Pics from this afternoon....

Al being silly tonight.....I love this guy!
Priceless pic.....guess this is why they invented Little Swimmers, huh? :)
Cooper liked shooting himself with the water hose.

Here are a few of the kids in the pool. Olivia really should have been a fish as much as she loves the water.

Awesome Mommy Moment

I did something yesterday that I don't normally do........

I stopped caring! Yeap, you read that right, I said I stopped caring! Ok, so it's not what you think so let me explain.....yesterday I took Olivia and Cooper outside after they got home so that Al could put the carrier on the back of the bicycle. We were having a ball playing in the backyard - Olivia on the swing and Cooper shooting Layla with the water hose. Of course, after a few minutes of hearing Cooper giggle (and it's sssooo contagious), Olivia decided SHE wanted to spray our poor dog with water. And then the war started! Don't worry, I'm getting to the "not caring anymore part!" So, I intervene and tell them both to give ME the water hose. After a threat of getting Big Daddy, Olivia caved and handed it over. SUDDENLY IT HIT ME!!! WHY DID I CARE THAT THEY WERE PLAYING WITH THE WATER HOSE AND TORMENTING THE DOG?

So, I did what any good mother would have done.....I soaked both my babies down with the water hose - ha ha! And they LOVED it....Cooper kept saying "Do it, Do it" and Olivia would laugh so hard that it made me smile. Granted in the back of head I was thinking "man, they are going to be a pain to clean up" but I just pushed that thought to the side and enjoyed my kids being KIDS. It was wonderful. We probably stayed outside for a good 10 minutes of me squirting them down with the water hose. I even made poor little Cooper trip over his own feet - ha ha! It was a good time and definitely a wonderful MOMMY MOMENT.

Olivia the Grim Reaper.....

Olivia is fascinated with death these days. I'm not really sure why, but every time I turn around I hear stuff like this:

O: "Mommy, what are cemeteries for?"
Me: *sigh* "That's where people are buried after they die."
O: "Are you going to die?"
Me: "Yes Olivia....probably from answering all your questions."
O: "Do you want me and Cooper to visit you at the cemetery?"
Me: "Yes Olivia."
O: "Do you want me to bring you flowers? And do you want Daddy to come?"
This conversation just goes on and on and on.......I WISH I could beat the person that explained to Olivia what a cemetery was in the first place!

Or I get this:
O: "Mommy, who's going to live in our house after we die?"
Me: *startled look* "What in the world...."
O: "Who's going to live in our house when we are all killed and die?"
OOOOOKKKKKK.....now, it's that just A LITTLE freaky? I really wish Olivia would hurry up and get out of this phase. And of course, if we hear anything on tv (and you would not believe how many cartoons and movies and tv shows talk about death), then all this starts over. Oh, and I really hate that cartoon "The Grim Adventurers of Billy and Mandy" on Cartoon Network! I can't turn the channel fast enough when I see that show on. UGH!!!!

So usually when she starts talking about death, the conversation EVENTUALLY leads to the fact that my grandma's and Al's grandma's are in heaven and then I have to answer 500 questions about what Heaven is like, etc. So, I found a book online called "What is Heaven Like" and it's written for kids Olivia's age. I bought it and can't wait for it to get here. Maybe, just maybe this will settle all her questions about death and Heaven. If not, I'm calling Preacher Dave and letting him have a go at it! The kid is totally freaking me out! :)

Hair cutting

Al and I had the dreaded task of taking Cooper to get his hair cut on Tuesday night. I will admit that Coop did MUCH better this time than he did last time. I have no idea how Sue was able to cut his hair last time because he was constantly trying to jump out of my arms. So, Al took over this go round and kept him still.....well, stiller than last time anyways! Olivia, of course, had to supervise the hair cut and kept telling Cooper "you better be still Coop or Sue will cut all your hair off." Gee thanks Olivia, like that doesn't make him any more nervous. Ha ha!

A before shot...his hair was ssssoooo long and really needed to be cut. His hair grows so fast these days!


I love this pic - it's like he was screaming "HELP ME MOMMY, HELP ME!"


Almost done! He looks so grown and so much like a little boy with his hair all neat and trim now. I can't believe my baby boy is going to be 2 years old soon. Hurts my heart!


Olivia at the beauty shop......those big brown eyes keep her out of sssooo much trouble! :)


All in all, I have to say it was a rather pleasant experience. I think Cooper is getting use to the fact that he has to get his hair cut every now and then. Plus, the sucker I stuffed in his mouth helped A LOT! :)

Just some pics.....

Here's a pic of my nephew Louis. Isn't he just a doll? He is such a happy baby and so fun to be around. I can't wait for him to start walking and running around behind Olivia, Cooper and Loren. :)



Cooper playing putt putt. He had more fun watching the ducks than he did playing.


On another note, my friends Rachel and Todd welcomed their newest addition on July 22nd. Landon Thomas P. was 6lbs 5 ozs (I think). I went by and visited with them yesterday and he's the cutest little thing. Mom and Baby are doing great. I'm so happy for them and I know they're going to have so much fun with their new little one!

Better Watch Those Words!

So apparently between the 18th of July and the 21st of July, we entered the "watch what you say around the Firstborn" stage. Olivia is into repeating everything....no wait, I take that back....she only repeats the things YOU DO NOT want her too!

Here's what she did to me yesterday. Tina and Adam came over to my MIL's house with Loren. As soon as Tina walked in Olivia asks "Do you spank Loren? Because my Mommy says you don't!" Gee, thanks Olivia....no "Hey Aunt Tina", no "Where's Loren, I can't wait to play with her", but "My Mommy says...." UGH!!!! And of course my husband is never around to back me up when Olivia does stuff like this. I think he knows she's about to embarrass me and runs. Or puts her up to it, I haven't figured it out yet. *mean look in Al's direction*

No, she won't repeat anything nice I say and honestly I'm almost positive I DIDN'T say what she said I said (does that make sense?). But can I really say anything that will get my foot out of my mouth on that one? :)

Hurricane Cooper

Doesn't Olivia look so grown riding the airplane ride by herself? She had so much fun!



