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???

Various pics

Here are a few pictures of Olivia at the beach. I know they are ssssooo late, but I forgot I had these on my disposable camera. Oops! The other pics are of Cooper after he ate (or should I say PLAYED) in some chocolate pudding. Too cute!

Bad Mommy!

Ok, so here's a piece of advice for all you new parents - don't talk on the phone when you're supposed to be keeping an eye on your almost 11 month old!

Last night I was on the phone with Keisha, talking about Madeline and all that jazz. Well, Cooper was in the hallway playing his little heart out with some toys that were thrown in there. I could have SWORN he crawled down the hall and into the living room. WWWWEEELLL....I get off the phone and notice Coop is no where in sight. Ok, fine - I go in the living room and ask Al if Cooper is with him. His response? "I thought you had him." HOLY CRAP!

So, I take off running into Olivia's room. "Livvie, Coop in here?" A short, almost too sweet "Nope" was all I got. Crap, crap, crap! So, I dash into our room and still no Coopey. Hmmm...could he be behind my bathroom door? You guessed it.....I found him in my bathroom digging in the toilet! He had toilet paper all over the floor and was sitting there having a ball. How *nasty* is that! And no bashing - I know it was dangerous for him to be playing in the toilet, but all turned out ok. I know now to keep a better eye on that stinker. He loves a bathroom and it constantly trying to sneak to the toilet. So, Cooper got a nice hot bath last night and I felt like a complete turd for not watching him better.

It was still funny! Ya'll should have seen the look on his face when he was caught. It was like "Oh shnit! Mommy found me!"

Here we go

Ok, so I have prided myself in the fact that Olivia wasn't scared to spend the night at Nana's or Gamma's house. Ever since Olivia was Cooper's age, she has spent the night off occasionally. She even went to the beach with Nana and Poppy for a week back in May! I guess that won't be happening for awhile. :(

So someone please tell me why my daughter is suddenly crying after me? Olivia told me last night she wanted to stay with Nana. Ok, fine - but I warned her not to call me at midnight to pick her up. She swore she wouldn't. Yeah right! I got the phone call at 11 pm that Poppy and Uncle Martin were on their way with little Olivia. So I guess we're now in the "I want my Mommy at all times" phase. I could barely leave her at daycare today. She cried, and cried, and begged me to take her to work. I finally had to get Ms. Judy to pry her off of me so I could leave.

And I know she was probably fine after I left and settled down. But this kid is killing me with this! Part of me is really happy she wants to be with me all the time, but then another part of me is like "HELP!!!"

Why Mommy, Why?

Oh my gosh, Olivia is in the stage where all she does is ask questions. She wants to know what everything means.

What does hurt mean Mommy? What does seperate mean Daddy? What does cry mean? What does ugly mean? What does night time mean? AARRRGGGHHHH - I'm about to lose my mind! And then when Olivia notices I'm getting frustrated she'll say "You don't have to yell Mommy!" - Geez, thanks for making me feel like a complete toad O! She is getting so grown everyday. And I know that just as soon as she gets out of this phase (What's phase mean Mommy?) that Cooper will be following suit.

I think I need some nerve pills!

Visiting

Here's a pic of the kiddos and Nana visiting with Madeline. Poor Madeline was probably like "GET ME UP! This big thing is messing with me!" Ha! I love the picture of Cooper because it's like he's saying "Ha, I look so cute and they have no idea I just pooped in my pants." He looks so mischievous in this picture to me.

Anyways, Nana has now taught Olivia to say that Jon Bon Jovi is her "other" daddy. She'll tell you that Al is her real daddy and JBJ is her "other" one. I don't think Al finds it very cute, but I do. :) She'll also tell you that Bon Jovi is her "other" last name. Yeah, I wish girlie, because that would be some AWESOME child support. Ha! She did ask me the other night if I was married to her daddy and who I planned on marrying next. You have no idea how bad I wanted to say JON BON JOVI! But, I didn't. My husband doesn't have a good sense of humor. :)

We're going to be

An aunt and uncle again! Woo Hoo! Amy and Jay are expecting their first little bundle of joy in early December (sorry, the exact date slips my mind). Amy went for her u/s on the 12th and they found out they (I use this loosely) will be having a baby BOY!!!! I can't wait to meet Mr. Louis Bryson! Cooper will finally have things evened up - he's been bullied by those two little girls for too long now. :)

