Cheerleading

Watch out THA, the newest cheerleader is in town! Today was O's first cheering opportunity (not sure what word to use here). She seemed pretty excited about it and did GREAT. Trust me, I was worried but O, once again, proved Mommy wrong. Thanks Baby Girl! She was pretty stoked about getting her uniform today - although the cheerleaders have to re-use old uniforms. Needless to say, O got some of the "leftovers" but hey - we still think she's the cutest cheerleader EVER.

If only this skirt was shorter! Argh! But how pretty and adorable is she?

Happy

Labor Day!!!!

Ra-Ra

My little girl has decided she's going to be a cheerleader. CHEERLEADER. Isn't that crazy? I never pictured O as the cheerleader type - and honestly, this may be the *only* year she's a cheerleader - but I'm tickled pink that she's going to give it a try. She has her first practice on Friday afternoon after school so I can't wait to hear about how it goes. I'm almost jealous that Al has Fridays off and gets to be the one to take her to practice. :(

Watch out THA - Lil' Miss O is getting her cheer on!

Give me a T!

Give me a H!

Give me an A!

What's that spell?

THA!!

(ok, so I'm pretty excited that my girl is going to be a Ra-Ra!)

Five Years Old!!!!

Cooper Thomas Griggs is FIVE years old today!!!!

I can remember five years ago like it was yesterday - honestly sometimes it still feels like yesterday! Cooper's birthday wasn't supposed to be his birthday....he was actually due at the end of September. So, it was quite a struggle and a very scary time when Cooper came into this world. For the past four years, I still get that anxious feeling in my chest on this day. I am happy and excited beyond words - but there's always that part of me that remembers the "what if" that could have happened that day in 2005. Al and I are so blessed that God watched over us and Cooper during that time and granted us the privilege of being his parents!

Cooper woke up this morning and said "Mommy, I don't feel five years old - I still feel four." How flipping CUTE is that???

I love the person my little man is becoming - he's absolutely the best little boy in the world. He's so sweet, so funny, and so stinking CUTE. He melts hearts with those baby blues and makes friends with everyone with his funny personality. Cooper - you're awesome!

Happy Birthday Cooper! Mama, Daddy, and Sissy Grace love you to the moon and back.

Cooper's Birthday Party

Cooper celebrated his FIFTH birthday at the YMCA this year. We had a small turnout (which happens to poor Coop *every* year since his birthday falls so soon after school starts) but we had a blast! All the kids LOVED, LOVED, LOVED swimming in the pool and even some of the adults joined them! I kind of wish I had wore my bathing suit too! :)

Josie chilling in the pool. Isn't she just the prettiest little thing?

4 out of 5 of the Griggs kids!

O and Loren - these two fight like sisters!

My sweet, sweet, sweet birthday boy! It's so hard to believe he's 5 tomorrow!

Six days left

I only have six full days left with my four year old Little Man. Then he'll be FIVE.

FIVE.

Whoah.

I am slowly realizing that I am no longer the mom of "young children" but the mom of "young kids." It's kind of cool, exciting, and sad all at the same time. :) He's growing way too, too fast. Cooper is such a great kid - absolutely exhausting at times, but still great. Cooper constantly reminds me that life shouldn't always be taken seriously. He's my little clown, my little joker - and I love it. He thrives on making others happy - a trait I think he gets from Mommy. :) His laugh makes my heart explode.

But still - FIVE????

First Day of School 2010-2011

Today was the first day of school! I can't tell you how happy I am that school is back in and the kids are back into a routine. Not looking forward to homework and all, but hey - I can't have it all I suppose. :) The kids had an awesome first day. Mrs. Eddy said Cooper had a great first day and she could already tell a difference in our little man. You have no idea how happy I was to hear that! O said she had a great first day too - she's pretty excited that there's one new girl in her class. THA is such a small school, that when you get a new student, it almost feels like Christmas.

Ms. OGG - my beautiful 2nd grader!

Getting ready for school with silly faces!

My super cool 4k-er!


