My scrawny girls

The girls had a check-up with our favorite pediatrician this week and it was another reminder of how fast they are growing up. Gone are the days of tears and refusing to cooperate as Dr. G tries to look in their ears. The girls cooperated so well and were really interested in watching as each sister was checked out.

My favorite part of the visit was when the girls announced they needed to go potty AFTER I had taken off all of their clothes except for their undies and socks. So I had no choice but to march everyone to the bathroom half dressed. They thought it was hilarious!

All in all, we have three healthy girls! They are getting taller but have slowed down on their weight gain, so I just have to keep finding ways to add calories in their diets. Bring on the butter, sour cream, and whole milk please!

And the girls have totally caught on to the routine....they now request stickers on their way out.

Makena

Height: 37 1/2 inches (40th percentile)

Weight: 26 pounds, 14 ounces (6th percentile)

Alyssa

Height: 36 1/2 inches (18th percentile)

Weight: 26 pounds, 14 ounces (6th percentile)

Riley

Height: 38 inches (51st percentile)

Weight: 26 pounds, 1 ounce (3rd percentile)

Christmas tradition...the greatest muffins ever!

My mom was a great cook and she loved to bake. One of my favorite memories is eating these melt-in-your-mouth muffins on Christmas morning. My mom would wake up early to make them for us so that they were hot out of the oven just in time to open presents.

They are easy to make and SO delicious!

French Puffs

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup of milk

Cream together shortening, 1/2 cup of sugar, and egg. In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Add milk and the flour mixture to the shortening and mix well. (I use an electric mixer).

Grease muffin cups and fill them 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

For the topping, mix 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 tsp. of cinammon in a bowl. Melt 1/2 cup of butter. When the muffins come out of the oven, roll them in the melted butter and then roll them in the cinammon-sugar mixture. Serve them hot!

Photostory Friday and Merry Christmas

What a day! The girls enjoyed Christmas so much this year. They were SO excited to open presents when they woke up this morning and then continued with their Christmas fun at my brother's house this afternoon.

Of course, we still had some meltdowns and tantrums that only a 3 year-old can throw and skipping naps made for a long day, but we survived!

Santa came through with the girl's Sesame Street Christmas wishes...Riley wanted Elmo, Alyssa wanted Grover, and Makena wanted Zoe.

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

Miss Riley

Miss Alyssa

Miss Makena (The tantrum queen)!

Grandpa and Nana with their granddaughters

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Say what?

The girls and I were in the car this morning admiring all the Christmas decorations. "Hey look, there's Mr. Snowman. There's Santa. There's the reindeer. And look at those Christmas lights!"

And then we drive by a nativity scene in someone's front yard.

Riley says, "Look mama, it's Baby Cheez-its!"

Frozen bread...It's what's for breakfast

Are my girls the only kids on the planet who prefer their bread or waffles right out of the freezer? Weirdos.

Photostory Friday and Santa

The girls have had a hot and cold relationship with Santa this year. They always LOVE to talk about him. And they love all the Christmas decorations. But when it comes down to getting close to him, you never know what you're gonna get. And of course there's the domino effect that happens. If one is hesitant and starts saying "No Santa" then her sisters are sure to follow.

So we tracked down Santa at a tree farm near our house and waited 10 minutes for Santa to get back from his lunch break. I couldn't keep my laughter to myself when I saw Santa walk out of a little shed right next to the picture area (the shed was apparently Santa's break room) and he had a bag of Doritos in one hand and a Pepsi in the other. His beard was all cockeyed and Santa looked like he was about 25 years old.

But the girls were thrilled. Alyssa walked up to him and said, "Santa, I love you." And then the domino effect happened. All three of them were in love with Santa and happy to take a picture with him.

And apparently I need to go out and get a bag of chips and a Pepsi to leave out for Santa on Christmas Eve. Not sure if cookies and milk will cut it this year.

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Suspense

Alyssa and I had a fun little conversation tonight at dinner....

Alyssa: "Mama, I make you a present at school!"