Also, Keisha and Madeline were down visiting and we got see them. She's a beautiful little baby. I didn't get to hold her long enough though because my two were *VERY* jealous of Mommy holding another baby. Olivia kept asking me "Why are you holding that baby?" over and over again. And Cooper kept crawling over to the chair and pulling himself up and making his "ack ack" noise he makes. Like "Hello! I'm the baby here, not that thing!" I can see a lot of both Mommy and Daddy in baby Madeline so I have no judgment on who she looks like. At least not yet! :)

I wish I had something funny to write about today, but unfortunately I can't think of anything. I do enjoy when Olivia behaves, but it does make this blog boring! Ha!

Chinese Worms

You should know by now that I'm a picture junkie. I love taking and sharing pictures of my little rugrats! I just can't help myself, they are so cute! I love this little Hawaiian dress of Olivia's. She looked so grown up in it, but she was so mad that I made her put it on. We were going to a cookout at Jenanne's house and she wanted to wear a "fancy" dress, not a summer dress. She's so prissy sometimes it drives me crazy. The other picture is of me (aka Author of This Blog) and my little man. I love the John Deere onesie his Nana bought him!

Anyways, last night Al and I had a craving for Chinese so we decided to eat out. I ordered Beef Lo Mein (and it was oooohhhh so yummy) and fixed Olivia up a corn dog for dinner. Well, of course Olivia wants whatever I'm eating so she asked if she could have some. I knew she wouldn't like it, but I gave her some of my noodles anyways. Do you know what my child said? "Ewww Mommy, I don't want that - I don't eat worms!" How funny is that! I explained to her that it was not worms, that it was noodles, but there was no convincing Olivia. I guess she's seen the previews for that new Disney movie about eating worms too many times!

I'll be so glad when I'm able to enjoy a dinner where I don't have to share my food with Olivia and Cooper. Yes, even he is hounding me for food these days. You don't dare eat in front of him without giving him his fair share. I should really lose some weight with these two!

Fashion Sense

A fashion diva. That's what I have on my hands.

Since when did my 3 year old become such a fashion critic? She won't wear shirts that I found absolutely DARLING because she thinks they are (and I quote) "silly". Silly?? What does Olivia know about silly? And does anyone honestly think I would dare dress my child in anything that wasn't cute and fashionable? I'm so amazed at the things this kid picks up from daycare. Those darn little thieves are corrupting my child!

Nana and I finally broke down and bought Olivia her own little pair of Rainbow sandals. I have to admit, they are super cute. But ever since Gracie got some for her birthday, that's all I've heard. So, she wore them to school today. And made sure she pointed out to everyone that she had them on. I know what you're thinking and you're wrong - Olivia does not like attention! Ha!

He can say it!

Cooper has FINALLY started to say Mama! It's about time! I thought the little stinker would never, ever, ever call after me. :) I knew he couldn't love his Daddy more than me! :) So now my little fella can say Dada, Mama, bye bye and hey. *And* he can wave. I know, I know....my son is genius, please don't be jealous. Both my kids take after their Mommy in that department. Ha! Kidding!

One thing he honestly takes after me is his temper! Boy does my sweet little man have a BAD temper. I gave him a sucker Saturday (yes I said sucker, so what?) and he went to town sucking and licking that thing! After a few minutes though, I tried to take it away from him. You would have thought I threw him in a fire or something. The kid turned RED, held his breath, and screamed like a banshee (I suppose that's how you spell that) all at the same time while kicking and throwing his head back violently. OOOOOKKKKKK.....so I gave the sucker back and the tantrum stopped instantly. He's good, real good.

Of course, I didn't mind the "possessed" baby act so much since he's been saying "Mama" all weekend!

Sweet Victory

Olivia and I have the same battle everyday. If I leave her sight - she has (or will die) to follow me whereever I go. I thought it was cute at first, but now........I just wish she would stop!

Here's what happened when Olivia followed me into the bathroom last night:

Olivia: Mommy!!!!! Mommy!!!! (can you feel the hyperness?) What you doing?
Me: *sigh* Using the bathroom Olivia. Do you mind?
Olivia: Yeah, sure. Mind what?
Me: *eye roll* Can I have some privacy please????
Olivia: Yeah, sure (can you tell she likes that phrase?). What's privacy? *head turned like a dog that's confused*

Great. Like I can really explain this to her - she's at the age where she wants to know what everything....and I mean everything is. She'll drive you nuts.

