Happy 37th Bday Baby!

what was on top of his wish list? this fm pep boys.

here he is test driving it. if you dont know my hubs (by now), yes, he's still a big kid. and we love him for it.

Ho Ho HO

we took the girls to see Santa today, free at the merrifield garden center. thankfully, since the girls are under 2, we got to skip to the beginning of the line. otherwise, it (no exxageration) would have been at least a 2hr wait.

unlike the (grumpy) Santa at the (fair oaks) mall, this Santa quizes each kid on their school, hobbies and goes over their wish list (with the parents nodding or shaking their heads from behind :-)

pictures are an after-thought.

if you dont mind the wait (or go on an off day), it's def worth a visit. quality time with Santa before he flys back to the North Pole, is priceless.

xmas photo shoot

our friend, map, who took the girls' 1st bday party pics, did another awesome job for our xmas photos.

here's just a sampling, since there are too many to upload. i keep telling him to start a photographer side job, he never disappoints!

Merry Xmas! Have a wonderful, rocking holiday as we celebrate the Lord's birthday! Peace and Joy to all!

hola amigos, we're back!

Pics of the day

Every day, twice a day (unless it's pouring or below zero degrees out), Maria takes the girls outside for some fresh air. At this age, everything (from the leaves to the birds) is so new and fun to them. Here they are banging away at a tree with a stick.

all rosy and refreshed from their romp.

Fall is for Football

most sundays between 1-4pm, momma can leave the girls w/poppa and go do errands, have dim sum/lunch with gal pals, escape with a book (or just escape :-)....it's a good thing.

sing w/me...hail to the reskins, hail victory, braves on the war path, fight for all DC!

unfortunately, momma hasnt been well lately. i pulled a neck spasm (ouch) right before T-giving, then developed shingles (eek) from having a weak immune system (blah). basically it means, i've been feeling crappy and tired.

eric has been holding down the fort wonderfully. the house may be a tad messy and the pantry bare, but hey, the kids are fed, happy and clean. i heart my BF hubs 4ever.

today, i'm feeling pretty darn decent and energized (enough to even update our webpage). and just in time for our winter break to cozumel!!!!

we're going back to our wedding/h-moon getaway. cant beat the amenities for the price; and just a skip and hop away to balmy weather and white beaches. ahhh, can smell the suntan lotion and sip the (unlimited) pina colas now.

this will be the kids 2nd internat'l flight and 3rd beach vacation. yes, we're a travel-lovin, having-a-blast-family. life is good.

Gobble Gobble

Happy Thanksgiving, from ours to yours!

16+ Months

Some updates,

1) the girls are down to one nap. they nap around noon after their 11PM lunch for about 1-2hrs. (still sleeping 7:30- 7:30 at night.) yippee, we can leave the house and not have to rush home for a 2nd nap.

2) they've gained weight! vienna is now about 17lbs 10oz and laurel at 19lbs 60z. Operation Plump It Up is working! in about 1 1/2 months, they've gained over 1lb. That's not bad, considering the average toddler will only gain 4-6lbs in their second year. momma's thrilled and is hoping for at least 6-7lbs by their 2nd bday (in 8 months).

3) they're becoming best buddies. when we spend individual time with them away, they look for each other. during one of my and laurel's starbucks run, vienna kept asking for us; and eric had to walk her around the whole house to show her we werent home. very sweet.

4) they're becoming social beings. they're learning to share, take turns, say/sign please and thank you. of course, there's still lots of toy snatching, down-right crankiness and jealously for attention. but overall, having a built-in playmate is kick-ass.

5) they both say 'momma' and 'da-da' AND mean it. melts my heart. vienna also says 'low-lel'. we're waiting for 'vienna' and 'maria' but three-syllable words are tricky.

Lastly, here are some videos of how far they've come (and smart they are!):

Things to Do, Places to See

It was a mommy & me(s) day. Momma got the day off for Veteran's holiday and thus, so did the nanny. The three of us had a good ole time. Here's a recap of our travels:

We checked out poppa's office. The girls made the rounds and high-tailed out before poppa could put them to work.

Then we dropped by to visit gramma, grandpa, aunt thuy, anna & lindsey; but only grandpa was home. Looks like we could do w/a few more visits and warm up to grandpa.

Then off to momma's favorite store, where she always ends up spending way too much $$, but it's such a fun place.

shopping cart-clowning around

strike a paparazzi pose

With two against one, momma had a little help from her harness buddies. Cause let's get real folks, at this age, they may understand STOP but they hear GO. This momma doesnt take any chances with her babies, esp around moving cars.

Happy 1st Birthday Ethan!

This was the best pic I could snap of the three amigos.

Pics of the day

Now for Laurel's new fav activity: shape sorting. It's hard, tongue-concentrating fun.

Pics of the day

Vienna's new favorite activity.....giddy-up poppa!

the butterflys were a hit!

we got candy! off we go to get more (more for mommy hehehe)!

we went to the trunk or treat party at fair oaks church. the trunks were so creatively decorated. there was even a harry potter trunk. it was hard to get any good shots of all the decorations with the crowds. we even lost gramma on the way there. even thou we arrived on time, all the parking lots were full, they had to run shuttle buses fm the government center. luckily, we got the last few spots at the church's rec center, a block away fm the festivities. so gramma headed home. our first time, who knew it was so popular! next year, we'll def get there extra early.

everywhere we went, all night long, we heard 'look twins. oh, they're SO cute'. poppa cant get enough of the fanfare. momma's glad they arent triplets (imagine the attention all the time!). our superstar butterflys! gotta love the antennas! Happy candy-licking Halloween!

