Learning about Fire Trucks and Safety....

Today we had a play date with MOPS, we have one every month and they are great....Kim, our Moppets Coordinator does such an amazing job! Today we got to meet some local fire fighters and learn about fire safety with the kids. The girls had a really good time seeing the fire trucks up close, they were a little frightened of the fire fighters when they were all dressed up in their gear, but were able to get over their initial fear and high five the them....All 3 girls enjoyed watching the ladder go up with one of the firefighters on it. I too thought that was pretty cool.....All in all it was a great experience for all.....and of course on our way home from picking up daddy tonight (yes his is home from his trip, YEAH!) we got to pull over so a Fire Truck could go by......The girls of course pointed out to daddy that they got to see one today and that the ladder was really high!.....So funny! Here are some pics from today.....MJ had no desire to stand in front of the truck but Kiara was totally into it.....So funny.....

And yes, those are sweaters on the girls. We have been having some cool nights. I must say it has been nice opening the windows again and not having the A/C turn on all the time. I suppose I will enjoy it while I can!

Her Daredevil ways caught up with her......

So I just got back from spending the morning at Urgent care....our Pediatrician was booked for the day......Lila took a fall from one of the dinning room chairs and landed directly on her shoulder....She actually let out a really loud scream (out of character for Lila).....So I cuddle with her and checked her from broken bones......couldn't find any and off to play she went......off and on she would let out little cries but nothing too crazy, it was close to bed time so to bed she went......So this morning when she couldn't get up from sitting and couldn't climb up onto the couch I realized she was in more pain then she was leading on.....So off to Urgent Care we went.....After paying our $50 dollar co-pay (Love that we have insurance and co-pays are still ridiculous) and some arm exercises and an X-ray we learned that Miss Lila landed hard enough to almost, I say almost fracture her Clavicle (collar bone).....From the x-ray you can see how bent it is.....Ick! It looks totally painful and totally bent the wrong way.....I was hoping to put up her x-ray but my computer is not reading the disc, bummer......Ok after playing with the disc I figured it out....So if you look below at her left side (by the L) you can see how bent her collarbone is.....it certainly does not look like the other one....ICKY and OUCH!..Anyway so she is wearing a sling for the next week and taking Motrin and just waiting for it to heal on its own.....Fun for me.....Especially with Shawn away until Friday on business........Here are some shots of her today....

Crazy Impressed...

So we just got back from a trip around the neighborhood and I must say I am absolutely impressed with all the Halloween decor out and about. It seems they go all out down here.....from giant fake spiders, to orange lights, to full window decor, to spooky yards, to scarecrows to you name it we have it here in the 'hood. I LOVE it, it is so festive! We of course have not done much (yes, we are one of the loser houses) but we will have our pumpkins out and what not before Halloween....and we are planning to go all out at Christmas....So I am already excited for Halloween, we have the perfect size neighborhood for Trick or Treating!.......Ok, just had to share how spirited our neighborhood is.....Spoooky!

Finally finding some time...

So with Nanna and Sindy here the past week or so I really hadn't found time to blog, most of my computer time was spent working...but now all the house guests have gone and I have some free time to sit down and let you all know what we have been up too.....

We had a great visit with Nanna and Sindy, we tried a new Mexican place.....La Hacienda de Los Barrios.......Sindy has seen it on an episode of Bobby Flay's Throwdown so we had to check it out....The atmosphere was so awesome, the weather has been so great lately that we sat outside....They had live music outside (on a Tuesday) the girls loved it.....the food was pretty good too.....

This morning Shawn headed up to Austin with Joel to fly Ol' Crimson for ESPN College Gameday. It was the second week for Joel to fly it and so great that he asked Shawn to go help him since they are both lifelong Cougars....Here are a few pics from that...

Ol' Crimson CGD Austin, TX

So now that the girls have bikes and scooters that is about all we do when we go outside.....our nightly walks have become nightly bike rids....except that mom and dad need to invest in some bikes too and a buggie or something for Lila.....Kiara goes so fast that I need to start wearing my running shoes to keep up with her....it would be a nice jog and good exercise.....We are a bit out numbered in the sense that Lila HAS to WALK.....but MJ bikes at a slow pace so for the most part it works out....Kiara usually finishes with enough time to bike back to MJ.....Today I actually got her to stop and wait.....But she didn't like being slowed down.....Here are some pics of late.....Hope everyone is having a great weekend....