Cooper and Al at the beach - I love how they are both looking in the opposite direction. :)


So anyways, why do my children (Cooper in particular) like to run wild in the mornings and make my house a complete disaster area??? You would have thought a hurricane or tornado came through my house this morning. By the time I walked out of the house, there were shoes (Al's, Coop's, and Olivia's) all thrown in the hallway and kitchen. There were movies and DVD's all on the floor in the living room and his blanket was thrown on my bedroom floor. I literally had to clean up real quick this morning before I even left the house. It's like he gets bored or something. I think from now on I'm going to cut on some Playhouse Disney and let him watch TV. Maybe that will work....we'll see! And looks like shaggy puppy! Man, Cooper really needs a haircut bad but after my last experience with him at the beauty shop (yes, my little man goes to a beauty shop), I'm not so sure I want to go through with that again. UGH! Maybe I'll let Al or my mom take him for me. :)

Non Stop Weekend Partying!

Man, I feel like we have been going non stop this weekend. Thursday started VBS (vacation Bible school for you heathens out there - ha ha) at church so of course Al and I took the kids to that. Somehow I got suckered into helping out in the nursery. I guess it wasn't too bad since there was three woman working and only 6 small ones. Friday, however, was a completely different story. It was only me and the other lady and both the "small" babies cried constantly and three of the kids had nasty, runny diapers. YUCK!!!! Saturday we finished off VBS and then Al and I went out with my friend Michele and her husband. We had a blast. We definitely have to start hanging out w/people again. I get so wrapped up in the kids lives that I forget to have one of my own sometimes. Crazy!

Today we rode down to the beach to see Al's parents and Mary and Neil. We weren't going to go at first because I wasn't feeling great, but I sucked it up and went. We had a pretty good time. The kids enjoy the beach no matter what so I can't really complain. I just wish I hadn't ate a bunch of sand thanks to my niece. GGGGRRRRR.....

Anyways, it's now 9pm on Sunday night and I'm finally at a resting point. Yay! I don't look forward to work tomorrow though! :(

Getting close

Can you believe that Olivia will be starting Thomas Hart in a MONTH?? I can't! I can already tell you that this month will fly by and before I know it, I'll be driving my baby....my firstborn, to her first day of 4K. *sniffle* I WANT OLIVIA AND COOPER TO STAY BABIES FOREVER!!!!!!

Oh, at church on Sunday, we burned our mortgage! Yeap, someone donated some money and we (South Hartsville Baptist) were able to pay off the "new" sanctuary. How cool is that? And, Preacher Dave celebrates his 20th anniversary as pastor of our church. I'm so thankful that Al and I decided to become members and raise our kids there. Gives me that "feel good" feeling inside. :)

Fun in the Sun!

Vacation was FAB-U-LOUS!!!! I wish we were still at the beach. Although, it is really nice to be home and in my own bed. Our week at the beach was jammed packed with fun. Let's see...how did our week go....

Saturday - we checked in around 2pm and had to head to the store for some groceries. Olivia made us forget half of the food we needed because she was about to DIE to get to the ocean. So, back to the beach house we went and she put on her suit and we headed down to the sand. That's when I took this pic of her - too cute right? After she got to play on the beach for awhile, she was A-OK.

Sunday - everyone packed up and we all went out on the beach. WELL....Nana got sun burnt, Al got sun burnt and Poppy got sun burnt. Me and the kids were the only ones that didn't. LOL - I tell you....I am a *firm* believer in some sun screen. Just ask Cooper, you can't even tell he's been at the beach for a week.

Monday - Al and I took the kids to the aquarium. RIP OFF!!!!! Not only was it packed, but it wasn't worth the $50 odd dollars it costs to get in. Maybe if I had seen something instead of hundreds of kids running around unsupervised, I'd feel differently.

Tuesday - we went to the pool and the back to the beach. Fun! Tuesday night we went to the SeaFare restaurant which has a real LIVE mermaid. Olivia was in awe of her. It was really cute and the food was pretty good too! Later we went and play putt putt. Cooper was more interested in the ducks in the pond. Olivia got 18 holes in one - she's going to be the next Tiger Woods. Our whole game of 18 holes took about 30 minutes....fastest I've ever played putt putt! LOL

Wednesday - went to the pool and then to the beach to watch the fireworks. Both Cooper and Olivia were scared of them so we ended up riding around in the golf cart watching them that way. What weenies!

Thursday - spent another day out on the beach. Later in the afternoon we went back to Broadway at the beach and let the kids ride some rides. Cooper loved the Ferris wheel type ride and Olivia rode the carousal a few times. Then, Olivia made a doll at "Friends 2 B Made" and named her Holly. Holly is naked now by the way....strange kid. Cooper made a T-Rex at "Build a Dino" and named him CJ. Cooper Junior - funny! Oh, and Nana and Poppy got Olivia an Ariel shirt made and Cooper a Spongebob shirt made with their names on it. Cute!

Friday - we spent the whole frigging day out on the beach. Seriously, I didn't think we would ever LEAVE. At one point I thought Poppy had forgotten all about us. LOL It was fun though and the kids enjoyed their last full day at the ocean.

Saturday - packed up and headed home! Woo hoo! I really enjoyed my vacation but it's ssssooo nice to be back in Hartsville and in my own bed. :)


Cooper taking Al's shoe to throw it in the ocean. :)


Family pic!!!!! This was taken the night of the 4th - the fireworks hadn't started yet so the kids were playing on the playground.

Leaving for the beach

Olivia is so lucky she's cute....this kid can drive me bonkers!!!!


Seriously, he doesn't have a green nose...Cooper made me mess up and hit something on my photo software and I couldn't get it to go away. But it's still a cute pic of him right?