Hurts my heart to see them grow so fast! But aren't they the most precious, beautiful, handsome little kids you've ever seen? I believe so too. :)



Here's to hoping we have an awesome year at THA!!!!

A new start

It's that time again folks! School is starting back! Yay!!!!! Public school starts tomorrow around here but the kids don't start THA until Thursday. We have spent all weekend getting everything we need for the school year. Our biggest battle this year - shoe shopping!

O has a pretty decent fashion sense - although she's still hit and miss sometimes. At 7, she still thinks that the more colors, the better. That's not always the case though you know? She picked up some UGLY Sketchers and I *refused* to buy them for her. Now my girl, if she wants it, she's dead set on it. However, Mommy is the same way. I was dead set that I was NOT buying those shoes. Thanks to our new "rules", I pretty much got my way. Of course, I still let her choose which pair of shoes she wanted, but I picked out which three pairs she can choose from. :)

The Boy wasn't much easier when it came to shoe shopping either. He picked up some really ugly Sketcher shoes too (what's up with this brand anyways?) and again, I had to put my foot down. For the record, they both came out of the store with some really nice Nike tennis shoes. They will thank me one day for keeping them in check, I just know it. :)

Now for registration, dentist appointments, hair cuts, and the meet and greet and we're ready for school to start!

Being Sherriff is a Hard Job

We've got some new "family" rules in the Griggs house. Al and I discussed how the kids will be disciplined from here on out because - quite honestly, the old way just wasn't working. I know time out and talking works for a lot of people, but it was going no where with us. Now, before anyone jumps to judging me because I believe in spanking - Al and I don't jump right off and spank our kids. If they misbehave, we correct them and give them a warning. We make sure they understand why they are in trouble and what they need to do to stay OUT of trouble. If they continue to misbehave, then yes, they do get a spanking.

My kids are good kids - and 9 out of 10 times the warning has done the trick. Honestly, kids need a little fear of their parents. I had it - to some degree, I still do! I'm not here to be my kids BFF, I'm here to be their mom. Al and I are in charge of molding these kids into adults, so yes, we've upped the anty (is that a word) on disciplining the kids.

This is the part of parenting that I hate. I absolutely hate being the "Bad Cop" but I know it's part of my job. At least I have an awesome Daddy that helps out. And since the new rules have been laid out - the kids behavior has improved A LOT. They are like two different kids. We are laughing, getting along much better, enjoying each other's company - just being happy. Our course they are still kids and still fuss and fight, but not nearly as much as before.

Sometimes you have to lay down the law. It ain't easy baby, but it's worth it!

Charleston

I want to go back - without the kids! Soon!

Happy Birthday Tommi Lynn!

Happy 33rd birthday to my "oldest" friend Tommi Lynn! By oldest, I don't mean age wise!

I look at this picture of me, TL, and Marty and it makes my heart heavy with memories! TL and I had ssssooo much fun together growing up. We lived next door to each other until she moved away when she was like 12. Or was it 13? I can't remember, but that's not really important (or is it because I wish she was STILL my next door neighbor!). I just know that when she moved, my heart broke! I wish my kids had friends like this in our little neighborhood. But they don't. :( I do hope that they both make a friend (or a few friends like in my case) that they keep for their whole lives. Tommi Lynn may have moved away, but she has always been one of my most dependable friends. Thank you TL for being a great pal and for all the wonderful memories! I love you dear friend and can't wait to celebrate the next 33 birthdays with you (and many more after that!).

I'm having a Ya-Ya Sisterhood moment tonight! :)

August

You turn your head and before you know it, there's August knocking on your door. In two short weeks (jumping up and down), the kids will be going back to school. Summer will be over. Sad for them, but Mommy is really looking forward to getting back into our routine!

This has been the best summer ever - I'm not sure if it's because the kids are at the YMCA and doing some really fun stuff or what. It's just been a really laid back, fun summer. Some days after camp, Al and I take the kids back up to the pool to swim - that has been a BLAST. I think I have enjoyed the pool as much as the kids. :) We've been to the beach for the week, been hiking, taking a trip to Charleston this weekend, spent Saturdays at the zoo, gone for ice cream at the Peach Farm - you name it, we've probably done it. I hope the kids have had as much fun as I have.

