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!

 

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!

Isn't she lovely...

Vienna wanted to cut her hair (like Peter Pan-- which ensued into a 'talk'). But It's her hair and makes her happy (and hurts no one), so we let her go for it. This was her choice, a 'pixie dust' haircut.
I think it really fits her, highlights her big, brown eyes and heart-shaped face. Vienna maybe a tomboy, but she can still rock a pink tutu and is just a silly, sweet girl at heart.

More Memorial Day wkend pics fm our canoe trip and trek to dinosaur land , a cheesy, tourist trap-- but of course the girls loved it. And so cute when they recognize and know all the big dinosaur names.

Mini-Vacas

We take two main vacas over the summer. But we have the travel bug (life is short, get off the couch!). So every other month, we take mini-trips.
Winter fun trip at the Homestead in January. Highly recommend for families and beginner ski-ers.

Camping at Westmoreland State Park in March. Vienna has been asking to go camping to roast s'mores, 'since s'mores aren't good unless at a campfire'. Spring is the perfect time to go, no bugs! And cabins are the way to go, running water & heat... heaven :-)
The kids (we went with Vienna's best bud, Griffy and his family) enjoyed digging for shark's teeth, fishing, roasting marshmallows and hot dogs; even the trails were nice and short for their little legs. No agenda except to relax, hang out and enjoy the great outdoors-- perfect wkend getaway.

In May, we're headed to VA beach for some extreme truck racing!

THANKS for 5 yrs!

To celebrate our 5-yr anniversary and my 40th bday, we took a trip to Maine! Without the kids!!! Our first trip w/out the kids! Otherwise, we've always traveled as a family since they were months old--- they already have a few stamps on their passports!

They had such a good time w/gramma D, they barely missed us. She took them to all their activities/parties, shopping for new sparkly shoes, the play ground, school, etc -- you know, 4 yr olds and their jam-packed schedules!

And we had a blast! We figure we would do something we couldn't (enjoyably) with the kids: hiking and eating lobsters!

Packed sweat pants, sweaters, hat and hiking boots--comfy clothes---my kinda trip! Ate lobsters, sweet sea-tasting lobsters EVERY day--- my kinda trip!

Sleeping in and waking up by the bay to a gourmet, home-cooked breakfast---our kinda trip!

If you love nature, you'll LOVE hiking Acadia park--- Eric's kinda trip!
It's where you'll see:

the ocean coastline hugging the mountains


the sun sets in magnificent hues every night


picturesque mini-waterfalls and streams


to thundering cascades



historical trails and bridges



to a pond with sandy beach! Acadia has it all!!


Thanks baby for 5 wonderful years! You're such a great guy, husband and father!

Wind Swept

salty ocean breeze to crisp mountain air (ck out the mountain goat in the back giving us the 'those tourist' look)




our annual summer trip to visit gramma D in hilton head. some highlights:

- sunny, sunny days. it never rained except maybe once at night. June is the best time to head south before it heats up.

- warm, super shallow waters. the girls rode (and rode) the 'bumpy' waves in their tubes and boogie boards

- visiting with three sisters who are three teachers. the girls love the attention which means less work for us (-:

- a fun day trip to Charleston, touring the old homes and checking out their aquarium with a cool penguin exhibit

- six full days of beach and pool. enough for us, but the girls could have stayed another week.



for our end of the summer trip, we decided to visit Colorado. Eric's dad was born and raised in CO, so we spent a couple of days visiting family before heading to Denver.

some highlights:

- the girls got to met most of Eric's paternal side of the family, esp Aunt Alma who is 96. they're too young to understand, but it was neat showing them part of their heritage. from the acres and acres of farm land to cattle-raising and live stock kept in the Deterding family for generations. now I get why Eric loves rocks, Indian heads and 4-wheel driving...it's a different world and life style, the heart land.

- aunt LouAnn and uncle Leroy made us a full breakfast and dinner for three days--delicious, local beef and yummy home-made pies! also had my first malt shake straight from their kitchen.

- going fishing where poppa and grandpa fished as a boy. the girls fished before, but first time they caught live ones!

- a quick stay at Black Hawk, a western-like town filled with casinos. mommy actually won some $$, before poppa ended up loosing it. forget how much i love casino buffets. the one at Ameristar can't be beat-- crab legs and cotton candy!

- Eric was right, the Appalachian mountains (of the East) are nothing compared to the Rockies. we drove up (and up) and right on the edge of Mount Evans. The drive isnt for the weak of heart but the view is awe-inspiring.

- wild mountain goats! they are so rare, and we saw a bunch! Laurel caught sight of them first and she was so thrilled. no moose or bears thou.

- checking out the mile-high city of Denver. it's a great town, full of culture and outdoor adventures. known for it's 300 days of sunshine and pristine ski-ing. who needs a thread mill when you have the mountains.

What did you do for mom's day?

we went to virginia beach for monster trucks on the beach!

since vienna likes trucks, we figure she'd enjoy seeing BIG trucks. BIG trucks racing, jumping, diving, chomping metal! woohooo!!

the motorcycle drag race and the monster free style jumps were the thrilling highlights. vienna stated she would like a helmet, just like the winner on the red motorcycle.

Momma had a blast too!! laurel isnt as big on trucks, but she had the beach and indoor pool.
we've already booked a room for next year!

Back to WVA

We booked a trip to Greenbrier to test our luck for the New Year, but with the 'snowmageddon', we didn't get to go til this last wk.
Old, historic hotel oozing with southern charm. Every room had a unique decor, even the bathrooms!
We only stayed 3 days, but we squeezed in quite a bit. Enjoyed the 'tea party' every afternoon, swam in the Olympic pool with tiles dating back from the 1940s, walked the bunker tour (an underground hideout for our legislative branch during a nuclear threat), climbed a cave dripping with evolving stalagmite, hiked with sweeping views of the mountains; and of course, gambled!
We invited Grandma Vu to join us. She likes to travel. And she also likes to go to bed early, allowing us to sneak out to the casino. A win-win for everyone!
Sadly, I'm not a winner at the cards. Even managed to loose $100 bill dropped fm my purse. Talking about bad luck! Eric did decent, up then down, but overall still up in the end. The year of the Tiger may be a bust year for one of us.

Ice Ice Babies

We hit the slopes to kick off the New Year. The girls had their first ski lesson. They did really well-- they were able to stay upright going downhill -- Vienna even got the knack of steering alittle-- no poles of course. They both enjoyed the lift 'ride'. It's nice when they start young, no fear.

Wintergreen is chock-full of fun kiddie activities. They also did tubing, roasted s'mores, indoor bounce room and swam in the pool & hot tub. Smack in the middle of blue ridge mountains, the views are never-ending and spectacular. This may be our new New Year's tradition.