All I want for Christmas is a.....

Harley Fat Boy!!!!

And he got one.  It's pre-owned but it's perfect for him.  He's so excited he can barely stand it.

So am I.  I'm so glad he's happy to have a motorcycle again. 

1998 Fat Boy.  Beautiful color.

He looks good on it doesn't he?  :)

Don't tell Al but I can't wait to go riding!  

Favorite

My conversations with Livvie are never, ever, ever, dull.  Here's one we had Sunday night.

O:  Mommy, I don't want to call you Mommy anymore.  I want to call you Mom.

Me:  Aren't you too little to call me Mommy?

O:  You're kind of my favorite parent anyways.

Me:  Oh yeah?  Why is that?  Not that I disagree or anything....

O:  *giggle*  Well, you did give birth to me.  Daddy didn't.  I mean, you gave me life.  So, that's why.

Me:  Makes perfect sense to me Boo.

Ha ha!  I love conversations with my girl.  She is too, too funny sometimes.  (I know Al is totally jealous.  But hey, he should have given birth to them right?) 

SSSSHHHHH!!!!

Cooper and Olivia are going to be sssoooo excited!  Al and I got tickets to take them to see TNA Impact Wrestling here in Florence in February!!!!

Yes, I know it's not the WWE, BUT for a little boy who now worships wrestling and a big sister who refuses to be left out - this is big.  :)  I printed off and made copies of the tickets so I'm going to put them in their stockings.  Al and I can't wait to see how excited they are about going to their first wrestling match. 

It's funny that the kids inherited both mine and Al's love for wrestling.  I admit it's a guilty pleasure of mine.  Ha ha!  Cooper will even tell you that Randy Orton is my boyfriend.  :)  

Only 9 days before Christmas!  I'm getting so excited I could explode. 

Silly Kids!

Yes, they are Goobers!

December now???

It's already the first week of December.  I won't be winning any blog awards this year.  2012 is going to be the year of the blog for me - just wait!

Christmas shopping is almost done - woot!  I have a new app on my iPad that lets me play around with borders, etc so I created the one I have here.  If it weren't for the stupid "tag" on the right, it would be absolutely awesome right? 

We are trying the "elf" thing and it's just not working.  The kids treat their elves like toys and play with them constantly.  I've given up.  Both their classes have a "classroom elf" who is following the rules, so I wave my white flag.  :)  It never ceases to amaze me how different the rugrats act at school compared to home.  I know there is no way I was like that.  *smile*

We are also gearing up for Upward Basketball - Cooper is super excited about it.  For such a small little guy, he loves basketball.  Although now that he's discovered wrestling, that may change soon.  He's got speed and accuracy when he shoots so he's actually pretty good.  We found out last week that he has Coach Lon AGAIN - which tickled Cooper.  Poor Coach Lon has been his basketball coach two years already and one year as his soccer coach.  I can't figure out if he just likes Cooper that much or if he has really bad luck.  O is wishy-washy on basketball.  Some days she loves it, some days she'd rather die than play.  So, here's hoping to a "I love it" day when she has her first practice.  :)

Writing our letters to Santa tonight - stay posted for pics!

Getting in the Holiday Spirit

Our Christmas Tree 2011

Obligatory "Kids in front of tree" picture. 

You need Rudolph to make it feel Christmas-y folks!

Catching Up

I am MRSA free!  I think....at least I'm done with 20 days of antibiotics so I *should* be MRSA free.  My wound is healed as well and all is right in my world.  For now.

My birthday was great - very low key and that's fine with me.  The kids still think I'm only 31 or so and I don't correct them.  :)  What's the harm in letting them think their Mom is young(er) and cool right? 

Martin and Randy came down for Thanksgiving and the kids were ecstatic!  They absolutely LOVE it when they come down and want to spend every last second with them.  I know it probably annoys them to death, but they only see them a few times a year.  Thanks to iPods and iPads though, we've been able to stay in touch a whole lot easier and the kids get to Face Time with them.  It's probably one of the coolest inventions ever.  Steve Jobs was a genius.  

