Party Like a Rock Star!

Here are the pictures from Olivia's birthday party at FunDayGo on Thursday. You would think since I have been blogging for so long, that I know how to put pictures in ORDER, but alas, I don't. So, they are all mixed up.

The kids had a BLAST. My only complaint is that the a/c should have been on full blast....those poor kids were *sweating* they were playing so hard. I definitely plan on taking the kids back up there.

Olivia taking my picture....that's new!

Olivia opening her gifts....see how sweaty and red her little face is? I could NOT get her to sit still and cool off for anything.

Olivia and her BFF Raeva from Thomas Hart.

Cooper's little buddy Chandler.

This is Hunter. He gave Olivia a really sweet little note that said Happy Birthday. Awwww......

Gracie and Loren.....they make up the other two thirds (is that right) of the "The Girls" group.

Kyan and Bailee.

I think the shirt says it all. =)

Olivia playing.

Bailee after she went down the big slide.

Coop in the big jumpy thingie.....I don't even know what you call those things!

Aunt Mary and Gamma going down the double slide.....you know this place is for KIDS right? =)

All in all, it was a blast. We probably could have gotten away without serving pizza but since it was dinner time for most of us, I had it. I think only a handful of kids actually ate pizza. Now the cake was a total different story. LOL I still can't believe that Olivia is five!!!!!

Baby Girl is FIVE!

Olivia at 3 months.

I can't honestly believe that Olivia Grace is FIVE years old today! (Well, officially at 2:52pm - ha ha). She's grown up so much in the last few years. She was so funny this morning because I asked her how did it feel to be another year older and she said "well, I'm not any bigger" and of course I told her that she had indeed grown a few centimeters since last night. =)

We had her party at FunDayGo last night and it was AWESOME. I highly recommend that place to anyone that has one near them. Parents can slide and play too and I think *that* made it even better. =) Olivia got way too much stuff.....it honestly looks like Christmas morning in my house right now. UGH. That's the one thing I hate about birthdays and Christmas....all the trash that ends up having to be thrown away!

She had a great turnout and I will post pictures of it later tonight (hopefully).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OLIVIA!!!!

Olivia got Daddy!

I told you I hated April Fool's Day! Olivia came home from school on Tuesday and handed me a piece of paper saying "Mom (MOM, since when did I become MOM?), you have to read my April Fool's letter! - April Fool's Day!" Poor thing just doesn't have good timing......not to mention that the paper she gave me was the WRONG paper. Ha ha!

I saved Ms. Olivia though....I went and got the "letter" and in my very serious mommy voice told Al to read it. He almost lost it! He was getting all huffy, telling Olivia that they needed to talk when he noticed I was laughing. You have no idea how long it took me to convince him that it was a joke. Too funny. I was glad someone got one over on Al. =) Leave it to Olivia Grace!

Olivia laying on our bed. She was supposed sick this day....whatever!

How cute is my little guy in his undies? Potty training is going ok.....Cooper has good days and bad days. He hasn't been accident free YET but I feel that it won't be long. Daycare isn't helping so he's wearing diapers there and then undies at home. I honestly think he'll be trained in the next few weeks. At least I hope so!

Look at those cute, long eyelashes!

This is my new "trick" to get Cooper on the potty. It seems to work, believe it or not. He will sit on the potty FOREVER playing with my make up bag. It's too funny. The first day, he would tell me every 5 minutes that he had to go potty JUST SO he could play with the makeup. Hey, Al and I will take WHATEVER we can to get him trained! =)

April Fools Day

I hate April Fool's Day. So far, I have been "fooled" free. Woo Hoo! I was thinking of playing a prank on my super sweet hubby but that wouldn't be nice would it? =)

Anyways, Cooper is feeling much better. He went back to daycare today....and acted like he didn't want me to leave him! UGH. I guess being attached to my hip for the last 4 days didn't help any. I'm sure he did ok once I was out of there though.

Only 3 more days until Olivia Grace turns 5! I can't believe my little baby girl is already five. Time flies! She's having her party at FunDayGo (http://www.fundaygo.com/) and I think it'll be really fun. She's been there once and LOVED it and it's really neat because even the parents can slide and jump on the stuff. Very cool. I'll be sure to take lots of pics and post them.

It got one of us!

The Flu got Cooper! The Flu got Cooper! Our poor little guy woke up so sick on Thursday morning. I took him to the doctor and sure enough, he tested positive for the flu! So needless to say, Dr Bonnie hooked up the whole family with some Tamiflu to help us from all getting it. Let's hope that it works! Cooper seems to be feeling A LOT better today....he's running around after
Sissy and playing. I think he's on the road to recovery. Woo Hoo!

