I have some girls on a big new adventure....

So Mikiah and Kiara are at their 1st day of Kindergarten! I could see the excited and nervousness written all over their faces as they loaded on the bus. They are ready and a little shy, which I think most kinders are....Nice part is a friend of mine called me after she dropped of her son and she said she saw my girls and seemed to be doing ok....I am sure this will be an exciting adjustment for them....by the end of the week they will have it all down....Here are a couple of pics...

Summer.....where did it go....

Wow....so it has been too long since my last post. I haven't posted anything in 2010...Seriously...talk about insane! I really have no one to blame for this but myself and my lack of words to share....So now that summer is almost over and school is about to start I am forcing myself to be a better blogger....This post will probably feel more Christmas card like then my usual bloggy self....but I think an update on all is in order before I am move on to my usual.....some of what is written may be totally random and out of order....yep I am pretty random sometimes....and you are stuck with me....

Since January we have had many guests visit us down here in Texas...Grandma's, Nanna's, Grandpa's, Aunts, Great Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and the girls sweet cousin Kieren!!....We LOVE having guests in town and the Harper Hotel is always open for business....just wanted to thank all of our visitors we loved having you here! Maybe when I have a bit more time I will upload a slide show with all our famous guests!

So lets see.....The Twins finished and graduated from Preschool in May....they are anxiously awaiting the start of Kindergarten in about a week....I have never seen them so excited! They are thrilled to ride the bus (the bus stop is right outside our house, how could this mother say no!).....Both have grown up so much the past 8 months.....Kiara is as head strong as ever, sometimes I feel like I am looking in a mirror, did I really treat my mom like that on occasion....WOW! (Mom, I am sorry) But most of the time she is a sweet heart. She loves to learn and is always working in her Kumon books, she is showing signs as leader but also does a great job of encouraging her sisters to lead too!.....Her new favorite movie is Harry Potter....Some may thing I am crazy for letting my girls watch it.....but all 3 really enjoy it....wizards and magic, oh my!.......Mikiah is as sweet as ever....that is until she has sugar (Nanna learned the hard way by sugaring Strawberries).....it seriously makes her crazy...so we limit it! :) She still loves to dance and art projects....she sure is creative and can sing just about anything.......We are still taking quarterly trips to Houston to see her Endocrinologist....She had an MRI in March and started growth hormone then too.....Her daily shots are going great and we are seeing great results with her growth.....She still loves a good princess movie...she is my true girly girl!......Still so hard to believe that Mikiah and Kiara will be 6 in October....really makes you take a step back....

Lila....(aka my little trouble maker)....nah, not really but she sure does know how to push the buttons of her older sisters! So crazy she is 3....considering she was 9 months when we moved down here.....She enjoyed her last year of freedom.....but is super excited to start preschool in the fall....not sure how she is going to feel being the only one home during the day with mom but I am guessing she will love it while missing her sisters at the same time.....She loves to sing and dance and has to be the center of attention! And boy is she a ham!! So funny! She does a good job of keeping us all laughing! As for her CP, she is doing great....running everywhere and barely showing any signs of limping....Still have occupation all therapy to do for some things and to strengthen muscles...but for the most part people will probably not notice anything.....

Shawn is still working at his same job and loving raising his 3 girls.....he is quite the BBQ master and makes a mean smoked brisket!! I am still working for WSU and have been training with a good friend to run a 1/2 marathon in November....I must say the training process has been fun, we have group runs on Saturdays and a workout schedule during the week to do....I think I am going to do the training program again next summer even if I decide not to run the 1/2 marathon again....who knew running could be fun! HA!

So that is all that has really been going on....a whole lotta nada! We have been enjoying our summer out back with the kidding pool and card games.....summer sure has gone by super fast! But are all excited for the adventures that lie ahead of the girls.....I promise to keep you all posted on our life in the land of Texas a bit more often.....

1st Tooth of many.....

So Kiara lost her 1 tooth yesterday....we had a visit from the tooth fairy last night....So fun. Here is her new mug!

Catching you up newsletter....

So Happy Holidays....Yep, I am back...I have totally neglected my blog for far too long....part of it is I am running out of storage and may actually have to cough up some money........we shall see.....We have been doing great and are amazed daily by our children, just living life and loving it.

