amazing grace...life with the trio

Grace, grace

2012-01-31T08:00:00.003-06:00

Sweet Grace. Heart of gold. Uber sensitive. A sister anyone would want. A friend to the end. I love this little girl!
But don't let all of her sweetness fool you; this one has a stubborn streak a mile wide! Once she digs her heals in, it is virtually impossible to move her until she decides to move. Her therapists at school told me that they see that trait often in preemies. From the moment she took her first breath, she had to fight a little bit harder than Haley to survive; what is natural and normal for most babies did not come naturally or easily for her. But six years later, she is a tough little first grader, reading, writing and singing her way through life.
Amazing, amazing Grace.
what.a.blessing.

Post party laundry room - Week 4

2012-01-30T14:27:00.000-06:00

Sunday afternoon we celebrated the upocoming birth of a sweet baby girl. The shower was at our house and it took a lot of prep work to get Casa Greer in tip top shape for guests! In order to get "stuff" out of the dining and livng areas, the laundry room became the dumping ground. The house shinned, the guests dinned, the fellowship abounded and the baby was loved; however, it may take the better part of the week to sort through the mess and make sure it doesn't end of back on my dinning room table. All worth it of course!
As a side note, the laundry room isn't well organized on a good day, but it was the actual selling point of the house. We were moving from a precious 1930's house (that I still miss from time to time, memories...) but the washer and dryer were in the middle of the already cramped kitchen. I'm not one for washing, drying, folding and putting away a load of laundry all at one time, so clean and dirty clothes scattered across my kitchen with 3 children age 2 and under was a bit of a nuisance; plus there were the two black labs! Of course, I'm grateful we had the hook-ups, but when we (I) saw the beauty of a room, dedicated solely to the purpose of laundry, I heard the angels sing! Ok, a little dramatic, but I love my messy little room where I can pile it high and still shut the doors, hid from the eyes of unsuspecting guests and I now I guess all of the www!

Week 3 - a sweet Sunday

2012-01-23T10:16:00.000-06:00

Still and quiet for a few precious moments!

Week 2

2012-01-15T20:33:00.000-06:00

I've been trying to take my camera with me on a daily basis and be on the look out for moments to capture. As I was heading home from work week before last, I noticed the moon peaking out and instead of being annoyed at the red light (which I can never seem to catch green!) I rolled down my window to snap a pic.

As most people know, I am not the cook in our home. With a husband who enjoys it and is good at it, I sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labor! However, I am usually on pancake duty on the weekends because I can mix batter and water for some mean flapjacks! However, last Sunday I was feeling extra domestic and decided to make begium waffles complete with sliced strawberries and whipped cream. I thought it sounded delicious and was excited about the special surprise from my precious children. That feeling was quickly replaced with frustration and anger as they turned their noses up at my special creation! Sad, sad, but I will try again!

This afternnon was quite beautiful and almost spring like so the kids spent a good amount of time playng outside. I happend to catch them in the act of playing nicely together; when it's good, it's good but when it's bad, it's bad. I much prefer the time as seen below!

I hope everyone has a great week and I hope to keep the camera clicking!!

52 week challenge

2012-01-06T11:58:00.000-06:00

For the few of you loyal readers, you'll remember that last year I attempted Project 365 in which I planned on taking a picture every day and blogging about it. Well, life happens and a picture a day did not! So when I entertained the thought of trying again, I was encourgaged to set a more attainable goal - a 52 week challenge involving a photo each week! Do-able? I sure hope so!
I'm off to a good start so here I present a photographic snapshot of December 31-January 6!

Christmas Cheer

2011-12-27T21:20:00.000-06:00

Hope, peace, joy and love - the themes of advent. I pray that my children experienced these gifts this holiday season. Our Christmas festivities kicked off on Thursday with a relatively new annual tradition - dinner at the Shreveport Club. I can remember going pre kids so it's something we've been doing at leas 7 years. Since having kids, I think we've had the same Santa Clause in attendance so it's been fun to see their reactions to the big, jolly man evolve as well as how much bigger they get sitting on his lap each year!

On Christmas Eve, we went to church for the traditional Lessons and Carols service. Again, something I've done since I was little but I was struck how far we've come in the past few years from crying babies to a couple of six year olds that can read the words out of the hymnal as we sing.

Our annual Christmas Eve photo - missing Rebekah and Dave

Christmas morning began very early with Haley bouncing into the living room around 3:30 a.m.! It was slightly endearing to hear the excitement in her voice as she called for others to join her to see Santa's goodies, but that was entirely too early so we wrangled everyone back to bed and we were able to sleep for 3 more hours, thank goodness.

After opening gifts we went to church for what was a beautifully wonderful celebration of Jesus' birthday.

Following the service we headed to my grandparents house where we met up with my parents, sister, aunt, uncle and cousins to eat brunch and commence the gift giving/receiving fun! After a morning full of fun, everyone departed ways for a few hours to rest and to recuperate. We went back to my grandparents' house later that evening to enjoy dinner together as well.

We are a very blessed family in that we are close by the proximity of our homes (our house, my parents' house, my aunt & uncle's house and my grandparents' house are all with in a 1 mile radius - we could walk if need be!) and we are close by virtue of our love and the family tie that binds. I have experienced the last 34 Christmases in that very same den and look forward to many more to come! We certainly missed my sister and brother in law but so look forward to this time next year when they and their new baby girl will be there to join us (Avery is to make her debut in February!!)!

4 generations of Talbots

Santa had a long morning - checking out my cousin's new bottle of whiskey!

Make a Joyful Noise!

2011-12-18T14:52:00.000-06:00

We are making progress! Last year the girls wouldn't even stand on stage; this year they put on the robes and stood in front of the congregation with the FBC Shreveport Children's Choir. They didn't sing but I'm proud of them regardless. There is a very good chance that I wore the same robe they had on as I sang on the same stage at that same age! Whether they wear the robes singing hymns of old or wear jeans, clap their hands and sing about taming the tongue, I pray they may understand and appreciate the beauty of worshipping the Lord through music and song. While I may not be a gifted singer, I love to lift my voice in highest praise and sing to the One to whom all glory and honor be given. (and I apologize to Sarah Sherry who has to sit next to me in choir as I belt out many of the wrong notes as we sing...I'm thankful she is my friend and loves me anyway!)

Photo courtesy of Candace Chaney

What's so special about a baby

2011-12-01T12:51:00.000-06:00

Gracie left, Haley right - early 2006

I've been going through a lot of photos lately in attempts to come up with fun photo gifts for the family. I've been getting sidetracked in Shutterfly looking at older albums. Maybe it's the season and the impending celebration of our Savior's birth, but I keep looking at the pictures of my babies and getting teary eyed remembering those moments. Moments which were often difficult, often wrought with exhaustion, yet
moments that I look back with pure amazement, joy and thanksgiving. Wow, sometimes I can't believe we've survived and the time has slipped by so quickly. I hope and pray during this hectic holiday season that I take the take to slow down, soak in the moments, hold fast to old memories while making new ones.
There is a line in the upcoming children's Christmas program at church that I keep mulling over. The angels learn that God is coming to earth as a baby and one angel says, "...a baby! What's so special about a baby?" I ask, what's not?

Sam's birthday 2/23/07

So much to say...

2011-11-28T22:09:00.000-06:00

I have been absent for quite some time but 2011 has proven to be a year of change and transition. Much more on that to come but for now, my three little turkeys! I will be forever grateful for being given the privilege of being called their mama.

the SSG turns 4!!

2011-02-24T13:05:00.000-06:00

Hard to believe my little 5 pound squirt is now my big 'ol 4 year old! He had a great day that started out with Southern Maid donuts (he ate 2! ironically, not eating is what kept him in the NICU for a few extra days!), got chocolate cupcakes at school to celebrate with his friends, and ended the night with breakfast for dinner. While last year he was obsessed with all things "Cars", he has moved onto the Toy Story franchise. Oh he still likes his cars, but Buzz and Woody rule right now.

What joy his life has brought into our family in these four short years. Happy birthday baby boy and here's to many more to come!

Birth day 2007

birthday 2011

showing off his birthday party invite

Potato Heads from Toostie & Pop...of course part of Toy Story obsession

celebration at school

friends and hearts

2011-02-17T16:42:00.000-06:00

A totally random title for a few of last week's goodies!

Bethany loves to craft and paper crafting is her outlet of choice. So far she has taught several of us how to make these cute little paper boxes that can be used for gifts, to store random trinkets or just as little pretties to leave sitting around. Last Thursday we had a craft night complete with the best homemade gourmet popcorn, Bethany's famous chocolate cookies and an impressive arsenal of embellishments!!

Thursday - February 10,2011

I did not get a chance to snap a photo on Friday but Jason were able to have an early Valentine's Day date thanks to PNO (Parent's Night Out) at church. We had a lovely dinner that involved adult conversation and an adult beverage or two. It was a well needed outing!

Saturday was one of the most glorious days we have had in quite some time. The skies were blue, the sun was shinning and I think it topped out around 70 degrees. Me and the trio met Candace and her three at the church playground for some lunch and playtime. I was able to get this self portrait with baby Asher! Really, this is one super cute kiddo!!

Saturday - February 12, 2011

On Sunday morning, Sam woke up early as per usual and in an effort to let the girls keep sleeping (and daddy too) we headed out for some coffee and donuts. As it was the day before Valentine's Day, Southern Maid was offering these ginormous heart shaped donuts with hot pink icing. Hmmm hmmm! Kids got those while me and Jason got Starbucks.

Sunday - February 13, 2011

Monday, Valentine's Day!! When we got home, Tootsie had left these fun heart balloons along with several other fun goodies. Dinner was topped off with cupcakes I made for the day. I'd say we all had our fill of sugar! I don't know what kind of crazy face Sam is making but this is as good as I could get!

After almost 8 years of marriage, my husband has finally embraced my love language, acts of service, and had dinner cooked for everyone, bathed the kids, put them to bed and did some laundry while I enjoyed an early evening run. He's the best and I really do appreciate all of the gifts he bestows on my daily!

Monday, February 14,2011

First Sam wrote his name!! We have been practicing "S" a lot but he usually gets frustrated and throws the crayon but yeah, he did it this time! He has the "A" down but it looks like his "M" could use a little work so his name doesn't read Saw! Regardless I'm proud! Not too bad for a 3 year, 357 day old!!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Look what my husband surprised me with last night! I heart Samoas! What a treat after a long Wednesday.

Wednesday - February 16, 2011

I'm having lots of fun with my little project and it is making me much more aware of life around me and how quicly it passes. Looking forward to more gems throughout the year ~

it continues...

2011-02-09T20:06:00.000-06:00

Monday - February 7, 2011
Getting the girls to hold their fists out...this is for the V-day cards at school. I printed them out and in the process of putting a sucker to make it look like they are holding it for their friend. "I'm a sucker for you"!!

Tuesday - February 8, 2011
My first baby's birthday!! Lily turned 9...I can't believe we've had her for that long! She still has the energy of a one year old, good and bad. If nothing else, she is a loyal companion and I love love my puppy!

Wednesday - February 9, 2011
A non-snow snow day here in Shreveport. After spending the morning with their daddy, the trio went to Tootsie's. This event will require a post all on it's own!

