Life on Fast Forward....

Man is seems that we can not sit still at our house....we have been on the go the past few days....As you can see there was no post yesterday....but we did have a good day!....Shawn had a phone interview (nice to be rolling in the job search).....and then we were up and out of the house by 11.45ish....headed into the city where I dropped off Shawn and my Aunt and Unlce's shop....They had an extra ticked for the BoSox game (oopps I mean Mariners game)....Sorry I am big Red Sox Fan, we lived out in Boston for a few years and its hard not to be a fan.....anyway Shawn went to the Mariners Game with my Aunt Susan, Uncle Gerry and Aunt Kathy...apparently they had awesome seats on the Terrace Level...and what a good game to go too....The M's ended up winning in extra innings...Shawn had a great time and it was fun for him to get to know my aunts and uncle a little better.....

So while Shawn was at the game I took the girls over to my Aunt Kathy's house to hang out with my cousin Amy and her son Kaleb, who will be one next week......We has such a good time playing and hanging out....except for the 9 Pull-Ups I went through in 5 hours....Holy Crap......literally....I thought I was being over prepared by bringing that many....we had to bust into the reserves that we keep in the car.....by the end of the night Kiara was wearing Kaleb's diapers....Thank gawd they were the right size.....I still can not believe how many poopy diapers I changed yesterday....it was like a never ending cycle....between Lila, Mikiah and Kiara I think we could have filled a landfill!....So Gross! Can we get potty trained already!!!!...Yes, I know I complain about them not being potty trained and 90% of that is my fault, I need to take the time to work with them a little harder.....Very soon I tell you!

Not much new today....just busy running around getting the packing done for our trip to Pullman tomorrow. I haven't been able to sit down until now and I still have so much more packing to do.....The girls are super excited and want to go to P-Town NOW!....That's all I have been hearing for the last two days...."I want to go to PUUUULLLLMMMAANNNNN"....So funny!......Well I better get back to this mess of packing I got myself into......

Lastly, just want to send a shout out to my friend Kari.....hang in there and let me know if there is anything else I can do. Hope you are feeling better......

My Kids are Maneaters!!......

Warm Warm....boy was it warm today.......and what a good day it was. The girls woke up from nap and off to Melissa's house we went. The girls were so excited to go play with Natalie.....They all are so cute together....and what fun they had....Running around the yard, playing in the kiddie pool, going down the slide....so much to do.....lets just say my girls were well entertained! They just love spending time with Nat.....



After we left we headed into Bellevue to meet the Gecas's at The Cheesecake Factory. Dinner was a great time and it was nice to catch up the with them...all the kids were great....and the hostess was awesome....she had brought the 3 girls bread/banana plates first thing....pretty much right when we sat down...it was funny she called them "Princess Plates"...and she was so catering to us and the kids....I love it when we get good service!....MJ ate her plate so fast I couldn't believe it....I swear I turned around and it was all gone...She must have worked up a hunger running around today....Anyway we let the girls pick their dinner....Pepperoni Pizza (Big Surprise!).....and of course they ate most of Daddy's french fries.....funny, they didn't touch my salad....but I did eat practically the whole thing and we all know how big their portions are.....man I totally pigged out and to top it all off.....I got Oreo Cheesecake to go.....SOOOO GOOOD.....yes I already ate it, all of it!!!!.....I am turning into an amoeba....I hate my relationship with food.....I just love it tooooo much....my ass better be up and running tomorrow AM...Ugh....So tonight you get to enjoy a pretty crappy, bumpy, but funny video of the girls on the way home from dinner.....OUT! (oh on the video below the space is black but hit the grey play button and it should play just fine)

Busy...Busy Monday....

Hmmm.....What to say about today.....I worked......Blah, Blah.......Oh before I forget.....Mikiah has been pretty funny these days....and she says the funniest things.....this morning was no exception.....she woke up and the first thing out of her mouth was "Daddy we go to Pullman Now!"....She is so ready to go and we are not leaving until Friday....I wonder how many more mornings she is going to ask????.....hmmm, totally cute...anyway......After work I hurried home to help Shawn.....Tonight we got to watch our nephew, Kieren and I knew Victoria would be by around 3.30 to drop him off...I just missed her when I got home but made pretty good time....In fact just in time to head upstairs to get the twins up from their nap..........We had so much fun tonight....The twins were a big help with the little ones....and all the kids were really good......makes it easy on us when everyone is good, its not always like that........But right now I am feeling pretty tired so sorry for the totally lameo post.....But I think you will enjoy the pics below.....

Sisters & Cousins!

Kieren & Lila have lots to say!

We love playing together!

6 Long Hard Years.....just kidding!

Happy Anniversary to my lovely husband! 1 Dog, 3 Kids and six years later here we are at another crossroad in our lives...Which way do we go?.....with Shawn searching hard for a job I am sure we will know soon...but we do have a temporary plan for when we have to move out of our townhome....which is the end of July....

I am sitting here drinking my one glass on wine...its so good....a bottle that we have had for a few years....perfect for today...a lovely 2003 Oregon Pinot Noir from Wine by Joe....its so nice and quiet right now....Lila is chillin in the Boppy on the couch next to me, and Shawn is trying to figure out the rest of the Sudoku puzzle G-Dad was working on...the twins are sleeping away upstairs....and I hate to say it I am actually super tired too.....

