Snots, Jailbreak, Nana & Papa, and Ducking Hunting

Snots

I have fallen short of my weekly goal of updates. The main culprit of my tardiness is 2 very adorble, but very snotty kids. Last week we got a very nasty cold. The first few days were pretty miserable with lots of drool, snot, and fevers. I swear they slimed every single thing in the playroom! Thank God it hit when Eric was home for the weekend. Nana was even kind enough to come at the first of the week to help us get over the hump. We are all better now except the lingering cough. I took all yesterday to douse the house in Clorox and Wet Ones to get the germies outta here!

Jailbreak

They are gaining up on us now. I thought we had a little more time before we got to this point, but I was sorely mistaken. Last week they made a jail break from the pin. After lunch I brought them upstairs to their playroom that is blocked off with their pin. I ran back downstairs to get my lunch and bring it back up like I do every day. As I was pouring my Diet Coke, I heard giggling and footsteps overhead. My heart skipped a beat and I ran upstairs. They had broken down the pin and ran straight for their room and had all the books pulled off the shelves. (Mind you this has been no more than a minute!) I swear they must have been plotting this all along and just waiting for the right time to break free. I was just so thankful that they did not go further down the hall to the stairs!

As soon as Eric got home, we broke down the pin and pulled out our big steel gate to put in the hallway. Now we have part of the pin around our new TV. I considered putting the other part around me and the computer armoire so I could get on line while they were awake. Then I realized that would be a bit too ironic to go from kids in the pin to Mommy in it. They are thoroughly enjoying have free reign upstairs now. They just run up and down the hall. The laundry room also has a strange draw for them. I hope that means they will want to help me with it soon!

Nana & Papa and Duck Hunting

On Friday we went to see Nana and Papa in Paris, TN. They were kind enough to watch the kids for the weekend. Eric and I went on a trip to Dyersburg, TN to see our friends Pat and Brandi and their beautiful daughter, Elizabeth. Before we left, we went to visit Papa at his office so he could show off his grand babies. We got to meet some of the very nice people that he works with. Everyone Ohhed and Ahhed appropriately :) Believe it or not, but they have read the Greer Family Blog too! Hello Ladies!

Ethan and Ella did so well at Nana and Papa's this weekend. But I mean honestly....how hard can it be to be loved on all weekend and get to eat Nana's cooking? When Eric and I left on Friday night, they barely gave us another look. I must admit though, it made me happy when Ella gave us a big ole grin and hug when we came in on Sunday!

We had a great time visiting with our friends. This trip was my Christmas present for Eric. A weekend duck hunting trip with Pat. Unfortunately since it was so cold, it wasn't the best time to duck hunt. Most of the water was all frozen over. But that didn't stop them from getting up a 3, layering on all the camo, and going and sitting in the cold. I, on the other hand, rolled to the center of the bed at 3, slept until 8:30, visited with Brandi and Elizabeth, and was lazy all day. I am not sure who had the better time : )

So big?????

We had our 15 month appointment this morning with Dr Betts. We got gold stars all around, but of course I wasn't surprised one bit! Here are their stats:

Ethan
Height 30 inches 15th percentile
Weight 19 lb 13 oz 2nd persentile (little peanut as Dr Betts calls him!)
Head 45.5 cm 10th percentile

Ella
Height 29.5 inches 19th percentile
Weight 20 lb 8 oz 14th percentile
Head 46 cm 54% percentile (Big Headed Sissy Monster as Daddy calls her!)

The doctor was very please with their development. They are ahead of the curve with their language. He wasn't concerned, but did ask me to call if Ella wasn't walking in a month. She demonstrated how strong she was by standing on the examining table by herself. He suspects that it is more her just being hesitant, not necessarily that she can't do it. Overall a good report!

ps - I get brownie points for 3 posts in one week
pps - Welcome to the World of the Internet Nana : )

Our First Art Class

For Christmas, Nana and Papa got the kiddos some beginner crayons. Today is a rainy, yucky day so I thought it was a perfect day to have our first coloring lesson. (Of course Aunt Amy will have to come over and do a guest lecture on the importance of staying in the lines, shading, etc :)

When they went down for their nap, I immediately started to get ready. Booster Seats at Kitchen Table? Check. Vinyl Table cloth to save the table? Check. Crayons? Check. coloring sheets? Check. Tape to keep them on the table? Check. Ok - I am ready, right? I have thought about just about everything.......


So we sit down to color and they look at the crayons as if to say "What in the world do you expect me to do with this? Then Ella immediately started tearing up her sheet and threw her crayon on the floor and broke it. Leaving Ethan a little confused.....












