Peek-a-Boo....

Lila loves playing it......nice to see she is playing it while she is sick....although she isn't laughing like she usually does....she will pick up just about anything and hang it over her head to play.....So cute...I wish I would have gotten her yesterday she was playing it with a pair of her pants.....

On with getting back in shape....

So this morning I got up and finally got to the gym.....Man did it feel good...this is my 1 week of 2 weeks focusing totally on cardio.....then I will get back to lifting weights while still doing cardio.....I haven't lifted since I was in college and I am so looking forward to it....I use to love lifting weights.....Shawn and I decided that one of my weight lifting days will be Saturday so that we can lift together....So exciting....anyway the gym was great.....I think I got there around 5.40am...10 min later then I wanted but its all good.....talk about tons of people...and a great mix of young and old....love it.....the 1st day is always easy, its the 2nd day that will be a challenge....but I know I will stick with it.....and can I say it was nice to be showered and dressed for the day by 7.15am....I love it when I feel engergized.....

As it turns out Miss Lila was a fussy gussy today, I felt like I couldn't do anything right....she is sick and congested and I believe she is also getting another tooth.....so it was a whole lot of mommy love for her today....which makes it difficult to do anything.....but I still managed to make dinner and some dessert.....I did not get the laundry folded.....and I hate it when I don't fold it directly out of the dryer....oh well.....the twins are still getting over their colds too.....poor kids have such a nasty cough.....but hopefully soon all will be back to normal......I am off to bed....got an early AM appointment with the gym.....

Where did I get this.....

So I have had TONS of energy today (could be that I got some good sleep, Lila didn't wake up until 3.30 or so)....I was up early around 6.30am....sipping coffee and surfing the ads in the paper...then Lila and I were off to SuperTarget and the HEB (grocery store chain here)....I actually did my menu and made my list yesterday because I hate shopping in the afternoons on Sunday....can we say WAY TOO MANY PEOPLE....Anyway....I think we were there around 9.30am...so nice and empty....and of course Lila was great, although I did hear her coughing and Kiara too...so I guess my cleaning didn't keep the other girls from getting sick....nothing like have a house full of coughing kids....

When I got home, I started to make Lasagna....Mikiah requested it and when your 3 year old says "Mommy I would really like you to make some Lasagna" who can resist.....I will post the recipe later on The Breezy......while the sauce was simmering, I made some homemade Bran Muffins....I had been craving them....Oh sooooo good....then it was back to getting the Lasagna put together and set aside to bake later....busy busy....but you know me I love being in the kitchen.....

I did manage to find a few hours to get some work done this afternoon......while all 3 girls napped and Shawn and Joel played........What else, NCAA Football on the XBOX.....I love cheap at home entertainment.....Hey, at least they aren't out spending money.....although the beer mysteriously disappears.....I could have sworn there was a 1/2 rack in the fridge....I guess I should be thankful they saved me one.....Thanks boys!

After the girls napped Shawn, the girls and I took a stroll around the neighborhood.....Tons of kids out playing.......When we got home we played outside in the back yard....man it is so nice to have one after not really having one the girls 3 years of the twins life....and Lila loves crawling around picking up everything on the patio and putting it in her mouth....gotta love that 3rd hand action.....here are some pics from playing in the yard....after picking the pics, I realize we are in desperate need of some patio furniture....soon, I tell you.....


Just when I think our boxer, DB, is getting old and lazy (7 years)....she gets crazy over a toy....here she is playing with a ball by herself.....she is a nut, Mayday (Joel's Bullmastiff) was over and instead of playing with him she did this.....Goofy Dog....although now she is snoring as she sleeps on the couch....

And the paint color was.....

Drum Beat Red.....Yes, I found our old paint sample from the red we used in Issaquah while sifting through a box tonight......and I would just like to say "I WAS RIGHT!!!".....we painted our front room here the exact same color as we painted our accent wall at our Issaquah Townhome....BOOOOO-YAHHH!.....I told Shawn it was the same color.....Hmmm what should my winnings be?????