Not much else is going on - Cooper's birthday is approaching quickly! It still amazes me that he will be 5 at the end of the month. My little man is growing up faster than I like. His new thing is break dancing - or attempting to "break dance". Check out my FB page and you will see some videos of him. Olivia is still on a mission to become famous and practicing her "singing" every day. Only my kids. :)

Learned today

5 things I learned today:

5. Cooper is a pretty good break dancer.

4. My kids are scared of birds - just like mom!

3. Cooper acts just like the monkeys at the zoo.

2. O really digs singing.

1. O is developing a pretty cool fashion sense....although we still have some hits and misses!

My Boy

We've been doing our Red 40 "diet" for a little over a week. Honestly, there are days I can really see a difference in Cooper AND O's behaviors and then some days I don't. I'm not stressing about it though - I do think he's a calmer child. But, he is a child - and only 4 at that, so I don't expect huge changes. I'm proud of my little guy - both of them will ask "does that have Red 40 in it?" whenever they are offered something. That cracks me up.

Speaking of my little guy - can you believe he'll be five in a month? Seriously breaks my heart!

RED 40

I was talking to a friend yesterday about our kids - you know, just basic stuff like how school had gone last year, how the summer was going etc. We got around to talking about how hyper one of our kids are and she started talking about Red 40. Turns out, the artificial coloring called Red 40 is used in A LOT of processed food products. And it can cause ADD/ADHD symptoms in some kids. She's eliminated out of her child's diet as much as possible and she said she could tell a HUGE change in him.

Well, that got me thinking.....you all know the Boy is wild right? So, I talked to Al about it last night, did some research about it on my own and we've decided to try to eliminate foods containing Red 40 as much as possible from *all of our's* diet. No reason to make poor little Cooper suffer alone right? :)

I looked through the fridge and cabinets this morning and surprisingly didn't find too much that I had to throw out - of course, it is grocery day and we're down to bare cupboards right now. Grocery shopping today is going to take a little longer than usual because I'm really going to have to pay attention to what is in our favorite foods. And if Red 40 is in them, I've got to find a healthier alternative. It sounds like a ton of work, but if it'll help my Lil' Man - I HAVE to give it a try. Cooper is so smart and such a sweetie but I also know he can be a wild man. And that's the description just about everyone that knows him uses. And that upsets me. So, we're going to give it a chance, try this for about a month or two and see if we see any changes. Hopefully we will. I am kind of excited about the possibilities even though I know it's going to be a pain to keep up with. And to get all of our family on board if we DO see changes, is probably going to be tough too. But we'll take one thing at a time and see how he does. Wish us luck!

If your interested in learning more about Red 40 - check out this blog:

http://reddyefree.blogspot.com/

What's going on?

Cooper wants to be a cowboy or basketball player and O wants to have her boyfriend sleep over! LOL

Dear 18 year old Mandy....

(I stole this from another blog and thought I'd give it a try)

Dear 18 year old Mandy,

Yeap...you're still going by Mandy even at 32. It's the one thing you've never been able to change - no matter what you do in life, you'll always be know as Mandy. It's you. Amanda is a beautiful name, but Mandy will always fit you perfectly.

You're in college now - going to meet lots of people and make some really great friends. Even a few life long friends. Embrace those friends. Spend more time with them and less time worrying about Mr. Boyfriend at the Moment. Sure you lose touch with a few girls and reconnect via Facebook, but let's just avoid the whole "lose touch" thing ok? Those girls will still be on your side when you're 32 years old. Trust me.

Go ahead and forget "your type" honey. The man you end up with is NOTHING like "the type" you have your mind set on. If you had dropped it sooner, you may have started your fairy tale much earlier! I wish I could save you some heartbreak and some MAJOR mistakes, but I think those are necessary for Al to come into your life. Just know that one day, you won't even remember how bad one particular break up was. You'll even laugh at how silly you probably were. Your "non-type" husband is the best man in the world for you. He's the best decision you probably ever make.

