New Years Eve

Happy New Year!!!!!



I sure hope I can stay up until midnight to watch the ball drop but I don't have high expectations! :) I know for a fact that my children will be fast asleep!!!

As we came home from a fish fry with Jay, Amy, and baby Louis, Olivia saw our neighbors shooting off some fireworks.
O: I want to do that!
Al: I don't know baby, you're still too little for that.
O: I wanna watch them Daddy! *high pitch squeal that probably made my ear bleed a little*
Al: Ok, just for a minute. Next year when you and Cooper are older, we'll shoot fireworks.
O: I can do it now Daddy, I'm SIXTEEN years old! I'm old enough.

WHATEVER!!!! Where does my kid come up with this stuff! She is just too much sometimes! I think I heard our neighbor Lisa laugh out loud when she heard what Olivia said!

I'm still a dork!!!

I'm glad Olivia can't read and doesn't have access to this blog! I found two presents that Santa was supposed to bring her under my desk at work! I knew that I had a few more things for her, but I couldn't remember what they were.......well....I just happened to drop something under my desk and when I looked down - there the hopscotch pad and cd/radio/telephone thingie were. I'm such a DORK! I put everything in my car like a week before Christmas, even did a check my last day of work and still missed them. Duh Mandy.

At least Olivia's birthday is in April and I can hang on to this stuff until then. It's not like she was lacking in the present department at Christmas or anything! I just can't believe I forgot!

I'm such a dork

Ok, for future reference, I'm a total dork! I hardly ever, I mean EVER, get phone calls on my cell phone. Al and my mom are probably the only *two* people that ever call it. So today, I get a phone call and it's an 800 number. Strange....even stranger (is that a word?) - it was an Indian (red dot, not woo woo woo) lady asking about my cell phone. I told her to call Al since he was the primary....wanna know why she called? Apparently I paid another bill twice last month instead of paying Cingular! OOPS! Like I said before, I'm a dork. I better get my stack of bills off the counter tonight and make sure I have everything set up to be paid - PROPERLY. Ha ha!

In non-related Mandy is a dork news.......Olivia was upset that we didn't have snow for Christmas. Al tried to explain to her that it doesn't snow in South Carolina that often but as she pointed out "in all the movies it snows for Christmas!" - Yes, yes it does. But none of them are based in SC! Ha ha! I told her maybe next year Santa will bring her some snow. (I really don't mean it, I could care less for the stuff, but still, she's only 3 1/2!). Oh, and Cooper has an ear infection and is under the weather. Poor baby, you can look at him and tell he doesn't feel well. And I took Olivia back to see the doctor about her finger and it's still infected. Now Al and I have the wonderful and easy job of trying to push the pus pocket up to get the infection out. Sounds easy right? WRONG! I had to practically lay on top of Olivia this morning so Dr Bonnie could dig around in it. Not fun. I am not looking forward to my daily wrestling matches with Ms. Griggs! I think she'll probably win. Why is it that little kids are freakishly strong?

I guess it's better than losing a finger huh?

Daddy Daycare

Al is off today and the daycare is closed....so guess who is playing Daddy Daycare??? Ha! I've called Al a few times today and he has sounded totally stressed. :) Poor Al! I bet he is really looking forward to going back to work tomorrow. Ha ha! I hope when I get home today, I don't find my house in a total mess, but I'm not holding my breath. I have a really bad feeling about what *the boy* and *the firstborn* have done. It's really quite scary to be honest. :)

In other news, Nana and Poppy left today to go to Atlanta to see Martin and his new place. They are really excited so I hope they have a good trip. And I hope they can stay away from Olivia and Cooper that long! Nana tried her hardest to get me to let Olivia go, but I said NO! I'm sure Martin and Randy wouldn't want a wild 3 1/2 year old running around the new house. And plus, if you take one, you HAVE to take the other....they come in a pair these days. :)

Christmas is over and I'm so happy! Now it's the countdown for the New Year's.....I wonder if Olivia would be into fireworks? Hmmm.....

Ho Ho Ho!!!!!

Merry Christmas!!!!!

Can you believe my kids are already in the bed fast asleep? They had such a busy day! Santa was so good to them this year. I can't even count all the Ariel stuff Olivia got and Cooper must have gotten a zillion toy trucks and cars. I will probably have boxes coming out the wazhoo for awhile. Fun, fun.

So anyways, I hope all of you out there had a wonderful Christmas!!!!

Santa is coming.....

Only 3 more sleeps until Santa comes!

Just in case......

I don't get a chance to post anymore until next week Merry Christmas!!!!!

Santa is going to be at the daycare tomorrow and I sure hope they don't traumatize my son! He DID NOT like Santa the first time, so I'm not sure how he's going to take to him tomorrow. Olivia will do fine, as usual, but I am worried about my fella. Even with his big Sissy by his side, he was scared! I can only imagine how *well* that picture will turn out.

Olivia's finger is still red and puffy but starting to look better. If I could just teach her not to bite her nails, I will probably never have to worry about this sort of thing happening again. 10 days of antibiotic is a lot though! At least it's bubble gum flavored! Which with Olivia, I never have a problem with her taking medicine.....I wonder if that is any implication of a future problem? HHHMMMM.....

Oh, and why when I ask Olivia to behave, and she tells me "Yes Mommy, I will" does she immediately do the OPPOSITE when we get in sight of other people? Does she honestly forget that fast or is she that mean? And why has my son suddenly became Super Clingy Baby and can't walk or put pressure on his legs?

Can you tell I'm stressing? I need a beer, simple as that!!!!!

Photo Time!

I took some random pictures of the kids by the tree the other day and they actually came out pretty cute! I don't have the ones developed that I took of them all dolled up after church, so hopefully I'll have some of those to share too. I tried my hardest to pose them for those, so we'll see how they come out!

I thought the one of Cooper reaching for the tree was cute - I had to throw his pacifier in there to get the look of him touching the tree. It was hard because he is FAST....little stinker! And I didn't realize that he had so much junk on his face when I was taking these! Ha ha! Oh well, at least you know I feed him right? :)

Oh, and I'm wearing a crown because I'm Queen Mommy, and Olivia is Princess Daughter. :)~

Expensive

I had to take Olivia to the doctor this morning - her index finger that she burned a few months back is infected again. YUCK! Thankfully, it's nothing a little medicine can't cure!

Olivia is so funny though. I know I say this all the time, but it's so true! The other day her Daddy threatened to spank her. She turned around and said "You can't spank my butt because I have an expensive butt!" - How funny! But yet so true...she is an expensive little thing. I sure hope she marries a man that makes a lot of money. :) Man, is he going to be in trouble one day! Ha ha!

Cooper looks so grown with his hair all trimmed and neat. I do miss his curls though. *sigh* He actually looks like a little toddler now and not my baby boy. *sniffle* I hate haircuts! Oh well, I know I had to eventually get it trimmed....

Only six more sleeps until Christmas morning!!!! I can't wait! The countdown is ON!!!

First Haircut

Cooper had his first hair cut today!!!

As you can tell by the picture, his hair was getting quite long. I wish I could say he took it like a champ, but he made a total liar out of me. He screamed, cried, and all but jumped out of his Daddy's arms. I have no idea how the lady was able to cut his hair at all! But now he has a new hair do and looks super cute. I just couldn't put it off any longer - some lady asked me how old "my little daughter" was so I knew it was time!

In other news.....Olivia spent the day with Nana and Poppy and they took her to Chuck E Cheese. Actually, they spent 2 1/2 hours there! I think Olivia must have played every game 15 times! She wanted to spend the night with them, but Nana begged me to tell her no. So I did. :) I really did miss her aggravating me all day. *sigh* I am such a softie.......

Funny, funny girl

My daughter is so funny! Well, let me tell you the story.....

On the way home from daycare last night, Cooper was just talking away. I looked back and jokingly said "Cooper, what you talking about?" WWWEEEELLLLL.....Olivia busts out and says, "Mommy, Cooper says he wants to go play in the road." "Oh, he does does he?" "Yeap, he SURE does Mommy!" That is hilarious! And then, later that night, when they were in the tub he was doing the same thing and Olivia said "Mommy, Cooper wants me to put soap in his eyes!" I asked her if she was sure that was what he was saying and she told me "yes, he wants soap in his eyes." Of course, I didn't let her, but it's funny to me that everything she says he "says" he wants to do, usually involves him getting hurt.

Is my daughter trying to kill "the boy" or what? Oh, and if that wasn't bad enough, she decided to still a sucker from the grocery store the other night. I *saw* her reach for them at the check out line and I told her NO - but she still somehow managed to sneak by me, her daddy, and the cashier. I could have died when I saw her with that sucker when we got home. UGH - she's going to get me arrested before it's all over with!

Hates him!!!

SSSOOOO.....Al and I took the kids to see Santa on Saturday and as usual, Olivia loved him and warmed right up to him. Cooper, on the other hand, screamed bloody murder and couldn't get off his lap fast enough. I guess I should have known, I knew it was too good to be true to have both kids NOT scared of Santa. I do admit that he got it honest.....I wasn't (and still aren't) a big fan of Santa, or any person in costume for that matter. Like Mother, Like Son!!!


It's official!!! I am done with my Christmas shopping!!! I am so glad - I don't plan on going back into the crowds until AFTER the holidays. Now I can relax and enjoy the little bit of time before Al and I have to pull an all nighter putting toys together, etc. Olivia wants to leave Santa some milk and cookies so I guess we'll do that on Christmas Eve. I sure hope we can sneak past her bedroom door on Christmas Eve when we're playing Santa! Wouldn't it be my luck that she wakes up?

Oh, and for the record - Olivia *hates* blue, but not light blue. Light blue is ok with her. And she loves going to church, parties, and eating cake. I just though you all should know. :)

Color Blue - BLAH!!!

Olivia HATES the color blue. I don't know why and I don't know what has made her feel this way. I have all ideas that it has something to do with those thieves at daycare. I can't prove it, just a gut feeling. Ha ha! She refuses to wear blue shirts (although she will wear her Aqua Dora shirt because it's Aqua, not blue - see the difference?), and does not want anything to do with the color blue. There's a house down the road from us that has blue icicle lights and everytime we pass it, she'll say "Mommy, I hate those lights. If I could, I would pull those lights down!" How funny is that!

Her favorite color (unfortunately) is pink. She loves it - just about all of her clothes are pink or some shade similar to pink. There's no denying she's all girl. :)

15 month check up

Cooper had his 15 month check up today. Has it seriously been that long already?? He weighs in at a whopping 21 lbs and is 30 inches long. Dr. T said he was right on target and perfect. Of course, I could have told him that myself. :) He did get three shots today but took them like a champ. I am so proud of my little man!

So someone tell me when December snuck up on me? Geez, I can't believe Christmas will be here in 2 1/2 weeks. I guess I better get on the ball and finish up my shopping. Santa is going to be very good to my little monsters so I can't wait to see their faces on Christmas morning! And Olivia is at the perfect age now where she really "gets" it. She loves to go look at Christmas lights and watch the shows on TV. It's really starting to get fun!

Now, if I could just teach her to behave.......

Olivia, Olivia, Olivia

Someone please tell me why my daughter is still awake at 9pm?? Every time I think she's asleep I hear "Mommy, I need to go tee tee!" It never fails....at bed time, Olivia suddenly CARES about brushing her teeth, is dying of thirst, and suddenly loves to give kisses and hugs. But let me tell you - all you have to do is say Santa is going to give her Fairy Princess Dora to some other kid and she'll mind in a heartbeat.

I wonder how long this new trick of mine will last???

Pictures

I am a self proclaimed picture junkie! I need help! :)

What my children do....

The first picture is what you will find my children doing ALL DAY, EVERY DAY.....playing and falling all over each other. Too funny!

The second picture is of Jacob, Amy and baby Louis. Louis was born yesterday, 11/28/06. Mother and baby are doing great. Al and I went to see them all in the hospital last night and Louis is perfect. He's going to be such a joy to Amy and Jay and they are going to be awesome parents. And it's so cool to say I have a niece AND a nephew now! :)

Crack open belly

As I type this right now, my sister in law Amy is in labor with her first baby - little Louis!!! Al and I are so excited about being an aunt and uncle again. Of course, telling Olivia that Aunt Amy and Uncle Jay were at the hospital having their baby boy lead us to an interesting conversation.

O: When was I a little baby Mommy?
Me: Three years ago Boo Boo.
O: I was in your belly?
Me: Yeap, just like how Cooper was.
O: How did I get out?
Me: UUUHHHH.....you crawled out?
O: Did the doctor have to crack your tummy so I could get out?
Me: Ummm, yeah.
O: So it was broken and you can't crack it anymore?
Me: Oh geez, where are we going with this? The doctor can sew it back together so it can be cracked open again later.
O: Oh ok.

Where does my child come up with this stuff??? She is way too smart for her own good sometimes but like I've always said - there is never a dull moment with Olivia Grace!

Still a fan

So the annual Clemson-Carolina game was this past weekend and boy was it a good game! Both teams came out to win and USC pulled it off by 3. As sad as it is to see Clemson lose to Carolina, those Cocks did deserve the win. 31-28 - it was awesome! Of course, I really think Tommy Bowden needs to recruit a good kicker for special teams! I'm still a loyal Clemson fan though!

Clemson ends their season 8-4 so that's not so bad!

Happy Thanksgiving

Well, I'm about to get off work and just wanted to pop on real quick and wish all my loyal blog readers a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!

Up the nose.....

Al can tell you all kinds of funny stories about how his youngest brother Jacob, used to stick things up his nose. Beans, dirt, you name it, it probably saw the inside of his nostril. Ha ha! The funniest story is when Jay stuck a piece of Styrofoam up his nose and had to be taken to the ER to have the doctor remove it. I can only picture the funniest scene in my head!

Anyways, Olivia found a bead on the floor on Sunday and told me
O: Mama, I'm going to stick this in my nose.
Me: You better not Olivia Grace.
O: But I'm gonna.
*Olivia inserts bead in nose*
Me: Olivia come here now!
O: *giggle*
*me running over to Olivia and forcing her to blow the bead out of nose*

Can I change her name to Jacob Junior? I guess the kid got it honest!

Daycare pictures

Are my kids super cute or what?

They had their pictures made at daycare last week and boy did Olivia do GREAT!!! I was so shocked to see a picture of her where she was NOT cheesing for the camera. It's a miracle!!!! Cooper's picture of just him was cute as well but I decided not to buy his since he just had his one year picture made last month.

Do my kids ever look like brother and sister? Ha ha! To me they look like two totally different children - maybe they will start to favor more as Cooper gets older and drops some of his baby fat (although he doesn't have that much to begin with!). Cooper looks just like his Daddy and Olivia looks like me when I was a kid. Too bad neither one of my kids took after mom and got dark brown hair. :( Total bummer.

Parents Watch Day

Ok, so has it really been since last week since my last blog? Wow!

