tasting blueberries off the ground.

Lost But Not Forgotten

From Michael:
July 20, 2008

I had the opportunity to venture outside the wire yet again. I left on a Monday morning, with the understanding that I had a multi-purpose trip. I wasn’t sure how long I would be out, so I packed my large pack, which carries enough to allow me to stay out for several weeks. I suppose one of the benefits of hot weather is that you don’t have to pack as much, because you need very little in the way of clothing. In fact, all I need at night is my sleeping mat and a pillow, which is basically my folded-up towel.

As the Marines who made up our larger-than-usual convoy gathered around to go over the mission plan, discuss contingency plans (What happens if we lose a vehicle? What happens if someone shoots at us? etc) and conduct a final roll-call. These are all requirements for every convoy, so it can get a bit monotonous. I was standing next to one of my fellow officers, and a fellow passenger on the convoy, Jason. We exchanged “what’s up’s” and “pounded knuckles”, which is the younger generation’s version of the high-five. I have known Jason since I arrived in Afghanistan , and have gotten to know him pretty well over the months. He has an easy-going nature and is easy to get along with. On the previous night, he had been poking fun at me for being such an exercise addict. He said that in Iraq last year, he was the same way, and had been in the best shape of his life, but just didn’t have the motivation or energy during this deployment.

As we got into our assigned vehicles, the convoy paused before departing the safe confines of our camp, and the vehicle commander in the lead vehicle offered up a prayer for safe travel. This was a new twist on things, but certainly not one that I disapproved of. It gave me goosebumps as each vehicle commander chimed in with an “Amen” before hitting the gas and moving out. And yet there are those who still claim that we are not a Christian nation at heart.

My destination was one of our units who had been experiencing some disciplinary issues, namely, several Marines in that unit had been caught using drugs. It didn’t surprise me one bit. This is, after all, the world’s largest center for opium production. In addition to the opium-yielding poppies, there is also marijuana and hashish. That is an awful lot of temptation for a young Marine who feels alone, afraid, and far from home. But, we all know the rules, and we all swore an oath to uphold those rules. An investigation was commenced and I was sent out to assist. Luckily, the investigating officer was an intelligent Marine, and quickly grasped exactly what needed to be done. So I wasn’t terribly busy. I spent most of my time reading books and, you guessed it, working out. Time passed far too slowly, however, and I found myself trying to make time pass faster. But time is constant, and it goes at its own pace. There is no air-conditioning to speak of outside the wire, so shade is about the best one can manage during the hottest hours. No ice to speak of either, so we put our water bottles in a wet sock, and the evaporative effect works to cool the water to a palatable temperature. The outpost where we stayed was shared with 3 stray dogs. These were not mangy mutts, but were actually very good looking and good-natured dogs. It seemed like the Marines had unofficially adopted them.

One morning, the commander of the unit I was visiting asked if I wanted to accompany his unit on a patrol. This is like asking a starving man if he would like some food. A patrol is the quintessential combat activity. We would be foot-mobile, and would be marching into the heart of enemy territory. I was excited and a bit nervous, but I accepted immediately. The patrol was uneventful, thankfully, but it was a great experience to get out and see the locals face-to-face. I observed with amusement as the dogs led the patrol, going everywhere the Marines went, and wondering if they would be a liability. In retrospect, I think having them with us was good, as they could deter attackers or even signal danger.

Once my work with the investigation was complete, I moved to a new location. FOB Delhi is a post that is manned primarily by the British, with a handful of Marines present/ I like it at Delhi , because the British chefs are the cooks, which means that the food is freshly prepared, and is usually curry. I had an outstanding curry with fresh-baked bread (another rare luxury out here) for lunch one day. For dinner, it was fresh chicken pot pie with vegetables. Delicious!

My stay at Delhi was for the purpose of conducting the assessment of local governance that I had mentioned earlier. I was quite successful and was able to gather a lot of good information, which pleased me. My stay at Delhi , however, was cut short by tragedy. On 17 July, we received word that one of the bunkers back at Dwyer (my permanent camp) had collapsed and killed a Marine. Details were fuzzy, but we knew that we had lost one of our own in an accident. Then, the word came that it was Jason who had been killed. Jason had been sleeping in his bunker while some engineers were working on the roof. For some reason, the structure collapsed and he was crushed instantly. The only redeeming fact is that he probably died instantly and felt nothing. I am glad that he did not suffer. Jason leaves behind a wife, who is also a Marine officer, and a little girl. This is the first time in my life that I have personally known and been friends with a fellow Marine who died. We all know the risks of our line of work, and we know that deploying to combat puts us at risk. But nobody expects to die in a senseless accident. My heart broke for Jason’s widow and his daughter. I cannot delve into too many details at this time, as I am actually part of the investigating team. But rest assured that Jason’s loss is a big one, and although he is lost, he will never be forgotten.

Vacation Bible School

I'll be posting more about this soon with pictures, but I wanted to get it started so I don't get behind on it. So come back if you want to know more about our VBS week.

It's been a hard week because we've had swim lessons every morning and VBS every night. We've been getting up to work out, swim, nap, VBS, late bedtime then repeating the cycle for the last week. I'm going a little crazy to say the least.

But, tonight was pretty cute. I was helping out with some big kids so I didn't get to see the kids much, but I got to see them in the big assembly part. Mikey and Sami are in the same class and it's so fun to watch their relationship in settings without my supervision. Mikey watches out for Sami (and even steps in with occasional disciplining when he sees fit). During the assembly they were in the very front row, touching the stage, cuddling together. They had their arms around eachother (even with Mikey's thumb sucking/hair twirling habit). At one point, Mikey was telling Sami secrets. It was fun for me to watch - I missed some of what was happening on stage because I was so busy watching them.