Don't doubt some of the choices you have to make - some are relatively easy....others not so much. Unfortunately, you'll have to leave people out of your life - and that's something that will not get easier for you as you get older. You're still a loyal friend to the end. At 18, you probably think it's a sign of weakness. At 32, you'll see that it's one of the qualities your closest friends love about you. But learn there's a fine line between being a friend and being used - and sometimes you'll have to make a choice about where you fall on that line.

Spend more time with your grandparents. Already at 18, you have such little time left with them.

Write in your journal more - and write about more important things other than Mr. Boyfriend at the Moment and more about things that really matter (even though you think Mr. Boyfriend falls into that category). Give writing more than one try. You might get shot down - but for goodness sakes, get shot down more than once. I don't mind where we end up, we're happy where we are - but don't live with that regret that you didn't give your dream more of a chance.

You're wrong about A LOT of things - especially how life in your 30's is going to be. I'll go ahead and tell you that you do in fact, want kids. You might not think so at 18, but you do. Having those two wild monsters makes you the happiest you'll ever be in your life. And you'll want more but your body won't allow it. That's something you'll struggle with for awhile, but you'll learn to live vicariously through your friends and SILs. Oh, and that perfect man I told you that you marry? Well, yes, he is perfect for you, but honey - nothing is completely perfect. So don't think that your marriage will be the only one in the world that has no "problems" - Mr. Wonderful will do things that annoy you and vice versa. But he's still pretty awesome. It takes you awhile to realize this - go ahead and embrace that fact too. :)

Most of all - continue to have fun and live your life. Looking back - I would say we did a pretty great job. Take more road trips, have more sleepovers, and take more pictures. Oh, and when you meet a certain someone at a bar when you're 21....RUN! :)

Your 32 year old self,

Mandy

Is it a crime?

Is it a crime to kill your husband because he let the kids help him paint the barn in the back yard with super duper RED paint and not only did they get it all over themselves but also got it in their HAIR!!!!

*taking deep breaths* Ok, so it's not *that* bad, but I can't get all the stinking paint out of O's hair. It came right out of Cooper's hair - I guess because it was still wet, but O's was pretty dry. UGH.

For the record - the kids aren't helping Daddy paint the second coat on that barn!

Silence

I feel so guilty that I don't have more to post about on my blog. I don't know why, but I just do. I honestly don't even know who or how many people actually read it.....and yet when days pass and I don't have anything new to post - I feel guilty. What does that say about me? :)

Life has been anything but quiet here - but that doesn't mean there's been a lot of excitement either. I think we're just settled into our summer routine and we're going through the motions. The kids come home exhausted every day from the YMCA and that's a good thing mostly....not so good when they whine at EVERY LITTLE THING. The Boy is getting really, really bad at whining. I know it's because he's so tired, but he just won't STOP. Will not stop moving until it's bed time and then he crashes. I try to get him to rest on the weekends, but he'd rather ride bikes or play in the playhouse. I'm thankful that he's so full of energy, but man....I can't take the whining all the time.

As I'm typing this - the kids are in the bed saying their prayers. It's so cute to hear them....Cooper mainly copies O and repeats what she says. They are thanking God for their friends and for Mommy. How sweet! I take back everything I just said about not taking the whining anymore! :)

Anyways, please don't take my lack of blogging as nothing is going on. O says and does things everyday that I could (and should) put on here, but by the time I get home, get them fed, bathed, and actually spend time with them before they go to sleep - I can't remember what it was she said/did that was so darn funny. Sorry. :)

Famous

My daughter is OCD. Seriously.

She got this "idea" in her head that she can be a famous singer one day. Then the "idea" changed to "I can be a famous singer NOW" - and that's where we are. O has even wrote her own songs. Want to hear one?

"Hey fat Cake!

Do you know.....I love you

I love you so much, I want to hug you so tight"

Sounds like a hit doesn't it? Maybe you should sample hit #2?

"I'm the roughest, toughest cowgirl in the world....cause I'm rough!"

