Birthdays!

Happy Birthday Cooper and Nana!!!!!

And Happy Belated Birthday to Al! :)

Cooper's Party Pics

Cooper had so much FUN at his birthday party! Here are some pictures. Al and I got him a "Harley" and he LOVES it!



He looks like a pro!



He is too cool on his motorcycle!



Cooper loved the "laptop" Uncle Jay, Aunt Amy and Louis gave him!



Look at that cake on his face! Too funny! All the kids loved the cake....not ONE single piece was left for me to eat.

Al's birthday is tomorrow and he turns the big 33 - I love my men! :)

Ready to PARTY!!!!

Here is a pic of the cake I made for Cooper! I'm actually kind of proud of it after seeing it completely done. It was pretty hard though - much harder than the others I've done. I'm no professional but I think it looks pretty darn good if I do say so myself. :)

Cooper's party is tomorrow! Al took the day off and did SO MUCH around the house. I am so thankful for him! All that is left to do is clean up the house in the morning and clean out the pool. The kids should have a ball in the pool and on the water slide.

Come back tomorrow for some great pics of the party! :)

Trouble maker

You wouldn't know it by looking at this sweet face but she's something else!

If you read my blog, you know my daughter is a troublemaker! LOL Yesterday my mom tells me that Olivia was the FIRST student in 4K to get put in time out. Way to go Olivia. :) She apparently threw something at one of the other kids and got in trouble. Of course, Olivia was only upset that she didn't get a toy out of "treasure box." So, she did promise to be good today. We'll see though...I expect Nana to call me in about an hour. :)

Oh, and Cooper's birthday party is two days away! Al went and got the Spongebob cake pan I needed yesterday so once I buy the cake mix and a few other things, I'll be ready to make it. I really hope it turns out as well as the other cakes I've done. I'll be sure to take a pic of it and post it after the party.

I can't believe my little man is almost 2 - wow!

Perfect Poem

I TRUST THAT YOU'LL TREAT HER WELL

Author: Victor Buono

Dear World:
I bequeath to you today one little girl...in a crispy dress...with two brown eyes...and a happy laugh that ripples all day long.... and a flash of light brown hair that bounces in the sun when she runs.
I trust you'll treat her well.

She's slipping out of the backyard of my heart this morning...and skipping off down the street to her first day of school. And never again will she be completely mine. Prim and proud she'll wave her young and independent hand this morning and say "Goodbye" and walk with little lady steps to the schoolhouse.

Now she'll learn to stand in lines...and wait by the alphabet for her name to be called. She'll learn to tune her ears for the sounds of school-bells...and deadlines...and she'll learn to giggle...and gossip...and look at the ceiling in a disinterested way when the little boy 'cross the aisle sticks out his tongue at her. And now she'll learn to be jealous. And now she'll learn how it is to feel hurt inside. And now she'll learn how not to cry.

No longer will she have time to sit on the front porch on a summer day and watch an ant scurry across the crack in the sidewalk. Nor will she have time to pop out of bed with the dawn and kiss lilac blooms in the morning dew. No, now she'll worry about those important things...like grades and which dress to wear and whose best friends is whose. And the magic of books and learning will replace the magic of her blocks and dolls. And now she'll find new heroes.

For five full years now I've been her sage and Santa Claus and pal and playmate and mother and friend. Now she'll learn to share her worship with her teachers ...which is only right. But no longer will I be the smartest woman in the whole world. Today when that school bell rings for the first time...she'll learn what it means to be a member of the group...with all its privileges and its disadvantages too.

She'll learn in time that proper young ladies do not laugh out loud...or kiss dogs...or keep frogs in pickle jars in bedrooms...or even watch ants scurry across cracks in sidewalks in the summer. Today she'll learn for the first time that all who smile at her are not her friends. And I'll stand on the front porch and watch her start out on the long, lonely journey to becoming a woman.

So, world, I bequeath to you today one little girl...in a crispy dress...with two brown eyes...and a flash of light brown hair that bounces in the sunlight when she runs.
I trust you'll treat her well.


OMG, I found this online today and thought "this is perfect!" - exactly how I have been feeling this last week and a half! I thought it was very touching so I decided to share it. :)

Little Fish

Olivia and Cooper had a ball this weekend. Our niece, Loren had her 4th birthday party on Saturday and they had a pool and water slide out for kids. Cooper enjoyed walking around and playing in the "kiddie" pool with Louis while Olivia and Loren flew down the water slide and played. After *that* party, Olivia rode with Aunt Amy and Uncle Jay to our church's annual pool party and had a ball. Amy even told me that she listened to her and Jay - I was so proud! She is definitely a little fish these days! Every day when she gets home, the first thing she will ask is "Can I get in the pool?" and then that starts Cooper with "Me ride, me ride" because he thinks that if Olivia gets to play in the pool, he should be allowed to ride on the John Deere. LOL

My kids LOVE the pool and I can't wait for Cooper's party on Saturday. He's still sick and coughing but I think he's getting better....slowly but surely anyways. :)

The things they do....

