A new post. Amazing.

I can't think of a single funny thing to say to address my absence from blogging these last many months.  I'm afraid if I sit here any longer to trying to think of something funny to say, I'll give up altogether and go another 9 months without posting a shred of information about the kids or our life...and....well, I promised my grandmother I'd start blogging again.  

So here goes.

I really wanted to post the rest of the pictures from when my parents came to visit us, because it was such a special time (and my blog-mind is stuck in May until I get them posted!)

Samantha turned six just a few days after they were scheduled to leave, so we decided to party early.  We could dub 2012 the Year of the Barbie, since it was in May of 2012 that some friends introduced  my girls to the world of Barbie.  [Sheesh, I do think if I could turn back time, I would have avoided the Barbie situation altogether, but I guess you can't control everything as a parent!]

Samantha requested a Barbie cake for number 6, so I decided that the unfortunate Barbie who had permanently lost her legs could finally have some redeeming value...and we stuck her legs in a cake.

My parents did set a really bad precedent by being here for samantha's birthday.  Now ALL the kids want Mimi and G at their birthday parties!

Samantha was so pleased with her cake!  Truthfully, she'd be pleased with just about anything - the girl is SO easy to please! - but she really, really liked her cake.

And it was yummy too! Strawberry cake with cream cheese icing...

To round out the Barbie fun, we got her a Barbie pool playset.  I ran into Toys R Us one day with my dad -- he distracted the big kids and I made the secret purchase.  He's a great guy to have around!  =)

Then the girls spent the entire afternoon helping Barbie splash in the pool!

One super cool thing we got to do was take my parents to Hong Kong!  In some ways, Hong Kong feels like a second home because we've been there so many times.  We have our "own" restaurants, favorite shops, parks, pools, milk tea shops, milkshake shops, etc...    I enjoyed taking my parents around and showing them some of the places we love.  

Mimi, G, and I also took the girls to HKDisney.  (Josh and Silas stayed back at home and didn't make the HK run.)

We got in a few quick pictures before my camera battery died.  I know, what a sad thing to have happen!

This was the first HK Disney trip where there was an actual "prince" in attendance.  To say the girls were excited would be quite the understatement.  They were excited.  And nervous.  And giggly.  

Almost like he was a real prince.  

I have a few more pictures to throw in here later, but for now...this is a start.  =)