Fun around the 'Hood

4th Birthday Part 1 and 2.....

So we made it home today....and made good time almost 11 hours....We did have one minor problem.....we lost our A/C in our car about an hour from our house....Lets just say I am not looking forward to that car maintenance bill....Ugh!....Oh well....we are happy to be home but man we had a great time with my dad and Ri....When we got home we were greeted with a Princess Decorated house for the girls....I like to call it part 2 of their birthday....Part one was at G-Dad and Ri's actually on the girls birthday...and did they have an awesome part 1....they had pancakes for breakfast...their favorite....they told me and G-Dad how they wanted their cake decorated....they received lots of wonderful gifts from family....and they even got to do a DORA like map to find their present from G-Dad and Ri.....which was hidden out in the shed....lets just say there were super surprised to find brand new bikes....they also got mini video cameras from Uncle Joe & Auntie Victoria & Kieren....along with some super cool outfits....and some games from mom and dad for family game night.......and Part 2 was equally as cool....the girls were surprised to see the house decorated and a Disney Princess cake....they also received some more really nice gifts both got different Razor Scooters from Grandma....and beautiful necklaces and jewelry boxes and an awesome homemade glass hot air balloon picture from Nana and Grandpa...and Barbie Diamond Castle dolls that sing from Uncle Joel......new dress up princess outfit and boots.....all of which they love....they also had a nice treat, Uncle Joel's friend Devin was here and played his violin for the girls....they LOVED IT.......All in all it was a great 4th birthday for both.....So here is some overkill of pics from party 1 and 2 and some New Mexico pics.....

Kiara and Mikiah's 4th Birthday Part 1-2

10,678 feet up.....

Today we headed up to Sandia Crest. It is only about 20 min from my dads house.....It was a super pretty drive up to the top....they had a viewing area up there, snack bar and gift shop as well as trails, picnic areas and what not. It was very cool....you could see all of Albuqueque, NM below, there is also a tram that you can ride on from below on the ABQ side of the mountains......We actually went up there twice today because this morning there was cloud cover.....here are a few pics from today.....

This is from the morning.....

And here is the afternoon pic.....

And here are a few more pics....

Balloon Fiesta Time.....

It was an early morning today.......we were up at 3.30am getting ready to head to the park and ride.....We actually made it out of the house by 4.30am and arrived to a park and ride filled with a sea of people and school buses.....it was totally organized and the line was moving pretty good...we got there at a great time and good thing we didn't get there any later....the girls were thrilled to take their first ride on a school bus.....they LOVED it....and were so excited when we got to the Balloon Fiesta....they were a little confused that it was still dark out but as soon as the sun came up they were greeted by a field of balloons and people.....We got to watch about 600 balloons take off and fly away.....the girls had such a great time.....they especially liked watching the Cow Balloon take off, we were actually right next to it and watched from laying it out to filling it up to it taking off.....It was just a fun filled atmosphere and great experience for all......I am still amazed at how great the girls were....they were wired, excited and good.....Sure are growing up......So I have overloaded the picture album......but there are just so many great shots.....We spent the rest of the day at G-Dad & Ri's relaxing and napping and what not.....looks like we may get some rain tonight and some good winds....

October 08

We finally made it to G-Dads.....

Ahhh, so we rolled into my dads today around 3.00pm.....We left SA last night and stayed in West Texas.....finished the trip today......which beat doing it in one day.....although we will do that on the way home.....We are excited to be able to spend some quality time with G-Dad and Ri.....and also see the hot air balloons at the Balloon Fiesta.........The girls were pretty good in the car.....eyes glued to the DVD player.....we had a few potty break craziness and one of our children may have had to poop on the side of the road....sort of traumatic for MJ....but she did great.....(I totally meant to bring a travel potty and forgot).....Oh well....they are slowly learning that they have to go when we stop.......I must say it is nice for us to be on vacation!!! The girls of course can not wait until Tuesday, their 4th birthday......but are very excited for the balloons tomorrow.....I will hopefully be taking some pics soon to post.....

Don't Vote.......

