Inspiration for Lankha

We spent our Saturday afternoon with the Wallaces after Maddie's ballet class.  What a surprise we received when we saw Lankha at brunch:  she donated her hair!  SOOOO CUTE!  I hope people said the same thing of me when they first saw me, but she is sooo adorable :)  And btw: if you have short hair it's easier to take care of and since your ears show, you HAVE to have ears pierced...just ask Lankha for more tips on short hair! 

The three kids played outside after swimming and this is what they came up with...possibly a calling to join Cirque du Soleil???

London Heathrow

Normally, I don't think I would include our layover time at an airport...however, since this is 3 for 3 I think for Mr Mark not getting to the gate on time, it's worth mentioning...and gives me a space to reflect on Europe.

We landed at Heathrow without much fanfare, went through normal stress of getting through all the gates and trams and check ins, except then we had to get our baggage and re-check them from London to Dulles then Dulles again to SFO later.  Luckily (AND LUCKILY!) Mark splurged on the miles and we were BOTH flying business class so after checking in, we got to go through the "fast" lane at security and hang out in the Lounge.  Although SOMEONE kept leaving me behind but keeping my ticket so everywhere I went, I was stopped and told: Only Business Members allowed!  Ummm, I'm with HIM!  oh, sorry ;( 

Maybe the food and drinks made us too comfy, but 3 hrs later, we were paged and a special cart and driver had to take us to our gate.  oops!  We arrived at the Gate and there was absolutely NO ONE there, except the ticket people. And the entire time Mark was worried about us making it to the gate on time, and kept telling me of his past adventures running through Heathrow...but I guess lesson wasn't learned?

Anyways, I did get a chance to reflect on some things about Europe:

a) DO NOT bring heels that can get stuck between all the cobblestones!  Since I didn't have the kids with me, I thought I'd wear heels...good thing I brought my Nikes and a pair of flat slip ons!  On our way to dinner in Berlin, dressed up in a nice dress and heels, I barely made it without breaking an ankle ;(  Thanks Yoriko for the tip!

b) Restaurants are pretty much all the same menus, catering towards the western world.  The best food we had, and probably our least expensive, was an Italian restaurant in Brussels.  

c) Belgian waffles for 1.50 Euros was YUMMMY!! There was the Czech version of cinnamon/almond/sugar pretzel thingy which was good, but definitely NOT a cinnabon as some other tourists tried to describe to us.

d) Part of the pollution problem in Europe is the stench from EVERYONE smoking! ick!

e) The dollar was terrible over there, but more so was the fact that we didn't realize how lucky and good we have it, material-wise, here in the States!  Everything was soooo pricey, esp on things we take for granted here, Levi's jeans, Ralph Lauren, anything designer...and they definitely need a Target or two over there :)

f) To be truly GREEN, the US needs to learn to make mass transit more convenient like they seem to do everywhere else in the world.

Historically, everything we saw was amazing, but landing back in the States, the wide open spaces we each call our own Home was even more incredible!  

Another Anniversary :)

Happy 2nd Anniversary to Quyen and Anson!

Brussels, Belgium

Our final stop in Europe.  It was a beautiful day driving from Stuttgart to Brussels. We got to see a lot of the countryside and it was amazing to see how the villages all had a cathedral/church as the center of their town.  Mark did slow down enough once in a while for me to catch a glimpse of random objects/signs but at 100mph+ on the autobahn, I think he was just happy to get to Brussels and not having had to stop anymore for me.

Until Sunday.  hmmm...when they say "No Drive Sunday" it means NO CARS DRIVING unless you are a taxi, bus or headed out of town. And don't drive over 30km/h We learned this almost accidentally but thank goodness Mark was actually paying attention and asked more questions of the reception desk at our hotel after overhearing someone else's conversation regarding free metro rides.  You would think since he was asking for a token to get out of the PARKING garage, she would clue us in right? NOT!  Anyways, getting out of the City was ummm, what's the word? stressful? panicked? embarrassing? I had to at one point put the receipt the receptionist so helpfully gave Mark after he had to ask her for one after she told him that's something you had to have should you get pulled over onto the window so people would stop giving us dirty looks!  As we pulled out of the garage, it was as Mark put it like something straight out of the movies: imagine looking left and right and seeing no cars but a sea of bicycles and people walking in the middle of the street!  NO CAR SUNDAY! hmmm, who knew?  After making our way to the airport to return the car, it was actually really cool to see Brussels without the cars though :)  And Gavin Newsom thought he was being so progressive by just shutting down the Embarcadero...the entire city of Brussels was closed!  and everyone LOVED IT!  I guess it only happens once a year, and lucky us, we were there trying to drive that one day.  I did see the sign driving in saying something "voitures dimanche" with a big red slash through it so my loose translation thinking was tunnels were closed on sunday.  oops! better brush up on the French next time ;P

