Art Sessions

Scary Movie 13

when poppa gets off work extra early, this is what momma comes home to:



resident ghosts may decrease the value of our house (-:

Pic of the day

we made a quick stop to the air & space museum in dulles on sunday----it's pretty nifty having a museum just a hop and skip away. got there at 4:30pm and didnt have to pay $12 for parking. not sure if it was a fluke or standard, since it was an hour before closing.

the pic has such a earthy glow, as if the sun was setting on the planes.

another bday celebration

scary and fun all wrapped up in one, and we still love him. happy bday to our uncle royce!

Say it isnt so

tv for babies never sounded like a good thing, now they've proved it over at time magazine.

ironically, babies exposed to baby einstein videos early and frequently, scored lower on vocabulary. instead, human interaction is key to quicker learning....duh.

i believe moderation rules, only limited tv after a year (vs 2yrs old recommended by the APA), but that's the liberal in me. yes, i still think signing time videos rocks.

Signing Times Promotion

We interrupt this scheduled program to bring you the the following commercial:



Why sign to babies? Read all about it here and here.

We started signing to the girls around 6mos, but it really didnt take off until they turned 1. Since we werent consistently signing to them throughout the day (we both work and the nanny speaks very little english), I got them this video.

They LOVE it. They dont watch tv except for Signing Times, as their nightly treat with milk. They would do the jiggle during the theme song and sit absorbed on their elmo chairs.

Since the making of this commercial, Vienna can also sign milk, cat, bird, fish, baby and book---she picks up a new sign every couple of days. Laurel's favorite is car. It's so much fun and rewarding that they can communicate with us!

Weekend outings

we were planning on taking the girls to the pool this weekend, but it never really got that hot---summer really is ending )))-:

so we decided to ck out clemyjontri park in great falls instead. if you have not been and you're from this area and you have kids: GO. you will not be disappointed.

it's a mac-daddy playground owned by FFX county (spread over 2 acres!), so it's FREE to the public (the carosel is $1.50/ride). i had heard all the rave reviews and was still impressed.

bring a cooler w/refreshments and hats for the kiddies. since it's a new park, there isnt much shade and no snack vendors (just a water fountain). trust me, it's not a park you can do in a hour.

you know, i think we might go again next weekend.....

we also attended a dinner for eric's company at maggiano's. the girls' first corporate event. they're already smoozing experiencing the executive life.

sad mommy moment

i had to discipline laurel for the first time yesterday. she has the habit of chucking her cup from her high chair. after numerous stern no's (this is enough for vienna, who's more sensitive to tone and noise), hand swats and showing her where to leave the cup---laurel just smiled/laughed and continued. so i gave her a flick on the cheek. not painful, but it got her attention. she cried. it happened a few more times before she stopped the bad behavoir.

this morning, she didnt throw the cup once. it felt bad making her cry (seeing her sad, sweet face) but she has to learn and respect. and she's old enough to understand.

for the most part, we've only been doing redirection for bad behavior (for pushing, snatching, etc), but sometimes it's not enough. discipline with love, so we wont have bratty kids that are no fun to be around.

Another reason why two is enough for us....

stacie over at twinkies wrote this eye-brow-raising piece on tuition. both eric & i didnt go to 'brand name' colleges, but i'm betting it's just as costly.

luckily, thanks to VERY generous grandparents, the girls have funded 529 plans. cause in our household, college isnt optional but required. i even want them to have masters, esp by their time, it can only be more competitive. thou, paying for it would be negotiable.

Happy 1st Birthday Evan!

UPDATE: mo posted the pics fm evan's party, click here to view.

we didnt get a pic w/bday boy, but here's his mom and big sis, yvonne. the petting zoo & minature horse were alot of fun.

look at vienna riding no hands. my brave girl.

laurel liked the goat more than the horsey.

the gym circuit

we took the girls today to a free trial 'waddler' class at my gym in chantilly. i wasnt too impressed. the room smelled like musky socks and the class was mainly kids running around. there were a couple of cute group songs but that was it for 45min.

next stops, my little gym and gymboree play classes. it'll be fun for the girls to learn to tumble, balance and just have a good time developing their motor skills. and not have toys and equipment thrown at them, they get enough of that at home. just have to find the right class and instructor.

Pic of the day

Laurel flashing her 'tara reid's.

Organizing memories

yesterday i spent a couple hours printing out photos, about 200 pics just for the last 3mos! this doesnt include their bday party pics of 200 more. the girls are onto their 3rd album at 1yr old! then there are the hours of videos.

and i'm not trigger happy at the shutter either. if the photos look similar, pick one and delete delete.

eric & i have about a dozen photos fm our childhood. remember the days of the disposable (fancy) flash? how times have changed-- disposable cameras are cheap and accessible.

eric's lucky enough to have one at birth in a santa hat (he's a christmas eve baby). my earliest pic looks like i'm 3? (that's duy in the back)
but to be fair, my parents did have to leave the country during a war, so prob not all the photo albums were packed.

who do you think the twins look like more? photos do lie, cause laurel looks just like me (-:

Brush Brush

Laurel loves her new toothbrush, even tho she has no teeth! The vibration must feel good on her gums---she'll have the cleanest gums in town!

She's been drooling up a storm lately, so teeth may be acoming (fingers crossed and crossed).

Vienna didnt care for the sound effects at first, but now 'brushes' her (4) teeth. Even if they're not moving it around, the rotating brush's gotta be doing some cleaning work.

Next step, using tooth paste and learning to spit it out. We'll prob be using the low fluoride paste for awhile, since i dont see them mastering spitting right away. Or maybe not, since not too long ago, they were all about blowing raspberries. Even their 3-yr old cousin, Lotus had to remind them, 'we only spit when we brush our teeth.'

1st Bday Party Pics

our wonderful friend, map is a fantastic photographer. he took these awesome pics ( click here to view) at the girls' bday party. he captured the girls' pre-party meal to zonking out at naptime post party.

as you can see, it was a water-soaked, sun-filled, summer-licious good time!

thanks to our family and friends for the best bday party ever! smooches, vienna & laurel

a few more pics (thanks julie)---can you spot uncle royce?