Not always fun and games around here

it was a loooooooong week with Vienna. she's been:

1) fighting sitting in the high chair
2) fighting her morning naps (even when she's wearily rubbing her eyes)
3) having hysterical separation anxiety where ONLY momma's allowed to hold and comfort her

Some days, even when I hold her, it would still take a good 1/2 hour for her to calm down.

Some days, I put in their fav videos (seasame street or signing time) to distract and calm her.

Some days, I offer her a lollipop to make her feel better.

Some days, she just cries herself exhausted, like she did here.



is this what they call 'you're not the boss of me' toddler-independence?

here's a short (not complete) video of one 'episode'. this one isnt too bad, she didnt try to topple out of her chair. might want to turn the volume down a bit.



It's a new week, and it's been calmer....so far.... Please let it be over!

What to do with an old mattress?

Have a BODY SLAM FEST!

Deterdings Pre-Halloweeen Costume Parade

the girls dont get to see their cousin, Lotus, on Halloween. so every year the kids get all dress up and do a mini-costume show for the Deterding clan. on the lineup for 2007, presenting hot-pink butterflies and a regal princess:

Halloween past in 2006:

Ask and you shall recieve

it's my bday weekend. happy birthday to me, happy bday to me, haaaappy birthdaaaaay to me (((-:

i asked eric for a new (foam) mattress for my bday. yes, not very romantic, but oh so worth it. the old mattress was only 2-3 yrs old and a high-end sealy brand, but for whatever reason, i would wake up every morning with a crick in my neck. we tried rotating the mattress, didnt help.

we slept on the new mattress last night. it gets alittle getting used to. the foam is firm but dips, so there are valleys, like say where our butt was. but miraculously, this morning, no neck crick, Hallelujah!!!

as for my bday dinner, i asked aunt louise to babysit tonight after the kids are in bed at 7:30---we're so GRATEFUL to have friends/family around for FREE babysitting! (otherwise, it would be $10/hr for the nanny to come and just sit & watch tv.)

it'll be dinner & a movie, my choice of course. right now, it's a toss up btwn seafood buffet or margaritas. a hard, hard decision (-:

then this weekend, we're celebrating w/gramma D and family, who's bday is also next week. more good food and cake.

and i share my bday w/a bunch of folks i know. my childhood friend, hoang anh. my friend, long's mom. and my handsome, clever nephew, noah.

here's hoping everyone has a fantastic bday celebration and may your bday wishes come true too!

an afternoon with gramma

pics from the fall festival in gramma's neighborhood, where we're always guaranteed prime parking (gramma's driveway) for these happening community events.

the girls had their first lollipops, hung out w/winnie the pooh, watched a puppet show, browsed classic cars and ate chicken on a stick. it was a fun afternoon with gramma.




conked out on the ride home.

Testing out our anniversary gift

not only was gramma D wonderful enough to babysit for our anniversary outing, she got us a brand new camera! the old one was over 5yrs old and outdated. it was slow, didnt always focus and the preview screen was a joke.

the new camera is the cannon powershot. it's a lightweight but has all the goodies, even face recognition, very cool.

what do you think? are the pics clear enough to read the t-shirts? scroll down for answers (-:









Laurel's shirt "if you think i'm cute, check out my mommy"
Vienna's shirt "daddy's future UFC, skinny but strong"

15 mos old!

stats
- motor skills:
V&L: open/close doors, climb up/down stairs, roll ball, scribble, step in/out of clothes, some shape sorting and of course, lots of monkeying around:

V: can climb up baby gate using its holes for footings L: can climb up slide w/rungs

- verbal (words):
V&L: banana, ball, stop, shoes, da-da V: fish, cat, apple, chicken, moo

- understand words/signs: shoes, sit down, eat, water, milk, kiss, sleep, book, bird, cat, dog, fish, ball, car, poppa, momma, vienna, laurel, maria, tummy, nose, draw, play, bath, potty, wash hands, dirty, no, stop, all done

fun facts
- they're starting to play with each other more, playing chase or giggling together.

- when either eric & i come home, they give us hugs and automatically wave bye-bye (outta-here :-) to maria.

- laurel is more easy going. if she has two, she'll share and offer one to vienna. vienna is more aggressive. when she wants, she wants. which means on occasion, she has chased and tackled laurel down. but laurel is getting better at defense. she'll run, spin, hold her ground, or eat real fast.

- when vienna wanders off, laurel 'tells' her to come back. hmmm, wonder if she's gonna be a tattle-tell, 'guess what vienna did today....'.

- laurel gives open-mouth kisses. if she's not in the mood, she'll shake her head no, no.

- vienna likes mechanics. she will unscrew, pop open, turn, push, pull, bang---until she figures out how it works.

- instead of their toys, they love playing on the couch, the remotes and 'talking' on the phone.

Our fun, smart, pretty, AMAZING girls! Love, love, love em!

Cox Farm Festival

some photos fm cox farm festival today. thou, it was (freakishly) balmy and humid, being on the farm with bales of hay, animals, pumpkins and drinking cider, it now feels officially like autumn.

Happy Anniversary to Us!

we're off to a quick but relaxing massage and yummy dinner at the ritz tonight (a huge thanks to gramma D for babysitting).

two years and two kids later, life is still good if not better!!!!!!!!


our wedding/honeymoon in cozumel, mexico. such a cute couple (-: