Happy Holidays!

She's Here!

We welcomed our newest addition to the family into the world yesterday morning. We have been blessed with a beautiful, healthy baby girl and couldn't be more thrilled. I will try to update more about the big day when I get a chance.

Miss Abigail Samantha Quilao

7 pounds, 6 ounces

19 1/2 inches long

Proud big sisters with baby Abby

Surprise, SURPRISE!!!!

After taking a 3-month blogging break, I wasn't sure what life event would ever bring me back. Life has been so busy with work and three kids in kindergarten that I have had absolutely no motivation to blog. Well, this week, we had such a life-changing event occur that I found a reason to come back to the good, ole blog.


Baby #4 is on the way!!!!

Yes, you read that right!

Needless to say, this mama was shocked! After our fertility problems that first time around, we just never thought it would happen naturally.

So I will jump right into a little Q&A.....

1. Only 1 baby? I had an ultrasound this week and yes, there was only 1 baby.

2. How far along am I? Initial estimates this week say I am 6 weeks.

3. What do the girls think about being big sisters? The girls are absolutely THRILLED to be big sisters. Right after we told them, they jumped into planning mode (hmmmm....wonder who they get that from?) and started listing all of the things we would need for a baby (crib, stroller, baby clothes, diapers etc). It was actually the cutest thing I've ever seen. The next step was to list off all of the things they were going to teach their baby brother or sister.

4. How have I been feeling? Pretty good. Other than being really tired and having cravings/aversions for certain foods, I've been feeling good. However, my sleep cycle has been totally jacked up this week. I am dead-tired by 9:00 p.m. but wake up after sleeping 3-4 hours and can't fall back to sleep. Initially, this was feuled by anxiety and planning that I could not turn off in my brain when I tried to go back to sleep. But, this cycle has continued and I'm really hoping I can get back to a full night's sleep soon.

5. What is the due date? Early October

I think that covers the basics. I am praying for a non-eventful, healthy pregnancy. Bed rest, pre-term labor, and an incompetent cervix are things I do not want to experience again! I have an appointment scheduled next month with my favorite high-risk Perinatologist who monitored my pregnancy with the girls.

Until next time.....I promise I will try to post more regularly again.

Photostory Friday

Before I was a mom, I was an auntie. It was and still is one of my favorite roles in life. When my oldest niece Katie was born, I was in college and had lots of free time to spend with her. She was the first grandchild and received lots of attention from all of us.

Now that I am a mom, it is so fun to watch my daughters look up to their older cousins. Katie and Alyssa have a special bond that melts my heart. They share little personality traits that I often think of Alyssa as a mini-version of Katie. They also share the middle name of my mom (their grandmother), Christine, who they never met because she died before they were born. It is fitting that they share the name Christine. Their kind-hearted nature reminds me of my mom.

I also love the infectious smile that they bring out in each other.





Hosted by Cecily and Amy

Sunday Sundae

Nothing beats an ice cream sundae on a Sunday afternoon!

Especially when we have very special grandparents keeping us company.

Thanks Lolo and Lola...We love you!

Photostory Friday and Cousins

One of the highlights of the girl's summer vacation was spending lots of quality time with their older cousins. Whether they were building forts with blankets, playing with playdoh, running through the sprinklers or just hanging out, they always managed to have the best time ever.

God bless the neighbors who contributed to the orange juice and brownie business that the girls set up one summer morning. Our beloved babysitter was the general manager over this project while I was at work, so imagine my surprise when I came home and learned that there were a few people who purchased the homemade goodies. Apparently my little chocolate lovers almost went on a labor strike when they learned they couldn't have the whole plate of brownies to themselves. I think they got over it once they had some change in their pockets and an extra brownie in their bellies!

Hosted by Cecily and Izzy 'N Emmy

Easter weekend

I thought it would be fun to start this post off with a little walk down memory lane. Every year, our community hosts an egghunt for the kids the Saturday before Easter and we get to see the bunny one more time.

The first time the girls met the Easter bunny, they weren't too sure of her, but they didn't run away screaming.

Easter 2007

(L to R) Alyssa, Riley, Makena

The next year, they wouldn't even sit near her unless I sat in the picture and even then, the results weren't great.

Easter 2008

And Alyssa was certain she didn't want anything to do with that bunny!

But this year, things have turned around. Three smiling girls!

Easter 2009

We spent Easter Sunday out on the farm with friends and family. The girls had a blast checking out all the animals, jumping their hearts out, and embarking on the biggest egghunt they've ever seen. We had a great day!

Click on the collage below to see the pictures enlarged

The girls were pooped after their day of fun! It is very rare that all three of my girls fall asleep in the car these days so I couldn't resist taking a picture.

Take me out to the ballgame

Our week is off to a beautiful start! We hit the park this weekend to watch my niece sophie and her all-girls t-ball team kick some major butt against an all-boys team.

GIRLS ROCK!

Miss Sophie sportin' her pink helmet!

Sophie and her three aspiring t-ball players!

Cousin Katie with her Lissy-bear!