So the girls must have known it was our Anniversary today....they all decided that 6am was the perfect time to get up and stay up....Yes you heard me right....Lila did not go back to sleep after her morning feeding...then as I am plugging in the monitor downstairs (I was looking forward to enjoying a cup of coffee with my Dad since he was leaving today, its been so nice having coffee with him every morning)...anyway I plugged the monitor in and sure enough....MJ starts calling for me......I rushed in their thinking maybe she was getting sick again.....thank goodness she wasn't...I didn't really want to deal with throw up first thing in the morning...anyway....She was super out of it and had to have Daddy....and of course all this woke Kiara up and she needed G-Dad....so there was the morning...all of us downstairs sitting on the couch by 6.15am..."INSANE" I say!.......MJ was still feeling a bit off today....but no throwing up!!!! Just warm off and on, a little out of it off and on and just plain tired....

Around 9.30am.....we headed to my bro's for Brunch and the World Bowl for NFL Europa.....It was fun to watch all the young NFL prospects...most are previous college players you know....we had a good time....G-Dad left after the game....We miss him already....we hung around for most of the day.....such a good time....we sure will miss them too when we move....but I know they are always game for a visit!....That's really all we did today....Lila is still really close to rolling over.....MJ is feeling a bit better tonight and Kiara is her usual crazy self....

I still can't believe Shawn and I have been married for 6 years....simply crazy! Anyway...DB just scratched on the girls door....she must be looking for G-Dad......Shawn checked the girls (sometimes DB can sense when their is something wrong with the girls)....all is good though......I must say this wine gets better and better as I type this...I am going to enjoy the rest of my glass....Outta here!

1st Haircut time.....what a day!

So today started out like most...same old morning routine....breakfast...some playing and then a little bit of TV......lunch and then nap......all was good until MJ wanted Mac n Cheese for lunch....which was fine....but then she didn't really eat it....(Not like her, its her Favorite)....So off to nap they went...They woke up around 2.ooish...perfect...that gave us an hour to get ready and head off to their hair appt in Redmond at 4.30pm....both girls were totally excited about it all morning....Well after nap MJ woke up feeling a bit off.....she was a little bit off most of the day....she was pretty needy and wanted mommy....So there we are sitting on the floor and all of a sudden MJ throws up...all over her and me....and of course this freaks her out...(She has never thrown up before).....so we go get cleaned up and I ask her "You still want to get your hair cut?".....she replies with a simple "Yes Mommy".....Ok, so I am thinking if she feels good and maybe has a few crackers to settle her stomach she will be good to go and if she doesn't want to go then we will reschedule....So about an hour goes by....and MJ is feeling good, running around, eating crackers, having some water.....I ask her again "You sure you are feeling good and want your haircut"......"Yeah Mommy"....OK, so we all get ready and go......We leave our place and make it down to East Lake Sammamish by the Joker Pub when poor MJ vomits again....OH MY....we pullover and get her all cleaned up....thank god I had extra shorts and Kiara was wearing two tee shirts.....So now what do we do?....Well Mikiah still wanted to go and said she was feeling better....and Kiara didn't want to do anything but get her haircut....so off again we went....and made it there without and more vomiting.....So we park....I look at MJ, she is feeling totally better and wants her haircut....I am thinking, would I be a horrible parent if I took her in there to get it cut?....its what she wants....hmmm.....sorry if you all think it was irresponsible....we ended up taking both of them in to get their first cuts....and here are some pics of the action....It went great they picked out "Cars" to watch....(They have Micky Mouse TV for them to watch)....Kiara went first and boy she was serious.....MJ backed out at first....but then she was game.....They both got certificates with some of their hair on it, necklaces, and candy......So fun!

1st Hair Cut June 07

After the haircut it was off to Cow Chip Cookies....Their little reward for a job well done...then it was back to the Quah for a quick trip to Home Depot and then home....Where once again poor Mikiah was sitting with Dad and threw up her cookies....holy crap, now I am feeling totally bad for taking her into get her haircut, but I know if she and I had stayed it the car she would have been totally upset..........plus she looked good and told me she was feeling good....hmmmm

So I added some chicken noodle soup to the menu for dinner.....trying to make sure she gets plenty of liquids.....and amazingly she ate dinner, I actually didn't expect her to....but she had a bowl of soup, some of her sandwich and some chips...along with some water....She appeared to be feeling better when we put her down tonight....and I just ran upstairs, she needed me to change her pull-up (It was completely soaked with pee).....she looks better....a little warm but better....I am thinking its just a 24 hour bug and all will be well in the morning.....So as you can see today was quite a day.....

"They playing basketball".....(in the tune of G-Love "Shooting Hoops")

We started our morning with a game of basketball.....and some swinging at the park....The girls love getting out and playing a little b-ball.....they are always asking to go.....we all have so much fun....well for about 5 min then the girls would rather go swing on the swings.....too cute....here is an album from today's B-Ball game and trip to the park.....Who knew G-Dad could swing???

More B-Ball/G-Dad

Once home it was time for some long overdue baths.....I swear I sometimes forget when the last time the girls had a bath was.....and you know what that means......its been way too long....you would think they would as to take one everyday since they love them so much.....Today's bath was pretty funny.....Mikiah was running around in the buck before bath time and then finally got into the tub....she looked at Shawn while standing in the tub and said "I need my pull up changed"....and literally two seconds later she starts peeing......in the bubble bath water.....and I mean some serious peeing....so much that we totally emptied the tub and started the bubble bath over.....could this be a sign that "Yes" someday my kids will be potty trained.....I know I don't want to rush them.....but geesh lets get this done.......I am thinking moving isn't going to help much...but I do have a plan.........So the potty in the bath was the highlight of the morning.......Mikiah actually thought it was pretty funny....although Kiara didn't like MJ peeing in the tub.....