School is going great! Olivia is loving it and is so excited to go everyday. I'm usually the 1st or 2nd person in line to drop her off in the mornings because she's ready to go. She jumps right out the car and runs inside the gym. No "bye Mom", no "I love you Mom" - nothing! I do manage to yell "BYE OLIVIA, I LOVE YOU" as she's running out of my sight. Breaks my heart every morning. No lie. And you know what I noticed about Cooper this afternoon? He loves Olivia's barbie Jeep. But he can actually STEER the thing. I was impressed. He's not even two years old yet and can steer. That's something Ms. Olivia Grace couldn't do until she was three. Guess Cooper is smarter in motor skills or something. LOL It's so nice to be lazy now when I'm outside with them.....I can watch Olivia in the pool and Cooper can ride around zooming by me every few minutes. Until he gets stuck and then he needs his mommy........

First Day of School

TODAY WAS OLIVIA'S FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!!!! She had a ball and could not wait to go to school when she woke up this morning. We actually got there a little early because she was hounding me and Al to go ahead and take her because "it was time already". And once we got there, she jumped right out the car and never even looked back! Can you believe that? I actually held it together but I know tomorrow will be a different story since it'll be just me and her getting into our routine. My baby is growing up way too fast!!!!




This was her first day outfit....very cute with her brand new pink Rainbows on. Of course she would only wear them if the "matched" her outfit. LOL




Olivia's school.....I have to say, the teachers and staff have been absolutely WONDERFUL since Al and I toured the school back a few months ago. It's definitely like a little family here and so far, I really love that!




Cooper after Sissy got out the car. He wasn't so sure about going to nursery by himself but from what Dawn told me, he did great without Olivia. He'll be riding to nursery with Daddy from now on.

Tomorrow Olivia wants to wear her "party" dress so I'm anxious to see if she'll still want to wear that in the morning. She will definitely be the BEST DRESSED little girl in class because she has informed me that she *can not* wear the clothes she wore to daycare to big kid school. What an independent little girl! LOL


Oh, and Happy Birthday to our little friend Konal Webster who is celebrating his 1 year birthday today. Olivia and Cooper hope you're having a wonderful day today and wish you the best birthday ever! We wish we were in Atlanta to help you celebrate.

One more day to go!

Here is a pic of Olivia's backpack...she is sssssooo excited about starting school tomorrow and can't wait to carry her new pretty backpack!



This is the outfit Olivia picked out to wear to registration today. No, she doesn't like pink at all.....LOL. She even had to have the matching bow! :) What a girly girl I have on my hands!



And no blog is complete without a picture of Cooper Thomas....LOL And yes, I took the paci from him after I realized he had it. And he cried.....actually he's still crying about it as I type this. UGH!

Stay tuned for more pics tomorrow morning when Olivia starts 4k!!!!!!

Cooper the Parrot and Olivia the Big Kid

Cooper is such a little parrot these days. He is talking ssssoooo much and just amazes me at all the new words he knows. He's definitely not the talker Olivia was at this age, but he's doing pretty well with his vocabulary. His new thing is COLORING. I guess he sees Olivia doing it, so he wants to do it too. He'll come up to you and say "I color, I color" until you *have* to give him a crayon and something to color. He's too cute! :) And so far we've only had one instance where he actually drew on the wall. I (amazingly) was able to find the humor in the situation but Al wasn't so lucky. I seriously thought he was about to have an aneurysm (however you spell that!). I know it may not look like it, but I do work really hard to keep my house in a "controlled chaos" look. LOL Ok, so the countdown for Olivia to start school is on.......two days to go! Tomorrow I have to take her to orientation and then Tuesday is the first full day of school. I am so happy, nervous, and sad at the same time! She's really looking forward to it and says she's not going to be sad when she has to leave me on Tuesday. Olivia is such a big girl! Too bad her Mommy can't make the same promise! LOL

Final days......

This is Olivia's "mean" face.


Tomorrow is Olivia Grace's LAST day of daycare. I can't believe we're already at that point in her life. She is sssssooooo excited about starting "big kid" school as she calls it. I can't wait either although I know I'm going to be a wreck on Tuesday morning. :)

Man, the heat has been C-R-A-Z-Y down here lately! Today after picking the kids up, I threw them in the pool. Even the water was too hot to really enjoy....which sucks! So, being the awesome mom that I am, I let Cooper spray me and Olivia with the water hose. :) Trust me, it felt GREAT!

And speaking of being an awesome mom, I think I might take the kids next weekend to this new place that opened in Florence called Fundaygo - it has the big inflatable stuff that you see at fairs, etc. Should be really fun! I can't wait! They don't know it yet so keep it secret. SSSHHHHHHH..........