365

2011-02-07T16:58:00.000-06:00

Two plus months...knew it had been a while but time sure did fly quickly! Too much has happened during this lapse of time to recap but a little lesson I learned involved goals.
Back in late summer, I got in my mind the crazy idea to run a half marathon and I managed to convince Candace that it would be a fabulous idea to do it together! Several months of training ensued...there were hot, humid runs and there were chill you to the bones runs, but we had a training schedule and we stuck to it.
We are now right at 2 months post race and I've run some here and there but without a goal to work for, I haven't been as diligent.
All of this to say, I read on a blog about a Project 365 involving photos. There may be more formal rules/guidelines in place but I've boiled it down to one easy thought...take a picture every day for 365 days, a full year. I didn't discover this little gem until a month into the new year but I'm going with it. So a) I have a goal b) I have a blog that no one reads BUT these a & b are going to hold me accountable!
I haven't really decided my format...post a pic each day, a few times a week, weekly, etc. For ease and sanity, I think I'll just do it when I have a free moment (which is not right now but I've been putting it off for a week), so here we go!!

Day 1 - Saturday, January 29, 2011
Beautiful springlike day in the middle of winter so we took a family outing to our church, had a picnic and played on the playground. I have lots of cute ones from this day so this is going to be the really hard part for me...just one!!

Day 2 - Monday, January 31,2011 (yeah, I skipped Sunday, don't hate, I'm new at this)
This is usually how I start my mornings, not too bad, well most of the time!

Day 3 - Tuesday, February 1, 2011
My first king cake of the season...yum, Julie Ann's praline & creme

Day 4 - Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Our first fire...it was a cold evening!!

Day 5 - Friday, February 4, 2011 (yep, Thursday was a no go)
Snow day! We got a pretty good coating of the white stuff...here me and the trio are walking to Tootsie & Pop's house for a little entertainment. Schools were closed and so was my office...whoot whoot!

Day 6 - Saturday, February 5, 2011
While we were at my parents' house the day before, Haley found a little stuffed doggie that came from a McDonald's Happy Meal, circa 2003. She then became emphatic that we have some McD's...this was their first happy meal! I'm not opposed to fast food for them, but we tend to stop by Wendy's as our weekly choice!

Day 7 - Sunday, February 6, 2010
Super Bowl! I made a cookie cake for our friend Paul who celebrates 30 something on Tuesday. He and Jason threw our youth group a church a little super bowl party so I thought it would be a fun addition. Happy happy Paul!

So there is week one! Here is to the next 358 days!!

Just a few...

2010-11-24T13:10:00.000-06:00

people in my life that I am VERY thankful for this Thanksgiving season...

Grandparents - Pop & Haley at Grandparent's Day

Tootsie!! With the girls at Grandparent's Day

My boys - the best husband and son a girl could want or need

My little turkey holding the turkey cuupcake his daddy made

Two amazing little girls

and a group of friends that I can be silly with!

a little Tuesday randomness

2010-11-16T16:26:00.000-06:00

Uploaded the pics from my phone yesterday and here is the ensuing randomness!

Super Cute Soccer player Sam...too bad the season was a disaster!

Haley getting her face painted at the Revel

Gracie's pumpkin face

Gracie rockin' the sunglasses

Because this is just so typical of life with these three!

beauty of technology...a pic of a dress I texted to Aunt Becky for her approval! By the way, CDC, my sweet new neon running jacket which glows in the dark is behind me!

Velcro man in action

an attempt to document my wearing of orange and blue for the Auburn/Georgia game

and finally baby brother on the slide!

Happy Halloween 2010

2010-11-02T12:51:00.000-05:00

We had a great Halloween weekend...beautiful weather, fun friends and lots of sugar! This was the first year the trio went door to door trick or treating and they had a blast! Sam loved being Woody from Toy Story so much that he was requested we call him Woody, not Sam from now on...he is one silly little boy!

Trick or Treat, Trick or Treat

The girls and baby Asher...my how they love him!

Cutest Elephant E.V.E.R.!!

DJ Lance passing out candy

Our ballerina, Woody and Minnie Mouse

Happy Halloween

Woody

what a beautiful Minnie she is!

And a beautiful ballerina

wordless Wednesday

2010-10-27T12:32:00.000-05:00

wounded

2010-10-26T11:22:00.000-05:00

Exhibit 1

I loathe ironing. See above exhibit 1 for a prime reason! Now, one might ask how I managed to burn myself in a perfect triangle shape on the back side of my arm so let me explain. First off, I don't usually iron (again, exhibit 1); I have a wonderful husband who actually enjoys it and irons all of his own clothes. However, I had to be at church early on Sunday morning so Saturday evening I was gathering the trio's clothing so I could be prepared and noticed Sam's shirt was terribly wrinkled, needed some pressing (ok, so it was still in the laundry basket of clean clothes that had been sitting out for two weeks as I gather things out of it instead of closets and drawers!) and figured I'd step up and do it. While I was at it, I decided to grab a few pairs of Jason's pants (that had been sitting on top of the dryer for 4 days) and iron those as well. I handled the size 3T shirt well but I think the pants looked better before I touched them with the evil hot iron. After 30 long minutes, I decided I was done and unplugged the iron and started to take it back to the laundry room. As I was walking from the den to the laundry room, I saw several items laying in my path, children's socks, a block, cheese crackers, and in an attempt to multi task, picked them up along the way. I guess I forgot I was holding a VERY hot iron in my left hand and as I bent down to gather a sock, I felt the pain screaming through my right arm. Being very close the freezer, I quickly grabbed a piece of ice to place on the burn, but the damage was done. As wonderful as my husband is, he wasn't very sympathetic with my wound as he showed me two of his own...the price of wrinkle free clothing he told me!

So next time you see anyone in my family with nicely pressed, wrinkle free attire, commend Jason...my ironing days are over!

another first

2010-10-22T16:40:00.000-05:00

First school pictures! Like Candace, I was a bit hesitant about purchasing them, but for many reasons, I'm glad I did. Not that these are the best photos ever snapped of these girls, but they are only five once!

decorating pumpkins

2010-10-18T16:10:00.000-05:00

For the sake of honesty, Saturday sucked...I'd give it a 3 out of 10...so I guess it could have been worse. I couldn't go run, Sam didn't play soccer again, suburban ran out of gas, Jason had work to do, everyone needed more sleep, blah, blah, blah. In an attempt to redeem the day, we decorated the little pumpkins the girls and I picked up at the grocery store earlier in the day. As you can see from the photos below, the only stickers I could find had their names on them so the pumpkins litterally shout Haley, Grace and Samuel!

Gracie pre decoration

Haley concentrating hard on her sticker placement

our lefty showing off his marker masterpiece on his hands

Haley's pumpkin, obviously!

Sam was shouting Happy Halloween

the completed masterpieces!

Good news, we had a fun time with this activity. Bad news, the whinning, fighting, crying (and not limited to H, G, & S) recommenced shortly thereafter! Sunday proved to be just as busy as our Saturday and I had planned on a quiet weekend, but I think I must remember that life with 3 young children does not equal calm and quiet. The only prayer I could muster up this morning when my alarm went off so that we could do it all over again was Lord give me strength, Lord give me strength, Lord give me strength. Good thing He's listening 'cause I'm gonna need it today, tomorrow, day after tomorrow and for the years to come!!!

lady in red

2010-09-20T09:59:00.001-05:00

I've been wanting some red shoes to spice up my basic black, white and khaki wardrobe. Between new school shoes for the trio, ballet slippers and tap shoes for the girls, soccer shoes for Sam, and all the other things small children require, there isn't a lot left in the budget for mommy. Then I remembered some plain black flats in my closet that I no longer wore. Being the daughter of a spray paint king, I made the short walk to my parents' house, dug through my dad's stash of paints and voila! Red spray painted flats! I heart them and they were free! However, like a Monet painting, they look much better from a far than up close due to some spray painting imperfections but I'll take 'em!!

soccer stud!

2010-09-13T15:22:00.001-05:00

Team Superdog had their first soccer practice on Friday afternoon. It was interesting to say the least! Jason stepped up and will be "coach" for this season of play. Sam had a hard time keeping his hands off the ball and Gracie was ready to play with her brother and friends. This is gonna be fun for all involved!

you know your're growing up when...

2010-09-01T10:14:00.000-05:00

a PTA card comes home in your kindergartner's backpack! And yes, it says Nora Green...

not to be forgotten

2010-08-26T10:00:00.012-05:00

My baby boy!

He's so smart, so opinionated, so loving (when he wants to be) and growing up so quickly. I love the way he greets me each morning, groggy, grasping his blue blankie, hair sticking up, giving me a big "love you mama" hug.

He's having a little difficulty adjusting to the girls going to kindergarten; he keeps telling me he is 5 and he needs to go to big school too. While sweet, it can be a bit frustrating as he'll argue with a wall just to prove he is right. I have continually told him this week that I was there the day he was born and it has not been five years yet, but ONE day he'll be old enough to go to kindergarten. It has only been three days so I'm hoping we'll all adjust to the new normal soon!

a first day update

2010-08-25T09:53:00.000-05:00

The first day ended up being a great one! I couldn't get to daycare fast enough to pick everyone up and look into their folders! Each afternoon they'll bring home a folder in their backpack that will contain any paper work that needs to be signed, any artwork created, any homework to be completed, or anything else the teacher needs the parents to review. Also, there is a communications notebook where the teacher can leave notes for us and we can do the same. Mrs. Liner wrote Gracie had a great day and that at one point she asked her to "hold you". Mrs. Liner said her now 13 year old daughter used to say the say thing and it brought a little tear to her eye to hear our sweet GTG say the same thing. Mrs. Bell left us an assuring message that Haley was perfectly alright 10 minutes after we left and she did great all day! I actually got a good bit of information out of the girls themselves. They ate spaghetti and garlic bread in the cafeteria which they both liked. They had to carry their food to the table which they apparently handled quite well. Haley said she sat next to a boy and a girl at the lunch table but didn't know their names. They played on the playground at recess and were able to see one another and their daycare friends that are also at Shreve Island. Gracie specifically told me she slept on a Dora blanket as I totally forgot to send their nap mats...strike one for mama, but they had them this morning!
So far so good and I can't wait to hear about today's adventures.

1st day of kindergarten

2010-08-24T13:41:00.000-05:00

Today these little five year olds started kindergarten...uniforms and all!

They are going to a great little neighborhood school called Shreve Island. They are the only Shreveport school on the year round system and I am pretty excited about that. This should be there home for the next 6 years!

Hoping her thumb will come out of her mouth at some point. We did manage to leave piggy at home so that was a really big girl move! Only saw one little tear in her eye...she'll be fine, right?

There were LOTS of tears from this one which brought tears to my eyes. Her teacher, Mrs. Bell is going to be great and was very comforting. I'm praying the tears quickly dried and she is realizing how much fun kindergarten is going to be!

Baby brother with crazy bead head in on the action too! He asked if he could go to kindergarten with his sisters...how sweet is he?!

We're 5!!!!!!!

2010-08-19T13:02:00.000-05:00

showing off their happy birthday cards while eating purple pancakes and purple frosted sugar cookies

happy birthday sister!

