Blessing in disguise....Not sure yet...

The craziest thing happened this morning on my way to the Suburban....I was heading outside (we park behind our house) and I am just about to get in the car when something catches me out of the corner of my eye...it was something moving in the bushes in the median.....then all of a sudden a coyote comes strolling out and crosses the street....looks down the hill at me (it was maybe 100ft away) turns around and runs up the hill on the sidewalk....Talk about insane....I mean I know the highlands is right in the middle of a forest.....and I have seen the occasional deer running up the sidewalk....and I guess there were some black bear sightings by the park at the top of the hill....so I suppose this shouldn't have been out of the ordinary....but man I was totally awake for my drive into work.....

So today I took a page out of the Nana Anna book.....I tried to get everything done when I got home from work....Pumping, Bottles made for tomorrow, dishes, coffee made, and I even cleaned out the fridge (Thanks Molly, you reminded me I needed to do that)...man it felt good to get all this done...Of course I couldn't have done it all if Lila hadn't taken a good morning nap...So thanks to Lila too!....

With all my TV shows wrapped up for the season my DVR is looking pretty empty which has caused me to have a New Addiction....the Soap Net channel....Yup addicted in 1 day.....I Love the old episodes of 90210......I could watch them all day....I swear I am such a TV junkie.....

On to a more serious note.....this could be a blessing although right now I don't think that the reality has totally set in for Shawn and me....Tonight Shawn was let go from Zango.....his whole team was let go and some other employees.....hard times call for hard measures in the private sector....he leaves on a good note with good experience....It really steps up his job search in Austin and now possibly anywhere with good housing and salary......Hopefully his search will go well.....he has had a few bites in Austin so I will keep you all posted....Our lease is up in Aug....so we should have a game plan soon.....I guess this just bumps everything up and causes us to be aggressive in the job hunt....In the meantime I will be talking to my boss to see if I can pick up some hours to help out with money at home....we shall see how that talk goes tomorrow....it would be short term so who knows if they will let me.........

So I am ending with a video of Lila chatting....she is starting to make more noises....Enjoy!

Too much to do on a hot day....

Man, I have been trying to get back in the swing of things today....I tell you there is so much to do around our house....Its the pits and a pigsty....UGH!.....I feel like there are messes everywhere......I totally thought we did a good job of having it picked up before we left.....and we did....But when we got home we just dumped everything in the living room....Its making me insane...Clothes and stuff everywhere....I tried to get most of it picked up today....Between that laundry folding (Shawn started laundry right when we got home yesterday so I have like 6 loads to fold!)...feeding the girls and Lila.....my day has been pretty busy and boring....and I still feel like I didn't make much progress on the house....

It was definitely a little warm to stroll around the neighborhood for Little Lila today...I would have loved to have gone out...but, I think she would have roasted in the baby carrier....so we just stayed inside and tried to keep cool.....and took a nap together during the girls nap time....I probably shouldn't have....I really should have been working on the rest of the house cleaning...oh well there is always tomorrow.....Lila has been making a little hard to get things done lately...she is so awake now....and she loves her momma....always wanting me to hold her and such....On a fun note...Lila has moved up in sizes...she seems/is so long......This is one chore I didn't mind doing today....Out with the 0-3 months, in with the 3-6 months.....I love folding and organizing all her new clothes, she has so many cute sundresses and rompers!....Ahhh...I could go on, but I will spare you.....

I sound totally grumpy today...I guess I am....it because of the house being a mess......but one sweet thing happened today.....I was squealing at Lila and smiling at her....she of course smiles back now all the time...well after one of my squeals she finally squealed back at me....Shawn was home for lunch so he got to hear it too......it sounds so cute...and she looks as though she is about to laugh......I just love all of her noises....she is such a happy baby....well most of the time!!......

On the road again...

Going home...what can I say......We made it....Packing this morning was stressful as usual....Lila wanting me, me trying to get it all done, get the girls up and grab a shower in between loading and breakfast and packing....The drive home was ok....The girls watched Cars....again....They tried to watch Monsters Inc but made me stop it in the same place as when we drove over....They must not like when the monsters line up at all their doors....oh well....about the drive....the big girls finally fell asleep after about 2 hours.....and of course about 10 min after they finally crashed out for a nap.....we had to stop and they both woke right up and were awake the whole rest of the trip....No naps for the big girls today....or me for that matter......which tells you pretty much how the rest of the day/night went....nothing better then being at home with 2 crabby, whining, and moody 2 1/2 year olds....UGh.....So happy that pizza for dinner cheered them up.....On a good note Lila slept the whole way....but was ready to eat when we got home....

Its so nice to be home....I love visiting and traveling....but I love being home...after finally getting all the girls down.....(It was a challenge tonight....Mikiah's fish are dead...we have to get some batteries tomorrow)......Shawn and I watched a movie, we probably should have been organizing and putting away clothes but I will save that for me to do tomorrow.....World Trade is what we watched...it was nice to see a different perspective on the tragedy....and it was a pretty good movie.......Late!

Memorial Monday.....

Hooray for Holiday's.....I love days off......Its so nice to have a 3 day weekend....well 5 days for me......Ahh....Today was another pretty good day.....the girls are totally into breakfast.....This morning it was French Toast and Harper Sausage (I just love Harper Sausage that Grandma Gail makes!! Soooooo Goood!).....my girls totally cleaned their plates and then some.....I think breakfast is fast becoming the favorite meal of the day for them.....they just pack it away.....