My vacation is just hours away! It's not even 10am and I'm packed and ready to go! Man, I never knew packing for myself and two kids could be so hard. And when did my kids get so many clothes? And talk about stressful - it's hard as heck to pack a suitcase when your almost 2 year old keeps climbing and hiding in the suitcase. Olivia didn't help any either because I told her to go pick out some toys and I found every toy she owned on her bed. UGH. I really feel like I'll be drinking a few cold ones this week. My kids are KRAZY with a capital K. As I type this Cooper is on the table laying on his belly looking at the screen as I putter away. Great, he just got drool on my screen. *sigh* I've given up on having anything nice for the next 18 years. Oh well.

To make matters worst, Olivia has now joined in and keeps asking
"Can I play a game?"
"No."
"Can I play a game?"
"No."
"Can I play a game?"
"UUUUGGGHHH!!!!NO NO NO NO!"

They are after me.....please know that if I go insane.

Hey Paula

I love the Bravo channel - and I can't wait for tomorrow's premiere of "Hey Paula!" It should be HILARIOUS!!! That woman is nuts to begin with so I can't wait to see how crazy she acts on her own reality show.

Hey - isn't this the FIRST blog that didn't involve the kids? Wow!

OOOHHHH Daddy!

I think I've gone too far with the whole "Olivia, if you don't be good, the police will get you and put you in jail" trick I've been playing on my daughter for some time now. You have to admit though, it does work in crucial times to get Olivia Grace to behave herself. But now, like all my other brilliant plans, it's beginning to back fire on me. Now, every time *I* do something wrong, or Al does something wrong - you can hear Olivia say "OOOOHHHHH.....the police is going to get you!" It was funny at first. Not so much now.

Case in point....on the way home from daycare the other day, Al apparently forgot (that's his EXCUSE anyways) to put on his seat belt. Olivia let us drive all the way from Darlington to Hartsville without uttering a word about it. And looking back, I know *she* knew. Right as passed her Gramma's house Olivia howled "OOOOHHH Daddy! The police is going to put you in jail!" Al laughed and then she said (with her hand covering her ear) "Hello Police? Yes, can you come get my Daddy? He doesn't have his seat belt on." I almost died laughing! I asked Olivia what she was doing and she looked at me and said "Calling the Police - duh!"

Yes, Duh.

Countdown has started!

Only FIVE more days until we leave for the beach!!!! I am so excited, I can't wait. I'm probably going to be totally worthless at work this week because all I can think about is sitting out on the beach with the babies. :)

Mama Van!

Cooper is talking up a storm these days - and I couldn't be any happier! :) He has the sweetest, most darling voice you'll ever hear. And when he says "NAW (no)", he sounds just like that Stewie character off Mad TV. LOL Oh, and yes, Al and I still haven't broken his dependacy on the paci. We are still working on it, but it's hard. Al has got to where he's hiding his paci until it's bed time and then giving it to him. Last night was KILLER. Cooper kept climbing up on his changing table (I use it as a book shelf type deal now, I'm very recycle friendly - ha ha) and looking for his paci. When he couldn't find it, he would look at me, point to his changing table and whine. Poor little guy!

OOOOHHHH - and the point of the title is because the other day when Al and I picked the kids up from school, I was carrying Cooper and when I got to the van, he pointed and said "Mama Van - Yay!" It was too stinking cute! God I love my kids!

Cooper might be my sweetheart, but Olivia is my "no-holds barred, no fear" kid! She loves to try ANYTHING! This picture is case in point. When we went to the May Fly Air Show, they had all kinds of things the kids could play on. WEEELLL...this slide was HUGE. If *I* had been 4 years old, I would have been terrified! Not Olivia Grace. She zoned in on it and wanted to slide down it. And she did - about 10 times. They had these big jumpee things the kids could strap in and jump real high in the air, and she was so upset because she wasn't big enough to do it and she really wanted too. You can see a kid doing in the back ground of the picture.

We're going to the water slide when we go to the beach on the 30th (woo-hoo) and I can't wait because I know Olivia and Cooper are going to have a great time. Guess what? Cooper got in the pool on Tuesday! Can you believe that? And LOVED it. I am so happy because I was really worried he wasn't going to enjoy the beach. I guess he's finally come around.....or just can't take this crazy heat. Yay for the first day of summer!

Go Away Mommy!

How cute is Cooper? This pic is a little old, but he still looks the same. He had fallen and had a horrible bruise on his forehead. I tell you, this kid will give me a heart attack before he turns 18, you watch! Anyways, Cooper is talking up a storm these days! Just over the weekend he learned "do it", "mowmower" (lawn mower) and my personal favorite "go away". Ha ha! I was fixing my hair in the bathroom and Cooper came in there and I told him to get out and he looked at me and said "go way Mama!" - it was too funny! He's such a clown......you can definitely tell he's the baby of the family. :)



Here's a pic of Olivia in action at her dance recital! She is the one on the very end. I was surprised that pic came out this good considering I was sitting pretty far away. I love how it focused so well on that lady's big head in front of me....UGH!!!! I really need to take a class on how to use my digital and 35MM camera PROPERLY. Maybe I should read that nifty little thing called the "owners manual"?

We had a pretty relaxing weekend. Saturday we went and had seafood with Al's parents. We went to Shiloh and if you've ever been there, you know it's in the middle of BFE! But it was good and the kids actually did ok. I was really expecting them to throw food, be loud, etc. and neither of them really did all that. I was proud. :) Maybe they realize how much they embarrass me and Al? Yeah right!

Dentist Appointment

Olivia went to the dentist for the VERY FIRST TIME EVER this morning! Can you believe that? I was so nervous, that I made Al take her. :) Of course, I couldn't find my digital camera and I really wanted Al to take some pictures of her in the chair. He did end up taking one on his cell phone and texted it to me. It's so stinking cute and I wish I could post it on here! Oh well!

