My Few Christmas Pictures

So here are the very few pictures I actually took of the kids on Christmas. Enjoy!

Santa came!

Wow, Christmas was sssooo much fun this year! Santa was very good to Olivia and Cooper! I enjoyed it so much - the kids got everything they asked for and then some. I really hated to leave this morning to come back work because I really wanted to play with some of their new toys! =)

I know you won't believe this - but I took very FEW pictures on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It was HARD for me since I'm a picture-holic *but* I really wanted to focus on enjoying the kids and watching them open their gifts and seeing their reactions. They are only little but for so long and in a few years, they won't believe in Santa anymore! Plus, you miss so much of that when you try to get all those cute pictures. It's not the same to see it in a picture instead of in real life. So, I purposely kept the camera at bay. Now, I did get some cute shots of them at my in-laws house so I will try to post those later. Again, I only took a few!

Al surprised me with a some black Rainbow sandals which I've been asking for for what seems like FOREVER. He's so great because he always listens and gets me things I ask for. I'm so spoiled! My parents gave us a new Dyson vacuum and it's the bomb. I'm in love with that thing! Our old vacuum was the one I bought 13 years ago when I moved away from home. So, we really, really needed a new one. You would not believe the dirt that thing can suck up. Crazy!

Anyways, I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

Ho Ho Ho!!!!

Merry Christmas!!!!

Santa Pic and School Pics

Al and I took the kids on Saturday to see Santa. It was quite the adventure and pure TORTURE waiting in line at the mall, but the end result was well worth it! Olivia and Cooper sat on his lap together and I got a decent picture of my two kiddos! Thank you Michele for uploading these for me. =)

Cooper told Santa he wanted moonsand (which my response is - oh no Cooper, he may not have time to get you moonsand this year! Ha ha!) and Olivia said she couldn't "remember" what she told him she wanted. I had to pry her off his lap though, she didn't want to leave!

Olivia's 5K picture. She's so pretty!

Cooper's 3K picture - he looks like such a big boy!

The Griggs as Elves!

Check us out! =)

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/6xFWtEK2W4zSKfhH58m3

Proud little girl

Olivia won Terrific Kid for the month of December at Thomas Hart. I'm so proud of my little girl! Way to go Baby Girl!

Tomorrow is the last day of school for the kids until after the New Year. Cooper is *really* looking forward to no school....he inherited his loath for kindergarten from me. I hated going to school until I was older. I'm not sure what they do in 3K all day but according to him it's "bowing" (that's boring in 3 year old talk folks).

Anyways, nothing new to report in the Griggs household. We are getting ready to celebrate Christmas with my uncle Mitchell, Aunt Jackie, Keisha, Ashley and Madeline. It'll be a lot of fun and I always enjoying seeing Madeline (and you too Keisha - *wink*). The kids love their Uncle Mitchell too and he's bringing deviled eggs - which are Olivia Grace's absolute favorite! =)

Hmmm.....where to start.....

You wouldn't believe all that's gone on since I last posted! Let's see, where to start? Well, for starters, the motor in the Ranger BLEW. Yeap, you read that right - the motor went out in Al's truck. Perfect timing I tell ya. So, we've spent the last week and half carpooling and weighing our options. Spend a fortune to fix a 93 Ranger or look and see if we could find a good deal on something newer and used. After talking about it, praying about it, and asking everyone we knew what *they* would do - we decided to look for Al a new truck. He bought a 2006 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab. It's black (just like his old Ram - ha ha, and he said he's NEVER have another black truck) and loaded. We got an AWESOME deal on it so I can't complain. I really think Al is on cloud nine right now. =) I like it simply because it's got 4 doors and a back seat - I hated only having one vehicle we all could fit into.

We had a really fun weekend this weekend. We made Gingerbread houses over at Gamma and Papa's house on Saturday. And we went to the park and the kids put their letters to Santa in the mail box by the HUGE Christmas tree in the middle of town. I'm ready to get the kids fed and off to bed! I'm beat! =)

Making gingerbread houses at Gamma's. The kids really enjoyed this! So Tina and myself - it was the first time either of us had done one.

Tina and Loren's train.

Olivia and her finished house - her Aunt Mary helped her with hers.