8/19/10

They've been counting down the days to their 5th birthday shortly after their 4th birthday festivities wrapped up! And here we are again...another year. I'm still in slight disbelief that it has been 5 years since these little critters made their silent entry into the world. As I've said before, this day is always one filled with mixed emotions for me as that Friday morning in 2005 is still freshly seared into my brain. Obviously it is not something I dwell on often, but as they move forward another year, I take a step back and reflect and the shear magnitude of the day and the 4 months and 3 days we endured after their birth. Haley often talks about seeing Jesus and with my whole heart, I believe they both saw him on their birth day and in the months to follow. He showered them with his protection and love then and my prayers are that he will continue do so the remainder of their days!

countdown

2010-08-12T13:07:00.000-05:00

The girls have been inquiring about their birthday for quite sometime now. Ever since August rolled around, they wake up asking "is today our birthday? Is is August 19?" I told them this morning, one week to go. They were soooo excited. I made these countdown rings...they'll pull their first one off tomorrow. In 7 short days, we'll celebrate #5...wowzers!

wordless Wednesday

2010-08-11T13:47:00.002-05:00

Playing around with Lightroom...

sugar 'n spice and all things pretty

2010-08-05T12:50:00.000-05:00

Haley is really channeling her inner artiste these days. Her stick people are evolving and she's writing more words than just her name. As you can tell from the drawings below, she is all girl and all about some hearts, rainbows and love! I love seeing her little personality blossom more and more each day!

let's bowl, let's bowl, let's rock-n-roll!

2010-08-03T16:56:00.000-05:00

Last Wednesday we loaded up the trio and headed to the bowling alley for our church's family fun night and what a fun night we had! It was the first time our kids bowled and they had a blast! It had been a while since I had been myself and I was quite surprised they had little bowling shoes just their size. With the help of the bumpers and ball rolling contraption, all three managed to beat me (I did not have the bumpers although I obviously needed them). The excitement of the game combined with pizza made for a great evening. I had a golden ticket in my shoes that entitles us to one free game...we'll defintely be back!
Sadly, my camera died shortly after our arrival so I didn't get to capture some really great moments, but I am trying out some free software which really changes the look of photos with a simple click of the button. I picked some old school vignettes. I hope I don't get too hooked because it is quite pricey to actually purchase said software!

an anniversary

2010-08-03T08:01:00.000-05:00

I have no photos to mark this anniversary, only vivid memories. Five years ago today at I was wheeled into the labor & delivery unit of Willis Knighton South after a quick visit to my OB who told me the news...I was 1.5 cm dilated and leaking amniotic fluid. If I weren't 21 weeks pregnant, that might be a good thing.
While the day was a whirlwind of tests, ultrasounds, medication, sedation and tears, I can feel my body tensing up right now at the recollection of the event. Fortunately, I had a team of great nurses, doctors, friends, family, and prayer warriors that helped me and Jason through the ordeal. And in a few short weeks, we'll be celebrating the birth of those 2 little girls that began their journey much too early. As my mom says, I don't know how I would have survived then (or now for that matter!) without knowing and loving Jesus. I'm thanking Him now, and always, for perfect peace and protection during the storm.

future babysitter

2010-07-23T16:45:00.000-05:00

Baby Asher spent some time with us last weekend and Gracie was such a sweetheart with him! She wanted to hold him and "pet" him and she was so gentle when doing so. Haley has always been the one into baby dolls and is the mama of the group but she was a little more hesitant with the real thing. The girls were so small when Sam came home from the hospital that they never really got a chance to hold him and love on him when he was an infant so I enjoyed getting to see their reactions to a new one in our home. Asher was a doll and did what babies do...he ate and slept. He is welcome at Casa Greer anytime!

a fruity treat

2010-07-13T08:22:00.000-05:00

We decided to break up our trip home by stopping in Baton Rouge Friday night. We were able to stay at my cousins' house as they are at semester at sea. When we got ready to leave Saturday morning, Jason discovered their wonderful lime, keylime and fig trees. What a treat to come home with some delicious fresh fruit.
Anyone have good lime and or fig recipes?

God knew...

2010-07-11T20:05:00.000-05:00

that little boys and lip gloss don't mix...see exhibit one and two. Sam managed to sneak his sisters' purple princess lipgloss into his room during naptime. A little while later I smelled the familiar grape scent and found the empty heart and a purple handprint on his sheets! And FYI purple princess lipgloss does NOT come out of sheets, pillowcases, comforters or beloved blue blankies!

Wordless Wednesday beach edition

2010-07-07T20:23:00.000-05:00

rainy day outing

2010-07-06T09:28:00.000-05:00

The aunts finally got up around noon so it was obviously a little late for a morning outing! But that afternoon, Rebekah, Dave, Martha, Haley, Gracie and Sam headed to the movie theater to watch TS3, again! Well somehow they were given incorrect location/showing time so they ended up riding a carousel at Big Lots, getting Big Lots prizes and having ice cream at Joe Patti's seafood market. It was a very peaceful 3 hours while they were gone...I almost didn't know what to do with myself! Jason had some work to do, so I went for a fun run in the rain then just laid in bed and watched tv! Wow!
Not long after they all got back home, the trio headed for the beach and played, naked, while me and their daddy got ready for our anniversary dinner outing. We were able to sneak out while they frolicked and we had a delicious dinner at a new restaurant on the island. We sat outside and enjoyed the bay breeze while sipping on a fantastic red zin. I had a great salmon dish and Jason had some of the best lobster tails I've seen or tasted. The meal was topped off with a to die for praline basket filled with ice cream and fresh berries. Even though it was cloudy and rained most of the day, it was a good one!
Looks like more rain today but we may check out the naval aviation museum or the zoo if there is a break in the clouds!

beach bound 2010

2010-07-05T09:46:00.000-05:00

We're day 3 into our annual beach vacation and it's already been full of fun and adventure! We headed out of Shreveport late Friday afternoon and spent the night at Aunt Martha's condo. Her roommates recently moved out and Martha is moving soon so the only furniture was her bed, dresser and desk in her room. The kiddos had way too much fun running around in an empty bedroom...they didn't fall asleep until after 10:00 pm and they were up by 6 the next morning! Due to our early start, we made it to Pensacola by lunch time and everyone hit the beach running! Late night, early morning, sun, fun, no naps made Saturday evening a rough one but finally they all fell asleep.
Sunday morning we put on our red, white and blue Sunday finest and headed to FBC Pensacola. The trio happily headed to the children's area and the Talbot/Tingle/Flournoy/Greer clan filled up an entire pew in the Sanctuary. It was a great service with their in house orchestra. After church we went back home for lunch and a nap. My threats worked and everyone slept for almost 2 hours so I was able to take a walk on the beach and relax for a while. When they got up we grabbed some popsicles and hit the beach. At first everyone was a little hesitant of the water but after a little while, they were jumping in the waves on the shore, having a BLAST. Lots of great smiles and laughter! We took lots of pictures, but of course, my USB cord is in Shreveport so it will be a while before I can load them! After the beach adventures, we all cleaned up for our annual 4th of July gathering where we had lots of great shrimp, drinks, conversation, birthday cake and fireworks! H & S even played with the sparklers but G was a little too frightened. They were so exhausted that there were no fights going to bed and they even slept until 8:00 am this morning!!
Today Aunt Becky and Aunt Martha were supposed to take the trio to the zoo but it is raining and it doesn't look like it is going to stop, but I think I may send them to the Naval aviation museum/IMAX (whenever the aunts get out of bed). Today is me and Jason's 7th wedding anniversary so we plan on enjoying a semi kid free day and a night on the town!
To be continued and pictures to follow...

Toy Story 3

2010-06-25T16:58:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday we loaded the crew up and headed to the nice, cool movie theater to watch Toy Story 3. Sam has been somewhat obsessed with the franchise since watching TS1 & 2 at school a few times and then we bought the two movies so they could be constantly viewed at our house. I must say I love Toy Story...I vividly remember watching the first one in the theaters when it came out shortly after my high school graduation in 1995. Yikes! So we were all pretty excited about the newest one. What made the outing even more exciting was the fact this was the very first movie our trio had seen in a movie theater!

Here we are outside of Tinseltown minus Gracie...the sun was too bright for her little eyes:

The movie was cute and we all enjoyed it. I even cried towards the end! Tootsie and Pop were there and Tootsie snuck in popcorn and drinks for the trio to enjoy! Sam gets to go see it again tomorrow with his sweet Sunday School teacher Ms. Terrie and his buddy Zeke! They'll have a blast!

literally trash to treasure

2010-06-22T11:25:00.000-05:00

I did not want to go run last Tuesday morning but I forced myself out of the bed. leashed up the dog and headed out. We were just a quarter mile short of being back home when I saw this chair out on the side of the street with the rest of the garbage awaiting the weekly pickup. I was so excited to see it because I have been longing for a chair to put in our bedroom to help spruce the room up a bit but did not want to pay a hefty price tag for one. If Lily hadn't been with me I might have thrown it over my shoulders and carried it the rest of the way home but that was not going to work with my 80 pound black beauty by my side. So we returned home quickly and I immediately ran inside, grabbed my car keys and headed back down the road to claim it. I went that afternoon and picked up some $7 fabric from Hob Lob and voila, here she is! She really adds a touch of class to our bedroom and that is one room that has been greatly ignored since we moved a year and a half ago.

Happy Diddy's Day

2010-06-21T15:21:00.001-05:00

The day started off late for the Greer clan...Sam did not rise until 6:52! Yippee right?! Well, the trio didn't go to bed until almost 9:00 the night before so they all needed the extra sleep and probably a little bit more, but oh well. We'll take what we can get! I would not be telling the truth if I said I made Jason a gourmet breakfast with the help of my loving children. However, when he went to the grocery store Saturday afternoon, I suggested he pick up some biscuits and sausage and that could be his Father's Day breakfast that he could make for himself! It's not that I didn't want to make him something to show my love and support, but this woman's place is certainly not in the kitchen!
We met the Flournoys, my parents and my grandparents at the Petroleum Club for lunch where we ate until well beyond full & miserable. Our children entertained the packed dining room with the antics and giggles of happiness which beats the whining and crying. My sisters and I all chipped in and got our dad the new Crown Royal Black. I made a cute little card with "DDD"...Dads Deserve Drinks! Little does he know I may be sneaking a few pulls from the bottle to relax myself! Jason was gifted with all kinds of fun homemade goodies from his kiddos and yes, I have already stolen some chocolate morsels (I see a theme emerging!). Poor Jason had one wish, to come home from lunch, hop in the bed, watch golf and take a peaceful nap. He did not get his wish. Haley decided she did not want to take a nap and made sure no one else should nap either. So off we went instead to Academy for a new inflatable pool. The remainder of the afternoon was spent watching the trio splash, swim, and body tackle one another in the water. Good times, good times!
Jason made a comment on the way home from lunch talking about it being "diddy's day"; it took me back almost 5 years ago when the girls were in the hospital and he would stand at their isolette and say in his best Alabama accent "Diddy's here"! He would tease me that they would call him diddy and not daddy...it drove me nuts! Fortunately he is daddy to them and to Sam and we're all very lucky to have him!

