The Karate Kid

Patrick has been asking to go to karate school. We thought...why not! Let him get trained to kick Daddy's butt.
Last night was his second class. The first week he was super shy and it took him about 15 minutes to get on the mat. This week, he got out there in 2 minutes. The first 2 classes are 1 on 1. He did a great job last night. He had to pass a test to earn his white belt. When the instructor was explaining the test to Patrick, I thought there was no way he was getting that belt. But to my surprise, Patrick did an awesome job! He had to sit on the mat and stare at the wall for about 5 minutes without moving. I was so rpoud, but was secretly wishing this instructor could come to our house everyday and get him to do that.
Patrick is now on a mission to earn all of the belts. God help us all!

Thankful

There is so much to be thankful for, isn't there? We certainly feel blessed to have each other. Our families. Our friends. Our health.
I am thankful that I have a husband as wonderful as he is. I am thankful that my amazing children are growing up in a house full of love and happiness. (Not that it's always sunshine and roses in our house, but you know what I mean) I am thankful that I can come home from work everday to our home. I am thankful for everything we are able to have and provide to our children.
This year I am just so thankful. Not that I'm not thankful any other time....but I just feel extra thankful this year.
We wish all of our family and friends a happy and safe Thanksgiving. We are looking forward to having all of our family together tomorrow at my sister's house for some good food and lots of laughs.

HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY, PATRICK STARFISH!

I can't believe my little boy is 4 already! Although he already acts like a little man...and reminds me regularly that he IS a man now, and not a little boy.
He is so smart and funny. Harvard should be holding a spot for him already!
We had a great birthday weekend. Starting with his Spongebob birthday party on Saturday to our family photo session on Sunday followed by dinner at Arirang. Now on to planning Allyson's birthday party.....

BOO!

Happy Halloween from our Nerd and our little Robot!

Anniversary Night Out

Ron and I spent the night at Ocean Place to celebrate our 5th anniversary at the place it all started. We had a great time. Had a great dinner at Sawa, walked around, listened to music, watched the fireworks, and just enjoyed some quiet time. We watched a wedding on the beach from our balcony (not as nice as ours was, of course). After telling the front desk woman that we were there for our anniversary, we came up to the room to find a bottle of champagne and strawberries and a card from the Ocean Place staff. It was a really nice surprise.
Definately made us want to pick a year to recreate the whole wedding again.

To my husband....

Give me more lovin then i've ever had.
Make it all better when i'm feelin sad.
Tell me that i'm special even when i know i'm not.
Make me feel good when i hurt so bad.
Barely gettin mad,
I'm so glad i found you.
I love bein around you.

You make it easy,
as easy as 1 2,(1 2 3 4.)
Theres only one thing two do three words four you.
I love you.

Theres only one way two say those three words
and that's what i'll do.
I love you.

Give me more lovin from the very start.
Piece me back together when i fall apart.
Tell me things you never even tell your closest friends.
Make me feel good when i hurt so bad.
Best that i've had.
I'm so glad that i found you.
I love bein around you.
You make it easy as easy as 1 2,(1 2 3 4.)
Theres only one thing two do three words four you.
I love you.

Happy Anniversary. Looking forward to celebrating 5 years at the place it all started.

Ally's First Open

Ally had a great time with Peggy at the US Open on Sunday. Although it was extremely hot, they were able to get relief in the Chase lounge...

We survived the first day of school!

Well, the first day of school has come and gone. Allyson was up bright and early and ready to go. She was really happy with her new school. And Patrick...well, he wasn't up bright and early as you can see by his pic...but he liked being in his big boy room. As long as he has his girlfriend, Claire, with him, he's happy.

Sesame Place

Friday we had family day at Sesame Place. Although it was really hot (and crowded) we were so thankful to have a sunny day before the hurricane.
The kids had a good time and that's what it was all about...

Summer's over? Not possible!