Cooper cheesing with his house - I did all the hard work folks - he simply ate candy off the house and stole some of the icing! LOL

The Christmas Tree in the middle of town - see Olivia to the left? That thing is HUGE.

Don't you just love Cooper's face? He was mad because I asked him to stand beside me instead of sitting on the ground. Stinker!

The kids putting their Santa letters in the "Santa Mailbox" - whoever thought of that idea is a genius.....the kids loved doing this!

The kids in their Christmas clothes before church this morning.....aren't they the cutest ever? =)

Christmas Parade

Saturday morning we woke up bright and early and headed to town for the annual Christmas parade. We met up with Adam, Tina and Loren and had a really good time! The kids had a blast and I think the adults really enjoyed it too.

Santa on the fire truck - the kids went WILD.

You can't come to our parade without seeing the Red Fox! It's our school mascot for the high school.

Loren, Cooper and Olivia - December 2008

Loren goofing off before the parade.


Cooper.......being Cooper! =)

Random pics to check up

How did I manage to get behind in my posting? I still haven't posted pictures from Louis' birthday party on the 29th. Sorry folks....these pics will have to do. I have some pictures from today that I want to post tomorrow so I got to move on!

Olivia dressing up as a "bandit".

Sheriff Cooper T. (ignore the cheese face folks - ha ha)

Sweet Louis! Here he is skating at his party. I can't believe the little guy is 2 already! He had a great party (even though he did have a USC cake - ha!) and got lots of neat stuff. It was a lot of fun - we love you Louis!

Cooper practicing his football stance. =)

So, today we headed into town first thing this morning and went to the parade. It was a ton of fun and we had a great time with Adam, Tina and Loren. After the parade, we went and ate lunch, did a little shopping for Olivia a Christmas dress and then relaxed until it was dark enough to go look at Christmas lights. I LOVE doing this with the kids because it was one of my favorite things to do as a kid during this time.

I picked up my Christmas cards that I ordered online at Walmart.com today and they looked HORRIBLE. I was totally bummed because I really wanted to get them out by Monday. I showed them to Al and he turned around threw them in the trash! I agree, I either had to order new cards or just not send any out. They weren't even close to being acceptable - so I'm working on getting a refund from Walmart.com and I re-ordered some on shutterfly.com. I've ordered from there before and they do awesome work, it's just a little more pricey. Oh well. Lesson learned....don't use walmart.com because they do cheap work!

Another one

Olivia lost a second tooth! Right beside the first one she lost last week. =) Now she *really* looks like a little Snaggletooth.....but don't call her that, I learned the hard way this morning that being called Snaggletooth hurts her little feelings. =(

The kids Christmas program was last night and they did great. Cooper was really into. He loves to be in front of a crowd and show off.....not really sure where he gets that from. Ha! Olivia looked very cute in her new pink Christmas pjs. I took some pictures but they came out too dark so you'll just have to take my word on it. =)

Nothing else really going on.....we're looking forward to the Christmas parade in the morning and then the Tree Lightning in the evening. Supposedly Hartsville purchased one of the trees that wasn't chosen to be in the White House this year. So, that might be really fun to go too. I still need to upload the pics off my camera....I'm working on it! =)

Is it December Already?

I feel like I just had a mini-vacation! Wow, what a jam packed 4 days we had! We had so much fun - it was so hard getting up this morning and getting the kids back into their routine!

First off - GO TIGERS!!! Al and my dad went to the Clemson/Carolina game on Saturday. Which left me at home all day with the kids. Well, I decided it would be a great morning to ride to Florence and go see a movie. We saw Bolt and I recommend it to anyone. The kids loved it and I thought it was really cute too. I actually liked it better than Madagascar 2. Louis' birthday party was also Saturday (Happy Birthday Lou Lou!!!) at the skating rink. I can't tell you how many times I took skates off and put them back on. Off/on, off/on....I thought I would lose my mind. The kids had a lot of fun - Olivia even skated with "big girl" skates on. She's still got a ways to go but she's getting better at it each time.