Since Ella tore up her sheet and broke her crayon, she decided to play Peek a boo instead.



Ah - ha! Ethan has it all figured out. This is what you do with crayons. I guess he has gotten his greens for the day : )



So in short, the crayons have made their way back to the closet where they will stay another few months. Apparently the person who works at Crayola who wrote 12 + months on the box hasn't met one.

So BIG!

It is amazing how much can change in a matter of a few days. (another good reason I should blog more consistently!) I am amazed every day by how much my precious babies grow. And fun.....every day is so much more fun. They are each other playmates and keep me entertained all the time. God has blessed us so greatly!

Since the babies have become mobile our source of sanity has been containment. We are fortunate to have a big bonus room in our house. It used to be Eric's man room where he watched his football, etc. Now the kid's have overtaken it and it is 75% playroom and 25% man room. This has been command central. After we took down the Christmas decorations downstairs, we decided to baby proof the living room, dining room and kitchen, so they can play down there. You would think we took them to Disney World! They are so excited to be free down there. Before when they were down there they would be confined to their exersaucer and Jumperoo. Ella loves to stand by her high chair and play with the straps. I don't know what it is, but the girl LOVES to play with straps on anything and everything. Ethan loves to go through the cabinets (mental note - get more cabinet locks at Wal-Mart) I have designated one for them that I put a pot, wooden spoons, and some plastic bowls to play with. He bangs them together and wiggles his little booty.

One morning I must have been taking too long for breakfast, so Ella decided to take things into her own hand. When I walked in from getting my morning Diet Coke, I found this.....

She and her partner in crime, Majors were helping themselves to the Cheerios. I had to admire her resourcefulness! After I threw a very disappointed Majors outside, I got the broom to clean up. Ella started grabbing Cheerios by the hand full to get as many as she could before I could get to them! As I was cleaning up, I heard some clanging on the dog bowl in the dining room. Forgetting that Majors was outside I went about my business cleaning up after the Cheerio Bandit. All of the sudden it hit me and I ran to the dining room and found Ethan gobbling up some dog food! I pulled a couple of pieces out of his mouth. I don't think he ate any and the look on his face said "Mama this is really gross!" I think he now understands why Majors is always begging for his food! you can't tell in the picture, but Ethan has crumbs all over his face and his jammies. YUCKY!

Ethan is mastering walking. He walks most of the time now. Sometimes he will take another lap around the table before he gets in his highchair just for grins. such the show off. He has also learned a new word - ball. He loves to throw the ball. He just kind of flaps his arms and drops it then continue to flap his arms for a while after. It is really cute and I will try to get it on video to post.

Ella can lap Ethan a couple of times with her crawling versus his walking. I imagine someday she will find it necessary to get around on her feet instead of her hands and knees. I am in no hurry though. She would rather focus her energy on talking. She is saying baby, apple, Nana and Buddy now.

Last week we took a big step. I signed them up for a Mother's Day Our program at our church! They won't start until next Fall and that is fine. I didn't want them to start during cold and flu season given their immune systems. I am excited for them to interact with other kids and have some more planned activities. I started a Bible Study yesterday and the child care was at the same facility. They had a great time and Ella even cried when I came to pick her up. She loves playing with her new friends. Ahh.....So BIG! :)

Very Merry Christmas & and Happy New Year!

As you can see from the late date of my post, it has taken us a bit to recover from the Greer family Christmas and New Year! We celebrated Christmas for about a week solid. I am sure Ethan and Ella are wondering why they aren't opening presents every day anymore!


We spent the first part of Christmas in Paris with Nana and Papa. We drove there on Friday and Eric's Amy and her crew joined us on Saturday. We had all the crazy cousins together. They had so much fun playing together at Nana and Papa's. Christmas Eve we all went home so we could celebrate our first offical Christmas at home.
Santa found his way to our house and didn't even leave a lump of coal in any of our stockings. After celebrating Christmas with Eric's family and mine, I don't think there is a single toy that our kids don't have! My Amy and her crew came the day after Christmas and stayed for a few days. It was so good to see them. Unfortunately, Ella and I both got a stomach flu and couldn't spend as much time with them as we had hoped.


New Year's came even though we were in bed by 10. I made resolutions to get more organized, get in shape, and start having a quiet time each day. I have kept the first one and am still working on the third. I decided to put the second on hold until March 1st. No hurry. I can still fit into my britches and don't have to worry about swimsuits for a while yet. One of 3 ain't bad, right? Oh yeah - one more resolution - - - be more diligent about blogging once a week : )