Get registered so you have a voice.....Texas deadline to register and be eligible to vote in the November 4, 2008 General Election is October 6, 2008.....most states are similar....do not miss your chance for change....

Ahhh, relaxing Sunday at home....

I have mixed feelings about Sunday's.......Love relaxing but know that Monday is lurking around the corner and it is back to our weekly routines....we did not do much this weekend, which seems to be the way it has been lately....but that usually equals good family time at home.....I managed to sneak away yesterday and purchased the girls B-Day gifts, we ended up getting them a bunch of little stuff since the grandparents all purchased big stuff.......I am really excited...I even wrapped it all last night and got it ready to take to G-Dad's house...it will be fun, we are doing a Hot Air Balloon Family Party at my dads and then when we get back we are doing a Princess Party with Nanna and Uncle Joel.....The girls sure do love the Disney Princesses....they are so much more "Girly" then I was....Too Fun....

So a funny thing happened today....the girls found their wrapped presents in our bedroom closet.....and I was like "Yup, those are them, do not open them".....the girls were cool with that and left the closet......well probably about 4-5 hours later, I am making dinner, Shawn and Uncle Joel are watching football, and the girls were supposed to be resting and watching one of their shows in mom and dads room....Well, Kiara comes out to the kitchen and says "I told Mikiah not to open it mommy but she didn't listen.".......Mom responds with "Open what? One of her presents?".......Kiara, "Yeah, she opened one"......So I go into my bedroom, through the bathroom to our walk in closet with MJ screaming and crying while holding one of her presents......and yes she did open 2 and Kiara admitted to opening one......You could tell by the look on Mikiah's face and the sounds of her cries that she was very upset and totally knew she did something she wasn't supposed too.....Well in the end they both got time outs, to cool off and both apologized to Mommy and Daddy.....So now I have to find boxes to put the stuff in and re-wrap it....I am kind of kicking myself as I should have put them up a bit higher, oh well.....it made for an interesting afternoon.....

After a yummy Sunday Spaghetti dinner with homemade bread and a little post dinner rest.....we took a walk around the 'hood, I must say it is nice to have it a little cooler out, but the day light is getting shorter......it was dark by the time we got back to the house and it wasn't even 7.45pm....I suppose it is that time of year.....Well I am off to watch some TV and wind down before bed.....It's back to the gym in the early AM for me.....

A Day at the SA Children's Museum.....

So what great a morning we have had.....The girls awoke to find their daddy home....lets just say all were elated and soooo glad he was back. The twins are totally daddy's girls.....so cute...it was a busy morning of getting up and getting us all out of the house to take daddy to work and head downtown to the Children's Museum.....we made it just in time.....so glad the girls are liking Cereal Bars again, as they were able to eat in the car on the way down....I must tell you my girls can it a box of cereal bars in a day.....8 bars gone like that! I was glad to see many of my MOPS Moms there as I was not sure who all was going to be there....Always fun to get to know each of them better and learn names....although trying to remember kids names and parents names can be challenging.....

The Museum was fun for the kids, worth the price we paid, which was cheaper then the rates cause of the group rate......I was disappointed that the HEB Kids Market was not opened yet, but just another excuse to head back down......I think it will be pretty cool for the girls, with as much as they are into cooking and grocery shopping.....but even without it the girls had a great time playing and learning.....we only had 1-2 instances of listening problems.....but what can you do when there is soooooo much to play with....and so much to see....Lila did great to, my little walker, she did NOT want to get in the stroller on our way from the car there, but nothing a little cereal bar couldn't change.....Yes, I bribed her with food to ride in the stroller.....I know I know....it won't last long....So here is an album from today and some pics of late.......not my best pics, but you get the general idea....Afterwards we headed to McD's for lunch and playtime in the big huge tubes....Kiara had a hard time going through the netted areas but was so proud of herself when she made it through....She knew she could do it....

Children's Museum Sept 08

I hope everyone has great weekends.....I will be out and about shopping for the twins birthday gifts and decor (I am so excited for it, I know I am crazy) and what not and getting the house picked up and cleaned.....We head out to ABQ on Thurs for the Hot Air Balloon Festival...and when we get back Miss Nanna will be here....man I can not wait, 3 crazy weeks ahead and maybe even an overnight downtown with Nanna and Sindy!!! Lastly.....Grandma Paula, just want you to know we are thinking about you today....all is going to be great! Wish we could be there with you........