I cannot believe the summer is over already. It just can't be! Wasn't it jsut yesterday that we were complaining about how much snow we had? This summer definately seemed liked one fo the busiest in a while. We didn't even get a real vacation this year. But we are cramming a few things into the last few days at least.
Tuesday Allyson and I are off for the day to get the round of doctor appointments done for the start of school. (Doesn't that sound like a load of fun!) And then on Friday Ron and I both took off to take the kids to Sesame Place. They have both been begging us to go all summer, so they finally get their wish. Saturday Ron and Ally are going to Father/Daughter night at the Trenton Thunder baseball game. And Patrick and I will have Mommy/Son night at the house. And then Monday, the 29th is the first day of school already!
Allyson will be going to 8th grade at a new school. She will now be going to Calvary Christian which is also where Patrick goes. She is so excited. She goes to summer camp and youth group there and has a lot of friends already. She's really looking forward to it.
Now usually I get teary-eyed when I see Ally on the first day of school, but this year will be a double whammy. Patrick will be moving up to the Pre-school class! I will need an entire box of tissues that day for sure.

So Sweet

Weekend Fun!

Sunday Ron and I went to see Further at the Arts Center. I got us 5th row seats and they were amazing! If it wasn't 9000 degrees in there, it would have been perfect.
We were both able to take off today so we decided to finally get the kids to beach. The weather was perfect...the beach was empty....and the kids were happy. It was such a nice family afternoon. The water was really rough, so Ally couldn't go in, but the waves were huge and crashed hard, so they all had fun getting wet. (I had fun standing back and taking pictures)

Ally's First Tennis Match

Yesterday was Ally's first team tennis match. They were only able to get in 2 doubles matches before the rain came, but she did pretty well for her first time. They won 1. I think she's definately got potential. Looking forward to the rest of the season.

4th of July Weekend

Happy 4th of July!

The long weekend was busy and seemed so short. (Don't they all...)
Saturday patrick and I took a trip into the city to visit Peggy to get out of Ron's hair while he was working on the house. When we got to Trenton Train Station, the conductor was so nice to Patrick. He took him to meet the engineer, let him stand in the driver's seat, AND blow the train whistle. He was beyond excited.
He got his texi ride....we played on the playground at Peggy's....walked on the pier...had a nice lunch...and found Mister Softee. Perfect day!

Sunday we went to the Trenton Thunder baseball game. Derek Jeter was playing...which means nothing to me...I'm not a big baseball fan, nor am I a Yankee fan....but everyone in the place seemed excited. There were a ton of foul balls coming at us, and of course, Patrick got one. The ball actually was hit out of the stadium and a guy on the street threw it up to Patrick as Ron held him over the side (Think Michael Jackson baby dangling incident)
After the game, we were able to go out onto the field to watch the fireworks. Patrick was soooo excited to be on the field and I have to say, so was I. It was really cool.

Monday we opted to do....NOTHING. Grilled some ribs, made s'mores, and just hung out. The only thing missing to our perfect weekend was Ally. But she'll be home Friday, so we are counting the days!

FORE!!!!!!!!!!

Last night we took Patrick miniature golfing. It was his very first time. He needs some practice, but I think he could possibly be the next big thing. haha
Here's how it went down:
Ron tried to show him how to do it...Patrick wanted no part of it. He wanted no help. He would hit the ball off the "tee area" about a foot. THen he would pick up the ball, carry it to the hole and place it on the edge. He would then tap it in and with all the excitement one could muster up, would cheer for himself. There was one hole that had a tunnel...he hit the ball through the tunnel and got a hole in one! He screamed "HOLE IN ONE! OH YEA!! HOLE IN ONE!" The people behind us were hysterical.
He had a great time and I think he's ready to get out there again. We just need to get him a putter that's not his height.
Here's a few pics...

Father's Day

Today was very enjoyable. Ron met friends in the morning for a round of golf and then we headed to Kathy's for a Father's Day BBQ. We had a good time. Patrick wasn't as into going in the pool as we thought he would be. It'll take him a few trips before he's hooked. Allyson, on the other hand, was in there most of the day.

