Thursday, March 31, 2011

Mar. 31 - Oshkosh Overalls

Another day sans photo...  Oh well!  This is the adorable Griffin Thompson touching a goat at the zoo from a couple days ago.  Found these Oshkosh overalls (with the original tag STILL ON, by the way) at a thrift shop called His House the other day.  I think I paid a whopping 50 cents for them.  Ah, thrifting...  There is nothing quite like getting a great deal.  On that same trip, I got the old Fisher Price Little People barn (the one I had when I was little) for 50 cents as well! 

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Mar. 30 - More Giraffe

No photo-of-the-day today, but here is a shot of Mom and Morgan feeding the giraffe with Griffin at the zoo yesterday!  So fun!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Mar. 29 - Gma Ginger and Aunt Morgan

According to the forecast, today was our only day without rain for Mom and Morgan's entire visit.  So, we took advantage of it and went to the zoo!  It was such a gorgeous day, especially after days upon days of solid rain.  We had chai, fed the giraffes, saw the gorilla feeding, fed the goats, rode the carousel, and had a great time!

Monday, March 28, 2011

Mar. 28 - Monkey Joe's

My mom and sister came into town a few days ago, and it has been raining non-stop since they arrived, unfortunately.  Of course, we've been enjoying relaxing and just being together, which has been nice.  But today, we decided to take Griffin to Monkey Joe's to get him (and us!) out of the house for a bit.  Mom and I agreed that Griffin is a bit young to really be able to take advantage of a place like Monkey Joe's (a big play center filled with inflated bounce houses/slides/obstacle courses), but he had a blast in a couple of the bounce houses with me!

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Mar. 27 - Big Boy

Guess who is 15 months old today?!  Griffin has been wanting to have a spoon or fork at every meal, although he still eats the bulk of his food with his hands.  How cute is this growing little boy feeding himself with a fork?!  My goodness.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Mar. 25 - Friends

This morning, Griffin and I went over to the library to meet up with a bunch of my friends and their kids.  Now that Griffin is only napping once a day, his schedule matches up with his older friends, which makes getting together much easier for the Fin and I.  Seriously, it is such a blessing to have so many great friends in the same phase of life!  So there were 6 of us mamas, 6 boys under 3, 1 baby girl, and 2 boys in the womb!  So fun.  But us ladies are going to have to get on the ball producing more girls, or we are going to be severely outnumbered soon! 

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Mar. 24 - Boys

My friend, Anna, and her boy, Sullivan, came out to the zoo with Griffin and I this afternoon.  Unfortunately, they were closing in about 30 minutes and weren't allowing any more people in, but we made the best of it and went for a walk in the little picnic area near the zoo.  It was way too beautiful of a day to waste!  The boys had a blast playing with sticks, dirt, and leaves, petting caterpillars, and messing around with the wagon.  It was so fun to watch them play out in nature together.  Well...not quite together together, but close enough!  They'll get there :)  How adorable are they sitting in Sully's wagon?!  Too cute for words, really.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Mar. 22 - Big Green

Spring cleaning has officially begun on this, the third day of spring, but it's been going on in small increments for the past month or two.  I've been slowly going through cupboards, shelves, closets, etc., and have already dropped off almost an entire van-load of stuff to Goodwill!  Deep cleaning and organizing is cathartic to me, and I wish I had an entire weekend to myself to spend on it.  But, alas, such is NOT the life of a toddler mama.  Today, the day (FINALLY) came to shampoo the carpet in the living room and hallway.  Man, did it desperately need it (after a bajillion spills, baby "stuff," toddler juice drips, and pet messes)!!  I rented a Bissell Big Green Deep Cleaning Machine from Lowe's yesterday afternoon to clean a recent thrift store chair find, and the carpets had needed a good cleaning for so long that I couldn't return the machine until I had tackled them as well.  I am absolutely impressed with how well that Bissell cleaned the carpet...I really cannot believe how good they look!  We had rented a Rug Doctor back just before Griffin was born, and I was less than enthusiastic about the results...You really couldn't even tell the carpets had been shampooed!  But this time, the carpet looks fresh, bright, fluffy, CLEAN, and I challenge you to find a stain!  Griffin was terrified of the machine at first; but by the time I finished the living room and moved on to the hallway, he was helping me push it, playing with the different pieces of it, and walking along with it, back and forth, back and forth.  He love love loves the vacuum, but I think he's found an even greater love in the carpet steamer.  I think I have too :)

Monday, March 21, 2011

Mar. 21 - Skyping

When I was little and phones with video just came out (for the low, low price of like $2000), there was nothing in the world I wanted more.  My dad lived all the way in either Minnesota or Michigan, and I thought it would be the coolest thing to be able to see him while we talked.  We talked about getting one all the time; but like I said, it was almost $2000 to get a pair.  My dad and I talked about that while chatting on Skype tonight during dinner...for FREE!  Gosh, I love Skype.  It really is a blessing, especially when raising kids a thousand miles from my family. 