Me: Nevermind Olivia.
Olivia: *runs out of the bathroom and picks up perfume bottle on dresser* Is this privacy Mommy?

Woo Hoo!!!! I had just enough time to srceam NO! and slam and lock the door. Sweet, sweet victory. There's nothing sweeter than the sound of your toddler pounding on the bathroom door screaming that they want in. With Olivia and Cooper, I'll take whatever I can get! Ha!

Happy 4th!

Since I won't be at work tomorrow - Happy 4th of July to everyone! I thought I would post a couple of cute pics of the kids. The one of Olivia is priceless - that's pretty much her attitude about everything. She's such a little stinker. I thought the one of Cooper was funny because he looks like he's about to blow! Ha!

Happy 10 months

Cooper is ten months old!!!

Wow, I can't believe in two short months, I will have a one year old little boy. I'll be a mommy to not one, but two terrible toddlers! Oh what joy! As Cher would say "If I could try back time..." - man they don't stay small for long. I'm so excited that my babies are growing up, but I'm so sad at the same time. It just means that one day they'll leave me. :(
Cooper is a pro at standing and he's starting to cruise along the furniture now. I'm just waiting for the day when he takes off walking. If only my video camera wasn't broke. Poor Cooper isn't going to have any milestones videoed at this rate. Oh, the joys of being the second child.....I can so relate!

I hope everyone has a happy and safe 4th of July! I'm not sure what we'll be doing yet - but it will probably involve the pool. Maybe I can work on my tan!

Work vs School

Last night as I desperately tried to get Olivia to bed, she asked me if we could play pretend. So here's that conversation.

Olivia: Mommy, say you're going to school.
Me: I'm going to school.
Olivia: Ok Mommy, now you be good and go eat some grits.
Me: Ok, I love grits.
Olivia: I've got to go to work now Mommy, you stay here at school and play.
Me: Ok, I would love to eat grits and play all day!

It's so funny because this is exactly the conversation I have with her every single morning at daycare. Oh, and her new thing is to wear the same color shirt as I'm wearing. Awww - as my mom says "imitation is the greatest form of flattery!"

Have I mentioned how much I love this age?

Olivia and her ex

Here is a picture of Olivia and her ex-husband Caleb. It always makes me laugh because it looks like they are fighting and Olivia is like "oh no you didn't!"

Cooper in the sink

Dora aka Chucky

Everyone remember the movies Child's Play with the Chucky doll right? Well, I think Olivia has one of those!

Ok, so Olivia has 500 talking Dora dolls - but this one in particular was programmed to say her name, know her birthday, say her friend's names, etc. And I promise you, every single time I'm alone in the house, this doll will start talking! So last night I had the doll on the floor while I was trying to get Olivia to sleep. She said she needed to go potty, so off she went. As soon as she left, the stupid doll said (and I swear it was in a sinister voice) "It's bedtime!" I couldn't get out that bed and out of that room fast enough. That doll just totally freaks me out!

On another note, Cooper has cut his two top middle teeth. My poor little man was running fever all weekend. :( He finally acts like he feels better now though. It won't be long before he's got a mouth full of teeth.

I think I'll let him chew on Dora the Evil Doll!

What happened to....

Olivia telling me to grow down? She told me last night that she didn't want to be my baby girl anymore, that she wanted to grow up. And according to her, when she turns 5 years old, she'll be grown! I know she has a limited understanding of growing up, but I just wish she wouldn't rush it!

She also keeps asking me if she can have things for when she has a baby. For example, I had Cooper in his float in the pool and she asked me if she could have that float for her baby when she had one. And I was like "yeah Olivia, you can have this float in 20 plus (big plus!) years when you have a baby". *Sigh* Why is my little girl growing up? Why can't she stay a wild 3 year old forever and ever?

Speaking of growing up too fast....Cooper can now pull up and stand up on his own. Ok, I am seriously going to cry now! He's getting more independent every day. I'll have a walker on my hands before long. WWWWHHHHHAAAAAA!!!!!

Misc Pics of the kids

Deal or No Deal?

You would think my daughter was the biggest fan of the show Deal or No Deal here lately. Honestly, I can't stand the show and I hope the contestant chooses the wrong brief case! I know, I'm mean....but that's another blog.