Shawn continues to do amazing at work and I have taken on another job as well....I work for Shawn's parents (AGPRO) as well as my WSU job and after school care. Both of my real jobs (I consider after school care too much fun to be called a job) of course are done remotely...I love being able to continue to work from home while raising my 3 girls......I still can not believe how fast this year has zoomed by.....My dad and Ri were here for Christmas, it was so wonderful to spend the holidays with family....and of course Uncle Joel and Jessica came down for a visit too.....just love them to pieces!

Kiara loves school and she loves to do homework books (that is what she calls the Kumon learning books, she has like 6 of them), she will sit down and work in one for hours at a time, taking it wherever we go....She is growing up super fast and loves to act like the oldest.....mother hen like I suppose! She likes playing outside with boys in the 'hood....and she is one of the tallest in her class, neck and neck with the boys....She is pondering getting her hair cut shorter, we shall see how this develops!

Mikiah is doing wonderfully....she really loves school, music and dancing. We are getting ready to put her into ballet soon....she is so excited. She is my little sous chef in the kitchen and enjoys helping make all our meals.....it is so fun for both of us to work together to get dinner on the table. She is pretty excited about her Paula Deen Cookbook she got for Christmas! On the health front all is good, insurance approved her to be able to take Growth hormone therapy....She just has to have an MRI and then we will get started. The shots will be daily and we will re access at a time in the future if they are helping. We will keep you posted on when we start and how she is progressing.

Lila is my little mischievous one. She likes to cause a little trouble here and there but she is so sweet.....She is a talker and she says so many sentences and statements that really blow Shawn and I away, it is like talking to a mini adult sometimes. She is just growing up too fast, she certainly doesn't act like a 2 1/2 year old until she throws a fit! She loves playing with her sisters, but is perfectly content going in her room, shutting her door and playing by herself. Which is good considering her sisters will be gone all day next year.....She will be attending preschool next year, probably 3 days a week...she is excited for that! On her health front we will be starting Physical Therapy soon but she is already running better then she use too.....

I have included an album with pics over that last few months, overkill I am sure....hopefully it will not be this long until I blog again!!! You can tell after the first few Christmas day pics the quality of pictures changing.....I got a new Nikon Digital SLR D3000 for Christmas, I LOVE IT! Hope this post finds everyone doing well and gearing up for a Happy New Year!

Fall-Winter 2009

Harper Girls 5th Birthday......

I still can not believe my twin girls are 5! They had a wonderful day today....We started off the morning with Scrambled Eggs and Sausage....Their favorite! Then they went outside to see a huge sign in our yard with balloons from our neighbors and friends "The Garcia's"....The girls were so surprised!!!! Then we were off to preschool and took cupcakes for snack! They Loved it....After preschool it was on to La Cantera to Clarie's to get their ears pierced. This was a crazy moment for me and the girls. Kiara went first and since it was the middle of the day only 1 person was working so they did her ears 1 at a time (was really hoping for double piercing)....She braved through both ears and was delighted at her new ears!.....MJ was a trooper, she was hesitant and I stressed she didn't have to get them done but she wanted too. As soon as the first ear was pierced she was done....She wanted nothing to do with getting her other ear done. And there was I was a bribing, pleading, crazy mother trying to convince her that she needed to do it....after about 30 min or so, Shawn and I gave up and took her home (feeling like total jerk parents)....So MJ is sporting and earring in her right but not her left.....Hopefully she will decide to go back and get it done soon....She doesn't want to take it out (which was what I suggested)....anyway.....After Dad got home from work it was time for Chuck E Cheese, girls loved it and had so much fun....I had signed up for the E-Club and with that we got dinner for $26.00 along with 80 tokens (40 were free for their birthday and 40 were included in the coupon I had for 18.99 dinner) can we say a cheap night of fun.....After playing we headed back to the house for presents, cake and ice cream.....All in all it was a spectacular day for both.....

Harper Girls Turn 5

The Magnificent Marvy.....

