G.G. and Grandpa Jim's Visit

G.G., Grandpa Jim, and Jim's son Jason came for a lovely long weekend at the end of July. We packed in all sorts of fun things, like going out to eat, celebrating Jack's birthday, visiting the Frankin Institute and seeing the mummy exhibit, and going to Longwood Gardens. We miss you guys!

Summer Showcase

Ginny and Jim came to visit in August, and Amelia just happened to have a mini ballet recital during their visit! It was a lovely little performance, and it was fun to have family with us!

First Dress

This is the first dress I've ever sewn, with the marvelous assistance of my sister Sarah, and her mother-in-law Linda. Thanks for the help, gals!

Jack's 3rd

We went to see Cars 2 in 3D with some friends to celebrate Colin and Jack's birthdays. The boys loved it! They got matching Cars shirts just for the occasion. On the actual day, we celebrated by having a birthday breakfast with Ginny, Jim, and Jim's son Jason (who were in town visiting). Jack blew out some candles in his pancakes. Then we went to the Franklin Institute and finished off the day at a delicious Indian restaurant. It was a wonderful birthday month for all 3 kids!

Amelia's Birthday

For Amelia's birthday we went to a pottery painting shop with some girl friends where she painted a cute little box. On the actual day, all the kids went to Build-a-Bear with Mom, and afterward Amelia got Cheesecake Factory cheesecake and blew out the candles.

Colin's Birthday

Colin's big day started with a trip to the Aquarium and a new stuffed shark, and ended with strawberry birthday cake.

Fourth of July

Our Fourth of July was terrific this year! We spent our morning at a parade in a nearby town. The kids loved it, and I did too. The follow photos are all from the parade. After that, we had a barbecue in the backyard with some good friends where we lit fireworks. Then we were off to a local park to lay on a blanket and watch a real fireworks show. It was a wonderful and patriotic day!

Finger Painting on a Slow Day

Beach

The kids and I have trekked over to the beach a couple of times this summer. All three kids are old enough now to enjoy it, so it is really fun! We're only a little more than an hour away from many beaches in NJ, so it makes a great day trip.

Amelia's New Dress

A friend of ours at church, Victoria, surprised Amelia with a new dress for her birthday! It was such a sweet gesture. Here's a photo of Amelia in her new dress, Colin, and Victoria.

Italian Market

This afternoon we decided to mozy around the Italian Market, this crazy street with tons of small businesses, shops, restaurants, and FOOD! It was kind of hot, but still fun to drift around and look at everything. We tried a Mexican restaurant and were a bit disappointed. I'm still holding out hope that one day I'll run into a little joint that will serve up the kind of spicy Mexican comfort food I crave from AZ. Oh well!

I had to stick this crummy photo in- this shop had a pig's head in the front window! The boxes below it are for frozen python meat and kangaroo meat. Also in the window were fresh cuts of alligator, buffalo, and ostrich. Nuts!

Birthday Fish

For the kids' birthdays this year we decided to get them a fish tank. It has really been a lot of fun watching these little guys swim around! The kids really like feeding them, and it's been an adventure naming them. We have: Little Red, Blackie, Joe, Cosmo, Butterfly, Sparky, Lily, Finn McMissile, Francesco Bernouli, and Fitzwilliam. Everyone got to name a couple of them, and it's probably obvious that there was some Cars 2 influence. We've already had one fatality, but I think that one was in trouble from the start. Happy birthday!

Big Day!

Today was a big day for the Chin kids! Amelia decided that she was ready to have her ears pierced, so we headed down to the mall and she got a pair of gold hearts in her ear lobes. She was so proud of herself, and she didn't even cry!

Colin started a new karate class today. He got a short private lesson to begin, and he learned a couple of stances. He's really excited about the class, and I'm lovin' this new outfit!

Jack didn't get to do anything exciting, but here's a cut pic of him anyway!