Moving towards an end....

There's a pity party going on at 1609 Willis Drive. Number of guests - ONE.

Ok, so tonight I find myself feeling a little sad. I rocked Cooper to sleep last night, something I find myself doing from time to time lately. But last night, I started thinking about how much Cooper is learning - and essentially growing away from needing his Mommy. He's talking more, he's already showing signs that he might be ready to start potty training, and just turning into a little boy. And while I'm so happy and proud of my little guy for gaining more and more independence, I can't help but feel a little depressed too. :( His second birthday is right around the corner - the 30th to be exact - and very soon I'll be the mother of one preschooler and one toddler. *sigh* At least in the moments that he allows me to rock him, I can still feel that bond that we have. He is such a little Mommy's Boy that it just fills my heart with joy.

Don't get me wrong, I know these are all feelings that ALL mothers go through, but sometimes I feel like I was forced (that's really not the right word) into not having any more kids. Deep down, I know Al and I made the right choice in not having any more - not only is two enough for us financially but I would go insane if I had to do one more load of laundry a week! Ha ha! I just hate that physically I can't have any more babies. I get sad at the thought that I'll never hear another heart beat, or have another u/s, or feel a baby move around and kick my stomach. Trust me, I had a very long and lengthy discussion about this with my OB Dr. Browning. Simply put - while my heart longs for baby after baby, my body loathes the thought of being pregnant. I just wish it had been more of "my" decision....sometimes I feel like it really wasn't.

Anyways, I know my babies can't stay little babies forever. And I know that to me, they will always be my Baby Girl and Little Man. And while I wish they COULD stay small forever and even though I LOVE the ages they are now, I do look forward to all the things they'll do as they get older. I look forward to sleep overs, baseball practice, parent/teacher conferences - the whole nine yards. I guess my title is wrong.....I'm not moving towards an end, so to speak, but just another chapter in the book of the Griggs Family Adventures. :)

Sometimes I physically hurt because I love my kids so much.

Asleep on the floor

On Saturday morning, Al and I packed up the kids and went to get our family portrait done. I can only say what everyone who reads this blog already knows - my kids acted NUTS. :) I'm so glad I don't have expectations anymore. Ha ha! Cooper wasn't feeling the whole "family picture" thing and whined and cried; Olivia REFUSED to smile for the poor photographer (and he tried sssooooo hard to get a crack out of her) and they just were bad, bad, bad. The guy *claims* he got a few really pics but we'll see. We go back on the 28th to look at the proofs. Cross your fingers! Oh, and to top it off, Al and I decided to go for the "casual" look in our pic....I wore jeans and nice shirt, Al wore khakis and a shirt and Cooper wore a cute little outfit that he would wear to church. WEELLLLLL....Olivia was not wearing anything casual. She INSISTED on wearing a nice fancy red and white polka dot dress. Leave it to Olivia to upstage everyone else........

This is how I found Cooper Saturday afternoon....he had fallen asleep on the floor watching Spongebob Squarepants......guess that hour long photo session took a lot out of the little guy!


How sweet is this? This is my favorite time of day!


Olivia after church this afternoon. She loves dresses!

Pics from this afternoon....

Al being silly tonight.....I love this guy!
Priceless pic.....guess this is why they invented Little Swimmers, huh? :)
Cooper liked shooting himself with the water hose.

Here are a few of the kids in the pool. Olivia really should have been a fish as much as she loves the water.

Awesome Mommy Moment

I did something yesterday that I don't normally do........

I stopped caring! Yeap, you read that right, I said I stopped caring! Ok, so it's not what you think so let me explain.....yesterday I took Olivia and Cooper outside after they got home so that Al could put the carrier on the back of the bicycle. We were having a ball playing in the backyard - Olivia on the swing and Cooper shooting Layla with the water hose. Of course, after a few minutes of hearing Cooper giggle (and it's sssooo contagious), Olivia decided SHE wanted to spray our poor dog with water. And then the war started! Don't worry, I'm getting to the "not caring anymore part!" So, I intervene and tell them both to give ME the water hose. After a threat of getting Big Daddy, Olivia caved and handed it over. SUDDENLY IT HIT ME!!! WHY DID I CARE THAT THEY WERE PLAYING WITH THE WATER HOSE AND TORMENTING THE DOG?

So, I did what any good mother would have done.....I soaked both my babies down with the water hose - ha ha! And they LOVED it....Cooper kept saying "Do it, Do it" and Olivia would laugh so hard that it made me smile. Granted in the back of head I was thinking "man, they are going to be a pain to clean up" but I just pushed that thought to the side and enjoyed my kids being KIDS. It was wonderful. We probably stayed outside for a good 10 minutes of me squirting them down with the water hose. I even made poor little Cooper trip over his own feet - ha ha! It was a good time and definitely a wonderful MOMMY MOMENT.