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Mar. 20 - Icee

No photo of the day today, but I have plenty from our trip to the zoo a couple days ago.  It was such a hot day that day that we all felt the urgent need for Icees not long after entering the park.  So, Griffin got to sip off our Icees, which was a super special treat for him.  Here he is sharing his Grandaddy's Coke Icee with him.  Obviously, Griffin is quite pleased with this arrangement :)

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Mar. 19 - Love, Love, Love

I love this time of year.  I love that we didn't need to bundle up or sweat to death running errands.  I love that I felt the sun on my skin but didn't feel like I was swimming in humidity.  It's coming, I know...but it's not here yet!  I guess today was in the mid to upper 80's again, and this was the first day of this new year that we had to had the air conditioning pumping all day.  Oh, South Carolina summer...delay your arrival for another few months, okay?  Anyway, Griffin was being a super cutie tonight at dinner.  We wound up laughing so hard together that both of us were crying!  Speaking of things I love:  I love that boy.  I love that we can communicate lots of things now.  I love that we can make one another laugh.  I love this age.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Mar. 18 - Family Zoo Trip

What a great day for a trip to the zoo with the family!  I'm really going to miss Spring when it inevitably turns to summer in a couple weeks.  Although it wasn't summer temperatures, it was still in the upper 80's, and I realized it was high time to lather Griffin's fair skin up with sunscreen!  After the zoo, we went over to Pawley's Front Porch for burgers...yum.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Mar. 17 - Potty

Hahah!  I just have to laugh when I see this picture!  A few notes on this shot:  1)  The drool has been incessant for about 3 months, and it's reminding me of his 5th and 6th months quite a bit.  I mean, bibs are of no use, considering he would soak through the bib and into his shirt in minutes.  So, he just has a perpetual wet neck/chest.  Both mama and baby are ready for the remaining 3 molars to cut in already so we can be done with teeth until he's 3.  2)  Griffin got his 2nd haircut last night, and how handsome does he look?  It was a massive challenge, and it definitely took both Oliver and I to make it happen.  We want to let his hair grow longer, but he had so much shorter, new hair that had grown in later and some hair from when he was "brand new" that was super long.  So, we decided to even it all out and let it grow out all together.  3)  About every day or every other day, Griffin decides he wants to sit on the potty.  Usually, he will go.  Other times, he just likes the idea of sitting on the potty.  Either way, I'm happy!  I'm beginning to think that, if I can get up the energy and drive, I could probably potty train him right now.  I really think he's ready and willing, so I'm going to do a bit of research and get on the ball!  I'm sort of wondering...Do we need to get him a little potty of his own for a while?  Or do these seats work alright?

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Mar. 16 - Story Time

Our nightly bed time routine with Griffin is basically dinner, bath, pjs, story time, and bed.  Normally, Oliver is working during this time of the day, but Wednesday, his only night off, is the night when he is able to be a part of Griffin's bed time routine.  Even while I am getting Griffin's pj's on, he is signing "book," anticipating story time.  Of course, we read to him at other times sporadically during the day, but he definitely knows that this is for sure going to happen every night just before bed.  He's even gotten to the point where he knows that Going to Sleep on the Farm and Goodnight Moon are the last two books we read before he goes to bed, and he's begun to throw a little bit of a fit every night when I get to those books.  On an unrelated note, I gave Griffin his second haircut tonight.  It appears to have turned out alright in spite of a complete fiasco trying to cut it.  He isn't what you would call "cooperative" when it comes to sitting still!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Mar. 15 - EdVenture

This morning, we went to EdVenture Children's Museum here in town.  What a great place!  They have so, so many different exhibits like a three story boy that is like an enormous play place made to look like the inside of the body, a miniature Piggly Wiggly complete with shopping carts and check-out scanners and registers, a farm with cows to milk, eggs to collect, crops to harvest, and a John Deere tractor, and the list goes on and on and on.  Griffin is a bit young yet for a lot of the different activities and interactive exhibits, but he is just so happy to explore!  In the mini grocery store exhibit, Griffin picked out a bag of pears (which he mistook for actual pears and kept telling me he wanted to eat them....next time I think we'll do that first and not so, so close to lunch time haha), a box of instant mac & cheese (which I told him was not Mama-approved), and a dozen eggs.  An interesting mix, to be sure! 

Monday, March 14, 2011

Mar. 14 - Feeding Giraffes

What a beautiful, beautiful day.  This week is our spring break from school, so Oliver and I have our daytimes all week to spend together as a family!  What a much-needed break for us both!  This morning, we went to the zoo again.  This time, we let Griffin feed the goats and had the new experience of feeding the giraffes!  You would not believe how huge and beautiful these creatures are up close; Oliver and I were talking about how they just don't look like they should "work!"  Griffin absolutely loved feeding the giraffes lettuce, and Oliver and I were both quite shocked at how brave he was to stick his hand in such a gigantic animal's mouth!

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Mar. 13 - Baby Blues

My child is gorgeous.  Parents are allowed to say that without sounding pompous, right?