Night and Day

2010-06-15T16:14:00.000-05:00

These girls may be twins but they are different as night and day! Today's shinning example is their wardrobe selection. Haley did not like the cute tunic top and capris I picked out for her to wear. All she wanted was a dress. We have quite the selection of cute, casual, knit dresses but she chose the delicate white one hand embroidered that my grandparents got in Mexico. That's fine...I was picking my battles and the bleach pen can do wonders should any paint stray onto the white fabric. Next argument, shoes. She had to wear her black church shoes which are really for the fall season. Jason and myself tried talking out out of them and into something a littler more springy, but alas, no deal. She obviously woke up on the wrong side of the bed because the picture on the right is the best I could do and she normally hams it up for the camera!

Then there is little Miss Gracie! As Haley was being highly dramatic in her desire to wear a dress, Gracie just kept repeating over and over that she did NOT want to wear a dress! Good gracious almighty!! So to her dresser she went and picked out her red t-shirt from Amsterdam that her Aunt Becky & Uncle Dave picked up while they were there last month. Then came the obligatory white shorts and at first she settled on her baby brother's camo crocs but quickly changed to her much loved tennis shoes. Haley was all for the pink bow in her hair but Gracie refused; I won that fight! So there are my silly little girls...one likes dresses, the other does not. God bless Shreve Island and their uniforms; can't wait 'til August when our choices are limited! Of course, you can bet that Haley will be sporting the jumper and Gracie will prefer the khaki shorts/pants!

weekend stats

2010-05-25T15:06:00.002-05:00

12 inch pizza, 6 bread sticks, and half a pint of blueberries consumed by the Greer family of 5

2 hours spent swimming and having fun in Tootsie & Pop's pool
5.5 mile morning run
14 pancakes and 8 pieces of bacon consumed by the trio
1 napless, afternoon birthday party = 6:30 bedtime

1 adult, 3 children, 2 stalls in 1 small Mexican restaurant restroom

10 wardrobe changes in 2 days

6 loads of laundry

4.5 hours of Lost season finale viewing

1 tired mama

15th time I've misplaced my USB cord when I need it to upload photos! Enjoy some pics of swimming adventures past...

Edited: ah ha...figured out how to get some iphone pics to my email then to my hard drive! Prior pics are from August 2007...look how they have grown in 3 years!!!!

garage sale find

2010-05-21T15:03:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday, sweet Bethany and I got up at dawn and braved the on again, off again rain to hit up Shreveport's finest garage sales! I've been wanting to do this for years but didn't figure it was the kind of outing for 3 small children and probably an unenthusiastic husband! This was such a fun activity to do with a girlfriend and we made a morning of it! At our 3rd stop, we went to an estate sale and the first thing we saw when stepping through the door was this fabulous Pottery Barn coffee table. It was half off and a steal of a deal! The coffee table we moved with broke last summer and our replacement was an old trunk that I kinda stole (with permission) from my parents' house. It did the trick and I was fine with it but then Sam broke the top off. When I saw this beauty I knew I had to have it! With Bethany's encouragement (and extra cash!) we made the purchase quickly as someone else was very interested in it. After removing 3 car seats, putting the seats down, and working around some other small purchases, we had it in my Yukon! We spent all our cash so we made an ATM stop, a Chick Fil A run and kept on for another 4 hours! Thanks Bethany for a fun experience and thanks to both our husbands for watching our kiddos while we did some economy shopping (of course they were then allowed to go play golf the next afternoon!). Looking forward to next pay day and our next adventure...

a miracle

2010-05-18T16:44:00.002-05:00

photo courtesy of CDC

Today little Asher Adam made his way into the world weighing in at 8 pounds, 7 ounces! Even though his daddy googled "How many babies are born in the world each day" and the answer is over 216,000, each one is a tiny miracle and such a gift from God. I am still trying to process the greatness of the day and my heart swells for the new little life and the happiness that he has immediately brought into his parents' life and my own! Love you AAC!

a 2010 graduate!

2010-05-14T16:02:00.000-05:00

Last night our little Haley graduated from Pre-K! Her class processed down the hall to the graduation march song, recited the Pledge of Allegiance, and demonstrated their shapes, colors, days of the weeks, and months of the years skills. They sang "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" and each child received a diploma and nice new BIBLE! One of their teachers also complied a sweet little slide show...it was funny to hear a bunch of 4 & 5 year old saying "that's me" or "that's you Haley" and laughing hysterically! Like one of my co-workers told me, this is just the first of many more graduations to come!

Gracie is in the class right below Haley; due to her slowness in potty training, she couldn't start the Pre-K class with her sister and the class was full by the time she was ready to move. We're of course, just as proud of her accomplishments and she wasn't the least bit concerned that she wasn't involved in the commencement activities! In the end, it doesn't really matter because they'll both be in kindergarten in the fall! Yeah for our super sweet little girls!

love at first sight!

2010-05-12T15:56:00.000-05:00

My mother's day gift...a ceramic "to go" coffee cup! Oh my husband loves me so! It was the perfect gift along with several homemade cards from my kiddos.

the days are long...

2010-05-10T16:49:00.001-05:00

Well, this is the best we could do as far as Mother's Day pictures go! Of course waiting until 2:30 on a napless afternoon means the sleepy sillies are alive and thriving!

Our day started off busy and hectic as Jason prepared lunch for our family of 14 and I needed to be at church by 8:45 to work in the childcare area. The trio and I made it in time and we all enjoyed our Sunday School time (we all have the best teachers EVER...Ms. Carol, Ms. Stephanie, Ms. Terri, Ms. Mary Nell, Mr. Jack!) and headed back home to put the finishing touches on lunch. My grandparents, parents, aunt, uncle, 2 cousins and grandfather in law gathered at our house for what I though was a simply splendid meal. It was not only the first time we had such a large gathering but the first time I was able to use all of my fine china, silverware and crystal! In fact, I had to scrap some stickers off the plates that were still on there after 7 years! Jason prepared broccoli/cheese, spinach/bacon and crawfish/andouille sausage quiches, corn drop biscuits and a spinach/strawberry/pecan salad. Jenny brought cheese grits, Dear a spiral ham and my mom a fruit salad. Between cooking and cleaning (pre and post lunch), we were exhausted. But, it was really nice to be able to provide a meal for some very important women in my life! Well, pretty much all the credit goes to Jason for cooking as I didn't life a spatula! It was a very kind and thoughtful gift to sacrifice so much time to feed me, my mom, my grandmother and my aunt!

As I drank my coffee and caught up on some blog reading this morning, I stumbled across the following phrase twice as different women spoke about motherhood...the good, the bad, the ugly.

The days are long but the years are short. How true! Most nights I fall into bed, my throat sore from fussing at my children, my arms weak from trying to lug around a 3 year old because he wants "to hold you", my head aching from the stress of being a mommy, an employee, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend but then the next morning arrives much too quickly and we begin again. I can't believe I have a 56 year old mom who is now a grandmother, daughters that are approaching their 5th birthday and a 3 year old son who seems to grow a 1/2 inch every single night in his sleep. Do I treasure each moment with my babies or do I sweat the small stuff? Depends on the day but I'm praying a lot and trying to take each "long" day one moment at a time. Do I tell my mom enough how much I appreciate all she does for me? Probably not but I'm working on that too!

I'm sure Mother's Day 2011 will be upon us in no time...stick with us to see what happens from now to then!

Fun Friday Family Fun Facts

2010-05-07T15:47:00.000-05:00

I love alliteration!!
Origins of names:

      Jason Scott - it was the [early] 70's and everyone was being named Jason! His mom liked it and Dad did not; obviously mama won!
      Nora Talbot - my great grandmother and mom are named Nora; Talbot is my mom's maiden name
      Haley Higgins - great grandmother Nora's maiden name was Haley; Higgins is Jason's mom's maiden name
      Grace Talbot - Grace...I just liked it; ended up fitting her just perfectly as she struggled the most during the girls' hospital stay (Jason wanted Gracie!); Talbot, see above!
      Samuel Scott - Samuel is my grandfather's name (Sambo) and see above for Scott

Jason was a star athlete in high school playing football, basketball and baseball. He even played baseball in college
I was the LCP Class of 1995 Co-Valedictorian (and no longer embarrassed by that!)
All of our children were born on Fridays
I have flat feet
We go through a gallon and a half of milk and 3-4 rolls of toilet paper each week
Sam weighs about 8 pounds more than the girls and uses his larger size to his advantage as he tackles them with more frequency than his sisters or his parents would like
Speaking of Jason and the early 70's, he is 4 years older than me (which means he'll be 37 on his next b'day!)
We met at the Bank of America building in Midtown Atlanta as we worked together at Ernst & Young (10 years ago in November!)
I thought the girls were going to be boys before the official sonogram revealed their true gender
We knew Sam was a boy at a 13 week ultrasound (wink, wink); however, it was a level 2 ultrasound at the maternal/fetal specialist's office!
Sam loves peanut butter and has a half of a pb sandwich (Haley cut which means no crust) each morning
It rained and poured on our wedding day until an hour before the outdoor, beach front ceremony!
Gracie has to be in the middle for everything...in car seats, at the table, on the sofa (she is technically the middle child)
Haley likes Daisy Duck and Gracie likes Minnie Mouse; Haley likes dresses and Gracie prefers shorts/jeans.
Sam knows the first verse of Amazing Grace and Come Thou Fount (which he calls come the fountain)

a picture can speak 1,000 words!

2010-04-27T16:33:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Candace and her mad photography skills, she captured the essence of these two wacky little girls! They've come so far and battled through the medical odds which only gave them a 25% chance of survival. In August, just a few short days after we celebrate their 5th birthday, they'll start the next chapter in their lives in kindergarten! W.O.W.

Flashback Friday

2010-04-23T08:12:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving 2004

NYC January 2005

our first set of twins! Lily, left and Bella, right

Until I can get our printer/scanner working, this is as far back as my digital images date. I found it amusing how many pictures I have of the dogs prior to 8/19/05. Since then they have hardly been featured! We did have to find a better home for Bella after Sam's birth. Two big dogs, 3 small children, a frantic mama and a daddy working nights was not a healthy combo!

a Wednesday picnic

2010-04-15T11:43:00.001-05:00

It has been a beautiful week here in the Port City so I planned a little picnic dinner for us after school/work and before choir/mission friends (the old school name... I think the new millinieum version is Bible Blitz).We put our blanket on the front lawn of the church as this is a part of the campus my children are least familiar with. The trio dinned on their peanut butter crackers, raisins, cheese and water. Then Tootsie joined us and read a book to Haley while the other two took off running up and down the steps. I had almost all of my elementary school class pictures taken on those steps so I enjoyed watching them literally run in the same place where my feet were planted years and years ago. We capped the glorious afternoon off with chocolate pudding! Then we headed indoors for the Wednesday evening activities. It was a great way to spend to some QT with my babies, my mom and my God.
I took some pics of the Sanctuary and had fun with Picassa trying to make them look all artsy. Here's a collage for the variations I created.

2008 where are you?

2010-04-13T09:23:00.000-05:00

Next month, Haley graduates from preschool! As there is a ceremony and all, I am to furnish 5 pictures for a slideshow presentation. I pulled the box 'o photos down from my closet shelf and begin sorting through the stacks to find Haley only photos from birth to present. As I finished, I realized, I do not have a single picture from the year 2008!! What?! I know I took pictures because I have them on my computer. See here for evidence:

Did I simply forget to order hardcopies or did I order them and misplace them? Either option is viable...there is no telling but I'm hoping a 2008 picture of Haley makes its way to my kitchen table by next week so that I can get it to daycare and we can document that year in the slideshow!