We put up Christmas decorations Saturday as well - I'll post some pictures of the tree and all in another post.  I'm almost done with all the Christmas shopping and that makes me very, very happy.  I'm in the Christmas spirit more than ever before.  :) 

MRSA

It's two days until my birthday and I find out I have MRSA.  That's just not right folks, not right.

So, apparently it takes Urgent Care ten full days to call you and let you know the results of a culture they took.  UGH.  And I had just finished my last dose of a ten day antibiotic and now I have to start ANOTHER one.

I feel so bad for Al and the kids - I haven't felt good at all and now it looks like I'll continue to feel cruddy for another 2 weeks.  My system is all of whack and I'm just *tired.*  Al is such a good guy and has just went in with guns blazing and got things done.  I'm lucky.  The kids must be scared I'm near death or something because they've even been a little more behaved. 

Just a little.  :)  

I miss running.  Every time I open the garage door, I honestly feel guilty that I have barely touched my treadmill.  The abscess is almost healed so I hope to be back on it soon.  I think my energy would perk up if I could work out.  We'll see.  I definitely don't want to push it but it's hard to just sit and do nothing. 

Anyways, it's time to take a pill.  Again.  :/

4 days

Just so all my loyal blog readers know - I turn 21 plus 13 years experience in FOUR days.  :)

Wrestling in November

I can't believe it's already November.  Wow.  This year is flying by at a super fast speed.  Before you know it, Christmas will be here! 

Cooper and Olivia are both addicted to wrestling.  I guess they got it honest since Al and I both have been fans of the it at some point in our lives.  Cooper is the worst though and is sssooo into it.  He cracks me up with his impersonations of different wrestlers (He does a really cute "WHHHOOOO" as Rick Flair).  His new found love has helped out Santa A LOT.

I tried showing the kids some videos of the Rock N Roll Express from back in the day when I loved wrestling.  I even went to a match here in Florence and got their autographs!  The kids weren't interested though.  Apparently it wasn't "showy" enough.  Excuse me......back in the day, all the wrestlers needed was  a ring, not all this other stuff.  

Oh, and Cooper keeps telling people that Randy Orton is my boyfriend.  Yeah, I wish!  :) 

Halloween 2011

What does a Rock Star and a Werewolf have in common?

They're brother and sister!  Ha ha!

This year for Halloween O decided to go as a Rock Star/Draculaura and Cooper is a "really mean" werewolf.  Aren't they the cutest though?  They love Halloween......but I really can't wait for all the good candy.  :)  

His Turn I suppose?

So apparently Cooper was NOT to be outdone by his big sister and hurt his eye yesterday at school.  Poor thing looked HORRIBLE when Al and I got him to urgent care Wednesday night.  His eye was red, swollen and causing my poor boy a lot of pain.  Luckily, it's just a small cut on his eye and after wearing a patch overnight, his eye felt ok and looked SO MUCH better.  He must have gotten sand or dirt or something in it and scratched it.  THA went on a field trip yesterday so of course he totally played it off because he didn't want to miss out. 

He's not much on being a pirate but he did pose long enough for me to snap this picture of him when we got home.  I'd like to say he was a good sport at the doctor's office but I would be lying.  He's male so he was a *huge* baby.  I don't mean that in a mean way of course, but we all know how men are.  Ha ha!  Cooper definitely proved he's no exception to this rule.  :)  He cried every time the nurse or doctor looked at him wrong. 

I just hope this is our last trip to the ER or urgent care for awhile.  I'm not sure how much more my heart can take.  (I regret not getting a picture of them together.  How funny would it be years down the road to see Cooper with one eye and O with one arm? Ha ha!)

The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

As you can see from the picture, OGG picked out the BIGGEST pumpkin at the pumpkin patch.  Well, I don't know that for a *fact* but I mean, really - can there be a larger pumpkin out there? 

O is so damn proud of that pumpkin too.  She seriously hugs the thing every morning as we walk out the door.  The first day, it was cute.  Now it's getting annoying as heck.  :)  There's no way I'm craving that pumpkin, so we'll be looking for some stencil and paint kits to do something with it.  I think she wants a tiger paw on it - we'll see.  I doubt anyone would steal it.  Unless they have a wheelbarrow handy.  Ha ha!  Thank goodness Cooper picked out a normal sized pumpkin.  Although my mom said it took him forever because he was looking for the "perfect" one. 

