Wedding in DC

Saturday we drove down to the DC temple with the kids for the wedding of some friends from church. Here are two photos from the day.

Deep Thoughts Repost

I'm staring afresh with the "Deep Thoughts" column, so I thought I'd put 2010's thoughts in a post for safe-keeping.

December 2010

Colin: Dad, I wanted the orange bowl.

Mike: Sorry, but Jack asked for it first.

Colin: But I said it in my mind.

Mike: We're going ice skating at Penn's Landing.

Colin: Is that like a world that's made out of pens?

Amelia: Guess what Mom. You can eat weather because snow is weather and I eat it.

Me: Jack, why did you throw all that food all over the ground?

Jack: Those were footballs. I frow the footballs.

Colin: Do you know cow's have four tummies on top of their regular tummy?

Amelia: No, Colin. Cow's have only four tummies.

Me, referring to naptime: Jack, guess what time it is.

Jack: Fourteen o'clock!

Me: Jack, that's not your seat, it's Amelia's.

Jack: No, I had that seat when I was little!

Colin: Timmy told me at preschool that if you punch a bee it won't sting you.

November 2010

Amelia, to Me: You're not tall enough to be a Rockette. You're not thin enough, either.

Colin, to Jack: Don't come in here. This is my personal space.

Colin, upon hearing classical music: This is Chinese music.

Me: Actually, this is classical music.

Colin: Classical music sounds kind of Chinese-ey.

October 2010

Jack, with a crazy smile, after tasting hot chocolate for the first time: It taste like caaanndeee.

Me: Colin, go get ready to get in the shower.

Colin: Okay, I'll do it as fast as a groundhog can dig!

Amelia: I was just marching and the but buts were the drum. (FYI- But in this case rhymes with put and is the family word for fart. Mike claims it's Chinese.)

Me: Jack, how was nursery today?

Colin: You know Jack, I met some pretty cool guys in nursery.

September 2010

Jack: I want some felly lotion.

Me: You mean SSSSSmelly lotion?

Jack: Yeah. SSS-felly lotion

Me, after Jack started crying in the car when Colin was harassing him:

Colin, what did you do?

Colin: I did something to Jack, but I wasn't paying attention to what it was.

Jack, at church during the sacrament, before throwing water cups at me: No, I don't eat sacrament!

Jack, the next week after manhandling the bread: It's not sacrament, it's BREAD.

August 2010

Me: Let's change your diaper.

Jack: Don't you do that to me.

Amelia, after church, when I announced that we were having frozen food for dinner: Mom, I'm imagining a different kind of Sunday. I'm imagining a Sunday where we relax, spend time together, and eat the kind of dinner with mashed potatoes.

July 2010

Me, while getting dressed: Hmmm, I don't like this outfit. I look silly.

Colin: I don't think you look silly. What part of your outfit is silly?

Me: The skirt.

Colin: The skirt is my favorite piece of your outfit. I think it looks great. I think you look fantastic.

Colin, whispering, after saying his prayer at night and while listening to someone else's: Wasn't my prayer fantastic?

Me: Do you want to try this cereal?

Amelia: No. When it stays in my mouth for a while it makes my nose smell Meerkats.

Me: I'm kind of hot.

Amelia: Me too. I wish we weren't going to Arizona. I wish we were going to the arctic.

June 2010

Colin: I think dinosaurs can kill your life.

Colin: Can I have some milk? Please, I mean.

Mike: Sure. Good job saying please.

Colin: Great job, you mean.

Colin: I'm faster than anybody in this family. I even beat Dad up in some of these running races.

Jack, during a diaper change: I stinky. It hurt a nose.

May 2010

Jack: Papa, I have to get out. I have to go potty. (Funny, since he isn't potty trained. Just trying to escape from his stroller.)

April 2010

Amelia: In other countries, like San Diego, they build houses out of grass.

Me: Good morning, Colin!

Colin: I HATE the color pink.

Colin, two nights in a row at prayer time: Please bless that our jammies will be cool.
Colin, the third night at prayer time: Please bless that our jammies will be... beauuuutiful.

March 2010

Me: Come on over here and snuggle up on the couch with me.
Amelia: There's more to life than snuggling, you know.

Colin, after a lot of Easter talk: Mom, we've got to get away from that resurrection

February 2010

Me: that looks like a bruise on your head. Did you hit your head?
Colin: No. Maybe a bird flew down and pecked it.

Me (in which a mundane conversation takes a spiritual turn): Let me cut you a piece of cheese.
Amelia: It's like string cheese, only you made it.
Colin: No, God made it. God is sooo nice.
Amelia: God loves you. Go in peace.

Jack, after putting his milk cup in the fridge on my orders: night, night milk.

Amelia, coming down to dinner: What is that appetizing smell?

January 2010

Me: What is Jack's middle name?
Amelia: It's Jack Rental Chin!
Me: What is Daddy's?
Amelia: It's Fincent.

Amelia, yelling through the house: Who wants to help me wash my whoopee cushion!?

Ice Skating at Penn's Landing

Just after Christmas we took our group of Young Women ice skating at a cool rink on the river in Philadelphia. It was the first time for Amelia and Colin (and many of the girls), and it was really fun. Jack came, too, but he was stuck watching.