Brussels was interesting because they seem to have no real identity.  I did discover they were the "Capital of Europe" (a la Washington DC?) yet they seem to not be able to decide between being French, Dutch or a melting pot with a single language? Their streets are both in French and Dutch so navigating was somewhat difficult but we managed.  I even somehow made it through a dinner with a menu in all French.  I have to probably Thank my sister and Maddie for keeping me somewhat in the loop with Francais :P  

Mark had a meeting here in Brussels so I spent a day walking the neighborhoods and window shopping, and yes, the LV and Hermes along with the other Boutiques were about a 5 min walk from our hotel :)  But I spent most of my day alone walking other neighborhoods which was quite interesting because although it was a Monday, a lot of shops were not open and/or not a lot of people out and about.  

We finally boarded our flight at the "Kiss and Drive" area of the airport towards London Heathrow to the US.

Stuttgart, Germany

After 2 nights in Prague, we headed back towards Brussels via Stuttgart.  Mercedes and Porsche central :)   That was pretty much our primary reason for choosing to stopover in Stuttgart.  I guess as Mark put it, the "Detroit of Europe."  If we had more time, I'm sure we would have hit the Audi and BMW factories as well.  But we were only in Stuttgart for less than 24 hrs.

We went to the Mercedes Museum upon our arrival...it was AWESOME!  I think I took more pictures here than anywhere else!  The history behind the company was enlightening and it also was cool how they put the progress of the company in historical context.  But the museum itself was just a beautiful building...reminded me of the Guggenheim Museum in NYC.  

After walking around the place for a couple of hours... no euros to get out of carpark. OOPS!  Luckily, Mark always keeps his loose change in his briefcase so after digging around, he found enough to get us out of the garage.  

We had dinner that night in the Town Square at a place called Ochos and Willi's.  It was the most packed place there :)  Anyways, we ended up seated with unbeknownst to us when we said yes to sharing our table, 3 other Americans there on business, 2 from Michigan and 1 from Arkansas.  It was a very nice dinner and surprisingly, fun to hang out with other Americans and hear their perspective and backgrounds. 

The Porsche Museum was, well, not as...there?!  They apparently are in transition of building a new one so although there was no charge at current space, it was disappointing and because we went on a Saturday, there was no factory tour either.  But we did find a super uber Porsche dealership and they had about every conceivable new/used Porsche you'd want.  NO, Mark did not get to order one!

On to Brussels...

p.s. LV but no Hermes.

Prague, Czech Republic

I have to say that we were both reluctant to go to Prague...with it being in the Eastern Bloc and all.  We weren't sure what kind of reception we would encounter, but GO!  Everyone we talked to prior to mapping out our trip seemed to include Prague on their "must see" list, and we were debating whether we wanted to drive and just see Prague or try to do the "Europe in 5 days" way.  Well, we ended up renting a car in Berlin and driving to Prague.

We left Berlin around 1pm, and 5 hrs later, we were in Prague.  They too, surprise surprise, have traffic congestion...except it's harder on us since we had no idea where we needed to go.  GPS/Navigation systems usually only get you to the street and since our hotel was newer, it didn't show up on the maps! eek.  Luckily, we made it ok after several loops around the opera house LITERALLY! Oh, did I mention how we were thinking out loud to each other about 5 km into the Czech border: you know, we could probably be thrown in jail and no one would know how to bail us out?!  Well, not 2 minutes later, there's 2 police officers standing in the middle of the road with a huge sign and pointing for us to pull over...and this is as we are driving through a somewhat woodsy area with a few turns.  Mark pulls over, rolls down the window and one of the officers starts talking in Czech.  Mark: English?? Officer: sprechen zie Deutsch? Mark: Nein.  ummmm, problem??  I get out the registration papers and such given to us by Avis and they just shake their head when Mark hands it to them. So he gets out of the car, and the other officer is pointing to the front of the car. huh? Turns out after a few hand motions and such, we had too many lights on...NO FOG LIGHTS!  After Mark shuts off the fog lights and leaves on just the headlights, we're good to go, with our hearts beating about 100 miles a minute! PHEW ;)  Mark thinks they wanted to pull him over for a thousand other violations but due to language barrier, FINE, just turn off your lights.  I wanted to take a picture of this scenario but too afraid to...

