Sunday Projects....Check Check....

Ahhh, So Shawn finished all the rest of the Ceiling Fans and Light Fixture....The girls love their new fan and are excited to have it in their room.....Here are some more fun pics of the upgrades....We also got the tree down and most of the Christmas Decorations put away....MJ was very sad to see the tree down....and actually wanted us to put it back up....Too funny....

With that I am wishing you all a safe and happy New Years Eve.....Next time post will be bringing in the new year.......2008 already....INSANE!

1 Call to the Pullman Hotline.....

AHH, I love spending gift card money. So I would like to thank Nana and Grandpa for the wonderful Home Depot gift card....Shawn has just finished 1 of 4 projects that are on the agenda for this weekend....but now that 1 is down the rest should be easy......We upgraded our ceiling fan in the living room, not sure what one of the previous owners was thinking putting a really small fan in such a big space.....we switched it from a 44inch 4 blade fan to a 52in 5 blade fan and dropped it down another foot and 1/2 from the ceiling.....so the new fan is now sitting 2 ft down from the angled ceiling.....it looks awesome.....and Shawn only had 1 call to his dad in P-town.....Love it, my little handyman!.....Here are some shots of the new fan......I know overkill......

Tomorrow we will be busy moving the fan that was in the living room to the guest bedroom.....we also bought the girls a new Textured White Ceiling Fan/Light for their room....and then we have a light fixture to put up in the Den......YES, we are getting rid of the gawdy, brass, hit your head on it chandelier.....Love it......

Clapping and a Dancing.......

Ahhh, we just got back from a stroll around the ol'neighborhood.....I believe the walk is somewhere around 1/2 mile, maybe a little less......It's the perfect size for loading up the kids in the wagon and taking a stroll.....the girls especially like to go right now because of all the lights...They love seeing all the lights.....and its good exercise for the whole family.....

So Lila may have the best rhythm out of the whole family.....she has started clapping to the beat of most songs or music she hears, she loves clapping and claps for herself regularly.......along with her clapping she has also started her baby dancing....you know similar to the white boys dance of just moving her head and rocking her body to the beat....tooo freaking cute....

We have not been up to much just enjoying our new house and our new daily life.....This weekend I think we are taking all the kids to the gym and doing a walk though.....who knows Shawn and I may even get a light workout in.....It all depends on Lila.....I am not worried about leaving Kiara and Mikiah in the Kid Zone.....its Lila that will probably have the problem.....she is such a mom ma's girl....ahhh we will figure it out....I think Shawn and I have decided that we will work out at the gym twice a week as a family and then the rest of the workouts will be before the girls get up....with Shawn and I switching off mornings......I am sure we will figure out something......

Well I am pretty tired....so I think I am going to catch up on some TV on the computer....I miss a few shows during the move.....

December 26th................

Ahhh.....Boxing Day known in some Countries......Today we had our first guests to see the house.....Mark and Courtney were in town visiting her Grandma who lives in San Antonio......They were able to sneak out on their way out of town to stop by for a visit.....It was great to see them and catch up with whats new in their lives. I must say this Pullman Crew of Boys is one of the most tight knit groups I have ever seen........Love that they are all such Good Friends....

Courtney, Lila & Mark

After their visit we didn't do much. I finally got all the Holiday Cards addressed and stamped.....So those should go out tomorrow....Yeah, only a week or so late, love it!......I checked in at WSU and did a little work and we had an Internet Video call with my brother, sister-in-law and mother to give them an online grand tour of the house.....I think it went well and I hope they were able to get a feel for our new house......now I am deciding if I want to post a recipe on The Breezy Cook or not.....Hmmm....I suppose I will share a few more pics of Lila from today and I am out........

Cheeser.....Mmmm Broccoli.....

Merry Christmas...Merry Christmas.....

Merry Christmas Y'all!!...I must say our first Christmas in Texas has been a big success.....Santa came and delivered his goods....boy were the girls so excited to get up this morning. I could hear them talking in their room before they got up:

Mikiah: Do you think Santa came Kiara?
Kiara: I don't know. I really want him to come? But I didn't see Santa?
Mikiah: MMMOOOOOMMMMM can we get up?

I absolutely love listening to them in the morning they love to chat and have the funniest conversations. So like I said very Happy and Quiet Christmas in Texas.....it was us and Uncle Joel and Mayday (Joel's Dog).....The girls were excited when they came down the stairs, rounded the tree and saw that Santa (and a few elves!) brought them.....Ta-Da...(I will apologize now for DB's barking, lets just say she was excited too!!!)

Ok so you get the picture....MJ was thrilled and Kiara was totally curious.....The girls loved all their gifts and had so much fun opening all of their presents.....They are at such a perfect age.....it gets better every year........Lila also had a good 1st Christmas....opened a gift and then tried to eat all the paper.....Love it! Shawn and I decided not to exchange gifts this year (it was all about the kids) since we moved and figured the house was gift enough.....but.....we got lots of goods and great gifts from our friends and family.....ranging from Conversation Starter Cards to Great Cookbooks, Jo Malone Candle to a beautiful picture of Seattle at Christmastime, I could go on.....What a wonderful Christmas for us.....Thanks everyone for making it so special.....Here is our Christmas in Pictures...again there are a ton, some from Christmas Eve....I also took some of the girls playroom and bathroom (I do not think I had posted any upstairs pics)......

PreChristmas/Christmas Pic

Oh......so dinner was a big success......I swear I even amaze myself sometimes.....The Red Wine Braised Brisket turned out so good....SO Tender...To give you and idea I have taken a snap shot of our dinner plate......Brisket, Potato Pancakes w/Seasoned Sour Cream Topping, Roasted Veggies and of course Red Wine Gravy.....LOAD IT UP!!!....MMMM, Meat and Potatoes....Ok, now that I have posted the pic it doesn't look too great, I suppose I should have added some garnish....who cares...it tasted great.....

I am so full right now.....I just finished and Egg Nog Whiskey Drink.....Nothing better during Christmastime then a Holiday Nog Drink....some Whiskey, Nog and 7-Up......Love it.....I seriously think I have gained 10 lbs.....AHHHH!

And the goodies just keep coming.....

For the record we have had two more neighbors stop by to welcome us to the neighborhood and of course they all brought cookies.....I just love it....Free goodies and great neighbors not too much better then that...and man can they all bake!!!! Shawn and I have been pondering if we had bought a house in Seattle or somewhere in the Northwest if people would be this hospitable....I suppose it is possible......I am now coming up with a way to thank all of them...I will let you know what I come up with when I figure it out.....

Last night Uncle Joel watched the twins while Shawn, Lila and I ran out for some last minute Christmas Shopping.....I tell you Christmas time is not exactly the best time to move, trying to unpack while still doing all the Christmas stuff.......I wonder if I will get my 'Holiday' cards out....YES I have ordered them and NO, I have not sent them out yet....so you all can expect those after Christmas.....Other then getting ready for Christmas I haven't been up to too much.....Got all the grocery shopping done today.....feels good to have it all done....we have decided since we live in Texas now we have to have Brisket on Christmas.....although we are not going to BBQ it this year.....but it should still be good....so look for posts on the Breezy Cook after the holidays.....

I am super tired right now......and probably should go to bed......Lila has been off and on with her sleeping so I feel like I am not getting much sleep....most of the week she has been waking 2-3 times a night, needing some hand holding or back rubbing to fall back asleep, I swear each time it takes a good 15min....by 4.30-5.00am when she wakes up again I have lost my patience so I have been grabbing her and bringing her to bed with Shawn and me.....I must say she sleeps like a complete angel then.....she loves being with mommy and daddy....we usually end up getting up around 6.30-7.00am these days.....Hopefully soon Lila will be able to sleep and stay in her room....all in good time. This is the first time she has tried to sleep in a room with out me in it. At Nana and Grandpa's her crib was in my room.....In the Quah her cradle was in our room.....I think about comparing her sleep habits against the twins and there is just no comparison.....they had each other in their room, they were always together and they weren't nursing (which I feel has brought Lila and I closer).....I can totally see how easy it would be to sleep with Lila all the time.....she is such a good snuggle bug.....and definitely a Mommy's Girl.....Ok I can barely type......sleepy, sleepy.....

