Pics with St. Nick

The kids had their pictures made with Santa the other day. Let me tell you, I laughed SSSOOO hard at poor little Cooper's picture. I know that's probably mean, but he looks too funny. He really didn't like Santa. Which I can't blame him - his Mommy never cared for the big man in red either!

Even with candy, he cried!

Olivia didn't look too impressed.....I think she was worried that he knew she had been naughty! =)

My niece Loren with Santa. Too cute.

Playgroup Christmas Party!!!!

The playgroup Christmas Party was on Saturday. We had a GREAT time - we had lots of good food and lots of good friends over to celebrate the season. The kids really enjoy the playgroups....even Hunter! Olivia took to him and decided that he was her boyfriend and they would be married one day. ha ha!

Olivia looking sweet. =) She was dressed as Wonder Woman before the playgroup. Fits her to the tee huh?

Hunter and Olivia =) They were at each other's throat the whole time. Finally Olivia said " Hunter, I love you and I'm going to marry you." Know what he said? "We'll just end up divorced!" We all died laughing!

Cooper playing peek and boo. =)

Louis in his really cute pjs that Grandma bought him. Is he not darling? Oh, and he's taking a few steps on his own now. Won't be long!

Hunter, Amy, Louis and Olivia. As much as Olivia loved Hunter, I think Hunter only had eyes for Amy. He specifically asked for this picture to be taken - sans Olivia though. She still made it in the picture! =)

I love getting the playgroup together. It's a wonderful chance for me to be around other parents AND my friends. And since all of us are friends, our kids are growing up as friends too (well, except Hunter and Olivia). I have some more pics that I'll post of Bailee, Mary Ellen, and Chandler. It was a great time.

Big Words

My daughter is so funny sometimes. She tries ssoooo hard to use big, grown up words and most of the time, she ends up saying them wrong.

For example:
O: Mommy, are you appointed in me?
Translation: Mommy, are you disappointed in me?

O: Mommy, do I have your permasion to sit in here and eat my cookie?
Translation: Mommy, do I have permission to sit in here and eat my cookie and make a total mess all over the floor you just vacuumed with a hurt back?

I'm sure there are more, but those are the two that she is using pretty often these days. She's so grown. =) Or, at least is trying to be - ha ha! Cooper, on the other hand, had better STOP peeing on my bed before I lose my mind. I think this makes 3 times in a week and a half. GGGRRRRR.....

Don't you love my rambling posts? =)

Set a new record

I am DONE with my Christmas shopping!!!! I think I have set a new record and actually finished before Christmas Eve. Go Mandy, Go Mandy!!!!!

Little People Nativity Set

I'm learning a valuable lesson - you
CAN NOT have a nativity scene out on your table with a 2 year old in the house. This is what you get. (See pic below) And this is on a *good* day - usually I can't find all the pieces to it because they are all over the floor. Oh well, maybe next year........

Just a cute picture of Sissy and Little Brother. They love each other so much! Two seconds after this picture was taken, they were at each other's throats. Ahhh, the joys of sibling love. =)

Christmas Program with Bad Breath

Thomas Hart had their Christmas program last night. Olivia's class didn't have a big part, they were up front at the beginning and sang about six songs. Olivia was all into to it! She sang her little heart out and had a great time. Cooper, on the other hand, ended up being sent home as soon as Olivia was done singing. He would NOT be quiet, would NOT be still, and kept screaming "I want my Sissy!" Oh well, what do you expect from a 2 year old right?

Before the program, they did have Santa (yes, THE Santa) for the kids to get their pictures made with. Olivia wouldn't smile at all. She actually wouldn't even speak to him. After the program when she was riding home with Nana, she informed her that it was because (and I quote) "Santa had bad breath." How stinking funny is that? I'm just glad *she* didn't tell him that he had stinky breath herself. I would have been MORTIFIED! Oh, and Nana said that we should be getting a really cute picture of Cooper screaming at Santa with a look of sheer terror on his face.

