Happy Anniversary!!!!

Today is our 8th year anniversary. Hieu went out with Ky-An and bought me a beautiful bouqet of roses the day before. He went home and arrange them himself in one of our vases. He really does a better job than some store bought one. I've always yell at him before for going out to buy a whole arrangement of flowers including the vase. First off, they really don't look as good as his arrangement and the flowers are not as fresh. Second, we really have no space for these vases because we accumulated so many of them. We have a whole cabinet full of vases that he bought! I just don't see why we should spend extra money on some vase that we are going to end up putting in the recycling bin.

Back to the topic, Hieu also got me this great table where I can put my laptop and a drink on. We put away our glass coffee table since Ky-An was mobile and I have been complaining about how the laptop gets so hot on my lap. In addition, it's not comfortable having it on my lap or my stomach. This table will be useful when I have to lay in bed for a month after delivery also. I got him a flash battery that he wanted from Amazon and some other stuff for later. *wink wink*.

We went to this restaurant call Nellore. It's just like Fogo de Chao but the atmosphere is calmer and less noisy. I didn't like the food much though, I prefer Fogo de Chao with their variety and taste. I also didn't like the fact that our waiter stood on the side the entire meal to wait on us. Some people may like that kind of service but I wasn't comfortable. I feel like he's eavesdropping on our conversation and I have to eat carefully because he's watching us the whole time. I am so not a high-society kinda gal..hehe.

I can't believe we've been married for 8 years..wow! I promise Hieu we'll do something special for our 10 year in 2009. Maybe take a trip or something. The kids will be a little older then but I still don't know if we'll be able to leave them to go on this trip. I met Hieu my sophomore year of college, when I was about 18. It was during the winter time and berets were in fashion then. He took one look at me in Psychology class and was smitten :P. He found a mutual friend and asked her for my number. She called me later on to ask if she can give my number away. I said no, I wasn't interested. Thank goodness she ignored me and gave him my number anyway. He called me later on that night and we chat. I was at an age where I am only interested in bad boys type and Hieu was such a "good boy". Luckily I got smart and realize what a great guy he is. We moved in together when I was 19 (shhhhh never tell my family) and got engaged when I was 21. I was planning a wedding and trying to graduate at the same time that year. (I think I crave stress in my life or something. I seem to have a lot of those stressful, hectic time in my life. )

Happy Anniversary babe. Here's to 92 more years!!!

Day at the Zoo

Training to the a custodian:


"Caaaaaaaa'"....so excited to see fishes.




He excitedly show the fishes to us..so cute.


Taking a break from all the excitement.


Peering at the birds:


Ky-An spotted a bird... Attack!!!


Bye-bye birdie!!!


Walking with mom:


Bird watching with dad:


Safari boy looking at giant lizards that mom refuse to see:


Hieu's camera is so good it make me look halfway decent with no make-up! :P


Happily running around the zoo:




KA the safari baby, tames a giant tourtoise. (Don't worry, mom is very close by.)

I need more shelves...and more TIME!!!

I've been so busy with couponing it's crazy. In fact, I have way too many hobbies that I just can't keep up!! I am so far behind on my blog that I am not sure when I am going to catch up. My Chinese-subbed movies are all sitting in the harddrive needing me to burn them to DVDs. My couponing is taking up all my time and I really need more shelves to put all the stuff I bought. You'd think with a 3400 sq. ft. home, there'd be plenty of room for me to store stuff. We just need to put more shelvings in...everywhere.

On top of that, I bought the last Harry Potter book and am trying to finish it. I end up staying up until 12 or 1 a.m. every night just to read and because I can't put it down. It's the last book so I have to finish it and I am dying to find out what happen. I have the audio version of the book and Hieu loves it. I tried listening to it at work but I don't think I am an audio person. I had to listen to one part 5 times just to catch what they are saying and then I fell asleep! At work!! That's when I realized audio books are not for me. Plus I don't enjoy it as much when I am listening to it. I rather read even though I know it's going to take me forever.

There's been so many good deals going on lately that it's been keeping me extremely busy also. Besides the usual preview of next week's ad and planning my strategy, clipping, and organizing them away to my binder. I get 1 copy of the newspaper for a preview on Saturday, get another deliver on Sunday. I stop by this lady's house after work on Monday to pick up her extra coupons and another one's house on Tuesday for more extras. I save my clipping to Tuesday or Wednesday so I can do it all at once and file them away. That process would take a couple of days because I also make a list of all the coupons I don't want for my trading list at the same time. Then the process starts all over again! I am hoping as I am getting more used to this, I'll figure out a way to streamline the process and do it quicker in less time. I have collected so many coupons that I now have 2 separate binders. I have a small one for food and a 2" one for other stuff. Good thing I separate them too because now I don't have to lug them all around for they can get pretty heavy.

I also make multiple trips to these stores every week because I don't want to do more than 2 transactions at a time or the cashiers will give me the evil eyes. I also check the board everyday to see if there is any good deals I missed and there's usually some.