Love this Neighborhood....

Ok.....so we just had a visit from our neighbors across the street....Alex, Sara and Naomi (2 yrs).....Very friendly and cute family.....they came to meet us and bring us some Holiday Goodies...man do we love this Texas Hospitality.....So sweet of them to bring by sweets for us.....Just love it here....and our new neighborhood.....

Getting Settled.....

Ahh so it has been a few days since Shawn's parents headed back to Washington. I just again would like to thank my Dad (G-Dad) for helping get us down here, I owe you a ton!!!....and Nana Anna for helping on the car ride and unpacking boxes....and Grandpa Jerry for finishing his to-do list I had for him when he was here....Thanks again for all your help....I would also like to thank all my family and friends for being so supportive...Love you all....and miss you tons...but we sure are enjoying homeownership.....

We are definitely getting settled and having a good time deciding how to decorate, where to hang pictures, future colors to paint, how to design all the bedrooms......So fun and exciting....The weather down here has been pretty up and down....one day it will be 75 and the next it will be in the 50's....but all in all its pretty nice, right now it is 64 and cloudy....As I look outside...I see that we have a ton of landscaping to do in the back yard.....we have two different types of grass and two big Cactus Plants (not exactly kid/dog friendly although they are pretty cool) in the back corner....ahh we will be super busy this spring outside....I look forward to it.....

The twins appear to be back on schedule even napping again. Lila on the other hand is slowly getting back on hers....she has had a difficult time getting use to being in her own room....waking up several times a night wanting to hold mommy's fingers...she loves to fall asleep holding someones fingers....Daddy use to it when Lila was really little.........but I think we are finally having a break through Lila actually slept in her crib last night from 10.30pm-4.30am without waking up once.....hopefully this is a sign of the times....now if I could just get her to nap longer in her crib during the day.....baby steps I guess.....I am sure its all the changes it can't be easy on her....

I have just been busy working for WSU, getting everything ready for Christmas, while still unpacking boxes....and organizing...also been trying to learn the area, where I want and like to shop....plus Shawn and I are trying to figure out a car and gym schedule...Man do I need to exercise.....I believe I have bored you all long enough....I did have time today to post a few recipes on the Breezy Cook and will continue to post past ones that I have been meaning to get up there.....Enjoy....

Tourists in our New Town......

What a weekend.....Saturday we headed up to Austin....beautiful city. We got to see 6th Street during the day, Joel's old apt, some really nice houses in the hills and then we ate lunch at The Oasis . Talk about amazing views, pretty insane.....We finished off the night with some County Line BBQ......Totally yum.....Kiara loved it too.....Can we say "Big Beef Rib"....Mom had to help her finish....but she couldn't get enough of how fun it was to eat......Can I just say I am a big fan of brisket....so good...
Sunday we got up and headed downtown. We did some total touristy things.....we hit The Alamo, The River Walk for a boat ride and lunch, caught up with Joel's friends Blake & Lisa who were down from Austin....and we went to Historic Market Square.....We had a great time.....Love the River Walk.....It would be fun to have a kid-less night downtown and to see it all lit up.....we may have to take the girls down again closer to Christmas to see the lights in all the trees......Anayway.....When we got home we celebrated Grandpa's Birthday which is on Thurs.......he turns the big 50.....Here are a ton of pics from Sunday......Sorry there are so many.....

Alamo, River Walk & Grandpa's Early Birthday...

Living out of boxes...

Ahhh, so I have been here for a week.....and I love our new house. Love the layout, love the neighborhood...(We have a couple of bachelors living in the house across the street and they brought over fresh baked cookies!!!! Love it!!!).....and we have Carlos across the street and another Carlos two houses down.....Makes it easy.....I do not think I will ever forget their names!!!!....Its just great here. Of course everyone had Christmas lights up.....so we already have those up too....can't be the only ones without them......

The girls LOVE their playroom....although there are tons of boxes in it and its not really in order....I suppose that will take some time....Lots to buy and tons of shopping ahead of us......bookcases, toy boxes, shelf systems.......they love playing upstairs and the great part is that I can hear them downstairs thanks to the cut out in the play room....(I will post pics soon).....

I am loving the Master Bedroom....Suite I should say.....so big and nice...and the Master bath huge!!!......

Ok so here are some pics of the inside downstairs (except the Master Bed/Bath and 1/2 Bath).....I warn you the place is a mess....and as you can see we still have boxes all over....but thanks to my dad we also have a 9ft Christmas Tree.....LOVE IT!!!.....More to come......

Just east of ABQ.....

Ahhhh, a nice bed, a nice shower, sitting around doing nothing.....A down day for us at my dads (G-Dads)......It feels good to be sitting here relaxing.....It is our first time at his new house.....I think Ri and he have lived here for a year and 1/2......and it is a huge ranch house....4 beds...on 2 acres....so nice for DB to run around....the kids will be running around this afternoon for sure....and it is beautiful here....the high plains of New Mexico.....I think we are at 6500 feet or so......last night the stars were amazing.....so freaking many of them...Love it....

So we will be chilling here today....and heading out tomorrow am......I am thinking we will be coming back to Dads for the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in October....since he will only be 12 hours away.....So fun.....I will try to take some pics today and get some up......

Pullman, WA....Twin Falls, ID....Moab, UT.....

AHHHH, Free Internet access I love it.....So we have had quite and adventure so far....Yesterday we left Pullman around 8.00AM and rolled into Twin Falls, ID....it was COLD and a little bit snowy.....We hit the worst weather right outside of Lewiston, ID.....other then that the weather was cold, snowy in places, but for the most part pretty clear.......The girls on the other had were another story....They were good for most of the trip but that last hour was HORRIBLE....Whining, Crying, Fighting.....Lila was fed up of being in her car seat.....but once we got to Twin Falls all was good.....Until bedtime....MJ (My night owl) probably didn't fall asleep until 10-10.30.....she was a maniac before then, up, down, I want that, I don't want that....UGH! And I was soooo tired....anyway she finally fell asleep on her own.....

Today we left Twin Falls around 8.30am....the weather was supposed to be really bad.....a snow storm was moving in.....and we hit snowy weather around Ogden, UT......and all the way through Salt Lake City.......But after that smooth sailing.....and we got here in Moab by 5.15pm....the girls were awesome today....not fighting, no whining....not much crying from Miss Lila.....so nice. The hardest part of tonight was trying to get to a place to eat in this town....Wouldn't you know that we would stay here on the one night of their Holiday Parade and Lighting.....Main street was closed and we got re-routed all of over town....But we finally ate at a really nice place up on this big hill.....Food was awesome......Right now I am enjoying a glass of wine in the hotel room with Nana....while the girls burn off some last minute energy...

Tomorrow we are supposed to have some really crappy weather, but we will be safe......We know where we are going (To G-Dads)......so it doesn't matter what time we get there....Then we are going to stay there again on Monday and head out for Texas on Tuesday.....I know we all can use a down day.....Well that's all for now....I am outta here....

Packed and Loaded.....

So after a few mishaps with the Penske Truck....NO HEAT, my poor dad driving down from Spokane...talk about freezing! Anyway Penske got it fixed and we finally started loading 3.00pm or so, we had intended.....BUT we are DONE and Loaded and ready to go.....I just need to load up Bessie the Burban in the morning....and we are off....So hopefully we will head out around 7.00am....Well I am off to get some sleep.....

Wednesday Already??....Sweet!