Is it me or does this picture make anyone else giggle?  I mean, you can barely get up my front steps! 

It happened to O, Not Cooper

O in the ER  :( 

I thought Cooper would be the child of mine that would have the first broken bone.  But, in typical Olivia fashion, she was not to be outdone and broke a bone FIRST.

Yeap - O has a broken wrist.  Al took the kids to the park on Saturday when she fell off the monkey bars and landed on her arm.  We were more concerned with her shoulder at first because her upper arm looked swollen and she couldn't lift it. I was NOT expecting a broken bone. 

We go tomorrow to find out if she will need a cast.  I hope she does - simply because the 48 hours she's had her "temporary" cast on, it's been hectic.  She won't leave it alone and constantly moves it - so I think a cast would help to keep her arm still and in one spot.  We'll see though.  I'm not the doctor and we'll have to do whatever he suggests.  O wants a pink cast (who would have thought???) so she's a little excited about this. 

Monkey bars are the devil.  

RIP Bluey

Cooper got a Beta fish for his birthday.  He named him Bluey and he and Olivia fell in love.  They never forgot about that fish - and never missed a day of feeding him.

Bluey lasted a good 6 weeks.  Then he bit the bucket.

I came home today to find this sign on the toilet.  I laughed.  O got mad that I laughed so I had to apologize.  THEN Al tells me that they insisted visitation be held and the neighbor came over and hummed Taps as Al flushed.  I mean, how does she expect me NOT to laugh when I hear that?  I really hate that I missed these moment.  Funniest family moment EVER. 

(And I'm debating on getting them another Beta Fish since I laughed.  So don't say I'm completely heartless because you'd be a liar.)

More Pictures

We had some more family pictures made on Sunday by my friend Leslie Wilkes.  She's awesome ya'll!  I can't thank her enough for the great pictures she took.  All for nothing because she's super cool like that.  I owe you a BIG one Leslie!

Our Family 2011

My girl and her freckles.  Love them!

My sweet, sweet boy!

I have a TON more shots that are just as good so check out my FB page to see more. I keep getting compliments on how I'm looking these days and I have to admit, I am really enjoying it!  I hope that after New Years, I can take some more pictures and be even thinner!  :) 



Beat It!

Have you ever wanted to see someone overcome an obstacle so bad that you can feel it in your bones?  Even if you don't really know the person that well?

That's where I am. 

http://www.babypennington.com/

I don't know Kerri or Mel very well - I've seen them all over Hartsville of course, even spoke to Kerri on the phone a few times thanks to Olivia's trips to the office at THA.  But I want to see her beat cancer.  

Check out her blog.  It'll make you laugh.  It'll make you cry.  It'll make you go hug your kids.  Her honesty is brutual.  You will instantly become a cheerleader too. 

New Pictures 2011

We took some family pictures today.  I think they turned out pretty good!  Tell me what you think.



Olivia and Cooper 2011



Cooper Thomas - age 6

Griggs Family 2011

My two hearts

Olivia Grace - age 8

Zombies

Livvie is scared of zombies.  We've fought this battle with her for almost a year now.  And she is NOT wavering in her belief that zombies due in fact exist.

I'm not sure what has her convinced - she saw "Thriller" on tv one day and ever since then she has 100% believed in zombies.  I've explained, Al has talked to her, even my Mom has tried to convince this child that the zombies in that video were actors.  She's not buying it.  I don't know what I'll do if she ever sees "The Walking Dead" on TV.  Ha ha!

Cooper went to a sleepover tonight so Al and I took O to dinner.  She and I had this conversation:

O:  You know there are zombies.

Me:  No there isn't.

O:  They eat you or they eat your brains.  That's how you turn into a zombie too.

Me:  Actually, they bit you and then you turn into a zombie.  IF zombies exist, which they most certainly do not.

O:  They're going to get you.

Me:  *blank stare*

Sometimes I think Olivia says these things to make me worry about sleeping at night.  

Getting my blogging groove back

I know 2011 has been a bad year for me and the blog.  I really didn't mean for it to be, honest. 