I know, I know....I have been a total slacker when it comes to updating the blog. I seriously can only blame myself, even though I would rather blame Facebook...Ha! We have been doing great. The twins have settled right into Pre-K.....they LOVE it....Kiara even said "Mommy, I like being in school better then being at home"....now some moms may take some offense to this statement, but to me I am just happy that they like it so much, 'cause next year they will be in full day kinder (Yeah!!! Ooops, did I say that outloud!).......Lila likes the break from her sisters but is always ready to go get them....I think she likes to get there early so she can play on the indoor play structure....Other then getting into the groove with School, after school care for the Garcia kiddos and working around the house/yard....we have been pretty much the same...Last weekend we worked on the back yard, mulching, and weed blocking....this weekend we have been working on moving bookcases, getting the library more comfortable and usable, and cleaning up....No real new news or anything...Suppose you could even call us boring homeowners....HA!

So this weekend MJ, has had Marvy the Marvelous Monkey (the twins class theme is Marvelous Monkey's). Marvy is the class mascot and each week some one in the class gets to take Marvy home and take care of him/her......Marvy comes in a bag full of clothes and a notebook for each kid to write down what they did with Marvy.....So this weekend has been super fun for MJ.....Here is what she did with Marvy in Pictures.....

Preschool, Preschool, Preschool.......

So today was the Twins official first day of Preschool at Oak Hills (We went and visited their class last week for teacher meet and greet).....they will go two days a week (Wed/Fri) for 4 hours in the morning, they have morning snack and bring their own lunch, music class, life skills, motor skill, etc........Anyway today was awesome....the girls LOVED it. They were so excited to get up and get ready and head out the door.....they didn't even pick their head up to say bye to me went I left their classroom....and they both talked non stop on the way home....They had such a wonderful day and can not wait until Friday.....Lila and I too had a great time, we did a little shopping and then came home and Miss Lila took a 2.5 hour morning nap (Very Rare for her) so I think she is trying to rest up and not catch the cold that seems to be going around.....She missed her sisters and was so excited to go pick them up. I do not think Lila will have any trouble starting preschool next year at 3.....she actually can not wait! Here are some shots before and after....Love it!

Pre-School Pics....

Another trip to Houston....

Well we have just gotten back from another quick trip to Texas Children's in Houston. We left last night after Shawn got off work, at some dinner at Buc-ee's and rolled into Houston around 8.30ish.....MJ's Endocrinologist only works on Wednesday so we will most likely make it an every 4-6 month routine........We do not mind the drive so much, love Buc-ees and the girls like staying in the motel....Maybe one time we will take some days off and actually do some sight seeing....Any who, MJ's appointment went well. We had her blood work done before we left and it all came back normal, this is something we will have to do yearly....the only thing that stood out was that her height is beginning to fall off her original growth chart, she is still in the 19% for her age (down from the 33% at her last appt 6 months ago).....We knew it was only a matter of time for this to happen....most TS girls fall off the chart at age 2-3......We did ask the endocrinologist about how tall MJ may be w/o any treatment and it is a rough calculation but we are looking at 4'8" for a final height. We take her back in December and will have some important research to do on Growth Hormone Therapy before then.....Most likely she will start Growth Hormone Therapy in Dec if we choose......We have learned that there are more benefits then just height increase for girls with TS and I was happy to see that our Drug Prescription Insurance covers most of the brand names of HgH.......We would most likely just have to pay our co-pay depending on which one our doctor prescribes......I have to admit the idea of MJ getting a shot everyday doesn't thrill me......but I also do not want her later in life questioning why we didn't try HGH to help her be taller.....Quality of life also comes into play.....Oh the decisions we get to make as parents.....

Home Sweet Home.....

So after being gone for 5 weeks we are finally home....the girls and I rolled in to San Antonio on Friday.....What a trip we had....it was so great to see so many family members and friends....We enjoyed our time on both sides of the mountains....and it was nice to get a break from this Texas heat....which is turning out to be one of the hottest summers on record down here.....UGH! In the 100's again yesterday and today.....

Some Seattle fun.....

Shawn and I have just returned to Pullman after a short week of fun in Seattle with Joe, Victoria & Kieren. My mom was over as well and we all had a blast....We got to see Melissa, Natalie & Brodie....Went to an adult dinner with Joe & Erin @ Boom Noodle in Bellevue (SO YUM!).....had family pics (which were disastrous!).....Checked out the Children's Museum.....hit the Old Spaghetti Factory, always a favorite with me and the kiddos.....Saturday night we had one of the best nights of our lives.....we went to the Mariners Game and sat at the Diamond Club.....talk about awesome!...Food, drinks, amazingly close seats......I just can not describe how appreciative we are that Joe & Victoria invited us to go with them....Thanks you two! We love you!

