Some new movies for your viewing pleasure

We just had a huge, action-packed weekend, but due to lack of time, I'll only share some great photos from the Phillipino food festival we went to.





No time to report more on recent happenings, since I spent all evening catching up on editing videos, so here they are!

Swinging at grammy and papa's house. Just about in the middle of the page.

More play with Sam and Alex. It's at the bottom of the page.

Hope you enjoy! Almost caught up, so more recent happenings coming soon.

One little quickie...

... to hold you over. Mom. Since I'm sick of getting hate mails about not blogging!! (just kidding... i miss it, too)






Anyhow, yes, Riley got her first haircut! We went to Snippety Crickets in Laurel Village (no website, so possibly a future client for me??). Not cheap, of course... more than I pay to get my own hair cut, but isn't that what having a baby's all about (even more reason for a website)? You can't even tell it's a haircut, so I shouldn't have even told Russell, since he got really upset about the idea. Yes, we both want her to have long hair, but what daddys don't always realize is that hair grows stronger and thicker and healthier if it's trimmed on the ends. And that is all we did. But it was fun, nonetheless, and we have the clippings in an envelope to prove it. Plus, she got a really sweet lollipop. Yes, the one she dropped on the floor, but an even better one (a cherry tootsie pop) when we left.

Here's the video. I apologize for the weird lighting on this video; I had to turn on the night filter, since it was so dark in there.



Here's the photo of Riley, after she had her new haircut styled. Pretty sweet, no??



And, I have a lot more to report, including the fun weekend we just spent with dad, as well as all the back-footage from PA. Look for it soon, in a theatre near you!

Ice Cweeeeeeem Twuck, part deux

Well, so, I was disappointed, yet again. Not the kids, of course... they obviously love ice cream in any way they can possibly get it! I thought for sure that we would see the REAL ice cream man in Derry, where he rightly should be. Right? I mean, do things ever change in the little towns? Well, apparently, yes. At least he spoke English. Check it:






I'm super-happy to announce that he still exists in Toronto. Guess we'll be headed there next summer, for sure! Check out Quinn's birthday party. Charlie is the older sister, of course, in the last two photos.







And here are me and Ri, having a moment by the fishes. Hi Norman!!!!




On our last nite in PA, we INSISTED (seriously, it was no small feat) on taking my folks out for dinner. Well, my great aunt is not well, and living with my folks, so we have to be careful about how long we're away from the house. But we did it, and it was wonderful. Riley had a great time in the outdoor garden, of course, and dinner was yummy!

Daddy arrives at grammy and papa's

So, after our nice long weekend in NYC for Scott's wedding, Russell and I drove back to my mom and dad's house to spend the rest of the week before flying home. It was a nice, relaxing week for all... just what the doctor ordered. A whole lotta nothin' going on.



His first day there, he went to his favorite dollar store in town, and bout a bunch of funny little toys for Riley, including a kite. She loved it as much as he loves kites, but unfortunately, there was no wind....








We had lots of picnics in the yard while we were there. The weather was beautiful the whole time, and there are so many great spots to throw down a blanket, we had to take advantage!






And then the hay rides ensued (well, tractor rides, since there was actually no hay)....








Now, that is one happy gal!

Loads of fun in PA and NYC!

So... Thursday, I drove to NYC to meet Russell for an old friend's wedding. We had a great weekend, and so did Riles, who stayed in PA with my folks. The longest time away, ever: 4 nights and 5 full days! I believe she did much better than we (well, I) did. She had so much fun with my folks, I think she only asked for us a couple of times. We took a some photos in NY and at the wedding, but unfortunately, my mom is still living in the dark ages and took none of their weekend alone. Hopefully that will change soon.

Here we are in NY. We had an amazing time at the Roger Williams Hotel. I recommend it to anybody. So comfy, and the people were so generous. Many thanks to Marvin and Barbara: we really needed that wonderful getaway.





The wedding was beautiful. It was held at the Wainwright House in Rye, so we drove there. A fun drive, as now that I don't live there, I always forget how much I LOVE to drive in NYC. It's better than playing Frogger, if you can remember that one. It's LIVE action!!! Try it sometime.












It was nice to see our friends in NY, but I have to admit, my favorite part of our trip was Essa Bagel. Maaaan, I can't believe there are bagels like that in this world. Absolutely the best. Why can't we get those in SF? It's a big city. What gives? Is it in the water?

So, in order to get to this wedding, Russell flew in from SF, and I drove from Derry, so we decided to both drive back so Russell could spend some quality time with my folks in PA, and see Riley in that element (which she loves). About 3/4 way from NY to Derry, there is a bar we call Hunters Welcome. Never really knew the name of the bar, but they always have a big banner out front announcing "Hunters Welcome", so that's what we call it. And we always stop for one beer, to get us through the last hour of the drive. We may never drive this route again, so we thought we'd document it. This time, they are welcoming the bikers and fishermen. Not as bold, but still as inviting.




Next time: more about PA. Great stuff going on here... I just have to go to bed now.