Me: "Oh yeah? Don't tell me what it is. I think it is supposed to be a secret."

Alyssa: smiles..."Okay."
*she waits 5 seconds*

Alyssa: " I painted it and put sprinkles on it."

Me: "Ahhhh. I can't wait to see it, but don't tell me what it is."

Alyssa: "Okay mommy. But I made it for yoooooouuuuuuu."

Do you think a plane ticket to Hawaii comes with fingerpaint and sprinkles?

Another book has got me hooked!

I love a good novel and I have found another great book to dive into. "The Pillars of the Earth" is an older book originally published in 1989, but a book that is new to my nightstand.

I am only on page 97, but I know a book has got me hooked when all day long I look forward to crawling into bed and reading a few chapters before I go to sleep. And my fellow book worm and blogger friend Angie has already read this one, so I know it is good! If you are a reader, head over to her blog...she has recommended another book that I have just added to my always growing "must read" list.

Back to our regularly scheduled blogging

The girls have been recovering from their nasty cold/cough/ear infections...and with all the snot and coughing that was happening, I was bound to catch it. So we have all been laying low. Other than taking the girls to the pediatrician on Wednesday, my babies have been housebound. If I see one more episode of Dora, Diego, Wonder Pets, or The Backyardigans, I just might go crazy!

So that explains my lack of blogging! I'll be back next week.

Stay tuned for our 2008 Santa picture!

Wordful Wednesday and Sisterly Love

The girls are all sick. I'm catching it but am fighting it off with lots of Vitamin C. We are buried in snot over here and the sounds of three hacking coughs keep me up at night as I make the Motrin rounds at 2 am to keep the fevers down. My shin didn't appreciate the wall I ran into last night as I was half-asleep tending to my little sickies.

Since I don't have any exciting pictures so far this week, I thought I would spread some love. The girls like to play "mommy" and "baby" now. It has become a fun game for me to try and figure out who they want when they call out for "mommy." Every so often I get a breather as one of the girls jumps into her mommy role.

Makena (in pink) playing mommy with her baby (Alyssa).

Hosted by Angie at

Christmas Cookies

It's time for holiday baking and I thought I would share one of my favorite recipes.

Mexican Wedding Cakes--yummy!

(a.k.a. Russian Tea Cakes)

1 cup powdered sugar

2 cups of butter, softened

2 tsp. vanilla

4 1/2 cups flour

1 cup of finely chopped nuts ( I use pecans or walnuts)

1/2 tsp. salt

Mix together powdered sugar, butter and vanilla.

Stir in flour, nuts and salt until dough holds together.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls.

Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes at 400 degrees.

Roll cookies in powdered sugar while warm.

Cool completely on wire rack (about 30 minutes).

Once the cookies are cool, roll them in powdered sugar again.

This recipe makes about 6 dozen cookies so you can easily cut the recipe in half for a smaller batch.

Photostory Friday and A Rainy Day

The girls and I ventured out for a Thanksgiving feast at their preschool last week. Unfortunately we had to park in a lot next to the school and hike over in the rain because all of the parents were there to be with their kids and they had snatched up the good parking spots. Of course it was a day when I was running late trying to get everyone dressed and out of the house and I didn't have a stroller with me. Thankfully, the girls listened to me REALLY well as I made sure we all held hands as we had a brief walk along a busy street. We made it to school just as they sat down to eat.

On the way back to the car, I let the girls run around and play with the leaves because they thought it was so much fun.

I love this first picture...some of my favorite pictures are of the girls from this view. Watching them run off to explore their world.

Riley and Makena showing off their leaves to Alyssa.

Alyssa and Makena chasing each other in circles.

Not a care in the world!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Wordful Wednesday and a Pony ride

The girls experienced their first pony ride last weekend and it was a big reminder of how fast they are growing up. They have always been hesitant to try things that can be potentially scary so I wasn't sure if they would get on the pony and stay there without crying in the middle of the ride. But they did awesome!

The picture quality isn't great because I was trying to get out of the way of the horses!