So its Wednesday. I can not believe it, the girls and I will see Daddy in 1 week.....WOOHOO! We are all excited. What I am not excited about is the snow storm that is supposed to hit here today around 4-5ish....and may continue into the morning. My poor Dad will have to drive the Rental Truck down from Spokane, lets just hope the roads are clear.....The good news is that Friday looks clear.....so we should be all good to Twin Falls.....Road Trip.....I just love it...

As you already know we have been busy just doing last minute stuff....Laundry and Packing our Bags.....Today we all went and got our last Haircuts at Headquarters for awhile.....I sure love that place....Niki and Fonda are great....I love Non-Chain hair salons.....they just seem more personal.....you are not just another number in their chair......anyway....the girls were really good I think this is their 3rd haircut.....Niki was able to give MJ some style to her hair......both of their cuts turned out great, as did mine (just a trim).....

Shawn has been busy too getting the house ready and everything lined up for when we get there....We purchased a new washer/dryer, so stoked. I think I am actually excited to do laundry. I know, completely insane of me! They got delivered on Sunday and I guess they look awesome, we ended up getting front loading pearl grey LG's.......Today our new Refrigerator gets delivered.....there wasn't one that came with the house....which is fine because I enjoyed picking one out....Shawn also got our family gym membership all set up at Spectrum Athletic Club, he gets a major discount through work and they have so many activities for the kids while you work out.....Its pretty awesome to have a family membership.....I guess I will be able to see the kids in the Kid Zone, from any TV in the gym by entering the right channel and they even have screens in the woman's lockeroom to check on the kids.....and the Kid Zone is HUGE!.....They even have an infant room.....It will be nice to go as a family and work out......Good habits for the whole family to get into!!! I will tell you more about the gym when I get down there......Just so excited!!!

Ok so Lila just woke up and is throwing toys at me.....Guess I better go.....I will keep you updated......Later....

Taking a ride on a tornado......

Holy Cow.....I can not believe how long it has been for me to actually have time to sit down and post.....I promise there won't be this many days in between posts....well I guess I can not promise too much since Friday we head out of P-Town......Finally Texas Bound.....I can not remember if the motels we are staying at have Internet....oh well I will have ours set up at the new house the day we get there.....I feel like I am on fast forward with everything that has been going on....I still think my head is spinning and to top it off I feel like I have been in a funk lately....and maybe even a little moody.....hmmmm, anyway we have been super busy getting everything ready for the move....WHO knew how much crap we have unpacked since staying at Nana & Grandpa's.....after packing most of the week & weekend....(Only taking out time to watch the Cougs win the Apple Cup!! )......We are almost done all we have left to pack are beds, some toys, bathroom stuff, and some laundry.....Phew!! And not to mention the fact that I have been working my little but off for WSU....(By Choice, I so love my job).....I am making sure I get all my hours done....as I know Shawn and I will need my checks to stay up where they are with Christmas coming and of course interior decorating......Love it.. I know one thing.....I can not wait to change out all the brass in the new house....I just can not stand brass fixtures, door nobs, ceiling fans, hinges.....UGH gross.....(Sorry to all those that love brass).....

So Thanksgiving was good.....it was quiet and small, just us girls, Nana & Grandpa.....Boy were we missing daddy....it was our first holiday apart in the 6 years we have been married (Let alone the 8+ years we have been together)....and man did it SUCK not being together, probably more for Shawn being without all his girls....But Nana and Grandpa were great and made it enjoyable....Thanks Nana and Grandpa!.......Lets just say we will not spend another holiday apart if we can help it...Here are some Turkey day pics......

Helping Grandpa get the Turkey Ready...

Putting the Bird on the BBQ....

I am pleased to tell you that the girls appear to finally be over their monster long colds.....Geesh....it seemed like a month long, they would get better for a day or two and then be sick again......So glad to not have to be wiping nasty noses and reminding my kids to cover their mouth when coughing.....ahhh I am sure they are glad that they are finally over it too.....Well I am off to get to work.....YES, there is always something for me to do these days.....one day (Maybe January) I will be able to slow down....I leave you with some funny pics of the girls....

So I figured out (Thanks Molly!!) that Lila only likes to eat if she can feed herself.....Very happy here eating some Cheerios....Yummy.....

Kiara making her new 'Famous' funny Face

Lila's favorite toys....Yes! Are dog toys..... Mikiah....So happy she is finally tall enough to ride this tricycle

The house.....

Here is the seller's pic of the house.....When I get down there I will take more pics and post since Shawn does not have a camera....But this gives you an idea...and Yes, we are on a corner lot.....I love the Grey Brick Front!

Closing day.....Done and Done...

So in case you didn't already know.....We closed on the house today!!! WOOHOOO! Shawn has the keys and all is good to go......We are officially new home owners.....So thrilled.....So Cheers Everybody!......I am so ready to move down there.....well mentally not actually when it comes to having everything packed.....UGH so much to do.....

So we had the usually Thursday Morning Breakfast Club....So good...we are officially regulars and everyone there loves the girls........I think we will probably go 1 more time before we leave.....I will miss that place....The girls and I will have to pick a new place to be regulars at.....Fun Fun.....

So it turns out that the girls and I will not be able to make over to the west side this weekend, the girls are sick (YES AGAIN)...they have never been sick so much as the past few months.....Its just another cold with runny noses and nasty cough........I can not wait to get down the warmth of Texas, not that it will help but who knows......Anyway everyone I want to see in Seattle has kids and I do not want my girls getting them sick.....plus I also have a ton of packing and WSU work to do......busy, busy, busy....days ahead.....plus the holidays....AHHHH!....

Pullman was insane this morning, Fire Trucks Sirens were a blaring.....I was laying in bed thinking huh.....must be a big fire......and then I heard more when I was sitting on the couch and again thinking huh....really big fire....where the heck is it......but as it turns out it was 4 fires.....The biggest one was the closest to here....right behind Dissmore's Grocery Store.....Just crazy.....for more info check out....Krem 2......

Well I am off to finish watching Grey's.....

Signing my life away.........

So today I got a call from Colfax Security and I was like....HUH....I answered it anyway curious to know what they wanted.....and as it turns out it was an Escrow Agent and Notary guy from Colfax that our title company hired to print out my loan paperwork that was E-Doc'ed to him from San Antonio.....Anyway his job was to bring it to the house and have me sign it so that he could be witness/notarize and FedEx back to San Antonio....just crazy I tell you.....So 'YES' today I signed and initialed what felt like a million pages.....ok so maybe only 30 or so.......but still.....Shawn does the final closing on Thursday when he will have the same task of signing...I wish I could there but oh well.....the good news is closing is not costing as much as initially though....YEAH....More money to buy a washer/drying and Refrigerator.....So I had a glass of wine tonight.....well I am still finishing it right now....a little pre-celebrating while the girls are all sleeping.....Shawn does the final walk thru tomorrow.....AHHHH I can not say it enough.....I am just so thrilled......

Not much else is going on here in P-Town, its been super windy and cold.....and I have just been busy trying to find time ot get everything done....Today I made hotel reservations for the trip down to Texas., made lists of stuff that still needs to be done but I can not really do till I have someone here to watch the girls..........I have also been working on labeling Agpro Christmas Cards for Jerry and Anna (well I get paid too)......trying to keep up on the house stuff......Thank God they have a house cleaner that comes every week.....and especially the day they get back.....AHHHH....so nice.....Someday I tell you......I will live the dream and have one too.....I just find I do not have enough time.....but with our own house maybe I will take pride in cleaning.....hmmm.....who am I kidding.....it would last maybe the first cleaning.....ahhh I will figure it out......

Never enough time in the day.......

The weekend is winding down....I am sitting here watching the Amazing Race, still trying to pick a few favorites....it always takes me a few episodes.....can I tell you how hard the Father is on his daughter.....OH MY WORD, give your daughter some credit.......'Crass' is putting it lightly....