Anyways, Olivia's new thing is "Do we have a deal?" Maybe she'll make a great negotiator one day, I don't know but it's working now. This morning on the way to school she told me that she wanted to play in her pool this afternoon (forget that we have a tropical storm coming through) and that she would be a good girl if I would let her. I told her I would if she behaved today. She then promptly asked me, "So we have a deal Mommy?" Hmmm...yeah Olivia I guess so. I looked in the rear view mirror just to make sure she didn't have any sort of evil look on her face. She didn't but something just wasn't right.....Why do I feel like I just sold my soul to the devil?

Newest Addition

If your an avid reader of my blog, you know my cousin Keisha was the one that told me that I should start one so she could keep up with all the crazy things Olivia and Cooper were doing. WEEELLLL.....Keisha welcomed in her own little bundle of joy on June 8, 2006!


Isn't she just a beautiful baby? Madeline Kaye was born at 11:21 am in Charleston, SC. She weighed 8lbs and was 20 inches long. Congrats Keisha and Ashley! Guess Keisha will have to start her own blog all about Baby Madeline.

Cooper Being Messy!

Growing up with Super Powers

Cooper had his 9 month check up yesterday. He weighs in at 17 pounds and is 27 1/2 inches long! He's my long, lean little man! Al said he did great and that Dr. T played with him and commented on how happy he was. :) I still can't believe my little fella is going to be one year old soon. *sniffle*

So, on to a ha ha story?
As I was taking the kids to daycare this morning, I got stopped at the red light. Olivia waited patiently for a few seconds and the screamed "TURN GREEN LIGHT, TURN GREEN!" and sure enough, the light turned green! Now, I *know* there's nothing to this, but my daughter now believes she has super powers. What are they you ask? To turn all red lights to green lights of course! Like duh!

Oh, and Cooper doesn't have any super powers because he's just a baby! Ha!

Chicken Drops

I have no idea where Olivia comes up with some of the things that come out of her mouth! When I picked her up from daycare yesterday, she informed me that her friend Lauren (not to be confused with her cousin Loren) was not at school.
OGG: MOMMY!
Me: Olivia!
OGG: Lauren wasn't at school today Mommy.
Me: She wasn't? Why not?
OGG: She sick.
Me: She was.
OGG: Yeap.
Me: *waiting* Well, what was she sick from?
OGG: Chicken drops! She's got chicken drops!

How funny is that! I assume she meant she had chicken pox! I know Lauren probably didn't have chicken pox and that she picked that up at daycare. She is too smart.

Also, once I think I've heard the last of Rocky, she brings him up again! UGH! I really don't want to have to resort to telling my 3 year old that Rocky died in battle, but I just may have too. This kid doesn't forget a thing!

It's over

Well, it's official......Olivia and Caleb are over. I guess things just didn't work out with them. Of course, I'm happy but Olivia still has a fascination with marriage and babies. I hope she grows out of it soon!

This morning when I woke up, I noticed a pair of Olivia's underwear on the bathroom floor. I thought nothing of it though. As I was walking into the hall, I stepped in a wet spot - still didn't think anything about it. I asked Al if he had spilled anything and he said no, that he had felt it too. WEEEELLLL....I go into Olivia's room a little while later to get her up for school and there she is sleeping soundly with NO panties on! The only thing I can figure is she woke up, had to use the potty, didn't make it, took her panties off in the bathroom, and got back in the bed! Her bed was still dry so I know she didn't use the potty in the bed. I asked her why she didn't wake Mommy up and she said "because I wanted to do it me self Mommy!" Like duh!

She's getting so grown! Mommy and Daddy are proud of her and how well she is doing going to the potty!

Pic of Cooper T.

Here is a recent picture of Cooper. Look how big my little man is getting already! He's growing up so fast it's unreal. He can crawl all over the place now and he's trying to pull up on things and stand up. He's not quite there yet though.

Cooper turns 9 months on Tuesday. Only 3 more months to go until the big ONE year mark!

Picking Strawberries

Olivia went to the strawberry patch and picked a bushel of strawberries! She had the best time. Poppy couldn't get the best of pictures for me, but these were good enough. Nana said that on the way home, Olivia took a bite of every strawberry in their basket. No wonder I couldn't find any to eat! I think we'll take her back to the patch a few more times this summer since she enjoys it so much. Nana said that Olivia would have picked all the strawberries they had if she had let her! When it comes to food, Olivia will work hard for it. Ha!

