Bubbles

 Aunt Karen got the kids the coolest bubble makers.
They entertained themselves for sooo long. Julie got these really cool shots.

Kyle & Heidi's Wedding

 Dave has 3 cousins and one of them got married yesterday.
A family wedding meant that Aunt Julie & Aunt Karen were in town. Lilia was in her glory with her two aunts!

This is Alex wearing his own version of a tie.
Oh and a funny thing about his outfit...He REFUSED to wear this nice outfit. Instead he wore an everyday shirt and shorts to the wedding. While Kyle & Heidi were cutting the cake water spilled on his clothes. Alex HATES wet clothing on himself. He started to fuss and make a big deal. Julie said, "Just take off his shirt, it's not a big deal."
So I took off his shirt. He then proceeded to take off his shorts and was standing there wearing just his underwear! I was so embarrassed. Keep in mind, this is all happening while they are cutting the cake. Our table is front and center to the action too!
Dave quick grabbed him and took off out of the room. We went to the car and he had to change into his nice dress clothes because that's all I had for him. (Karen got it on video.)

Us

Family

Three Generations

Sisters

The Brindley Family

Here is a beautiful family shot, we're just missing Julie's husband Pete.

House Guest

Last weekend we came home from vacation and a few hours later Dave was picking up a friend of a friend, He Tao (pronounced "Hu T-ow").
He was a great house guest and we enjoyed having him here. On Saturday Dave and Alex showed He Tao all of the touristy sites, the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, etc. while Lilia and I had a baby shower. Before we got ready to go, Lilia was telling He Tao how we lived in China. Then she went into her room, got changed into some Chinese clothing to prove it. She makes us laugh!

The Porch

 The day was hot. Gross hot. Like humid and hot.
Anyway, on his second day in Philly, we took our house guest to play mini golf; it was his first time. Actually it was the kids first time too. So the camera came out and we had a blast. By the way, I won.
If you come out 30th street station and head onto Market street, you'll find that the area is different. Beautifully different. It's a new initiative the city is taking to make the city more green and use spaces well.
It's official name is The Porch. For all of July they set up free mini golf. There are other events throughout the summer like a growers market and free yoga. They set up colorful seating, umbrellas, and planters abounding with flowers. Check out their website here.

Ellie's 1st Birthday!!

 My niece turned 1 on July 3rd!
We enjoyed a little party to celebrate her.
She loved her chocolate cake!

Lilia explaining a painting she made for Ellie.

Progress

 Finally on the last day Alex let his feet touch the ocean! I was so proud of him and we had so much fun. There were lots of high fives going around.
My mom and I held his hands and he let the waves wash over his feet. We were all rejoicing that he let go and had some fun!!!

Rehoboth Beach

 Each year on vacation we take an afternoon and evening to drive up to Rehoboth to go on rides, eat pizza and get ice cream.
We also go on the beach for family photos. They didn't go very well this year, but I did manage to get these great shots of Lilia and Dave.
She can't resist the ocean. It's cute. You can see how wet her dress got because she had to get her feet wet.

Boardwalk rides

 Alex of course had to pick the blue boat. He's really into the idea that if it's blue then it's for a boy.

Lilia at the beach

 You can't keep this girl off the beach.
She loves the ocean, the waves, the sand, everything about it! When we first get there she goes straight for the water. She runs up and down along the surf. It's great to watch!

 Each day Lilia would make a new friend on the beach; who ever was closest to us or going to the beach at the same time.
One friend taught her how to dig for sand crabs. They are those tiny things that burrow down in the sand as the water goes back out. Pictured below is her taking care of her sand crabs she found.

This really nice family was next to us on the last morning. They invited Lilia and Alex to be a part of what ever they were doing.
At one point I looked over and Lilia was laying down, half covered in sand! She loved getting buried to her neck.

Alex at the Beach

 Now this boy did not enjoy the beach very much. He didn't like the smell and commented on it often. He didn't want to get his feet wet, until the very last day. (Isn't that always the way!)
Within an hour of arriving at the beach he was ready to go back to the beach house. He was able to entertain himself somewhat with his cars, but mostly he wanted to be in my arms.

The one day he was able to entertain himself playing cars.

Bethany Beach, DE

 Our first nights tradition is to go down to the beach after dinner. Usually Lilia and my mom get soaked because Lilia can't resist the waves.
This year Lilia said, "I'm going to change into my bathing suit, just in case." Well as you can see from the picture to the right, my mom's pants are soaked and Lilia is so happy.

Lil Pop Shop

I love living in the city and I really love our neighborhood!
This new specialized popcicle shop opened on 44th and Spruce St called Lil Pop Shop.
It's a cute little establishment with home-made popcicles in flavors you can't even imagine. Delish!
Some of their flavors are pictured below; Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk, Lime mint, Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade, Creamy Mint w/Chocolate Chunk, Vietnamese Ice Coffee, Mango Chunk, etc.
The popcicles are $3, but that's not bad for home-made and quality ingredients.
They even have a kids popcicle stand with wooden popcicles  and a cash register so the kids can play. Awesome!

Lilia's Quote of the Day

Lilia has been begging for us to get her a horse for weeks now. She's been asking EVERYDAY!

This morning she said to Dave, "When I get a horse I can take you to campus."

Bottle of Rain

1. Rinse the bottles well with warm, soapy water, and strip off the plastic labels.
2. Drill two to three small holes into the cap—1/8” holes tend to work well. If you don’t have a drill, place the cap on a hard surface and hammer a hole with a similarly sized nail. Screw the cap back on the bottle.
3. Using a utility knife, carefully slice off the bottom inch or two of the bottle, leaving a nice, easy-to-fill wide-mouth opening (which doubles as a rain-catcher, if we’re lucky enough to see rain in July).
4. Gently dig a hole next to the plant—try not to disturb the roots too much—and bury (cap side down) about a third of the bottle. If you can, angle the bottle’s cap toward the plant roots to ensure optimal moisture delivery.
5. Secure the bottle by pressing soil firmly around it.

I love this super green idea! It's from The Grid magazine, out of West Philly. I am already collecting bottles so I can do this when we go on vacation this summer. I have some beautiful tomato and bell pepper plants I don't want to die off in this squelching heat. 

Seaport Museum

Funny thing: my brother and I are in this same exact spot for a photo many years ago

 Two weekends ago we visited the Seaport Museum with my parents.
It's very kid friendly inside the museum with boats to play on and understand how they work.

"Mermaid off the starboard bow!"

We also explored a submarine.
I can't even imagine being trapped in a tank underwater that's stinky and super hot, only able to take a one minute shower once a week for 3 months. NO THANK YOU!!!
(It was cool to see though.)