The Greene Family

A blitz trip and a baby shower

2012-02-06T11:14:00.000-08:00

Zach had a long drill from Wednesday to Sunday last week, so my friend Kate and I loaded all the kids up for a 48hr blitz trip to Gatlinburg. Once we quickly ran from the scary hotel Kate booked on hotels.com and checked into the Hilton Garden Inn we were ready for some fun ...

The kids loved the aquarium ..

We were so busy those are about the only pictures I got .. but we rode the tram up the mountain to the ski slopes, went the the "Smokey Mountain Wildlife Encounter" (we learned why its an "encounter" and not a zoo ... basically we looked at empty habitats but the kids didnt care)

We also celebrated Laura's baby to be ...

Mommy points ...

2012-01-10T13:56:00.001-08:00

Let's be honest .. it's not easy to take kids ages 4,2, and 1 hiking on a Saturday morning without a daddy(at the base) but somethings we do out of sheer boredom, need for adventure/spontaneity and ... mommy points. Because you get a lot more "oh wow good for you", "how fun", and "I bet they loved it" when you tell people you went to hike a waterfall on a Saturday rather than the normal well we went to the park. Luckily, I had a willing cousin that answered the desperate text of "want to be crazy and take the kids hiking today.. we are daddy-less" with a "pick me up in 30 min!" ... We really had a blast and I can't tell you how good it was for my soul to be out enjoying the Lord's creation with my kids:)

Christmas Time is Here ...

2011-12-19T05:29:00.000-08:00

It was always a tradition for us to ride the Pink Pig at Christmastime so what does this tradtion freak do?? Sticks her kids in the car for the 45 minute drive to Lenox to ride the Pink Pig:)

They loved it!

A re-cap of sorts ..

2011-12-19T05:11:00.000-08:00

Well it's no secret we have not posted in a while but here are some photos to recap the past 6 months .. These lil people are growing up!Rexy and Cousin David not really wanting their photo taken

Annie as tinkerbell

Halloween

Riding the Pink Pig at Lenox

Last Beach post:)

2011-06-18T18:55:00.000-07:00

This is pretty much what they looked like at the end of each day .. thirsty and exhausted ...

We visited the air force base museum one afternoon .. daddy got to show the kiddos the jets he works on:)

I realize I never really got any pictures of us on the beach and I chalk that up to these 2 things ... mommas got a new camera and is scared to have it near water and sand and we lasted all of about 45 minutes at a time on the beach before heading back to the pool ...

More Beach ...

2011-06-18T18:47:00.001-07:00

We visited the "Gulfaruim" one morning while on vacation .. Annie refused to take her sunglasses off .. sweet girl ..
She loved swimming with Aunt B ...

Rexy loves floating around with his lil water wings .. boy is fearless when it comes to the pool ...

We also just happened to pass Krispy Kreme when the hot light was on ... and who can resist that?!

Ok one more post on the vacation and I promise I will quit with the pictures ...

Beachtime for the Greenes ...

2011-06-18T18:27:00.000-07:00

We recently returned from a trip to Fort Walton with my side of the family mixed in with the meltdowns and tantrums were actually some fun times!!

I so badly wanted a cute photo by this colorful sign but no ...

She thought this shark was so funny for some reason ...

more to come ...

Summertime ..

2011-06-18T18:12:00.000-07:00

I love the new activities that summertime has brought lately ... again less clothing is more in our backyard ..

Lots of tent making indoors to escape the heat outside .. and yes that is dust on my chairs ..

A trip out to the Wiseharts farm will cure any type of summer boredom ...

I'd say the chicks were a hit with Rex ...

More frames a minute

2011-06-01T19:37:00.001-07:00

It only took me 3.5 years to figure out how to get a good/smiling pic of a kid ... buy a camera with a lot of frames per second ... um why did someone not tell me this!!
Sweet Rexy with his Dot-Dot Annie doing some amateur modeling .. ha

Mac debuting his pirate face for the blog ....

In recent days

2011-06-01T19:27:00.000-07:00

Rex loves how the summer heat makes clothing optional in the backyard ... Annie enjoyed the Memorial day parade from grandaddy's shoulders ...