The weather this morning was pretty crappy......Raining and windy.....the girls and Nana Anna are showing signs of having colds...Lila included......with the wild weather we decided to stay indoors and play indoor games this morning....the girls were good this morning.....even blowing their noses on their own......After Nap, well I shouldn't even call it that....I think the girls were singing, laughing and talking the whole time they were laying down....anyway they had lunch and then they had Cookies n' Cream Z-BOPS™ (The Schwaan Man's version of Dipping Dots).....What a hit....They loved them.....I know I know...nothing better for sick kids then some ice cream....Oh well....here are some pics of them enjoying it....

Shawn and Aimee spent most of the day out at their grandparents...visiting and spending time with them...we were all supposed to go but with all the colds being passed around the girls and I decided to stay at the Harper's....Which was good, the girls got some quality Grandpa time.....(Nana wasn't feeling well and was napping)....Kiara was pretty funny today.....We really have to watch what we say around the girls now....more then ever.....I was talking to Grandpa about DB "Having a Hair up her Butt"....the next thing we know....Kiara is talking to DB...."DB you hair up you Butt?"....over and over...I think she was half expecting DB to answer the question.....Grandpa and I were laughing so hard....man they don't miss anything.....The girls had fun this afternoon playing in the Princess Castle (Again Thanks Karey for bringing this over!) with Grandpa...who got some good pics....

We were all excited when the sun finally came out......outside we went to take advantage of having a fenced yard.....it was cold though....thank goodness for the Chiminea....love those outdoor fires.....the girls just love being outside.....they had an especially good time today...Nana bought them some sidewalk chalk....they loved it...and created pics for a long time....I am going to have to get some....they just had so much fun....especially when Holly (Karey's 8 year old Daughter) came over......Mikiah LOVES Holly.....and asks for her all the time....its pretty cute....anyway here are a few snapshots of them creating..... and a pic of Lila all bundled up by the fire....

All in all it was a good weekend.....we will be heading back tomorrow morning.....

Love my Lazy Sunday's.....

I say it time and time again.....I LOVE my lazy Sunday's......I feel its the day where I can drink as much coffee as I want......Sleep and Nap all I want....I just love them.....

There was lots of action at the Harper House Pullman this morning....all about breakfast.....The girls were so excited to have pancakes that they hung out in the kitchen to help Nana make them....They just love helping in the kitchen.....Nana let them add ingredients....they were so proud of the pancake batter they made....and of course while they were helping with pancake batter Grandpa Harper was making Bacon....Now, my girls just love bacon....its new....they both use to like it, Kiara more then Mikiah...but now they both love it....I think they ate more bacon sitting on the counter as it was all getting cooked then I ate total....sneaking pieces off of grandpa's done bacon plate....Too cute....When all of breakfast was finally ready.....we sat down to eat....The girls continued to chow down on the bacon....asking for pieces every few minutes...but they can pack away the pancakes too and they did....I have never seen them eat so many...(could be they didnt eat much dinner last night)....but geesh I think they both ate more then I did.....and let me tell you....they both had syrup from ear to ear.....So funny....Kiara ate the middle out of one of her pancakes and said "Look Mommy now I have a doughnut!"....of course we all laughed.....Now I am thinking we must eat way to many doughnuts at our house....No more Krispy Kreme for the rest of the spring.....and summer!!! (Mean Momma has stepped in!!)

After breakfast it was time for an all girls bath.....Mainly to get off all that sticky-ness....The girls love bath time....well today I surprised them.....Lila needed a bath too....so I washed her in the tub too....they girls were thrilled...."Look Lila in bath with MEEEE!".....here is a pic of all of them....enjoying a soak...I think you can see the excitement in Kiara's face.....

This afternoon we weren't up to much....a whole lot of napping.....the girls played outside a bunch, in between the rain and wind....today's weather was totally wacky....real sunny and hot but when the wind came it was cold wind.....I guess it was nice to get cooled off right when you were getting hot.....During the rainy time we played inside....today's favorite was Dress Up....As you know the girls love to wear my shoes...and I have been meaning to make a dress up bag with old clothes and shoes...well today Nana helped me get started....she got out a bunch of purses, shoes, and clothes for the girls to dress up in....They loved it....and pranced all around the house in Nana's clothes, shoes and of course purses.....My girls love a good purse.....(Hmmm I wonder who they take after).....here is a pic of Kiara dressed up and wanting to go outside to see Grandpa....I love the double purse and huge shoes....

After nap....Yes, the girls are still able to stay on their schedule here....SO happy about that...I know there will come a day when they won't need to nap anymore.....soaking it up while I can......anyway when they woke up it was sunny out...and of course they were headed straight outside....They love it....and I love it....man I can not wait to have a yard.....UGH! is all I can think about when thinking about going home to no yard.......So today Grandpa Harper has his own little shadow....Kiara was at his side most of the afternoon...If Grandpa when to check on the BBQ Turkey, Kiara when to check on it....If Grandpa when to pick up dog poop, Kiara when to help.....If Grandpa went to sit down, Kiara went and sat with him....It was so adorable....Kiara really had a good day with Grandpa....she just adores him....So cute to see....She was Grandpa's helper all day.....Speaking of Grandpa.....he made the best BBQ-ed Turkey today.....the rub he used was his best yet...(Well in my opinion).....So tasty....wish you were all here to eat it....Well no I don't cause then there wouldn't be any leftovers for me for tomorrow.....oh and guess what.....we ate dinner at 5.00pm....no food confusion for me tonight....

