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....