Random Post about Antiperspirant.....

So after 16+ years or so of being a Secret Deodorant user I have been forced to switch to another brand....Why do you ask....Well, because I can not find my deodorant down here anymore......Secret has switched the formula or something and the new stuff replacing my ol'favorite is just crap!...

I use to use Secret Conditioning Solid Powder Fresh, you know the soft solid that after 2 clicks it comes up through the hundreds of holes on top and dries to invisible....good for tank tops and all.......Well the replacement at least down here seems to be Secret Flawless Touch w/Olay Smooth Powder......So where should I start....the scent, is different....but I was getting use to it....The size was the same, but for some reason didn't last nearly as long as the old one....the hundreds of holes were gone and replaced by 10 leaf shaped bigger holes....at first I was like ok, seems like a a lot of deodorant, hence less clicking.....but then after using it a couple times I noticed the deodorant on the top of the huge holes would crust and form sharp crusty deodorant flakes, let me tell you, doesn't feel good on the underarms when you are applying deodorant....let alone all the crap falling onto the floor......So I sucked it up, picked off the top of the holes a few times until it was gone and went to find my old favorite......I couldn't find it anywhere.....UGH....the only other secret I like and that works for me is original, but down here with the tanks I wear ALL the time.....I really need something that goes on smooth and invisible......(Secrets Invisible Solid doesn't work for me neither does their clear)...So I am not going to reveal what I switched too, but if it works like crap then it probably too will be blogged about........I just miss my Secret.....

Another week has started.....

Well here it is already Tuesday morning.....Shawn is gone until Thursday for work, so it's just us ladies here at the house.....We have not been up to too much......We spent most of the morning yesterday completely cleaning out the girls playroom closet...What a chore.....it was a total mess...and getting to the point where when you open the door you had to wonder if something was going fall out on you.....Anyway, the girls did help and did a great job.....and of course found tons of toys they hadn't played with in awhile....They have been wanting to have a play date at our house and I keep telling them that they need to help clean the playroom and their bedroom before we can have anyone over....So this morning we will be heading upstairs to do some more picking up.....I know how boring....But it will feel good to get it all cleaned once again....Now if they could just keep remembering to put things back where they got them....We are getting there....


Its funny, whenever daddy goes out of town I usually plan an ultra kid friendly menu....Not sure why I wait until he leaves....but it's been fun......last night the girls and I made homemade chicken strips, with the Capt-n-Crunch breading, and instead of frying we baked them and man, they turned out good....Kiara ate probably 5 chicken tenders....and I just love the Creole Mustard....They are all looking forward to tonight's dinner 'cause we will be in the kitchen making pizza pockets....its from their Juniors Cookbook, MJ picked it out, so she is even more excited....So funny.....They all, including Lila, love being in the kitchen with mommy....and I love it too......The girls made a cake on Sunday, with a little help from me, but they decided how to decorate it, hence the M&M's on top.....and no frosting on the sides....It turned out pretty good....

Silly Sticker Saturday...

So the girls have been getting a bunch of stickers lately from Nanna and Grandma Paula. They are usually really good with them and like to stick them to paper or art projects.....Ok, there was this one time when I went into the bathroom and they stickered the whole wall, let me tell you not fun trying to take them all off.....Well today they received more stickers in the mail.....Kiara called them "Smiling Bouncy Ball" Stickers.....They were colorful smiley faces....so instead of sticking on paper they stuck them on themselves.....

The best is after this picture they stuck them all over Shawn's legs....I totally miss the picture opportunity but it was pretty funny....

UPDATED: They have now found the stash of stickers and they are now covered in pumpkin stickers.....Oh Boy!

Smart Cookie, maybe?......

So I am sure most other moms have noticed this with your second/third born. But Lila seems so much more advanced then when the twins were her age. I supposed this is accredited to the fact that she has two older siblings who I must say are great teachers. I just feel that Lila talks more, knows more, figures things out better and more advanced then the Kiara and MJ were at 18 months.....

Little example: She has been having a running nose lately and so I hear her say "Ut-oh" and then I watch her climb up the 3 stairs to the landing where she points up to the tissue box and says "This, Mommy".....while still pointing until I come and get her a tissue, which she uses herself to wipe her nose and then continues on to throw the tissue in the garbage.