Friday we put up our Christmas tree and all our outdoor decorations. The kids were on cloud nine helping me with the tree. I let them put the ornaments on - of course, after they went to sleep, I *had* to fix them and fill in all the gaps! LOL Now I have to figure out a way to keep their little hands OFF the tree. They are driving me crazy constantly touching it and pulling ornaments off and then saying "oops, this one fell" - Yeah right! =)

I'm still stuffed from Thanksgiving! It's my second favorite holiday behind Christmas. I look forward to eating up to my eyeballs in turkey and dressing each year. When else do you get to do that???? My poor dad had to work though so that he could be off on Saturday to go to the game....we missed him but he didn't really seem to mind working. =)

So anyways, that's our update over the holidays. I'll post some pictures of Louis' party later. I may even try to get one of the front of the house. If you know me, I don't do decorations (only a tree in the house) so the fact that Al and I have decorations on the porch and in the yard is a big thing. I really got bit by the Christmas bug this year! LOL I guess I'm just so excited because this is the first year *BOTH* my kids have been into Christmas and really looking forward to it. I mean, the only way I can keep Cooper out of trouble is to say "I'll call Santa!" so we're having a ball right now. I'm not sure the Easter Bunny will have the same effect on him though........ha ha!

Donuts for the Tooth Fairy

Wow, what a special day for Olivia!!!! She lost her first tooth!!!! I'm so happy, excited, and sad all at the same time. I'm so happy that she's going through another "rite of passage" but sad because it's another reminder that she's growing up. She is so excited and can't wait to see what the Tooth Fairy brings her. Al and I can't seem to agree on how much the 1st tooth is worth but we'll have to decide soon! =) Here's a picture of Ms. Olivia Grace minus one bottom tooth.

Losing her tooth was kind of a funny story - she had a piece of her book bag in her mouth and her BFF Raeva pulled it ALONG with her tooth. She said she wanted to cry but didn't because it hurt and I think the blood kind of freaked her out. LOL Oh, and Ms. Chure came to the rescue at school and found the teenie, weenie tooth on the gym floor!

Today was also Donuts for Dad at THA. The kids were *sssssooo excited* that their Daddy was going to school with them this morning. They love Daddy so much! I do too - I don't tell you enough Al that you are the best father, husband and best friend I could have ever asked for. We heart you! =)

No Way!!!

You guys will NEVER believe what I found in Cooper's bookbag yesterday! Want take a stab at it?

*waiting patiently*

Ok, let me just tell you because you won't EVER guess.......

He won TERRIFIC KID for the month of November in his class!!! Can you believe that? This given to a kid that the teacher is *constantly* telling me he's misbehaving and bullying other kids! I just don't get his teacher anymore. I'm stoked that he WON though! He was sssoo proud of his certificate too.

I love my little man!

Oh, and Olivia has her first ever loose tooth!!!!

I love her!

Olivia is the sweetest, kindest, most thoughtful daughter in the whole world! Yesterday before I could even walk in the door, she ran up to me, gave me a huge hug and said "Happy Birthday Mommy, I love you!" It was great! And to make it even better, Cooper copied Sissy and gave me the same big hug and told me happy birthday. Olivia was so proud of herself because she made me a card. I have to say, it's the best card I've *ever* received. I plan on keeping it until I die. =)

Tell me one thing sweeter than a 5 year old's big, sloppy, super sweet handwriting?

Olivia is sweet, but she's also the most clever little girl! She followed that birthday card up with her Christmas list for Santa!

Olivia being silly - I love her so much!

It's My Birthday

Today is my 31st birthday - woo hoo! I've had a great day...Al and the kids gave me a new pair of tennis shoes (which are much, much needed). They are pink and white so I do believe Al has been spending too much time around Olivia Grace! =) I love them! All the girls at the office gave me some moolah so I have a few dollars to actually spend on my self. I'm really looking forward to that. I saw some cute shirts at the store the other day when Mom took me shopping (thanks Mama!) that I think I want to go back and get. Thanks to everyone for the Happy Birthday wishes!

In other news - Cooper's class had a Pilgrim celebration today. Here's a picture of his class all dressed up. He's the one in the front on the left. Don't they all look super cute?

What do you think?