On another note, apparently Livvie and Caleb are fighting. I'm not sure their marriage will last. :) Olivia *claims* that Caleb called her a stupid baby yesterday and that she pushed him down. But no one at school told me anything about this so I'm not sure if it's the truth or not. One day they love each other, one day they don't! They've got this marriage concept down to a tee! Ha!

Boxing Match

Growing up, my cousin Keisha andI would get the same gift for Christmas from our Grandma Alma. It never failed, if I got a sweater, Keisha got a sweater. If I got some perfume, Keisha got the same perfume. It got to the point to where Keisha and I had to open our presents at the same time so we wouldn't ruin it for each other! Ha! There is six months age difference between me and Keisha, and the same goes for Livvie and my niece, Loren. My Grandma Alma was on to something though - and I learned that lesson last night!

Al and I dropped the kids off at the in-laws house and went grocery shopping. Olivia ran off to play with Loren and didn't even notice we were gone! Well, I had promised Olivia a surprise so I found these cute plastic recorders for like $1. I got a purple one and a yellow one, because I wanted to surprise Loren as well. Well, my gut feeling told me to get the same color in both, but for whatever reason, I ignored it! Fast forward the story a little, the girls picked out the ones they wanted - Olivia with purple and Loren with 'wellow". They ran off to play with them and all was well.......until Olivia took the notion that Loren's yellow one was better than hers. Then the fight began! She cried - Loren blew her's harder - Olivia screamed, tried to grab Loren's away - Loren ran from her and kept on playing her yellow recorder.

Finally Olivia calmed down when Loren left to go home and now she loves the purple recorder. Even took it to school this morning, which one of those thieves at daycare will steal. But that's fine with me because she's driving me crazy with the stupid thing!

I never knew my Grandma was on to something with our matching gifts, but man, oh man, I'll definitely be following in her footsteps! :)

Mrs. Olivia and Mr. Caleb

I guess I should go ahead and tell everyone the news...........

My little Olivia is a married woman! Yes, she and Caleb have ran off and gotten married! Last night on the way home from Nana and Poppy's Olivia informed me and her Daddy of the news.
OGG: Mommy, Daddy, I married!
Daddy: What? *looking at me* Did she just say she was married?
Me: Yeap.
OGG: I married Daddy.
Daddy: You're married? To who?
OGG: Caleb
Daddy: You and Caleb got married?
OGG: No, I didn't marry Caleb.
Daddy: *confused look* But you just said....
OGG: I didn't marry Caleb, but Caled married me.
Me and Daddy: OOOOOHHHHHH

So apparently (from what I gather) Olivia can have as many boy toys as she pleases and Caleb, who is the daycare stud, by the way......can only have Mrs. Olivia Grace. How funny is that!? Me and Daddy need to sit down and have a talk with this boy!

MIA

Hey guys! Sorry to have been MIA for awhile, we were on vacation at the beach. I've attached a few photos of our trip. Olivia *LOVED* the beach! She had the best time playing in the ocean and building a sand castle with her Daddy. Cooper, is like his Mommy, he wasn't feeling the sand and wind. I guess it's just not his thing either!

I'm really surprised Olivia hasn't come down with some horrible cold from this trip. The water was freezing and it never got above 77 degrees while we were there. But to her, it didn't matter. There were actually a few times that I had to make her get out the water and get warm because she was shaking so much. I guess my kid has a high tolerance to pain or something! I got cold just looking at her a few times. Crazy!

Funny story - while we were at the beach, she told Nana that when she grew up, she was going to drink and smoke. Guess who she gets that from? *tapping foot* Poppy! I swear, I hope she doesn't tell the ladies at daycare this stuff - I might be getting a visit from DSS anytime! Oh, and if that wasn't bad enough, Olivia now uses a french fry as her "cigarette". Yes, she walks around with a half eaten french fry hanging out her mouth. She'll even tell you that she's smoking. Nice, real nice.