I'm not 100% but I think she stole the second hit from Toy Story 3. So, my girl is stuck on becoming famous like you know, Taylor Swift. And she's going to have a 30 story house and drive a pink limo. Oh, and *I'll* be famous too because she's famous. *jumping up down for being famous by association* She even told me to "google how to become a famous singer".....AS IF it were that easy.

My girl is so funny. Can I put anyone down now for a copy of her first CD?

You Tube is the devil

Adding to the "It's the Devil List" - YouTube!

Argh! I enjoy YouTube, but apparently my kids do too! And now that O has found out that you can watch music videos on it - all she wants to do is listen and watch videos of Taylor Swift, Justin Beiber, The Dixie Chicks, and of course, MJ. I swear if I hear "Thriller" or "Baby, Baby, Oh" ONE MORE TIME, I am going to lose my ever loving mind.

I may have to break my own laptop to get some peace. I wonder if a new laptop is worth a few days of no YouTube? :)

Eight Years Without

I was reminded today by my friend Anna that today was her daughter and son-in-law's 8th wedding anniversary. As soon as I heard this, it suddenly reminded me that it's been eight years since my Grandma Alma passed away. Wow. Eight years....it feels like 100 years honestly. I had tears in my eyes sitting at my desk today thinking about how much I miss her - and how I miss her as much now, eight years later, as I did the day she left us. If you knew my Grandma Alma, you know she was one of a kind. She was probably the most stubborn woman I have ever known - until Olivia Grace entered this world. Mom and I joke that OGG is the reincarnation of my Grandma because she is so hard headed. Grandma Alma was more than that though - she was the strongest woman I knew, smarter than most people gave her credit for, and was the most loyal person I've ever met. When I was little, I thought she was the coolest....even in her grass green car! She loved us - and although she never had a lot to give you - she'd do anything for you. I miss her so bad it hurts. I wish with all my heart that she could have met her great grandchildren - she'd be so proud of them and would spoil them worse than the grandparents would. Grandma LOVED kids. It breaks my heart that she passed away before she got to see me get married and before she could have met O, Cooper, and Madeline. There's not one single day that goes by that I don't think of her. Have I mentioned that I miss her immensely?

Not the usual Ha Ha blog I know - I just can't believe I've lived 8 years without her.

Wordless Wednesday

Best View

I can't imagine living somewhere that didn't have a beach! :)

Vacation

Vacation is going great! The kids are having so much fun. I love the beach - I sometimes forget how awesome it is once you get down here. We've been in the pool, been out on the beach, back in the pool, back to the beach....and it's been nothing but fun. We are taking our time doing whatever we feel like whenever we feel like - and the kids are staying up until they collapse each night. Vacation is awesome! Check out my Facebook page for pictures....the Internet at the beach house is VERY slow so I can't upload pictures very fast. But don't worry, I am taking TONS of pictures. :)

Two days

until our vacation at the beach!!!

Hiking....yes, I said Hiking!

I do a lot of things out of love for my kids - so you know that hiking is probably #1! :) Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm not the hiking type gal. I don't mind the outdoors, but I just don't like putting a lot of "work" into it, you know?

Today after swimming for a few hours - we hit the road to Sugarloaf Mountain. I have to admit, it was very, very fun. The kids had a ball and didn't want to leave at all. They could have stayed there all day I think. We hiked up Sugarloaf and then hiked up Horseshoe (of course, I'm using the term "hiking" loosely...there are stairs that take you up the "mountains"), climbed a big rock, chased a lizard, went out on the pier over the pond, and just had a lot of fun. I have no idea how I'm still awake blogging this! :)

O and C at the "Big Rock"

My three favorite people.

My little man on the top of SugarLoaf.

The kids already want to go back - but I tell ya, I have learned that I am really, really, really out of shape!