I wish I could think of more examples, but she is just a talker.....She can point out all her features and say most of them.....Nose, mouth (which is her favorite to say), eyes, ears, hair, fingers......I actually love this game as it usually comes her down when she is upset.....

So it's been a bummer around here with the kids and their colds....I have had to cancel two play dates....I hate not being able to get out of the house when the kids are sick.....but they need their rest.....Hopefully they will be over them soon.....but it has allowed me to get more work done which is nice.....and I made it to the gym this morning (I have slacked the last two, Ugh) which was rewarding as usual......We seriously have not been up to much....I would say we are having a boring week down here.....Colds will do that....

I will tell you one of my new guilty pleasures......Facebook.......Yeah, you heard me right....I thought I would never sign up for a social networking group.....but I caved and have caught up with so many friends from the past....I must say it's been nice too reconnect!.....

So I am with Molly as I do not like to post w/o pics.....So I will leave you with Lila, these are from a few days ago.......She is eating Cheerios with milk.....and I must say she is very good at it....and likes the change in her breakfast......if I give her a bowl with out milk, she will look at me and say "milk".......So funny!

It never fails....

So all the girls have little colds on this Monday morning....MJ was coming down with one on Saturday, I suppose I should have known that they would all be getting them....I tell you it never fails that my girls catch something when they are out with other kids....I assume they caught this one from Thursday outing/classroom time......Oh well what can you do....

We had a good weekend with Grandpa Harper even though we didn't make it to the game. We also did not receive any bad weather from Ike....which is good. Although I suppose I will have to actually water the lawn this week.....We pretty much stayed in most of the weekend....the boys played some beer die, Joel's friend Travis was in town on his way to Panama....So it was two on too with Gramps playing....Boys will be boys I suppose.....it totally drained them and they all took an afternoon siesta....all that heat and beer.....

Here is pic of Lila stepping up in the kitchen....She is following her sisters lead by wanting to help cook....here she is stirring some pancake batter.....she reminds me of the twins when they were younger, always wanting on the counter to help.....

And here we are with a little Coug spirit......ok, they played terrible!

.....and Grandpa outside (it really wasn't 120 degrees, but it was 101 on Saturday).....

Uncle Joel with Travis.....

Lesson in Watercolor......

So I took this video about a week ago.....I just downloaded from my camera. MJ is very creative and she actually painted some amazing pics, a few that we will be framing....The best part is that she names all of them....some of the one's she painted this day were "The Storm"....."The Fog"....."A Different Fog"......she was pretty cute! One day I get a video camera...so sorry about the quality....


Kiara LOVES to wear my shoes...I should do a post of her posing in different ones....she even puts on my tall boots....SO funny....Here is Texas Princess Pic.....Miss Lila has become very particular these days and will now only eat bananas out of the peel....She cracks me up daily....She also LOVES to scream.....this is her standing on the table screaming and then laughing...Silly girl....

Let the waterworks and screaming begin.....

Oh Man....So today was our first MOPS meeting.....I had a great time and love my discussion group and look forward to getting to know the moms in it.....The twins were great when I dropped them off at their classroom, I think I barely got a good bye look.....They are getting so independent.....I love it! Lila on the other hand was not so 'good'......She started screaming from the moment I dropped her off (you have to remember she is my HEADstrong one and most vocal)....I walked away and left her.....about 10 min later I was called back to the room, Lila decided to scream on the floor and not let anyone pick her up....Can I just tell you she was screaming loud enough to disrupt most of the classrooms......So I grabbed her and cuddled for a min, she calmed down and then handed her over to the Classroom Leader and then all 3 of us walked outside for a few min and then I just walked away, with Lila crying and me tearing up, and went inside...I am still not sure why I was tearing up, suppose it was just all the emotion built up......I figured I would get paged at least once, but NOPE, no pages for me.....When I went to pick her up she was playing in the room.....Of course she cried the minute she saw me.....but oh well. I talked to the Classroom Leaders and they said Lila finally did calm down outside and that she took a nap and read some books in the library and finally went and played in the classroom.....Hopefully next time she will be a little more use to it.....I may have to take her to the gym with me over the next month and see how she does at Kids Club.....She is such a Momma's girl....it actually drives me a bit insane!