Here's some pics of the little guy on Thursday afternoon. He fell asleep sitting straight up on the couch! Too funny!

awwww =)

Pro Softball player

Watch out World! Olivia Grace - the world's youngest pro softball player! =)

Ok, maybe not.....especially if you've ever seen her "play" - ha ha! Olivia had her team pictures made and I think they came out really cute. Al was worried that her picture alone was going to be horrible but I have to say.....this is probably one of her BEST fake smiles ever. I have to give my kid kuddos for that. =)

Notice the pink nail polish on those itty bitty chunky fingers....my girl knows how to balance sports and being girlie! =)

The GarWeb.com Team! Olivia LOVES...and I mean LOVES Coach Garcia (Mr. Garcia I should point out). She runs over and hugs and talks to him after every single game. He's such a nice guy too because he always tells the girls how well they did even when they really didn't do so hot. He's got a patience that I don't have, that's for sure. I wouldn't mind Olivia staying on his team next year.......

Sorry about the lines in the pics...that's from the scanner at work. Thanks Teresa for scanning these for me. =)

Update

Cooper is doing pretty well with potty training! I don't think the daycare is taking him to the potty but that WILL change soon. After he runs out of diapers, I am *not* buying him more and I will simply take some clothes up there and tell them that he is doing well at home and needs to be using the potty there too. I am NEVER going to get him fully trained if they allow him to pee and poop in a diaper. So....we'll see what happens. He actually woke up last night and told us that he had to go potty. Al and I are very proud and very excited that he's starting to get the hang of it.

Ok, enough potty talk. =) Fili (the girl at my church) was approved for her Visa on Monday (I think) and she and her hubby are on their way home. God is good! Thanks to anyone that prayed that she would be able to return home.

Not much going with the Griggs family.....the countdown is on for Olivia's 5th birthday party!

Maybe?

Maybe this whole Potty Training Boot Camp deal that Al and I did this weekend actually did pay off! Al could not, and I repeat, could not get Cooper to sit on the potty this morning. So, he put a pull-up on him and got him dressed (keep in mind Cooper had not used the potty at all this point since the night before). So, a few minutes later Cooper walks up to me and says "Me pee pee Mama" so I run him to the bathroom and he pees in the potty! Woo hoo!!!! I don't feel so defeated after all. =)

I can't wait to talk about something other than the potty. =)

Potty Training Boot Camp - Day 3

Potty Training Boot Camp was NOT a success! UGH! I have no idea what Al and I may have done wrong, but Cooper is *not* trained like the guide said he would be. YUCK....so, I guess we are going to keep trying.

So, this may be silly....but please pray that Al and I can get Coop trained soon! I really, really, really want to get him into Thomas Hart in August. No pressure right?

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!!!

Olivia with her basket....she is a pro at egg hunting!

The kids "discussing" who really found the Prize Egg. I think Olivia took credit, of course. =)

She found it!

Cooper with chocolate on his face.....guess he couldn't wait until the egg hunt was over before he at his candy! LOL

Me and the kids before church. Notice Olivia's face? What a turd!

Potty Training Boot Camp - Day Two

We are in Day Two of our Potty Training Boot Camp! I'm not sure where we stand to be completely honest. Cooper has used the potty several times but he's just as many accidents. So, you can see why it's so easy to get discouraged! But thankfully we haven't had a poppy accident like we did yesterday. Whew! Of course, the day isn't over yet. I just don't feel like we've made much ground. I mean according to the guide, Cooper should be going to the potty more consistently by this point. We'll see.....we still have tomorrow.

Potty training is HARD WORK!

Glitter Eggs

The kids really wanted to dye their Easter eggs today so that's exactly what we did! I love seeing pics of other people and their kids dyeing eggs, but I'm telling you......it's very nerve racking with an almost 5 year old and a 2 1/2 year old! But, the kids had a really good time and that's all that matters right? =)

Cooper writing on his egg....actually is more of a scribble. Ha!

Olivia writing on her egg.....she kind of wrote her name on hers. It was cute.

Cooper cracked one of his eggs so I let him eat it. He really liked it too which leads me to believe he cracked that egg on purpose!

Olivia dipping her egg in the "glitter."

Olivia and her Daddy shaking the egg in the "glitter" maker.

Olivia's world famous pink glitter egg. You honestly didn't think it would be ANY other color did you?

Jenny from the Block

Three posts in one day! Wow!!! I have had A LOT going on these past few days! My friend Jenny came down to visit from Iowa with her family. It was sssooo good to see her! It's been YEARS - how many exactly, I'm not sure, at least 7 - since we've last seen each other. Jenny moved away when we were freshman in high school.....and now she's a married mom to one cute little boy! We've kept in touch the last few years by email, phone, and texting. Her son Ryan was born eight days before Cooper so it was really neat to have a close friend pregnant at the same time as I was. Anyways, we all got together at Kelly's house on Thursday to hang out and all, so here are some pictures of that! For some reason Blogger is not letting me edit this and put my captions under the pics. Jenny is the SKINNY red head and Kelly is the dark haired one on the right. I'm the whale in the pink shirt. =) Ok, I think I am done posting today!

Potty Training Boot Camp - Day One

Potty training boys is HARD!!!