The whole group after the skating. We're all still alive!

Amelia and Colin, after putting on their skates for the first time. Also the last time they stood upright under their own pwer for the rest of the trip!

Me and Colin. Colin mostly got dragged around the edge, with me holding the wall to keep him from taking us both down. Amazingly enough, he enjoyed this! This was when we paused to take a break.

Amelia was really into it, and really brave. After a few trips around the edge with Mom and Dad, she decided she could handle it by herself. She sort of jogged around on the skates. It was pretty cute. Mike was dragging Colin around, but he's smiling!

Checking out the blades.

First Big Snow

Shortly after Christmas, we got our first big snow of the winter. The kids' coats were in the dryer, so we improvised and they wore their raincoats with a few layers underneath. They had a great time playing while Mike and I dug out the driveway. This year Jack LOVED the snow, (last year he mostly cried) and he was crawling and jumping and going nuts!

Jack and Grandpa Chin at Church

More Christmas Photos

Ready for church on the Sunday after Christmas. Amelia, Mike, and Colin sang "Away in a Manger" during Sacrament meeting. They were wonderful and I was really proud of Colin, who was excited to do it for the first time.

Grandma Debi and Amelia painted this cute little tea set. Amelia painted most of it, but she let Grandma Debi, Mommy, and Colin try paining a few pieces.

Jack loved tearing around on his new "motorcycle."

The kids participating in a long Chin family tradition- Uno! They did great in their first game, and were surprisingly competitive!

Christmas Day

Christmas Day was really fun and kind of low key, which was nice. The kids woke up and on their way down the stairs Daddy saw Santa walking down the street outside. The kids ran to the door, and waved at him, and he waved back! They were so shocked they could hardly speak! After a short while, Grandma Debi and Grandpa Chin showed up and the present opening began. After all the unwrapping was done we went to Chinatown for some delicious dim sum, and then we came home, took naps, and relaxed while the kids played with their new toys for the rest of the evening.

Checking out the new sofas from Grandma Debi and Grandpa Chin

Colin got this sweet dragon from our mysterious Secret Santa who leaves gifts on the doorstep every year.

Excited!

Jack had a little trouble getting through his gifts. Once he opened this one, he wasn't interested in anything else!

Matching jammies from Grandma Susu on Christmas night.

Christmas Eve

We had a wonderful Christmas this year! We stayed in Philly for the first time since we've moved here and Mike and Debi came to visit. Here are our photos from Christmas Eve.

Colin and Jack looking at coloring books Colin-style- laying down with a pillow! Colin is such a relaxed little guy!

We decided to do our big dinner on Christmas Eve. I didn't get any photos of the table before dinner began, but here's one we took while we were serving the food. All the food wasn't perfect, but the meat turned out good so that's all that counts! Mike's dad was the first to dig in!

The kids waiting for their food at the table that Amelia decorated. Amelia was wearing a special new Christmas apron that Grandma Debi brought. I got one too!

Decked out in new matching jammies and ready to go to bed on the big night.

Santa loaded their stocking!

Caricatures

Mike's department had their holiday party this week and for entertainment they had a caricature artist come. Each of the kids got their pictures drawn, and they were really excited about them. I think she did a good job!

Christmas Portraits - Jack

The kids got their portraits taken in Elfreth's Alley, a wonderful historic Philadelphia site. They were done by the incredibly talented Katie Dudley, a photographer based in the Salt Lake area. www.kdphotography.org

Christmas Portraits - Colin

Christmas Portraits - Amelia

Preschool Christmas Pageant

Today Colin got to be in his preschool's Christmas Pageant. It was a great show, as usual, and Colin got to be a sheep. He's such a good little cooperator, and despite his instincts telling him not to sing, I think I actually saw his mouth moving a little! He really loves the song, "Happy Birthday Jesus" and was pretty happy to sing that one. Overall, he did a great job and managed to look adorable in his costume.

Standing next to his buddy Sam, the Wise Man.

The whole class.

The Nutcracker Ballet

Amelia was fortunate to be able to participate in her ballet studio's version of The Nutcracker. she got to have two roles, a party girl and a little lamb. She did a wonderful job and had a great time. We couldn't take photos or video during the performance, but I got a couple of pictures of her in the dressing room.

In her fancy party girl dress.

As a sweet little lamb for the marzipan music.

Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Philly this year. The holiday kicked off with Colin's preschool Thanksgiving feast. Colin could choose to dress as an Indian or a pilgrim, and he chose to be an Indian. Here he is wearing a sweet paper bag vest.

Jack liked the look of the paper bag vest, so he grabbed a paper bag for himself to wear.
Colin made this adorable craft at his party. On another craft he got to choose one thing that he was thankful for, and he said, "My baby brother."

The big day started with a big event for Amelia. She lost her first tooth! It's very hard to tell in the photo because her adult tooth was already almost entire in behind the baby tooth. The tooth was a bottom tooth from the middle.

The big day involved some major cooking and a fabulous dinner with our friends, the Willises. I didn't get a good photo of the beautiful table setting that Tiffany put together for the adults, but I did get a photo of the kids at their pilgrim themed table. The meal was phenomenal! Thanks, Willises!