After our MOPS we headed out to Chick-fil-A for lunch....another good time for the kiddos to play and burn off some energy....and socialize with other mommy's....Can I tell you how nice that is....I think the coffee nights and play dates are going to be so much fun for all.....

So Hurricane Ike had tromped on some of our weekend plans....we will no longer be going to the WSU v Baylor Football game....they have moved it to tomorrow night at 7.30pm, and with Shawn working and trying to get up there and back before the storms is just not a possibility.....Grandpa Harper is still coming in tomorrow, he just may have to stay and extra few days....I am sure he won't mind (Wink! Wink!)......We are looking forward to spending some QT with him......I know the girls can not stop talking about it!.......

Exercise walks no more.....

So my morning walks with the kiddos are becoming less about me getting a good walk in and more about the kids, which is what it should be.....Miss Lila has become "Miss Independent"......The minute I mention stroller or wagon she is like "NO!".....and its not a polite 'No', it's a scream at the top of her lungs "NO!!"......which I must say has become her new favorite word along with "Hi Daddy" & "Hi Mommy"....what's funny about the last two is she says them in passing, like Hi but I am too busy to talk to you....it's pretty cute....Anyway so the girls and I were on our walk this morning, all 3 actually walking.....and we ran into our friend Rachel and her girls (she also has 3 daughters, one who is 4 one who is 3 and their baby girl is 5 months)...they were playing outside......so we stopped and played at their house for a while.......it was good for all the girls. We all had a great time....and will have to have them over soon to play. Her and her husband are actually building a day care center next to our neighborhood.....so pretty soon she will be a busy lady.....

My other friend in the 'hood Sarah asked me to sign up for a Mother's of Preschoolers group, she is on the steering committee........from talking with her it sounds like a great opportunity to see guest speakers with other moms about motherhood topics and other life stuff......they meet once a month for about 3 hours.....they provide childcare for the kids.....so I signed up and I am looking forward to the first meeting/class on Thursday AM.....The twins are totally thrilled to get to play with their friend Naomi but also are looking forward to meeting a lot of other kids......I guess so far there are 45 moms already signed up.....Should be interesting.....one of the cool things is the stuff they do outside of the once a month meetings.......the do coffee nights and play dates.....I am hoping to meet some other nice moms.....

Well Grandpa will be here on Friday, he is flying in for the WSU v Baylor game....we are heading up to Waco on Saturday morning and staying the night up there (about 3 hours north of here).....We are very excited and the girls can not wait to put on their cheer leading outfits.....Well I am off to watch True Blood, we recorded it and I am curious to see how it is going to be as I usually am not into Vampire stuff, but I really do LOVE Alan Ball, he did Six Feet Under, which is still one of my favorite shows.....

A day to get things done....

Well, I am finally sitting down in a quiet house....Shawn will be back from his trip in about 2 hours...I usually try to get a lot done while he is gone but not this time.....I could get up right now and straighten the living room but I think I will just enjoy the quiet....

I had a sort of busy day just getting little things done.....I got up and went to the Public Safety office to get a new license...(Thanks Uncle Joel for watching the kiddos!)...there is always a LONG line there and I find it discouraging when I get there, but pleasantly surprised when I was only there for an hour....So my new drivers license will be here in 2-4 weeks....(Hello!!, that is a long time, where do they print them, China?)....So I have a stupid paper ID that has no picture....Lame. I also finally ordered a new cell phone....I hate paying full price for phones so I was putting if off, I usually do the upgrade every 2 years.....I think I only got $20 off the retail price on the phone I ordered, better then nothing off.......oh well, suppose that's what I get for not getting phone maintenance....So my new phone will be here soon, 4 days or so....I can not tell you how strange it is not to have one....and boy, I am not looking forward to inputting all the numbers again, I haven't done that in 6 years.....I also managed to pull out my old Coach purse today, its a bit dirty and old, I have had it since I was pregnant with the twins....I suppose it will do until I can afford to justify buying a new purse....So all in things in my life are pretty much back to normal after last week...

I want to send a Birthday Wish to Nana....Happy Birthday!!! We sure miss seeing you on your birthday and hope it was wonderful!......Well, I am off.....Hope everyone has a great Friday....