We are in day one of our "Potty Training Boot Camp" and it's hard, very hard. Apparently boys don't care that they pee in their pants A LOT or if they even stinky in them. UGH! But, we are *NOT* giving up. Cooper has used the potty twice so far today.......and had about ten accidents. =( We knew it would be hard and hopefully day two will go much, much smoother. At least I really hope so.

We may need to invest in more Spongebob undies......

Easter Pics

I've mentioned before that I am by no means a photographer....especially a kids photographer! But, I'm cheap and I force my kids to let me take their pictures myself. =) Amy had asked me to take some of Louis, so I thought it would be the perfect to just go ahead and get my two out of the way too. Ha! So, here are some of the "best" shots I got. And by the way, I took THREE rolls for film!

Cooper - 2 1/2 years old. Isn't he the cutest thing ever??? He did so well with me.....way better than his Sissy!!!!

I thought this was a cute picture of the kids.....

Olivia - I couldn't get her to smile for anything! So, I opted for the "just look down and I'll snap it" shot. =)

I like this one because Olivia is trying SO HARD to be sweet and Cooper is like "eeewwww" - ha!

This one is cute, but it reminds me of the Wizard of Oz....anyone else? LOL

Talking up a storm!

Cooper is talking SO MUCH these days! He went from saying hardly *nothing* to talking ALL THE TIME! I love it! He definitely suffered from the "2nd kid" syndrome and let his Sissy talk for him. He's so cute though, his little voice is the sweetest thing *EVER.*

His new favorite sayings are:

"You mean Mama (or Daddy, Sissy, etc)."

"That's my spot!" (referring to his Daddy laying in OUR bed)

"Bye Sissy, bye Mama"

It's hard for me to believe that he'll be three in August. Wow. Al and I are going to attempt a 3 day "potty training boot camp" with him Friday - Sunday. Some one emailed me some info on how to potty train your kid in 3 days. Basically it said that kids are ready earlier than you think and that potty training fails because the parents give up to early, not the child. Which I can totally see because I did kind of stop with the whole potty issue when he was constantly peeing in his pants. So, we'll see how it goes. It can't hurt to give it a try right?

He loves his Sissy's purple Barbie Jeep. Al will probably kill me for posting this picture. But to him, it's just a toy, he doesn't know it's a girlie toy!

And I honestly don't know how much my heart can take watching Olivia play softball. =) She had another game last night and they lost 5-9. But, to their defense, I think the other team has more older players on it than our team does. It was a good game and Olivia had fun. When I got there, she was twirling around and writing her name in the dirt.......NOT paying attention to the game. I just knew one of those girls were going to hit the ball right to her and knock her lights out! Thankfully, that didn't happen. =) Oh, and she hit the ball VERY well too. I might make a softball player out of her after all. Ha!

Happy....

ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!!

Who says girls can't ride bikes?

I don't mean to brag. *Honestly* I don't. =) Al and I have talked up riding her bike to Olivia all week. So, this morning while Daddy and Cooper went to take off the trash, I took Olivia out to practice riding her bike. I won't lie, she wanted to give up after 30 seconds. But, I kept up the positive reinforcement and after about 2o minutes, she could pedal all on her OWN!!! I was so proud! She's still moving slow, but this is a HUGE accomplishment for Olivia Grace. She gets discouraged easily when she can't do something so I worked hard to keep her trying. She even asked to get back on her bike and show her Daddy what she could do later. He was proud of his little girl! I think us telling her that Cooper was getting a bike for his birthday and she needed to learn to ride *her* bike so she could help me teach him how to ride his really helped a TON. Anyways, after riding her bike, we spent pretty much the entire day outside. The kids had so much fun.

Olivia playing with the blocks......

Cooper. =) Don't you love this new shoes I found for him? They are SUPER CUTE!!!

Olivia and Cooper love to do this. Cooper would just laugh as his Sissy pulled him around the back yard.

This is Olivia's attitude about *everything.*

Cooper playing in the tree house. He's getting so big! He can totally climb up the ladder all on his own. He thinks he's as old as Olivia sometimes!

So, we had a pretty fun day until the rain came! The kids should sleep really, really, really good tonight. =)

Too much TV?

Last night I was flipping through the channels and landed on Disney. Hannah Montana was on and Olivia screamed "Leave it there, that's Miley Cyrus!" Now, someone explain to me how my not-yet-five-year-old knows that Hannah Montana's REAL name is Miley Cyrus! I don't think she watches THAT much tv, I mean, she is in school for most of the day and I KNOW they don't watch tv there! =)

My attempt to braid...I just can't get the hang of braiding tightly! UGH.

My super sweet little man in the tub.....he LOVES bathes, almost as much as his Sissy. He is definitely in his terrible twos these days....he throws MASSIVE tantrums and has a BIG attitude (especially when he doesn't get what he wants). Olivia was much easier to handle because I could simply walk away....now I when I try that, Olivia eggs him on and gets him in even more trouble. Mean, mean, little kids!

Can't leave Cooper out

Here's my sweet little guy at the ball field cheering for his Sissy!