So right now as I type this....I am feeling guilty about the bowl of ice cream I just ate....My favorite flavor....Mudslide by Tillamook....Why did Nana have to mention she had some....I Love it but I soooo didn't need the extra calories tonight....I guess I will have to hop on the Harper's Precor Elliptical machine tomorrow........Man I wish we could afford one of those...and wish we also had the room for one......I just love them.....Oh well its getting late....I need to go feed Lila her last feeding of the night.....

Family BBQ Saturday.....

Lila was back to her old schedule today....This morning we were up at 4.30 ish....its all good....since she went down around 10pm-ish.....we went back to sleep till about 7.30am.....Shawn and his mom went to the farmers market in Moscow this morning....I wasn't feeling it this morning and plus I knew I would need to feed Lila and get the girls up on time....it was nice to have a morning with the girls, Grandpa and Aimee.....The girls helped Grandpa plant tomatoes this morning.....boy did they have fun...The sure do love doing things with Bapa....I wish I had taken some pics...oh well...but here are some of the Horse Tire Swing from yesterday....Kiara has since named the swing "HEE-HAW"....Daddy asked her what we should name it and that was the first thing out of her mouth....The swing is so fun for the girls....after playing on it today it looks like we will need to raise it just a bit....I am sure Grandpa will have it all taken care of in the AM...

So I found out today that both my girls, but especially Mikiah, are afraid of the lawn mower...I mean at home we have a yard guy that comes around once a week to mow and the girls don't always see him....so watching Grandpa and Daddy mow today wasn't fun for the girls....MJ had the biggest tears...and clung on tight to whoever was closer to her.....Nanna Anna did a pretty good job trying to distract the girls by having them help her plant some new plants....it sort of worked but they were still terrified...I am sure they will get over it soon....

Today we had a good ol' fashioned family bbq...hamburgers, hot dogs, beans and potato salad....I love American food...it was all good...Great Grandma Gail and George came down from Spokane to meet the newest great granddaughter Lila....She is Lila's middle namesake.....She now has 4 great granddaughters....No great grandsons yet.....here is a pic of the two of them....She is such a pro....raising 7 kids of her own on a farm.... and man can she cook!

The Robinson 8 (Shawn's aunt and uncle and their 6 kids, by far the best behaved kids I know!!) also came down from Spokane for the bbq......although today they were the Robinson 7.....one of their sons was on a trip and couldn't make it....It was good to see Shawn's cousins...they are all growing up so fast....I still cant believe that their oldest son is graduating high school in two weeks....crazy.......Kiara and Mikiah just love playing with the Robinson Girls...they all were pretty busy playing the whole afternoon.....

I have to thank Karey for bringing over the outdoor play kitchen.....The girls played there pretty much all day....Mikiah and Kiara are loving it....their food imaginations run wild....so cute...here is pic of Mikiah practicing washing her hands....I guess she is learning from watching Barney....

Today was a great day.....except for DB who keeps picking fights with Aimee's dog Zoe....and Zoe is such a great mellow submissive dog....Not sure what hair is up DBs ass today....but there is something going there....Anyway all in all its been a good day....I got to have a glass of Sangria (My Recipe, Kari you know the one).....LOVE IT....I could have drank the whole Gallon....but nope I am a good mommy and only had one small glass....I just forgot how good it is.....man....So Yummy!.....Its nice right now to be sitting all along in the Harper's living room....I guess I have been needing just a little bit of me time....I feel as though Lila has been attached to me all day....even though she really hasn't......I also am deciding if I need to eat a snack...I love BBQs and stuff but I have a hard time eating dinner at 3.oopm....dessert around 4.30pm.....and then not eating for the rest of the night....it totally messes up my eating....so now its a bit too late to eat...but I am a bit hungry.....oh well, guess I will just slam some water and try not to think about food....hmmmm, I don't think I can do that.....I think food thoughts occupy about 75% of my brain....ughhh, oh well enough about food........I am going to end tonight's blog with my favorite pic of the day.....

Kiara Bear...."Seriously its just Juice Mommy"

*****It was just juice....in a plastic beer cup *****

Girls Day Friday......

So today has been pretty great....Lila decided to sleep 8 hours last night...I think this is the 2nd or 3rd time she has done this...she usually only sleeps about 6-6.5 hours at night.....Well anyway I woke up hurting.....I seriously was going to wake her up is she slept any longer.........anyway it was really nice to sleep for 8 hours straight....

After coffee and breakfast....It was hair appt time.....Fonda did another great job at cutting off all the crap and layering around my face....it was good to see her and catch up....Nanna Anna and Sindy also had hair appts....we pretty much had an hour and 1/2 block of Fonda's time....Anyway it was a good time.....and my hair thanks me.....it has the weight lifted off now....

This afternoon was girls time........Anna, Sindy, Karey, Aimee and Anna's Mom Mary (We call her Gram) piled into the Suburban and off The Old Post Office Wine Bar we went.....I can remember when I first moved to Pullman......The Old PO was a movie theater....where you could go to watch second run movies...it was pretty cool and small....funny how things change....and I love a good wine bar.....anyway my lunch was good OPO Classic Panini....So good Mozzarella, Tomato, Basil, Olives, Salami and Vinaigrette....Loved it....and it came with a salad....and of course I ate all of it...after lunch we did a bit a shopping in downtown Pullman....So many new cute shops....I saw so much cute baby stuff....but man expensive...so I didnt get anything.....but it was still fun to see a bunch of new cute shops.....and boy was the weather just gorgeous.....So Sunny....and warm....