Anyways, last night was Parents Watch Day at Olivia's dance class. It was CRAZY!!!! Olivia refused to dance, but enjoyed showing all the other parents how well she does not listen to her mother. She ran around, fell on the ground, got her cousin Loren in all kinds of trouble, and was just a little diva. Olivia loves to the center of attention and last night she definitely was! I have no idea who she gets that trait from because me and her daddy are not like that at all. Maybe she's not mine after all. Ha ha!

Quick funny story - Olivia and her friend Gracie were wearing the exact same leotard last night. Well, Poppy caught Olivia in a box in the corner of the waiting room and told her to get out of it. Not three seconds later, he saw Olivia in it again. He said he popped her hard on the butt and told her to get out. WEEEELLLL.....when she turned around, it was GRACIE...not Olivia! He almost died! He said she gave him the meanest look like "who do you think you are?" How funny is that!

Halloween Pictures

Finally!!! Here are my Halloween pictures of the kiddos! Olivia was super cute as Dora and Cooper was an adorable Spiderman! My niece, Loren, was a leopard and together, they were all too cute!

No real news

Yes, I know, I'm slack.....I don't have my Halloween pictures up yet. Sorry! I do promise to have them up this week.

Anyways, there's really nothing new to report in Griggs household. I know, boring right? Al and my dad went to the Clemson/Maryland game, so me and the kids stayed home and played. It was fun for the first 4 to 6 hours, but after that.....I was ready to beat my head in the wall. No, I could not be a stay at home mom. It was nice to have a day with them to myself but it would have been nicer if the weather was warmer and we could have gone to the park or outside to play. Olivia was great when Cooper napped, Cooper was great when Olivia napped...but when the two of them were together, it was bad news! My children are so jealous of each other. Ha ha!

So, hopefully I'll get to Wal Mart this afternoon and get my pictures developed! I know all my loyal, avid blog readers are patiently waiting for cute pictures from Halloween. :)

Halloween

Well, it's come and gone for another year. I have to say I'm kind of glad! My kids were super cute (of course) - Olivia as Dora and Cooper as Spiderman. I'll try to have some pictures of them up soon, I promise!

Olivia was a little HORROR when it came time to go trick or treating though. No matter how cute she was, her attitude totally ruined the night for me. She *refused* to hold her bag, so I got that job. It totally looked like *I* was the one doing the trick or treating. Then, she wouldn't tell anyone thank you. Little Stinker! All she cared about was getting candy and trying to eat it right away. She almost drove me nuts. Cooper, on the other hand, behaved, but yet, he's only 14 months old, so there's not much he can really get into. He did manage to get some suckers from a few houses. Have I told you how much this kid loves a sucker? LOVES THEM....no lie. He will cry the minute you try to take it from him.

Anyways, I have threatened my daughter that if she dares to act that way again next, there will be no trick or treating and all the candy she gets at school will be thrown away (into Mommy and Daddy's tummy no doubt!). So, we'll see....I have a year to work on her behavior. I better start now! Ha ha!

God's snakes!!!

If you've learned anything from my blog, it's that you can never be sure what Olivia will say. She is *very* perceptive and she keeps me on my toes constantly. I'm just waiting for the day she totally embarrasses me at the store with that sassy little mouth of hers! She is a piece of work, let me tell you.

Anyways, I seem to always find myself saying "Goodness sakes Olivia" about 10 times a day. Like when I find her in the middle of the refrigerator, or when I find 3 DVD's stuffed in the DVD Player and her screaming that Dora won't play, or when I hear Cooper scream in terror as she picks him up and carries him through the house....you get the picture. So yesterday as Olivia was driving me crazy about yet ANOTHER Dora DVDs (how many of these things have they honestly made? I think I have the whole frigging collection) I took a deep sigh and before I could utter my "Goodness sakes Olivia", she chimed "GOD'S SNAKES MOMMY!"

I laughed so hard I could have wet my pants!

My mean kiddos :)

Deja vu

Olivia is really starting to act like her Mommy! Ok, background story time: I hated school....I mean, *loathed* school when I was little. I'm talking kindergarten days people! And I always seemed to fool my dad into thinking I was sick and letting me stay home with my Grandma Hill or my Grandma Alma. :) He was such a sucker! And I got away with it for a long time before my mom put a stop to that! Ha ha!

So anyways, this morning Olivia comes in my bedroom, plops down on the bed and announces that she is not going to school today.
Me: You're not?
O: Nope, I'm staying home and playing all day.
Me: Hmmm, no, you have to go to school.
O: But why? I don't want to go.
Me: Well, Mommy and Daddy have to go to work so you and Cooper have to go to school.
O: *sigh* OK.

It was like I was having deja vu right there! I can remember having the same conversation with my dad many, many moons ago!

Random

You know I love pictures so I thought I would share these! Plus, I didn't want anyone to forget how stinking cute my kids are! :)

I'm attaching a picture of my niece Loren with Olivia. These two girls are T-R-O-U-B-L-E when they are together! Olivia is just a few months older than Loren and they fight like siblings.

Anyways, just thought I would share! :)

Under the table and dreaming.....