And then there were curtains.....

We have been putting together the front room (the den, reading room, library, wine sipping room) piece by piece.....and today we have purchased the curtains...we still need to get the blinds for the window but we just love these and it will be nice to close them at night......Still need to get the crown moulding done, buy the couch, gold mirrors, accent chair, pillows, etc....you get the idea.....

Can I just say.....

I am so glad it is Friday.....With MJ sick and Lila joining us in the wee hours....this week has really worn on me.....and I also feel like I have been complaining a lot....so sorry for that if I have been....I swear its this new lack of sleep (as opposed to the old lack of sleep when Lila was born)........I must say I am so ready to have Shawn home for the weekend.....and can not wait for Mikiah to be over her cold. I just feel for her....she sounds so miserable....but yet good spirited all at the same.....gotta love it.....With MJ being sick we really haven't done much of anything.....her poor nose is like a leaky faucet....snot running everywhere.....I have been following her around with tissues and disinfectant to keep the toys clean so that the other girls don't get sick but you know how that goes.....I am sure one of them will get a cold too....we shall see.....

This afternoon we had a video call with Grandma Paula.....its her Friday off from work and since she doesn't get to watch the kids anymore on these days we are now trying to make sure we have a good video call.....here is a little bit of today's.....the girls were asking her about her cat "Psycho Betty" (it was actually my cat that I got before college that I left at home for mom to take care of, and with Shawn being allergic she has been my mom's cat ever since, I think I pretty much took care of her for 6 months then off to college I went)....



The girls had a good time chatting and seeing Grandma Paula...they do love the video camera for the computer.....and its nice that they get to see her since she can't be here.....but soon she will be down for a visit around Lila's first birthday....YEAH!

After talking with grandma the girls spend the rest of the afternoon fighting over a book and playing with Play-doh.....the book fighting was pretty funny (I seriously tried not to laugh because they were being so hilarious)...and I love how they are fighting over 1 book when we have boat loads of them.....I am proud to say it did end happily with out me intervening....here they are reading it together.....I love that they both have to sit in the same seat.....don't they know there are two seats.......too funny....

Ahh Wednesday....

So the week is half way over.....Yeah!!! Well last night was a little better....mostly in part that I went with my instincts and let little Miss Lila join us in bed around 2.00am....She went down in her crib around 10.00pm.....and woke up at 2.00am for momma hugs and cuddles....Thanks for all the support, comments and emails.....I suppose I will just work through this and figure it out as we go.....Shawn doesn't seem to mind when she joins us.....and I am sure there will be a day where she doesn't wake up in the middle of the night.....so I will enjoy our late night cuddles and get on with my sleeping!......and get my arse to the gym in the morning after her feeding.....it will feel so good to get the blood pumping....

The girls and I had a great day....MJ is still coughing....its pretty cute "Mommy I am still sick"....."Mommy I need to drink lots of water"......Oh the life of a mom....Love it. Today I bribed the girls to clean their playroom and in return they could watch an episode of Go Diego Go.....The best part was once they cleaned their playroom they played in it instead of watching Diego....So funny.....They were really proud of themselves "Look we cleaned our playroom!"......"We did a good job Mommy".....lets just say it inspired me to pick up the rest of the house.....Yeah!

Tonight it was just us girls.....Daddy had a Spurs game to attend with co-workers......its pretty cool I believe they had a suite tonight, nothing like the 'High Life'.....it has allowed me to catch up on my work and TV shows.....and I must say its nice to have a night to myself.....Here are a few pics of the kids today....

Any real sleep in my future.....

Ahhhh so I must say I feel like I have been living in Seattle the last couple of days and it looks like its going to be a couple more....the weather here is grey with a misty drizzle....I almost wish it would just rain.....I hate drizzle.....it did end up warming up today.....but it looks like we have some thunderstorms on our way.....A little secret "I love thunderstorms!!!".....anyway on with today....