As a sidenote, looking through old pictures always makes me a bit sentimental and weepy. I can't remember where I place things but I can remember rather vividly each moment captured in the pictures. Even though I have normal 4 1/2 year old girls, seeing their 1 pound frames surround by tubes, wires and all the other accessories that accompany a NICU stay pierces my heart. However, through the beauty of photos, I can see God's healing power and the transformation of those 1 pound micropreemies into 5 pound darlings dressed in their first Christmas dresses ready to head home after a long 4 months and 3 days. Then they're one, then they're 18 months, then there is a baby brother making his way into the world! A beatiful story those pictures show and so it goes on and on.

It was 5 years ago this week that we saw those two little spots on an ultrasound and our lives have been completely transformed since then. Days are hard and the struggles are many, but in 5 more years, I'll look back on the photos of 2010 and only see the blessings of life and all the joy with two 4 1/2 year olds and a 3 year old!

an ode to my hometown

2010-04-12T11:37:00.001-05:00

As I was running Saturday morning, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the spring morning and just couldn't help but feel blessed beyond measure. I know this little town of Shreveport isn't for everyone, but I'm happy to make it my home and here are some reasons why:

S - spring and sunshine! This current weather pattern is what every chamber of commerece wants...cool, crisp mornings, highs in the 70's-low 80's, low humidity, no clouds, blue skies!!
H - home; we've been in our house just over a year now and I love it! The list is miles long of things I want to do to it, but considering we're planning on staying put for at least 10-15 years, I figure I've got time for all that. Love the proximity to everything, love the size (most of the time), love the yard, even love the stopped up toilets, broken pipes and sometimes malfunctioning heat/ac!
R - running; see "S" for why this is such a great time to hit the asphalt around town!
E - eating; crawfish with friends, Johnny's pizza, Herby K's, Superior
V - vegitation; the azaleas are in bloom everwhere along with lots of other spring plants/flowers. The trees are sprouting green buds...just can't help but smile to see God's creation
E - ease of getting around; after years of living in Dallas and the ATL, I love that I can get just about anywhere in 10 minutes or less! Only traffic snarl is Youree drive just about anytime of the day, but most of the time I simply avoid it
P - people, people! Too bad Shreveport doesn't start with a "p" because this is #1 on my list! We are surrounded by family and friends that R.O.C.K. Without all of these special people in our lives, it would be sad.
O - October - another great weather month and my birth month (along with several other fine folks! Ok, "O" is a stretch, but had a hard time with this little letter!)
R - really comfortable; feels right being here...I like familiarity
T - The First Baptist Church of Shreveport...it's history, it's memebers, it's staff

And here's just a few photos of some of the things I love in this town...I couldn't fit it all into one small, Picassa collage, but you get the idea =)
(a few photos of courtesey of Candace!)

our evening outing

2010-04-08T20:05:00.000-05:00

Jason had plans this evening and our refrigerator is rather bare, so I decided to brave Strawn's Eat Shop with my merry little trio for an early dinner. As soon as I mentioned pancakes and bacon, they jumped onto that bandwagon. I ordered one order of hot cakes and three orders of bacon for them. I went with a good 'ol comfort food staple in meat loaf, mashed potatoes, green beans and broccoli. It was good, but I gotta say, my hubby's meat loaf is way better! However, unlike eating at home, we were able to leave the sticky mess, hop in our car and drive away. Yeah, no KP duty for mommy!

a post Easter goose egg

2010-04-08T09:25:00.000-05:00

I had my camera at work yesterday...I tend to upload pics, blog and facebook during my lunch break. I left quickly to beat the rain storm (I get real irritated when I have to haul 3 children from daycare to the car in a monsoon) and left my camera in my office but I wasn't too concered as we were headed to church and didn't anticipate needing to document anything. Dang, I was wrong!
I picked Sam up first and in his excitment to see his sisters, he took off running down the hallway. I called to him to stop and no sooner had the words exited my lips, he ran full force into the cement wall! He landed flat on his back with one of those cries that breaks a mother's heart. I scooped him up with tears in my eyes and the blue knot had already begun to form on his little forhead. His teacher was just steps behind me and took him to put ice on it while I went to retrieve the girls. Here's where my camera come into play. I wish you could see the size of that goose egg potruding from his head!! After a few minutes with an ice pack, he was fine. I used the opportunity to talk about why we don't run at school, church or inside the house. They listened to me for about 5 minutes then proceeded to run up and down the hallways at church!
I'll try to get a shot of it tonight but even this morning it was looking much better!

p.s. - my mom told me that my grandfather fell and has a black eye and stiches above his eyebrow...must be something about those Sams...Samuel Jasper (aka Sambo) and Samuel Scott!

wordless Wednesday

2010-04-07T16:47:00.000-05:00

there is no denying it...she's my mom!

2010-04-07T16:43:00.000-05:00

Last week, a sweet friend invited me and several others to attend an informational meeting for BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) as a new study (Isaiah) is beginning next fall. I've been looking for a way to get connected to an indepth Bible study and was able to swing a deal with my boss that allows me to attend the day time session. Anywho, I had been planning on going to this meeting for about a week but hadn't mentioned it to anyone (as in my mom or husband both of whom I speak with daily!) for no other reason than it just didn't come up. I meant to mention it to my mom yesterday as she came over after we got home to help entertain as the power was out. She helped me with the kids and we even took them on a long walk around the neighborhood...the BSF topic never arose (she has done it in the past and so I intended on asking questions). So last night I had a dream that mom showed up at the meeting and we were both a little stunned. Wouldn't you know that totally happened today!! As I walked into First Baptist Bossier, I ran into Jennifer G. who told me my mom was sitting in the pews and they had a nice little visit. I almost couldn't get any words out...I know the Shreveport/Bossier area is relatively small and you can bet on running into someone you know most places you go, but this seemed divinely planned! I am not claiming to be any kind of Daniel filled with prophetic dreams but I do think it speaks to the power of the Holy Spirit and how he helped confirm to me that this study is going be powerful for me and my mom. It also goes to show, that no matter how much I age, I am still my mama's baby girl (and I think I am stuck with taking care of her when she is old (er) and crazy (ier))!!

things I saw this weekend

2010-03-22T13:17:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, I took the girls to a birthday party for one of Gracie's boy pals from school...they're kinda BFFs. It was at Critter Corner which is a pet store that has a "party room" for birthday festivities and such. Part of the drill is that various animals are brought in for the kids to see and touch if they so choose. I had my camera but totally forgot to take pictures; however, I got these from google images just add some effects to this post!

First up was Gomer the Ferret. I'm not crazy about these little creatures, especially when he was trying to run around the slippery tile floor. However, he was the least of my worries. H & G did not pet him but didn't freak out either.

Next up was the armadillo. Honestly, the only time I've really seen one of these is when it was dead on the side of the road. I didn't even know they could fold up into a little ball. It was kinda fascinating. Gracie touched his hard outer shell and several parents held him and said it was cool to hold what seemed to be a ball with a heartbeat!

At this point I'm still sitting in the back, taking in the sights. Then its announced that a puppy was coming out....oh, I love puppies. Here came Delilha the Shitzhu!

She had LOTS of energy but was way cute. My girls thought she was ok but weren't big on the kisses!

Here is where my comfort level begin to take a nose dive! A bearded dragon! I don't really care for reptiles and amphibians. Again, I don't remember his name but I was trying to hide in my corner while somewhat pretending to be a big girl in front of my girls! I thought this was the grand finale and I was pretty much ready to go at this point. Then came this...

I nearly had a stroke when the young lady brought out this 60 pound albino python wrapped around her neck. Really, my heart was pounding and I thought I might have to exit the room! Oh.my.word. And wouldn't you know, the girls wanted to pet this thing!! We were given instructions to "pet" him from left to right as to not agitate his scales. So I finally emerged from my seat in the back to make sure H & G followed the instructions PRECISELY. The last thing I wanted to see was Python Gone Wild! They did great, the snake did great, and I survived to tell the tale!

We had a fun time and it's always nice to have a little girl time, even if this is not how I pictured a "girly" outing!

Friday!

2010-03-18T10:34:00.004-05:00

What a rag tag crew!! Just a quick shot of the trio as we headed out the door yesterday morning. Everyone had to take their big blankies for nap time...if one wants it, then all three want it!

I am trying hard to limit the amount of "stuff" we take places like school and church since I end of carrying most of it or searching for it when it becomes misplaced when leaving said place. Like most battles, I win some and I lose some.

We've implemented a new bed time technique the last few nights which seems to be working. Gracie is going to sleep in our bed and Haley is going to sleep in their bed. Then, around 9:00, we'll move a sleeping Gracie out of our room into hers. The past 2 nights have been great! The girls have gone straight to sleep...no getting up and down, no jumping on the beds, no happy screaming, no playing...just sleeping! Now I'm looking for a large sum of money so we can add another bedroom onto our house! Any takers?! Oh well, this is working for now, so we'll go with it!

Our Saturday will consist of the annual Pancake Festival and my first time running in the 5K. Then, in my attempts to get organized, I found a birthday invitation for party tomorrow afternoon...so much for a party-less weekend in March. It is supposed to rain tomorrow anyway, so the party will be a nice afternoon diversion!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-17T11:05:00.002-05:00

a little of this, a little of that

2010-03-16T10:43:00.004-05:00

This time last week, our 8 year old black lab Lily was undergoing surgery to remove a small football that had become trapped in her intestines. Lovely. The vet saved the toy and Jason brough it home but I refrained from snapping a photo of it. Here's our little cone head post op. She's recovered and back to her normal, annoying ways!

We started last weekend with a beautiful Saturday. By 7:30 am we were painting pictures and despite a highly irratible mommy, we enjoyed the St. Paddy's day parade later that afternoon.

Tootsie & Pop finally made it home from Egypt so we spent some time at their house on Saturday as well followed by another birthday party. I think we are party free this weekend and looking forward to hanging out at home.

Spring is definitely starting to blossom here in the Port City. I'll take some pictures of the pretty flowers I have snipped from my parents' yard to decorate our house. I'm hoping we can work in the yard this weekend. I just love this time of year and can already feel the energy working it's way back into my soul after a much too cold and dreary winter! Happy Tuesday!

My little 3 year old

2010-02-25T12:43:00.010-06:00

"Birth Day"

1st Birthday

2nd Birthday

3rd Birthday

Where does the time go? I feel like we were just experiencing the overwhelming feeling of new life entering the world and now that little life has been blessing us for 3 years!
Samuel Scott Greer is a funny, stubborn, independent, loving, loyal soul. I think his daddy would agree that he is a mama's boy and I cherish beyond words those sweet, sweet hugs I receive when he wakes up and when is going to sleep.
Love you baby boy!

I am the MOM!