Is that the right Dave Matthews title? I can't remember.....Anyways.......

Cooper has a new, very strange behavior I've noticed lately. Whenever I give him a cookie, or a Cheez It, or some Cheesy Puffs (insert Cartman "Yes I want some Cheesy Poofs!" here), he immediately walks to the table, crawls under it and eats his food. Strange, very strange. I don't steal his food, his Daddy doesn't steal his food, heck, even Sissy doesn't steal his food. So what's the deal?

Of course! It's those darn little thieves at daycare! They can't be trusted I tell you! Cooper is by far the smallest "toddler" baby in the baby room so I guess he has adapted ways to make sure he gets his fair share of snacks. Those other fat little babies can't cram themselves under the table. Ha ha!

I hope this behavior doesn't last too long - it is kind of weird to watch him!

BFF

Al is so jealous right now - Olivia and I are BEST FRIENDS!!! Yeap, I am her one and only best friend in the whole wide world. Her exact words, not mine. :) She won't let her poor Daddy do anything for her - *I* have to get her out the car, *I* have to give her a bath, *I* have to dress her the mornings, all because I am her BFF. Now I know I shouldn't be so giddy about all this, but I know that one day Olivia is going to not want to be around me and think I'm the uncoolest Mom in the world. So, let me enjoy this time where she loves me ok? Although, there is no way I'm going to turn into The Uncool Mom! Ha ha!

So, for now, Al says that it's fine - Cooper is his best friend. It's so funny because Coop has this look on his face like "What? But I want to be Mommy and Olivia's BFF!" Ha! Poor Al!

Cooper's attitude

This pretty much sums up Coop's attitude the last few days! Ha ha!

Crazy Cooper

Yeap, you read the title right......my son has gone CRAZY!!! I don't know what has gotten into Cooper the last few days. I guess those two teeth coming in are really giving him a fit and turning my normal sweet baby boy into a little monster. Or maybe he has watched his Sissy act crazy for the last 13 months and it's finally wore off on him too. Gosh I hope not! Anyways, this morning after Cooper was dressed, he was playing with a balloon that Livvie had gotten from a birthday party yesterday. Well, he just didn't want to give the stupid thing up. The whole time I was getting ready for work, I had to referee my children from killing each other. *Not* a good thing on a Monday morning!

So, when we were finally ready to head to the car - Olivia was crying because Coop had the balloon and Al was having a heck of time prying the balloon from Cooper's fat little fingers. Do you know that babies possess super human strength? Just try to take something from a baby and see how hard it is. The saying "It's like taking candy from a baby" is so not true with my two. Anyways, Al finally got the stupid thing loose and you would have thought he had beat Cooper! He screamed, went limp, threw his head back in anger, and literally tried to jump out of his Daddy's arms. The WHOLE way to the car. And as Al was trying desperately to get him in his car seat, Olivia just looked at me and said "Cooper is acting crazy Mama" and I said "yeap, he sure is Boo Bear!" Ha ha!

I'm beginning to realize that Cooper isn't going to have that super sweet personality I thought he would have after all!

The Little Mermaid

Has it really been 10 years since the Little Mermaid came out? Wow! I can remember watching it on VHS (am I showing my age yet?) at Rachel's house back in the day. It was re-released on Tuesday and Nana got Olivia a copy. Olivia LOVES this movie.....she has probably watched it 10 times already and it's only Thursday. She is upset, however, that Melody is not in this movie. I've explained to her 100 times that Melody is in the second Little Mermaid movie, that this one is about her mommy. She's not impressed. I'm waiting for her to tell me she wants to be Ariel for Halloween now instead of Dora to the Rescue. But I keep reminding her about Dora so hopefully I won't have that issue with her. Wish me luck......Oh, and because of this silly movie (yes I called it silly darnit!), Olivia will NOT leave her hair pulled up. She wants to have it down, completely down and all in her eyes because as she tells me "Ariel wears her hair like this MOM"....since when have I been bumped to MOM? I want to be Mommy!!!! She sounds so grown. I hate it.

Speaking of Halloween, I found a costume at Nana's house that is a 12 month size. We completely forgot that they sent the wrong size last year! So Cooper gets to be Pooh Bear. I'm sure he won't mind....he's not into all this jazz yet. Next year though, it'll be on!!!

New word

I have no idea where Olivia picks up vocabulary! I guess she really pays attention to what I say and what all the ladies at daycare say! Nana told me that on the way home from daycare the other day Olivia started telling her a story. After Nana interrupted her, Olivia said "well ACTUALLY Nana...." How funny is that? Olivia can always surprise me with the things that come out of her mouth.

Cooper on the other hand, has learned how to say "ta da" and "thank you". He sounds so cute! I hope he picks up on language as fast as Olivia did. Of course, that might not be a good thing though. :) I already fight with his big sister almost daily because of her sassiness. GGGRRR....

I have some very strange kids you know! One can talk too well and the other can barely talk! Ha ha!

It's coming!!!