Mac thinks the leash I attached to the board above the slide is like spiderman's web(let's not ruin it for him or the hours of entertainment and peace it has brought this mama) ..

Venom

2011-01-19T19:03:00.000-08:00

Annie was so happy that Mac received a new red and blue spiderman outfit for Christmas because she hads inherited the old Venom black outfit Mac no longer cares for ... she has no interest in her princess costume. not any. none

Snowed in and getting creative ...

2011-01-19T18:33:00.001-08:00

Dern the sideways picture!! O well onto the post ... Last week Gainesville saw the most snow ever since I have lived here .. We had a good 6 inches plus a half inch of ice on top of that!! So what else to do on a snowy morning?? Rex and I decided to make some cookies .. he likes being the taste tester dont ya think??
The snow was fun for a while ... Zach and I actually ended up in the local newspaper(apparently the photographer wanted to pick the most flattering picture right?) ...

Then the snow felt more like being trapped .. so I painted to ignore the children going stir crazy around me ... sorry yet again another sideways pic ...

Then I had to get really creative .. this is the setting for at home date night .. if ya cant go out and you need to break up the snowed in monotany this was actually fun ...

Mac got tired of all the coloring books and started coloring his body ...

All in all the snow was fun but we were stuck for far too long with 3 kids under 3 in the house ... come on spring we are ready for you!!!!

White Christmas

2010-12-26T18:15:00.001-08:00

So this picture was actually taken a few months ago but I forgot to post it .. It's funny because his poppy sits EXACTLY like this when he is watching tv .. haha .. now onto Christmas ... It was such a busy morning besides video this was the only picture I got ... Mac got a new red and blue spiderman outfit(he had been rockin the black venom outfit since september .. and when I saw rockin I mean he was wearing it as his regular clothing in public at least 4 days a week .. the people at mellow mushroom asked me last time we went to lunch there if he wears it everyday because that was the only outfit they have ever seen him in .. ), a buss lightyear tent, football, spiderman blanket and a few other odds and ends ... Annie(though she too really wanted everything Buss Lightyear I opted to steer her more in the girly direction) got a princess costume, tree tent, elmo slippers and a purse ... They were thrilled .... Thankfully nothing had batteries except for Rexy's toy .. his one and only toy that I dont even have a pic of him with .. :(

Snow fell on Christmas day for the first time since 1947 in Gainesville ... nifty .. and the kids enjoyed it too :)

Celebrating ..

2010-12-26T18:05:00.000-08:00

So its been a busy couple months ... It all started out early November celebrating Mac's 3rd birthday ... My sweet first born is 3(feels like he should be 20 just sayin .. ) I love him to pieces he is extremely obsessed with everything Spiderman and Buzz Lightyear ... loves legos, anything chocolate, playing in the garage with his daddy and sneaking into our bed almost every morning around 6:00 ....
Then we celebrated Thanksgiving(sorry for the lack of pictures .. you should be used to my poor documentation skills by now) .. followed by Rexy's first trip to see Santa ... after this "standing in line pic was taken no others pics went quite as smoothly so we will leave it at this ...

Then we celebrated Annie's potty training .. hey its a big step!! Here she is taking a break from changing her own babies diaper ....

Then the celebration of Rexy graduating to big boy food!!

And drumroll ... Our Christmas celebration .... Here is our 2nd annual Happy Birthday Jesus Cake !! I will post more Christmas/ snow pics but this is all the pics this post could handle ...

Cute cousins ...

2010-11-08T13:23:00.000-08:00

We had a mini photo shoot this afternoon in our yard .... These cousins are cuuuttteee ...

Watch the blog for birthday pics to come later this week ... I will have a 3 year old!!

A love-hate relationship ...

2010-11-03T12:05:00.000-07:00

I have a serious love-hate relationship with photos .... LOVE when friends take good ones like this while we are out playing with kiddos picking out pumpkins and going on hayrides .... LOVE when I actually remember my camera on an outing at the mall for moments like this ...

LOVE pics of a boy so very happy to be eating some ice cream ...

HATE that these are the only 3 pictures I have to show for the last two months ... literally the only 3 ... wow

These kids crack me up ...