I came home from running last night to find Olivia walking (or attempting to walk) around the house dragging her right foot.  Apparently she fell at school that morning and spent the whole day trying to walk on it and just making it worse.  So, today as we sat in the doctor's office waiting on x-ray results to make sure it wasn't broke, I thought "Dear Lord, I HAVE to blog this!"  I'm not sure if that makes me really, really sad or if it means I'm finally getting my blog groove back.

I'm going with blog groove baby. 

O got feathers.  Pretty cute I think!

Livvie Grace is such an old soul.  And so grown.  But it's days like today when I'm reminded that she's still a kid.  Still needs me.  And I love it.  O loves Dr. Bonnie so when we saw her, it wouldn't have mattered if I were in the room or not.  But as soon as we headed to x-ray, well, that's when my girl actually turned into a little girl.  She got shy.  Scared.  I caught her looking for me a few times as my friend Lyn took x-rays of her foot.  I felt needed - I was reminded that no matter how independent Olivia is, there will always be times when she simply needs her mommy. 

I wish she would smile.  Just once.

Oh, about Livvie's foot?  It's not broken!  Yay!!!   And wasn't Cooper supposed to be the kid I take to the doctor about a possible broken bone?  I can't believe Olivia beat him to the punch. 

Nine Years Legal baby!

Me and my Love



Happy Anniversary to me and Alton!!!!  NINE wonderful years babe - who would have thought?

It honestly feels like it's been much longer than nine years.....and I don't mean that in a bad way at all.  I just mean that these past nine years have been everything I expected they would be.  There's not a day that goes by that I'm not reminded somehow by Al that I definitely made the right choice.  He's not perfect.  Neither am I.  But he's the perfect partner for me. 

Why does he loves me?  I have no idea.  And that's one of the biggest reason I love HIM.  He sees my flaws on a daily basis and still loves me.  He's the better of the two of us and probably always will be.  I hope we share many, many, many more anniversaries together. 

Birthdays, Birthdays, Birthdays

Cooper turned SIX years old yesterday!  It's so hard to believe that my Lil' Man is already six years old.  He's such a great kid - Al and I are so blessed to have him.  I say it all the time and I'll say until I die.....I have no idea what I did RIGHT for God to bless me with my two kids.  I thank Him daily.

Top Six things I love about Cooper:

1. Those baby blue eyes.  I still haven't figured out WHERE he got them from, but they absolutely melt my heart. 

2.  He's funny.  Cooper is completely and totally DIFFERENT than his older sister.  O has been a grown up stuck in a kid's body since the day she was born - Cooper is "my kid kid" so to speak.  I love the fact that he's so honestly a little boy and he cracks me up all the time.  His sense of humor is spot on and he loves to make people laugh. 

3.  That cow lick that has caused me grief since he came into existence six years ago.  I'd love to say it's one of a kind but his Daddy has the same cow lick.  But for some reason Cooper's hair spikes it up and he just looks naturally cool. 

4.  His laughter.  It's like music to my ears. 

5.  He still believes that Al and I are super heroes.  I actually hope this one never changes. 

6.  The fact that he's MINE.  I'll probably never love another man as much as I love him.  (Sorry Al - you are a super close second!)

Happy Birthday Cooper Thomas Griggs!  Your Daddy and I can't wait to see how much you grow in the coming year. 

(And Happy Belated Birthday to Al!  Poor thing misses out on a birthday every year since it's only two days before Coop's!  And Happy Birthday Nana, who completely lost her birthday since Cooper stole it six years ago!  Love you both very, very much!)

First Day of School

Cooper doesn't look ready......O does!

3rd grade already??

My lil' man picked out his own outfit for his first day!

Who's ready for school??

First day of school!  Woo Hoo!!!!  Al and I are the parents of a super smart 3rd grader and super handsome 5ker!  I sssooo can't believe how fast our babies are growing up - wasn't O just in 4k like LAST year? 

They both had really good first days and I'm so thankful for that.  Cooper seems to be really stoked about school and eager to learn all he can.  I love it!  I hope that enthusiasm lasts.  Livvie has a new teacher this year but after meeting her, I think she'll do great.  As long as Livvie can suck up and show off how smart she is, there should be no problems.  Ha ha!  