Today blew by....I still can not believe that it is almost 9.00pm...I am beginning to wonder where the day has gone and I am starting to believe that there is not enough time in the day for me to get everything done that I would like.....Seems to be more of a dilemma when I am with the kids by myself.....I assume its because they too need my attention (which is a good thing)....I can't complain too much since I did get to watch a DVD today during nap time......I am just ready to be with Shawn, not only because he is my husband and I am in love with him and miss him, but also for his Daddy duties.....it will be nice to have a equal parent partner again......Ahhh 24 more days till the girls and I walk through the door of our new house.....

So today Mikiah learned the hard way........Little did she know that no dinner equals no dessert....and boy did she want a cupcake....but apparently not bad enough to even try dinner tonight. I made a Chicken Risotto with Spinach, Roasted Peppers, Sun dried Tomatoes, Lemon Juice, Parmesan Cheese, yadah, yadah., sorry I get carried away when talking about food....Anyway, Kiara and I both loved it......but MJ started saying she didn't like risotto before she sat down for dinner.....I tried to get her to try a bite and she was like NO WAY, and left the table.....Lets just say she pitch quite a fit when Kiara was eating her cupcake.....I am expecting Mikiah to be pretty hungry come morning....but I am one of those moms that, Hey if you try it and don't like it then fine maybe I will make you something else, but if you won't even try it then sorry that's what you get......I know my kids and they will eat when they are hungry......Can't wait to see how early MJ gets up......I know she is going to ask for breakfast first thing.....

So cooking dinner is becoming challenging again.....Lila is quite needy off and on these days.....Her top teethe are coming in, I think she has two up there one that poked through today and one getting ready to poke through....plus when I set her down to let her play on the floor she gets pretty frustrated crawling backwards.....She knows she wants to go forward but doesn't and finally after all her frustrations she ends up rolling to where she wants to go.....anyway today I decided it was time for her to join the girls and I in the kitchen....I usually put her in her exer-saucer but not today.....and she had a great time....check out her smile....so cute....

Sous Chef #3

Lets make cupcakes mommy....

So my girls love to cook....They love to measure, they love to stir, they love to mix, and Mikiah's new favorite thing is cracking eggs....she loves it. I have to let her crack them into a bowl so I can pick out a few of the shells.....too funny....Anyway today they helped me make some pancakes for breakfast and then sometime in the afternoon Mikiah wanted to make cupcakes....so we ran (well you know load three kids in the car, load three kids out the car, and then back in the car and back out again!) to the store for some frosting (I could have made some but lets just say I was lazy today and I like the vanilla frosting in the tub!)....All was going well until I had to get out the handheld electric mixer.....MJ freaked out.....she really has a hard time with loud noises....I believe her ears and hearing are sensitive and she sometimes scares easily.....well it was one of those days.....but once I got started with the hand mixer she stopped crying and just covered her ears.....They were so excited to help and had fun filling the cupcake holders....I even let them try to frost but the one's that they frosted I let them eat right away since they pulled the tops right off....So funny.....Mikiah was like "What happened to my cupcake???"....and I was like "Just eat it".....She laughed and ate the whole thing.....Love it....I didn't get picks of them frosting theirs but here are some after shots.....Can we say that Kiara LOVES the frosting.....she wouldn't put it down for the pics..... All in all we have had a good weekend so far.....I just can't stop thinking about moving so exciting but so much to do.....Last night Pat, Karey and Holly came over for dinner and a movie.....we had a great time eating pizza, having a beer (the adults of course) and watching Ratatouille. The girls did pretty well watching the movie, I have been hesitant to take them to the movies because they don't really sit still though whole movies.....but after Friday night I may finally take them to the movies....We'll see.......Well I am off to catch up on some TV and enjoy the fact that all the girls are sleeping.....

Exciting Times.....

Well ......we finally got word that our home loan was fully approved and that everything is set to close on Nov 15th......WOOOHOOOO! We have finally joined all our friends in home ownership.....Shawn and I couldn't be happier.....We found a 4 bedroom with a game room/loft and an open floor plan with vaulted ceilings......We both LOVE it......I just can not wait to get down there and move in..... I must say word to the wise if you move to Texas, be sure to expect to pay a lot on property taxes if you want to live in a good school district.......At least the home prices are decent in San Antonio......Anyway we found a nice neighborhood 3 miles from Shawn's work....and close to everything we need, shopping, library, parks.....I think the home is 5 years old.....more details and pics to come when we get down there.....The girls and I are set to leave P-Town on Nov 30th.....and early 'Thanks' to my Dad (G-Dad) for flying up and driving the moving truck down......

In other good news.....my job is going great and I am working more hours, I am now up to 1/2 time......and it also appears that things will hopefully be moving forward for me to be a permanent part time WSU employee working 20hrs/week. I was/am still going to be working from Texas no matter what but this would move me from temporary employee to permanent.......So another WOOOOHOOOO!.....I seriously love my job and it is so great to work from home.......Thanks Karey!!!

The girls too are getting excited and can not wait to move. They are so ready for us all to be under the same roof.....as am I. I keep telling them the drive down will be long....but they don't seem to care....just wait till we have 1 day of traveling under our belt.....

Lila likes to say "Lila".....

So little Miss Lila loves to say her name....or what sounds like her name...

Living the Single Mom life.....

Ahhh, so its been awhile......Nana and Grandpa headed to Mexico early yesterday, so it is just us girls along with the dogs. Holy Cow, I think I forgot what it was like to do everything. Well, I guess I have never had to do everything since Lila was born. Shawn was always there to help with the dishes, laundry, the kids, the garbage, dog poop picking up......I could go on.....So here I am for the next 11 days living the single mom life.....while trying to keep my sanity.....we shall see how I do. So far Day number 2 is going well.....although Lila loves to sleep with her mom......she will sleep in her crib for about 4-5 hours and then she is like "No WAY" I am not going back in that crib, So I let her lay in bed with me and POOF she is out completely.....must be one of her comforts......should be fun moving and finally getting her into her own room.....I for see some long nights.....ahhh....I love parenting.....

I forgot how chaotic dinner time can be......last night I managed to get it all done...but I had few Lila screaming interruptions, a too helpful Kiara (who can not get enough of washing dishes, she LOVES it and playing in water), and an inquisitive Mikiah (who like to ask questions about everything "What's that Mama....can I taste it???")......Oh how I can not wait to be living with Shawn again.....soon very soon I should have some news on the move.....and what not.....

So I just wanted to check in tell you all that we are doing great.....I am trying to get in as many hours for work as I can so that I will have enough to cover the days when we are moving.....I am off to get some work done.......Oh, and all the other things I have to get done today.....hopefully I will get a shower, I swear its always a challenge if I don't do it first thing in the morning......bye for now.....

Halloween Fun.....

Happy Halloween!!!!.....Well I think we need to disinfect the house....good thing the house cleaner comes tomorrow....all three girls have running noses again....Mikiah is coughing again....UGH!!! I swear they just got over this........So the girls rested all morning and didn't feel like going to the library.....BUMMER.....But after nap they were excited and feeling good so we headed to a Halloween Carnival put on by Pullman Parks and Rec and one of WSU's Sorority.....It was pretty cool......lots of kiddie games and activities for the little ones....the girls had a great time.....We also went trick or treating and Sindy & Greggs and Pat & Karey's.....Fun all the way around....here are some pics.....just have to thank Karey again for the costumes! They were a hit....

Batty Lila

Pink Witchy Mikiah & Purple Witchy Kiara

Let's Carve Pumpkins....