Seattle Fun July 2009

Mariners Game 7-11-09 Diamond Club

Sunday we had a BBQ with my Mom's family at my bro's....So great to see the family! Just love them...I am always amazed at how fast all the kiddos grow up.....Shawn is working today and tomorrow and then files out on Wed....We are soaking him up before he returns to SA......

Lila Update.....

We heard back on Lila's MRI last Thursday. I talked to her Orthopedic Doctor and the MRI confirmed what she had believed all along. Lila has a small amount of scar tissue on the right side of her brain which most likely formed while her brain was developing in the womb. So the good news is there is not a tumor. As for what is next we meet with the Neurologist in August to talk more about the scar tissue and see, if anything, what else it could effect. We will be going back to see Lila's orthopedic doctor in 6 months to see how her muscles & tendons are doing. I am not sure when she will start physical therapy.....probably not until after her appt in 6 months.....Thanks for all your love and support.

First Part of our Trip.....

So we made it to Pullman, WA last Monday.....and have been having a blast. Busy Busy Busy! We have camped in the backyard,the girls LOVED it......We have seen most of the family on Shawn's side (We will see mine in Seattle) and a good amount of our friends......

Here are a few photos from are trip up, my dads and our arrival....we left on Friday after Shawn got off work and made it to my dad's super early on Sat, which was so nice to run around and stretch the legs.....Sun & Mon were both 10 hour driving days, but the kiddos did awesome. So fun measuring time in the number of movies they can watch....and Miss Lila kept her pull up dry both days, she went potty every time we stopped.....I think she is ready for some potty training....

July 09 WA State Trip

On Wed, the girls and I headed to Headquarters Salon for a hair appt and to get their nails painted. We were there all day...I got my hair cut off.....I love it....She cut it so I could wear it straight or curly....MJ & Kiara both got trims and Miss Lila got her hair styled....Nanna got a trim and a pedicure....good times for sure!

Day at the Hair Salon Pullman WA

On Thursday the 2nd we headed up to Spokane to pick up Joel & Jessica and then headed to a Harper Family BBQ at the Robinson's....Good times in the pool and great to catch up with everyone that was there.....

Harper Family BBQ

On Friday the 3rd we headed over to Sindy's house (Nanna Anna's Best Friend) for a Prime Rib dinner and BBQ.....the girls love going out to the country.....Longball & Amie and Joe & Erin made it out too! So fun! We also headed out to Rico's that night to see everyone that was in town, nice to get out and hang with our friends sans the kiddos.....of course I didn't bring my camera! Oh well....

July 3rd BBQ out at the Zerbe's...

On the 4th we planned a big BBQ at Shawn's parents house. We had most of the Pullman crew in town. It was so great to see everyone and their kiddos. The kids all had a great time playing together while all of us adults were able to catch up.....good times!

4th of July 2009 Party

Sunday the Grandparents (Great grandparents to my kiddos) came over for a BBQ with Nanna Anna's side of the family.....Lots of swimming and sun. So great to see Grandad and Gram Callaway!

Family BBQ on the 5th with The Callaways

So now it is Monday, I have some work to catch up and we may head up to campus to check out all the work that was done on the CUB and meet the great/grandparents for some ice cream at Ferdinand's, just my have to get some Cougar Gold Cheese too......I will have more pics to come.....and sorry about the overload....internet here has been a bit hit or miss.....

Fun Father's Day.....

Happy Father's Day to all those daddy's out there especially my dad, Jerry, Joe (my bro) and the best dad in the world, Shawn....We have had a wonderful day that started with the girls delivering Shawn coffee in bed followed by Breakfast Tacos in bed....although we did move to the table as the tacos can be messy....the girls and I baked Shawn a cake and made a BBQ dinner....they are so helpful....too fun! We did take time out of our day to get in a BodyPump class since we missed yesterday morning (we were out a bit too late the night before with the neighbors! Good Times!!)....felt good to get a work out in, I suppose I do not feel so bad eating the piece of cake I am eating right now....Ha!