Here's hoping to a wonderful school year! 

New do for school!

Olivia has a new hair do to celebrate a new school year!  How awesome does my girl look?  She actually picked out the cut herself.....and I have to admit, I was nervous at first because it's ssssoooo short.  But it looks great on her and she thinks she is FABULOUS now.  Ha ha!

School starts on Thursday and I'm ready!  I can't say the same for the kids, but Mommy and Daddy are ready.  We do the whole "Meet and Greet" thing on Wednesday.  I know Cooper's teacher already and I think he'll do fine.  Livvie has a new teacher this year so hopefully she will hit it off with her.  It's hard to believe that O will be in 3rd grade and Cooper will be in 5k.  Wow.  Where did the time go??

In other news - my Mom had back surgery for the third time almost 2 months ago.  It's been a slow recovery but I think she's getting there.  She's not 100% yet, but hopefully she's on the right path.  It's been a hard road for her and very hard for me at times.  My mom is a super strong woman and to see her in constant pain for so long has been hard.  But it's made me want to run more and accomplish things I didn't think I could simply for her.   I have to give a big thank you for my inlaws who have kept the kids for the last 2 months.  Thanks Joyce and Alton!  Al and I are very lucky to have parents that are willing to help us out.  This summer would have been tough otherwise! 

Monsters

Cooper has turned into a HUGE milk monster almost over night.  He wants to drink it all the time now.  Which is great - maybe the milk will help him grow.  He's still a runt!  :)

OGG on the other hand, has turned into a doped up, steroid filled terror of a monster.  She woke up a few days ago with a sore throat.  My mother instincts told me to get her to the doctor and thankfully we did.  She tested positive for strep.  AGAIN.  Her tonsils were so swollen, she needed a steroid to help.  OMG, she's bounced off the walls and almost ate us out of house and home.  LOL  I keep telling myself "only two more days." 

Her throat is better now though.  Cooper, on the hand, is still wild as all get out.  

Fantasy Lake

Fantasy Lake rocks! 

If you haven't been to Fantasy Lake in Hope Mills, NC - then stop reading this blog and GO.  We took the kids on Sunday and I can't even begin to tell you how much fun we had.

www.fantasylakewaterpark.com

O and Al went down several of the main slides - which really surprised me about Lil' Miss O.  I guess I should know that my girl really has no fear.  She even went down one of the big green slides that went straight down.  Of course, at the time, she didn't know it did that!  Ha ha!  Cooper wasn't allowed in the main area but there's a FABULOUS kid area.  It's designed for kids 3 to 11 and it was perfect.  Cooper didn't even need his swimmers or anything.  He was a PRO at the Tarzan swing by the time we left.  I can't tell you how many times the kids went down slides,  swung and flew off the Tarzan swings and tried their best at the zip lines over the water.  It was a blast.  We got there when they opened at 10am and didn't leave until 3:45pm!  The Griggs family left exhausted and a little sun burnt.  We definitely want to go back. 

We skipped the pedal boats of course because Cooper said "I will NOT pedal." Ok....Mommy ain't doing all the work mister!  

My only complaint - the sand was frigging hot!!!!  Our poor feet were so sore and tender by the end of the day.  But now I know we need water shoes (or whatever they are called) for all of us next time we go! 

Too Busy to Blog

I suck.  I have neglected my blog so much this year.  It's not that I don't have funny or insightful (ha ha) things to blog about, I just don't have the time.  It being summertime, you would think I would have all the free time in the world. 

I'm still in this running craze, and that my loyal blog friends, is what is keeping me from my blog.  By the time I work all day, go run/workout, come home and spend time with the kids - I have little interest in sitting here in front of the computer.  I've got to get back into the swing of it though, I basically use this blog as a scrapbook for the kids so I've been neglectful.  Ha ha!

Cooper and Livvie are growing like weeds.  They are enjoying the summer so much.  They are both so frigging tan, it ain't funny!  I think they have grown gills.  They collapse in bed at night because they are exhausted.  I love it.  Although I honestly can't remember the last time I gave them a bath, I'm sure Al has.  At least I really hope so.  They haven't started to smell so I'm taking that as a very good sign. 