I am not cut off to be a professional photographer - so I give props to your hubby Aron! I tried my hardest to get a cute picture of the kids *together* (that being the magic word) in matching PJs this year for Christmas. It took me all of 5 seconds to get absolutely frustrated with them. I did get ONE cute picture. So I guess it wasn't all a complete failure. =)

Is this one Christmas card worthy? I LOVE Cooper's smile in this one. Olivia's isn't great, but she refuses to smile where she shows her teeth these days. I like how she's holding her Santa for you to see "Splash Greetings" clearly. I don't know....I'm not sold on this yet but I really dread trying this again!

The kids got a candy cane from Wal-Mart over the weekend.....this is all they have done with them - well, other than fight each other with them - is make them into a heart. You know, the more pictures I take of that carpet in my living room, the more I hate it. For the record - Al picked it out, not me. =)

Olivia's face is so cute here but check out Cooper cheesing.

Let me know what you all think of the first pic....you know I have to get my Christmas cards made up soon!

The Pictures say it all....

I think the pictures say enough here. I'm stressed......

It doesn't show up well, but that marker took FOREVER to get off.

Yeap, that's about how it is these days.......

Madagascar 2

Al and I took the kids to see Madagascar 2 - it was cute.....not as funny as the first one, but that's how sequels go right? The kids really enjoyed it - between the two of them, they each drank an entire drink and ate a LARGE popcorn. Yikes!!! There are some really cute movies coming out before the end of the year -

Bolt - this one looks funny - it's about a dog that's a super hero on TV and thinks he's one in real life too.

Bedtime Stories - this is with Adam Sandler....looks cute but I'm not sure it's for a family with small kids like ours.

Marley and Me - this is with Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston. I'm guessing it's based loosely on the book "Bad Dog, Marley!" and my kids LOVE that book.

There's also another one about a mouse that saves a Princess but I can't think of the name. It looks really cute too.

So I recommend checking out some movies with your family this year......it's really cheap in our little town so I love when they get family movies. Our entire trip to the movies with a family of 4 costs us $16. You CAN NOT get 4 movie tickets, 3 drinks and a large popcorn for that price in Flo-town!

Slow days...but it's been nice.....

Not much has been going on here - so that's why I haven't been posting much lately. We're in our routine for now and enjoying it. Al and I have finally gotten Cooper back to getting to sleep on time and not staying up half the night. AND we have been limiting TV for the kids and their behaviour has IMPROVED greatly. There are days they don't even *ask* to watch TV (which I thought would NEVER, EVER happen). We don't allow anything but Noggin at this point (unless it's Mommy/Daddy approved) - I really think some of the issues we were having with Cooper stemmed from over-stimulation he was getting from watching TV and then staying up so late. So far it seems to be working wonders for him. It's actually really nice because we find ourselves doing more with the kids or finding that the kids are spending more time together playing or fighting....or both! =)

Here are the wild ones at Kyan's 4th birthday party last week. We had a great time and enjoyed seeing Kelly and Kyan again!

Halloween Fun!

Can I tell ya'll how HAPPY I am that Halloween is finally *over*? =) You should see the MASSIVE mountain of candy my two kids got! Lucky for me, I was able to stash some away for stockings at Christmas - and they haven't even noticed that the mountain got a little smaller. Ha ha! They had a blast though - it was pure torture to get the kids to wait until after 6pm to start trick or treating. They were wild when we finally did let them loose. After hitting some houses on our road, we headed over to our church and participated in "Trunk or Treat" - more candy for the kids! Our final trip was to Grandma's house for the annual Griggs Family Halloween party. There was a hayride, kids games, and you got it - MORE CANDY!!!! It was really fun and when we left, the kids crashed in the car before we hit the highway.

Olivia sporting Jay's "Joe Dirt" wig - she thought it really made her look like Sleeping Beauty. Gotta love mullets! =)

Our niece Loren - she was the cutest fairy at the party!

Our nephew Rooney....oh, I mean Louis. How cute is that costume?

Cooper before we headed out to trick or treat.....the pumpkin (aka Pumpky) is almost as big as he is! I added a black eye to his costume that night - he looked so cute!

Olivia and Cooper - Halloween 2008

Proof of Attitude

So, there are people that just don't believe me when I say Cooper is full of attitude lately. Well, he had to go into time out the other night and I got some proof! So HA!!!!! Take that!