Guess who takes after Mommy? =)

Yogi Bear

Olivia has fallen in love with Yogi Bear chicken. If you ask her what she wants to eat, she'll immediately say "Yogi Bear!" It's too funny. So, the other day Nana was driving by the old house at the junction of Old Camden and Ruby and there were chickens in the road. Here's the conversation between Nana and Olivia that followed:

O: Nana! Don't run over the chickens!
Nana: I'm not Olivia. *beeping horn*
O: I like chickens.
Nana: You like those chickens Olivia Grace?
O: No, the only chicken I like is from Yogi Bear Chicken!

How funny is that? My mom just laughed at her. I don't know why she is so in love with Yogi Bear now but she is. I can honestly say, I'm pretty tired of the stuff myself! =)

New Couch

Ok, so I don't have a new couch, but man do I feel like it! Al and I stripped the cushion covers off the couch - sprayed them down with spray and wash and washed and dried those suckers. And you know what? Almost every single stain from my two little monsters came out! I really should buy some stock in Spray and Wash....that stuff is liquid *magic*. No joke - it even got out red Kool Aide. And trust me, if you've ever had to deal with a Kool Aide stain, you know what a victory this is! Anyways, Al and I have been so giddy over our couch this weekend. So of course we have a new rule that the kids are NOT allowed to drink anything in the living room. Or any room with carpet. Hopefully I enforce that rule for awhile. =)

Other than that, we had a pretty good weekend. Saturday morning we headed out and watched the parade. Olivia was supposed to be in the parade with dance, but I talked her into watching it instead. I honestly didn't feel like walking the entire parade route like I did last year. I know, bad Mommy right? Well, you try walking the stinking parade route! It's killer! It was fun though and I think she enjoyed it. She did tell me she wanted to be IN it next year. Ha ha! After that, we headed to McDonald's for lunch and then just lounged around the rest of the weekend.

Is it really December already? Christmas will be here before we know it!

I'm not cut out to be a children's photographer!

I could NOT and would NOT be a children's photographer!!! This is the best picture I could come up with of my two little monsters and I must have took 10 pictures! If Olivia was looking and smiling, Cooper wasn't. If Cooper was smiling, Olivia was picking her nose. ARRRRGGGHHH!!!! They can drive me bonkers in 2 seconds *easy*. Anyways, I think this one may end up being the one I use for the Christmas card this year. I know Al will appreciate that since he wasn't keen on the idea of him being in the picture. So, what do you think? Is this picture so super cute that everyone will go "aaahhh" when they get it? =)

Oh, and I have to say HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY to Louis! He turned one year old yesterday. He's growing so fast and is just a doll. Takes after his Aunt Mandy no doubt! =)

The Elf Griggs family

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9626590310

Click on this link to see us as elves....except Al. I didn't have a picture saved as a JPEG so I had to use a random elf man. Ha ha! I'm sure he's glad he's not in it though. It's too funny.

Go Tigers!!!!

On Saturday we had Amy, Jay and Louis over for the Clemson/USC game. Go Tigers!!! It was a good game and we really enjoyed having Jay and Amy over - even if they are Carolina fans! Ha ha! I did take the opportunity to get some pics....especially of the whole family. I am bummed that I didn't make it to a game this year like I had hoped, but maybe next year!

Here's a Tiger Family pic....pretty enough to put on a Christmas card I think! Ha ha!
Mommy, Olivia and Cooper....this was pre-game. =) One day I will get a picture made where BOTH of my kids are looking at the camera.
Jay, Amy and Louis - The USC fans....notice how Olivia is in the corner cheesing it up! LOL
Little Louis.....I can't believe he'll be one in TWO days!!!!
The kids messing around at the Christmas tree. I have the hardest time keeping little hands off of it.

Many Thanks Day and Date Night!

Here are a few more pictures I took on Thanksgiving. We had a great time and got STUFFED. The food was so good though, it was hard to pass it up. I am so thankful I have such a wonderful family, wonderful parents, and wonderful in-laws. I really enjoyed spending the day with everyone.

Olivia couldn't get enough popsicles at Nana and Poppy's house. I swear this kid is going to turn into a big popsicle one day! Ha ha!

