As promised.....

Awhile back I celebrated my 200th post by asking my blogger friends to answer some silly questions about me.

My favorite question was which male celebrity from the 80's did I most resemble after I got a really bad perm? There were lots of hilarious guesses (Richard Marx, Jon Bon Jovi, Michael Jackson and Richard Simmons) but the correct answer was none other than the Super Freak himself, Rick James.

So I finally found a picture that showcased my hella-fresh hairdo. Wasn't it like, totally awesome? And thank God I grew into those teeth.

What can I say? I was eight.

California girls

Think we're ready for the warm weather to come back? I caught the girls trying to catch some sun eventhough it was 50 degrees outside.

We are seriously tired of the rain and cold weather. I know I shouldn't be complaining since some of my blog visitors are dealing with zero degree temperatures, wind chill and snow storms, but when it comes to weather, we're wimps out here in California!

There is only so much play-do, coloring, legos, reading, and Elmo-watching you can do before my toddlers start to get restless.

One step forward....two steps back

The interest in potty training is hit or miss these days. The girls have other uses in mind for their potty chairs....

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She takes after me

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I can't get enough of this video. Our sweet Lissy has a sweet tooth just like her mommy. The pure joy on her little face at the mention of dessert cracks me up!

Two and a half......almost

My girls will be 2 ½ years old next month and I can't believe how fast time flies by. It seems like everyday they are learning something new and watching their little smiling faces light up with excitement is the highlight of our days.

The girls are talking alot and I want to make sure I remember some of the cute things they are saying these days.

When they see daddy's beer cans in the fridge they say "Dada's juice."

Riley said "Mama's funny" yesterday, which I love. If I can't make a 2 year-old laugh, I'm in big trouble. She will also ask for a hug and kiss when I put her to bed at night...it melts my heart. Riley has also started to fake injuries to get attention....she'll say "leg hurts" or "neck hurts." She has also figured out that you take medicine when something hurts. She saw me taking Tylenol the other day and asked for some medicine (only because she thinks she'll get the grape flavored chewable Benadryl that tastes like candy). When I told her she didn't need any she pointed to her arm and said "arm hurts."

Alyssa loves to see someone in a state of undress so that she can point out they are "Knock-eed" (Naked).

The girls are starting to boss each other around, telling each other to "Hush" or telling each other "All done" or "Get down" when they are doing something they shouldn't be.

The girls are starting to show more independence. They ask for "big milk" because they like their cups with the straws instead of sippy cups. And if I try to break something in half to share between them they get SO mad and want a "big piece."

I was trying to help Alyssa down the stairs the other day and she told me "No hold hand mama."

Makena continues to be our little monkey daredeveil. She'll swing and jump from just about anything.

Elmo and the rest of the Sesame Street Characters are the latest craze in the house. We have watched "Elmo's Christmas Countdown" about 100 times already and will most likely still be watching it in July! The girls also LOVE to watch "Happy Feet" and ask for it everyday. It makes for a good distraction while I try to fix meals if daddy isn't home.

Riley and Makena have gone pee-pee on the potty a handful of times, but we are not hitting the potty-training too hard yet. Alyssa sits on the potty, but hasn't gone on it yet. She did manage to squat right next to the potty and pee on the tile floor, so I guess that's progress!

Riley
a.k.a. “Ri-Ri”

Alyssa
a.k.a. “Sissa”

Makena
a.k.a. “Kema” or “Mackey Jo”

The a.k.a. names are what the girls call each other. I don't think they could have come up with anything more sweet!

Highchair races

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Bedtime woes

My children must have secret pow-wows to determine which child is going to fight going to bed at night. Makena has been in command of this job for the last month or so. We'd go through our bedtime routine...brush teeth, read a book, talk about going to bed, saying night night to daddy and then heading up for bed. I would usually have a clue that we were in for a fight because she emphatically said "No" everytime I mentioned that it was night-night time.

The end result was me putting her in her crib while she starts screaming and thrashing around. I would close the door and turn off the light and listen to her scream like she was straight out of The Exorcist. In an effort to keep the neighbors from calling the police because they think we are hurting one of our children, I would have to go in and get her like she wants and bring her back downstairs to read more books and try to tire her out. Usually within a half hour I could bring her up to bed and put her down without too much of a fight. This struggle has lessened over the last couple of weeks, but I still never know when she's gonna turn on me.

The pow-wow to determine who is going to make my life difficult must have happened sometime when I wasn't looking today. Alyssa took over the job tonight. My child who loves to sleep. My child who smiles at me when I put her in her crib with a handful of binkies. My child who wakes up and doesn't make a peep because she likes to hang out in her crib for awhile.

Tonight, I put her to bed and a few minutes later I hear her crying. She's usually pretty easy to console if she is crying in her crib, but tonight she wanted to come back downstairs and lay on the couch with daddy. We let her hang out for another 10 minutes and then I put her back in bed. She still screamed. I went and got her again and she laid down with me for 10 minutes and then it was back in her crib. I knew I had to let her cry it out. She cried for 30 minutes. I can't stand listening to the girls cry in their cribs. It makes my blood pressure skyrocket.