Then it was off to our Pedicure Appts.....we went to a pretty cute little place in Moscow, ID called Essence......My new toe color of the moment 'Don't Wine... Yukon Do it!'.....this is my new motto for the weekend!......I just love picking out nail color.....the names are so great.....(Michelle wish you were there to help go through all the names!)......Anyway, they were able to do four of us at a time....all on this big long pretty comfortable leather bench....it was pretty cool.....and a ton of fun....we were the last appts of the day so of course we brought our own beverages......a cooler filled with a couple bottles of white wine....both a little sweet for me but the 2nd Bottle we had (I only had tastes of both since I was driving) was good...a German Dry Riesling....Yum on a hot day.....So I am in love with my toes now....I just love getting pampered.....

The girls had a good day too....with Dad and Grandpa....I got to hear a little bit about it from the girls when I got home.....Dad and Grandpa put a Horse Tire Swing on a tree it the back yard...its pretty cool and I can't wait to see the girls on it tomorrow...I will take some pics too!!!....Such a good day all the way around...

And we are off....and made it....

Talk about another insane morning....I felt like I was in Fast Forward all morning, only really slowing down to nurse Lila....But I didnt realize how much more we had left to pack.....and I ended up having to pack for Shawn too.....But amazingly enough I was all done by 1pm....The time we were suppose to leave....Shawn's cousin Aimee arrived on time....but of course Shawn was no where to be seen....I called him at about 1.15pm.....Voicemail....called again at 1.30 on both work and cell.....lovely voicemail....He finally calls back at 1.50...."Sorry got pulled into a meeting...be home in 15min....".....Mind you by this time all three girls were cranky.....Kiara and MJ were in serious need of a nap.....holy crabby.......Lila was fussy and hungry.....So when Shawn hadn't showed up by 2.15...I decided to feed Lila.....I am so glad I did cause we didn't end up leaving until 3:ooish.....Boy do I hate leaving late.....I can't really blame Shawn since it was work related...But I can be mad at the situation.....So off to Pullman we went....with 3 crabby kids, 3 frustrated adults and 2 hyper dogs......What a ride!!!!.....Thankfully the girls slept for a little bit....and were entertained by my moms portable DVD player (we will be getting one installed sooner rather then later, THANKS Mom).....They just love the movie Cars.....Lila napped off and on, sucked on her binki a lot (which she never does).....and made it 5 hours with out nursing....but man she was ready when we got here......all in all the trip was pretty good.....I must say....I totally love the Suburban....So much room!....Gas isn't great but oh well.....its still worth it.....

So we made it here....Love Pullman....we were greeted with a yummy Asian Salad dinner and Sloppy Joes....So good....The girls were excited to see Nanna Anna and Grandpa.....and DB was thrilled to be able to run around a fenced yard with other dogs.....Mikiah was so excited to be here that she didnt want to go to bed......and had a "Lovely" meltdown......WOW, is all I can say.....I haven't seen Shawn and me so stressed at the same time in a long time....usually its just one or the other.....oh well Mikiah finally went to bed......and we all were able to relax.....Shawn with a few drinks and me with a piece of Chocolate cake.....Yup...I gotta have my Chocolate!

Packing overload...

Oh Boy.....today has been insane...So we are going to Pullman tomorrow for the long weekend and we will be coming back on Tuesday....I thought it was hard getting the 4 of us ready for a trip....add in a newborn who goes though clothes like they are going out of style (She has started drooling...ALREADY!)....and geesh...I feel like we are packing up the whole house.....

So this morning was pretty frustrating....frustration brought on by myself....another example of me trying to get stuff done when I probably should just wait till a better time....UGH!.....(I was taking advantage of a napping Lila).....So I was sitting here on the couch trying to get the outfits and clothes pack for all 3 girls and Kiara was just being a total poop.....I would have outfits arranged and stacked on the couch....and as I was folding more clothes to take, she would knock the pile off the couch....of course unfolding the whole stack...this continued till about the third stack.....when I practically lost it.....gave up and put all the clothes on the table....I was finally able to get their clothes all packed during the twins nap time...Lila observing and bouncing along in her seat.....she has decided she doesn't want to nap during the girls nap time unless she is laying with me.....gonna have to get that figured out....Nap time is my time to get stuff done!.....

So I think I have everything pretty much ready.....I am sure I will be forgetting something....I was able to get Kiara and Mikiah fed and bathed before Dad got home from work tonight and he got home at a good time, 6.15pm.....It was nice to have that done so we could pick up the toys and get the house all cleaned for when we get home from Pullman....Nothing worse then coming home to a messy house.....So we are done...and its nice to sit here and enjoy a peacefully quiet and clean house......I think I just spoke too soon....Lila is starting to cry.....she sure loves her momma......

'Jelly Sandwich Mommy'......

So I was planning on blogging last night but between the 'Heroes' finale and my lovely husband checking out his fantasy baseball on the home laptop for hours on end (he got home late and left his laptop at work)...making breakfast/lunches and coffee.....I didnt get a chance to put down my thoughts and tell you about my day....so you will have to settle for bits and pieces of yesterday and today...