So I had every intention on hitting the gym this morning before Shawn went to work....but Miss Lila had other plans for me.....I am not sure what is going on with her.....Growth Spurt, Insecurity, Hungry.....but she has been waking up around 1.30am-2.00am the last couple nights.....she use to be a good sleeper......hmmmm......and I know it would be easy for me to just pick her up and bring her to bed, but I have been trying to make sure she doesn't come to bed with us before 4.00am (I know I am strange)..... and I probably could have nursed her back to sleep but she hasn't nursed during the middle of night since she was 2 months old.....anyway so last night I was bound and determined to have her fall back asleep in her crib......I checked her diaper.....all good there.....sound machine on....all good there.....so I sat there on the floor with a pillow next to her crib while she cruised around her crib and screamed in frustration....you could totally hear it in her voice....she would lay down, curl up with her binky while holding my hand and fall asleep for a few mins and then she would be up again....she would look over to make sure I was still there (I tried not to make eye contact)....she would let out a few frustrating cries and then curl up holding my hand and her binky.....this went on for a good hour and 1/2.....Finally she fell asleep on her back, binky in mouth, my finger in her hand.....once I could tell she was totally out, I slipped out of her room and FINALLY headed to bed.....its almost 3am at this point....I lay down and sleep for what felt like 1 min (actually it was 10min).....and she started up again crying and screaming, by the time I got to her room she was standing up and screaming......at the end of my wit I pick her up and guess what.....she instantly calms, her whole body relaxes and she closes her eyes.....I thought about laying her back down in her crib....good idea...NOT.....I try and she immediately wakes up and freaks out even with me holding her hand.....I have no patience at this point.....I hold her close and begin to go to the master bed room.....I seriously could feel her body relaxing.....she knows where we are going.....I lay her in between Shawn and I (by now its a little after 3.00am).....and what to you know....instantly a sleep....one hand on daddy's back one hand on mommy's arm....totally and utterly content.....Oh Boy what are we going to do.....the alarm for me to go to the gym came fast.....5.00am comes quick when you finally get to sleep at 3.30am....so needless to say I turned off the alarm and snuggled with my little one while she nursed back to sleep (she usually nurses sometime between 4.30am and 6.00am)....I guess I really don't have a problem bringing Lila to bed, but I would really like her to sleep in her own crib until atleast 4.00am.....can we say frustrated....maybe I am making a bigger thing out of then I should....who knows....I know they say to go with your instincts.....WELL, my instincts tell me to pick her up and bring her to bed the first time she cries....knowing that she will sleep soundly until her first AM feeding......I keep trying to remember how it was with the twins....I do remember going in and laying on their floor a few times.....but they never came to bed with us (because I could never bring just one of them).....I guess we will see how tonight goes.....

So Mikiah woke up with a cough this morning....I bet you $100 bucks she got it from the Pediatric Clinic.....oh well.....She was pretty cute...."Mommy I am sick"........."Mommy I need some vitamin C"....where does she get this.....I mean she really listens when I tell her things....Love it....Other then just being over tired and pissed at myself for not going to the gym not much has happened today....I did have a chance to catch up on a few TV shows, add some recipes to The Breezy, organize the second bookcase.....and now I am off to get some more work done......

Saturday out and about.....

Ahhh, am I tired.....We have had a great day down here in San Antonio......its still cold down here, and the best is how much the people freak out about how cold it is you would think we were having an ice storm, but today it was sunny and brisk....We headed out this morning for some shopping. We went to The Shops at La Cantera......Its an outdoor mall that is about 2-3 miles from our house....it was fun, the girls really liked all the water features of the mall.....they have tons of waterfalls, ponds and fountains....I LOVE outdoor malls.....all the shops and their cute store fronts.....anyway we went there to check out some bedding for the guest bedroom at Macy's.....got some ideas but no real winners.....After the mall we headed to The Rim, another big shopping area, for lunch at Cosi (I was craving a flat bread sandwich from home, I use to go to the Cosi in Redmond all the time and they just added this Cosi at the Rim)......