Frogger

I am officially the mommy of a crawler!!!! Cooper started crawling yesterday. Or should I say, he's doing more of a "frogger" move than anything. He's so funny to watch. But boy can he move! He's got carpet burn on his knees from all the crawling he's been doing. How cute is that! When Olivia started crawling, she did more of an "army" type crawl. She would try to sneak up on you but you could always hear her breathing real hard because she was tired by the time she got to you. Cooper is the same way - except you can hear him when his stomach hits the ground. Ha!

Olivia is very encouraging of her baby brother. She tries to help him crawl by showing him how well she can do. She's such a ham! Both my babies are growing up way too fast.

Oh, quick funny story:
This morning when I was taking Olivia and Cooper to daycare, Olivia asks me what was on Cooper's shirt.
Me: A monster truck
OGG: I want a monster truck shirt Mommy!
Me: They don't make those for girls Olivia.
OGG: Yes me do.
Me: Ok, well I'll look and see what I can find.
OGG: I want a Dora one! I want a Dora monster truck shirt!
Me: *insert eye roll* ok, I'll look for a Dora monster truck shirt.
OGG: Gracious Mommy!

She is too funny. I will be so glad when she outgrows Dora!!!!! At least she is learning a little Spanish!

Not so little

Cooper is officially 8 months old! Can you believe??? I can't get over the fact that I'll be planning a 1st birthday party for my little man in a few short months. *sniffle* It almost makes me cry when I think that my baby won't be my baby anymore. I don't know, maybe it's because I know I won't have any more children that makes it even that more sad. I never felt this way with Olivia because I knew I'd eventually have another. But knowing that I *won't* ever, just makes it hard! Anyways, enough of that soapbox!

Cooper is really turning into a little man - he gets up on his knees and rocks back and forth. I know I'll have a crawler soon. He's so funny to watch - he'll fling himself forward and then roll wherever he wants to go. And he's got two teeth on top, giving him a total of four teeth! He's such a wonderful baby and he's made it so easy for me and Al. He loves his big sister so much too, he'll just follow Olivia anywhere! I can't wait for the day he's able to give her all the payback she deserves!

I guess my little peanut isn't so little anymore!

Do what?

Here are some pictures of the kids taken on Easter. Sorry they are so dark, but my scanner at work won't lighten them up. Olivia was so pretty in her pink satin dress and Cooper looked like such a little man all dolled up.

Funny Story time:
Olivia went with me and Nana to Keisha's baby shower on Sunday. As I was hauling Keisha's HUGE present out the car, Olivia annouces to her "Look Keisha! You have a car seat!" I was mortified! Yeap, she blurted out what we had gotten her for her shower. What a bugger! And just this morning Olivia tells me she wants a "Dora smoking thing" for when she smokes. So I ask when she started smoking and she replies "Yesterday!" Do what? I think I'm going to have to have a talk with all the smokers (*look in Poppy's and Gamma's directions*) on that!

We're off to see Sesame Street Live tonight at the Civic Center and Olivia is super excited! We got some really awesome seats so I know she's going to have a ball!

Good child

Olivia can be so funny sometimes. The other day while we were home watching Dora, Olivia flops down on my lap and tells me that she isn't going to be bad anymore.
Me: You're not?
Olivia: Nope, I'm a good child.
Me: Yes you are.
Olivia: Mommy, Dora and Boots needs to be a good child too.
Me: Yes they do.
Olivia: Me a good child?
Me: Yes Boo Boo, you're a great child.

She had me in stiches! And then later when she was watching something on tv (Rugrats I think?), there were some kids fussing and yelling and Olivia comes over to me and tells me that they needed to learn to be good children too! How cute! My only speculation is that Miss Judy at the daycare told Olivia to stop being mean one day and be a good child. And in true Olivia fashion, she held on the information and brought it up at a later time. She's just too much sometimes!

On another note, Cooper has three teeth now! Two on bottom and one on top. My little man is growing so fast I can't believe it! He's almost mastered sitting up on his own and is now working on getting up on his knees. He may crawl soon after all!

Birthday pics!!!!

As I promised, here are a few pictures of Olivia's birthday pary! I ended up making the Dora cake and it turned out really well. It ain't professional and I almost ran out of icing on the stupid thing! But Olivia loved it so it was all worth the 2 hours it took me to ice it! Yikes! Anyways, she had a ball playing and got tons of clothes and toys that she really didn't need. She's not spoiled one bit you understand?

Happy Easter!