Fun & Fathers Day 09

Now we are just gearing up for our road trip to WA state. I can not believe we will be heading out of here at the end of the week....just crazy! I have so much to do before then! Plus Thurs we have Lila's MRI....it will be here before we know it.....the girls got some last minute supplies for the road trip yesterday, sleeping bags, shoes and sun glasses....I did manage to get our grocery shopping done for the road trip and this next week....man it has been a wild fast weekend.....Hope everyone has great weeks ahead!

One Stride at a Time.......

Well we certainly have had a roller coaster of a week.....

The twins had follow up appts for their ear infections on Monday....Kiara's ears were perfect and the infection was gone...but poor MJ, her ear infection was worse (after a round of antibiotics) and she was running a fever....so she is finishing up her second round of antibiotics and doing great....When she is done with her medicine, she and I will go get our blood work done.....She has to have hers done w/results by Aug 12th (for her appt at Texas Children's) and I just need to get mine done....so I thought it would make it easier if we did it together....Lila had an appt on Monday as well....nothing like forking out $90 in co-pays! She has had a rash on her arm that has been getting worse....sometimes it goes away but lately it has been pretty red....well anyway she has Eczema....so she got a prescription for that along with a ton of samples....the non-steroid cream she got worked great and it has now cleared up.....but I know it will come and go.....I had it as a child too....

On Wednesday Lila had an appt at an Orthopedic Surgeon...She has always had a slight limp since she started walking at 14m, we thought she would grow out of it, but finally made an appointment to get it looked at. It has become much more noticeable now that she runs everywhere.....Well we where shocked at the diagnosis....We were thinking something was wrong with her hip or her knee or maybe her leg was longer.....but it turns out Lila has a very mild case of Cerebral Palsy. I couldn't believe what the doctor was saying....my little girl has brain damage on her right side of her brain somewhere that is affecting her left side motor skills for her leg and arm....Most likely Lila's CP was caused by damage to the motor control centers of the developing brain during pregnancy (which is about 75 percent). Lila has/is/a Spastic hemiplegia, so only one side of her body is affected.....she basically drags her left side of her body along when she moves/walks/runs....We never noticed her having trouble with her left arm but of course now we are watching her every move....If you looked at her you wouldn't notice anything....Anyway we now need to find out where the brain damage is to see if the damage that is done will effect anything further as she grows up......One of the bright sides of CP is the damage is already done and it is non-progressive. We do know Lila will need Physical and Occupational therapy and will continue to have an Orthopedic doctor. On June 25th Lila will have an MRI done of her Brain and Spine, she will be fully sedated (we have experienced this before with MJ so we are ready and know what to expect).....The results will come in while we are on vacation in WA but the Orthopedic Dr will call to confirm where the brain damage is and what to expect when we go to Lila's Neurologist. On Aug 5th after we get back WA we will be taking the MRI results to the Neurologist to find out the next course of action if any (besides physical therapy) and we will find out if there is further brain damage....it all sounds pretty scary sometimes but we know that we all with get through this and we will do everything we can for Miss Lila.....She is still our happy, smiley, and chatty little girl....she will talk your ear off and still continues to amaze me with her vocabulary....We thank you all for your continued love and support....and look forward to seeing most of you soon!

In other news......it has been super hot down here this week....we have tipped into the triple digits for the last few days.....the only way to be outside is to have the pool out.....it makes a world of difference and makes it easy to stay outside most of the day.....I mean who doesn't enjoy sitting in a kiddie pool staying cool.....As we head into our hot months down here we can not wait to get up to WA to get out of this super hot heat where the overnight low is cooler then 78 degrees....Looking forward to seeing everyone soon.....here are some shots of our fun in the sun.....

Few Shots from Swimming June 09

Baseball Fun and the Sun......

Another great weekend for the Harper's! Friday night we headed to the San Antonio Missions baseball game.....they are a Double A Farm club team for the San Diego Padres.....Our friends daughter's school choir sang the National Anthem....They were so great. The girls had fun as did Shawn and I....and talk about a cheap night out....the tix were like $5 each....and the food/drink was totally affordable!

Missions Baseball May 09

Shawn also finished painting the shutters....the house looks so great! I love the brown, I was apprehensive before we painted but I am so happy with the color we chose...here is the finished product....

