On a lighter note...

towards the end of summer, we also got a boat! and i can't blame eric this time, i was all in. based on eric's fond memories of a summer racing in a boat with his dad, never mind his penance for motion sickness, we got the boat!  i was nervous considering it's a huge purchase with no refund!  but it is living up to the hype, we love it (and as long as he's driving, eric is aok).  being on the water on a beautiful, lazy summer day, best way to enjoy the great outdoors: swimming, fishing, tubing and water skiing!  we hope to explore more next summer, different harbor towns and eventually go crabbing, clamming and oyster raking.

there are no propellers for safety, perfect with the kids (laurel's complaint, it has no bathroom, other than a portable).  it's a fun, not luxury-gas-guzzling boat.  fits in the garage for no docking fees. and it's small enough to dock on a small, uninhabited patch of beach and just relax....ahhhhh.

Dear Daisy

over the summer we got new pets, chickens!  it is amazing the cycle of nature, their poop fertilizes the yard, they eat pesky bugs and kitchen scrap (recycling at its best) and fresh yummy eggs every day!  Not to mention, ours were funny little birds and super friendly.  kids would hold 'em and they wouldnt mind, never pecked anyone.  

our first couple chickens, Chick-Chick and Brownie were victims of us forgetting to cage them for the night; and a predator/fox got 'em (lesson learned).  we only had them for a few wks, so we kinda glossed over their deaths, that they had 'flown away' and got instant replacements, to soften the blow for the girls. 

the 3 new chickens, laurel's Daisy, vienna's Choclate Wrapper and my Wednesday have been with us for a while.  today, while we were out, Daisy was attacked and killed by a vicious chicken hawk (basically beheaded).  Daisy was a bit of a loner and didnt always stick with her two sisters, and unfortunately, there is safety in numbers.  and unfortunately, EVERYTHING eats chicken.

we broke the sad news, and Laurel cried hugging her Tigger. Vienna got teary-eyed, but insisted, 'not because of the chicken' (obviously trying to be tough).
we reminisced, felt she had a good, but short life. hanging out with her chicken and human sisters along with all the wonderful yard adventures.  life is going to be a struggle, and one of the best skills children can learn is resiliency.  once you're down, you dont stay down (even when someone kicks you down, you figure out how to get back up).  talking and working through difficult times are invalulable life skills.

Laruel buried her feathers and with held hands, we said a small prayer.  Dear Daisy, we will miss you.

Summer Vacation in Pictures

our annual trip to Hilton Head (quality time with cousin Avyanna all the way fm Wyoming)

 

camping with cousins & friends at Virginia Beach, where we clammed for the first time!

 

 

 

cowgirls on the Ranch, lots of horse and pony rides plus a rodeo!

 

whol-lotta to update

what we've been up to in the past couple of months.

cabin-ing at lake anna, where for $90/night, we got lake-front views and our own fishing pier.

my sister and i rotated spring-break day-care.  she took 2 days and i took one.  the cousins had a quadruple sleepover with fun activities like an egg hunt at pohick park and to reston zoo.  it was the girls first time away from home w/out us and they loved it!  i think all the traveling we do helps too, so it's an adventure sleeping some place different.

spring break ended on easter wkend.  the girls decorated these stunning eggs.  (girl cousins only, with my brother and his family visiting nyc.)

then an egg hunt, with lindsey as the big winner this year!

after church and a delish meal at season's 52, wonderful easter baskets fm gramma bunny:

other fun, sweet stuff the girls are doing at this age.

 laurel writing a letter to ady, her sponsor brother in africa: 'if you do not have money, you can have some money. love laurel'.  she taped pennies to the letter to send.  so incredibly sweet and compassionate.

vienna can pretty much read (laurel is close behind).  and loves to read and write, almost every where (in the car, in church, etc), all the time.  she's already written some mini-books, with cute illustrations.

here's her letter on saint patrick's day, setting her trap:

'der (dear) leprdcon (leprechaun)
we love you we whte (want) you to go in a hous(e) ples (please) love vienna'

vienna also loves piano and is excelling, her teacher likes to tell her, 'you're the youngest, but the best'.  she has her recital piece and has been practicing on her own, without any prompting from us.  here she is trying to write sheet music. our passionate, brilliant little progeny.

they're part of daisy girl scout troop, which i co-lead.  at this age, it's mostly craft-driven, but we do try in every mtg to empower the girls by making them share things out-loud (public-speaking) and voting on the activity (independent decision-making).

oh and we added new pets to the family, brownie & chick- chick.  i'll post pics for next time.

January Blitz

January flew by in a blur.  Video snippets of our month -- we also had nye (cozy) celebrations, tet (lunar) family-gambling celebration, where the girls got so much li-xi $$, we're going to hersey park in the summer!
Winter is no hiberation for us!






Note, in the video, how indepent the girls are at this age, sweet!

What I want to be when I grow up

I know the girls are only 5, but momma already has career plans for them.  Laurel is the better, more adventurous eater and she's darn cute.  So guess what momma hopes she'll be? 

She's just a tad shy, but practice makes perfect.  Watch out Anthony Bourdain, there's a new talent in town.
Introducing the 'Twin Observations' show on the Deterding Food channel!

Stay tuned for Vienna's professional debut!