Last Sunday I got Huggies diapers and Viva paper towels deal from CVS. I got 2 Huggies, 2 Excedrin, and 1 Shout for $5.71 and got $30 ECB back. I also did my first negative amount transaction this week. I got 4 Cottonelle toilet paper because we are running low and 1 Viva towel paper for -$.50. I had to throw in a pack of gum to bring the total back up. This week there wasn't anything great at CVS so I just stock up with more Scott 1000 toilet paper. I got 3 12-pk, 1 Softsoap, 2 Arrid deodorants for Hieu and Chi, and 2 Cover lip gloss for $2.43 and got $10ECB back.

I got 6 Airwick Ultra and 5 Lysol NutraAir for $.99 that's regular priced at $11.99. I gave one to Chi, one to Hieu's little brother Joseph because his room needs some help..hehe, and one in our room. Now get this..I list the rest on Craig's List and my work bulletin and sold all of them!!! I sold 6 of the Airwicks for $22 to this young lady on Craig's List and $10 for the 2 Lysol to my co-worker. Hieu said I have reach a new level on my couponing..haha.

There was a bunch of great coupons that were expiring on 7/31 so I try to use as many of them as I can. I use Noxema as my cleanser and had a bunch of B1G1F coupons so I went to Wal-mart and stock up. I got 14 Noxema cleanser, 3 Red Spice Body Wash, 6 Red Zone trial size deodorant, 5 Tampax Pearl trial size, and 4 Huggies CleanTeam wipes for $19.39! I also went to Target and got 10 boxes of baby food, 3 Easy up/Feel n' Learn, 3 Kandoo wipes for $17.65. Still had to pay some money but it's still cheaper than what I would have pay for them before and diapers are never cheap.

As mentioned above, I am running out of room to store all these stuff and keep having to make room to store them away. I hope I can talk Hieu into making some shelves for me!!

Ky-An's 18 months visit

Ky-An had his 18th month check-up today and he now weighs 26 pounds, 12 ounces. at 70%. His height is 32 3/4 inches at 75% and his head is 19 1/4 inches at 75%. He has slipped down from his 90% and the pediatrician said it was normal. He said it's around this time that genetics take over and they grow according to their genes. I guess he's trying to hint that since Hieu and I are not 6 feet tall, he won't be growing much anymore..hehe.

He had to get 2 shots today and he did surprisingly well. I gave him some Tylenol before the shots and was distracting him while the nurse gave him his shots by singing "Row Row Row your boat" to him. He whined a bit after he felt the first shot then stop. Then he whined for a bit longer the for the second one but overall no crying. I was pleasantly surprised because I was expecting him to cry hysterically.

He hit all his milestone by walking up the stairs, saying more than 5 words, put more than one word together, trying to take off his pants, etc. He was also very good for the doctor. He didn't fuss and was busy playing with all the toys on the pediatrician's stethoscope. He loved the light-up duck that the doctor has and it makes the "quack quack" noise. I told Hoa all about it and she found it at Linen N' Things for him the next day. He just love that thing! Even the doctor was compliment on how comfortable he seem at the office and how good he is. I am so proud of my little man!

What Ky-An can do at 18 months

• He would shake his hands whenever something is empty or there's no more.
  
• He loves to take things out of boxes, containers, or bags, and then put them back in. He can entertain himself for at least an hour like that.
  
• He's very neat, if you feed him and there's stuff still hanging out; he would use he hands to push them back in or use his mouth to bite it until they are all in. Whenever he is done taking a bath, the drawings he did on the bathtub has be washed away and all the toys has to be picked up out of the tub or he would scream. One day he spilled some water at our babysitter's house. He immediately went to get some towel paper and wipe it up. My babysitter didn't know what he was doing until she saw some spilled water he's trying to clean up.
  
• He can drag his capterpilla and porcupine toy around with the string. I've been trying to teach him how to do that for months!
  
• He loves sitting on a ball, the bed, you...and bounce.
  
• He can say "ca" for fish and loves to point out things for us to tell him what it is. If you ask him what sound the duck makes he can me the "quack quack" sound for you. He is also saying "ba" for his dad more now and "no no". He can say "ta" whenever he has a dirty diaper and yank on it. He also makes the woof-woof and monkey sounds whenever he see those animals in his book.
  
• He points to all the kids and babies, inluding himself and say "baby".
  
• He would get close to me and goes "mi me" meaning kiss mom and kisses me.
  
• He would scream and throw tantrum if he doesn't get his way.
  
• He can hold on the rail and walk up the stairs instead of crawling up anymore.
  
• He likes to try putting on articles of clothing such as pants, shirts, or hats.
  
• He loves to scream now, especially before going to sleep.
  
• He can run around, spin, and walk backward.
  
• He loves to be chased and crack up laughing whenever we do.
  
• He only had 8 teeth for a while and now the other 8 are coming out at once, including the molars...poor guy.
  
• He will try to sing along with you whenever you sing to him and can make moves to "Row row your boat" like in his swimming class.
  
• He can reach the door and tries to open the doorknobs. He can also turn on the water in the bathtub and threw many tantrums because we wouldn't let him.
  