I am such a fan of Halloween!!! I can't wait for it this year. I'm all in the Halloweeny mood this year since the stores are putting that stuff out. Last year Olivia went as Piglet and Cooper went as a Frog. Wasn't she the cutest Piglet you've ever seen???
Now, Cooper doesn't look too thrilled to be dressed up but he was only 2 months old in this picture. Hopefully this year, he'll be more into it. So far Olivia had decided she wants to be Dora to the Rescue. Which is basically just Dora. I haven't found anything I really like for Coop yet, so I'm still looking. Maybe a cowboy? I don't know.....I still have some time to look and see what I can find.

Make it stop!!!

Please someone give me back my sweet little girl! Olivia has been the BRATEST kid in the world the last few days. I'm not sure what is going on with her these days. She had a huge meltdown this morning before we even left the house. UGH! I really hope this is just a phase and she will be getting out of it soon. She went to bed early and slept all night so I was sure she would be in a good mood this morning. But nnnnooooo.......I swear my blood pressure goes up every time she starts throwing her tantrums!

I guess I should be thankful that Cooper wakes up with a smile on his face every morning. :)

Shoes hurt his feet?

I can't get Cooper to wear shoes to save my life! I can't even get the little Stinker to wear socks! What am I going to do when it starts getting really cold outside? I have got to get the boy used to socks and shoes!!!!!!!

I did find some soft leather shoes that I can get on over his socks that seem to stay on pretty well. He still hates them though, but will at least walk around in them. He won't even get up with his tennis shoes on. GGGRRRR! I have to admit, it is hard covering up those chubby little feet. They are so cute and I just want to nibble on them! :)

I did not have such an issue with Olivia and I never put shoes on her either when she started walking, and she took to shoes pretty fast. For some reason though, Cooper loves to be barefoot and fancy free!

Move over!

Wow, you better not get in Cooper's way when he's walking! He is all over the place now. I love it! I have so much fun chasing after my little man - maybe I'll actually shed a few pounds. Ha ha!

He actually told me no this morning! I put shoes on him (which he LOATHES) and I said "come on Coop, get up and walk" and he looked at me and shook his no while saying "uh uh." It was so funny. Now don't ask me to get him to do it again because I probably can't. That's how it goes with him. Hopefully he left his shoes on at daycare and is getting used to them being on. But I can totally see him whining until one of the ladies takes them off. Stinker!

And if anyone needs an leotards in size 4T, I have a few I can give away - Ha ha! Apparently Olivia plans on wearing her purple to EVERY SINGLE class. She wants no part in wearing the pink one or the black one. Maybe I should have bought a couple of this purple one. Anyways, nothing really new to report! Hopefully I'll have some new pictures up soon!

Proof that baby powder is evil

So here are the pictures I promised from yesterday. The first one is of Olivia after she had poured the baby powder all over Cooper's head. Doesn't she just look like she is up to no good? Bad, bad, little girl! Cooper thought it was the funniest thing in the world that he was covered in the stuff. But be warned, that stuff sticks to everything - it took me forever to scrub it off his scalp. Ha!

Baby Powder is the Devil Part 2

Ok, so if you've ever read my blog before, you know that I think baby powder is evil. It really is! And after my last encounter with it, I had banned it from my house. BUT Cooper got a really bad case of diaper rash and I had to resort to buying some more. I even bought a small, very unnoticeable bottle of it in hopes that Olivia never saw it. I was wrong. Dead wrong. Al got Cooper dressed this morning and surprisingly, Olivia got up early. All was going well in the Griggs household. WWWWEEEELLLLL.....as Al was leaving for work, he went in Cooper's room to say bye to the kids when he found Cooper covered with baby powder and Olivia standing over him piling the stuff on his head. And Cooper was laughing! He thought it was the funniest thing in the world he was covered in white dust that smelled really good. Little Stinker!

So, of course I had to spend a few minutes cleaning him up but I think I got most of it off. I took some pictures and I'll post those tomorrow. I did notice when I dropped him off at daycare that I had missed a spot on the back of his head. You should have seen the looks I got when I explained why Cooper smelled so strong of baby powder. What is it with Olivia's attraction to baby powder?

I am going home and throwing that stupid bottle away!

It's about time Little Man!

So Cooper has finally started walking! Yay!!!!! I knew if I had just a little bit of patience he would come around. He still looks like a drunk sailor, but he's getting around pretty darn well. I am so happy - I can't wait to chase after the little guy. He even tries to run after Olivia and falls flat on his face. Ha Ha! I tried putting shoes on him for church on Sunday and he was having none of that. He wouldn't even stand up in those things. So, I took them off of Little Boss and he started walking away. Little Stinker! I know it won't be long before he's running after his big sister. :)

Olivia started dance at Brenda Cranford's last night and she had a ball! I was so proud of how well she behaved and listened to her teachers. And of course she was the cutest little girl in the whole class. :) Me? Biased? NNNNOOO. Her friend Gracie from daycare is taking it and her cousin Loren is in the other class during the same time. Fun times!

Dora in time out

This is what Olivia was doing the other night - punishing her Overall Dora by putting her in time out. I literally laughed my butt off! She told Dora that "she had been bad and was going in time out and if she didn't face the wall she would get a spanking!" That is exactly what I always say to Miss Olivia!