2010-09-18T19:07:00.000-07:00

Rexy likes to wake up a bit earlier from his afternoon nap then the other two(I think it's because I kinda force him to nap when the others do and he might not be quite ready to go down but he has to for the sake of my sanity) so after waking this week he got his first ride in the swing .. And then there's this one ... he wanted his Gigi to paint him green like the hulk ... and she did ...

And Annie girl had her first lunch out with the girls this week ... all prim and proper ...

then there was dinner later ... not so prim and proper ...

a taste of what we do all day ...

2010-08-18T13:04:00.000-07:00

Eat snacks in our tunnels ... Entertain our lil brother ...

Get stuck in the stroller ...

Get pushed in the stroller .. (a lil backwards ..)

A photo update

2010-08-14T08:50:00.000-07:00

Some fun in the backyard ...

My latest "crafty" attempt .. I took all the ugly vases you kinda collect from the florist and some more from thrift stores and spray painted the inside white so they would all match for a couples shower I hosted a few weeks ago ... worked out pretty well ...

Z spending some man time with Rexy ....

Annie always into something ...

Top 2 reasons we love our friends ..

2010-08-12T18:57:00.000-07:00

#1 ... They make life MUCH more fun and add so much life and laughter to our days .. I love watching my lil's play with their friends ..

#2 .. Our friends have good mommies that actually take pictures(good ones Linds) that document life and dont lose their cameras for months on end ...

We took another trip to the lake and took some friends a few weeks ago .. This is Riott and Mac playing some hardcore Toy Story .. the latest obsession at this house ...

We are thankful for friends ... and now that I have found my camera ... can I get a Hallelujah .. I will post more pics ...

Little man's 1st movie!!

2010-07-02T19:20:00.000-07:00

Yup, movie complete with 3D glasses!! He had a ball watching Buzz and Woody and eating his M&M's a dream afternoon in 2 year old land ...

Another ramblings post ...

2010-07-02T18:55:00.000-07:00

So my weeks activities are random at this point in life mix some pool time with kids, dinner with college roommates, invitation addressing for an engaged friend, book reading to my book obsessed 1 year old, couponing with my sister, movie watching with my currently buzz and woody obsessed 2 year old, goofing off with the hubs and round it out with some power hour step with friends. Makes for a fun week right? I think so:) However, I admit lost in the mix sometimes is my quiet time with the Lord(although I throw up completely desperate prayers during the day for example when my child has an accident in chic fil a and I am stuck without a diaper or change of clothes and yes he even listens to those prayers and sends diaper angels like linds mig to save me) so I wanted to share some words to an old hymn that I have always held dear. This hymn and I crossed pathes in college and I have a forever love for this verse ..

I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses,
And the voice I hear,
Falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.
And He walks with me,
And He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own.
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None has ever known.

This is how I am feelings these days no matter what random things I am walking through in a week whether good or bad the Lord is walking with me and I feel it ... really I do. And what I really love about this hymn is the part about no one knowing the joy we are sharing and it's true Jesus and I have a relationship thats unique .. our walk is our very own and has a cool gait to it .... :)

We had to get out ...

2010-06-07T05:51:00.000-07:00

There comes a time when I cannot stroll around our block, pack up for the gym, play in our yard, play in our cousins yard, go to city park, visit my mom, and visit my mother-in-law ANYMORE! Those are our most common activities and after doing those for O say ... forever ... ya gotta switch it up a bit for sanity!! Hence our trip to the lakehouse ...

I can say I had such a great time that the pic of Mac is the only one I have:) My sister, her lil boy David, myself, Mac, Annie and Rex and a friend of mine and her two boys headed to the lake last Thursday and the daddies joined us after work Friday. We laughed, played, fished, ping ponged, cooked, slept, swam and hung around. A MUCH NEEDED change of pace. Needless to say I will be visiting the lake more this summer. The kids LOVED the pool there with the water slide(of course I went down in with them in my lap), the beach entry and the spray area topped to favorites list:)

Bring on the summer fun ... I kinda feel like a kid getting a "re-do" at childhood:)

Ramblings #2 ....

