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? :)