Camp and Update

Olivia declared to me earlier this year that she was "too old for daycare this summer" - so Al and I decided to sign the kids up for camp at the YMCA. OMG, it's been the best idea EVER. They get to go swimming every day, go to the park almost daily, watch movies, do arts and crafts - and most importantly, they come home EXHAUSTED. It's not even 8:30 pm and my two wild monsters are fast asleep. Ah, YMCA, you are too good to me! :)

I am so happy that THEY are happy this summer. O was miserable last summer at daycare mostly because she didn't really know anyone there anymore. The ladies there are wonderful and love the kids, but O has a harder time getting into "clicks." Cooper can make a friend out of a rock - Olivia is more reserved. She gets that from me. So far they are having a blast - and so am I. The hours are so convenient, the kids stay active all day (yay), and it's cheaper than daycare. No complaining from our house right now.

Update on the kids: O survived 1st grade! I haven't gotten her report card yet, but I'm pretty sure she did great. She still has a C in math, but that's ok. She tried her hardest and probably could have done a lot better had she not rushed through most of the work. This was her first year taking the Standford Test. She scored above average to high average in EVERYTHING. She is seriously too smart sometimes - actually, she's seriously too *observant* all the time. LOL She's definitely our little book worm and really loves school. Cooper ended his year in 4K really strong. He had a tough start to the school year with his wacko teacher, but once Mrs. Eddy took over, Cooper just came out of his shell. Since Coop was an early baby and his birthday is only 2 days shy of the cut off date in SC, we decided to let him repeat 4k. He was one of the youngest in the class last year and just wasn't mature enough to move up. We struggled with this decision but after talking to his teacher - we think we're doing the right thing. It's still hard to swallow as a parent, BUT I think Cooper will really thrive next year and we'll see a big difference in what he can do. I'm really looking forward to his school year with Mrs. Chure. She was an outstanding teacher with O so I know Coop is going to respond well to her.

It's definitely been tough watching the two of them in "real" school this year - I've caught myself wondering "why can't Cooper learn this as easy as Olivia?" Or I've caught myself saying "Olivia knew this before she even got to school!" My kids are two VERY different little people and I have had to constantly remind myself of this. And after the hard road we went through bringing Cooper into this world - if repeating 4k is the hardest thing I'm going to have to swallow - then I feel blessed beyond words.

Sometimes chalk says it all!

I used to hate sidewalk chalk.....I totally thought it was a pain in the rear. But one day, about a month ago - O was drawing flowers with some chalk on the driveway while Al cleaned out the garage. I grabbed a piece and wrote my little message "Mommy loves Olivia and Cooper and Daddy". Little Miss O then wrote the same message beside mine. I love her handwriting - I love the messiness of it - all the imperfections. I have to admit now - sidewalk chalk is pretty cool.

One day left

One day until SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER!!!!!!

Love Birds!!!

Even though these two don't go to school together anymore, and even though they don't see each other as often as they would like - the fire still burns folks. We headed to Madeline's birthday party today and happily for Ms. O, we ran into Logan. They were so frigging happy to see each other, I don't think they really noticed the party at all. Too sweet! I love it. :)

Dance Recital

My favorite little dancer had her annual dance recital on Saturday. Olivia loves to perform for a crowd, so being on stage was no big deal to OGG. :) She was worried that Daddy and Coop wouldn't be home in time for her show, but they made it back to see her shine!

Is she really this big already? I can remember her little Fu-Fu costumes that she wore only a few short years ago. Olivia doesn't LOVE dance like I did when I was little, but I think it's mainly because she just hasn't found the class she really likes. Tap and Ballet are out - Jazz is a maybe. She wants to try Hip Hop next year so we'll see. I'm trying to talk Cooper into taking a Boys Hip Hop class too - he keeps flipping back and forth on me on that one. I have a few months to try to talk him into it though. :)

Fishing Trip

The Griggs boys go on an annual fishing trip to Santee. This was the first year that Cooper and Louis were old enough to tag along. Cooper was BEYOND excited about this trip - he seriously talked about it everyday for a month! He had the best time and I think he's going to be a fisherman (I know Poppy is happy!).

Doesn't he look like a natural?

Louis and his fish.

How proud is that Daddy? And I absolutely LOVE Cooper's smile. He was so happy and proud of himself for catching that little fish. This is probably my favorite picture of my boys EVER.

