It has become a recent tradition for my parents to visit and stay with us during the summer. (It is always a dream come true to have them here in our house and I love the hustle and bustle of the full house.) And the best part has been that my mom's birthday has fallen during their time here with us.

(This entry is going to have a ton of pictures. Don't say I didn't warn you.)

This past weekend was full of celebrating Mama Bear, starting with a weekend BBQ with old family friends, a lot of reminiscing, a plethora of cupcakes and three birthday cakes!

cake number one - tart filled with fruity goodness

cake number two - a fluffy, delicious blueberry cake. cake number three (not pictured) was a yummy green tea cake!

cake-cutting ceremony: they're the cutest

Monday was a jam-packed day spent gallivanting in the city - exploring nooks and crannies and ending the night with a bang watching "Wicked". (It was such a great show we've been talking about it nonstop since.)

took my parents to one of our favorite places to explore: chelsea market

lunch was numpang for mommy & hubby, and mokbar ramen for daddy and me

i learn my ways from my parents - mandatory coffee break

Tuesday was my mom's actual birthday. We went snooping around in a local TJ Maxx, one of my mom's favorites. We followed that up with each of us (mom, dad, me) taking delicious naps and when the brother and husband returned from work, we feasted at a local Colombian restaurant. It was a beautiful dinner. I declared during dinner that it may just be my new favorite restaurant. It's a no frills, no fuss, just good food (period) restaurant. We talked about the monstrous proportions and the homey environment. And the husband suggested we play a "how well do you know mama kim?" game. It was a good time.

Happy Birthday, Mommy! We love you!