After lunch with two GRUMP Girls, who drank their chocolate milk to fast, and 1 happy 10 month old, we headed to Target.....We finally got the last bookcase for our Library/Den room so happy we had the rain check still it saved us $30.00.......Then it was off to Papa Murphy's (YES, they FINALLY have one down here and its right where I grocery shop)....I seriously didn't know what I going to do with out a Papa Murphy's, I was thinking are Shawn and I going to have to open one up down here?.......anyway, the store actually opened about two weeks ago and this was my second time in there.....pretty bad when the owner was like "Hey you are the girl from Washington State, right?"....yeah, yeah, that's me and we love pizza at our house.......I was glad to see that it was really, really busy.....I have the security of knowing that it's not going anywhere for awhile......So yes a day without really cooking for me.....nice to take a night off....gotta love pizza night....I know the girls do....and I just can not get enough of the Gourmet Classic Italian.....so freaking good...especially with a little Tapatio hot sauce......

Shawn is putting the girls to bed right now sans Night Owl Lila, and then I think we are going to watch a movie....Hmmmm shall it be The Kingdom, Transformers, or The Nanny Diaries....

Brrrr.....Cold and Grey.....

I know most of you are laughing....but today it has been cold...lovely high of 46 degrees with a wind chill in the 30ths.....nothing like the temps that most of you are use to......but for here it is cold.....I suppose I am slowly getting use to wearing Tanks and Jeans all the time......I actually had to put on a jacket and a scarf today....I know POOR ME!

Lila appt.....Yes, Lila finally had her appt. It went really well. I got a really good feeling that the new Doctor is going to do great with my kids. (I will miss our old Doctor, she was really great too!) I do believe in first impressions for some situations and this is one of them. Even though her clinic is really busy she does take the time to get to know you and your child. It does help a little that she was selected as one of "Americas Top Pediatricians of 2007" who knows how they choose them and I am sure there are a ton of them but its still nice to know how good she is and how much she cares about the welfare and well being of her patients. She also spent her pediatric residency at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, one of the largest children's hospital in the United States. Yes, I did my research.....you gotta this day and age.....With that here are Lila's numbers she was 18lbs 10oz in the 35% for 10 month olds.....28 1/4 inches long in the 55% for 10 month olds....and of course her head was perfect in the 50%.....the doctor was surprised to know and hear that Lila can say more then a few sounds....I actually think it is pretty amazing too, considering the girls were not as talk-a-tive as Lila, who will mimic just about anything you say, from Lila, Daddy, Momma, DB....the best is when you are on a roll and she is repeating them and then all of a sudden I will say Kiara or Mikiah and Lila will look at me look at them (if they are in the room) and then say something else...I suppose those are a bit hard. Anyway, so the appointment went well, I like the new Dr and now I just need to get the twins in for an appointment too.....They were really bummed that they didn't have a check up today. Strange kids I have.....

After the appointment we were off to the gym, to finally get our membership cards and pictures taken....The girls and I got a tour (Dad was there too, but he has been there before).....it is a really nice place.....the twins went into the Kids Zone and of course stuck to each other like glue....But they said they will like going there while mommy and daddy work out....Although I am thinking that I will be going in the early AM most days and then picking 1-2 night a week and maybe 1 day on the weekends for us to go as a family.....I think one of the nights we will go as a family will be Tuesdays or Thursdays, ,they have a kids program about cooking, food and nutrition and they make a tasty snack....so cool.....

So that's about all we did today....finished the night with some grilled pork chops, rice and corn...and now I am having a glass of wine to toast this fine Thursday in Texas......

Dora and Diego, they love it......

