Walking!

Yesterday Colin took his first real steps! He was holding on to a big red car at Lauren's house and Amelia moved the car. He stood alone for a while, maybe 30 seconds or so, and then he took three steps to the car. I grabbed him and moved him back and he did it again a couple of times. What a relief! I was beginning to think that he'd never walk! Today he hasn't walked much, he's a little resistant to trying, but he's taken a few more steps. I'm a very happy mom!

Also, Molly, Amelia, and Max were playing peek-a-boo and Colin decided to join in. Instead of covering his face, he covers his ears and then shouts "boo". Lauren thought it was hilarious. Colin still laughs like crazy even though he can see you the whole time.

Costumes

The costumes are done! We tried them on in their entirety for the first time this morning. I think they turned out pretty good! In case it isn't clear, Amelia is a peacock and Colin is a bald eagle. There will be more photos of them to come.

Panties

Okay, I know this picture isn't the best, but yesterday Amelia was getting up and I was changing Colin's diaper and the next thing I knew, two of her toys were dressed in panties! Oddly enough, neither of these toys have legs, so they were really panty necklaces. One is her "lambie" (the toy she loves the most) and the other is this little ghost that came off a piece of candy. She was very proud of her work!

On a side note, Amelia has been asking me for months to make Lambie a Spiderman costume for Halloween. It was such a funny request- she doesn't really even know what Spiderman is! She actually asked that it be a silky and shiny costume, but I told her that felt was the only way to go. I finished it last night so look for your friendly neighborhood Spiderlamb to be appearing in the up and coming Halloween pictures.

Pumpkin Patch

Last weekend the kids had a great time at Mother Nature's Farm picking pumpkins. They went with all of their cousins, and it was absolutely beautiful outside! Here's a photo of the whole group.

Colin LOVED the jumping castle, despite the bouncing around and head knocking!

Amelia practicing her cow sounds!

All the kids got their faces painted, except Colin, who instantly hated the face painting lady!

The kids got to choose their own pumpkins out of a field and then decorate them with stickers.

Amelia thought this 300 pounder made a comfy seat.

Amelia with Grandma and Grandpa Chin

Sadly, Mike's dear Grandpa Chin passed away last month. Although the kids and I haven't spent a lot of time with Grandma and Grandpa Chin (they lived in North Carolina) we knew that he was an amazing person the moment that we met him. This picture was taken in August of 2005 during a weekend visit while we were in Charlottesville. Amelia was going through a difficult stranger anxiety phase, but she went right to Grandpa Chin. I was so surprised at first, but I'm sure she could sense his kind spirit. Later, Amelia was crawling around the house and went down the hall out of my sight. Grandpa Chin stood up and walked down the hall to follow her and a few minutes later they both came crawling back into the living room! We'll miss him and we'll never forget our wonderful Grandpa Chin.

Portraits of the Cousins

Colin and Max

Ok, I know it's lame, but I have no pictures to post. I just wanted to document some funny details of Colin and his cousin Max's relationship. They often scrap over toys, and though Max is much faster, Colin makes him really nervous when he screams in protest! Colin actually slapped Max in the face today over an old cell phone. Yikes. However, Max always gets sad when Colin cries, and he says, "Ci-yee, Ci-yee" (which is Max's version of Colin's name). On our frequent trips to Costco the boys usually sit together in the front of the cart. Colin usually starts by laying his head on Max's shoulder, then Max wraps his arms around Colin and they both say, "Ohhh." Then Colin usually plants a slobbery open mouthed kiss on the side of Max's head, the Max turns his head around and aims for Colin's lips (he's very precise) and by this time we're all laughing and Amelia is sqealing, and they both look at us like, "what's the big deal?"

Rain and Awahwah

We got a little bit of rain this week, but it was very exciting for Amelia! She was wearing an outfit that couldn't get wet, so she stripped down to go run around on the driveway for a few minutes. She just ran and ran, and she was saying, "it's SO wonderful!" It was fun to watch her, and it reminded me of playing in the rain on our street in Fountain Hills. Our street was unpaved at the end, and it used to turn into a little mud bog that we loved to play in. I still love the rain, and I think now Amelia does too!




Poor Colin was taking a nap during the storm. He missed out! He has really started talking a lot and is becoming very social. He is known to give kisses, especially to his cousin Max! Twice this week I was playing with him when Amelia woke up from her afternoon nap. As soon as he heard her voice on the baby monitor, he sat up at attention and then bolted for the stairs to her room yelling, "Awahwah! Awahwah!" As soon as we opened her door, her grabbed on to her bed and laughed his head off while screaming, "Hi Awahwah!" Both times Amelia was so groggy that she had no idea what was going on. It was a funny sight! I'm so thrilled that he loves her. They're a pretty great pair.