Afterwards they always talk about everything they learned that evening. They are basically learning much of the basics of the Bible. Tonight was about the Tower of Babel and they learned about other languages. Mikey was proud of his teacher that she could speak Spanish. Lately he's been picking up on Spanish and I wish I could teach him more. But what was very interesting was when I reminded him that his Nana ("Daddy's Mommy") speaks Chinese he became so excited and wanted to know more. Unfortunately, I couldn't go very far with it because I don't know any Chinese. I finally made him happy when I offered two action items: first to call Nana and ask her to count to ten in Chinese and two, to tell his teacher that his Nana speaks Chinese. To both he answered with a resounding, "Yes, that's a really good idea!"

Okay, that's all for now. I'll get back with some more and some pictures.

Roman's Musical Talent

I still need to post about blueberry picking and haircuts, but I couldn't resist posting this clip of Roman. It is so funny to me!

Shakespeare

From Michael:
July 11, 2008

Shakespeare famously wrote “the first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.” I cannot tell you how many times non-lawyers have tried to use that one on me. At first I would laugh it off as amusing, but over time, it has begun to grate on my nerves; the primary reason being that most people are totally unaware of the context of that phrase. It comes from “King Henry VI”, and it has to do with characters who are plotting to create anarchy and overthrow the government. They recognized that the rule of law was central to a civilized society, and that the rule of law depended on a system of justice to enforce those rules. The system of justice was comprised mostly of, you guessed it, lawyers! So, in order to create chaos and anarchy, one must kill all the lawyers, those whose job it is to instill and enforce civility and justice.

Here, in Afghanistan , it appears that the Taliban are well-versed in Shakespearean tactics. There are no lawyers in our province as they have been run out of town, and the only judge was assassinated. This makes for an easy day when it comes to bullying the local populace around. With no lawyers and no judge, there is no system of justice. Anarchy ensues.

One of my tasks is to conduct a thorough assessment of just how bad the current situation is with respect to governance and the rule of law in our sector. In order to accomplish this, I will be going back outside the wire to meet with some local officials to conduct a formal survey of sorts. Once I have captured and compiled the necessary data, I will then come up with proposed courses of action for paving the road to a civil and just society in this lawless land. I think it is a noble undertaking that, if done right, can have significant long-term impact on this part of the country. I hope that my efforts will be taken seriously. I cannot envision any productive future for Afghanistan unless the people of Afghanistan rise up and take responsibility for their nation. They cannot do that without some mechanism for holding accountable those who do not wish to participate. I really want to see this country succeed because I do not want my kids to have to finish what I started.

Sami's Birthday

Grandma and Grandpa came to visit for Sami's birthday. It was great because it gave me a extra pairs of hands (especially in helping to prepare for the party) and the kids loved having them here. Here's the whole trip in pictures (it was pretty much all about Sami's birthday):

Sami posing in front of her presents

Mikey helping Sami open presents

Reading one of Sami's presents (if you haven't figured it out, Dora the Explorer was the theme this year). I couldn't resist Dora, Sami looks just like her. Plus, I think Dora offers some education to the kids. Although, I really enjoy Little Einsteins the most.
Here's Sami and Grandpa being silly before bed. Thank you to GG for another adorable nightgown. Sami looks good in most colors, but this color is striking on her.
SAMI'S BIRTHDAY PARTY!

If you've ever watched Dora the Explorer you know that she pretty much follows the same sequence in all shows. The party was put together to follow the sequence. Everyone received a map when they walked in the door. Map (an actual character on the show) led us to the pinata with stops at a coloring table, Backpack (another character), Swiper (the "bad" guy), food, cake, and then finally, the pinata.

Here's the coloring table. The bright colored paper rolled up with the kids are the maps. I liked these coloring pages because it was color by number. They did pretty well.

Here's the Backpack game. They each were blindfolded and would pull an item out of Backpack. If they guessed what it was they won a prize. Everyone won a prize.

As you can see, the girls were intrigued just with watching the game.
Next was Swiper! Basically, it was "Duck, Duck, Goose" but instead of saying "Duck, Duck" the kids said "Dora, Boots" (Boots is Dora's monkey sidekick) and then instead of "Goose" the kids would say "Swiper". This is me explaining the game to the kids.
Dora...Boots...Dora...
...SWIPER!! Run Sami, Run!

We added some musical chairs to the mix to add some more fun. The kids really enjoyed this game too...



Sami got a chair! I can't remember who actually won.
Since Dora is Latina, we went with Fiesta food. We had quesadillas, soft tacos, and fruit and vegetable shish kabobs. It was all very yummy!

My friend Nadia made the cake. I was honored to be her first paying customer for Nadia's Yummy Creations, or NYC. She is amazing at this. They are yummy and as you can see, truly amazing looking. I've also had the wonderful job of tasting many of her creations at many of the parties she's baked cakes. I'll get the link and post it for you to order one of her cakes (if you live around here).
Can you believe she does this all on her own? That's Boots, the monkey to Dora's left and in front are Map and Backpack.

Here are the kids admiring the cake
Here's Sami licking her lips
Everyone seems to be satisfied
Including Roman

So here we are! We finally made it to the Pinata! Sami was the first to go...

Even Roman had a chance

Here's a quick video of all the fun.

Sami hugging Dora goodbye. BTW - In case you didn't notice, Sami is actually dressed like Dora.

Here's Sami dressed up like a princess holding her Dora doll.
Princess Sami making beautiful music

Here's some video of the beautiful music... hah! Just kidding. Here's a warning: it's only beautiful to those who think my kids are precious and to those who find screaming sibling rivalry sweet... view at your own risk.