So I feel that I have been slacking in the Halloween dept....maybe its because I don't have any of my decorations out or maybe I have just been really busy or maybe I have just been spacey these days.....who knows....well here it is 2 days before Halloween and I finally had the girls try on some Halloween ideas/outfits.....(Thanks to Karey for bringing me some hand me down costumes, which came in handy this year)....Today the girls and I figured out their costumes.....This year I have twin witches (pink & purple) and a little bat...... Tonight Grandpa carved the girls little pumpkins.....it was fun....the girls tried to draw pumpkin faces on paper.....but Nana ended up drawing a few different one for them to chose.....they turned out great....the girls love them......especially lit....

Getting Ready for winter weather.....

Today was clean up day outside....the girls had a great time helping Nana and Grandpa get their yard picked up and cleaned up for the cold weather to come.....We had a pretty easy day today filled with lots of outside time, nap time, bath time and play time......here are some pics....from the morning clean up.....

Here are the finished cookies from yesterday.....we had to wait till the frosting dried so they could write and color on them with food pens....the girls did pretty good......

On the Lila front...she loves playing with her tongue....she sticks it out, curls it, and just explores with it a bunch.....so cute.....she still hates all food, but I know that will turn around....thank god she still nurses well.....she is also getting her top teeth....as with they way Lila does things she is getting two in at once.....so she has been a little fussy lately.......but that will pass.....

I haven't talked to my brother and his wife yet.....but I am pretty set on heading over to the west side on Nov 16th......I am planning on staying for as long as they will take me.....hahah....I will probably head back to Pullman on Mon or Tues.....(Prolly Tues).....Can't wait to see everyone....it all goes well with the house hunt we should be heading to San Antonio around the 29th of November.....and boy are we excited and ready.....Well, I have a lot to repack but that shouldn't take tooooo long.......

Gotta Love those fall leaves.......

So this morning the girls were up and ready to make cut out sugar cookies with Nana. They loved it.....Nana let the help roll out and cut the cookies.....so cute......some of them were half cookies, ghosts missing part of their bodies because of the way they cut them out....but hey they are still edible....and they did themselves........and we thought they were covered in flour yesterday....you can barely tell that MJ's dress is purple and that Kiara has Minnie Mouse on her shirt.....you should have seen the kitchen and the stool they were standing on......

The weather today was awesome......so sunny and blue skies.....Grandpa did some yard work today with the leaf blower and then got some help from his number 1 helper.....

After these pictures were taken Pat, Karey and Holly came over to watch the Coug game (Yeah a win in the Pac, but I guess this means Doba is off the hot seat for 1 more week)......The girls enjoyed playing in the huge leaf pile with Holly.....they had such a good time...who knew that a FREE, HUGE pile of leaves could be so much fun and entertain for so long.....they came inside with leaves all through their hair and clothes....so funny.....and if it hadn't been for it getting dark outside I am sure they would have stayed out there playing most of the night.....Little do they know that they are going to have to go out in the morning and help Grandpa put them back into a big pile again....aaahhhhh I am sure they will love it.....

Total Slacker.....but I am back....

So I have checked out of blogging for a week and now I am back......I hate to make up excuses but we have been busy working on getting a house......so much stuff to figure out.....it makes me a bit crazy....plus I have been working my max hours......more money and frankly I really love my job.....But I must say I am making time again to blog away......so I should be back to the usual post everyday.....That is until moving day.....

Today was filled with lots of cooking......The girls and Nana were in the kitchen all morning.....They LOVE helping Nana or me in the kitchen....and last weekend Nana/Grandpa bought another stool so they both get to stand on one to help....so cute....This morning they made a quiche for breakfast and then they made a dutch apple pie for dessert....which I hear turned out really good (I am not much of a fruit pie eater)......Their favorite part was of course playing with the flour...they were covered......and then the enjoyed it for and afternoon snack...

Messy Cooks just like their Mama!

While the girls were down for nap Nana and I caught up on some TV Shows......Just love the DVR.....We are behind on a bunch of shows.....which means I am really gonna have to watch some TV and catch up while Nana and Grandpa are gone in Mexico....cause not long after Thanksgiving I believe the girls and I will be FINALLY moving to San Antonio.....Will keep you all posted on the move....I do know that I am planning a trip to the west side the weekend before Thanksgiving weather permitting......So much going on......ahhahahhah!

Well I am off to get some work done.....I just love working from home.....

I know...I know...

Ok, so I have been slacking when it comes to blogging....all with good reason I swear.....So Shawn has been having a great time house hunting....its amazing how many houses he saw in one day....I believe his words were "My head is spinning".....Anyway he saw lots of good stuff and of course the houses that I had been sending him too.....craziness.....There was one that stood out on Saturday that Shawn and I both love....a house with some character, not too big, in a neighborhood that has some great trees, in a great school district, with a yard that the kids can play in and super close to Shawn's work and shopping.....its just nice....Shawn had that feeling of home when he went into it......So we shall see what happens.....

On the Pullman front.....the girls have been great. Lila loves to get up on all 4's from a sitting position and from laying down....I am thinking she will be crawling anytime.....I was hoping she would get up on all 4's in this video....so close.....


She still hates most food....I can add Butternut Squash to the long list of spit in your face foods.....she just hates eating.....Probably a texture thing....who knows....The big girls are having fun playing games and creating art projects......Candyland and painting seem to be their favorites.....So fun to see them get creative.....So we will keep you posted on any news and I promise I will be posting some pics of the girls soon.....

Mega Busy...

So I started this post yesterday (Tuesday) morning and I just never had time to finish it.....Things around here have been a bit hairy.....Mikiah woke up on Monday morning with throw up in her bed......not sure exactly when she threw up. She was better throughout the day and never threw up again (Thank God!).....Last night she had the case of running #2, can we say GROSS!....Poor Girl....Not sure what today holds as she is still sleeping.....

On a brighter note and another reason why I have been so busy is Shawn and I got Pre-Qualified for a home loan!!! So exciting for us....So instead of blogging I have been busy searching for homes in good neighborhoods for Shawn to go check out this weekend with our Realtor....Am I scared leaving most of the home buying decisions with Shawn?...NOPE...Am I nervous that he will pick something out that I won't want?? NOPE....He knows what I want and what we need...So I entrust him with making those big decisions....plus I know when he walks into the right house he will know.....There may be a chance that Lila and I will fly down to see a bunch but we might have to act fast so there may not be any time for that......We shall see.......But we are excited.....Would love to be down there soon.....

Besides taking care of sick kiddos and looking for houses.....I have actually been busy working for WSU.....I am loving my job and love being able to do it pretty much anytime of the day.....Karey and I are currently trying to figure out if it will be possible for me to keep it when we move....Talk about a plus....I would love too and she knows that....so we shall see!!!.....

Just wanted to give you all an update on what was new in our world.....by the way Shawn is loving his new job.....and of course can not wait for us to be down there....

Sunny Fall Weekend.....

Oh how I LOVE fall. It will be the one season that I will really miss when we move to San Antonio....nothing beats crisp fall sunny weather and the leaves turning....we had a wonderful weather weekend here in the Palouse......today was a warm and sunny but nothing like the weather we will be having in San Antonio.....it sure will take some time to get use to....lets just say its suppose to be 90 in San Antonio this Tuesday....insane....

Yesterday we got up and went to WSU Organic Farm and WSU Tukey Orchard to celebrate harvest by checking out the U-Pick Pumpkin Patch and we also went to pick some apples. The girls had a great time picking out their pumpkins and man there were tons of kids there.....(I believe its the only U-Pick Patch in Pullman).....I tried to get Kiara and Mikiah to pick out good size pumpkins but they knew what they wanted and that was small little Jack O Lanterns.....They are looking forward to making faces on them so Grandpa can carve them......After pumpkin picking (btw it the two little pumpkins cost $1.05 total).....it was off to sign our life away for everyone so that we could enter the orchard and pick apples....the girls absolutely loved it.....they picked so many we came home with two big bags....12-13lbs of apples.....we will be eating apples till they grow out of our ears....Oh well I suppose I should cook one down for Lila she hasn't had apples yet.....she hates everything....today I made her some oatmeal cereal.....lets just say I had to wipe my face too....she loves spitting it back at you and she is good at it too....she definitely has some range! Good news is she is still nursing great and growing fast.......Here are some pics from Saturday......