Anyways, Al said she did great. She let the dental assistant clean her teeth and even FLOSS. UGH, I fight with that kid every morning and night and she gets to floss. NO FAIR!!!! Ha ha! She got to pick out toothpaste and a new toothbrush. Of course she chose a Spongebob one since Cooper has a Spongebob one. Remember, monkey see, monkey do around my house......
Oh, and she had no cavities at all! Yay!!! I am so proud of her. She goes back in six months which will be in December. Wow, can you believe that? This year is flying by.

I can't believe how grown up my little girl is getting.....before I know it, it'll be her wedding day! *sniffle* Of course, she says she's living with me forever and ever.....and that's ok with me!

It's a first!

So, Cooper said his first real "sentence" on Sunday! Me, Al and Cooper went to Wal-Mart to look at some grills for Father's Day. Al walked down an isle, and I continued pushing Cooper in the buggy. (Yes, in the South, it's a BUGGY) He looked past me on the right, then the left and looked at me said "Where Dada?"

It was so cute! And the first time he's really ever put two words together. Since then, I've heard the little Stinker say "Tank you" (how sweet right?) a million times.

Only two weeks until our vacation at the beach!!!!

Air Show and Dance Pics

Ok, so I'm slack when comes to putting up pictures. Here are some pictures I took at the Air Show we went to a few weekends ago. I've also included a picture of Olivia in her dance costume. She was so stinking cute!

My little college graduate

So, if you don't already know by now, Olivia is the queen of random questions. She'll be talking about something and just totally throw something out there that comes out of left field. I guess she has so many little thoughts running through that precious brain of hers, that sometimes Queen Random comes out. :)

Last night while taking a bath, Olivia asks my favorite random question yet.
Olivia: Mama, have I graduated college?

How funny - what was even more funny was me trying to explain to her that just because she was leaving her daycare soon, that didn't mean she was "graduating college." I have no idea where my child comes up with this stuff!

Nerd and Loser

Olivia has been watching way too much Jimmy Neutron lately! Here's her new thing:

Cooper: No, Mine! Car!

Olivia: *sigh* You're such a NERD Cooper!

(I mean really, does he look like a nerd to you?)

At first I didn't know where she got it - and I placed blame on the little thieves at daycare of course - but after watching Jimmy Neutron with her the other night, I found out that that's where she was getting it from. Cindy Vortex to be exact. (You have to watch the cartoon to know who I'm talking about)

And here's her other thing:

Olivia: (looking at pictures of me in my bedroom) Mama, is that you?
Me: Yes Olivia

Olivia: You were such a LOSER!

Me: Gee thanks, if I'm a loser, you're half loser!

Nice of me to fight w/a 4 year old huh? Hey, being called a loser hurts no matter how old you are. I was waiting for her to do the L shape on her forehead at any time. Ha ha! Anyways, she got from the Cindy character off of Jimmy Neutron. I'm beginning to think maybe she doesn't need to watch that cartoon anymore.

Wonderful, relaxing weekend

Man, this past weekend was so great! I mean, we stayed busy the whole weekend but it was so nice because we did everything at our own pace and really enjoyed ourselves! So, here's the breakdown of our weekend:

Friday - had pizza with my parents. Olivia got to choose what we ate and of course she chose pizza. The kid LOVES pizza - pepperoni and black olive pizza to be exact.

Saturday - we went to a birthday party for my cousin's son, Garrett. Emily's brother Tyler dressed up as Spongebob. You should have seen all the kids at the Sonic attacking that poor boy! He could barely see as is and then got flooded with kids. Cooper LOVED Spongebob from AFAR....but as soon as he got close, Cooper all but climbed out of his daddy's arms. I guess Cooper takes after me with his dislike of characters. I'm not a fan either. :) Oh, and Olivia knew it wasn't the *real* Spongebob because Tyler has hair on his arms and Spongebob doesn't have hair on his. How observant is she?

Sunday - we went to the May Fly Air show. (I hope to have some pics of that up soon). Olivia enjoyed it for the most part, but didn't like it when the jets started flying. Cooper fell asleep - can you believe that? I'm almost positive he's not deaf either. :) It was ssssssooo hot on Sunday though.

Monday - we hung out with Nana and Poppy and grilled burgers and hot dogs. After lunch, Olivia played on her big water slide for a few hours. Cooper wanted NOTHING to do with the water. Guess he's not going to be spending much time in our little pool this year. He happily played on the swing set and drove the Jeep around while Sissy played in the water. He would get close to the pool every now and then, but as soon as Olivia wet him, he cried and ran off. :) Now, I LOVE a pool, so I don't know where he gets *that* from!

So, there's our weekend in a nutshell. Exciting wasn't it? I'm so glad to be back at work but at the same time, I wish it was my vacation week! The countdown is on! Only 4 weeks to go until our family vacation at the beach - woo hoo!

Aced it Man!!!!

Have I mentioned lately that my daughter is super smart? :) She met with her teacher, Mrs. Chure (rhymes with Horray) at Thomas Hart yesterday and did so well! Mrs. Chure said she handed Olivia a square piece of paper and asked her to make a triangle and Olivia rolled it up and said, "No, I made it into a telescope!" She was *very* impressed that Olivia knew that word AND what it looked like. What can I say? She gets it from me! Ha ha! Seriously though, I really think Olivia is going to be so happy at this school and I'm so thankful now that she ended up signed up there and not "the other place." She aced her little interview and "test" with her teacher. I was very, very proud of my Baby Girl. :)

Oh, and I thought I would attach a picture of Cooper looking like a monkey - he was climbing on top of the laundry basket and then standing up. THAT I can handle, but you should see him climbing up on the bar stool AND then from there to his highchair. I nearly had a heart attack seeing him do that yesterday. He has NO FEAR!!!!!

Is my long weekend here yet???