2010-02-22T16:22:00.002-06:00

These are some pics I took Saturday as we played outside on a beautiful, spring-like Saturday afternoon. They make me laugh...our children and these pictures! Sam was showing me his mean face, Gracie requested I take a picture of her, and Haley is the consummate photo "ham" in our household. The one of all three is my favorite as it perfectly captures our life: fun, nutty, silly, loving and imperfect.
Usually when I wake up in the morning, I wonder how I survived the day before and how am I going to survive the current one. This mothering stuff is H.A.R.D. and they are still small...what in the world am I going to do as they teeter into their teen years?! I think about that all the time! There is only one word I can think of: Jesus. Give me Jesus. Give me your love, your patience, your grace, your forgiveness.
I have a lot of thoughts that roll around in my head but never can seem to get the words down on "paper", then I read a blog by Lysa TerKeurst. I found her through the daily devotionals I receive from Proverbs 31 (http://lysaterkeurst.blogspot.com/). She expresses perfectly what I've been thinking/feeling regarding motherhood...here's what she had to say:
"So.Yeah.Today's post isn't for my mommy friends who don't struggle. I love you. I applaud you. I heart you mucho. But I can't join your club.I wish I could.But my reality disqualifies me. I find being a mommy the most stretching thing I've ever done. I carry with me evidence of this stretching. Marks on my body. Marks on my heart. It's thrilling. Heartbreaking. Sweet. Exciting. Disillusioning. And incredibly unpredictable.Just when I think I've figured a few things out and I'm about to shine my mommy halo, something happens. Something loud and tearful and frustratingly difficult. And I find myself knee deep in drama wondering if I will survive this season of 4 teens and one pre-teen.It makes me laugh when I think back to being pregnant with my first child nearly seventeen years ago. I was convinced I would die in the child birthing process. I even set up a special meeting with my doctor to go over exactly what happens in the birthing process and tearfully gave him all the reasons I was convinced I would not survive this process. What in the world?I so wish I could go stand in front of my little, um huge, pregnant self and say this:"Honey, you will not perish giving birth. This part of motherhood will seem like a walk in the park in just a few years. You will not only survive giving birth but you are about to spend the next twenty years having your tiny little brain and your tiny little heart experience more highs and lows than you can shake a stick at.Just remember one thing... You are the Mom. That's right you da' mama. Repeat after me... I am the Mama. I am the Mama. I am the Mama! Don't ever forget that."Yes, I would tell my little huge pregnant self that because it's easy to forget sometimes who's really in charge. My kids want to be in charge. And while they certainly have the strong wills and wonders of leadership... it's immature leadership. Leadership that needs to be shaped and molded and corrected and reigned in.1 Corinthians 4:20 says, "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power." This reminds me I am not left to my own pitiful attempts at this daunting task but because of Jesus I have power. Real power. Not just theories and words given by human parenting experts whose advice may or may not work. I have power to rise up be da' mama.The mom my strong willed, delightful, amazingly capable, beautifully adventurous, wildly wonderful, and uniquely special kids need. I have been perfectly designed, shaped, molded and assigned these children because I have what it takes to be their mom.I have what it takes to be the mom!You have what it takes to be the mom!... I AM THE MOM!Love that."

There are days I pray I am not permanently screwing up my children's lives but then I must remember that I am flawed but I am forgiven; I am NOT enough, but Christ is and I was CHOSEN for my children and they were CHOSEN for me. (http://www.incourage.me/ - Angela Nazworth). Did you need that pep talk? I sure did and I wouldn't trade my life with my little trio and husband for anything else in this little world we inhabit for this short time.

SNOW!

2010-02-12T13:38:00.004-06:00

It was a beautiful to wake up to the blanket of snow covering the port city. The kids enjoyed their first experience with the white stuff (and so did the dog!)!

Here I am!

2010-02-11T12:20:00.006-06:00

It's been a while, huh?! So pardon the random steam of consciousness that is about to follow!After the wonderful craziness of Christmas, we settled back down and tried to get back into our somewhat normal routine. January consisted of several birthday parties which the trio enjoyed despite a variety of meltdown for a variety of reason. They love to sing "Happy Birthday" just not at the time their friend is being presented with a lovely cake filled with candles. They usually wait until we're on the way home to sing and continue wishing that friend happy birthday for several days. It finally clicked for Sam that birthdays = fun and presents. We also told him that his birthday is in February and he is FIRED up! He'll tell you he'll be three in February but when I try and tell him it's February 23rd he says "no mama, my birthday is February"! He doesn't get the date part but oh well. Incredibly hard to believe that my baby will be celebrating his third year of life in just over a week. He's a funny kid and I can't imagine our lives without him.

On a side note, H, G & S have now decided they are the Wonder Pets. H is Linnie (who she specifically stated lives in a cage), G is Tuck and S is Ming Ming. They wake up in the morning referring to one another by their Wonder Pet names. The other night when they were taking a bath, they sang the theme song and told me I was the baby turtle that they were off to save. Their little imaginations are just blossoming and it cracks me up to hear the conversations they have among one another.

For me personally, I have a new semi addiction to home decorating/crafting blogs. I've found some really great ideas out there and for the most part, they are thrifty projects that I can do without spending too much money. I did make one significant purchase and it was my Cricut Machine as seen here:

I can make all kinds of fun shapes/letters when/if I choose to pick back up my scrapbooking, but it also lends itself to making fun banners like this:

I've got big plans in my head and I'll keep you posted as they come to fruition!

Another idea I ran across were these cute heart rice krispie treat pops. As I was making them last night, I was mumbling under my breath that they were not as quick and easy as recipe stated; however, when you've got three children and you're making treats for 30 children, it takes some time. I was a little impressed with the way they turned out. Now I'm just praying that this winter blast doesn't cause the schools to close tomorrow meaning I'm stuck with 30 rice krispie treats as the Valentine's Day parties are tomorrow!

Speaking of Winter Storm 2010, here are a few pics I snapped of the snow earlier today. It's hard to tell, but it has been coming down pretty hard since 7:00 am. It looks nice from my cozy office, but I'm not a big fan of the snow. My children can't wait to make a snowman and snow angels but I'm kinda hoping the white stuff doesn't stick around!

The Best Christmas Pageant

2009-12-14T15:58:00.007-06:00

Last night, the FBC Shreveport Children's Ministry presented The Best Christmas Pageant. It was quite entertaining! It had all the elements of a good children's play...missed lines, wardrobe malfunctions, and falling set props! H & G made their debut in the Angel Choir.

Here are pictures of the angels getting ready to go on stage:

Here they are on stage

Although blurry, Gracie is beginning to de-robe; I was already laughing uncontrollably as Haley had gotten stuck in her her angel wings and a kind helper had to come on stage and assist her out of them!

Ahh, mission complete...robe free! Haley is behind the little boy's large wings! Although they knew the words to the songs, they quietly observed all of the others singing instead. Oh, and please note Piggy's big stage debut as well!

Celebrating with cookies!

A big thanks to Tiffani, Caroline and the rest of the team that made all of this possible!
To see a great video of a little star dancing to the tunes, check out Candace's blog: http://www.chaneylife.blogspot.com/
Sam and Zeke will be old enough to participate next year...that should make it all the more exciting!!

Flashback Friday 12/25/05

2009-12-04T10:29:00.004-06:00

I cannot believe these are our girls four years ago...they were so tiny!!

Thanksgiving 09

2009-12-01T10:49:00.008-06:00

My homemade Thanksgiving centerpiece!

Jason prepared a glorious meal for our little Greer family Thanksgiving. Unfortunately our children did not want to partake in the food. I think they sat down for all of two minutes after their daddy blessed the meal. They each managed to shovel in two Sister Schubert rolls and off they went. The two of us remaining enjoyed (albeit quickly) the feast!

Jason had to work on Friday so the trio and I had another day together. After a somewhat enjoyable trip to the grocery store (it was nice and empty due to the Black Friday shopping bargains), we came home and made sugar cookies. They enjoyed all the Christmas cookie cutters and making the various shapes. After they baked, they each got to decorate and eat their cookie! Fun times!

what a crew

2009-12-01T10:47:00.001-06:00

Ta-da!

2009-11-24T09:31:00.004-06:00

Well, I never did find the USB cable for my camera, but luckily my mom's worked so I was finally able to download all the pics I took weekend before last. I bragged on facebook that I might have gotten the "perfect" shot of the trio for Christmas cards. Well, once uploaded and on viewed on a big screen, I'm not so sure about that! Oh well, they're still cute! Here are some funny out takes from the day.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

We'll be celebrating Thanksgiving at our house...just our little family of five. I'm looking to some quality time with my FOUR babies! And QT it will be...I'm attempting to potty train G & S in a day (or two!). Sam is already doing quite well and highly motivated by praise and suckers (thanks Rendi!) but Gracie is a different story! Say a little prayer for them and for me as we try and move past this hurdle!
Happy happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

some fall photos

2009-11-16T12:58:00.008-06:00

I was able to get my trio dressed and to my grandparents' house on Saturday morning to take some pictures to hopefully use for a Christmas card. I would love to share some of those photos now, but the batteries in my camera died and as per usual, I don't have any spare. However, I do have an extra camera, so I was able to capture a few pics of the crew playing in the leaves when we got back home. Their daddy literally spent all day, mowing, blowing and raking leaves from our lovely tree filled yard. I had no idea the leaves would create such an entertaining 20 minutes! Lucky for us, but not so lucky for daddy, the leaves are back so hopefully we can do it again this weekend!

important time

2009-10-26T13:36:00.002-05:00

I love these daily devotions from the ladies at Proverbs 31. The one from last Thursday really hit home; it is talking about finding time each day to have quiet time with the Lord...something I definitely struggle with (consider I am just now reading my Thursday devotional!). Good stuff...check it out!

http://proverbs31devotions.blogspot.com/2009/10/most-important-time-of-my-day.html

sunrise

2009-10-21T09:16:00.002-05:00

We have windows all along the back of our house which is our hearth room/playroom area. This is where the trio watches tv and gets dressed in the morning. As I was helping Haley put on her clothes this morning, she looked up and asked "why is the sky pink?". It was amazing to see the sun peeking over the horizon and the sky illuminate as we began our day.

Hectic mornings mean I did not have my camera available to take a picture, but it was a wonderful reminder of God's beautiful creation.

new kicks

2009-10-16T11:41:00.003-05:00

I finally gave in and bought myself some fancy (i.e. expensive) running shoes. If I'm going to run in 10k & 15k races and eventually a half marathon, I need the proper gear! My right knee has begun to ache and I've been feeling the onset of shin splints, so it was time. I felt a little ill paying the nice young man who helped me but now I'm really fired up to run in the Autumn Breeze 10k tomorrow morning!

you outta get ya one

2009-10-16T11:15:00.005-05:00

I am very fortunate to have "Tootsie" aka my mom in our lives! Not only did she and my dad keep our trio last weekend while Jason and I had a get a way to Fayetteville for the AR/AU game, but she has been watching my sick baby boy since Tuesday afternoon! Poor Sam has been running a fever for days now; he really has no other symptoms except for a cough here and there and some snot. He didn't eat yesterday which is VERY abnormal, but his energy level remains high and he has enjoyed his time at his Tootsie's house.

Even at age 32, I have a mom who sacrifices almost daily to help me and my family. Not only do I appreciate her help but I marvel in the constant love she bestows on to her adult children. I pray I am in a position to be there for my children and grandchildren (and eventually my elderly mom) as she has been there for us. We've both told the kids that I'm Tootsie's baby and she's my mama to which Haley responds "you're not a baby, mommy...that's silly"! True, I may not be an infant but my mama's first born I'll always be (and thankful for that MOST of the time!)!

Yes, he is sick!

