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 (-:

Update on Nutritionst Appt

look at that cute body---our own little elf.
well, the nutritionist visit was pretty much a waste of time. she thought we were doing all that we could by loading on the high calorie, high fat foods. the only advice she had was, to add ice cream to her diet and peanut butter if there werent any known food allergies.
of course, she said not to worry too much, since vienna has always been low in the charts vs taking a nose dive off it ---or they would classify her as 'failure to thrive'. thank goodness she is at least growing, just up not out (it's all going to her little pot belly :-)

Multiples Galore

Have i ever mentioned how much i love my tivo (eric does xmas good). every night, i veg out watching tivo----fm oprah to all my hgtv shows-- all commercial free, baby.

one of my fav shows lately is Jon & Kate + 8. Funny, jon & kate even have a saying, 'it's great after 8'. 8PM that is, when the kids are in bed ((((-:

these parents are AMAZING. it's almost beyond belief how they manage---and not be half crazed and dead! they did do IVF, but def did not ask or plan for 8 kids (twins + sextuplets). and amazingly, they're still able to give their children a typical childhood. they do it all, going to pumpkin patches, xmas tree cutting, throwing humongous bday parties, etc. you can see how hard they strive, so the kids dont miss out and feel less special just because there's so many of them ---and they do it, for their kids, no excuses.

the last episode was of the sextuplets' 3rd carnival-themed bday party. they started a new tradition of singing happy bday to each baby---so they had to sing the song 6 times. seeing the reaction on each kid's face---it was a golden parent moment.

i think i'm gonna steal that tradition for the girls' bdays. jon & kate, you're great!