So over the weekend Kiara finally figure out how to say Mikiah....She has been calling her MJ for a long time and now all of a sudden she has started to call Mikiah by her name.....it is so funny......she has been yelling it all day long....'MIIIKIIIAAHHHH'.......'MIIIIKIIIIAAAHHHHH'....and let me tell you she totally yells it, no inside voices here.....Kiara wants Mikiah to do everything with her....trying to get her to hold hands, dance with her, play with her, cook with her and eat with her....Kiara also isn't shy to tell Mikiah when she is doing something she shouldn't.......she can be a bit overbearing but Mikiah does a good job of just saying no......and pushing her away....she can't be bossed around....

Today, besides yelling "Mikiah" all day.....Kiara made her own sandwich.....I gave her a choice between Turkey/Cheese Sandwich or Jelly Sandwich....(I still haven't let the girls try Peanut Butter...I know, I know most kids have had it by now...the Dr said 3 years old, but who knows I may let them try it soon).....Well Kiara picked Jelly....so I was able to get a shot of her fixing her lunch....she made Mikiah's sandwich too....since they split it.....

I finally have some quiet time....all the girls are sleeping....including the dog (who is snoring loudly!).....I am eating a small piece of Texas Sheet Cake (Thanks Michelle, love this recipe!)....as I am eating it I am realizing that I'm still addicted to Chocolate....it is worse then ever....M&M's, candy bars, ice cream, chocolate milk, brownies, cake......I thought it would go away after having Lila....NOPE...I still want to eat some form of chocolate everyday.....this little habit of mine is not going to help me lose my baby weight....I am trying to have will power but I just have to have a little bit....man guess this means I need to work out more.....ugh!!!....RUN MORE KAELEE!

Well Lila is awake...and ready to eat.....I better go feed her......Here are some other pics from today.....Enjoy!

The boys are back in town...

Well I didn't have too much time to blog yesterday...So I am just going to run through an account of the highlights from yesterday....

Sunday morning went like most mornings.....Coffee, Breakfast and Barney....Yesterday was Kiara's day to be 'Miss Bossy'....Apparently in her mind grown ups are not allowed to sing along with Barney.....Grandma Paula was singing along.....which is pretty easy to do as the songs are totally catchy and easily get stuck in your head..(I have been singing "Flying in an Airplane looking out the Window....FOR DAYS! Someone help me!)....anyway back to Barney yesterday morning...Grandma was singing along and Kiara must not have liked it...she blurted out "Grandma Paula, DON'T do that again...NOOO Grandma No singing!!"......I couldn't believe it....How rude is all I could think....and man she was serious.....It was pretty funny...she would continue to get mad the more Grandma Paula would sing....I think Kiara will always be my 'Bossy' one....must be that she is 2 minutes older....I didn't realize the difference 2 mins would make.....

So I picked up the boys yesterday morning from the airport...Shawn, Marcus and Joe....They were all pretty tired from the Wedding....but all said it was a great time...It was nice to visit with Marcus before Jill picked him up and they headed home....The rest of Sunday was filled with some shopping, errands, and house chores.....Its so nice to have my garbage man back!!!

The highlight of the evening....ABC's Table dancing.....So we have a trunk that we use as a coffee table in the living room.....well it has now become the spot for table dancing by the girls....for about 20 min Kiara and Mikiah insisting on singing the ABC's over and over and dancing on the trunk at the same time...too cute...they pretty much have the ABC song down...but I have to sing along with them....and the dancing is just funny....I will have to get some video of it.....totally cracks Shawn and I up.....

'Miss Bossy'.........

I just love Saturday's.....sleeping in, drinking coffee and reading the paper....Lazy mornings are my favorite....which was pretty much how my morning was today.....Lila and I were up around 7am...the girls around 8.00am.....it was good morning all the way around...the girls were excited to watch some Saturday morning cartoons....(I was in a good mood and rewarded them with a lil TV this morning).....Little Einstein's is what they chose to watch.....They have just started watching them and seem to enjoy them......Mikiah was enjoying the cartoon so much that she shushed Grandma Paula today......It was so funny....Grandma was talking during the cartoon and Mikiah turns to her 'Shush Grandma Paula'...and she then put her finger in front of her lips.....to tell Grandma to be quiet......I was laughing so hard....it was just hilarious.....wish you were all here to see it.....I have never seen Mikiah so bossy....Its usually Kiara's expertise....

I was able to finally catch up on my TV Shows today.....my poor mom sitting through all of it...Thanks mom for being a good sport!......I watched the season finally of Greys Anatomy....Love it.....Cliffhanger endings are always good....Love that we don't know who is coming back......I also watched Wed episode of One Tree Hill....So glad that Lucas finally knows who killed his uncle Keith.....oh and I watched thur/fri Young and the Restless...Still can't believe Nick Newman died.....just crazy....as I am typing this I realize I watched a ton of TV today....holy TV junkie.....I dont remember what my TV life was like before we got our DVR, I really don't think I could live with out it (Ok, I know I could but still).......

Costco was on my lists of things to do today.....I went by myself during the girls nap time.....it was nice......I went in with 3 items on my list (Coffee, Pull ups and Baby wipes).......and of course 10 extra items and $150 dollars later (I did donate some money to Children's Hospital)....I was on my way back home....Costco is a Love/Hate relationship for me.....I love it....but hate that I always spend so much money....I swear every item is $10 dollars....insane.....

So tonight we watched Charlotte's Web....such a cute movie.....The girls did a pretty good job sitting through it....they would get up....run around and then come back sit down and watch more of it...Tonight was also bath night.....the girls wanted to be all clean for daddy tomorrow....I scrubbed Lila's cradle CRAP off....so much better now.....I just love how the girls smell after baths....so clean....Oh and I got the girls to finally help clean their room.....they would rather do that then go to bed....it was pretty funny...."Lets keep cleaning Mommy".....