Anyhow, Prague was beautiful during the day!  We stuck to the main tourist "trail" since we weren't sure where the sketchy areas were.  We walked about 5 miles and saw on the "must see" sites from the guides.  Prague Castle was the highlight of the trail, but I thought the bridge over the River was beautiful, esp when the sun was out and we were not shivering!  Although it was very touristy where we hung out, the cobblestone streets and "european" architecture of apartment buildings and shops was incredible!

I think I could have spent all day taking thousands of pictures!  But alas, I did not...but incredibly enough, on our return to the hotel after our day out, I stumbled upon Hermes, Dior, LV, Cartier, etc...right off the historic square :)  I've decided that should I ever get lost in a city, I will seek out the LV store since their salespeople seem to always be the most talkative and helpful...not only in showing me limited edition pieces, but just about local culture and they all speak ENGLISH :) 

Back to Stuttgart, Germany...

Berlin, Germany

Mark had to be at a tradeshow and meetings so he flew over first, then I was able to join him towards the end of his meetings to begin our "European Vacation"... our 1st stop...

Berlin was very interesting because of the "East - West" separation.  I always envisioned the East side being much less interesting than the West, but actually, it was the opposite.  Apparently, because the East was so oppressed (for lack of a better word) it is flourishing with new developments whereas the West is "as was."   There was definitely a "grey" area, figuratively and literally, between the historical aspects and the modern architecture.  

I did a city bus tour one day, it took you around the perimeter of the city.  It was pretty amazing to see so much history, yet it was just like any other city, you have the rich, the modern, the poor and the traditional historic districts.  Luckily, many places I needed to see and check out were within walking distance (ok, so maybe I don't walk a mile or two to go the mall here...) from our hotel.  The weather was decent, COLDER than I imagined.  I lost a jacket one night but upon seeing the prices of everything, we braved it out and luckily....the weather was nice throughout the rest of our trip!

Pics are of one of many "Berlin Bears" and of us at Checkpoint Charlie.

Happy..BELATED...Birthday Kaitlyn!

Although we did celebrate her birthday with her beforehand, we weren't home for her 11th birthday~!  WOW! 11 already! 

Hope you had a GREAT and FABULOUS birthday!  

p.s. She did mention something about Abercrombie and GAP gift certificates and cash, so how can she have had anything other than a great party?

Finally Home...

and I'm not sure who was happier to see us, the kids or the grandparents?! :)  We had a fantastic trip and saw lots of amazing stuff, and of course, I had some lazy down time as well.  But after a short stop to see the Lattins (including Grant!) we are finally home.

I'm still very jet lagged, or at least I think it's what this is called: sleepy, tired, grumpy, a little disoriented?!  But Mark is back at work already...since 7 am no less. sheesh! 

Well, I'll have to download my 300+ pictures and start back blogging of my adventures later. Will have to spend some time sorting through which pics to post and try to recall most notable events of our time through Berlin, Prague, Stuttgart and Brussels... Blog soon! :)

7 years!

It was our anniversary today/yesterday...depending on where you are in the world :) Mark and I are currently in Berlin, Germany. I celebrated the day by scoping out my favorite shops around the world...Tiffany's, LV, Hermes...you know, the "usual" and Mark worked. Surprise Surprise :) But we did manage to go out to a very nice restaurant AND YUMMY at that, eventhough it was "foo foo" according to my husband. Guy himself, the namesake of the place, was there to greet each patron, it was a very nice touch.

Back to my vacation, Mark still is working...I'll try to blog as often as I can, but without my own laptop, I have to hog it while I can...

Another year...or 27...

Happy Anniversary to Co Loan and Chu Ut!  27 years...wow!  Our 7 seems so new :)

September 11th....became 9/11...then Sept. 11th again?

I'm sure there are lots of blogs, articles and just interesting conversation today on the 7th anniversary of "9/11" but before it became so ominous, it was just another day right?  I guess there are always ordinary days that are such special days for others (birthdays, anniversaries, "firsts", "the day...insert event here") yet I don't think in my lifetime, another day has touched my life this way.  I'm very torn about the day, I feel so much sadness for not so much the people that lost their lives, but moreso for those left behind.  The kids. The parents. The newlywed. The best friend. The husband. The wife.  Every one who died that day, including the "bad" guys, all left behind some kind of history and family, and all we can do is wonder what if?