I guess it's true that kids repeat EVERYTHING you say!

Not yet....

So Cooper is my lazy child. He'll take a step here and there but shows no interest in being a walker. :( I keep telling myself that he came into this world a month early so maybe his little (yet extremely smart) brain thinks he's only 11 months old. Patience is just not my thing....I want to chase after the little bugger already! His new favorite word is "uh oh" - he says it after *everything* now. And he's officially on cow's milk and only eats baby food at daycare. He's my growing boy!

In Olivia news - her Daddy and I took her to see the movie "Barnyard" over the Labor Day weekend. We didn't make it through the whole movie because (and I quote) "cows don't walk on two legs Mommy, they walk on four so this movie is silly!" and so we had to leave. *sigh* I guess that's a drawback from her inheriting my genius. :) So also told me this morning that meatballs can't drive cars because they have no arms. OOOOOKKKKK.....I have no idea where that came from. I don't eat meatballs so it must be some influence from one of those little monsters at daycare. Who knows!

Happy Birthday Cooper and Nana!!!

Happy Birthday to you!!! Happy Birthday to you!!!! It's Cooper AND Nana's birthday today! Cooper is the big ONE and I won't mention how "young" Nana is. :) I don't think she would like for me telling the whole world her age. he he

It's amazing how much difference a year makes! The first picture is of Cooper when he was just a few weeks old and the other one was taken at his party on Saturday. He's gotten SO BIG! He is such a wonderful baby and I thank God every day for giving me two happy, healthy babies. We did save him a present to open tonight so that he kind of "knows" today is his actual birthday. Of course technically he won't be one until 11:55 pm - Ha! But we'll go ahead and celebrate. :)

Birthday pictures

So here are a few pictures from the party. I made the cake myself - a tradition I've started with the kids and I was very proud of how well it came out! Cooper had a great turnout and the party was a hit. He got lots of toys and some much needed pjs. His birthday is tomorrow and I still can't believe it's been a year already! He's taking a step here and there but not really showing any interest in walking just yet.

Isn't he just the prettiest little blue eyed boy in the whole wide world????

Happy Birthday to Al

Today is Al's birthday! He is 32 years old - wow! He doesn't know it yet, but the kids got him a grill set for his grill. He's been wanting one for awhile and they finally took the hint! :)

Cooper's party was this past Saturday and it went great! The cake came out wonderfully and he had a really good turnout. I should have pictures up tomorrow of that. Cooper turns one officially on the 30th and then goes for his one year check up on the 31st. Poor thing! :(

Anyways, come back tomorrow to see if I've posted pics!

Bed time routine

If Olivia is anything, it's consistent. Every night we have the same bed time routine. I read her at least 3 books, usually 4 every night. The order is this....
1. Pookey Little Puppy
2. Love You Forever
3. Olivia the Pig
4. Goodnight Moon

Sometimes we don't read Olivia the Pig, but her routine usually doesn't vary! I think it's so neat that she loves the Pookey little puppy book - that was my favorite as a kid too! I try to skip pages but Olivia knows the story so well she'll say "No Mama, you have to read about him digging the hole. I can't read so you have too!" - which makes me feel like a total turd for trying to deceive her in the first place! Ha! Love You Forever is the "Boy growing up book" and when she tells me she wants to read Olivia the Pig she'll say "because I'm Olivia the little girl, not Olivia the pig, that book is about Olivia the pig, not me" - Like I didn't know! Ha Ha! And she can quote Goodnight Moon almost word for word. She's way too smart! You would think this routine would take forever, but it usually only lasts about 15 minutes. Not too bad I guess.

And in Cooper news - his party is only two days away!!! I have got to get to the store and buy all the supplies I need or I'm going to be doing everything last minute. Oh, and last night he took one more step on his own. So maybe my little man will be walking by Saturday after all! I wonder what books I'll have to read to him every night?

Jail Time

So yesterday afternoon Olivia comes running in the kitchen to tell me she's thirsty. "We've got Kool Aide or water, take your pick." This started the biggest argument in Olivia's short little life! She didn't want Kool Aide because "it's nasty" (hello...I grew up on Kool Aide and I thought it was pretty darn good!) and she didn't want a drop of water. "Why not O? Water is good for you." Her response? "I don't want water because when you're in jail, all they give you is bread and water!" And the crying began. WHAT??? Now, don't get me wrong, I can totally see Olivia spending time in jail in the future (ha ha) but what does a three year old know of jail? I can only speculate that her Poppy has something to do with it. So, after some major convincing on my part that the grape Kool Aide was actually grape juice - oh, you didn't know there was a big difference? - Olivia went off and continued on her merry way. I tell you what, this little girl totally stresses me out on a daily basis! I sure hope Cooper is much calmer or at least not so dramatic as she is.

Speaking of Cooper - his birthday party is Saturday and we're so excited! I can't wait for my little man's big day! My friend Jenny's little boy Ryan is celebrating his 1st birthday today! HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYAN!!! It's very cool to have a friend with a baby the same age as yours! And my niece Loren turned three yesterday. She and Olivia are getting so big and grown. Al celebrates his birthday on the 28th and Nana celebrates her birthday with Coopey on the 30th. So August is a busy month in the Griggs household!