Told you so!!!

I'd love to say that to a CERTAIN person that knows my daughter very well. Or I'd like to say "nenene nenene boo boo" - but that wouldn't be very grown up of me would it? :)

Olivia got her Stanford Test results back yesterday and our baby girl scored ABOVE AVERAGE in EVERYTHING. Oh yeah, EVERYTHING. How frigging awesome is that? Al and I are so proud of her - of course *we* knew she was smart, but it is nice to finally have some proof to flaunt.

So, to that CERTAIN person - I told you so!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!!!!!!

Mother's Day is one of those holidays that you never really grasp the importance of until you have kids. I know it's a holiday to say "thanks" and "I love you Mom!" and all - but it's also a holiday for us Moms to say "Wow, how lucky am I?" I feel like my life is complete with my two little wild ones....and YES, they wear me out - constantly, as a matter of fact - but I can't imagine feeling 100% happy if it weren't for Olivia and Cooper.

So, my two little wild ones - thank YOU for giving me the opportunity to be your mom!

Mother's Day Program 2010

Today was a great day! Cooper was the cutest COW ever at the THA Mother's Day Program. He made the best gifts ever too - his handprint in clay, a picture of him in overalls, and a flower he made for me all by himself. I have the sweetest little boy. He makes me so happy.

Cooper is my special little man - my sweet, loveable, little snuggle bug. When I was pregnant and I found out I was having a boy - I was terrified....being a mommy to a little girl was a breeze, but what would I do with a boy? Man, after 4 1/2 years with Coop - I am beyond BLESSED to be his mommy. Thank God for giving me my little man - and thanks to THA for their Mom's Day program, it was a great treat!

Quirks

What's that old saying? Kids say the darnest things? Well, it's definitely true!

Me: What do you want to eat for supper Cooper?

Cooper: Hamburger!

Me: Ok, what do you want on that hamburger?

Cooper: Can I get cheese on it?

Me: Sure, that makes it a cheeseburger.

Cooper: Yay! I want a hamburger with cheese!

How funny is that? Cooper always makes me smile and laugh with all the silly things he can come up with. He has the sweetest little smile and those big blue eyes that just make you melt!

Bend it Like Who?

I'm not sure if my two are cut out for soccer.

1. Neither like playing the Back position.

2. Neither like playing when it's hot.

3. Both are more concerned about the snacks AFTER the game than the actual game.

Here's O getting into the game.....finally!

Cooper is super fast and can outrun most of the kids to the ball....his only problem? He's easily distracted....by birds, by the dirt on the field, by someone yelling "Go Cooper!", etc. :)

I do think the kids are enjoying soccer though! It is their first year so I'm not worried about them going pro just yet.

Hard Headed but not Hard Hearted

You would think that after seven years and two kids - I might have a CLUE as to how this "parenting" job works. But I don't. Just when I think I'm doing an absolutely FANTASTIC job, I go and blow it.

This morning was chaotic - we had soccer pictures for both kids and then games for each one. We were at the soccer field for FOUR hours folks. If that's not dedication, I don't know what is.....oh, and two of those hours were spent in the rain. Because in soccer, they keep playing in the rain. Who knew? Not me!

So, we survive the rainy, soccer morning. Head to lunch (which with both kids is major T-R-O-U-B-L-E) and actually have a nice time. As soon as we get home though - the whining starts, the begging to ride the golf cart, wanting to ride bikes, can my friend down the road come over, etc hit like a tornado. And that's when I blow it - blow my lid and blow it as a good parent. I yelled at the kids and told them if I heard another word about the golf cart they were going to get it. It made Cooper cry. In two seconds my mood went from annoyed to guilty. I broke his little heart. And that absolutely breaks mine. Olivia does a great job at ignoring me when I lose my patience - I think it's because she and I have similar personalities. Cooper, he's my love bug, my sensitive one and he can't shrug my fussing off like Sissy.