Other then hitting the gym for BodyPump on Saturday and Cardio on Sunday, playing in the sun in the 'hood, and cleaning around the house, we were not up to much this weekend....My second job ends this week for the summer....I can not believe school is getting out Thursday....It has been so fun watching the Garcia kiddos everyday.....I know the girls will miss seeing them so often and watching all the school buses, but they do only live across the street........anyway, hope everyone has a great week ahead!.....

Memorial Day and more.....

We had a wonderful holiday weekend...it was filled with projects, sun, fun, BBQ-ing, swimming and neighborhood fun....Friday night was peaceful....Shawn played some poker in the 'hood with some of the neighbors...nice for him to have a guys night out and nice for me to have a night to myself....Saturday we headed to Home Depot for some paint.....Shawn always likes to have a project for long weekends.....

We painted our 1/2 bath, FINALLY....Lila had taken a pencil to the walls and it was one of two rooms not yet painted in our house...and I can not remember if I mentioned it but Shawn also stained the cabinets a few weeks ago.....(he is going to do my kitchen cabinets in July the same color)....now we just have our master bath to paint....We still need to change out the mirror, the light fixture and faucet....we are also going to river rock the counter top....and add a few more accessories....so yes a work in progress but here is where we are..... ...and we also painted 4 out of the 6 shutters on the house....I must say the painted shutters really change the look of the house....before they blended right in....but the chocolate/dark brown that we picked and painted really makes the house look so much better.....Shawn is planning on painted the other 2 this weekend and hopefully we can get the front door painted the same color......I can not wait until they are done....but here is a sneak peek....you really couldn't tell we had them before....look above the garage...
As for us and the kiddos, we ate so much BBQ-ed yummy food....we spent time with the neighbors....love our driveway nights in the 'hood.....We also got another pool.....I had to repair the old one and the kiddos couldn't wait the 12 hours for the patch to dry....so dad saved the day with a new pool.....the girls got to swim and play.....the neighbor kiddos also came over to enjoy in the fun.....All in all it was a great weekend......

Memorial Day 09

Now on to the more....the girls had their 4 yr check up yesterday......and both are growing wonderfully!....Both have sprouted up a bunch.....MJ is still on the same grow pattern as she has always been on....so that is great news....we go to Texas Children's in Aug for more grow plotting and we will go over the blood work I have to have done for MJ......Kiara's well check had to get cancelled and changed into a sick appt.....Her and MJ both have right ear infections (which is strange since ear infections are not contagious, but I am sure the swimming didn't help)....anyway both are on antibiotics.....Kiara also has bronculitis, instead of the big broncular tubes being infected, its just the little ones in the lungs....she is on some asthma medicine (I think it is a steroid) and she also had to have a nebulizer treatment in the office....but she was a trooper....I am so not fond of all the meds but I want my kiddos healthy.....
We hope to get better soon and are on the road to recovery.....They did go to the dentist today and all have no cavities and are brushing great.....other then all that we are doing great! I have upped my BodyPump classes to 3 times a week and looking forward to a more toned over body.......Shawn is still going on Sat mornings with me....and I have been able to fit in Tues/Thurs nights.....I am addicted.......

Our world lately.....

So I really have no excuse as to why I have not been updating y'all on what is going on in our world.....We have been up to our usual....weekends in the yard, out playing and soaking up the sun with good friends and neighbors.

I had my last MOPS last Thursday, we had a lovely bunch. It was so great to meet such wonderful women. I love all my new friendships MOPS has fostered for me. Such amazing ladies and mothers. I am looking forward to MOPS next year and will probably continue for as long as I can or until Lila heads to Kinder......years away, I know.

I really do not have much to update you on....we are looking forward to our trip up to the Northwest and can not believe it is only 5 or so weeks away.....seems crazy! We are looking forward to having daddy around for 3 days this weekend and all the BBQ food he is planning on grilling up! Can we say muscles on the grill.....YUM!

So here are some outdoor play pics....Lila finally figured out how to pedal on her tricycle, well down a short incline....the other pic is MJ pushing her back up the small incline....Too cute....

Here is what happens when you leave daddy home with the girls for bed time and they insist on wearing pjs that are too small.....Love that he cut the legs and made booties!

Poor DB, she got sticker'd!

The Twins tuckered after a day of playing....this was Sunday night right before dinner.....

Best Mother's Day Yet......