2010-05-20T05:38:00.000-07:00

"How many are your works, O Lord!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creations." Psalm 102:24

As evidenced by my backyard around 3 each day, I like to be around people. The is hardly an afternoon when it is only me and my kids because as much as they love lil friends to play with their mommy loves an adult to talk with. My friends breathe fun into my life but it's more than that. God made them all so very unique and I am a lucky girl because each one brings out a different side in me and in the mudane of mommyhood I couldn't appreciate it more ... I have friends that challenge my creative side, that inspire my fashionable(or not so fashionable) side, encourage my domestic side(or put it to shame), educate my mommy side, share my love for real estate side, let my spontaneous side out for brief spans of time, reminsce on the past for my nostalgic side, accompany me to the gym for my physical fitness side and I even have ones that indulge my trash tv side! They are all so unique and it's because God made them that way and I see the creativness of Him in them each day. I cannot imagine living life not surrounded by people to share with, push kids in strollers with, eat with, run with, worship with, pray with, travel with, do ministry with and cry I'm laughing so hard with. I am a blessed blessed girl.

And give it up for me for the 3 days in a row string of posts!!!!

Update ...

2010-05-19T07:24:00.000-07:00

Time has flown since I had Rex. I really can't believe he is already 2.5 months old, I really feel like I had him yesterday. He is such a great lil guy and loves his sleep! He naps without a fuss and sleeps pretty long stretches at night(watch just because I posted this tonight will be terrible). Annie and Mac are always trying to "play" with their lil bro .. this includes piling toys on top of him, hugging/strangling him, and giving him lots of kisses. Rex is a great addition to the madness around here:)

I am getting better at this ...

2010-05-17T18:25:00.000-07:00

A token picture of Rex during a visit from our friends new pup ... and onto the couponing .... these were the products I forgot in the original picture ..

All the goods ...

So couponing attempt #2 ... I promise I will quit posting all pics and a list of goods after this week ... maybe just total versus what I saved:)

I bought:

-2 bags Rold Gold pretzels

-1 Sister Shubert rolls

-1 big All Oxi active laundry detergent

-2.25lbs grapes

-4 apples

-2lbs sweet potatoes

-2 Stouffers skillet dinners

-1 64oz Welches grape juice

-2 Ken's salad dressings

-2 Zone Perfect bars

-8 Yoplait fiber one yogurts

-3 large bags M&M's (don't usually buy this type of thing but with all the coupons/deal each bag was like .30 so I couldn't pass it up!)

-1 Off Smoothe and Dry Mosquito repellent

-2 boxes Ritz crackers

-2 Airwick Aqua mist sprays

-2 Keebler cookie

-2 Hunts ketchup(corn syrup free! ... not that none of my other purchases don't contain it:))

-1 can black beans

-2 cans diced tomatoes

-1 can niblet corn

-1 box Suddenly Salad mix

-1 box Quaker breakfast cookie

-1 package blueberry bagels

-1 Glass plus spray

-1 Motts Applesauce

-1 Sauve shampoo

-1 Ghiradeli brownie mix

-1 gallon sweet tea

-4 chicken breasts

-2 dozen eggs

-8 pack sparkle paper towels

-2 gallons of milk

Total: $102.73

SAVED: $65.21

Ok ... I am getting better at this ... and you may think wow she didn't buy much meat but I have some in the freezer and bread frozen from last weeks shopping ... and about a bzillion strawberries my sister picked .... anyway I think I did pretty good:)

This couponing thing is FOR REAL!!!

2010-05-10T19:44:00.000-07:00

Ok this was my first attempt at this coupon thing and here's how it went ... I got ...

-$50 BP gas card

-1 box fruit snacks

-1 box english muffins

-1.62 lbs sweet potatoes
-2.2 lbs broccoli

-2.69 lbs bananas

-2 boxes strawberries

-2 Birdseye Voila frozen meals

-1 box ice cream sandwiches

-whipping cream

-1 bag frozen biscuits

-4 apples

-2 gallons milk

-Keebler Rainbow cookies

-Soy Baby Formula

-Resolve Spray 'n Wash

-5lb sugar

-1 Hellmans Mayo

-4 loaves wheat bread

-dark chocolate chips

-Shick hydro razor

-2 boxes thin spaghetti

-activia yogurt

-2 Ken's marinades

-4 Peter Pan Peanut butter

-2 pouches tuna

-1 gallon apple juice

-2 Ragu spaghetti sauces

-baking soda

-olive oil

-cubed steak

-4 pork chops

-V8 splash juice

-1 box Capri sun

-1 bag shredded cheese

Total -- $140.72 (keep in mind it included a $50 gas card so all the groceries for $90)

SAVED -- $60.74

AMAZING!!! I am HOOKED

Crafty Crafty ...