So Shawn has offered G-Dad the position of live in chef....I have always told Shawn that my dad was an awesome cook, he believed me.....and now he is loving all the meals G-Dad has been making and tonight was no exception....Braised Beef Tips w/Rice and Peas.....holy yum!....Shawn liked it so much he asked it be added to the rotation.......

Ok...for the last 1/2 hour or so we have been cheering on Lila.....she is so close to rolling over....both ways....she gets real close and then she laughs (well tries to laugh) and rolls back on her back....we are so fortunate to have such a happy baby.....she can usually can be found smiling....oh its so fun to have a baby in the house again.....

Family time in SoDo....

Well, its Wednesday night and I finally have some time to blog a little bit about today.....It was pretty much status quo....Got up and enjoyed some Coffee with my Dad (G-Dad)....its been so nice having him here....he is such a big help with all the kids, the dog (who loves to poop for G-Dad) and packing....he will be missed when he has to head back to ABQ.....Saturday is coming way too fast....

Most of the morning was spent hanging around the house......after nap time we got the girls ready and headed into Seattle....SoDo area....We went to visit G-Dad's brother, sister-in-law and my cousins....Uncle Rob & Aunt Kathy have their own business and Shawn and I had never been there...it was pretty cool we got the grand tour of the business.....and also met my cousins Ken and Amy and her son Kaleb. I hadn't seen Amy since she moved back from Florida and I had never met her son...he will be 1 in a few weeks....man does time fly by......the girls had a good time running around the shop and visiting.....it was really good to spend time with family....

On the way home we decided not to cook.....and we would eat some dinner out...."Where to eat?....famous age old question".....we rattled through the list of restaurants....and nothing was sounding good....until Shawn mentioned Coho Cafe.....perfect a menu with a wide variety....since none of us really knew what we wanted.....Dinner was good....the girls were great....and Little Lila was asleep before the food came to the table....after dinner it was off to Fred Meyer....where Kiara had her 2nd ever screaming meltdown at the self check out counter....I ended up taking her outside and around the entrance where I could see the exit....what I didn't know was that Mikiah was following me....and apparently she lost me and walked back into the store and ran into G-Dad and Shawn.....they thought she was with me and I thought she was with them......talk about scary....another eye opening experience....a lesson for all of us.....the only good thing is I would have been able to see her if she exited....but man I am still a lil' freaked about it....boy do I feel like a horrible mother....

So now I am thinking about my friend Michelle as I sit here and watch a little Law & Order SVU on USA Network....I swear I could watch re-runs of Law & Order all day.....oh and I am addicted to root beer floats....ugh this sweet tooth.....bye for now...

"Hollywood".....

So its Tuesday.....and its my Friday for work....I could get use to this 2 days a week thing.....I have a Monday and a Friday......and it's good thing I am done for the week.....because I swear being at work is going to be the death of my workout......we now have a dept snack bar...Something they added after we had our major lay offs in March to pep everyone up and boost moral.......Well with my sweet tooth this is the worst idea they could have come up with....it would be different if they stocked it with tons of healthy food and healthy snacks....but they don't....it has lots of yummy bulk food from Costco.....and now that I work all day I find myself visiting the snack room several times....and of course I don't grab the freeze dried apple crisps or the healthy granola bars....I grab the grandmas fudge cookies, the chocolate pudding and the M&M's........Ahhh, I am feeling guilty now......good thing I will be up and running tomorrow morning....

According to Shawn, today was a good day at home with G-Dad and the girls.....G-Dad started to pack up boxes for us....and today he had 2 helpers....the girls really enjoyed helping pack up some of our stuff.....Which I am so glad for since we have been trying to comfort them about packing and moving.....and we have been explaining to them that its ok that our stuff is going into boxes.....we are hoping it won't put too much stress on them....so far so good.....They are such good little helpers...

And lastly....Kiara "Bear" has a new nickname....."Hollywood".....G-Dad has been calling her that since she loves to wear her sunglasses, stand and walk with her hand on her hip....so glamorus...anyway....when Kiara woke up this morning she started calling herself "Hollywood" and Mikiah also calls her "Hollywood"....Too cute....I tell you they are loving their sunglasses....

Wii Envy......

Short and sweet is what you get today......I guess its because alls I did today was go to work...blah, blah.....and then came home grabbed G-Dad, Daddy and the girls and went to my brothers house for dinner...We had a good night.....nothing better then a little pizza delivery.....

So I now have Wii envy. My brother got a Nintendo Wii for Father's day, talk about cool.....They are still pretty hard to find....but his wife is amazing. Anyway...so fun...we played a game of bowling....I just loved it.....it would be totally easy to be addicted to it.....and let me tell you the girls thought it was great.....clapping when we would bowl and knock down some of the pins....I didn't bowl to great.....I think it was a 127.....I seriously think I could play all day...from bowling to golf to tennis......anyway.....I now can't wait to get one.....I told Shawn that would be our little splurge when he gets a J-O-B......I think he is on board with the idea.....That's about all I have today......I am outta here.....

Happy Happy Father's Day .....

So first off Happy Father's Day to all you Dad's out there.......We hope everyone had a good day!..