Dancing the Night Away

Wow, it's been a crazy week! I'm so glad things are getting back to normal. Anyways, the kids have been doing great! Olivia had her dance recital on Saturday and she was the star of the show (of course!). Her group performed twice - one tap routine and one ballet routine. After the tap routine, Mrs. Brenda let them introduce themselves and Olivia was first. She said "Hey, my name is Olivia" so fast I'm not sure many people could even understand her! Ha ha! She is such a stinker. I do have to admit I'm glad dancing is over for awhile. Now, I don't have to rush home every Monday night for awhile. :)

Oh, and Al and I bought Cooper a toddler bed over the weekend. We saw one of those blue corvette toddler beds at a yard sale for $50 so we snatched it up. He's done pretty well with sleeping in it. The first night he fell asleep on the floor in front of his door and Al had to pick him up and carry him to bed. Before long, my little man won't be my little baby boy anymore. *sniffle* Now we just have to work on that pistol!

And Olivia goes to meet her teacher at Thomas Hart tomorrow. She's really excited and so am I! I really think she's going to feel comfortable with this lady because she has a very easy going personality and seems to be accepting that kids will be kids. So, I think Olivia will respond really well to her. We'll find out tomorrow though! I can't believe she's getting ready to start school in August. Ok, I'm going to seriously cry now! Ha ha! You do know she'll be the smartest 4 year old in her class right? :)

That's all for now!

It's like baby crack man!

He's addicted to that thing in his mouth!

Cooper LOVES his paci - I mean, LOVES it. He's probably the worst of the two on breaking this habit. Olivia was a breeze, but Cooper....well, Cooper has a bad dependency on the "paci." Al and I are trying very hard to wean him and now we've gotten to where he only has it at nap time and bed time. However, Cooper hasn't feel well the last few days and when he feels bad, he needs some extra "comfort" so to speak. I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to give in and hand him the paci (and I won't tell my husband how many times I have!) over the last few days. I can totally understand why it's so hard for people with other dependencies to break their habits. Poor little Coop is having a tough time. And he's showing the classic symptoms of withdrawl - not sleeping well, crying a lot, being super whiny, and clingy. I know Al and I have to stay firm, but man.....it's torture!

Oh, and Al took Olivia to practice for her recital and of course my child would DO NOTHING. She did that last year though and still ended up haming it up at the show. I can almost bet she'll do the same this year!

Mother's Day and Dedication

I had a pretty good Mother's Day. The kids (and Al) got me a Weight Watchers cookbook which is exactly what I asked for. How sweet! Now I have *no excuse* not to loose some weight huh? Ha!

At church yesterday the kids got dedicated. It wasn't anything fancy, but I feel good knowing we decided to do that. My nephew Louis was dedicated as well.

Anyways, not much to report - Olivia's dance recital is on Saturday so she's getting super excited about that. I can't believe it's time for that already. She's going to be so stinking cute, it won't be funny! :)

Later!

Diaper Sissy

You know Olivia wants to be Cooper's "little Mama" right? Man, she is all into that job! She tries to feed him, bath him, spanks him, and now - even tries to change his diapers! You always know my children are up to no good when it gets eerily quiet in our house. On Saturday, we had one of those moments! Ha!

Al and I caught Olivia with Cooper in his room trying to change his diaper. She had him layed out on the floor and was doing her best to get it off (she doesn't understand that shorts have to come off first). And she finally succeeded! It must have taken her forever and she never could get the new diaper under Coop's rear to put on him. Finally Al helped her and she was so proud of herself. One diaper change = 10 minutes. Ha ha! But Cooper just layed there and let Sissy try. Maybe I should let her continue to practice so she can take over that job for me? That would be nice! Ok, so I don't see that happening anytime soon......bummer!

Anyways, the pics are of the kids on the lawn mower. Olivia used to be scared of it but since Cooper isn't - she's not anymore. Monkey see....monkey do! :)

The Stinking Doodlebops!

I hate the Doodlebops - especially that blue freak, Rooney! If your kid watches the Disney channel, you know who I'm talking about. Olivia and Cooper LOVE them so Nana bought them a DVD of them to watch in the car.

In one of the episodes Rooney is asking all kinds of questions - really getting on everyone's nerves. Kind of like a certain 4 year old I know that will remain nameless but you all know who I'm talking about! Ha! Anyways, at the end of the episode Rooney tells the kids "hey, questions are good, so ask away!" Hence the reason I hate him.....

Olivia will ask you 100 million billion (if there is such a number) questions from the minute she wakes up to the minute she falls asleep. The kid never stops talking. And now, since watching this show, she thinks it's even more ok for her to ask, ask, ask. If I dare tell her I've had enough of questions, she'll calmly say "But Mommy, Rooney said questions were good." - UGH!!!

Why can't my kids watch something on tv that teaches them manners and how to behave when out? Ha ha! Stinking Doodlebops......

Freaking me out

Olivia's new thing is to ask about death - or dieing - or killing - or anything that results in one being buried in the ground. Honestly, after the conversation I had with her on Sunday, she's starting to FREAK ME OUT!!!!

Here the story:
Olivia: Mommy! I'm the new teacher Ms. Linda (don't ask, I don't know?)
Me: Hello Ms. Linda
Olivia: I'm taking over at daycare because Ms. Judy, Mrs. Dawn, Baby Allison (Dawn's youngest daughter) and Ms. Ada are all dead.
Me: Dead? No....they aren't dead. They are on vacation.
Olivia: Fine...they are on vacation......(long pause, stare)....DEAD.
Me: NO! Let's not play they are dead, they are on vacation.
Olivia: *sigh* Fine, but they killed themselves on vacation.
Me: What? No, how do you know about killing themselves?
Olivia: They shot themselves with a gun and died.
Me: Ok, I'm done playing this game....
Olivia: It's just pretend Mommy - DUH!