2010-05-06T18:03:00.000-07:00

So I have made these earring holders for years. Many I have given as gifts and I finally made one for myself. They are super easy to make ..
Step 1 - Find an old frame at an antique store or goodwill
Step 2 - Buy screen material at a home improvement store
Step 3 - Staple gun the screen in place and voila!!

Give it a try .. makes great wall art and keeps the earrings nice and tidy ...

And just because she is so cute ...

Let's face it ...

2010-04-29T18:13:00.000-07:00

I am not good at remembering to take pictures ... ever .. at all. Once I pack a bag full of the things that you need to get 3 kids out the door - diapers, extra clothes for the potty training one and the cronic puker, sippy cups, bottles, burp cloths, wipes, my brain, snacks, my sanity, etc ... the last thing I think of is a camera. So you will just have to trust me when I say we have been enjoying the great outdoors, going on lots of walks, trips to the gym, friends birthdays, boat rides and so much more. One day I will remember to take a picture of our fun but for now you will have to enjoy the staged pictures.

Will you play with me?

2010-04-01T19:11:00.000-07:00

After many cold and wet winter months spring is here and we can play outside ... We have spent every waking minute soaking up the sun ... Annie is thrilled:)

Springtime ...

2010-04-01T10:30:00.000-07:00

Our church had its 4th annual Easter Egg Hunt this past weekend and my kids of course got in on the action (mom and dad need their candy stash) ... Mac had already filled his tool box on the first hunting round so when the adult hunt came up he grabbed a larger bag to fill:) Annie picked up all of one egg ...

Inspired by a friend ..

2010-03-23T11:51:00.000-07:00

So, needless to say down time for a mom is hard to find and usually the last thing I want to do when I find it is anything actually! Most of the time during naps I vegitate and read blogs online, read, bake, straighten up ya know that kinda thing but starting next week .. drum roll ... I am gonna PAINT:) I really like to paint. It's kinda like therapy and I never do it until a get the itch like every few .. years .. ha. However, my friend Lindsey (a serious crafter/sewer/painter .. she puts most moms to shame) posted on her blog elephantinmypocket.blogspot.com a painting she recently did of her family tree .. and she researched ancestry for it -- um yea she is one of those super motivated mommies:) So, I am posting this to keep myself accountable because I am going to paint our family tree .. stay tuned for pictures ... Here are a few pics of the last painting I did ... I am no pro but I do like to do it ...

Annie's FIRST Birthday!!!

2010-03-18T17:04:00.000-07:00

Well since apparently I am good at loading photos backwards ... This is how lil Annie ended her evening of fun .. all bathed with a bottle and in her grandaddy's lap ... o yes and some cool new pjs! And it starts ...

Present opening .. not the pic I meant to load but too lazy to change it ...

I LOVE all the facial expressions in this pic ...

Is there something on my face??

Lovin' it ...

Cake pre-destruction ... And shout out to Publix for the free "smash cake" on the 1st birthday:)

Happy Birthday Sweet Annie Girl!!!

A picture update ...

2010-03-14T16:45:00.000-07:00

Well this is a kinda backwards post ... So we had another baby .. Little Rex joined our family Monday ... Annie loves him already ... She is sooo relieved to know she is still the princess ...

O the thrill of adding more chaos(our token picture in the hospital) ...

And then the update on normal life ...

We make brownies ... and eat the batter ... I do still have friends in the midst of child chaos ...

We celebrate our lil friends birthdays .. Happy Birthday Hannah ...

I know random post but at least it had pictures:)

Snow days ...

2010-02-13T17:09:00.000-08:00

I know you expected a picture of snow but all the outdoor playing has really caused my laundry to pile up .. I need to fold more and watch the snow less .... however Addy is enjoying it ... Annie is a little too small to enjoy the snow so she has found other mischevious things to do while her brother is outside playing ...