Now I am just sitting here....thinking I need to look up Shawn's flight tomorrow.....I am sure he would probably like a ride home.....it sure will be nice to have my garbage man back....I can not stand taking out the trash and the recyling...ugh.....I hate it.....and.....I am outta here.....

Maaaanilllla Mommy!.......

So work today was good.....I got so much done, but the day still went by really slow...I was so glad to be driving home at 4.00pm....but today it took me an unusually long time to get home....the reason why "Bike to work day"......I drive on East Lake Sammamish to and from work and there are usually a few bicyclist, but today holy crap there were tons causing a chain reaction of some very slow driving on a two lane road......I give them all props though.....I know I couldn't bike to work being the shape I am in..."Way to go Bicyclists!"..........

When I finally got home....Kiara went from totally chilled out to running around the house and acting crazy.......I swear it was like going from 1st gear to 5th in 30 seconds.....She was a maniac....running all round, crawling all over the couch, chasing DB.....I had to ask Grandma Paula what happened to my calm and collective daughter.....Grandma didn't have a clue....She said the girls were good all day......Well except the pre nap coffee incident...So Grandma Paula fixed herself an Iced Vanilla Coffee today....she set it on the table...and ran to the bathroom....Well, when she got back it was half gone....When she asked what happened & where did it go (she thought maybe they spilled it)...Kiara said "Kiara do that"..."Maaannniillla Grandma, taste like Maaannniillla!"......So apparently both girls helped themselves to Grandma's Iced Coffee while she was not in the room....Little sneaky stinkers.....So new house rule....No Iced/Cold coffee in reach of small children (the girls already know not to touch hot coffee)....anyway it was funny enough for Kiara & Mikiah to tell me about it when I got home....So not only did I get Grandma's side of the story I also got the girls side...."We had Maaannniillla Mommy!"....."Grandma's Maaannniillla"...I love that they still can't say their V's......

I talked to Shawn tonight.....he is having a great time in Texas....I even told him that I realized how much of a help he is around the house.....this past week I have picked up his duties and man there are a bunch of them.....from taking out the garbage, to checking the mail, to getting the girls ready for bed, to keeping up with the laundry.....man honey you do a lot!!!...its appreciated!........

Been busy over here....potty training anyone????

So with Shawn gone I feel I have been real busy, real tired and I have missed being able to get my thoughts down.....At work, I have been working on getting my performance evaluation done...I finally finished it....I absolutely hate doing them...I get so tired of talking about myself and what a great team player I am, and how good I am a multitasking....etc.......Oh well at least I am done with my part of the eval.......but still working on it always seems like a waste of time when there is so much work to do....or more important things going on.....

Grandma Paula has been helping out in the mornings while Shawn is gone....I really appreciate her being able to be here.....The girls just love her....She went to my brother's house yesterday to help out my sister in law who has been under the weather....anyway I told the girls she would be back later....they were like "Ok mommy".....but after nap they got up wanting to know where she was....I told them she was at Uncle Joe and Auntie Victoria's visiting and taking care of their cousin...and they again were like "Ok Mommy".....well about an hour later Kiara comes up to me and says "I miss Grandma Paula"....It was adorable....but of course made me feel like chop liver....apparently I am not as fun as Grandma Paula....she kept asking "When will Grandma Paula be here?"....Over and over...until Grandma came back....and boy were the girls excited....jumping and waving from the slider glass door....

We finished last night with a yummy dinner that I haven't made in years "Teriyaki Chicken Salad w/Poppy Seed Dressing"......I dont make it cause Shawn doesnt eat it...man was it good....totally reminding me of high school and living with my mom....after dinner we took Grandma Paula's car over to Todd/Melissa's.....he drove it to work today and fixed it all up for her.....

Today Kiara decided she wanted to wear underwear and try the potty out.....I think its because I told her that her friend Natalie was almost done with Potty Training....and of course since Kiara wanted to potty train Mikiah wanted to as well......both girls did pretty well all morning....sitting on the potty and reading their potty books.....but right before nap Kiara just pees while she is standing right next to the potty.......we tried to get her to sit on it and she was like no way......oh well at least she was close to it.....they both wanted their pull ups back on for nap.....which I probably would have done anyway.....they both still continued to try to potty off and on throughout the day....So tomorrow I will be making a chart and will get some stickers....and of course M&Ms.....to reward just for sitting on the potty......fingers crossed that we wont have too many set backs......I mean I totally expect lots of accidents......but I am just ready for the girls to move forward with training....we shall see how it goes.....I think it helped that Natalie and Melissa came over today......and the girls were able to see Natalie's potty training in action.....We had a good visit w/Melissa and Nat......so much fun....Its so great to see all the girls playing together.....Thanks for stopping by Melissa....The girls talked about you and Natalie after you left....all good things!

I just have to say I made a super yummy dinner tonight....Mini Penne Pasta w/Steak & Arugula....its basically a pasta salad with a homemade balsamic dressing, sliced steak, fresh herbs and Arugula....the recipe was good but of course I did alter it....I added Goat Cheese....Soooo good....I love cooking when Shawn is gone....for the simple fact that I can make what I want.....without having to worry about him liking it or not......plus I get to use lots of fresh veggies......and have salads for dinner....Well I better get to bed....I got 10 hours of work to put in tomorrow.....