The kids playing with Poppy. They really give my poor dad a run for his money! But he loves it....he always gets down on the floor at their level and plays with them. =)

Cooper and Louis on the John Deere at Gamma's house. They are too cute together! Cooper insisted that Louis ride in the back - he didn't want him sitting up front. Ha! Louis didn't mind though, he had a ton of fun holding on and riding around. I can't believe that little Stinker will be one in a few days.

Loren and Cooper on the John Deere - They had a lot of fun riding around.

Olivia, Cooper, and Louis by Santa - I thought this turned out to be a cute picture! I'm not sure what Louis was doing though - ha ha! Cooper wasn't in the mood to get his picture made so I had to snap fast!

Anyways, Thursday was a very busy day! Friday though Al and I managed to get a baby sitter for the night and decided to meet some of our friends for dinner. It was nice and we had a great time. I think we were still home by 11pm though and went straight to bed. I woke up this morning and felt weird.....I don't mind the kids spending the night off, but I miss them in the mornings. I'm so used to them waking us up at the crack of dawn that my body just naturally wakes up early now - ha! But I am glad we had an opportunity to spend some time together. =)

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I know I've been pretty slack on my blogging, but it's been a busy month. The kids are doing great - it's nice to have a few days off to spend with the kids. I'm not sure if we'll do any shopping on Black Friday though. I'm not a fan of crazy mobs of shoppers!

Anyways, I took a few pictures this morning of the kids......I should have more later today once we go to my parents and in-laws houses. I know we are all going to be stuffed by the end of the day. No diet for me for the next two days! Ha ha!

Here's Cooper this morning......he's into this phase now where he likes to have NO clothes on at all. Luckily for us, that doesn't include the pull up - ha ha!

Olivia taking "my picture" - I must have posed for 100 pictures. She wanted "Happy Mommy", "Sad Mommy" and her favorite "ANGRY Mommy". =)
I love the smile on her face in this picture....and Cooper looks like he could run off!
My second and final attempt at a "together" picture.
What a smile baby doll!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

30th

Go Mandy, it's your birthday.....we're going to party like it's your birthday......ok, so I don't know the exact words to that song but you get the drift! Yeap, today is my 30th birthday!!!! Woo Hoo....I feel like a grown up. Especially with two mean little monsters I do. Ha! It's been a great birthday...although I am sick from some bug but I feel much better today. Not much going on with the kids. Friday was Grandparents day at THA - Nana and Poppy went to surprise Olivia. Nana said Olivia was so happy to see them and they had a great time. Her class sang a few songs, they had lunch, and then went to the Book Fair in the library. I think Olivia conned Nana and Poppy into buying her 5 books! Can you believe that? Anyways, that's all I have for now......

Older Siblings

Olivia hates the fact that she is the oldest child. So, to solve this problem, she has created an imaginary Big Sister and an imaginary Big Brother. They sleep with her, they eat her food, they play with her AND Cooper (can't leave him out you know) and they just have a good time. Well, mostly.

Olivia has been talking about her "big sister" and "big brother" ever since they started talking about families at school. I finally broke down and asked her what their names were. Ready for this? Her big sister's name is Onya and her big brother's name is Coconut Head. Yeap, Coconut Head! LOL You have to remember that this is coming from a kid who's favorite doll in the whole wide world is named Sally Alley WaterPark! So last night Olivia told me that is mad with Coconut Head and that he had to sleep in Cooper's room since he's a boy and that her and Onya slept in her bed. Oh, Coconut Head hit her and stole her food so that's why she's mad with him....does Olivia look like *anyone* has stole food from her? LOL

Somehow the imaginary siblings took over BOTH of their beds because at some point last night, both the kids had crawled up in the bed with me and Al. *sigh* I really hate how I am losing ground on the bed situation.....I guess I'm going to have to put my foot down with Onya and Coconut Head!

My two cents

I don't like giving out advice when it comes to kids. For one - I think it makes me sound snotty and two - there are some things that I think all parents need to learn on their own. But I will give my two cents on kids and movies. Not all two year olds are ready to go see a movie in the theater.

And just because your precious little two year old will sit quietly in his/her car seat in your van and watch Brother Bear every single day, doesn't mean you'll get the same reaction in the theater. Trust me.