He forgave me - of course he would. Cooper loves me and thinks I'm the best ever. Even after I yell and make him cry. I don't deserve that kind of love, but I'm thankful he has it in his heart to give it to me. I still feel guilty - even after I apologized and told him Mommy shouldn't yell because she's annoyed and I understand he's just a little boy and he's excited to ride on the new golf cart. My heart still hurts for what I did to my boy - especially since I know Al and I are grooming these kids into the adults they will become. One day I'm going to get this MOMMY job right - it's a hard job that's for sure.

Dance, Dance, Dance

I know it's a fake smile folks, but is that not the cutest little dancer you've ever seen? :)

Upward Soccer

The kids are playing Upward Soccer and they are having a blast! Cooper is really enjoying it, but I think my boy is going to enjoy any and all sports. :) Olivia did a really good job in her game too, and I think she's coming around. Unfortunately for my girl, she wasn't aware of how much running was involved in soccer. Ha ha!

Cooper warming up for his game.

O playing Forward - she prefers to play Forward because there's more action!

Running out the tunnel.

Cooper aka Future David Beckman? :)

GA Aquarium Trip

While we were in GA, we headed out to the GA Aquarium. OMG, it was sssooo much fun! I took tons of pictures but here's a few of my favorites. The kids loved it, I loved it, and I think Al even enjoyed it.

Spring Break

Spring Break has been so much fun!!! We haven't had any set plans for anything.....on Monday we went and saw How to Train Your Dragon. Very cute. Tuesday we went to fly kites, had ice cream at the Peach Farm, and rode bicycles. Today we took a hike at Kamila Gardens and rode bikes again. O and C can now ride their bikes with no training wheels! How awesome is that!!!! We are heading to ATL tomorrow to visit Martin and Randy. The kids miss them so much and are really looking forward to the trip. We're only staying to Saturday so we don't really have time to do much while we're down but we are hitting the GA Aquarium while we're there. I can't wait. Look for pictures to come!

Seven Years

Has it seriously been seven years since Olivia entered our lives? Wow. I can't believe it - time really does fly. I remember when she first learned to crawl; she did the funniest "army" crawl that always had us cracking up. I remember getting her one year portrait made and I had to run her down the whole time. I remember being at Target with her at 2 1/2 and a teacher tell me how her verbal skills were at a 4 year old level. At 3, she was a big sister and loved helping me with her brother. Year 4 - she started school and I cried like a baby but had a teacher that ADORED her. By the age of 5, my girl could get me in MAJOR trouble because she could memorize anything after hearing it. Last year as a 6 year old - my girl started big school and I once again, cried like a baby. It makes me sad to think that the next seven years could fly by as fast as these first seven have. I want her to stay little forever and ever.

What can I say about my newly seven year old girl? She makes me happy in ways I never knew were possible. She's so smart - asks a MILLION questions - and wants what she wants. She'll never crack a smile but has the cutest giggle EVER if she gets tickled. Her imagination is WILD and she inherited my love of reading. She is so stubborn that sometimes I wonder why I didn't name her Alma because she's just like her Great Grandma.

Her birthday fell on Easter this year and she thought that was the coolest thing. I can't imagine my life without her. Her brother loves her so much that he has serious idol fever......if Sissy can do it, so can he. Her personality is so strong, so independent that she drives me bonkers, but my heart melts when I see her sleeping. She's not your typical girl - but she's my girl - she's got her Daddy wrapped - and I hope I get to celebrate 100 more birthdays with her.

Happy Birthday Olivia Grace Griggs. Daddy and I love you so much and can't thank God enough for giving us to you.

Six coming to an end....

Olivia's birthday party was today and even though we had a small crowd, we had a blast! Thanks to everyone who came out. It's hard to believe that today is Olivia's "last day as a six year old" - and those are her exact words! :) She opted for a party at the H-ville skating rink....and she's actually gotten pretty well at skating. I think we'll be spending some Sat mornings out there thanks to those new roller skates with the light up wheels! Ha!

Gifts, gifts, and more gifts!

O and NJ

O and Coop

Two very proud and tired parents.....who never thought they'd be the lucky ones to have such an amazing little girl.