***We won't talk about how I couldn't keep the girls from gathering all the used-up-spit-out sunflower seed shells from underneath the bleachers. Nope, let's just pretend that was not a favorite activity.***

We are keeping the good times rolling with a fun playdate tomorrow with some of our favorite peeps. Hope you all have a great week!

Photostory Friday and Happy Birthday

Dad,

Thanks for all your love and support you have given us through the years. Craig and I were blessed with two wonderful parents who taught us by example not to sweat the small stuff. You make 60 look good!

I wanted to re-post some of my favorite childhood memories in honor of your birthday.

I have fond memories as a little girl driving around in your little yellow porsche...We'd honk at strangers--wave and laugh!

Playing baseball, hotbox, and basketball--We were always outside doing something.

Taking naps on the couch in the afternoon (both of us still have this habit)!

Waking up in the morning to music blaring in the living room
(Michael Jackson, Earth Wind & Fire...you name it).

Your love of music definitely rubbed off on us. And we are always up for a game of "Guess who sings this" when random songs come on the radio (sorry Jodi).

I loved to watch you dance on the linoleum floor in the kitchen (Bus Stop, Electric Slide).

Going for bike rides on warm summer days.

Going to the movies on HOT summer days and YOU would always fall asleep in the air-conditioned theater until you would snore and wake yourself up (ha-ha)!

I inherited your love of anything chocolate!

You always have such a great sense of humor and we love to laugh.

I always feel safe with you dad and am so lucky to have you.

HAPPY 60TH BIRTHDAY DAD...WE LOVE YOU!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

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

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!

For the homies

My brother was vacationing in Seattle a few weeks ago and ran into well-known rapper Ice Cube. Cube was nice enough to pose for a picture, but my brother didn't have his playa face on and forgot to flash the peace sign like a true homie would.

Well, Riley has been practicing her peace sign and she's got it down.

"What up homies?"

--Riley (on the left)

Photostory Friday and Generations

Last weekend, we spent the day in Lake Tahoe for a family picnic. The girls were able to see their Great-Grandfather and run around with their cousins from Oregon. It was a great day, although it went by too fast.

My camera battery went dead shortly after we arrived, but I was able to take this picture of the girls and Great-Grandpa George. He is very proud of the girls and loves to show off pictures to his friends in the assisted living center that he lives in.

The girls also spent some time with my Aunt's dog Murphy. During the drive up, Riley kept talking about how she was going to "ride on Murphy-doggie when we got to Ha-toe." Murphy was happy to steal chips from the girls hands when she was running around the party and at one point, I caught her trying to steal a hotdog off the kitchen counter. Murphy was ready to par-tay!

Thanks for having us over Aunt Laurie and Uncle Bob!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Happy Birthday Sophie!

My youngest niece Sophie turned 6 years old today. We celebrated her birthday this past weekend with family. I remember the day she was born like it was yesterday. Her big sister Katie, who was 4 at the time, and I waited all day long to get the phone call that Sophie was born so that we could go to the hospital and check her out.

Happy Birthday Soph...we love you!

The big kids gettin' goofy

Grandpa (my dad) and his granddaughters

Proud Grandpa

There's no place like home

I took the girls on a little roadtrip on Monday so that they could have their first real beach experience. We went back to Lake Tahoe where I had a mama's getaway weekend a few weeks ago.

We stayed overnight with the hope that my girls would actually sleep and if all went well, we were going to stay a 2nd night. If I had magic red shoes like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, I would have been clicking my heels like crazy to get home asap when bedtime came and went last night.

My girls went without their nap yesterday (gasp) which was hard for this schedule-oriented mom to even think about without cringing, because the side-effects can be disastrous. We survived the day and had lots of fun, but as I expected, the girls had a difficult time falling to sleep at bedtime as well. Everyone had their favorite blankies, pacifiers and comforts from home, but being in a new environment kept us all awake.

Makena and Alyssa slept pretty well once the finally fell asleep, but Riley woke up at 3:00 a.m. and was wide awake. She ended up in bed with me where we kept each other company until 5:00 a.m. when she finally dozed off again. So, because we were all feeling sleep deprived and my kids would have been cranky monsters all day, we packed up and headed home in time for naps this afternoon. We will head back to Tahoe in August for a big family picnic at my Aunt Laurie's house.

When you ask the girls what their favorite activity of the trip was, they'll tell you it was riding the "alligator" (elevator) back and forth from our condo. The beach is an afterthought for them!

BF Jess and I missed the Season Finale of the Bachelorette because we were busy trying to put our kids to bed. Hallelujah for DVR and full episodes available online!

BF Jess and her kiddos enjoying Lake Tahoe with us

Nanny M helped me with the girls since daddy had to work. There is NO way I would even think of going near water with my girls without an extra set of hands. My crazy girls think they can run right into the water without looking back, so we really have to keep a close eye on them.

Mama and her beach bums

Makena thought it was hilarious to throw sand at everyone, which helped me teach the first lesson in proper beach etiquette. We also worked on not running across other people's towels with sandy, wet toddler feet!

Happy Birthday Ly! We celebrated her birthday on Monday night with some BBQ and pineapple upside-down cake. Nobody tops Ly's BBQing skills. She can marinate some meat like nobody's business and whip up side dishes that make everybody happy.