The weather has been so hot, it's actually been miserable to be outside some afternoons.  I loved summer when I was younger, but the older I get, the more I hate it.  Fall is the best season EVER.   It's made it hard to keep up with my running, but I'm doing it.  I have to run on the treadmill, which I really don't like, but it's better than quitting I suppose.  Anyways, that's the update for now - hopefully I can get back into the mind frame of blogging and have some great blogs for you all to read.  :)

A comment can do that?

I lost a friend.  On Facebook.  Which I guess isn't really a big deal.  I was never really close to this person anyways.  What bothers me is why I was defriended.  Want to know why?

Over a status.  Yes, over a status I posted on MY wall on Facebook.  Is that not total BS or what?  I'm entitled to my opinion, it's my space - so why does something I say bother someone so much they defriend me?  Oh well.

My status was simply "Congrats New York."  Apparently my friend didn't feel the same way - which is completely and 100% fine with me.  But don't email me and tell me how just because I apparently support gay rights that I'm wrong and shouldn't feel that way.   Hell to the NO.

Do I believe gay people should have the right to marry?  YES.   Do I think homosexuality is a sin?  YES.    But you know what else?  I sin EVERY DAY.  So who am I to say that sin is any worse than the ones I commit?   I can't - because that's not my job.  I have loved ones and friends that are gay - so yes, I support gay rights.   I can't imagine someone telling me that I can't legally wed the one I love simply because we're the same sex.  I mean, to me - love is love.  And if I love you enough to want to spend the rest of my life with you - it shouldn't matter that you're a man or woman.  All that should matter is that love has brought us together.  It's sad that people I LOVE don't have the right to have that same bond that I have with my husband. 

And since this is my blog and I'm completely honest here - let's face the facts.  Straight people don't do a great job of making marriage look fabulous.  I mean, 50% of all marriages end in divorce. Let that sink in a minute.  FIFTY PERCENT.   So what the heck is the problem?  Spouses cheat, husbands beat their wives, people stay in loveless marriages for their kids sake - yet as a society most people feel gay people will ruin the institution of marriage.  I can not even begin to tell you  how ridiculous this is to me.  But if that's how you feel, so be it.  I didn't email you and tell you that I thought you were completely nuts and hated gay people.  Do me a favor and don't email me because all I can tell is that straight people do a good enough job of ruining the institution of marriage.  And that ruin started a long time before gays wanted the right to legally marry. 

Here's my thought process - when you stop looking at someone as "gay" or "straight" and instead simply see them as a PERSON, then you begin to realize *no one* should ever be told what they are allowed to do and not to do.   Since I'm being honest here - I feel like that's what Jesus would do.  How can He turn someone away that loves Him, worships Him, is a good person and does good deeds simply because they loved someone of the same sex? 

Lady Gaga says it all in her song "Born this Way."   So to my ex-friend - I wish you all the best and maybe one day we can be Facebook friends again.  But if not, that's ok too.  After all, this blog and my Facebook page is just that - MINE.  You can defriend me all you want, but you'll never change my opinion and beliefs. 

It's hot outside

With temperatures in the high 90s and low 100's (yes, it was 102 degrees today!) this is how my son stays cool.  He's in the sprinkler business folks.  

Father's Day

Tomorrow is Father's Day and I've shared pictures of two of my favorite dads.  Al and my Daddy.  :)  I know a lot more guys that are wonderful dads - but I don't have pictures of everyone! 

You know one of the things I love about Al the most?  The fact that he's such a hands on Dad.  He's not one of those guys that sits back and watches what his kids do - he gets out there and is part of it.  He didn't miss any of the kids games, never argues if I ask him to take one of them to the doctor or whatever, and is always ready to help me out if I need it. 

He's a great role model for Cooper and I'm so thankful for that.  I have no doubt that Cooper will grow up wanting to be as wonderful a dad - and man - as his dad.

Thank you babe!  I love you and all that you do and I never tell you enough.

Super OLD (ha ha) picture of my Dad.  I couldn't find any current ones saved on my PC so this is what I had to work with.  My dad is wonderful - I can't say enough good things about him.  Al reminds me a lot of him because they are both so patient and good natured.  I'm blessed to have such a wonderful dad.