• He loves his screwdrivers and try to stick them in any holes he can find.
  
• He likes to take things from one place and "put it away" somewhere else. We've found many surprises in our purses and diaper bags.
  
• He can cover the floor with stuff in 5 minutes flat.
  
• He loves to drape his blanket around his head or shoulder and walk around cracking up laughing.
  
• He can drink from a regular cup if you hold it for him. Otherwise, he's giving himself a bath.
  
• He stands around and wait for daddy everyday at about 5p.m. to come pick him up.
  
• He can blow bubbles in the water.
  
• He can sing the "ABC" song but only the "eeee, gggg, pppp" part.
  
• He rubs his tummy and say "MMMMM".
  
• He will throw a fit if anyone go outside and don't take him.
  
• He cries when Hieu or I are not in the car with him when we go somewhere, especially when he's tired.
  
• He loves to climb up and down the couch and his toy box.
  
• He would roar whenever he sees his dinoseaur toy or a live lizard.
  
• He will put the cap on his markers whenever he's done with them. He does this whenever he draws or in the bathtub with the soap markers.

We got a date and I am scare to death!!!!

I can't believe my c-section date is about 1 month away. It's going to be September 18th at 7:45 in the morning. Even though I am relieve to finally get a date and time, I am petrified of what will be. I am scare of the impending surgery, the drowsiness from the drugs, and the recovery. It was relatively easy with one baby but I am not sure how it's going to be when you add a toddler to that. My family lives in town but they will not be much help. My mom may bring me some food the first month but beside that we are pretty much on our own. Hieu will be home for 2 weeks to help out but then it's just me and the 2 kids after that.

My sisters suggest that I take Ky-An to the babysitter's when I am home so I can get some rest and concentrate on Ai-Vy. However, I don't like that idea because I don't like the thought of shipping him off to someone else while mommy is at home. I don't want him to feel replaced or anything like that.

I am also dreading the thought of not seeing Ky-An much for 3 days while I am in the hospital. Everytime I think about it, I want to cry. I hope he will do just fine and won't notice that we are gone, that would be ideal. Hieu will come pick him up and take him to the hospital to visit but he can't stay long because the hospital is not ideal for kids nor is there a place for him to nap comfortably. I will see him maybe an hour or 2 a day..at most. Hieu and I decide to wait and see how he does the first night. If he cried for us then maybe Hieu will get a hotel room close by the hospital and sleep with Ky-An there at night. The dilemma for us is that the hospital is about 30 minutes away from home and I really need Hieu by my side to help out since it hurts for me to move. I can't count on the nurse because they don't help much at all getting me in and out of bed.

I know we'll just have to play it by ears and see how everything goes but being Type A personality, it's hard. I like to have everything planned and organized but it's not going to happen this time. There's so much uncertainty this time and it's stressing me out!

My sister and niece's visit

My little niece and her pacifier.


Ky-An having a blast with all his cousins.


Yvonne loves walking around with Ky-An's little floatie.


Hanging out with grandpa:


Ky-An cuddle up to his floatie:


Back to his favorite activity...pushing the empty water bottle around...


..and drawing with the marker, including on himself.


His favorite car:


Helping dad and uncle Long put together the bar-b-que grill.


So happy he got to help!




It finally stopped raining and is warm enough for a swim in our pool!


In the pool all geared-up with dad.




My older niece:


My dare-devil nephew:


Told ya he's a dare-devil. They really think they can swim with those floaties!


Not sure I like this floatie dad...


Concentrating on putting the cap back on the marker:


Yvonne in her Vietnamese dress to go to a wedding:


Reading to his cousin:


Caitlyn looking pretty in her party dress:


She wanted to twirl in her dress while I take a picture of her:




My sister's family:


Almost a perfect picture...

My sister's visit

My sister and her family was down from Arlington, TX this past weekend for a wedding. She came down Friday and stayed until Monday. It was tiring and noisy but lots of fun. Ky-An had a blast hanging out with all his cousins and refused to sleep. He loves chasing his older cousins around..so cute.

My sister and I got to get a pedicure and manicure on Friday while our husbands watched our kids. We took my 4-year-old niece along and she got bored so we got one of the ladies to paint her nails for her. She's so cute..holding her hands out the whole time to admire it.

My sister also showed my how to cook some dishes on Friday and it was so yummy. Then my sister's new boyfriend decide to do some bar-b-que on Saturday so we swam and then had some delicous beef ribs. Hieu and I had to clean up the family room every night before we go to bed because it looked like a war zone by the time the kids are done with it. I told Hieu to get used to doing this because we may have to do it every night with two kids..hehe. We had family over the entire weekend. Even though it was tiring, it was a lot of fun.

Ky-An's Week in Pictures!!!!

Today I learned how to open marker caps... I have the marks on the back of my head to prove it!


Angry face!!! He can really get his face all red doing this!


A smile that would melt your heart.


This is entertaining to him.


Mom said I am a king in this cape!




Walking in my aunt's flip flops. I put them on myself!




Yes that's food on my face. Daddy was feeding me and didn't wipe my mouth.