Wordful Wednesday

Hosted by Angie

Merry SITSmas!

Twas’ the night before SITSmas,
and all through the town
Not a SITSta was sleeping
We just couldn’t lie down

The excitement was high
Because in just one more day
Heather and Tiffany were hosting
The big SITSmas giveaway

Amazing prizes in all shapes and size
Leave lots of comments
And it just might be you
Who wins the GRAND PRIZE

A $200 Target gift card
And your blog will be the one
To be featured as Friday’s Favorite blog
Oh SITS girls, you’re so much fun

Merry SITSmas to you
From my heart to yours
Have a wonderful holiday season
With love from the Quilao girls

Click on the button below to go checkout the fun!

And go visit some of my favorite SITS blogs

Seven Clown Circus

Honey Mommy

One Crafty Mama

Little Bites of Heaven

Mindless Junque

The R Family Diaries

Get ready!

The SITS girls are at it again! Tomorrow is a very exciting day as they are hosting a blogging blowout with prizes every hour. The GRAND PRIZE is a $200 Target giftcard and the awesome honor to have your blog featured on their site on Friday!

Go visit "The secret is in the sauce" tomorrow and show some Merry SITSmas spirit!!

The search is on...

The girls are looking for Santa. Everywhere we go they ask for him.

Where is Santa Ca-laus (as Makena likes to pronounce it)? They are so excited by all the Christmas decorations. It really is fun to hear the excitement in their voices this year.

Last night we were driving home from a Christmas tree lighting event in our community and the girls were little chatterboxes in the backseat pointing out everything they saw.

Yelling out "Hi Christmas lights" was all we could hear.

And then something magical happened.

Makena said, "One, Two, Three" and then in unison they all shouted "Hi Christmas lights." It was really cute.

So I'm hopeful that we might get a good picture of the girls with Santa this year. A picture where Steve and I don't have to sit with them on Santa's lap to keep them from running away. And I am going to enjoy all of their innocent excitement.

From what I hear, this is the last year of innocence before the commercialism of Christmas sets in and they start asking for specific items from Santa.

Cause as it stands right now, they don't have a care in the world. Except to find the jolly ole guy himself.

Happy Thanksgiving

We are thankful for so much and will be counting our blessings as we celebrate a quiet holiday at home.

Wishing you all a happy and healthy Thanksgiving.

Wordful Wednesday--Toddler yoga

I've mentioned before how much of a monkey my girl Makena is. She will try to climb and hang on anything. And now she has started to do headstands against the wall. She cracks me up with her freakish strength and boundless energy.

And don't mind the half eaten apples by her head. Energy food. She might have had some help eating them from her two partners in crime.

Related Posts: Wordful Wednesday-Makena

Energizer Bunny


Wordful Wednesday

Hosted by Angie

Twilight...The Movie

I escaped the house on Friday night and went to see Twilight with my SIL and a group of friends. And yes, we were the oldest people in the theater. The other group of moms that were there sat in the row behind us. We laughed at the teenagers screaming when Edward came on the screen and the shrill catcalls of "I love you Edward" that happened throughout the movie. Ahhh, to be 13 again!

The movie was okay. The girl who played Bella actually got on my nerves. My favorite aspect of the movie was watching the entire Cullen family. I loved seeing them come to life from what I had imagined in the book.

Did anyone else see it? What did you think?

All the single ladies...

Have you seen this SNL skit? Hilarious...Gotta love JT!

Writer's Workshop: The last time I laughed really hard...

Is it bad that the last time I laughed really hard was when Riley tripped over something and fell on her face? I know how horrible that sounds, but c’mon? Laughing when someone falls IS one of the highlights in life isn’t it?

Before you start thinking how horrible I am. She was fine. Really. The rug burn on her face healed in just a few days. Kidding. Sort of.

But she thought it was hilarious too. And so did her sisters. We all sat there and laughed at her with her for atleast 5 minutes. And it felt so good to laugh like that.

I hope someone falls today. Gosh darn karma. It’s going to be me isn’t it?