7:15am-(Over the baby monitor from Lila's room to ours) "Happy Mother's Day Mommy, now stay in bed because we are going to bring you breakfast in bed".......(Kiara talking while Shawn and Me are laughing from our bedroom listening to the monitor next to the bed)....

That was my first wake up this morning......so I rolled over went back to sleep until all 3 girls brought me in coffee and a piece of toast with butter & jelly.....I love my girls! They then persisted to get their toast and then joined me in bed to eat......very fun!

After breakfast it was time for my scavenger hunt, the girls and dad hid clues and presents all over the upstairs.....So fun and so creative....I LOVED IT and so did the girls! The presents were over the top and the girls and Shawn did a great job of picking out the best presents for me.....From Flowers, to Soap and Body wash, to a gorgeous blue tank top from Macy's, to a UT Reversible Vest, Sunblock, US Weekly, to an iTunes gift card and some Mexican hand painted serve wear for my kitchen....to athletic socks to thigh high socks, and a few athletic tanks.....hope I am not forgetting anything.....it was such a wonderful surprise......I must say he & the girls are bargain shoppers as they were able to get everything on sale....and the girls LOVED going shopping with just daddy!........love it......and to top it off, I also got to get a pedicure today with Miss Heather for Mother's Day.....So fun....I now have beautified blue toe nails!......

Shawn made steak wraps for dinner, with a little bit of my help...and we just enjoyed a piece of Chocolate Cream pie.....YUMO.....All in all we have had a wonderful weekend....I even got Shawn to take BodyPump with me on Saturday morning, we are both really sore, but looking forward to next Saturday's class.....I love working out together!......And today I have had the best mother's day.....my girls truly are angels and I have the best husband in the world......I did miss spending time with my mom today, but I did get to chat with her......and I am so looking forward to our trip to WA in July!......I warn you most of the pics below I am in my PJs.....no makeup no hair done.....

Mother's Day 09

A little bit of Woodthorn fun......

So we have been doing great.....our weather has been a bit humid lately, UGH! The heat is nice though and the humidity has greened up all the yards!....We are looking at a week of 90's ahead of us.....Hot! Hot! Hot! already......crazy....

Tuesday night we had a Neighborhood Girls Night In at my friend and neighbor Jenna's house.....What a great time, we all brought desserts and chatted it up. We have lots of new neighbors so it was nice to FINALLY meet a few of them.....Shawn had fun playing games with the girls at home....and was pretty much asleep when I got home....

We had another great weekend....We did our usual Friday Night Driveway get together with a few of the neighbors....the kids love playing outside/inside and staying up late while us adults enjoy our beverages and conversations in the driveways.....It is fast becoming a Friday night tradition. It is pretty funny when neighbors drive by and see us, they usual park at home and walk back to hang out....So fun! The best part is we get to walk home........Saturday we had our Woodthorn Neighborhood BBQ......a spring social to get to know the neighbors....So fun, there was face painting, bubble blowing, chalk drawing and also a bike parade....the girls decorated their bikes before we went down.....too cute! This weekend we also painted our master bath room cabinets, we are trying to see how we want to upgrade the kitchen ones, whether to paint or stain (since part of the cabinets are wood and part our fake wood)....So today Shawn decided to stain the 1/2 bath cabinet/doors with my favorite stain color.....it will be nice to compare the two.....As of now I am leaning towards staining the kitchen cabinets.....but I love our painted ones in our bathroom....As soon as i get hardware and clean the bathrooms and I will post pics of both.....

Weekend fun Woodthorn BBQ

Earth Day Tree & Solar Lights......

So those that have yards know that they are a total work in progress.......Shawn and I have been working in our back yard, little by little and it is starting to look a ton better.....we still need to do the edging around the grass, weed block, plant more flowers/shrubs/grasses, mulch, and build a pergola....but I am content if we do not get any of that done until we get back (well, the pergola is a few years out)......We did plant a tree for Earth Day, we got it free from our neighbors (thanks Garcia's, they have given us both trees we have planted).........Our new tree is a Live Oak, so it will get big and provide our back yard some much needed shade in a few years!....It is about 3-4ft tall already....unlike our other tree we planted which is 4-5 inches.....This weekend we also took advantage of Costco Coupons and picked up an 8-pack of solar lights....LOVE THEM....They make the yard look so much better and it is nice to have some light out there at night!!! Lila gives a little tour in the album below....

Yard....Looking Better!