You know your kids are growing up when Barney is out and Dora and Diego are in. They can not get enough Dora or Diego. MJ LOVES Diego....if we let her I really think she could watch it all day.....we definitely limit the girls TV watching but an episode here and there is ok in our book....Both girls and Lila go crazy when the theme songs for either come on, they run around dancing and shaking their hips.....So funny! They even sing the words......I will try to get a video of it....you will laugh!

As usual it seems we have not been up to much, the girls have been playing in their playroom....I have got to start having them clean and pick it up before bed, but hey at least the mess is upstairs where I don't have to see it....nor visitors.....Love the playroom....

Lila finally has her 9 month appt tomorrow...Yes, I know she is 10 months old.....Just hard to find a good DR that had an immediate opening for new patients....Plus our health insurance didn't kick in until Dec.....So I will be updating you as to her growth tomorrow.....I am excited to meet the girls new DR, she seems like she is going to be a good one....

Hanging at the house....

So we have not done much this weekend. We stayed close to home....watched a few movies.......enjoyed (well didn't enjoy the outcomes) watching the Cougs B-Ball and Seahawks.......Here are some weekend pics of the kids. Lila is a little stair climber these days.....time to lock down the stairs.....

Projecto Numero Uno..almost complete

AKA....'The Library'.....its almost done. We have some Crown Molding to purchase, paint and put up. It will really make the room complete. I have everything else picked out for the room too.....the list is long but the room should be done by March....some of the expenses are big, for instance a Leather Love seat and an Fabric Accent Chair.....while other expenses are not too big....Window Treatments, Decorative Mirrors, another book case, accent pillows & throw, more candles and art.....but below you will see what it looks like today.....and what it use to look like....and of course pics of the PINK primer (we will use grey next time)....I can not wait to get it finished......as you will see we have water spots on our camera lense (thanks for pointing out Shawn)...the walls look great and have no spots!.....Guess I need to keep it away from the kids!

Ahhh Sunday.....

Boy does the weekend go by fast when you got things to do......Saturday afternoon we all headed out for Home Depot.........we got some paint, supplies and a bunch more paint samples....The kids just love them and love picking them out....plus it kept them occupied while our paint was getting mixed up....."paint samples everywhere for everyone"......So I have been thinking and looking at the sample of red we picked out and I am pretty sure that we picked the same red that we had in Issaquah......We are searching for the old paint sample (yes we kept it).....Shawn thinks its a different color but will be totally impressed if I am right.....The cool thing was we were able to use the primer we already had....yeah....and it was just enough......same goes for the ceiling, we used a white we already had....so great......(in case you didn't know our house interior is all one color, a very light tan/sand with white base boards and window sills, it actually pretty nice).....

So here it is Sunday night and we have made some major progress....Shawn pretty much painted the room by himself, we got the ceiling done yesterday while the girls napped......and Shawn worked on the primer for the red and red today, while I took all three girls out to Costco and HEB, the local grocery store chain.....its not easy to paint with all the kiddos around, trying to keep them out of the room, out of the paint and away from the fumes....nap time, shopping and bedtime were big helps.....Shawn just finished the second coat of red...it looks great.....we will see in the morning if we want to go get more.....I am thinking 2 coats will probably be enough.....I have changed my mind about the Restoration Hardware window coverings I wanted.....TOO Expensive.....So I think I have found a less expensive set that look just as good.....and instead of paying $400+, the whole window covering should only be around $150.00 or soo.....much better and it will allow me to get them up sooner....which will be nice since there are no window covering or blinds in that room.....YEAH. I still have quite a few more things to get for that room, but I think we will have it completely done with leather couch and all after tax return time.....1 room down 5+ to go......Ok, Ok enough home projects for one day.....

Miss Lila is now standing all the time and moving around as much as she can...She also now knows how to get up a stair....so it looks like I will need to be moving the gate downstairs or we will need to get a new gate.....its hard cause our steps are rounded at the bottom so no matter what there will always be two steps for her to climb on.....I am sure we will figure it out....She is definitely more adventurous then the twins were.....more of a dare devil.....but on the other hand she is way more moody then the twins she goes from cold to hot in a matter of seconds....she actually throws her head back on the floor and kicks her feet and then rolls on her belly and screams into the carpet....I hope to get a video of it to show her when she gets older..........