I immediately called Nana and she assures me that it's a normal phase and that Olivia is just at the age where she notices this stuff now. Maybe I should have talked to her about death and stuff more but I honestly don't see the point. She's only 4 - why should I throw that in her head? Maybe I'm just being weird. :) Nah! But she is freaking me out a little!

Pictures from last weekend

So here are some pictures of us picking scrawberries!

Picking Scraw-Berries

Olivia has been asking me for the longest time to take her to pick some "scrawberries" so Al and I finally took the kids up to McLeod Farms in McBee over the weekend. It was really fun! We got to ride the golf cart down to where they wanted us to pick - which Cooper HATED....for whatever reason my baby is terrified of golf carts. Then when we jumped down, Olivia picked a few scrawberries and announced she was done. Wait, her exact words were "I'm tired, my hands hurt, you pick the scrawberries Mommy." So guess who got to pick all the strawberries? Yeap me! Al didn't even get his butt off the golf cart. What a slacker! Cooper ate as many as he picked which I thought was cute.

We got some really pretty strawberries though. When we got back to the store, we paid for them and then got some strawberry ice cream for Ms. Griggs and Cooper and I got some peach cobbler. It was yummy! Not good on a diet, but I think Coop ate most of it anyways. I do think we'll go back in a few weeks and let the kids have at it again. Oh, and I took some pics so I'll try to have those posted. Well, Al took the pics since his slack self was just sitting there!

Husband

My daughter is the funniest kid on the planet. On the way to school this morning we had this conversation....

O: Mommy?
Me: Yes love of my life.
O: I want a husband!
Me: What? You don't want a husband.
O: Yes I do! I want a husband!
Me: You're too young for a husband, you can have one when you're 35.
O: Awwww.....

Don't ask, I haven't a clue! She'll also tell me sometimes that she wanted to come our wedding and I laugh because - heck, she was there! Ha ha!

Just some pictures....

If you don't know by now, I am a picture addict. I take tons of pictures of my babies. Some turn out extremely cute (ok, almost ALL of them) and some don't. :) These are some that I took over Easter weekend. Easter was so cold this year and it didn't really even feel like Easter at all. But the kids still had a lot of fun hunting eggs at church. I really like the picture of me and Cooper - now you know why I keep saying he's not my kid! He's as blonde and blue eyed as they come! :) Too bad he inherited Al's HORRIBLE cowlick right in the middle of his hair. We're going to have a hard time with his hair as it grows.

Anyways, just thought I would share some pics!

What was I thinking?

I have no idea what I was thinking over the weekend. On Friday night, Cooper woke us up screaming crying. I mean, you would have thought a dingo was after him or something (A Dingo ate my baby!!!!). When Al got in the bedroom, Cooper wasn't in his crib! Somehow he had gotten out of his crib, climbed under it, and then totally FREAKED out.

Background story : one side of Cooper's crib keeps coming loose if you push on it hard enough - we keep messing with it and thinking we have it fixed, but after a few days, Cooper messes it up again. SSSSOOO, with that being said, Al and I assumed he had pushed on the side of the crib and climbed out. So, here's when I have my *brilliant* idea - let's just take the side of the crib down, put up the side rail for the toddler bed and see how he does. Now does that sound like a really bad idea looking back or what? Ha! Well, the little stinker tricked us! Saturday night went pretty darn well....he might have cried a few times but that was it. Sunday morning I thought I was a genius! WWWEEELLLL......Sunday night was a completely different story. Cooper went to bed like normal with no problems until about 11pm. Then all HADES broke loose!

Cooper was up and down, up and down, up and down, cried, cried, cried and wanted to be held and rocked. Finally close to 1am, we decided to just put the side of the crib back up and put him to bed. I guess my little man wasn't ready for a toddler bed after all. And I have to admit, I am kind of glad because I was so sad looking into his room and not seeing the crib set up. He's growing so fast that it hurts my heart. And don't get me started on Olivia. I tear up just thinking about her starting school soon!

Anyways, I'm done with brilliant ideas for awhile! We're leaving Cooper where he is for a little while longer. :)

New word

Cooper has a new word he can say - and he says it ALL the time now. It's NO.

"Cooper, you want something to eat?" NO

"Cooper, are you thirsty?" NO

"Cooper, do you love Mommy?" NO NO NO!

Ugh! I want Coop to talk more, but he's stuck on this word. I'm sure it's just a phase and apparently he hears it all day, every day at daycare and that's why he's so hooked on it. *sigh* I just have to be patient I guess. It is really cute how he says the word though...he's got this cute little high pitched voice that says "nnnnaaaawwww" - it's funny.

Oh, and the word MINE is a close, close second!

They are slowly killing me.....

That's right - Cooper NOT Olivia is going to be the death of me! I promise you, that little boy is rougher and into more stuff than Olivia Grace ever dared to be! Ok, so you want to know why Cooper Thomas Griggs is going to give me a heart attack right? Well, he's learned to climb. And I mean, he is a *PRO* at it - there is nothing my little 19 month old, 26 pound toddler can't get into. So, last night he climbed up on my bed like he does all the time. No big deal right? I walk over to my closet and for whatever reason - Divine Intervention maybe - I looked over just in time to see Cooper falling head first off the bed after a stinking pretzel that fell. I lunged for him but didn't catch him in time. He hit his poor little head! He cried - I almost cried - and after a few minutes, he was fine. I swear, if I were a cat, I would have lost about 4 lives right at that moment. Ha!

And don't think Olivia Grace is innocent in contributing to slowly driving Mommy crazy and killing her! If I have to hear "tell me a story about it" one more time, I'm going to go POSTAL!!!! Ha! Olivia wants to hear a story about everything - why the grass is green, why Ariel's Daddy has long hair, why she has to go to big kid school, etc. You name it, she wants a story for it. And don't ask *her* to tell *you* a story, because as I found out this morning...."I don't know how to tell stories." Yeah right!

They are out to get me I tell you!

Happy Easter!!!