Mac is all suited up and ready to head out to sled with daddy ... Of course in the reflective "Fireman Sammy" jacket ...

My sweet boy ..

2010-02-11T11:13:00.000-08:00

So we bought Annie a few baby dolls ... little did we know Mac would have such a fondness for them:) I heard him reading books in his room yesterday and ran in a snapped this picture ... he told me it was time for "babies night night" ... so precious ....

Just being honest ... ramblings

2010-02-04T11:14:00.001-08:00

Normally, this blog serves as a baby book for my kiddos. Just for posts about their lives in general but I just had to post this because it's been on my mind ...

Over the past few weeks I have been thinking about "life" more than usual. Not sure if it is because there is about to be a new life around here but none the less here are my ramblings ...

I went to hear a speaker on parenting at a local church a few weeks ago. This is extremely out of character for me as I have never read any baby books, discipline books, food labels, rarely remember doctors apts(actually missed Annie's last week), my kids are getting the normal shots, etc ... love me or hate me that's the kinda mom that I am ... just being honest ... Doesn't mean that I don't care about or love my kids more than life, I just don't buy into a lot of the current psychobabble fed to mommies everywhere ... that we need to read a zillion books, spend endless hours researching every disease that was ever on the planet that they could come in contact with, feed them only things you can get from pick nature(though healthy just not at all practical all the time) .. blah blah blah ...

Also...

I am a people person - love to be with, talk to, hang with people in general(now I can get my fill and need alone time) but in general I am energized by socializing for the most part ...

So my dilema ... NO ONE TAKE OFFENSE PLEASE ...

What is it about mommies that we are so obsessed with our children, that it seems no one ever talks about anything else besides parenting, baby sleep or lack there of, diapers, naps, etc??!! I love to talk about other things!! By gosh even to talk about the weather these days is a departure from the norm .. Don't get me wrong there is a time for getting advice on sleeping, discipline, etc ... but I am determined to be more mindful of my conversation because I like any other mom could ramble about my kids forever!

Our pastor has also been preaching a series on reaching out to the lost within our own community .. like really stepping outside of the box and doing some ministry ... wow .. um convicting ... step outside of my "mommy box"?? yes!!

I guess my lesson the last few weeks is I am a mom for sure but I need to not let it define all my conversations, hold me back from ministry around me, and from making my relationship with the Lord the center of my universe SECOND to my husband then to my kids(who currently rule the roost) ...

All you ladies that I know that may read this probably have this under control, but I DON'T ...
I am still processing how one juggles all of the above ...

Anyone out there understand??

Greene baby #3

2010-01-27T18:17:00.000-08:00

I never mention the fact that I am even pregnant with a third on this blog .. but I am ... and only about 6 weeks til D-day ... Not prepared at all for what this will do for the comfort I finally feel toting two around ... our nursery is still occupied by Annie, we are still working on her room ... and regardless if its a boy or girl his or her crib bedding will be Mac's old chocolate and brown crib bedding(sad right? o well I blame this on the economy and not having any additional funds currently) ... So in short we are just not ready for #3 but I am not really sure you are ever really READY for another baby ... February will be our last month as a family of 4 ... wow ...

Everyday stuff

2010-01-27T17:47:00.000-08:00

So I just found this picture particularly interesting if you look closely ... notice the spank spoon ever so conveniently laying on the sink .. alongside my cell phone because my chidren like to bath for a freakin hour and it gets kinda boring(gotta text) ... also Annie has pulled out about half of the dirty clothes in the basket and all the makeup out of my makeup bag ... this is just another typical bathtime aroudn here if anyone was wondering .. o yea and Mac is totally still in the tub in this shot ... ha
Bless lil Annie's sweet heart but she ALWAYS walks into the path of destruction ... this did not end well ...

Never a dull moment ...

Find the toddler ...

2010-01-15T12:30:00.000-08:00

My lil walker ..

2010-01-15T12:08:00.000-08:00

I always knew she was going to walk early but never thought at 9 months! She started taking steps right before Christmas and now is officially everywhere!! She just wanted to keep up with her brother and make way for the next babe in about 8 weeks or so ...