We started our day out with Breakfast for Daddy and G-Dad.....the girls made most of it.....adding the ingredients and mixing the pancake batter....they loved it and so did daddy....here are some cute pics....Mikiah loves wearing her sun glasses....and yes the girls are wearing the same clothes as yesterday....they wouldn't change for bed....nor this morning....stubborn filthy kids!!! Gotta love it.....

After breakfast it was time to watch some Nascar, Formula 1 and the U.S. Open.....It was fun sitting around relaxing with Dad and G-Dad.....lots of good conversation....We did have the lovely daily question of "What to have for dinner?".....I hadn't planned that far when I went shopping last....So we rumbled around some ideas and finally came up with the classic Sunday dinner of Pot Roast, Carrots, Onions and Garlic Mashed Potatoes w/Gravy......the weather has been so crappy today rainy and grey.....so what a perfect meal.......

G-Dad and I headed to the store.....it was like old times....he drove....we both love grocery shopping so it was fun....good thing we were on a time schedule or we could have spent most of the afternoon at Fred Meyer....anyway.....I must tell you My Dad makes the best pot roast.....Holy Crap did I overeat.....the girls weren't too big on it....but it wasn't their day, it was Shawn's and G-Dads and they both loved dinner.....we finished out the night with Father's Day Chocolate Cake and Neapolitan Ice Cream (I know totally crazy but reminded me of growing up, we even bought the rectangle box one and my dad cut the ice cream like he use to when I was a kid!).....So I am pretty sure My Dad and Shawn had a good day today.....and so did I...it was a fun day with My Dad, Shawn and the girls.....even though we didn't do too much....Lots of good childhood memories were brought back today.....I still love the ice cream cutting.....Shawn had always heard me talk about how my dad cut the ice cream when I was young....now he has seen it first hand.....Too funny!.....

Well.....I am back at work tomorrow....but this week it is only Mon/Tues.....and then its packing for Wed and Thur....and then Friday I may finally take the girls to get their 1st Haircuts....I need to call and make their appts tomorrow.....Well I am outta here.....

U.S. Open, anyone????

Today has been pretty great.....Lila stayed on schedule....(Yeah)....waking up around 5.40am-ish...bright eyed and ready to eat.....after that I was off and running....took DB....she has lost her right to run with me....she just doesn't enjoy it......I think its because my run is faster then her walk but way slower then her run.....and so I think the pace just doesn't work for her....she would rather run full board or walk.....So from tomorrow on I will be solo running and then I will probably come back to the house and take DB for a walk up the hill.....

Most of the rest of the day was spent watching the U.S. Open (Golf for those who don't watch)....I have to admit I have never been much of a golf watcher or a golfer for that matter.....but I can appreciate watching it in HD....it did make me want to go out hit a bucket of balls......maybe Shawn and I will take G-Dad out this week......we shall see.....I think I could get addicted to golf......and what a great way to whack out your frustration.....

Tonight we met up with Joe, Victoria and Kieren for dinner....Nothing better then some Mongolian BBQ with family......we went to a place in Bellevue.....no frills decor......but it was good.....the hole-in-the-walls usually are.....and the kids had a great time....here are a few pics......the girls are really into wearing their sunglasses....

"Taste It Mommy!".....

I don't have much to post today....its been a pretty good day....Good news is I am sore from running....Yes, I am a weirdo, I love being a little bit sore....it makes me feel good....and I can't wait to get out running in the morning. Work was fine...nothing exciting going on there....Blah, Blah....same old, same old.....I was excited to be out of there at 3pm.....and head home....The girls and DB were totally excited when I pulled up....I love it....screaming and yelling when they see me....I have been experiencing this more when I come home from my long days....its nice....

The girls helped me make tacos tonight for dinner....it was pretty funny...I gave them each a pan and a spoon.....then they grabbed some of the garnish ingredients (Lettuce, onions, tomatoes, lime slices, cilantro...etc) and stirred them together in their pans.....The best part was they wanted me and Grandad to taste it....and of course like the good mom I try to be....I faked tasting it....Well, Kiara was on to my game and was like "NO Mommy, taste it" and she handed me a spoon with some of the mixture on it.....so I tasted some of the lettuce....what can I say "Lots of Lime".....I told them it was good and boy they were so proud of themselves.....you could see the sense of accomplishment on their faces.....Love it!

G-Dad (thats what the girls call him) made it into town today and spent the day with Shawn and the girls......We are so excited to have him here! The girls just love him....Now we are just sitting here catching up, telling stories, and watching some ESPN....Well.....I am off to listen....Late.

"Gimme some Chocolate Milk"...."NOW!"

It looks like Lila and I have worked out a good morning schedule.....she is now getting up between 5-6am....after going to bed around 10pm-10.30ish....So nice....Well I made it out running again this morning....I took DB today (BIG MISTAKE).....Well she was ok...but she really didn't want to run where I wanted to, she literally stopped on the sidewalk and wouldn't move....stubborn dog....anyway I had to run back a different direction to get her to jog.....I will try running with her one more time and if she doesn't keep up then I won't be taking her again....the good news is I was able to run further today.....and I took DB up the backside of our big hill (Its steeper on that side) "Feel the burn!".....it was a good workout. I am looking forward to being sore.....I love being a little sore from exercising!....Just makes me feel good.....I will be back in the game on Saturday morning......I didn't do much of anything the rest of the day.....went to the store.....bathed all the girls....folded tons of laundry.....blah., blah......I am sick of housework and I haven't even been doing my share....I am looking forward to packing up this place and throwing out a bunch of stuff......