The Breakfast Club anyone???

Now I don't mean the 80's 'Brat Pack' movie, although I do love all those 80's movies....anyway what I am getting at is the girls and I enjoyed another great breakfast at The Breakfast Club in Moscow.......Its is becoming our Thursday morning routine.....The house cleaner comes around 8.00am so it works our perfect.....Then like today we usually head to a park afterwards....the girls love to play at the park.....we lucked out today with some nice weather it was sunny and clear....although I am sure there will come a Thursday when the weather is crappy and we will need to find something else today....I suppose it is time to check out city play sessions and what not.....We didn't do too much else today....The girls bodies must be trying to nip these colds.....All three of them took really good afternoon naps....which allowed a sick Nana Anna (Poor Nana) and me to catch up on some DVR recordings.....A litte Private Practice.....which I am really liking, I always liked Addison on Grey's.....and we watched my favorite new show off the fall (besides Private Practice) Dirty Sexy Money.....I just love it......So fun.....All in all pretty low keyed day.....I did play a round of Candyland with the girls.......and Karey came over for a beer.....Love Beer Thursday.....And now I think I am off to watch my soap (since Greys is being recorded for Nana and I to watch together).....and I think I will do some filing for work too....I could use the hours this pay period.....I am outta here.....

Lets drive there now Mommy!.....

So here we are already Wednesday night....I feel like I was in a funk yesterday....Probably because I dropped Shawn off early in the AM....with Lila in tow......He made it to San Antonio and I believe that he and Joel (His brother) are pretty much moved into their new place. They have downsized into a 1 bed to save money in the short term....hopefully the girls and I will be down there soon....Speaking of that Mikiah and Kiara are ready to get in a car and drive to San Antonio....."Lets go now Mommy, I want to go to San Antonio"....."Today Mommy!"....So precious....They talked about it for a good part of the day......they are so ready to be living with daddy again.....Mikiah actually had a pretty hard morning.....Its so hard when your daughter is crying for her Daddy and there is not too much you can do about it.....we got through it and she is all good now......I can't blame them I miss daddy too....

Today we weren't up to much...no library today.....since all 3 girls have little colds......We even sent Daddy back to San Antonio with a cold....or maybe he brought it with him to P-Town....who knows....What I do know is we have snot everywhere...so gross.....the girls are pretty good about blowing and wiping their noses.....but sometimes it is covered all over their face....nothing like dried snot covering their cute faces.......

My goal for the rest of the week is to get the girls back in to the swing of things.....I swear they do great with a daily routine....Shoot they even remind me when I forget something that we do during the day.......I know I say this a lot but man they are growing up fast.....more words everyday....and they are just blossoming.....I was watching Mikiah today on her Laptop Learning Toy and she just knows so much.....They truly amaze me everyday......She was even able to trace shapes today with pretty steady lines....Kiara too is doing great.....but she likes to hide it.....I know she knows things but she likes to act like she doesn't......but man is she a good story teller....she gets her whole body into it....along with great hand gestures and facial expressions.....I just love it....and she is so confident in what she says.....

**Shawn Update: I talked to Shawn today he had a great first day. Like most first days a bit overwhelming....He is excited about his new position and they are excited to have him join their team....I just can't wait to join him.....

Well I am off to finish watching Criminal Minds.....plus I need to make my bed...UGH! I am feeling so lazy these days....I really need to get off my butt and get back on the Precor.....I think I missed that greater part of last week.....I will be back at it tomorrow....

Last Day w/Daddy.....

So today was our last day with Daddy.....he heads out early tomorrow morning..... We focused on family time and hanging out with Daddy....which wasn't to hard with all the toys the girls got for their birthday.....We played some Candyland, ABC Board game......had a few tea parties and Dr Appointments (the girls love their Medical Kits and that is what they call it when they play with them).....and the girls helped Daddy BBQ some Riblets for dinner.....It was a great family day.....We sure will miss Daddy.....

Here are some shots of the girls playing with all their new presents......and running around outside....

Happy Birthday to My Sweet Girls......

Ahhh, 3 already I can not believe it.....So today is Kiara and Mikiah's 3rd Birthday.....They woke up wanting to go to 'their' party.....so cute.....We started the morning with a birthday pancake and bacon breakfast....The girls just love pancakes and Nana Anna spoiled them by making letter pancakes and number 3 pancakes.....so fun.....we planned a really low key party after nap......staying with the bear theme......we had a Bear Cake, Ice Cream and Punch.....family and friends....the girls loved it.....They were so excited that everyone was here for their party.....They opened tons of presents and loved all of them......they had trouble focusing on one, they wanted to play with everything they got, clothes, shoes, Medical Kits, Playdoh toys, board games, Digital Cameras, V-Tech Laptop Computers, Phones, Blankets, Tea Set and the list goes on.........I just love this age.....one of the biggest hits of the night were the music cards they got from G-Dad....they love them and I mean love them....lets just say they have been carrying them around opening them and dancing so hilarious....."Hey Now Your and All Star"....."Celebrate Good Times Come on".......they even wanted to take them to bed with them....here are some pics and vids from the day.....

Busy at Build-a-Bear.....

So Friday Morning we all got up (including Grandma Paula and Nana Anna) and got in the Burb to head to Spokane. The girls were so excited and could not stop talking about Build-A-Bear.....and boy did we all have fun. We met up with Shawn's Grandma and her husband George......I think they had fun watching the girls bounce around the store.....The girls really enjoyed themselves and LOVED making their bears.....They took their time picking out the perfect animal.....both ended up with bears.....They enjoyed picking out the sounds too put in their bears....although they were a bit overwhelming for them....the Stuffing and Giving their bears a bath were fun for both of them.....and of course both had a great time picking out their bears outfits and I just love how different they are.....MJ's bear has Jeans shorts, Soccer T-Shirt, Black Saddle Shoes, a tan Fisherman's Hat and a Pink Messenger bag....So Cute.....Kiara's is a pink bear with khaki capri shorts, pink sequined tank top, Sketcher pink sneakers, a pink hat and messenger bag......I didn't get a pick of the final products....really not sure why but here are a few pics of the event.....SO much fun!!! They were definetly tired and ready to go when we got done.....back to P-Town we went.....

Busy @ Build-A-Bear

Library Day with Daddy......

The girls were so excited this morning when they woke up......all because Daddy was coming to the Library with us today.... and what fun we had.....they loved it.....they had a great time running around showing him everything...the Fire Truck, Doll House, Rocking Chairs, Board Books and Puppet Theater....I liked it because I could focus on picking out a bunch of books with out worrying about the kids running around....Daddy also came to story time with us and Kiara even sat up front with Mikiah....I am thinking it was because Daddy was there if you know what I mean.....she lasted up there for 1 story and 1 activity and then it was to the back to sit on Daddy's Lap....Mikiah on the other hand was her usual attentive self.....she was glad that Kathleen was back since she is her favorite Librarian....So fun to have us all there......We think daddy had fun too....and you know what I always seem to learn something every time I go....and today I learned that "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" is actually a story with many more versus then the main one.....First I learn about "I'm a Little Teapot" and its 12 versus and now "The Itsy Bitsy Spider"....I apparently did not read enough as a child.....here are a few pics from the library today...

So Mikiah has been singing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" all night....and she has all the hand motions down too.....she is so funny....."Sing it with me Mommy"....and again.....and again.....