And then it was just us girls....

So today was a busy day....I have had two of them in a row....man am I tired and crap is almost 11pm. This morning wasn't too much out of the norm.....worked...came home....Pumped (ugh).....and read books with Kiara & Mikiah.....After putting them down for nap....I ran Shawn and Joe (Gecas) to the airport....They are Austin Texas bound......and are attending a good friends wedding...I am still bummed that we weren't able to work it out so I could go....Oh well......Just means I have a trip/vacation coming to me.......wait a minute....I should have two trips coming to me....Shawn also went to Auburn, AL over Labor Day....Hmmm...thats two vacations for a totaling about 9 days.....geesh, where to go.....and who to go with......No kids thats for sure!!!...

Any way back to today....after dropping off the boys....I headed to do some grocery shopping.....Trader Joe's was first on my list.....and boy do they know how to get someone to buy something.....Today they had Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip and Chips ready when I walked through the door.....and of course I had to try it....and then I had to buy both....gotta love impulse purchases....I finished my shopping at Fred Meyer......I just have to say I love grocery shopping....I know I am INSANE.....most people hate it....I could do it everyday.....for me its another short time away from the kids....and even when I have to bring them I still usually enjoy it......

The girls were pretty good today....Kiara became a pill when I wouldn't give her any of my Iced Mocha.....she thinks she is entitled to have everything you have.....we have been teaching her she doesn't always get what she wants.....but man she just didnt get that concept today.....we had some minor then major screaming.....oh well...what can you do....Lila was pretty quite most of the day.....recovering from her 1st round of immunizations....lately she has been munching on her fists.....she loves them.....She won't take a Binky, which is totally fine by me.....considering Kiara and MJ still use theirs from time to time in their crib.....I know they are too old but we have made an arrangement that they don't get to have them anymore when they move into big girl beds.....and they both agreed...we shall see how that goes when the time comes....Here are some pics of Lila and her fists....and her new love...her bouncy seat....She was not a big fan of the infant papasan or the swing so I was sure she would hate her bouncy seat too....I love it when she proves me wrong!.....

Lastly I want to wish Shawn luck this week with a few job interviews.....Honey, I know you will do great and we are so proud of you. Lots of love from your girls!.....Miss you!

Mom's Day Monday....

Well yesterday I didnt have time to blog because it was My Mom's Day (we got to do what she wanted to do). When I got home from work yesterday it was off to Lila's 2 month appt....She is growing great measuring in at 24 1/2 inches long (97%) and 11lbs 15 oz (50-75%).....Dr said she looked great and was developing wonderfully.....She has been spitting up a bit more lately and not very happy after she spits up so we will be watching that, if it keeps up we may have to take Lila back to see if she may be suffering from Acid Reflux.....I sure hope not cause the Dr was mentioning that I would need to stop drinking milk for 2 weeks to see if its the cows milk causing the reflux.....I about died...I dont think the Dr realizes how much milk I drink a day.....in breakfast, with lunch, with dinner....with dessert if we have it....I mean we go through probably 4 gallons a week....lots of milk drinking here....

After Lila's appt we went to where I grew up....My mom needed to run home for some stuff and a sewing class....so we were off to Bremerton.....We had a good time....we went to Grandma Paula's house....the girls got to look for Betty (my mom's psycho cat)....had lunch....then we were off shopping....I haven't been to the mall at home in a long time....I try not to go as I hate running into people I know (I hate all the small fake talk like we were good friends or something).....anyway we only went to one store...JCPenny...we got Shawn a gift...a wheeled garment bag for his future traveling....they were having a huge sale....so it was too good to pass up.....after the mall it was off to Grandma Paula's work....Lila wasn't too pleased to be there....she was a bit on the fussy side....But you can't blame her since she did have 4 shots before she went.....anyway it was fun to see the people Grandma Paula works with ....Kiara and Mikiah were great....they love being showed off.....after that is was back to G-Paula's for a feeding and then off to her sewing class.....The girls and I watched the movie Cars in the Suburban while the sewing class was going on....(Grandma has a portable DVD)....it was nice...and totally bumped getting a DVD system in the Burb up to the top of my big purchase list....It was nice...the girls were so good....After sewing it was back to the Quah....we got home around 8.30pm...it was an all day event.....but a good time had by all.....

Happy Mom's Day Y'all!

I hope all you Mom's out there had a wonderful Mother's Day!....I know I did.....Today was great....All the girls had good days....The twins help cook brunch this morning......They are becoming quite the little chefs......And yes I did most of the cooking on Mother's Day.....I love too cook so I wouldn't have it any other way......we had a wonderful quiche....and have changed the recipe and renamed it "Kaelee's Mother's Day Quiche".....I know totally original!....it was sooo good.....and so were the Mimosa's Shawn made to go with them....they are becoming legendary......Here are a few pics of my little helpers!

This afternoon.....Mom, Kiara and Mikiah took naps while Shawn and I watched the movie The Good Shepherd it was a pretty good movie.....CIA movies tend to be a little on the slow side these days...but Shawn and I did enjoy it...After all the naps it was cupcake making time.....and then dinner....Shawn was a big help today especially with all the girls, the housework and making dinner.....I think I may have changed 1 poopy diaper today......He cooked mom and my steaks perfectly....Yum yum!....He copied a bunch of my cds on to my laptop & iTunes....getting me all ready for running!.....Thanks for all your help today honey!....He too had some helpers in the kitchen!....I just have to say that the girls are totally into cheesy smiles now.....man it cracks me up....They make it so hard to get a good pic.....oh well....