NO WAY!!!!

Cooper actually took two steps unassisted on Monday night! Wow, I can't believe my little man is trying to be a walker. *sniffle* He's standing on his own really well and can really "cruise" around the furniture. I had him walking around the living room taunting him with the cordless phone last night for a while. What is it with babies and cordless phones? He all but threw a tantrum to have the stupid thing. It's a shame that he takes after Al with that horrible temper! :)

Al and I have his party all planned out now - I can hardly wait! Olivia thinks however, that she will be getting a birthday cake too and I have to keep reminding her that "no, it's Cooper's special day" and that she can have a piece of his cake. We'll see how that goes. Olivia doesn't really know how to act at other kids birthday parties (well, she doesn't know how to act period! Ha). It never fails that she gets her hands on the cake before it's cut. No kidding, she has a perfect record so far!

If you're happy.....

And you know it clap your hands! Cooper has learned how to clap. It's so funny. He'll clap when you clap, and he'll clap when he starts laughing. He's getting so big! Olivia thinks it's the neatest thing that he can clap now. She sang "If your happy and you know it, clap your hands" ALL the way to daycare this morning - which was really cute for the first few minutes but after about 15 minutes of it, I was about to lose it. Ha!



Just 15 more days and my little man will be the big one year old. *sigh*

You're beautiful....

Ha, I bet you were singing the title like James Blunt weren't you? :)

Anyways, Olivia told me this morning that she wanted to wear her skirt and shirt to daycare this morning. I tried to talk her out of it, but she wouldn't hear of it. Do you think she cares that she's going to be hot all day in that thing? No....Olivia goes for fashion over function these days. After I got her dressed she asked me how she looked. "Pretty, just pretty" I said. "I don't want to be pretty" Olivia SCREAMED. "Why not?" "I want to be beautiful!" she said. Oh my gosh - is she at this age already???? "Well, excuse me, your highness, you are beautiful." "Thanks Mommy!" and off we went to finish getting ready. Wow, O becomes more like a little girl every day and I just don't know what to do with myself. But, I don't mind because I am her best girlfriend EVER. How *cool* is that?

In other Griggs family news....Cooper has a bug and spent the day home with Daddy. I hate when my little man is sick! Only two more weeks until my little fella turns ONE!!!!

Sorry this blog is short, but I'm swamped with work and can't really think of any of the things Olivia has said this week. I promise to do better!

I'm going crazy

If Olivia doesn't stop with this WHY, WHY, WHY phase - I'm going to go CRAZY!!!!!

Here was our conversation this morning:

OGG: Mama, who drives a firetruck?
Me: Fire Fighters
OGG: Why? What the fire do?
Me: It burns things.
OGG: What do fire fighters do?
Me: Put out fires with water. *sigh*
OGG: Why does water put out fire?
Me: It just does Olivia!
OGG: Does water put out firetrucks?
Me: *eye roll* can we all play the quiet game?
OGG: Ok Mommy! How do we play the quiet game?
Me: UGH - everybody be quiet!
*SILENCE, SWEET SILENCE* (this lasts for about 10 long seconds)
Cooper: BLAH! *giggle*
OGG: Mommy!!!! Cooper talked, he lost the quiet game!!!
*mean look to Cooper in the rear view mirror*
Me: Thanks a lot Cooper!
*Cooper smiles*

So I guess they are ganging up on me after all! The rest of the way to daycare O asked me 500 trillion questions about the quiet game, about why Cooper lost the quiet game, about driving the van down the road, and about two dogs sitting on the side walk. I think I know why some animals eat their young - They ask too many questions!

2 Little Trouble Makers.....

So Olivia isn't my only trouble maker! Cooper now has eight - yes I said EIGHT - teeth and has become quite the little biter. At first I thought he was just trying to kiss, but after being bit on the cheek, I now know better. I'm sure he's being taught this bad habit from the little thieves at daycare because my little Cooper man is the sweetest baby EVER. I just wish he outgrows it soon! Olivia was never much of a biter, but I have a really bad gut feeling about *the boy*.

Of course, although O doesn't bite, she still causes me much stress. She tells me everyday about her and Gracie fighting at school. No one ever says a word to me, so I guess it's all lies. Olivia does have a tendacy to tell fibs. If you ask her her age, she will tell you that she is five. She's only three. She'll also lie on her daddy in a heart beat. I am forever reminding Nana of this when Nana calls wanting to know why Al spanked O so hard last night she couldn't catch her breath, etc and Al hadn't even laid a hand on the mean thing! She probably deserved a spanking, but probably sweet talked her way out of it. Or gave me that pouty "I'll be better from now on" look. I'm such a sucker.

Oh, and Cooper has his get-out-of-trouble look too - all he has to do is smile and giggle and I can't bring myself to popping his leg for biting. *sigh* Oh well! They are only babies for a little while.....

Cooper in pudding

How stinking cute is he???