Silly Daddy

2010-01-15T11:57:00.000-08:00

So one afternoon while I was showing houses, I think Zach got a little bored. The boredom resulted in a photo shoot with Annie in the baby carrier .... this was my favorite shot:)

Boys are so different ...

2010-01-06T19:25:00.001-08:00

Annie got a few dolls for Christmas and Mac loves to load them in his bus/dump truck/etc and take them around the house ... occassionally he will even come tell me he but the baby in bed for a nap ... this was one of those naps ....

Christmas Highlights

2010-01-06T18:54:00.001-08:00

The devouring of the Happy Birthday Jesus Cake on Christmas Eve ... Daniel and Annie just chillin like the good babies they are ...

Our lil fam(I can't believe there will be another one in the picture next year) ...

And the making of the Happy Birthday Jesus Cake(I know this post is kinda backwards .. )

O Litttle Star of Bethlehem

2009-12-23T19:31:00.001-08:00

Mac was in his first Christmas program and did surprisingly well!! He goes to playschool at the Episcopal Church two mornings a week and loves it(mom loves the break) and his class all dressed up as stars in the nativity production. They sand a little song -- Mac did not open his mouth BUT he stood up there so handsomely:) The pictures are terrible .. they were the best we could do from our vantage point .. the chapel was packed with proud parents, grandparents,etc and it was hard to snag a good spot to watch ... but here are the bad pics just because we are so proud of our lil man ...

Here kitty kitty

2009-12-23T19:21:00.000-08:00

We live near Brenau University and actually straight across the street from a large vacant lot that is owned by them. It comes in handy for throwing the ball with Addy, running around with the kiddos and .... the nightly neighborhood cat feeding. Seriously though we have a lady that feeds stray cats there EVERY night and around 4:45 they start emerging from the woods and walking down our street to the empty lot awaiting her arrival. I have told people this story may times and they kinda blow it off and give me funny looks ... here is the proof:) (and these are just a few of the 15+ that gather)

I just love her ...

2009-12-23T19:08:00.000-08:00

Annie is now 9 months old and sooo much fun! She is my budding little walker and will stand straight up(holding on to nothing) and take one or two steps then down to crawl again .. I think in January she will probably just take off... which I can't decide if will be better when the next baby comes or more challenging .... She also prefers to sit like an Asian as referenced in the above photo whenever she is playing! I tell Leigh is is just preparing for her new cousin David's arrival from South Korea:) Even though I want another boy if I end up with another girl like Annie I will not complain ...

These kids are too cute!

2009-11-26T05:07:00.000-08:00

Mac's birthday train set ... that Annie likes to wreck on a daily basis ... Bathtime with cousin Daniel :)

Rainy day and couldn't play outside:(

Loaded the wrong pic .. did have one with them smiling ... they crack me up!

I can't tell you how much fun we have had lately!! Mac and Annie have had a blast between Mac's birthday, fall festivities, being spoiled by grandparents/aunts uncles, and hanging with friends and cousins ... Here are some pics to document our fun fall :)

Fun Times ...

2009-11-09T17:43:00.000-08:00

Isn't she the cutest horse you have ever seen?? I am just in love with her ...

We have been having so much fun .. life has gotten easier with these two. They are both at really fun ages and we are enjoying all this fall has had to offer so far. Mac was totally infatuated with pumpkins(of course he chose 2 blue one and one with warts for us), trick-or-treating was a blast, and Annie has just been cruising around and I swear she will walk by the end of the year. I can't believe Mac turns 2 tomorrow and Annie's 1st Thanksgiving and Christmas are around the corner! Then of course we will be adding number 3 ... and things might not be quite as simple .. yikes.

This little girl is growin up fast!!

2009-10-21T11:30:00.001-07:00

I cannot believe our sweet Annie is 7 months old. It really feels like she joined us a few weeks ago. She is a WONDERFUL baby and like her brother started crawling at 5 months and a few weeks, so she is completely mobile and chasing her brother all day long. You hardly ever hear this baby cry and she laughs and smiles at everyone!

Domestic Diva

2009-10-21T11:06:00.001-07:00

I am ffffffaaaaaaaarrrrrr from a domestic diva but I can bake some pretty mean homemade bread ... I use a starter to make it and it's sooo yummy!!