So here is a sort of long video of Lila playing.....she is pretty cute....(I know I am biased)

Here are some recent pics.....

Finally getting on top of everything....

Ahhhh.....so after a few weeks of research and with Moving, Christmas, New Years and New Insurance....I have finally found a doctor for the girls. Man it is not easy moving to a new place and trying to make sure your kids receive at least the same level of care, if not better.....the girls LOVED their doctor in Issaquah, I am hoping they will like their new doctor too.....if not and if I do not like her too, then we can always change....but from what I know about the new Dr she seems like she will be wonderful.....one more thing scratched off my list.....phew.....Next on the list for the kids is researching pre-schools, budgeting big girl beds and closet organization stuff.....won't that all be fun!.......

So today was pretty status quo.....the twins are totally into Dora and Diego.....and are always trying to get me to put on "One of their shows"......Yes, I DVR their shows too......its nice to have a few recorded when I need to get something done, whether it be work, dinner or something else.....I figure an occasional babysitting by a semi education show can't be that bad.....

Tonight JD came over to watch the Twins (Thanks Uncle Joel!!).........So Shawn and I could have our coffee night out with our tag-a-long Miss Lila.....It also gave us time to get out and get some home decorating shopping done....we picked up a bookcase for the front room from Target....they were on sale we actually wanted two different ones, but one was sold out in the color we wanted so we got a rain check for that one (Love it price is good until Feb 19th).....and since we didn't buy it we ended up going to Pier 1 to see what sales they had going on.....and of course we ended up spending the money we would have spend on the 2nd bookcase......we got some candles, decorative plate, and decorative table (it was on sale) for the den.....which we also needed.....It looks like we are going to focus on getting the front room (Den) done in the house.....Shawn found some of our old paint.....I think we have enough white to do the ceiling and we have enough primer to prime the walls.....we have decided to go with a red walled, white ceiling, crown molding room....with dark wood bookcases & hutch, distressed leather love seat (probably be the last thing we buy) and some sort of accent chair all tied in with green and rich gold accents.....and.....I think I found some Silk/Satin window coverings too (also expensive, but I love them).....I will be sure to take some before and after pics.....Boy do I love decorating.....Its easy to go crazy.....

Hello 2008......

WOW!......What a year we have had.....Lila in March....Big Move in November.....a New House in December.....So many things to be thankful for this year.....Family, Great Friends and a wonderful support system....So here is a "Toast" to everyone on this fine New Years Day......"Cheers!"......

The girls slept through all the fireworks that were a blazing in the neighborhood last night......I was surprised at how lively it was.....very cool....Lila of course (my light sleeper) was awoken.....oh well....she went right back down and stayed asleep until 4.30am or sooo......She is doing a little better at sleeping in her crib.....but I must say Shawn and I do not mind when she joins us in bed around 4.30-5.00 am.....She is such a snuggle buggle....Love it....and she is SOOOO happy when she wakes up......

So this morning the girls were totally excited to see if the New Years Angel came.....(I grew up with this tradition it actually had a different name when I was growing up that is no longer politically correct so Shawn and I renamed it, anyway an angel comes by and fills your Christmas stocking with Fruit, Candy and a present for Good Fortune in the coming year).........As you can see they loved their presents.....Who knew the girls would get so excited about cleaning supplies.....to cute.....and of course they love their new pastel dishes for their kitchen....I already got to have a tea party with the girls in the 'White Kitchen'.......So fun....

Look Mommy a Kid Swiffer Mop

Check out My BroomBelow is the Family Loot.... Digging for Candy and Fruit.....

SO, Happy New Year Y'all!.......Love and Miss all......