okay, i am a dork

I finally felt like blogging again...so i started with my summer pics and blogged a bit. then i realized the last two posts i did...already blogged them earlier!!! duh!!! so then i got mad and lost interest, so maybe next week i will feel like it. today i painted a wall in brandon's room and redecorated it as a little more grown up for him. thinh installed a new ceiling fan and we hope he enjoys it like this for many years! it has been raining and is cold so we stayed inside all day much to the boys dismay. brandon did get out for a little bit today for a birthday party at cluggy's this afternoon and i picked up chinese for supper since our oven door glass shattered and the repair man took the whole door away! tomorrow is church and then oliver's bday party and then over to bg and donna's for supper and football watching. can't wait!

4th of July vacation

We spent the long holiday weekend in New York at the Umbach's. We also anxiously awaited the arrival of Aunt Cass, Uncle Danh, and cousins Celeste and Dylan from Calgary. We celebrated the 4th at Mai's friends house, Sherry and Chris, with lots of food and games too. We ended it at Mai's with fireworks for the kids and I believe more food!

Monday we travelled south to Sesame Place. The kids had a blast. Aunt Mai treated us all to lunch with the characters. Emmi and Kayla are getting some love from Cookie!

I love this pic of Kaila and Cookie!

Is it me or is Big Bird looking a little whacked out?

Front and center for the parade, check out Elmo!

Sunday, we spent the day at their pool club and park. It is way cool and it is right along the Hudson River. Kaila and Emmi's tennis coach gave the boys free lessons and I think Thinh snuck in too!

Mai and Uwe kept watch over the food and beverages!

The pool has a very awesome kiddie pool with little slides and sprinklers. Mason had a blast!

Oh and poor Aunt Mai was on hair cut duty again!

Mai and Uwe put a huge addition on their house! Many of us camped out in the family room. It was like a giant slumber party!

Mason was a bit grumpy one night, so Uncle Uwe took him down to the man cave, I mean garage, to check out his collection of motorcycles, no more tears on that kid!

They live in a very wooded area of Rockland County, NY and we woke up one morning to deer in her front yard.

Mason's 3rd Birthday

Yes, I am a bit behind with blogging!!! Mason waited patiently for present time. He just layed on the floor looking for at all his presents!

It was a Mickey Mouse themed party...he sure does love that mouse!

Andrew's Ben Chambers K-1st Fall Soccer Team

Brandon's Ben Chambers Fall Soccer Team

This is one of the 2nd and 3rd grade teams at Ben Chambers Elementary. They are fast and aggressive and play extremely well together! Go Bears!!!

Vacation and Mason versus a Mud Hornet (a.k.a. a bad bee!)

The boys and I spent a week at mimi and papa's (my parents) in Ephrata, Lancaster County. We did all sorts of fun stuff. On Monday, Mom and I got pedicures and dad hung out with the boys. We visited the Lancaster Science Factory...visited grandma grandma and she taught us how to play a card game called golf.

Tuesday, my parents, the boys and my aunt and I were invited to go swimming at my friend Amy's house in York. We had a great time. We all went home and showered for a fun night out at the Beverly Hills Tavern, a cool restaurant with a very large patio area surrounded by a beach area of sand for the kids to play in while we ate!

Wednesday we made our annual trip to Dutch Wonderland with dinner at yummy Oregon Dairy! We topped off the night hanging out with my aunt deb and uncle brian.

Thursday we all went to visit Grampy. We are so glad we did because less than 3 weeks later he died. After our visit we made our first trip to Sonic, good stuff! Then we went mini golfing and bowling, stopped at a farmer's stand to pick up some stuff for our picnic later that day. We hosted (at my parents big back porch) my grandma and her sister Nelda down from MA.

Friday, mom and i went outlet shopping and to lunch while dad had the guys. We picked up Issac's for supper and met dad and the boys for a picnic at the Roland Park in Akron. The boys were great all week and we had fabulous weather and did everything we wanted to accomplish...until...the boys were done eating and headed back to the playground. All of a sudden we heard someone crying and the big two came running and said mason fell and hit his mouth. I went running and found Mason just screaming! I saw no blood and he kept wiping his lip and saying, "bad bee!". I sat down to get a better look and saw his upper lip had a red area with a white spot in the middle of it. Until I got to my parents his lip was swelling and the look on my mom's face was like, uh oh! His lip was getting bigger by the second so we rushed to the ER, thankfully only a five minute drive away. After some drama in the ER, it was finally our turn and a long story short, a shot of some very strong benadryl and a konked out Mason, we were on our way home! Daddy came to get us and Mason slept from 7pm Friday night until 9 am Saturday morning and woke up and looked at me and said pointing to his lip "What happened to Mason's lip?"!

OOPS!

One day this summer, the boys and i went to BB's, our favorite bent and dent store. Brandon wanted to help push the cart and and lost control and the cart crashed into daddy's truck and groceries went rolling everywhere...here is some of the aftermath...we got a good laugh out of it as well as some fellow shoppers!

Happy Anniversary!

Wow! 14 years ago Thinh and I tied the knot after dating for almost 6 years! This January 29th we will mark 20 years ago from our first date!!!

Brandon asked daddy where he was taking all of us for our anniversary to celebrate...he is so funny!

More Summer Fun!

One Saturday afternoon, the boys and I went running around and ended up at Benders...a farm and produce store. Inside the store is a bee farm and the produce and outside are goats (seen here), rabbits, little horses and I think chickens too! Anyway, they had fun and of course it was free entertainment!
Swimming lessons...again! Andrew really enjoys it. His age level they mostly learn floating and some basic stroke moves and then play games and swim through hoops and stuff.

Brandon has to learn all the strokes, go off the dive and learn survival techniques. He really wants to be done with swim lessons, but I think he will have to go another year or two though. Brandon loved his instructor, Kaitlyn from our church. She enjoyed Brandon as well.

Some good ones!

Wow! Mom and Thinh laughing together!

Mason konked out at B's party after a fun day with mimi and papa at McD's and bowling too!

Best friends!

Having fun with gummy stickers - YUCK!

Mountain Bike Race

Our neighbor, Larry, loves mountain biking and racing. He invited the guys to the kids mountain bike race to get them some exposure to it. Of course they had a great time, besides Brandon getting car sick on the way up the mountain!
Oliver, Brandon and Andrew...the three amigos!

Oliver placed FIRST!

Andrew placed sixth!

And, Brandon placed Fourth!

Way to go guys!

Mimi and Papa's Visit

My parent's came down for the weekend for Brandon and Thinh's birthday. The big boys wanted Papa to camp out with them. I am pretty sure dad went home very tired on Sunday!
Finally settling down for the night.

How cute is he???

Mom and Tazzy did not enjoy the fireworks, so they went in with a sleeping Mason.

Floppy's Big Adventure

Papa trying to lure Floppy back in "it's" cage.
Mimi thought Floppy needed out to run around...so he jumps around trying to eat grass and stuff and the boys just chase him everywhere!

He goes under the deck and all over the yard, eventually we get a big bucket to scoop him up and return him to his home.

Andrew just loves him!