Some recent observations

2009-10-05T15:36:00.002-05:00

Another summer come and gone in the Greer household. I thought certainly after the girls' birthday, that things would calm down. I don't know why I thought that, but I was wrong! Each night I fall into bed with a long list of things not yet accomplished that day. I wake up ready to tackle the tasks and yet they cycle continues to repeat itself. Even though time seems to fly by, I've noted subtle changes in my children as they personalities continue to blossom. Here's what I've noticed:
Haley:
This is a mama bear in training! She loves baby dolls, especially her "blue baby" Sally. She is very concerned about the nature and well being of those around here. She tells Gracie to be careful not to bump her head as she gets into the car. She tells Sam "it'll be ok baby brother" when he starts to cry. She wants to know if I have any boo boos that need band-aids so that I'll feel better.
She is a sensitive soul. I must admit, I raise my voice (a lot!)...one my call it yelling. To defend myself I have several voices to speak over! Anyhow, Haley cries anytime my voice goes over a certain decible level, even if the unhappiness is not directed towards her. She is a peacekeeper.
She is super smart and loves being in the big girl class.
She loves all things girly...pink and princesses. She will be some variety of a Disney princess for Halloween but being the girls she is, her mind changes daily!
Gracie:
She is an inquisitive one! She likes to sit on top of my toilet each morning while I get ready and asks what every single item in the bathroom is. Sometimes its like "Groundhog's Day" as each morning is a repeat of the prior one. Even if I tell her three mornings in a row that it is my clip on the counter, she still asks. Oh, she knows its a clip because if I don't respond, she'll tell me what it is, but she just likes to ask.
She is not a girly girl. While she will wear pink, she gravitates toward red. She only has one red shirt and it is her "Noel Methodist Children's Center" shirt that they wear on Fridays. She wears it to school on Friday, to bed Friday night, most of the day on Saturday and has been know to pull it out to wear to church on Sunday (it does get washed!). And what goes with a red shirt? Well her red keds of course! If I don't hide them, she will wear them with every outfit...and as I mentioned, she has nothing else red to wear! Her favorite combo is red shoes with pink socks....lovely!
As a non girly girl, she prefers cars to dolls. Oh, she'll sleep with pink baby but she also sleeps with Lightening McQueen and Doc. She prefers racing cars with Sam than watching Sleeping Beauty with Haley.
She is stubborn. She still is not potty trained. I don't think it is for a lack of trying on our part. Peer pressure, candy, prizes, coaxing, yelling, praising...nothing works. So, when she's ready, that's when it will happen. Don't try arguing with her as she always seems to win.
Sam:
His favorit word is "no". The answer to nearly every question asked of him, is no. It is getting a little frustrating. However, when I ask him to give me a hug, I don't get a no thank goodness!
His new obsession is Cars. Everything is Cars and Lightening McQueen. He played nicely by himself over at a friends house while we watched the LSU game because the little boy had a plethora of Cars gear. So, if any friends or family memebers are reading...make a note for Christmas presents! =)
He is finally paci free! It was lost for real and has not been replaced. He doesn't sleep quite as soundly in the morning but I'm glad its gone!
He is crazy about his sisters. I kinda feel sorry for any boys that want to date them in the far off future...baby brother may scare them off!
He is a little drummer boy! He loves to drum on anything and everything. He drums to the beat of music very well. Jason still has hopes of a sports star but realizes his talent may lie elsewhere!

Happy 4th birthday girls!

2009-08-19T12:58:00.007-05:00

Then: August 19, 2005

Grace Talbot 1 pound 2 ounces, 11.5 inches long

Haley Higgins 1 pound 4 ounces, 12 inches long

The first set of goals...17 more weeks to go!

Now August 19, 2009

Gracie

Haley
Wow, is all I can say about the last four years! The girls surprise arrival into this world four years ago, changed life as we knew it. Not that we didn't anticipate change when we saw the two little heartbeats back in my eighth week in pregnancy, but we were not prepared to watch our babies develop primarily outside of my body! When they were born, their little eyes were still sealed shut, their skin was paper thin, their lungs sticky, wet and deflated. For weeks, the ventilator kept them breathing and a thin layer of saran wrap over a bed warmer acted as their womb. I could talk for hours about all the emotions we experienced, the struggles, the highs, the lows, the goals achieved, the set backs, the surgeries, and the lessons learned, but I'll spare most of the details. The last two pictures are from their birthday party on Saturday and as one can see, we have two perfect, little miracles. God has big plans for these girls and I continue to look forward to what he has in store for them!

Every day is an adventure in our household; there is never a dull moment. Sometimes I let my lack of patience get the better of me...raising three little ones is tough! But, last night after I got Sam out of the bathtub and the girls were in there by themselves, Jason called me to come listen to them. They were playing with their new Little Mermaid bathtub toys and singing the song "Beautiful One"..."beautiful one I love, beautiful one I adore, beautiful one my soul must sing". This song has been a favorite of mine for a while and our church band made a little 5 song cd on which is "Beautiful One". We listen to it every morning coming and going to school. They know that the beautiful one is Jesus. Even though they don't completely get it, they were singing the way you sing when Jesus is in your heart. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking back to it. We've come a long way and the Beautiful One has been right there with us every step of the way. Praise the Lord and thank you God!

Flashback Friday

2009-08-07T09:33:00.004-05:00

This is hard...I've got lots of pics of my little trio! Here's just a sampling of some oldies but goodies.
More to come later on my thougths/memories of August 2005 and the birth of our amazing little girls. The entire month is usually full of mixed emotions for me!

Sam May 2007

Sam 2/24/07

Girls on their 2nd birthday 8/19/07

First family photo on the beach July 2006

Girls December 2005 still in the NICU

wordless Wednesday

2009-07-29T08:53:00.004-05:00

beach time

2009-07-19T21:14:00.008-05:00

The Greers went to the beach! Well, 4 out of 5 of us! Jason had to stay home and work as he hasn't quite worked long enough for vacation time. Two years ago, I drove back the 8+ hours by myself with the girls who were almost three and Sam, age 4 months. I'm smart enough to realize, that should never (I repeat never!) be done again! Fortunately, Tootsie graciously volunteered to make the ride with us there and back while Pop followed in a separate car. In retrospect, the drive wasn't that bad, but I am choosing to forget some of the bad moments.
We had fun despite daddy's absence (but we certainly look forward to his attendance next year!). We went to the docks to see all the fish the rest of our family caught; we made princess cupcakes; we enjoyed morning breakfasts on the porch overlooking the beautiful blue water and white sand; we made a trip to Perdido see our friends, Jack, Candace, Anna Grace & Zeke; we took a trip in town to Target; we played with Aunt Becky, Uncle Dave, Aunt Martha, Jay and all our Flournoy cousins; and of course we played on the beach and in the water. Despite all the help, mommy worked her little tail off and it really was no vacation for me, but it makes me so happy to make these memories with my children. While each day varied a bit, just wanted to share our typical schedule:
6:00-6:30 am up with the sun
6:45 am on the beach in pajamas
7:00 am breakfast stage 1
7:21 am back to the beach/to the baby pool/morning cartoons
9:00ish am everyone in the house gets up
9:15 am breakfast stage 2
9:45 am back to the beach in bathing suits and sunscreen
9:50 am Sam back to the house occupied with the water hose
10:15 am girls back to the house to be with Sam
10:20 am snack time!
10:30-noon tv, pool, beach, whatever
noon lunch
12:30 pm start the nap process
1:15 pm everyone asleep, but in different rooms...mommy juggles keeping all other house occupants out of napping rooms
1:30 pm mommy studies =( (and promptly falls asleep)
2:30-6:00 snacks, beach, pool, snacks, tv, beach, pool, snacks...you get the idea
6:00 dinner stage 1
7:00 baths
7:30 dinner stage 2
8:00 bedtime hell begins
8:00-9:00 fighting sleep; 3 little monkeys in one room, jumping from one twin bed to the other
9:15 ahhhh quiet
9:20 mommy in bed
...and it started over the next morning!

hear, see, speak

2009-06-29T08:50:00.003-05:00

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

2009-06-29T08:36:00.005-05:00

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

2009-06-05T10:05:00.002-05:00

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

2009-06-05T10:02:00.003-05:00

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

2009-06-05T09:34:00.002-05:00

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.

Why I'm tired...all the time!

2009-05-17T20:30:00.001-05:00

Look at these smiling faces! They are wearing me out! I wish I had their energy! Haley & Sam did not nap yesterday; 2out of three are not good odds. On the bright side, Gracie, who seems to be the most cranky with out sleep, slept. However, even sleep deprived we played and played and played. After some morning fun with daddy while I worked out, we headed to Tootsie & Pop's house to swim and jump on the trampoline. The trampoline is a huge hit! I'm glad I don't have one at our house but it provides great entertainment and deep belly laughs when they get to enjoy it at their grandparents' house. No naps combined with outside fun meant bedtime at 6:30...ahhh, that was nice! I wish I could have gone to bed then too!
Onto Sunday when again, Haley did not nap. She did "rest" in our room so I at least got a quick 15 minute power nap on the sofa. It was such a beautiful, rather cool, day that we had to enjoy it. We busted out the Barbie Jeep and the red mustang for some entertainment. Tootsie took the girls to church to watch the children's choir perform their spring musical while Sam and I hit up Wal-Mart and Marshall's. Jason went to the grocery store and I'm waiting for my grilled chicken greek salad to be finished!
Ready to hit the hay and start a new week with a long holiday weekend upcoming. As a side note, we wish Candace the best of luck as she starts her new stint with pediatric PT tomorrow!!

good times, bad times, time goes on...

2009-05-12T12:52:00.002-05:00

spring09

I'm back on the blogging bandwagon! So much has happened in two months! Attached is a link to my most recent photos...mainly Mother's Day activities with a few Easter pics thrown in. Speaking of Easter, it was a rainy, rainy day here in Shreveport. I was a bit bummed because by the time we got home from church, we were all so wet that I couldn't get any good family photos and the trio all looked so nice in their Sunday best! Oh well...
Good times:
Sibling love - there is something special about having three babies within 18 months! For the most part, they are one another's entertainment. They don't really need me to keep them occupied; I am simply a referee (see bad times!). I love when they are in a room and I get to overhear their conversations. I love when Haley says "its ok baby brother" or Gracie goes and gets Haley's baby Sally because she can tell her sister wants it. Sam is the little lovebug/comedian. He gives his sisters great hugs (when not pushing/hitting...again, see bad times) and keeps them (and me and Jason) laughing. I really cannot begin to explain how heartwarming it is to see them interact with one another. Smiles, hugs and squeals of laughter make the craziness of our life so worth it.
Our new house - we have so much more room to spread out. The kids have a great hallway to run and play chase as well as their own area for toys, books, etc. Their daddy worked really hard a few weeks ago and put together a great swing set in the backyard. Our front and backyard are huge so that has really provided us with lots of good out door time. The previous owner had triplets and left us their triple stroller which is perfect for strolls around the neighborhood, including walks to Tootsie & Pop's house. Hopefully my parents enjoy having us close because I LOVE IT!!!
Friends - Having a great circle of friends for support during the highs and lows of life. You know who you are and I love you =)
I am grateful for Candace organizing a Sunday Run for Him...more uplifting than you know!