First pic is of Olivia - can't leave her out and she was so cute. *Her* attitude has gotten ssssooo much better since starting school last year. I'm really hoping Cooper follows suit! Olivia is so fun to be around and she hardly ever gets in trouble. She's no angel by any means, but definitely the calmer of the two!

Dance night

Ok, can you see the 'tude just OOZING out of this kid? This was his look while he was IN time out! UGH....terrible twos? No way - terrible THREES!!!!!

Oh Cooper.....

Three years ago I would have never guessed that COOPER would be the kid I would have trouble with in school. Nana picked the kids up today and AGAIN, Cooper was in trouble. He hit another little boy (sorry Collin!) and wouldn't talk to the teachers most of the day. UGH!!! I just don't know what to do with this kid. I know it's behavior that he learned at daycare and it's going to take some time to break him of it. Thing is - Cooper has good days and then he has days like today. I just feel helpless. I mean, there's only so much I feel like I can do - he's only 3! It would be different if he were older, but honestly, how am I supposed to go about this? I talk to him - explain why he shouldn't do certain things, but how do I know that will work? Can a 3 year old really comprehend a "lecture"? I don't want to be one of *those* moms with the mean kid in class that everyone dislikes. Cooper can be super loving and sweet but turn right around and be mean as all get out. And I certainly can't sit here and say "oh, he's just a boy" because I know other boys in his class that haven't gotten in nearly as much trouble as him! I just feel like the daycare the kids went too taught Cooper to be aggressive because he's smaller than like 90% of other kids his age and to stand up for himself. Problem is - it's really biting him in the butt right now because it's not behavior that is good for school. I need advice - how would you handle this situation?

THA Halloween Carnival 2008

THA hosted their annual Halloween carnival last night and the kids had a blast. All day Friday they were so excited about putting on their costumes and going there to play all the games. The fact that both of their classrooms are in the gym where the carnival was held, probably added to the excitement! We had a ball though and really enjoyed ourselves.

Cooper eating popcorn while Olivia and Raeva wait in line for a game. This kid's favorite snack is hands down popcorn and if we go ANYWHERE that sells it, you BETTER have money to buy him some!

Olivia playing some color game where she had to jump on the color squares. It was cheesy. LOL

Olivia and Reava - these two have been the best of friends since meeting last year. They stuck together the *entire* night. They are so sweet together and you can tell they really love each other's company.

Olivia and Cooper waiting for the "Fortune Teller" game.

Olivia and Cooper all dressed up.....Cooper refused to wear his boxing gloves though. Are they cute or WHAT??

Yay!

I got my staples out today and they didn't hurt! Yay! Thanks for the re-assuring Emily and Angela. I am sssoo glad to have those things out. =)

2 for 1

I have to give a shout out to my sis in law, Amy. She and Jay brought me a sweet potato pie on Wednesday after my surgery. Well, come to find out, Amy got sick on Thursday and had HER gallbladder removed on Friday. I called her up and said "is the hospital running a 2 for 1 deal on gallbladders?" - LOL. I hope you feel better today Amy! We love you!!!

Thanks to everyone who has sent me well wishes and checked on me this past week. It really means a lot! I feel very blessed to have such wonderful family and friends! I have *never* had surgery before so I was pretty nervous last Tuesday but I am feeling much, much better. I go on Wednesday to have my staples removed - which I'm nervous about because I'm terrified it's going to hurt. I mean, how could it NOT...they are pulling staples out of your skin...think about it....ugh!

Oh, and I wouldn't recommend letting a 3 year old watch "Monster House" either.....another bad parenting move on my part but I think it scared the bee jeebies out of Cooper! =)

Olivia perks me up....

I'm having a good day today - the soreness is much more bearable than it was yesterday and that's a good thing! I really feel that in the next few days, all the soreness and feeling of bloating will be gone. In the hospital I remember asking the nurse, "What's under these three band aides on my abdomen?" and she replied "nothing but a tiny hole that will close on it's own." Well Mrs. Nurse Lady (sorry, can't remember her name) - you LIED!!! I took a shower today and when I peeled those band aides off, I found out I have two staples in each incision! Now I am totally stressing because I didn't realize I had any staples or anything. Geez! I hope the darn things don't hurt when they come out next week. I do have to keep reminding myself to take it easy and not push myself. You have no idea how hard it is for me to sit around "knowing" my house needs cleaning and not being able to do it! Al is doing a great job of tending to the house and the kids - although I know they are stressing him out! I know he's ready for me to get better! =) Anyways, when Olivia got home from school today, she changed into this outfit and it really made me laugh so I had to take a picture. My kids are wild ones, but they know how to make you smile when you're feeling down! My babies rock!