We didn't do much the rest of the day.....Shawn did some labor for a friend, building a deck and fixing a fence.......a little extra money always helps plus he loves to help out and work hard......the girls had a video call with Grandma Paula....they love being able to see her and her cat 'Psycho Betty'.....its so cute....Lila loves it too, she is pretty addicted to anything flashy.....we try to video call Grandma a few times a week....so fun for the girls.....and talk about cheap communication.....Love it.....I am pumped for TV tonight.....I really like the show Dirty Sexy Money.....plus Criminal Minds and Private Practice.....so I am outta here for now.....

More Projects Mommy......

So we were pretty lame today and not up to much of anything......Shawn, the girls and I did some grocery shopping......AND we finally found Broken Rake Beer by Pyramid......we use to drink it every fall with college football games but we had not found it the past two years....I must say I am so pleased that Pyramid has brought back this fall favorite....and boy did my beer go down fast today!!! So freaking good....."Oh how I have been missing you Broken Rake!"....

Nana and I went Birthday shopping for the twins.....can't beat a buy 1 get the second at 50% off...Lets just say I think the girls will have a good birthday. Which I think we finally have planned! Grandma Paula will be here on Thursday night, then we are heading up to Spokane on Friday to hit Build-a-Bear, then Sunday we will have their stand up Bear Cake (which I will attempt to make) and Ice Cream.....Should be good times....They are so thrilled and can not wait! 3 already.....I still can not believe it....

The afternoon zoomed by the girls took a great nap, which is still hit or miss these days.....it seems that they really nap about 4 times a week.....and the other 3 times they talk or read in their room......I usually can hear them and the stuff they talk about always cracks me up....from talking about the dogs, to potty training to talking about people they have met....its fun just sitting outside their door listening.......As of lately they really, and I mean REALLY love to do projects.....mostly art projects....they ask from the minute they get up till they go to bed....."Mommy I want to do a project?".....which is usually followed by "Now"....and maybe some whining.....its funny cause it really doesn't matter what it is as long as it involves some cutting or painting or glue sticking.....and when they get done they always want to do another one.....today Nan drew a line on a piece of paper and Mikiah followed it with her scissors....she is really getting good with then, but a times it still scares me that she may cut herself......painting is one of my favorite projects for them to do and I think I am going to have the girls help me make my Christmas Cards....never too early to get started on those! here is a pic of Mikiah 'A Young Picasso'......

Lila has been great although I think she is going to be my picky eater....the girls were both really good....but Lila doesn't like much of anything....she won't eat rice cereal anymore (I really can't blame her that stuff is nasty!).....she didn't like Bananas or Carrots.....and she barely choked down pureed sweet potatoes.....tonight Avocado.....I know strange but I was reading that it is a pefect starter food for babies.....we shall see....I need to get some more fruit to try.....maybe make some pear sauce...hmmmm....I do enjoy making the food.....probably the cook in me........Lila has started to become more vocal now.....and I think partly because of the girls interaction with her.....they do a good job of talking to her and hugging her....with the occasional knock or push her over......which they know is not right and not nice, but still do it......anyway.....Here is Lila telling me her business.......she will be talking before we know it...

Lila @ 7 months

Monday...Monday....

What can I say.....its has been so great having daddy home. The girls love it, I love it, DB loves it.....we all effing Love it....the thought of being apart again sucks....but hey we can do it....We had a good weekend soaking up time with daddy......which explains my lack of posts......we haven't been up to much.....

We watched the Cougs on Saturday.....can we say disastrous.....I am still wondering where are special teams was and our defense....."Can we say Missing in Action!"....I guess we should be thankful that we have some sort offense......I sure hope we can win a few more games...Once a Coug Fan always a Coug Fan......Sunday I don't think we left the house...the neighbors came over for a few beers and some crab dip.......We did make a Killer Chicken Parmesan with Homemade Marinara made from tomatoes from Grandpa's Garden....So good.....

This morning I got in a good work out.....Love that Daddy is here so I can work out a bit longer...although I am sure I will pay for it tomorrow......sore muscles and all.....but I must say it was easy....so that is a good sign that I may be finally getting back into shape.....at least gaining better workout stamina.....

So the girls are doing great....I am amazed everyday by their vocabulary and sentence structure....its just cool to see them develop their language. They are such great communicators. And now with daddy home they are so happy! They want Daddy to do everything...get them dressed, wake them up, put them to bed, read bedtime stories, help with teeth brushing, you name they want him to help them......(Which I love cause it gives me a nice break!) They are super excited to take daddy to the library and the park......and can not stop talking about daddy being here.....they are also extremely excited about their birthday.....Mikiah wants a yellow cake.....so cute......We will be spending a great amount of the week finalizing the birthday plans.....I believe we have a Build A Bear trip in our future......The girls really want a bear in a box for their birthday.....

Well........I am off to watch Heroes.......LOVE IT! So many new characters.....

Is this the turning point....Finally?????

Daddy will be home in 14 hours......Of course when you read this he may already be back in P-Town.....The girls are eagerly awaiting his arrival.....as am I.....It will be so good to see him.....its not easy living apart but we both know its for the greater good of getting ahead and buying a house.....Man I can't wait....

So I never did talk about Dish Network......lets just say after 5-6 or so years of Nana and Grandpa having it......they have officially switched back to cable as of this morning.....Lets just say horrible customer service from a horrible Satellite Contractor (StarWest Satellite) that was not even local in Pullman.....and then when we called the main Dish number to complain about the lack of service we were getting (I mean we put in our order for HD Upgrade on Aug 6th and got bumped 5 times, 3 times without a phone call after waiting around all day)......And to top it off I had planned on looking into Dish when we move to Texas because they have quite a bit more HD Channels then cable but man I can not stand the fricken dish on the house and now crappy service.....Oh but when Nana called to cancel she got a really nice and helpful person....ironic and a little to late......Anyway.....Thank you cable guy who came today......its nice to watch College Football in HD again.....and I can not wait to watch all my TV shows in HD again.....I love it....And most importantly I can't wait to watch the Cougs in HD!

The girls had their 2nd haircuts today......I took them to Fonda, my hairstylist.....she did such a good job.....the girls were so excited to go and both were really great......it probably helped that I have been taking them into the Salon a few times so they really knew Fonda.....here are a few pics after.....MJ hates getting her picture taken now.....I think you can tell....

We didn't do much else today.....it is definitely Fall here......the leaves are turning and we had a cold windy day.....I love it.....I sure will miss Fall when we move to San Antonio......

Now, I don't want to get too excited but in the past two days Mikiah has been going potty on the big potty and today during dinner she told me "Mom I have to go potty".....(She usually just says she needs me and that is my cue that she needs to go).....anyway she got on the potty and sure enough she actually pooped on the potty (I know a little too much detail).......she was SOOOO PROUD...."Mommy look I Pooped in the Potty!!!"......Her favorite part was watching it as she flushed it down the toilet......Love it......hopefully this is a turning point for her.....I always thought that she would be more interested then Kiara (who I know will figure it out soon).....My favorite part about MJ pottying beside the obvious is listening to her tell Daddy about it.....so effin adorable......

Lastly here is cutie pic of Lila from today....who I must say is growing like a weed, but hates to eat solid food......I know she too will come around......As you can see she loves her Red Bird.....and I love her in her Pilot Cap....

Out and about on a Thursday.....

Ahhh, 2 more days till daddy will be here....well by the time I post this there will be 1 more day.....We were pretty busy here today.....The house cleaner came this morning for 3 hours so out of the house we went.....On the agenda today Reaney Park......we had a great time at the park......I swear the girls could play at the park all day.....and I think out of all the Pullman parks they have been to they really liked Reaney Park....but of course my concern is the road is super close to some of the park.....but the girls were great and stayed close.....after the park we were off to McDonald's.....I know, not exactly healthy.....but they did get apples and chicken nuggets.....and of course my girls love milk.....but man it seems lately that they take forever to eat.....I think we were at McDonald's for at least 45min to an hour......but even with dinner lately it seems that they have been taking a long time.....could just be a phase....