Neither one of my guys would be so great if they hadn't had good role models.  At least, that's what I think anyways, and it's my blog, so you know how it goes.  :) 

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there I know!  Enjoy your day tomorrow.  :)

Beach

The kids have been at the beach for the week with my parents.  I missed those little monsters ssooo much.  But I have to admit, it's been a wonderful week for Al and I. 

We ate dinner in the living room, slept in on the weekends, went on golf carts rides in the evenings, even went to the gym a few times.  I had flashbacks from days before we had kids.  So carefree.

But then I would pass by one of the kids rooms and I would seriously hurt in my chest.  They drive me nuts and I promise you that 5 minutes after they got home today, my blood pressure was already up 10 points - but I can't imagine life without them.  Even Molly missed them and they nag her ALL the time.

So, the week was nice - a week that Al and I used to really reconnect but I'm glad Livvie and Coop are back.  Even when I had to watch Big Time Rush again for the first time in a week.   

Hip Hop

The kids finished the dance year with their recital and they both did GREAT!!!  Livvie is always a "show off" and this year was no exception.  She loves to be on stage - no matter what she says.  She tries to pretend she doesn't like the attention, but my girl is a *HAM* - MAJORLY. 

Cooper did great too for his first year - I was worried he'd get shy because he does.  All the time. Just like his Daddy.   But he was totally digging it and was the cutest boy in his group.  (Yes, I am biased, but a complete stranger told me the SAME thing.) 

My two hip hop dancers!

2011 THA Mother's Day Program

Cooper was a Fire Ant (notice the nice home made costume) for his Mother's Day program at school on Friday.  He was the cutest little Fire Ant in the whole wide world.  He made me some of the cutest gifts too, I was so proud of my little man.  He had a small speaking part too and I laughed my rump off at him.  His line was something like "I hope they have fried chicken and jello in a bowl." but he said it so fast that you couldn't really tell what he said.  Poor thing said he was nervous!  How stinking sweet is he?  

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!!!! 

Cooper's basket....he's getting a little better about finding eggs.  :)

Me and the wild ones......gosh I love them!

Griggs grandkids from Oldest (Olivia) to youngest (Josie).  2011

Daddy and the kids. 

Ate it

Just so you know, if you ever get trapped somewhere with OGG, you're probably a dead man.  Here's the conversation I had with her earlier about her baby egg she got from school that she's *supposed* to be treating like a baby.  Oh yeah, she's in 2nd grade by the way.

Me: Olivia, where's your baby egg?

O: I ate it.

Me: What??? You ate your baby?

O: It wasn't a baby, it was an egg.

Me: But you were supposed to pretend it was a baby and take care of it.

O: Oh....can I get another egg then?

Me: No way, tell your teacher you ate your baby.

How funny is that???  

Funny stuff from funny kids

Olivia and Cooper have had me rolling in laughter the last few days.  Cooper is my clown but Olivia is my "subtle" funny girl.

O:  Hey Mommy, how do you spell flaws?

Me:  F L A W S.  Why?

O:  I'm going to write down all my flaws.

Me:  Olivia, you have no flaws.  You're perfect.

O:  *eye roll*  I'm just going to write what I don't like about myself.

*Olivia sits and writes and then just sits, looking off in space*

Me:  Done?

O:  Yes, read my flaws.  *hands me her list*  I only have ONE.

Do you know what my girl thinks is her ONLY flaw?  FRECKLES.  I laughed sssssoo hard I could have cried.  I told her I thought her freckles were perfect but she insists that when she becomes a teenager, she will cover them all up with make up.  Oh O!

Now Cooper!  He had a baseball game the other night and came home all excited about they won by one point.

Cooper:  Mommy!  We won!

Me:  Awesome!  I'm so proud of you.

Cooper:  Hey Mommy, did you know Daddy has skills?

Me:  *looking at Al with that "You better not have" look*  Oh yeah?

Cooper:  Yes!  Daddy has skills.

Al:  Yes I do.  I can throw the ball, hit the ball....

Cooper:  NNNNOOOOO Daddy, I said you had skills.

