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!

Deterding Idol

A couple of presents from Christmas.

Call and vote for your favorite!!!



still rocking on with their favorite band at Jammin Java:

Happy (belated) Tet! Year of the Rabbit!

Wishing you a rocking New Year!!!!

This year's ao dai couresty of Aunt Louise. Thanks Anh, the girls love their new 'princess' dresses!

Happy (belated) New Year!

not the best pic from eric's phone. taken at frostival, an indoor carnival. we went last yr and the girls absolutely love it. there was even a countdown and balloon drop at 3PM for the kids!

for dinner, we had our traditional steak & seafood feast in the 'formal' dining room-- a nice touch but mostly lost on the girls. we (esp Eric) like to keep ny eve's intimate and family-oriented--- no festive parties for us!

New Year Interview

(Vienna then Laurel's answers; interviews conducted separately)

How old are you? 4; 4

What did you ask for Xmas this year? a small guitar since I'm small; my little pony

What does mommy do? cook; cook & work on the computer

What does daddy do? watch football; work and starts the fire (in the wood stove)

What is your favorite color? yellow; blue

What is your favorite food? cheese (same answer like last year's); spaghetti

What food don't you like? peppers; broccoli

What is your favorite animal? cat; my cat

What is your favorite song? Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer, ditto

(we saw Rudolph at Adventure Theatre during Xmas time-- a wonderful, well-done production. Vienna's even asking for a Rudolph bday cake!)

What is your favorite movie? Pooh movie; Rapunzel

What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Vanilla; Chocolate & Vanilla

Who is your favorite person? Tatum (classmate); mommy, daddy and my sister!

Who is your best friend? Griffy (Vienna's best bud for over 2 years); Julia (another classmate)

What is your favorite book? Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer; Baby Jesus book (beautiful children's bible gramma D got them for Xmas)

What is your favorite thing to do? draw; play

What don't you like to do? c ounting; karate

What do you want to do when you grow up? policeman- who checks seat belts; in a marching band! (might have been slightly influenced by the Rose parade from that morning)

Have the best & bright new year filled with love, happiness and success!

4 1/2

Before we start with the Xmas blitz, some random thoughts I want to jot down before I forget:

Vienna, the tomboy, loves to climb - on trees, monkey bars-- just like her poppa-- skinny but strong. She loves to say 'poop'. This morning she was singing, Rudolph the red-nose poop!

Her spontaneity has a sweet side, she says 'I love you' the most and at random moments. She's stubborn when she sets her mind, there's no negotiating with her--- I try to win the war, since alot times, she wins the battles. Speaking of stubborn, she is slow as molasses. Not only is she slow in comparison to Laurel, but according to her teacher, the slowest in a class of 22! At home, I have her 'following' Laurel , otherwise, she gets distracted and it can take forever to get ready!

Laurel, the gentle soul. She says 'my daddy', 'my mommy' and let's us know, she misses us when she's away from us. She's still my cuddle-bug, esp in the morn when they wake up and climb in bed with us. She is sensitive, like momma, she cried during the movie, Tangled. She's still more girly and has way too many dollies. Her outfits are more coordinated than her sister's (Vienna would pick a favorite shirt and wear it everyday if she could).

Her tough side, she is more competitive. She focuses and wants to do well. When they fight, Laurel almost always wins. She's just as outdoorsy as Vienna-- and has already decided which truck she or Vienna will inherit from poppa when they grow up!

They don't nap consistently anymore, esp during the wkends, when we all sleep in. If they do nap, it's for an hour or less. They're growing, but still VERY petite (maybe 5% on the charts). Vienna is about 27 lbs, Laurel 29 lbs. Who knows when their growth spurt will kick in, maybe in college, like their poppa!

In spite of their different personalities, they play so well together. There are some squabbles (you're mean, you're a diaper, I'm not gonna play w/you, and so on), but 95% of the time, they truly enjoy each other's company. They (esp Laurel) are getting into board and card games, which momma enjoys too.

I know I'm biased, but my babies are growing up to be sweet, adorable kids!

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!

We Heart Autumn!

How many different events can you count? Too many!
Yes, we get into Halloween! After summer, fall is our favorite season!