We were probably one of the very few lucky ones who didn't actually know of or had a relative die that day due to the tragic events, but it touched our lives because it was 4 days before our wedding.  Many of our relatives couldn't make it, our groomsmen were unable to fly back to CA to attend, and a lot of miracles took place for those who did make it.  I remember that morning, waking up and listening on the radio about a plane hitting a tower, then turning on the news, seeing the 2nd plane...then just spending a couple of extra days calling all the vendors and asking them for changes, thinking instead of death, we were going to have to spend a ton of money to change things last minute, yet they were so incredibly awesome, they modified our "order" without hesitation!  And I remember walking around the block with Mark in the evenings and looking up to the sky and seeing NOTHING, some stars, but NO aircrafts. It was so weird.

Anyways, Our Wedding did happen 4 days later and we did make it on the 1st flight flying out post 9/11 to make our cruise/honeymoon in Vancouver.  A little frantic on Seattle, esp when Mark left the secure area to go investigate on how to get to Vancouver and he wasn't sure how to page me...Ashlee Trinh or Cowan? And would I respond to Cowan?!  Needless to say, 7 years later, I responded that day :)

But for me, "pre-" and "Post-" was about just another day, a birthday, (my former boss' son, Dylan, was born on September 11, 2000...so he celebrated his 1st birthday on 9/11) and a wedding which I was a Matron of Honor.  Christina and Clayton were married on Sept. 11th 2004.  

Happy Day, Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary! 

1st anniversary

Happy 1st Anniversary to Thomas and Yasmine!

Ange's Baby Shower!

We're going to be welcoming another BOY to the "petit(e) AGG" club this fall!  Ange and Jay are expecting Baby Wong mid October and although everyone is excited, probably no one more than Adam :)  He's surrounded by the girls, and not just the Aunties, we're talking Lankha, Maddie, Mia, Kaeli, Alex, Meggie, and even Kaitlyn.  Good thing Aidan comes over once in a while and he gets to see Eric to "rough" around with :P  Maddie's friend Gabby treats him like a "boy" (no boys allowed?!) too!  But we have play dates with Matthew (and his sister Paige) to even things out...sort of?!

Well, it was loads of fun to plan and throw Ange her shower because she usually does the planning for all of our events...but I have to say, it was tough BECAUSE she plans everything! What to do? What colors to choose? What says "ANGE?"  *sorry Jay, we thank you for the Boy, but it's all about Ange right now ;P

With a lot of help from Ako (even from Maryland she is a lifesaver!), CpC, Yu Jin and Yoriko (and probably a lot of bossy-ness) we pulled it all together and had ourselves a shower for Ange! I liked the turquoise/brown combination so we went with that...from the adorable invites Yu Jin made (btw: she has a business of making cards for ALL occassions!) to the favors with Yoriko's help (thank you Target!) and matching cake from of course Cosentino's.  Mrs. Lee and the other aunties and family members and friends made all the food and other edibles :)  

I'm so glad the favors had such positive feedback!  I was afraid of it not going over well, but all the ladies LOVED them (at least that's what they said in front of me ;p).  It was really hard to decide on what to make because again, Ange's planning and creativity!  And also, although it was her baby shower, the favors oftentimes become something not so useful and/or baby oriented, so being sort of eco/green-minded (FYI: I'm what I consider to be a lime green person...and not what my husband called the new generation of "earth keepers!" but my recycling kick will be another blog posting...)  So for those wondering what the favors actually were? and why?  the middle layers are actually wash cloths made to resemble a "mini cake" because everyone knows Ange loves CHOCOLATE! and sweets, and if you have ever worked with Ange or asked her to be your bridesmaid, you also know she is ALWAYS prepared!  (she had super glue to fix my heel at my wedding ;P) Browsing Target one afternoon, Yoriko and I were in the travel section and we saw the cute little boxes of first aid and germ-x..and ta-da! They became the bottom and cake topper :)))  Everyone needs band-aids and if you plan to see the baby, please de-sanitize before touching Baby Wong...Ange and Jay didn't say that, but they should ;)

Anyways, I hope Ange had a great time and we wish her and Jay all the best for a happy, healthy and safe delivery...we can't wait to meet Baby Wong!

p.s. two things: doesn't Ange look GREAT!?! and she's like 6 weeks from her due date :) and secondly, when we were at VISX, everyone got us mixed up, and 8 years later, we're still all same same..Ashela I think Garth once called us :))  GO AGG! hehehehe

Boo Boo growing up...