Me:  Ok, I'm confused, what do you think skills are Cooper?

Cooper:  *sigh*  You know, red skills, yellow skills, green skills.  You eat them! 

Al:  I think he means Skittles.  Because I did have some Skittles.

Cooper:  Yes, that's what I mean.

Me:  *laughing*  OMG!!!  I wish I had this conversation on video.

Eight

Olivia turns EIGHT years old tomorrow.  I am still in shock that baby girl is already eight years old.  I know it's cliche, but it seriously feels like yesterday when she was born.   Wow, eight years have flown by faster than I ever imagined.  I wish I could slow the next eight down. 

We had a small family party this year - Olivia was supposed to have a friend spend the night on Saturday and then we were going to go to the zoo Sunday morning before the party that afternoon.  However, OGG woke up Friday with a sore throat.  Saturday we ended up taking her to Urgent Care only to find out she has strep throat.  Awesome right?  So, the sleep over had to be rescheduled....which O was not pleased about.  Thankfully after a few doses of antibotics, her fever was gone and she felt well enough to have a small party.  I teased her and told her that apparently every eight years she was going to be sick on her birthday because she was sick on her first birthday too. 

 Me and my baby girl.  The first one that called me Mommy and made me realize that I could love another human being so much that I feel it in my bones. 

 She's a huge fan of Pink Chicken skirts.  Her BFF Belle needs to go into advertising bc without her, O would never know about these skirts.  They are crazy expensive!

Happy Birthday Olivia Grace!

Lost Respect

I'm a huge George Lopez fan.  But not so much now.  I don't care if you like Kristie Alley or not (I actually do, but that's beside the point) - NO ONE has the right to compare you to a dancing pig.  Honestly, I found it insulting.  Not only to her, but even personally.  I'm no twig and I've battled weight issues my *entire* life and for someone to humiliate an overweight actress for her weight, well then what kind of example are giving out to girls like my daughter? 

I don't see George Lopez out there dancing away.  I will give it to Kristie Alley, she's got guts.  I could NEVER do a show like Dancing with the Stars.  I think it's wonderful that she decided to give it a try.  She's already shown America that us full figured girls can dance and look super sexy doing it.  At this point, she's my idol.   But when George Lopez goes on TV and publicly makes jokes like that - well then, you might as well have told my almost eight year old that she was fat too. 

And if you're one of these people who say - oh, he was just joking, lighten up - well then 1.  You don't respect other's feeling apparently 2.  You don't have kids and don't see how this could affect girls self images 3.  You get a kick out of insulting women  4.  You're skinny and hungry.  So I say to you - KISS IT. 

So Mr. Lopez, I may still find some of movies and shows funny, but I don't think I'm much of a fan anymore.

Take me out to the ballpark....

My little man is a ball player.  His Daddy is thrilled.  Beyond the moon in fact.  Today was the Dixie Youth Jamboree and Coop had his first game.  At 10am, it was already HOT.  I'm not sure how these little boys deal with the heat in those long pants and socks (and Cooper's went up to his thighs, no lie!). 

Coop had a blast though - scored TWO runs for the team.  He even asked Al "Daddy are you proud of me for coming across home plate?"  How stinking cute is my son? 

Mom and Dad are enjoying this new experience with Super Coop too! 

 Cooper T. Griggs - the cutest five year old baseball player ever!

                            Trying to hit the ball.....ended up hitting off the tee but got a good hit!

On base!

It was a fun day, but also a pretty scary too.  One of the coaches on the opposing team had a seizure on the field during the last inning of the game.  The boys were escorted off the field while the coach was tended too and taken off by ambulance.  I pray that the coach is ok and doing well now - it's definitely an image I haven't been able to shake yet.  Most of the boys didn't even realize what was going on because it happened so fast. 

I am looking forward to more games though - although I am NOT looking forward to the two games a week schedule for the next 9 weeks.  Oh, and I haven't mentioned that Olivia is playing softball too and her schedule is just as crazy.  Fun.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!!



Thanks to Nana, the kids insisted on green hair.  Turned out pretty cute I thought.  And do you see what I see on O's picture?  That's right - she's smiling.  Finally.  Yay!