Happy Easter!!!

I took these pictures of the kids myself. I don't think they came out too shabby do you? :) I was really, really pleased with them. I can't believe how grown up they are getting! Al is home with them today and they have been outside playing and having a good time. Which is a big difference from yesterday when I was home with Cooper since he was sick. Anyways, I know this is short and boring but I'm getting ready to leave work and it's FRIDAY!!!!!!

I promise to have a funnier blog on Monday!

Party at Chuck E Cheese

Olivia had her birthday party at Chuck E Cheese's on Saturday. I have to say, I was really expecting it to be chaotic and nerve racking and it totally wasn't! The waitress kept us with us and would periodically remind me when to go get the kids to eat, have cake, dance with Chuck E. and open gifts. Then after the party, you could stay and finish playing for as long as you wanted. I think we were the last of the Griggs party to leave to be honest! Olivia had so much fun and Cooper did too. Al and I may reserve Cooper a party there when he gets a little older.

The last picture is of "The Girls" - Olivia, Gracie, and Lauren. They run the daycare they go to! Ha ha! It's just too sweet. Can you believe my little girl is going to be FOUR on Wednesday? Wow, where did the time go!

And the award goes to.....

Louis Bryson Griggs!!!! in "Cutest Nephew In the World"

Isn't he just too cute? He has definitely won over his Aunt Mandy and Uncle Al's hearts! :)

Al and I have decided to put Olivia in Thomas Hart. I am tired of waiting for Emmanuel to make a decision so to heck with them. (I only wish Jennifer and Mrs. Charles were blog readers!) I'm sure it's a great school, I won't deny that BUT I think they are very biased in their selection process so we'll just go elsewhere. I called Thomas Hart today and we will go on a tour tomorrow and can sign her up then. AND once you sign up, you are guaranteed a spot. So, I'm actually much happier about this - I mean, not only is it cheaper than ECS, but it's a lot closer to my house. So, I'm happy. :)

The First Born Reigns Supreme and Sappy Stuff

Cooper LOVES taking baths - actually both the kids do. Olivia will ask you at 3pm to give her a bath. She doesn't care what time it is, as long as she can get in. And Cooper wants to get in the tub *right* time he gets home from daycare. No eating first Mommy....I want a bath NOW! So, I usually kill two birds with one stone and throw them in the tub together. It's worked really well so far (except for the occasionally "why does Cooper have a wee wee comment" from Olivia) until last night. Cooper will probably NEVER get back in the tub now.

Little background story....Al and I bought a new tub for our house the year after we moved in. We even splurged a little and got a jacuzzi tub. We love it....I don't use it as much as I use too but that's because my tub has been taken over by two little monsters. So anyways....

Back to last night. Somewhere in the mist of them playing and me trying to wash the 4 layers of dirt off Cooper's little body, Olivia hit the button to make the jacuzzi come on. Water shot up everywhere, it made a loud noise and shot poor little Cooper right in the head from two different directions. The poor kid climbed UP my shirt and had us both soaking wet. He cried and clung to me like a wet, little monkey. Olivia just sat there and coolly said "Sorry, it was an accident. No spankings Mommy." Hmmmm.....was it really an accident or is this part of Olivia's plan to get her own bath time back? I'm sensing a Bad Seed vibe from her. Ha ha! I put Cooper back in the tub to try to show him there was no reason to be scared but he just cried. So, I took him out. Mean, mean little girl! Olivia - 450246450 Cooper - 2.

Anyways, after the excitement had died down, Al and I dressed the kids and got them ready for bed. I have to admit, I have the same routine every night before I go to bed. I creep into Olivia's room and make sure she's covered up and kiss her goodnight and whisper "I love you to the moon and back" and then I just look at her. I do the same thing with Cooper. Sometimes I catch myself tearing up looking at their beautiful little faces because I can't believe they are mine. Really mine. I know I'm a mom, but shoot, sometimes I still don't feel like it and still don't feel like I'm *worthy* of having two great kids. I still feel like I'm learning and God knows I make mistakes with them. I feel so blessed and I thank God everyday for them. I don't know what I did to deserve them. I must be doing something right since I'm Olivia Grace's best friend huh? Anyways, that's me being sappy.....

Wow, I wrote a novel today.....

Nothing...

I have nothing.....can you believe that? I have nothing really funny to write about that my kids did over the weekend.....boo on me! I did take a short video of Cooper on the Dora 4 wheeler but I don't think I can post it on here. Bummer.

Anyways, I weighed today and I'm down 4 pounds from last monday! Woo Hoo! That gives me a total of NINE pounds in the first 3 weeks on Weight Watchers. Al is opting for weighing tonight so I'll post tomorrow and let you know how much he's down.

Oh, and the girl that LIES at Emmanuel still hasn't called me back.

Liar, Liar...

PANTS ON FIRE!!! That chick from Emmanuel *never* called me back!

And she works for a Christian school...she should be ashamed of herself!

Forgot something....

I knew there was something I wanted to blog about but kept forgetting! Olivia managed to con (although it's really not *that* hard) Nanny into buying her two "twin" babies the other week from Target. They are really cute but guess what Olivia named them?

Thelma and Louise!

How stinking funny is that? Of course, she doesn't know why everyone thinks that's funny, but I had to laugh when she told me their names. She is too much sometimes. Oh, and I called Emmanuel to ask if Olivia had been accepted. I think I royally offended the girl that answered the phone because I called not once, but twice. But come on, she first tells me she's sending out letters and I'll know something in 2 weeks? Well hey, that's not really fair because if you reject my kid, I want to be able to get her into another pre-school program. So, we had a little "disagreement" about that and she's promised to call me back. Of course I haven't heard a darn thing from her. And I probably won't. GGGRRRRR

I just hope that Olivia's name wasn't on the "accepted" list and got moved to the "rejected" side because I called and asked if there was any way they could let me ASAP. Oh well! I'm beginning to really not like this school!