Go visit Mama Kat to see who else is playing.

Holy SITStas!

Just wanted to give a huge thanks to Heather and Tiffany for featuring my little blog over at "The Secret is in the Sauce" today.

If you are new to my little place in bloggy land, I hope you enjoy looking around and if nothing else, get a laugh or two over the antics of my crazy kids.

Thanks for making my day!!

Check out this giveaway

My fellow triplet mom Michele has started a new online store selling mineral makeup. She swears by it and promises that it will make all your wrinkles go away. *wink-wink* And it hides those dark circles under your eyes too. Go visit her online store to see what she has to offer.

But the best part is that she is hosting a giveaway to some lucky lady who can give the best sob story of why you deserve the FREE makeup. So after you check out Michele's Mineral Makeup, go visit her blog to enter the giveaway.

But make sure you tell her that I sent you when you enter. Cause mama needs some foundation and *free* is the price I like to pay.

Who drugged the chickens?

We have a local Farmer's Market right down the road from us and I took the girls there a couple of weeks ago to check out their pumpkin patch and cornmaze. I was thrilled when I saw that they also had a petting zoo. The girls *love* animals.

After we pushed our way past the Llama that wanted to eat my children, we found the chickens in the back corner. I swear the chickens must have been drugged because they totally didn't care that my children manhandled them for a good 5 mintues. Don't chickens usually try to scratch your eyes out trying to get away from you?

Photostory Friday and Party Pics

My brother's 40th birthday bash was last Saturday night. Can you tell how happy I was to get out of the house for some fun?

BF Jess and I enjoying a mom's night out

My brother and his beautiful wife

Let me introduce you to the poison....in the form of Patron (tequila). Don't know why I look all happy posing next to it. I don't drink it. The bucket is cute though...Halloween aisle at Target!

Hmmm...I think this was after a cocktail or two.

A round of poison to toast the birthday boy.

My bro and some of his drunk friends homies.

And the night ended with some beer pong in the living room.

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Wordful Wednesday and Ahhh Nuts-Part II

A little over a year ago, we discovered that Makena was allergic to peanuts. She had a follow-up appointment with her allergy doctor last month and he suggested that we do another blood test. The first time around, "her numbers" were low, but did show a peanut allergy. We decided to re-test to see if she possibly outgrew it.

I was thrilled when the doc called and said "her numbers" came back at zero and he suggested we do a taste test in the office to see if she reacts. So Makena and I headed out for a little peanut butter date the day before Halloween. I had visions of her enjoying a Reese's Peanut butter cup on Halloween night. It's the simple pleasures in life right?

So the taste test was quite the production. The doctor started with giving her one little dab of peanut butter to eat and then we waited 30 minutes to see how she reacts. So far so good--no reaction. We give her a second cracker with a little more peanut butter (probably less than 1/4 tsp) and we are still good to go after the next 30 minute wait.

I tried to keep my girl occupied with Elmo and Nemo DVD's and some color crayons but the poor girl was ready to climb the walls after an hour of waiting.

After the third peanut butter cracker with about a teaspoon of peanut butter, the rash and hives appeared. AHHHHH nuts! If you look closely, you can see the red rash around her mouth.



After a dose of Benadryl, we were on our way home. Makena enjoyed a little Benadryl-induced catnap in the car on the ride home.




Related Posts: Ahh Nuts


Wordful Wednesday

Hosted by Angie

Happy birthday bro!

Today is a momentous occasion. My big brother is 40.

Big bro enjoys a good party and is usally the last one to leave so he doesn't miss out on any fun. He is also the ultimate party host. Refilling drinks and making sure everyone is having a good time.

When he isn't refilling drinks, he is overseeing the barbeque. His BBQ skills are well-known in the hood.

And let's not forget his love for rap music.

His most impressive accomplishment is his two beautiful daughters.

I leave you with a video clip of the birthday boy in action. He doesn't act a day over 18.

Happy Birthday! Hope the next 40 years are just as memorable!