After a good nap....(I am still liking the fact that all 3 girls go down about the same time since it lets me do some work and catch up on recorded TV! I tell you I am such a junkie picking up new shows to watch, ahhhh!).....it was project time with Nana....they got to paint the first half of a 2 part project.....and they loved it....I will post the finish products tomorrow or Saturday......I rounded out my night with a little Ugly Betty and some Grey's Anatomy (I love Grey's and so glad it is back on)....and of course I got sucked in to the show on after it.....Big Shots....not sure my take on that show but I don't mind watching Michael Vartan on the TV......Early Fall is my favorite time for TV.......ahh and now I suppose I should get to bed, I can not believe how late it is....Oh, on a preview week note......I fianlly watched Chuck (recorded from Monday)....could be a pretty good/funny show...or stupid...another one I will have to wait and see on.....So I leave you now with some pics from the last week....

Work, Work, Work.....

I can not believe it is already Wednesday night.....today zoomed by.....probably because I was busy most of the day......I woke up late or should I say slept in....again....which made for a hustle and bustle of a morning getting all three girls and myself fed, showered and cleaned up for Library time.....I must say we got there with 5 minutes to spare.....phew!....Mikiah just cracks me up.......when we got there and walked in to the Library the first thing out of her mouth was "Hello Kids"......she just loves playing and talking to other kids......So opposite from Kiara who is still really stand-off-ish even with other kids..... Mikiah was a little confused when Kathleen (the Children's Librarian) wasn't there and Beth her assistant was......She LOVES Kathleen......so today MJ actually sat in the back with Kiara, Lila and me......I am sure next week when Kathleen is back she will be right up front......it was still fun for all the girls.......I love that they get to interact with other kids their age.....the playing continued while I check out some books for the girls......I swear we go through about 10-12 in a few days.....they love story time and reading.....

Karey (my boss, I love calling her that) came over this afternoon we were able to get a bunch of work done and some budget training.....so hopefully I can be lifting some of the budget reconciliation from her work load.....It feels so good to be working......I am not sure why but I do love a good challenge and working hard....and I love working remotely....its the best......I also want thank Nana for watching Miss Lila and the twins for me during my afternoon work session.....it was appreciated!

So I did my first attempt at making baby food tonight.....and it turned out pretty good....Lila was getting tired of cereal and not too into bananas....so on to carrots I went.....steamed and pureed...Lila did ok.....the first day with a new food is usually the hardest......I can not wait to make her next food....I really like knowing what goes into what she is eating.....and I seriously can not stand the smell of baby food....

So we are counting down the day until Daddy gets home....Mikiah was still talking about putting 'The White Kitchen' on her list for Santa.....the fact that she was still talking about it today leads me to believe that she really will put in on her list.....all in all it was a good day here in P-Town....we just all can not wait to see Shawn.....Saturday can not come soon enough.....Well I am off to get my TV Fix.....we are recording Private Practice so Nana and I can watch it together tomorrow.....I can not wait......I am off to finish watching Criminal Minds.....rumor has it this is Mandy Patinkin's last episode.....which sucks.....but we shall see how the show develops with out him.....

The girls are excited......

So Shawn brought us great news today.....he is coming back to P-Town a week early....he gets in this Saturday instead of next! Yeah.....the girls are so thrilled that daddy will be back for about 10 days instead of 3!!!.....Looks like he and Joel found a place to live in San Antonio....until the girls and I can get down there and move into a house.....

Today I made the mistake of letting Mikiah look at the Pottery Barn Kids catalog that came in the mail.....and now she carries it everywhere showing everybody what she wants.....she has been telling us all "I want a white kitchen!.....Can you get it for me??" She loves this particular kitchen.....not sure why....and man is it pricey @ $399....most things in Pottery Barn Kids are.....I told her to put it on her Wish List for Santa (You never know)........she was like "OK".....looking at me dumbfounded.....I suppose this year will be our first with explaining and making Santa lists.....should be fun....after the kitchen MJ said she wanted, the Vacuum, Mixer, Coffee Pot and a Friend (I assume she means the girl in the picture).....I explained that Santa probably can't get the friend for her, but that she could make new friends in San Antonio....she was excited.....and of course like all 1 track minded kids went back to "I want a white kitchen, do you think Daddy can get it for me"......I just love the way 3 year olds reason and think.....so fun to watch them formulate proper sentences.....I still can not believe that the twins birthday is next Sunday.......I just never thought they would grow up so fast.....

TV Junkie once again........

It is finally here Fall Preview Week!!! I am so stoked......and pretty excited for TV this week.....I love watching new shows and then if they suck dropping them after a few weeks.....my most anticipated new show this year is Private Practice.....the Grey's Anatomy spin off.....I am also excited For Grey's......but tonight it is all about Heroes.....I can not wait till 9.00pm.....I just wish Shawn was here to watch it with me.....but I will record them for him as he has no cable right now.....Which would totally suck.....I think I would hate it if I didn't have cable...although I guess you can watch most shows on the Internet.....

Today we didn't do much.....I slept in....since Grandpa didn't work out....I regretted sleeping in later when I was trying to do my work out with the girls watching....I guess I should be thankful for the 20 minutes I did get in better then nothing......I did find time today to get some WSU work done....it felt good....the girls had and easy day they did a little playing, napping, eating and reading.....all in all a status quo kind of day.....remind me tomorrow and I will tell you about our lovely run in with Dish Network....its too long of a story for me to get in before Heroes.....I am out.....it is almost 9.00pm....

"Project, Mommy......I want to do a project now!"

We had a pretty good weekend here in Pullman......except the Coug loss, maybe if our defense actually showed up to the game we may have a fighting chance......So now it is Sunday night and I am sitting here in bed listening to Kiara cough up about half her lung.....poor kid....I really hate it when the kids are sick.....I just feel so bad for them......although I have to admit my kids are troopers and like to say they aren't sick.......they will even argue about it while blowing their noses......"I am NOT Sick"......my response is always "Uh-huh sure your not!"......On the weekend....

Saturday morning Nana Anna, the girls and I were up early.....well early for the girls....7.15am.....and off the Farmers Market we went......we were hoping to get some Elderberry Jelly from the Jelly lady.....but a deer ate one of her bushes and so no jelly this week.....Sorry Daddy (Its the only, and I mean the only jelly Shawn will eat).....the girls were bummed that there was no "Daddy Jelly".....but they did have fun tasting some apples and picking out vegetables......so fun to bring them......I can not say how much I love shopping at the market.....Sure hope there are some good ones in San Antonio.....We then headed to Wal-Mart for some art supplies for the girls.....blunt scissors, glue sticks, some plaster/clay, and some new crayons......the girls were thrilled and could not wait to do a project.....they freaking love projects now.....thats all they talk about.....Mikiah wakes up and the first think out of her mouth is "I want to a project.....right now mommy!".....so cute......and once they get started it is like pulling teeth to get them to be done with it......this weekend the girls focused on color a piece of paper completely, cutting with blunt scissors, and pasting with a glue stick.....in the end we ended up with a pretty cool paper chain.....Nana's idea and what a good one it was......Mikiah was so excited that we hung it in their room.....

The rest of the weekend we laid pretty low.....had Pat and Karey over for the Coug Game on Sat.....they are always so much fun to hang out with.....lots of good food.....Lentil Nachos and an Awesome Chocolate Cake.....I am hoping to get some new recipes up on The Breezy Cook soon.....Watched the Seahawks game today......So glad they pulled ahead to get a win......I just love Fall and Football......I do miss watching the games with my sweetie.....Today the girls helped Grandpa pick some tomatoes and corn....they even helped him shuck it.....such good little helpers......So to end the weekend here are some pics......some of the girls doing projects and some other random ones from the weekend......