The girls were ok today.....a little bit of whining here and there.....I hate it when they whine...it totally drives me crazy.....I suppose their whining is due to the fact they are still learning how to control their emotions but it still makes me nuts!.......On top of that.....Kiara about had a major meltdown over wanting Chocolate Milk....it happened while dad was out at an appointment.....Holy Cow.....she REALLY wanted it and it had to be "NOW"......she was kicking and screaming for at least 5 mins when I told her "NO, not now"...(she totally woke up Lila)...and she ended up getting Mikiah to want Chocolate Milk too......ugh!.....I finally got them both to calm down and sit on the floor by the kitchen so I could get them to listen to me....I then was able to divert the situation by having them help me load the laundry basket with their folded clothes.....they love helping with chores......and of course I promised them they could have some chocolate milk when dad got home.....and let me tell you as soon as dad pulled up Kiara had the milk and chocolate syrup out and on the counter.....Hopefully they will be good for Daddy tomorrow.....

Speaking of tomorrow...My dad will be here.....he is driving up from New Mexico bringing us moving boxes....the girls are as excited as am I.....it will be fun to spend the week with him....Its been years since we have been together for Father's Day.....I foresee a whole lot of US Open watching....my Dad loves golf....and I can tolerate watching it when its in HD....the courses always look so great.....Till Tomorrow then....

Cowboy Wednesday......

So hooray for days off in the middle of the week....Now that I have a new schedule I had to figure out some sort of exercise plan.....So this morning after nursing Lila at 5:30am I decided I need to get Running.....I am so glad I did although I think I am more out of shape then I would like to admit.....I think I ran for about a 1/4-1/2 mile and then started a fast pace walk and then came back to the house and took DB up the hill to round out my exercise.....I am so lame....and I totally felt and probably looked like the episode of friends w/Phoebe running in the park....it seems as though I forgot how to run....I mean I haven't ran in so long (just exercising on elliptical machines/exercise bikes)........I was able to find this for your enjoyment in case you forgot what her run looked like....I seriously felt like a crazy, mad and out of control runner...

I will be out again tomorrow morning rain or shine....its nice being able to get up and get it over with.....hopefully I will make it a little further....each day it will get easier.....I actually can't wait until tomorrow morning.....

Today was dress up day at the Harper House....The girls found a few of Shawn's old shirts and pants from when he was a kid....and they wanted to wear them today....it was pretty cute....and since they dont have Cowboy hats they wore their Safari ones....then they danced around to Mexican Country Music.....here is a pic before the dancing.....and hats....

and here is one of them dancing..........love the safari hats....
We didn't do too much else today....while the girls napped Shawn took the Burban for an oil change and went to the store for a few necessities (Milk, butter, sugar).....While he was gone I watched Flicka....pretty cute movie.....love Tim McGraw.......then I made some Banana Bread....with my very ripe bananas.....and of course I had a small amount of Mini Choc Chips so I mixed those in too.....its my favorite way to make Banana Bread.....It turned out soooo yummy...Love it....I am trying to think what else we did today....Shawn went out for a beer with his friend Kashif.....they hadn't seen each other since Kashif left Zango.....He is such a good guy!.....Shawn made it home in time for dinner......Italian Chicken Pasta......it was also good....I used goat cheese (since I had it) instead of the usual Feta.....its funny both girls love goat cheese....good thing too since Shawn and I really enjoy it.....

So now I am sitting here listening to the big girls talk in their room over the monitor.....I am trying to understand what they are talking about but I swear sometimes they talk in their twin language......Wait just heard Kiara "Mom, come put my blanket on"....Be right back....

Going up there reminded me that I needed to Thank Nana Anna and Sindy for sending the girls hats today....they love them....and they each picked their own.....although they wear both......I think I will end with a pic of them.....Night all!

Love our new hats!!

"They tried to make me go to rehab but I said 'no, no, no'" .........

Another day another Dollar......well I am done with work until Friday....I could totally get use to this schedule if the girls were in school.....but man I miss them when I am gone all day....the break is nice for like the first few hours......Oh well.....I was super busy today...our dept is now has a head count of 2 (1 Full time person and 2 Part time people) and my co-worker was in for a minute this morning but had to leave for personal reasons so I was flying solo.....and I have to admit it was nice.....I just focused on getting the work done......I took my iPod again (I think I will always take it now)....and I listed to Rehab by Amy Winehouse, the version I have is with Jay-Z rapping on it......I love that version....I listened to it over and over and over again today.....prolly 20 times (I know excessive and I still probably dont know all the words).......and I totally love it when Jay-Z sings on a song....one of my all time favorites is Numb/Encore by Linkin Park Featuring Jay-Z.....just love Jay-Z.......I must in one of those moods....the one where I could sit here all night and listen to music.....since I am still ramblin' on about music....besides Rehab, I am in love with Fergie's "Big Girls Don't Cry".....not sure why....I just love all music.....I could go on and on.....

So while I was working and listening to my iPod the girls were here making this video....its of them eating breakfast w/Daddy, dancing to a little Rehab....too funny....its kind of long...but super cute (Ok, I am biased)....

So right now I am just sitting here sucked into my music.....I guess I don't have much more to say.....just gonna sit here and rock out and get the girls up and dancing.....Later!

Most people hated it......I loved it...