I know, only a Mommy would blog about this to share with the world: Adam went pee-pee IN the potty all by himself today for the very 1st time!  He's sat on the porta-potty many a times, but no action...until tonight :)))

I did restrain myself from taking pictures of my boy actually doing the deed though...

Updated pic of Reagan

Here's an updated picture of Reagan, all dressed up :) And a picture of her parents, Alex and Joanne, before she decided to pop out!

OK, so if I looked as good as Joanne did (and here she is days before Reagan was born!), I'd want to be pregnant ALL The time!!!

TARGET clearance!

OK, so as a "non-working" mom, I have come to love Target!  From Ann Taylor, Nordy's, GAP, etc..I've resigned myself that Target has become a shopping mecca for our family ;)  I've noticed in the last 4.5 yrs that their merchandise has definitely been upgraded in quality and pricing, esp when on sale, is hard to beat.  We can shop for EVERYTHING (ok, we still go to Safeway for fresh fruits and veggies and Costco for water!) even basic food necessities like milk and bread and cereal if we needed to in one stop shopping.  

If you have never really "shopped" at Target except for bare home knick knacks, the key to the bargains is a) PATIENCE, b) weekdays before the evening rush, and c) mornings when they mark down clearance merchandise even further!  I have resorted to buying clothes here for myself, BUT only if they have been marked down (check out the 50-75% sections!) because almost like the GAP, if you wait a week or two, it's highly probable that whatever you wanted at full price, is marked down.  And for seasonal stuff, you can't go wrong!  Oh, and don't forget the $1 bins by the entrance...yes, they are what I consider "junk" but hey, for a buck, if it allows me an extra 30 min of quiet time, it's worth it :P

Don't get me wrong, I am a slave to fashion....if you haven't heard of a BIRKIN bag, we haven't talked too often? :)  And of course, with my obsession for shoes and handbags, manolos, stuart weitzmans, LVs, Chanels and Tods are still high on my list, oh, and with a couple of trips to the Neiman Marcus Last Call outlet, my sister and I discovered Kate Spade shoes are SOOOO comfy!  I have yet to purchase a pair since wearing 3 in heels, no matter how comfy, doesn't quite go with my current lifestyle: chasing a 4 and 2 year old all over Toy sections and in the backyard?!  For clothes, I love all the cool fabrics and "fashion name brands", but if it requires dry cleaning?  NOT for me.  My kids tend to use my clothes as a napkin or dress up clothes?!  

Anyways, I digress...if any of you have school aged kids or need seasonal stuff, Target marked down A LOT of their stuff this AM!  I got Kaitlyn a bag for her softball bats/clothes for $2.50!  I had to restrain myself from buying more JUNK...but did get Maddie cool pink hangers for $1.50 for a 20 pack!  They were marking down all college/back to school stuff :)

Yes, this is what me and Boo Boo do while Sissy is at school and Daddy is hard at work!  

Labor Day Weekend

It was a busy and food-filled weekend!  The Trieus came to visit, so the grandparents were here along with the other siblings...there was a whole lotta Trinhs :)  Camping was of course included! 

Oh, almost forgot, the Mama's Boy (no, not Adam! or Mark!) turned the big 32 on Tuesday! Happy Birthday Stu!  My parents aren't very into the whole Birthday celebrations, but funny when it comes to the little boy (not so little anymore, since he's the 2nd tallest in our family) they always seem to remember :) awww...our baby is 32!!!!

Well, we had a "Celebrations" party in honor of Steven and Kaitlyn's september birthdays, as well as the wedding anniversaries of Yasmine and Thomas (their 1st!!!), ours (7th already!) and Quyen and Anson (their 2nd!). 

And since it was Labor Day, and we'd have to have a bbq anyways...Maddie and Adam requested a "pool party" for their friends.  It was the 1st they have "hosted" and they did great, and were very excited to show off their new backyard.