I know it's a day late, but Happy Easter to everyone!!! I'm attaching a few miscellaneous pictures of the kids. I should have some Easter pictures to post in a few days. The first picture is of Olivia at the zoo. She was terrified of the tiger. See how she has her head hanging down and avoiding eye contact? I guess she does pay attention when I watch the Crocodile Hunter! Ha!

The second picture is of my little man, Coopey as Olivia calls him now. He's getting so big and I can't believe he's already 7 1/2 months old! Wow! The sailor outfit was a little snug on him, but he was a good sport and cheesed for the camera a few times. He's such a good baby. The last picture is one of Livvie in her pink polka dot dress. She loves this dress! Olivia is getting so prissy these days, she always wants to wear a dress. When I snapped this picture, she was getting ready to go over to her Gamma's house to spend the day. She's such a stinker.

Married with Children

I promise to have pictures of Olivia's birthday party up by next week!

Funny story time!

I had to stay home with the kids yesterday because my van was leaking god knows what from god knows where and Al had to play handyman. So, I played my little heart out all day with Olivia and Cooper. Well, Olivia and I were in the living room watching....you guessed it....Dora! The following coversation almost sent me to the floor laughing.

Olivia: Mommy
Me: Yes Olivia
Olivia: Mommy, are you married?
Me: Do what?
Olivia: Are you married?
Me: Yes Olivia, I'm married to your Daddy
Olivia (with straight face): Oh, ok.
A few mintues pass.........
Olivia: Mommy, can I get married?
Me: Yes Olivia, when you're 25 years old
Olivia: When I get bigger?
Me: Yes Olivia
Olivia: Did you have babies crawl out your tummy?
Me: Not exactly but that describes it well.
Olivia: Can I have a baby when I get bigger?
Me: Where in the world is this coming from? Yes, you can have a baby when you're married and 25 years old.
Olivia: Ok, thank you Mommy.

Off she went focusing back on Dora and I was left there thinking "what in the world was that all about!" This is like the second time she's asked me about being married, but not in so much detail. I have no idea where Olivia Grace comes up with half the stuff that comes out of her mouth! But she definitely keeps her mommy on her toes.

Gold Digger

No, I'm not talking about Kayne West! Quick funny story Nana told me last night -

Olivia was over at Nana's house yesterday, completely zoned in on her Dora video of course. She had already been to the potty and decided she didn't need to wear her pants anymore. Olivia hates pants - she promptly removes her shoes and pants the second she hits the door. There have been times where I have tripped over her because of this! Socks come in a very close third, by the way. Back to the story - so Nana is sitting on the couch when she notices that Olivia has her hand down the back of her panties. Nana (the ever wise ole sarcastic one) asked her what she was doing. She said Olivia turned around and just as grown as she could, said "Digging for gold Nana" and turned around to finish watching her video.

How funny is that! That's what Nana gets for always asking Boo Boo if she's digging for gold when she sees her picking her nose or scratching her bottom. I swear Olivia *absorbs* every single thing that comes out of your mouth and holds it until the perfect time to use it against you! Just the other day she told us that her Poppy "beat the crap" out of her. OH MY! Now don't get me wrong, I love my child, but if you know my dad, you would know he couldn't hurt a fly. I sure hope she grows out of this stage before she starts school or DSS might be visiting my house quite a bit!

Happy Birthday Olivia!

Happy Birthday to Olivia!
Happy Birthday to Olivia!
Happy Birthday to Olivia, Happy Birthday to you!

Wow, I can't believe Olivia Grace is turning three today. It seems like just yesterday when she was being born. The first thing she did after she was born was poke her lip out like she was pouting. I have tons of pictures of her like that! If you ever thought a newborn baby couldn't pout, Olivia can prove you wrong! I thought maybe she was disappointed that I was her mommy or something! Ha!

She is getting so big and learning so much every day. I tell everyone that Olivia is three going on 16. She sure acts like it sometimes. First thing she found this morning was her present from me and her Daddy. So much for surprising her tonight! We're having Nana, Poppy, Gamma and Papa over for pizza and cupcakes to celebrate her birthday. And then on Saturday she's having the Grand Dora Party that she absolutely can't wait for. When I woke her up this morning singing Happy Birthday, she told me that she wanted to wait for her birthday until Saturday. Cute!

I love this age that Olivia is now - she's more like a little person than a baby. She's so much fun! And my little Cooper is 7 months old now - I feel so old today!