I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times - she's hard core baby! =) Nobody can pull off a tu-tu with a black tee w/pink skull and crossbones like OGG!

This is pretty much all I've seen of Cooper since coming home from the hospital. Little turkey.....

I'm alive

Hey guys - I just got home from the hospital. I had to have my gallbladder removed. I got very sick early Monday morning and broke down and went to the ER as soon as Al had took the kids to school. After talking to the ER doctor about my stomach issues and how sick I was that morning, she ordered an u/s of my gallbladder. And that's what it was - I had gallstones, a thickened wall and sludge in my gallbladder. Apparently gallbladder issues are pretty common in pregnant women and after you have a baby so when I first started having issues after Cooper was born, that's what it probably was! To think I've been dealing with this for 3 years!!!! So, yesterday morning at 7am, they took the darn thing out. I'm still really sore but I feel ok. I don't remember a darn thing from the time they gave me the "happy" drugs to the time the nurse woke me up! Ha ha! Everyone keeps saying that I will feel ssssooo much better now and not have any more issues, so I'm really excited about that outcome. I probably won't post for a few more days.....I just need to lay around and relax and get some of this soreness out. And on top of this - Al and Olivia woke up feeling really cruddy today. Not good! Pray that they feel better soon!

Yucky Stuff

I've been MIA for a few days because I've been battling that nasty stomach bug that has been going around. I thought I was over it - Olivia got sick with it on Tuesday and by Wednesday, I was sick again! I feel much better today though but I'm not really putting a whole lot on my tummy. I will just be glad to feel 100% better.....although I feel like I'm coming down with a cold. Something Olivia has too - notice the pattern here?

Nothing new to report on the home front - the kids are out of school today for Parent/Teacher conferences so Al is home with them. They are probably driving him batty at this point. =) The weather is nice out today so I'm sure they will be spending A LOT of time outside. Have I mentioned lately that I LOVE the trampoline Cooper got for his birthday? The kids stay on that thing for hours - it's been a nice addition to the clutter in the back yard. =)

Anyways, this is probably my most *boring* blog ever, but I just don't have anything funny or exciting for you today. Check back this weekend - we do have plans on going to the Sweet Potato Festival in Darlington tomorrow if everyone feels up to it.

Seriously?

I had a doctor's appointment on Friday morning for my stomach issues - I won't go into detail about what my stomach "issues" are, just know that it's been something that I've been dealing with since Cooper was born. I've put up with them for so long because honestly, if they were serious....wouldn't I have lost like....a ton of weight or something? And if you know me, you know THAT AIN'T HAPPENED! So, I finally reached a breaking point - and the fact I had a nasty stomach virus this week - and talked to Dr. B about what's been going on. And the remedy? Metamucil! Yes folks, I, Mandy Griggs, age 30, has to drink a tablespoon of Metamucil each night. Apparently I may need more fiber in my diet.....which is kind of ironic because that's kind of what I thought it was going to end up being. Nothing like a hard dose of reality to bring you back down now is there? I feel like a 100 year old woman typing this as I chug down my orange juice/Metamucil cocktail. Please, don't be jealous. =)

Now I just have to hope that I've been careful enough to keep the kids from getting that nasty stomach bug I had. They have a field trip tomorrow and I would feel horrible if they missed it. Plus, I really don't want to miss another day of work. Please say a prayer that they are ok in the morning. They both have had an upset tummy a few times today so I'm a little nervous!

My beautiful, yet crazy wild babies.

See, I told you they were wild!

Cooper being a "monster" - I think. Notice Olivia in the background with her shirt up over her tummy. =) That pj set cracks me up because the shirt creeps up over her belly constantly. But of course since it has Ariel on it, she just HAS to squeeze into it you know. ha ha!