The Haircut

First, I have to say that I was inspired by two different people to get my haircut (aka CHOPPED!): Yoriko and Akiko.  Yoriko has battled breast cancer and we've seen her lose all her hair twice since the battle began due to chemo...and each time it's grown back more beautiful than ever!  Akiko is the one who chopped it after her 2nd child, Meggie, and donated it to Locks of Love.  Akiko's hair looked AWESOME!

After I had decided to actually grow it out (I got a perm in January) and donate it, I did the research and found out you needed to donate at least 10 inches for it to be useful.  So months later, I had my 10 inches...

Now, where to go? I am not a faithful client to any stylist, due to happiness, price and/or proximity. But the fashionista Yu Jin SWEARS by her stylist, Kien at Umbrella Salon in San Jose.  (This is where Ako had her haircut btw...and I have to say Kien was super nice and everything YuJ told me he was...not sure I like the receptionist?)  I looked into it and the cost definitely was not in my normal range of haircut prices...but hey, if I'm going for a completely different style, I didn't want just some random chopping it...for that I could ask my brothers?!  Anyways, I ended up calling Umbrella but to book with Kien, it was a month out! EEK!  Luckily, Yu Jin was able to hook me up with a cancellation! So last night, in about an hour, I went from a permed and long haired person to basically a very, very short haired chic person?!  THANK GOODNESS Yoriko was able to go with me...I didn't even look in the mirror while he took the GIANT scissors to me!

I wasn't sure how Mark would take it, but he loves it more than I did.  I am definitely getting used to it already and interestingly enough, I feel like a whole new person...and the more I thought about it, IT's ONLY HAIR!  Maddie was shocked and kept saying how I was a different Mommy, and Adam, well, he ignored me until I caught him this morning playing with my hair. I asked him if he liked it, and he said, "Yzeeeeesssss!"  Because if he didn't, I'm sure I would have heard, "I don't LIIIIIIIIIIIKE it!"

Every time I have doubts of what I did, I think of Yoriko and think: sheesh, how vain are we?  Donating it to Locks of Love allows some child the opportunity to have not just long hair, but HAIR...period!   We are so grateful for our kids and our health, if people say mean things to me for a couple of months, so be it...I know that I did such a small "sacrifice" yet if I could bring a smile to a little kid, it's all worth it.

PS: www. locksoflove.org

PSS: and for my family who reads this: yes, I love long hair because I didn't have any for so long as a baby AND for the little I did have, I was bald after my mother shaved it ;)

Another School Year...and Maddie's 1st day

Can't believe it but Maddie is on her 2nd year of "school."  Because of her Birthday (9 days after official cut off date) she will be attending "pre-school/Jr-K" for another year before heading to Kindergarten next Fall.

She was SOOOO excited to be going back, she told us she couldn't sleep because she was so excited, then bright and early Wednesday, she was ready!  Adam, well, he wasn't as excited...Mark ended up having to do the take Adam with them to drop off Sissy, then drop off Adam back at home.  When it was time to pick up Sissy though, he insisted on going into her classroom to get her vs. just doing our normal pick up at the curb.  Both of Maddie's teachers commented how great she did the 1st day :)  They just didn't know how bored she was of spending countless days with me and Adam lounging and loitering...

No Computer...NO BLOGGING!

Actually, that's not true, I just feel incomplete without my Mac for blogging ;)  Had to go to "genius" bar and get it fixed...bad cable caused monitor to flicker.  I have to say that this is why I do not like to shop online...brick and mortar stores still offer what online cannot: PEOPLE...LIVE people! AND no shipping back and forth.  

It's kind of amazing how kids these days (see, not just adults like myself!) are so into technology these days.  Maddie and Adam went with me to the appt at Apple, which just so happens to be in the Mall, after our story time (did I mention the FREE $10 at Pottery Barn Kids after 5 visits???), and I was very reluctant to let them in the store.  Thomas did mention to me there was a "play area" for the kids, but I figured it was blocks and such, NOT 2 Computers with games on it.  It was so neat to see how they both figured out what they wanted to do and how to move the mighty mouse...lots of people stopped and commented how cute and smart they were ;) PROUD MOMMY moment BEFORE they had me at wit's end later in mall...

Anyways, between Wall-E and Dora games, we managed to actually NOT be yelled at or kicked out of the store...and less than 24 hrs later, I have my laptop back!

I will blog more tonight..as today was not only a big day for Maddie (her 1st day back at school) but I'm getting my hair chopped off! 10 whole inches, to be donated to Locks for Love.