***Soprano's Spoiler*** (dont read if you don't want to know a bit about the ending)

So last night was the finale of the Sopranos.....yeah we're one of those 1 out of 5 households watching...So morning talk radio and online blogging have revealed that most did not like the end.....I must say I loved it...classic Sopranos mystery.....I felt a bit of suspense in most scenes...(could be my crazy imagination)....I loved the black out ending....although I was yelling at Shawn for screwing up the cable box....that was until the credits came up.....we even had to rewind it to make sure that was the end.....I still can't get over it.....Journey on the juke box...."Don't stop believing....." Tony at the table waiting for the Family...first Carmela, then Anthony and then Meadow outside frantically parking her car.......then her running to the restaurant......just love that you hear the door open and the bell ring and then nothing....you can think of a couple different scenarios of what will happen next.....Will Tony be shot by the guy in the bathroom as he looks up at his daughter coming in the restaurant.....or maybe its not Meadow coming through the door....maybe we (the audience) got shot and that's why we blacked out......I just love it....so many interpretations...I am with the cast on this one....Love the ending and it also leaves it open for a movie....or more.....I sure am going to miss dropping in on this family.....

On to the day.....Lila was awesome this morning....She woke up 2 min before my alarm....talk about perfect timing....it made my morning so much easier.....Feeding Lila, Drinking my Coffee, Showering, Getting Ready, Making my B-Fast and then out the door by 6:00am....Work was fine....I am so glad I brought my ipod today....it sure was nice to tune out everyone and just get my work done.....it was a pretty busy day.....so at least it went by pretty fast......everyone was curious as to why I was there so late and etc.......The best part of today was driving home....Shawn had a great day with the girls....they were good for him (of course).....we shall see how long that will last.....it won't be long before they test him too......Well I am off to watch Big Love on HBO....Season 2 starts tonight....

Will Tony make it out alive????

Man this morning was rough.....Some things were good and some just strange....Lila slept in until 7.15 am...a good 8 hour night or so....which was wonderful....although I was totally ready to feed her when she woke up....but she didn't want to eat.....she literally screamed and fought nursing for a good 20 min....I was finally able to calm her down and get her latched on.....she has never done this before....so hopefully tomorrow will be a better morning....especially since I have to work a full day.....yup....I start my new shift tomorrow...6.30am - 3pm...I work Mon/Tues/Friday this week and then next week I just work Mon/Tues...exactly 1/2 time....should be OK....lots of pumping...which I am not excited about nursing is so much easier.....but dad will have fun taking care of and feeding all the girls....I am sure it will be a bit eye opening for him....but he will do great....I am betting the girls will listen to him over me.....they are funny that way....

Today was filled with the usual Sunday shopping.....Trader Joe's and Fred Meyer.....groceries, diapers....and milk....Holy Cow (no pun intended) but man milk is expensive now....I hate it...and we go through so much...I spent $10 on milk alone today...4 Gallons....2 for $5 at Fred Meyer....I use to get the gallons for $1.99....oh well its something we have to have so we just pay the price....so my shopping today wasn't a cheap (diapers/Shawn's Razors, etc)....but what can you do.....other then shopping I don't think we left the house....it was nice to just relax....

I FINALLY got my iPod Shuffle set up...and I put some good running music on it....I even used my iTunes gift card to get me some motivating rap music to run too.....Mikiah was helping me pick out songs.....I would click on the sample sound byte and she would start dancing to the beat....she loves a good rap song....it was pretty funny....the rest of the night was filled with dinner making and eating and then bedtime routine.....nothing to crazy over here.....Shawn has started to pack up some boxes....My Dad will be here on Friday with a lot of moving boxes.....from his move....it will help us get this place packed up early.....Now I sit here and wait...wait for the finally of the Sopranos....I am sad that it is all ending since I have seen every episode....but I can't wait to see tonight's.....I will let you know tomorrow..... if Tony lives or dies.....I am betting he will live.....but we shall see....Until tomorrow then......

Slummin' it in Factoria....

Busy, busy busy.....that's one way to describe our Saturday.....Well I guess it wasn't that busy but it sure went by fast......The morning started out like most...Lila waking up for a feeding around 4.30ish...and then both of us went back to sleep until 7.30....then we were feeding again and up for the day.....The twins were up around 8.30....they slept in today.....then it was Breakfast time, bath time and get ready to go to Auntie and Uncles house time....lots of hustle getting out of the house by 12.30.....but we did it...

And then we were off to Joe and Victoria's house to drop off Kiara and Mikiah.....They were sweet and willing to watch the twins while Shawn and I took Lila to an appt....We have entered her into the TEDDY Study. She has genetic markers that give her a 3% chance of developing Type I diabetes...(97% of not getting it...so chances are low but she is higher then the average newborn which I think it .03%)....We had her screened at birth.....the study is interesting and since she fits what they are looking for we decided "Why not" if they can determine an environmental trigger that causes Type I then we should help them study it....its easy too....I just have to fill out a log book, diet log (only for 3 days every quarter), send a stool sample every month, and a blood draw/appt 4 times a year...its cool they provide us with everything we need......and better yet we get reimbursed for our time....which is a nice benefit too a little extra cash is always good.....The appt went well except the blood draw....Lila has mommy's veins, plus her are so small....we learned how to prepare the stool sample with the kits they gave us....easy peezy.....