Suspense is killing me!!!!!

When is Emmanuel going to let me know if Olivia has been accepted or not? They are KILLING me! Everyday I run (ok, so that's an exaggeration) anxiously to the mailbox in hopes that I'll see the E letterhead, but *nothing*. You have no idea how bad I want to call up that lady and say "look, just be straight up with me here and tell me if you want her or not!" - ha! I have faith that she'll get in....no news is good news right?

Oh, Week 2 of Weight Watchers went well. I lost another two pounds and Al lost six. *eye roll* Again, I'm happy for my hubby, but COME ON!!!! I've lost 5 stinking pounds to his 14....it's just not fair. I'm just going to have to get lipo. :)

Aaaannnnndddd....Cooper is doing really well with only have his paci at nap and bed time. I'm hoping to 1. break him of this habit and 2. get him talking more by keeping it out of his mouth. Have I mentioned that my 18 month old son is addicted to Spongebob? Now that's a word he can say clear enough. Too cute right? Yeah, until he goes to the doctor and I have to him that's the *only* word he says....ha ha!

The words of the day are.....

IMPRESSIVE and SURE. Here's each used in a sentence by our very own Olivia Grace.

O: "Mommy, that was IMPRESSIVE that she gave me chocolate candy."
and
Me: "Olivia, do you want some chicken nuggets?"
O: "SURE."
This word of the day may be used after EVERY single question you ask your soon to be 4 year old. It replaces the normal "yes, yes ma'am, yeah," etc.

Where does my kid learn this vocabulary? I mean, wasn't it just the other day that I was commenting on her usage of the word "actually"? And when is Cooper going to pick up on this stuff? I know I shouldn't compare kids, but man, Olivia was talking up a storm at his age. Oh well, he's my sweet little man. I guess he doesn't need to talk when all he has to do is point and grunt for whatever he wants huh? Although, Cooper can say ball, hey, bye bye, uh oh, blue....and that's all I can think of for now. I'm sure there are more and I'm just forgetting them.

Oh, and as I am typing this, Olivia came in asking for her play plastic scissors so she can "cut Poppy's hair". For those of you who don't my dad (aka Poppy), he's BALD. Ha ha!

Yay for us!!!

So, Al and I are on Weight Watchers for Week 2. Let me tell you - the first few days on Weight Watchers is pure TORTURE!!! But, I do have to admit that it gets easier every day. And I think Al and I are really learning how to eat healthy for a change. I haven't had a single piece of chocolate in almost 2 weeks and I'm drinking water like it's going out of style. I do have an occasional diet Dr. Pepper to give myself a boost of caffeine. AAAANNNNDDD when Al and I did our weekly weigh in on Monday, Al had lost EIGHT pounds (go Al!!!) and I had lost THREE. :( Ok, so I'm jealous my hubby lost more but I am very, very proud of him. If I can be consistent with three pounds a week, I'm happy with that and I just might make my target of losing 35 pounds. Wish us lots of luck!

In other news.....Cooper is addicted to Olivia's Dora 4-wheeler. He loves to ride around on that thing! Nana said Olivia was driving it around at top speed w/Cooper hanging on laughing his little heart out. I wish Poppy had taken a picture because the image in my head is too cute! Oh well!

Oh, and no news yet if Olivia got into Emmanuel.....

The interview Part 2

Olivia had her interview for Emmanuel this morning and she did pretty well. I was proud of my Baby Girl. She said her ABC's, counted to 10, talked about her brother, named all of her colors and shapes CORRECTLY. What can I say? I have a genius on my hands - ha ha! I would like for Olivia to get into their pre-school program, but I'm not stressing if she doesn't. There's always Thomas Hart to send her.

The weekend was perfect! My kids got to play outside and they loved it. Cooper learned how to drive Sissy's Dora 4-wheeler. He is the funniest thing to watch on that thing. He has to stand up to hit the gas and then it almost throws him off. But he loves it. I definitely think Al and I need to get him something like that for his birthday this year. Oh, speaking of birthdays, I think I may have found a place that sells Spongebob candles and Ariel stuff. So maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to make Olivia's cake after all!

18 months already

Can you believe Cooper is 18 months old already? Gosh, he's going to be TWO before I know it. *sniffle* We had his check up yesterday and he is 31 inches tall and 23 pounds. He's my little runt - STILL. Ha! But the doctor was concerned about his weight; she said as long as he was eating and was active, he was a perfect little boy. Which I already knew!

So, now my dilemma is what kind of cake to do for Ms. Olivia's birthday. She is insisting on having a pink cake, so I guess I will make a sheet cake and decorate it. However, she wants like 20 different characters on the cake, so I'm not sure what I will do. *sigh* Her interview for school is rescheduled for Monday morning so we'll see how things go with that. I'm keeping my options open for Thomas Hart or possibly leaving her in daycare for another year. We'll see though.

Oh, and I like to call the 2nd picture, "Monkey See, Monkey Do" - ha ha!

The interview Part 1

Well, I got a call today from Jennifer at Emmanuel. We (Al, Olivia, and myself) have our interview at Emmanuel on Wednesday at 12:30pm. AAARRRGGGHHH!!! I knew they said March, I just didn't realize they meant so early in March. I am so nervous that Olivia is going to act wild and NOT listen to me or her Daddy and these people will say, "you know what, here's your application fee back, we don't want her!" She's definitely smart enough to be there, I'm just not sure about her behavior! Ha!

So, has it really been almost a week since I last posted? Geez, I'm slack! Cooper has his 18 month check up on Wednesday as well and I'm anxious to see how much weight he's gained. He's so tiny to me, I may even talk to the doctor about what I can do to fatten him up. The kid eats like a horse so why is he so small? I'm just worried I'm not feeding my kid enough or something.

I'll keep ya'll posted on how the interview goes. Wish us luck that Olivia is on her best behavior!