hear, see, speak

Things I've heard lately:
Haley to Gracie "You are my best friend"
Haley to Sam "Come here boy"
Sam "I want that right now" (in an extra deep, threatening voice)
Gracie (unfortunately her favorit phrase) "no mama"

Things I've seen lately:
Sam approaching his sisters from behind and tackling them to the ground (this happens ALOT)
Haley giving Gracie a hug after telling her she is her best friend
Gracie braving the swimming pool...jumping, kicking her legs and putting her head under water

Things I've said lately:
Sam, leave your sisters alone
Haley, PLEASE poop in the potty
Gracie, open your mouth and use your words


I could probably write a short novel about all the things Haley says. She's the talker, teacher, and leader of our merry little family.
Gracie is certainly making great strides in her communication skills but we still have a lot of work ahead of us. She is a champ at repeating things she hears...her little brain is churning all the time!
Sam may give Haley a run for her money in the talking department. He is very verbal and recently it has been brought to our attention that he has quite the raspy voice. Jack Chaney said it sounds like he smokes a pack a day! I guess I never thought about it much until recently but it is quite true.
Put all three of them together and it is a loud, raucous little trio!

Shout out Sunday

I know, its not Sunday, but I thought about this post yesterday but never got around to logging on! Special shout outs and thanks to the following:



Jack, Candace, Anna Grace & Zeke -
Our sweet, sweet friends offered to watch the trio and feed them dinner on Friday night so Jason and I could have a little date night! What a generous offer! Me and the hubby had a great meal and the kids had a great time playing. We heart the Chaneys!!



Tootsie, Pop and Aunt Martha -
The a/c at the Greer home was broken for a week and a half and with temperatures in the upper 90's, we were forced to leave our house and camp out at my parents' house. The first few days were ok as it was fun and exciting; plus Martha was out of town so we could have her room. Once Martha got back into town, the newness of the adventure started to wear off and quarters became a little cramped. Martha, at age 22, had to sleep in my parents' bed. Anyone who knows Martha, knows how much she LOVES her bed...big sacrifice! After three trips to our house, the a/c guys finally fixed the problem and we were able to enjoy the coolness of our home.

Thank goodness for the kindness and love of friends and family!!!

paklepakle

Our newest favorite post dinner activity is enjoy popsickles (paklepakles to Sam) outside in the warmth of the evening. Sometimes they leave their clothes on; sometimes they don't! Thought I'd share this picture as they are all fulley clothed!

Gladiolas

This pretty little flower was blooming by our mailbox! A month or so ago I noticed these green leaves and almost pulled it out of the ground not knowing what beautiful blooms would emerge. Glad I let grow!

Non-Pass and black Thursday

I was hoping this blog post was going to be celebratory in nature. I had things all planned out...take my last CPCU test, pass, spread the good news around to friends and family, bask in the knowledge of completing two years of mostly hard study. Instead, I walked out of the testing center yesterday head down, tears falling, dejected, bummed, annoyed and frustrated as the words "Non-Pass" jupmed off the 8x11 piece of paper in my hands. I don't really recollect a time in my life where I didn't pass a test. I've always been an excellent student who pretty much sailed through high school, college and 7 CPCU tests. There was a combination I suppose of overconfidence and just being plain burned out that led to a lack of studying on my part. I like run...do I stop running before I reach the end of my driveway? Well, no. I keep running hard and fast until I make it home and reach my goal. In the study world, I totally stopped running and didn't reach my goal. So now I've got pull myself up by the boot straps, focus my energies and keep on studying so I can retake and pass this last stinkin' test. Now, I will say in my defense that I passed 7 straight tests with no problems and they were all in essay format. This last one is the only multiple choice test in the bunch. Historically, I do not perform as well on multiple choice. Over analyization is a major downfall for me. Fortunately, I was able to end my day in the company of two unbelievable friends enjoying a great dinner filled with great conversation. The beautiful sun came up this morning and yesterday's "poor pitiful me" attitude has fallen by the wayside. After a few more days of rest, I'll pick up those books again and run on towards the finish line.