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Mar. 12 - Frenzy

Today, Griffin and I dropped Oliver off at his new job with Frenzy (t-shirt screen printing company) and got to see where he is and what he does all day Saturday!  It's a neat little shop, and the job has been a real blessing to our family.  Oliver is still working for Dominos throughout the week and on weekends as well.  After we dropped him off, we went to the zoo to enjoy the beautiful day and sunshine. 

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Mar. 10 - Laryngitis

Well, I woke up this morning with good, old fashioned laryngitis.  This is my third sickness in all of about two and a half weeks, and feeling under the weather is really wearing out its welcome around here.  I forced myself to go in and take the exam for the Romans class I'm currently taking, but I am starting to realize that I'm beginning to wear out.  That being said, no photo today; however, I have a sweet one of Griffin, Anna, Henry, and Carroll from yesterday that will do just fine!

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Mar. 9 - Cousins

Today, we went with Oliver to Charleston for the day.  He had an appointment for a root canal in town, and Griffin and I got to spend some time with Griffin's Gigi, Aunt Anna, and cousin, Henry!  The cousins look like they're both very focused on reading a Veggie Tales book together; however, it was hard to get them both in the same spot, let alone focused on the same thing, for more that a couple of seconds!  Griffin was walking here, there, everywhere, and not really wanting to sit and play.  But, we captured a few sweet moments of cousin togetherness, and that's just about all we could really ask for at their respective ages! 

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Mar. 8 - Bucket of Leaves

We've been sick a. lot. around here lately.  This has led to a few different things:  1) an epic disaster of a house, 2) staying in our p.j.'s pretty much all day every day, 3) having to come up with creative solutions to keep a 14 month old entertained and happy in the house when mama is feeling like...roadkill.  Griffin is big into putting things in bowls, buckets, etc. and taking them out again right now, and he had found a small piece of a leaf that he was carrying around everywhere with him.  So, I scooped up a bucketful of leaves and let him have at it!

Monday, March 7, 2011

Mar. 7 - Goofs

Love my boy.  Love keeping the front door open and breathing in the fresh air all day long.  Love our screened-in porch.  Love my boy.  ...Wait, I already said that!  ;)  Oh, and today was a photo-a-day skip day, so don't be thinking I never change my child's clothes/pajamas!

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Mar. 6 - Magnolia

This is Magnolia, our 6 year old cat.  Yes, she has one green eye and one blue; most cats with this odd eye color combo are born deaf as well, but not our Maggie here.  Other Maggie oddities:  sleeping on her back, enjoying a belly scratch, does tricks with hand signals for treats such as "sit," "lay down," "give me your paw," and "lick" ("lick" gets her to lick her own paw).  Smart kitty.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Mar. 5 - Ham

Our little ham...  Griffin told me again today, while eating lunch this time, that he wanted to go potty, and voila!  It appears that he really doesn't like going in his diaper after seeing that there is another way to do things.  Also, he quite likes the hullabaloo resulting from his efforts. 

Friday, March 4, 2011

Mar. 4 - Couldn't Believe My Eyes

How precious is this?  A boy excited to see his father return home...It doesn't get much more precious than that.  I must also mention that Griffin loves to go out on the porch to say "bye bye" and blow kisses to his papa, and he always gets super excited when Oliver comes home again.  Today's events were such an odd combo.  Last night, I started to feel increasingly sick, and I woke up feeling as though I had been hit by a truck.  Oliver doesn't have class on Fridays, so he decided to take Griffin to the childrens' museum downtown (called "Eduventure," which is why Griffin has that red "E" sticker on his back in this photo) and let me rest!  What a wonderful husband I have!  Later in the day, Griffin signed that he wanted to use the potty, which I was pretty incredulous about; however, I put him on the pot just to show him that making the sign for "potty" would result in him getting to sit on the potty (which he loves).  To my great surprise, it wasn't long before he went both #1 and #2!  What a surprise!  Is it possible for a child to potty train themselves?!  Later in the afternoon, Griffin accidentally knocked my coffee over onto my laptop and all down in the keys.  For the second time today, I couldn't believe what I was seeing!  I quickly turned it off and turned it upside-down until we determined we needed to take it in to a local place we know of A.S.A.P.  What a day!  All these things coupled with the fact that I can barely walk or move my arms today, because I started a new workout video yesterday, makes for a very interestingly odd day!

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

March 2 - Rough Week

Fast-forward to tomorrow, and we got out as a family to our lovely zoo.  It was an absolutely beautiful day, complete with sunshine & a cool breeze.  Fortunately, Griffin seems to be on the mend, & hopefully that will translate into more consistent daily photos :)

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Mar. 1 - Squatter

Today was another sick day in the Thompson household, with Griffin still running a fever, getting congested, and having watery eyes, and me still feeling weak, nauseous, tired, and dizzy.  Griffin has been running a fever on and off for almost 5 days now, so I think a trip to the pediatrician is in order soon.  Thankfully, Oliver had a photography project to work on with Griffin today, so I chose one of his photos to use as today's shot.  Good job, Ollie.