Then it was back to Joe/V's house....the girls were good...they love spending time with their cousin Kieren....I can't believe he will be 6 months old soon....crazy....we enjoyed our visit....always fun hanging out at their house.....we were sitting around thinking about dinner.....when my brother said....."Let's go Slumming tonight for dinner"....Shawn and I were like huh??? But Victoria knew what he meant....So that's what we did for dinner....Slumming it in Factoria at the Old Country Buffet....Yup you heard me right the Old Country Buffet....I can not remember the last time I have been to a buffet restaurant where you can get nachos on the same plate as mac n cheese or brisket...popcorn shrimp, mashed potatoes, french fries and so on....it totally reminded me of my childhood and eating at King's Table (old restaurant in Bremerton)....so one of the best parts what the girls were $1.20....talk about cheap....They had a good time walking through picking out their food for their plates...I can say they didn't eat the healthiest but atleast they got what they wanted....It was fun....I finished the night with a soft serve twist (Choc & Vanilla) cone....SOOO Good.....I love soft serve and serve your own dessert bar.....we had such a good time....Kieren and Lila were great too...taking in all the noise and the people and the smells....Thanks for a good time Joe/V!!!......

All is quiet now...We are watching one of my favorite shows Austin City Limits on PBS...I would love to go for a taping...there is nothing better then good music....and watching at home isn't two shabby since its in HD....Love HD....well I better wrap things up.....Hope you all had a great Saturday!....

I'm over it....enough already!

Well Happy Friday Everybody!.....Looks like Paris Hilton is back behind bars for another 40 or so days......this seems to be the only thing on the news these days....I mean REALLY.....this is the top story of the news in this country?......I seriously can't believe how much coverage this has gotten... I mean even SportsCenter covered it....when was the last time Paris played a sport......just so sick of hearing about this all week...."I'm over it".........

So Kiara's new favorite thing is sneaking DB's dog treats out of the pantry and giving them to DB....well I caught her today.....and snapped a pic.....At least she makes DB sit!
The girls were extra silly today......their latest escapade was pretty crazy....it started of course when I was nursing Lila and Dad was out grabbing us some dinner (Acupulco Fresh, Tex-Mex/Mexican is such my Guilty Pleasure when it comes to food)......anyway Kiara started undressing....which is pretty normal for her.....but tonight she took it all off....and she encourage Mikiah to take off all of her clothes including their Pull-Ups....now your thinking that's not too crazy....two naked little girls running around...but they took it a little further by taking turns laying down on the trunk (coffee table) and acting like they were changing each others diaper.....they were having such a good time...silly silly kids....talk about totally funny and a bit strange....at least when I told them to get new pull-ups and get dressed they listened......anyway....it was pretty funny....such mimickers....

Tonight before bed we took the girls to the lower park to play some BBall.....it was nice to get them out to burn off some energy....here are some pics.....

BBall & Swinging

Laying Low.....

Well today has been a pretty blah day at the Harper House....we have not done much of anything....some eating, some dancing, some napping, some cleaning.....all in all a pretty boring day....but nice and relaxing....thanks to the grey skies....Oh, we did hear late yesterday that Shawn's Grandad was released from the Hospital after having a Stent put in....he is at home, resting and doing well...

One funny thing that did happen today was with Mikiah.....she regularly cracks me up with her language....and today was no exception......we were heading downstairs after nap and she was picking up stuff and putting it back in her crib (Yes my girls still have tons of books, animals, and toys in their cribs) anyway.....I was like "Come on Mikiah lets go downstairs" and she was like "In 1 minute Mommy"...."You just wait 1 minute!".....man did she tell me....it was too funny....I suppose she picked it up from me...telling them to wait....after she was done picking up her toys she was kind enough to thank me for waiting.....with the usual "Thanks Mommy".....I just love that the girls are talking so well......more words everyday!.....the funny thing is I can imagine Lila talking yet....or what her voice will sound like....I am sure she will be talking before I know it.....

Speaking of Lila....Here is a pic of her today....She is so awake now during the day....only liking to nap on mom again.....we will be figuring out nap times soon...

...and here is a video of Lila making noises....

and another video of the girls being silly and dancing....love Mikiah with the blanket.....

I relaxed today while Shawn continued his job search...he found a few more positions in Austin and I think one in Portland.....and he even applied for unemployment (not sure if he would want you all to know this but oh well cats out of the bag now)....I figure we might as well take advantage of government programs while we can....good news is it will be a big help! Well I am off to make some dinner.....Tonight Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry with some rice.....I haven't done a stir fry in so long....hope I remember how and that it comes out good......then for dessert Cookie Bars.....Yup my chocolate/sweet attack is back......I love 60% Choc Chips.....YUM! Oh, one more thing...HAPPY BIRTHDAY DARBY!......

****Dinner Update****

YUM....it turned out good....So glad I remember how to make stir fry sauces.....Kiara loved it and even ate the beef....she is a meat eater....Mikiah probably would have rather had Mac'n'Cheese.....

Ahhh Wednesday....

First off....I have fixed the YouTube videos of the girls dancing on my previous blogs......You all should be able to see them now....Unless your firewall blocks YouTube (My work blocks it!).....Sorry about the previous loading issues......