Maybe she was just mad that we didn't let her sleep all scrunched up on top of her legos and various other toys in her little self-made bed.

Happy 1st birthday to our little blog!

I can't believe it's already been a year since my adventure in blogging started. I've "met" so many interesting people, mostly moms, who share their own fun stories about parenting and put up with me as I tell mine.

I hope this next year will be just as fun as the last. And a big thanks to everyone who leaves us comments when they stop by. It makes my day!

Tag...I'm it

One of my fellow triplet moms, Tammie, tagged me which means you get to learn more stuff about me.

The Rules: Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.

Share 5 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog.

or

Share the 5 top places on your “want to see or want to see again” list.

or

Share 5 things you never pictured being in your future when your were 25 years old.

Tag a minimum of 5, maximum of 10 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.

Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

The tagees have a choice of which they want to do.

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I'm going to try not to bore you to tears with the Top 5 places I want to visit or see again. By no means am I a world traveler. I can barely call myself a U.S. traveler and I'm okay with that. Vacationing for me usually means lounging by a pool or beach with a good book. I like to relax, eat and shop. Call me boring, but it makes me happy.

1. San Diego: This is somewhere I have visited before and will probably go back many times in my life if I have the chance. Steve and I spent part of our honeymoon here and we love to stay at the Hotel Del Coronado. There are many places in San Diego that are reportedly haunted, including the Hotel Del. Steve tried to talk me into staying in the older part of the hotel where many of the suspected ghost sightings happened, but I wanted no part of that. I can't wait to take the girls here. San Diego is also home to awesome beaches, a wildlife park, zoo and Sea World. Steve doesn't mind that Torrey Pines golf course is also in the area.
   
   
2. Hawaii: I have been lucky enough to travel to Hawaii twice. Once to Oahu and once to Kauai. Kauai is absolutely beautiful. I would love to visit Maui if I’m fortunate enough to go again.
   
   
3. New York: I have never been to NY but would love to visit someday. This would certainly not be one of my typical sit-by-the-pool-and-read-a-book-vacations. Lots to see and do in NY and I hope to make it there one day.
   
   
4. The Grand Canyon: I have never been here, but Steve wants to rent an RV and drive across the U.S. so if that ever happens, the Grand Canyon will be part of that tour. I promise to give it more than the 5-second Griswold perusal.
   
   
   
5. Europe: I'm leaving it broad. If I'm ever brave enough to get on an airplane and travel that far I would love to visit Italy, Spain, and England for starters.

So there you have it. I am tagging Laura, Kelly, Erin, Melissa, and Heather. Hope you play along ladies. No pressure though!

My little daredevil

I held my breath until she made it to the top. But then she ran back around and wanted to do it again!

Ughhhh

I've been down and out today with a nasty cold/sinus bug. I've been fighting it for a couple of days but it kicked my butt today. I woke up this morning and my sinuses were on fire. Starting to get some energy back tonight. Thanks to Auntie Jodi and Katie and Sophie for coming by to entertain the girls for awhile. My hubby did an excellent job of watching the girls today. He fixed meals and all.....who knew? The best part is that he bought me some ice cream that is waiting in the freezer for me. My throat can't wait to taste it.

The funniest thing today was when I came downstairs to try and pretend I was feeling half way human, Lissy looked at me and said "Mama, showa peease." What??? I must have looked just as horrible as I felt.

Crazy weather

We have had some nasty rain and wind hit us over the last 24 hours and were without power for 6 hours today. Now that I have kids, I was so worried about getting the power back on. We need heat to keep them warm and a refrigerator to keep our milk from going bad and I could only use my cell phone which was almost dead and I couldn't charge it. And what about a stove or microwave to cook food! Poor BF Jess had no way to warm bottles for Calum. Had it been just me I would have been fine with a book and a blanket! Although my disconnect from the computer would have started to bother me after a few hours. I am hoping that we are blessed with power through the night. It has already gone on and off twice since the girls have gone too bed.

The blanket

Dear Great Aunt Laurie,

My mommy told me that I should write you a letter to tell you that I have taken over her favorite blanket. You know the quilt you made for her way back in 1999? Well, it’s mine now. I get to sleep with it everyday and I love to snuggle underneath it so that you can barely see the top of my head. Mommy is soooooo jealous. Not just of the blanket, but of the amount of sleep I get. I’m usually the last one to get up in the morning, maybe around 9:00 or 9:30 and I’m always ready for naptime after lunch. I can’t wait to hop in my crib and snuggle with my blanket. I also like to be the first one in bed at night. It takes a lot of energy to be this cute!

Mommy says to tell you that she hopes you don’t get buried underneath all that snow that is on it’s way to Lake Tahoe. Hope we get to see you soon!

Love,
Riley

Favorite posts from 2007

Here are some of my favorite posts from the last year:

Sisterly Love

Makena gets her groove on

March of Dimes WalkAmerica 2007

Come on over

Boo!

Hand the food to mommy

Music to my ears

America's Got Talent

Happy Birthday Daddy

Priceless

Now that we're two

8 random facts about me

Better than a purse

Thankful

Girls Gone Wild