Today was such a great day......I want to thank my family.....It was wonderful to spend today with my Mom, Shawn and the girls....Mom, you're the best and I hope you know it. Thanks for spending Mother's day with us!! Anna I hope you had a nice Mother's day with Jerry and the Pooches.....Love You All....

Talk about a Zoo at the Zoo...

Today we got up and went to 'Mom & Me @ the Zoo'.....holy cow were there lots of people there.....Kids, Strollers, Wagons & Parents everywhere......We had a really good time.....The girls were really good....well for the most part.....Neither wanted to ride in the wagon.....even when they could barely walk (which was when we finally left).....both girls enjoyed taking turns on Dad's shoulders......they didn't want to hold our hands all the time either so we let them walk freely....which was a good test for them and for us as they grow up and start to become self sufficient.....they did pretty good walking on their own....I believe each only ran off once...well now that I think about it, it may have been more like 2 or 3 times.......We did see lots of animals from Lions, Bears, Giraffes, Elephants and more........We also ran into our good friends Melissa, Todd & Natalie....along with Melissa's Mom, Sister & her kids, and brother.....it was great to see them....Melissa and I will be starting up our play dates again....Yeah!!! Here are some pics from the Zoo...

The Zoo

After the zoo it was off to McDonald's drive thru....It had been a long time since we had been there....The girls got Happy Meals....they were so hungry that they actually at all of their chicken nuggets..... They loved their toy this time...talking Shrek figures.....the talking Shrek says three things......anyway the girls just love it.....they have started yelling "I AM AN OGRE".....over and over....its pretty funny...and of course they had to take them to nap time......yet another toy in their crib, still trying to figure out how they have room to lay down....Well that's about all from here.....We stayed in most of the rest of the day....I think Grandma Paula and I went grocery shopping.....I made some dinner.....and now we just finished watching The Guardian....it was pretty good... Well its late and I am off to bed......

"Me Potty Mommy!"

Just a quick bit about Friday....since I ran out of hours in the day to post.....I swear 24 is not enough some days......So Kiara and Mikiah had decided that they want to sit on the potty chair again....We took a hiatus as they started to refuse potty training.......I know, they are 2 1/2 and probably should already be trained but I feel they will do it when they are ready....but its a positive sign that they want to sit on the chair again...so hopefully it will happen soon...cause I can not stand changing their poopy diapers.....especially now that we have Lila....talk about a difference.....I totally forgot how different they are....It makes me love changing Lila's diapers.....well I guess I wouldn't say love, but I totally prefer it....

Along with wanting to use the potty more.....Kiara has also decided to get herself dressed these days....she does really well putting on her pull up, pants and shirt.....socks pose to be problematic.....I must say I love having twins.....its so fun to see the differences in skills, wants and needs.....Mikiah has no interest in getting her clothes on herself....she would rather I get her dressed.....the girls are funny that way about a lot of things....just different....I guess it would be boring if they were at the same level all the time and thought the same about everything....

Oh so lastly for Friday......Mother's Day came early for me.....Grandma Paula, Kiara, Mikiah, Lila & DB gave me my Mother's Day gift early....A silver iPod Shuffle......I love it.....the coolest thing is its engraved with 'Mother's Day 2007'....how cool is that.....I just need to get it all set up and I am off running and training....So Excited....Thanks you guys...Love you bunches....

Fenced Yard Envy......

Ok so today has been another beautiful day.....So sunny and nice...I love it....and on a day like today I totally have Fenced Yard Envy....from the girls bedroom window we can see the yards of our neighbors....its true we can people watch w/o really being seen....anyway so after nap time I got Kiara up and she was looking out her window.....she could see one of our neighbors yards.....she saw a little girl about her age playing in a raised sand box with the mom relaxing on a blanket in the sun....She ask me "Mom what she doing?" and pointed to the girl...I explained that she was playing in her backyard with her sandbox......Well Kiara then blurted out "Kiara Bear want a backyard!"....."Kiara Bear want sandbox".......I laughed and replied "So do I"....she said "Mommy being funny"....I told her we would have a fenced backyard someday and maybe a sandbox....she said "Ok Mommy"...in her usual cutie Kiara voice....So today I totally have yard envy....I so want a fenced backyard....we have a patch of grass next to a super busy road...not exactly a place for the kids to play....We do have lots of parks...but alls I can picture is me trying to take the girls and Lila, the girls running in opposite directions, not listening and me trying to chase after them...Its challenging enough when Shawn and I take the girls to the park....especially when they don't want to leave the park....which is every time we go....

We did go on our walk again today....It was so nice, and I had us go a little further so I could get a good leg work out....I think I would get a decent work out if DB didn't have to stop and potty eight times...and No, I am not exaggerating....she totally ruins my momentum....but I would feel like a horrible dog parent if I didn't take her on our walks.....I do know that I won't be taking her when I start running....which is this weekend....I know Mother's Day...I think its perfect....

So tonight was our last night eating spaghetti, it probably was one of my best batches...I make it the same way every time but it always comes out a little different....I must say the girls have been good sports, eating it over and over....usually Mikiah won't eat repeat meals.....lets just say she is not a big fan of leftovers....of course unless its blue box mac n cheese.....but you already know of her love for Mac n Cheese.......

I am off to finish watching TV....I love Grey's Anatomy.....and Ugly Betty is always good for a laugh.....