It was nice to see my Dad since the last time I saw him was in the hospital. For those of you who don't know, he had surgery a couple of weeks ago. His arteries were blocked from his aorta all the way down his legs. Surgery lasted 10 hours. But he's doing pretty well now and we're hoping this helps relieve the pain he was having in his legs.

Tennis Time!

Ally had her very first tennis lesson on Thursday. She said she loves it. (Thank God...b/c after all the money we just spent to outfit her for it, I would have cried if she hated it)
In order to prepare for yesterday's class, the Hing's headed to the tennis court for her first lesson from Dad (Or as we like to call him Ron Sampras). With some practice, she definately has the ability to be a great tennis player.
Patrick had one of Ron's racquets from 19eighty-something. lol He's got potential. We'll keep bringing him out to practice so that when he starts lessons next year, he will be the star player on the team. But he did make a good ball boy. He ran all over the court getting the balls and then throwing them to Daddy.
Here's a few pics I took from that day and a before shot of her from yesterday. (And now when she makes it to the US Open, Ron can take credit for being her first coach)

Mother's Day

Mother's Day weekend certainly turned out to be nice. Saturday we had a lovely lunch with Grandma Hing. Although being that Patrick was in a horrible mood, it wasn't as long of a visit as we would have liked. He just needed a nap in a big way.
Sunday I was treated to breakfast in bed and a beautiful stack of Mother's Day cards from everyone. In the afternoon we headed to Kathy's for Mother's Day and birthday-fest 2011. It was actually the most relaxing year in a long time. My sister decided to have everything catered, so there was no cooking necessary. Very wise move. Ally and Patrick had the best time playing with all of their cousins. So much so that Patrick passed out on the couch and stayed asleep through being moved into his carseat...the ride home...then carried into his bed. We need to bring him there more often.

Exhausting But Rewarding Weekend

To say this weekend was tiring is an understatement. But it was all worth it.
SAturday was the Revlon Run/Walk for Women's Cancer. Ally, Kathy, and emily spent the night at Peggy's apartment Friday so we would be able to get a good night's sleep before the early start. We had a fun sleepover. Stayed up late talking and laughing...we don't get a lot of sister time anymore, so this was certainly a treat.
Saturday was a little chilly, but a beautiful day. We had a great walk...finished in 1 hour 07 minutes. (Although they did admit that it wasn't as long as it was supposed to be. It was about 2 1/2 miles instead of 3)
After the walk, the sleepover crew had a nice lunch and a trip to Crumbs for a ton of cupcakes.
Let me point out that during this time, Ron had a sleepover of his own; spending the night at Kathy's house with Patrick and hanging out with Jack all day Saturday. He said the boys had a good time.

Then on Sunday Patrick and I heading back to city to see Max and Ruby Live at the Best Buy Theatre in Times Square. He was great on the train. Then we met Peggy at Penn Station and had lunch at Bubba Gump's before the show. Patrick decided he didn't want to see the show...he was scared. (It was really dark int here before the show started) But once Max and Ruby came out, he perked up and loved the show.
After that, we headed to Toys R Us. I wish I captured the look on his face when he walked in there. It was priceless. He was so excited. But not as excited as when we turned the corner and there stood a real life Spiderman. Of course he had to have his picture taken with him. It was so cute. Worth the amount they charge.
I had promised him we would take a taxi but it was a zoo in the city that day and it was impossible to flag one down. So we walked back to Penn Station. Patrick did so well. He didnt start complaining about walking until around 36th/35th street. Perfect!!
I thought for sure he would fall asleep on the train....in turn letting Mommy get a nap in, but no luck. He was wide awake until we got in the car.

So needless to say...after 2 loooong days of walking in the city, Mommy was exhausted. But I had two extremely happy children at the end of it all. Allyson loved participating in the walk and wants to do it again. And Patrick loved his day too. (Since he made out like a bandit between the prizes he got at the show and then at Toys R Us)

I'd say I am looking forward to a relaxing weekend, but there is no such thing in the month of May for this family.

OH...and a big shout out to ROn for the awesome job he did tye dying all of the shirts for The Brave Harts!!