Al and I took Olivia and Cooper to see the Bee Movie over the weekend - it was Al's idea to take Cooper - and it was very interesting! I thought that once we got some popcorn that Cooper would munch on that and watch the movie. WRONG!!!! He yelled at the screen (I want dat! Beep Beep! My mommy!) for most of the movie. Finally towards the middle of it, he started getting sleepy and calmed down some. Olivia did great - although she did bug me by asking for a sip of drink every two seconds.

Oh, and don't try buying one big thing of popcorn for two kids - that starts fights in the middle of the movie. We learned that the hard way too.

Never, Ever, Ever.....

leave your 2 year old son alone in the kitchen for 30 seconds!!!! I walked down in the garage to put some clothes in the dryer and was MAYBE gone for less than a minute and this is how I found Cooper when I walked back in......

Do you know how *FAST* he must have been to actually get the laundry basket turned over, pushed over to the fridge and then climbed on top? I should nickname Cooper the "Flash" or something! Ha!

The whole side of his shirt was soaked with water and there was a puddle of water on the floor and on the basket.

There is no hope when they become mobile....beware!

New Hair Do

Olivia decided the other day that she wanted her hair "short" like mine so I called Sue and asked her to cut her hair. Olivia LOVES it - and let me tell you, I love it too! It's ssssooo much easier to comb in the mornings and now she can actually wear it down without it being all in her face. Honestly, the first time I saw her with it cut, she looked so much OLDER than 4 1/2 years old!

Cooper playing on the bed. He is such a rough and tumble little guy. Definitely all boy!!!
Cute self portrait of Olivia Grace....love the fake smile!
Rachel, a friend at our church, did this pumpkin at Trunk or Treat. Isn't it neat? I *wish* I could be this creative. The kids loved her pumpkin.
Proof for the grandparents that we did take the kids trick or treating. I took this at our church's Trunk or Treat. The kids really enjoy doing that every year.

So, nothing else really going on right now - I'll keep you posted with more Griggs Family Adventures!

Couldn't resist

I couldn't resist sharing some really cute pictures that my sister in law sent over (thanks Amy!!!). The kids had a great Halloween - Olivia really enjoyed going door to door and getting candy. Cooper wasn't really feeling the whole "trick or treat" deal but really got into it by the end of the night. He even cried when we went back to the house! LOL

We did have some trick or treaters before we left the house. I told the kids to be quiet and act like we weren't home but Olivia opened the door and said "sorry, we have no candy! My mommy tried to make ghosts cookies but the chocolate wouldn't melt!" So then I had to walk to the door and apologize for not having candy and explain the cookies. I had planned on making some ghosts cookies for Olivia's class but the chocolate I bought wouldn't melt so I gave up. I was really disappointed too! Anyways, it was just really funny how she said it - guess you had to be there. =)

Gamma, Louis and Cooper on the tricycle. I don't think Cooper pedaled at all!
Louis as a pumpkin for Halloween! Isn't he the cutest pumpkin? I like how Amy and Jay had to bribe him with a Kit Kat to take the picture - ha!
Cooper trying to be scary wearing a mask. He was so funny. He would run up to me and say "ggrrr" like he was trying to be scary. He's such a little clown.
Olivia sporting her "tattoos" - she was so proud of them and cried when I had to wash them off. Maybe she'll take after Mommy and get some permanent ink one day. LOL

I do have some cute pictures from Halloween that I will have to download tonight and post on here. Oh, and Olivia got her hair cut yesterday too. She looks so grown! She had it cut to her shoulders and she is so happy with it. She even told me this morning that she DID not want long hair again. I really think it's going to be much easier on her in the mornings. Woo Hoo!!! You have no idea what kind of battles we had every morning! =)

Cooper's 2 year pictures

Cooper had his 2 year pictures made at daycare the other week and Al and can't get over how GOOD they were! He even *smiled*! How stinking cute is this kid? His hair is longer in these pictures because we hadn't taken him for his hair cut yet. Dang! He's super cute with his short little hair now. Sorry for the lines in the pictures, the scanner here at work is messed up or something and Teresa couldn't get them to go away.

This is his "typical" look! LOL
Look at that smile - he is ssssoooo stinking cute!