So Lila is 3 months old today....Insane how fast the time goes by.....She is starting to look big to me now....Especially after the baby shower on Sunday where my cousin had her 11 day old son with her (he was born 8lbs 15oz/similar to Lila's size and he was 2 weeks early).....I was starting to think Lila was small....but man is she long....and a real happy baby.....Well...most of the time.....Its funny, I knew the baby stuff for Lila would be easier then when we had the twins....and its true it is....but everything else has become harder.....Getting the housework done, dinner on the table, and keeping the girls occupied while nursing (this has become the time when they get into everything if they don't have an activity planned or something to do....talk about pull my hair out).......I could go on forever.......but all in all the last 3 months with Lila, Kiara & Mikiah has been great....more wonderful then I could have expected...Except today she is being a pissy pants....not wanting to nap at all......she is insane going from totally smiling and squealing to frantic tired crying.....oh what a day!

On a funny note Mikiah has started saying "Holy Moley" all the time......talk about hilarious....she sounds so cute....."Holy Moley Mommy"....and she even uses it in context....Not sure where she heard it....its not a saying that I use....it seems my girls pick up sayings and words everywhere....

The girls have a new favorite TV show of the moment and for now its the Raggs.....lots of singing, dancing and learning by 5 big stuffed animal dogs....its another Pre-School show from Australia....they seem to really know what they are doing when it comes to children's programming.....so right now we are watching it and the girls are running and dancing all around the living room...at least this show is fast pace.....I love it when they burn off energy right before nap time....

Well nap time is almost over for the big girls (On a side note Lila finally fell asleep and is sleeping on me as I type this)....Shawn is vacuuming....Love it!...My own houseboy, I always wanted one of those....(Love you Honey!)....I know I have been slacking on my household chores...he has been a big help......He has also been busy applying for jobs in Austin....he and I both found quite a bit for him to apply to today....he also applied for one in Bozeman too.....keeping all our options open....he did meet with a recruiter yesterday that does contract to hire jobs for Microsoft.....(for the last resort stay in Seattle plan)....it will all work itself out.....

Well I suppose I should try to put Lila down and get dinner going....on the menu tonight......chicken parm.....and broccoli.....and maybe some garlic bread....I can't remember the last time we had chicken parm....its one of Shawn's favorites.....

Signs, Signs everywhere there's signs......

OK....So I have been out of touch all weekend...and boy was it a busy one filled with birthdays, baby showers, family visits.....this weekend past by so fast I can't believe its already Monday.....The weekend was great and the baby shower yesterday for Charity was a ton of fun.....It was great to see all the family.....

I finally have a train of thought so I think I can now explain what happened at my work on Friday......I went to talk to my supervisor about Shawn and the possibility of picking up a few extra hours to help out at home....and she responds with something like...."So glad you brought that up, I have been meaning to talk to you 'bout your schedule"....Basically the essence of what she was getting at is my hours for the position I am in do not meet the business needs right now.....(Mind you I got this schedule in a different position and got moved to this team during the last downsizing).....she was going to talk to me about changing my schedule so that I am there for full days....but still part time.....OK, if Shawn didn't get let go from his company I would not be able to adjust my schedule....So my question is what would have happened if he was working and I couldn't change my sched?....Who knows if I would have had a job........just another sign we are in need of a change.....anyway with Shawn out of work....I now have a new schedule starting next Monday....I will be working Mon & Tue 6.30-3 and Payday Fridays (every other Friday).....It increased my hours by 3.....but I must say it will be nice to have 5 days off in a row.....So when Shawn does find a job who knows what will happen......

On to Shawn finding a job.....his search has begun....His main focus is out of state.....we had many conversations about top cities we would want to move too....with Austin, TX being at the very top of the list....Seattle being at the very bottom....the main focus for us is buying a house and quality of life....we have many cities in between, Raleigh/Durham, NC; Bozeman, MT; Denver, CO; Portland, OR; and Albuquerque, NM....its fun and exciting to be thinking about moving out of the state again.....no time like the present.....and of course owning a house big enough for all of us (I think we are one of the few of our friends that do not own their own home..)....I am sure Shawn will find something soon....After tomorrow Shawn will be completely done with Zango....he just has some paperwork to sign and pick up his severance check.....The only thing that sucks is health insurance....the girls were all on his....his old company will pay for Cobra for June...but after that we have to pay for it....holy expensive....$700 for all three girls and Shawn per a month....and of course Lila's 4 month appt is in July....so I am going to call an see if I can bump it up before we lose coverage....worse case I will add her to my health insurance....I have until June 30th to do that....but because I work part time it will be pretty expensive, but not as much as cobra....man why doesn't this country have better health insurance options.....or better yet make sure all Americans are covered......oh well we will get it all figured out.....

So here are some pics of Lila one from the weekend and the other from today.....She is growing so fast....and man is she a talker....holy smokes I am not sure what I am going to do with 3 Chatty Kathy's....

For the twins you get to enjoy Morning Dancing to the Ruggs.....from today...

And after nap, dancing to Top 40 Music.....ending with MJ wanting to see herself on the camera.....Funny Kids...

Crazy Work Friday.....to be continued...

First off....Happy Birthday MOM!!! and Happy Birthday DAD!...I love you both and hope your birthdays are great!.....

Today was crazy at work....with some schedule changing and trying to meet business need...more details in my next post when I am not so tired........

All in all today was a good day post work....we went to dinner for Grandma Paula's birthday...all 9 of us, my brother, his wife and son and the Harper 5 and of course Grandma Paula......I just love Steak Dinner.....and then home for cake......My wonderful husband is quite the baker.....baking a yummy birthday cake for Grandma Paula.....So good....

Its feeding time and then off to bed....Happy Friday Night!