Six Flags Fun

We ventured to Six Flags this past weekend with friends. The kids had fun. Lets just say I was at my wits end with the fighting between the older kids (that will be another post).

The kids and the Dads loved the roller coasters.

It was so hot in Springfield, we were all a little miserable. The kids had a ball in the water sprinklers.

Gavin was with us on this trip, of course. I have no pictures of him though. I feel like a bad mother for that one but in my defense he was with Anthony and George riding the rides while I was with Lily in the little kid area. Sophie joined me after a while to cool down once she had enough of the big rides.

Lily and Sarah waiting patiently for Gavin and Sophie to get their caricatures done.

Have I mentioned Lily HATES to be hot? I really am perplexed with this notion because she is from Southern China. Let me tell you it is hot, hot, hot there. Nothing compared to here. She spent 2.5 years there so one would guess the heat here would be a breeze compared to there. Maybe the heat just brings back miserable hot memories for her. I'm not sure but I do know she HATES to be hot! She is looking a little pissed off in this picture. She was hot and tired. It was at the end of the day and she had had enough. Time to go before the meltdowns start.

Screaming from the big shark. Appropriate with all the shark sitings around the Cape this year. Makes us a little uneasy with swimming this year at the beach. Always that thought in the back of our minds.

Cooling the feet at the sprinklers.

Lily is way up in the helicopter. You can see her ponytail through the window. She had a blast on the rides. The older kids did too. Me, well not so much. I was spent by the end of our trip. I couldn't wait to go to work the day after we got home to get away from all the bickering. I think I need a vacation away by myself. Hmmm...........

Hope you have the time....Long overdue update

Our beautiful Sophie turned 11 this past Friday. Unbelievable how time passes right by. In a blink of an eye...11 years old. Wow. We are so proud of her. We truly are blessed to have her as our daughter. We celebrated in style with a girls only night out. Pedicures and shopping. Lily even came along and enjoyed a mini pedicure too. Love being with my girly girls. Sophie then celebrated with family and friends at our house. Pedicures for her friends, scrap booking, pizza, cake, movies, popcorn and lots of girl talk. They had fun, I am exhausted. Wish I had half the energy they do.

Sophie's present this year was a Pandora bracelet. I have one too and love it! She was very excited to receive charms from her friends and family.

Relaxin' on the beach with friends. We haven't been to the beach as much as I would like this year. Every day life keeping us busy. Between work, tutoring, cheer leading, speech therapy, friends, and routine responsibilities our lives are pretty hectic. We try and enjoy those few moments at the beach. So fortunate to be so close to beautiful beaches.

Sunset in Barnstable.

Gavin, so handsome! 12 going on 20. My gray hair is multiplying just thinking of the years to come with two teenagers and a preschooler. Yikes.

Lily looking like she is enjoying these hermit crabs.

Not so much. Seeing them near her feet provokes this response.

Love this picture. Off like the wind........

Love this one too.

Super tight goggles that leave an indentation for an hour after they come off, doesn't that sound appealing? Lily insisted on wearing them like this. It hurt to just look at her. She could hardly see. The goggles were pulling her eyes shut. Ouch.

I could just eat her up, every day, all day long. I call Lily my Chinese dumpling and tell her I am going to eat her up. She giggles and laughs as I pretend to nibble on her. She will say to me "Mommy, eat me, I Chinese dumpling". She melts my heart.

My nephew, baby Carter, growing so fast. Already over six weeks old. He is starting to smile and coo. Lily LOVES him, as do all of us. There is never enough cuddle time with Carter. Love the double chin.

Lily is a "big girl" now, sleeping in a "big girl" bed like Sophie. A few weeks ago I was going through clothes and toys in Lily's room, trying to declutter and suggested to Lily that she could start sleeping in the big bed in her room if she wanted (thinking we could get rid of the crib). That afternoon she took a nap in her big bed and hasn't looked back. The crib is still up but being used for her babies to sleep, for now. There have been no issues at all with this transition, surprisingly. Well except for the other night when I was at work and Lily woke at midnight yelling "Daddy, Daddy". She was down the bottom of the bed, head first, under the covers and couldn't get out. Not bad for a spur of the moment change.

The babies are sleeping.

Every year we hang flowers from our front porch and without fail a nest is made in 1 or 2 of the hanging pots. Very neat to see the eggs laid, then kept warm by Momma bird, hatch then "fly the coop" when they are ready. I am not sure what kind of birds they are. I should do a little research and figure it out but haven't. The kids love to see them each year. We try to disturb them little as possible. The flowers have to be watered periodically though and Momma bird hates this. She dive bombs me to protect her little peeps. Gotta love a Momma protecting her peeps!

Watering the flowers. Lily loves this chore.

Lily in her tankini. Love it. Happy summer.

A whole lot of Chinese cuteness.....

Carter has arrived!!!

Carter made his debut on Friday June 11th, 2010 at 3:10 pm after being 1 week late, a long induction and 2 hours of pushing. He is so adorable with his chubby cheeks and double chin. I am relieved to report everyone is healthy and happy. My sister Renee did an amazing job. I feel so blessed to have been able to witness Carter's birth. I have seen so many births during my career but each and every one still gets me emotional. It is an amazing event to witness regardless if you know them or not. It is a zillion times more amazing when it is your nephew being born. Congrats to Cody and Renee. Job well done!

Guess what we did today?

Notice anything?

Lily got her ears pierced! She has been talking about earrings and asking for them for some time now. We were at the mall today to meet my very pregnant sister for lunch (due last Saturday) and as we walked by the ear piercing booth Lily saw the earrings. That was it. Spur of the moment piercing. I forewarned her as best as I could about the simultaneous "pinch" to her earlobes. She cried briefly, 30 seconds. The lady said the word lollipop and Lily stopped crying instantly and she was all smiles. She is so proud of her new jewels. She likes to call them her "diamonds".

It's funny how young ear piercing brings out very strong opinions in people. Some feel it is the beginning of outlandish behavior. Me, well I just think you have to pick your battles. As far as the outlandish behavior, well I think that doesn't have anything to do with earrings.

Teenagers.....UGH!!

Look how handsome and innocent he looks in this picture.
He can be so funny, smart, and determined when he wants to be.........
What happened? Oh, I know. HORMONES!!
I could pull my hair out right now!
That mouth full of metal is being way to fresh for my liking.
No cell phone privileges, no friend privileges until further notice.......

P.S. We love him anyways but don't tell him that right now.

Mind boggling on so many levels...........

Gotcha Day ~ September 14th, 2009. So emotional to look back on these pictures. I have so much I could say about this day, but won't. For Lily. I think the picture speaks volumes.

Eight months later. Again, the picture speaks volumes. What a difference. Inside and out. We love her so much. Forever our LiLi.