Bad Times:
Sibling rivalry - this is real life people! My children fight, they whine, they pitch fits, they hit each other, they push each other and we are attempting to potty train! Need I say more?! I told my mom a few weeks ago that I didn't think I was going to survive parenthood. This is hands down the hardest thing I have ever done. I am continually fighting off my impatient tendencies and sometimes I'm not sure I can say "stop" one more time. Obviously the tears shed (usually mine) are worth it but there are times when I think I may burst. Thank goodness I have God and His word in my life, along with a few kindred spirits, to see me along.
Our new house - bigger doesn't always mean better but bigger does mean more expenses which translates into budget woes. The place needs some TLC but fortunately we plan to be there for a long time so I do think we have invested wisely.

So, there is a very small snippet of the Greer life since March. I hope to keep this thing more up to date in the future. I take my last test (hopefully, keep your fingers crossed) at the beginning of June so I'm hoping for lots more time on my hands. Yeah, that's not going to happen, but a girl can dream can't she?!

Finally made it!

2009-03-16T16:47:00.003-05:00

Wow, the first 2 1/2 months of 2009 have been hectic! We looked at a new house, made an offer, put our house on the market, sold it, closed on two houses, and moved all within the first 2 months. Then onto test #7 for me, which I passed despite not much time to devote to studying. Immediately on the heels of the test was a church event I committed to along with the Little Rock marathon! Jason and I competed as a part of Team Graney with Jack & Candace. I direct you to her amazing blog (http://www.chaneylife.blogspot.com/) because she has a great post and some great pictures of the event. It was such a good experience and certainly make me hungrey for some more running. Hopefully we'll get geared up to each do the 1/2 marathon in Dallas in December.
So, I kept telling myself if I could make it to March 16th, then life should slow down. Well, here we are on 3/16. I guess you could say that things are a little calmer, but each day, a new entry is logged onto my calendar and I have one more test that I have to study for and pass. I'm begging to think it may be a few decades before things actually slow down, but I'm going to try and enjoy these days as they really fade quickly.

Sam's birthday

2009-02-25T11:15:00.004-06:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/Greer819223/SamS2nd?authkey=biIDOeZ94RU&feat=email#

On Monday, our sweet baby boy turned 2! To celebrate, he and his pal Zeke had a birthday party last Saturday at this nifty place called Jumpin' Jupiter (http://www.jumpinjupiterla.com/), an indoor bounce house! They got to bounce around with their friends and enjoy the wonderful choo choo train cupcake masterpiece that Candace and I created for the occasion! Attached is a link to some photos from the big day.
Since we are moving tomorrow, we are going to take this opportunity to move him to a big boy bed so wish us luck! I want to get rid of the paci as well (he only has it at night), but I think that might be too traumatic right now so we'll give it a few more months.
I still haven't located my flash drived but I have great hopes that it will show up as we clean out our old house or unpack in the new one!!

p.s. - I don't know why a song is on the slide show...could not get it to go away!!

LOST!

2009-02-19T11:41:00.002-06:00

...and I don't mean the great tv series! I have lost my USB flash drive with all of my old pictures on it! This is awful! I'm hoping to locate it in the few places it should be but until then, the celebration of Sam in photos is on hold. So sad! Be prayin' I find that flash drive...I will be crushed if I can't locate it.

Count down to Sam's birthday!

2009-02-17T09:44:00.006-06:00

Sweet baby boy!

Following in the footsteps of my friend Megan, I am going to celebrate the week leading up to Sam's birthday with a photo montage! It is so very hard to believe that my baby will be two next Monday!!

Meeting mama & daddy for the first time:

Here he is a few days after coming home (he was in the NICU for six days!)

Smiling at three months old:

Happy Birthday Buddy!

2009-02-15T21:38:00.000-06:00

Today is Zeke's 2nd birthday...he and Sam have been pals since pretty much their original "birth" days being that they are only 8 days apart. They have their own little subtle ways of connecting and I can't wait to see their friendship blossom and bloom over the years. By the looks of Zeke and Gracie's fun today at the Barku and Meoux parade, we may even have a son in law in the making!!!!

adios Delaware!

2009-02-09T08:10:00.002-06:00

Well after a short time on the market, we received a contract on our house last week! Things have been going full steam ahead ever since. We are set to close on the 26th of this month...wow! A wonderful, young engaged couple is buying the house and I couldn't be more happy that they are going to be the next people to occupy the old,charming home. Of course they just did the inspection on Friday and with it being an old house, there are a few issues, mainly electrical, so I have my fingers crossed and prayers said that everything will continue to move as smoothly as it has up to this point.
I'll keep you posted...

Happy Birthday Lily

2009-02-08T20:23:00.000-06:00

Our first baby turned 7 years old today! We got Lily when she was still a tiny, tiny pup and we tortured her by driving back the 9 hours from Shreveport to Atlanta. We got her on a whim and we were quite ill prepared for the demands of a puppy but she was and is a faithful companion. She is not the best behaved dog...I'm pretty sure she didn't pass her intro obedience class and she's very hardheaded and spoiled, but she's my baby and despite my constant aggrevation with her, I do love her dearly. Finally after 3 years, our babies are finally learning to love her and they can all play together somewhat nicely. Also, we've had several other dogs come and go, but Puppy seems to be the first one she has really taken to and they have become fast friends. Jason claims he doesn't like animals and he is annoyed by their behavior but I'm glad the trio is able to grow up so they can know the love dogs can bring and hopefully, one day, they'll learn how to take responsibility for them as well. Happy birthday Lily and here's to many more!!!!

Our house

2009-01-24T12:44:00.002-06:00

After some debate, we put our house up for sale this week and entered into a contingency contract on another house. As excited as I am about the thought of something a wee bit larger and starting anew, I have a hard time imaging not living at 706 Delaware. I fell in absolute love with this house the first day I saw it and the love affair has continued. It is chalk full of such memories. Five years ago, Jason, Lily (the dog) and myself moved in and began our new little life in Shreveport. Wow, what a difference a few years can make! We have brought three newborns through the front door and watched three babies learn to crawl and walk on these old hardwood floors. There has been joyous laughter and lots of tears, happy and sad.
Of course, I'm talking like we are moving tomorrow! We need a wonderful person to fall in love with the house's charm and buy it so we can move on! If you know anyone looking for a great home, on a great street, with great neighbors, send them our way!

Sally eats peas, hats, & cowboys

2009-01-17T20:28:00.002-06:00

Wow, what a Saturday! Jason graciously allowed me to go for a good run this morning then head up to the office and catch up on some work after taking a day off last week. I was able to get about 4 hours of work done in 3 hours with no distraction and complete silence...it was great. I could have stayed all day and still not have gotten ahead, but oh well! By the time I got home, the trio was sleeping (Haley didn't sleep but had quiet time in our bed). I picked up the back yard and Jason went on his run. By the time he got home, everyone was up...mommy's turn! Jason headed out to run some errands and we attempted to play outside. Gracie apparently had a great morning but she was pretty crabby in the afternoon and she ended up watching tv in our bed while Haley, Sam and I took a ride in the Barbie jeep and had a picnic. Due to Haley's extreme exhaustion, she was a little firecracker! She found some hats that Dear got for her and Gracie in Peru and decided to model one for herself and one for puppy...quite entertaining! She then decided that I needed to wear one, a la the photo above! When we ate dinner, she thought Baby Sally should eat some peas. Now, she wouldn't eat any herself but she proceeded to cram green peas in a plastic baby doll mouth. It was humorous but touching at the same time; her maternal side has really blossomed the past few months as she has tended to Sally. She is a very thoughtful, caring little girl. That actually reminds me of her and Sam's exchange this morning over breakfast:

Sam "I want more bar" (ie, a breakfast bar)

me "Haley, can Sam have yours since you are eating it?"

Haley "Yes, here Sam"

Sam "Thank you"

Haley "Your welcome"

Brought a smile to my face!

So, right before bed, Haley grabbed my houseshoes and said that with the shoes and her hat, she was a cowboy! I don't know how Vera Wang houseshoes made her think she was a cowboy, but it was an entertaining way to end the day!

We're going to attempt Sunday School and church with Gracie tomorrow. She has not been out of pajamas since last Sunday, but its time to get back to a semi routine; hopefully she'll have fun playing with Stokes and Anna Grace!

healing

2009-01-15T14:08:00.003-06:00

After a few rotten days, Gracie is finally on the mend. She is beginning to eat and drink a bit more. That along with a few smiles and attempts at speaking makes us hopeful that we are moving in the right direction. She is already breathing much quieter at night; in fact I had a quick scare thinking something must be wrong with her the other morning because she was sleeping so soundly without snoring at all!! We go back Monday for a follow appointment with Dr. Hollier. But, all in all, things are a wee bit calmer around the Greer household. Thank you again for all of the prayers as we are so blessed to have such strong support from our brothers and sisters in Christ!

update on Gracie

2009-01-13T15:53:00.002-06:00

Our little patient had a challenging night! She went to sleep pretty easily with Haley at 6:30 but both girls were up and in our bed by 11:00 pm. I was able to get Haley back to sleep in there bed, but Gracie stayed with us and me, Jason and Gracie had a very restless night. She didn't drink anything all day therefore she had an empty stomach and couldn't take her pain medication. She was in a great deal of pain and would sleep for 30 minutes to an hour then wake up crying for an equal amount of time. She would spit out her antibiotics and would barely tolerate the Tylenol. Finally about 5:00 am she took two sips of 7-up and that was it. I was greatly concerned about her dehydrating due to lack of fluids and contracting an infection since she would take her medicine. We talked to Dr. Hollier and had my mom, who is keeping her this week, give her small dropfuls of liquids and meds throughout the day and she how she would handle that. Mom gave her some water and some antibiotics through the dropper while she took a nap...small victory! By lunch, mom called to tell me she was eating several spoonfuls of mac and cheese along with sipping on some milk. She also got a full dose of Tylenol and a warm bath, which she was totally opposed to taking! So, even with small amounts of fluids in her body and small attempts as speaking, I'm hoping that we'll all get a little more rest tonight and she'll continue to improve.
Thanks again for all the thoughts and prayers. Again, she can't see it right now, but this really was the best thing we could do for her and I hope she has no memories of the pain!

Gracie's surgery

2009-01-12T10:03:00.004-06:00

Gracie had her tonsils and adenoids removed this morning. Dr. Hollier was a little stunned at the size of her adenoids. He said she must have been experiencing a great deal of sleep apnea but we're hopeful that her breathing and sleeping (and maybe hearing/speech!) will be much improved after the procedure. She is obviously in a great deal of pain but sleeping off a bit of the Demerol. She was quite agitated that they wrapped up her hand to keep her iv in place as it covered her left and and her sucking thumb. Once that was removed she felt a little better but she wakes up every now and again wincing in pain. I wasn't too worried about the actual surgery but it is quite difficult to watch your child hurting and there is not much me or Jason can do about it. Lots of hugs and liquids will be in order the next few days as she heals!

Thank you so much for all the thoughts and prayers...as we know, the power of prayer is unbelievable.

It was pretty funny before the surgery because they gave her some medicine to relax her and it made her all kinds of giddy and a big unbalanced, basically drunk! She would get the biggest grin on her face then tumble to the side as we all laughed. The pictures of her laughing are from pre surgery, certainly not post!