Won't take it off ...

2009-09-23T06:07:00.000-07:00

So, for a better part of the day these days Mac's chosen item has been his fireman hat ... He absolutely cannot play without it! His favorite thing is to do is to yell "I go, I go!" and drive his little bus around with his hat on .. (like fireman sam rides his truck to save people from the fire ... I can't tell you how many times I have had to watch that cartoon) Here is the evidence ...

More Beach ..

2009-09-21T16:02:00.000-07:00

The Naval Aviation Museum .. our rainy day adventure ...

Annie thoroughly enjoyed it as well ...

Our trip to the beach .... or pool .. ha

2009-09-21T14:25:00.000-07:00

So Mac was not too interested in the beach this year but had a great time(with the 2 year old tantrums thrown in) with his Dot-Dot and Granddaddy at the pool:) Our ice cream outing ... obviously Mac loved it ..

And of course I forgot the top to Annie's bathing suit ... Ready for the beach mom!!

More Pics for Daddy ..

2009-09-15T06:43:00.001-07:00

Well we are leaving for the beach today so I wanted to post some pictures before we left ... Annie is really making some progress crawling and can make it from one end of the rug in the living room to the other and Mac loves making his sister laugh! The picture in the chair was before church Sunday .. it is soooo hard to get them to both look at the same time!!

Daddy I am all clean!!

2009-09-10T17:22:00.000-07:00

Some pictures for Daddy ..

2009-09-06T06:46:00.000-07:00

Just some pics from the last few days .. notice the couch is in every picture .. ha!

Loving the legos from the consignment sale ..

Mac had his first ever ear infection so there was a lot of sleeping going on this week ..

Love my sweet(most of the time) babies ...

Lazy Afternoon ...

2009-09-04T13:15:00.000-07:00

Mac and Addy taking a snooze...

And since I can never seem to get them to sleep at the same time ....

Our crafting attempts and happy baby Annie:)

2009-08-29T05:20:00.000-07:00

Touch-A-Truck

2009-08-22T09:36:00.000-07:00

So our little Saturday adventure to "Touch-A-Truck"(they had fire trucks,ambulances. police cars, tractors, garbage trucks,etc.) .... I thought Mac would love it .. but ... it ended more like "Observe-A-Truck" ... Also as a side note I think this event should be held in October/November when it is not 105 degrees outside ...

Broken things need to be fixed ..

2009-08-22T07:20:00.000-07:00

Mac has always been my little fixer ... This morning was no different. His motorcyle was "boak -in" meaning it no longer made the buzzing sound because the batteries had died .. He took it straight to be fixed ...

Annie's photoshoot ...

2009-08-18T07:40:00.000-07:00

We had to wait until Mac went to school this morning for our photoshoot because somehow big brother always steals the spotlight when he is around ...

"I ca-ca"

2009-08-18T06:37:00.000-07:00

That is Macanese for I want to color .. As you can see we are having a hard time coloring within the lines ...

Future Baby Book

2009-08-09T06:04:00.000-07:00

So I realize there are actually very few people that read this blog. I might get a couple comments every post(which I love to read), however the truth is not many people are running to the computer to read the last update but thats ok ... the main purpose of this blog is that one day I will print it out and it will serve as a baby book for Mac and Annie. I know this might sound lazy but I figure the blog includes pictures, funny stories and things going on in our lives as they grow up .... much more than I ever would have put in a conventional "baby book".

On to the family update portion of this entry ...
I hear from Zach about twice a week at this point, nothing much changes on his end. They are pretty much doing the same thing day in and day out so our conversations mostly revolve around what the babies and I have been doing. He has about 2 months left and the first month has actually gone by pretty fast ...
As far as the babies are concerned Annie is getting HUGE ... she has those sweet tan lines between the rolls of fat on her arms and legs I love it! She sleeps all night most of the time and has really started the baby cooing, squealing thing ... Mac really misses his daddy and asks for him most every morning "dada .. cartoo??" translation .. daddy cartoons? Zach is normally the one that gets him up in the mornings and they watch cartoons together so he misses that. He also goes to the stairs near the garage at least once a day and says "dada tac-tor?" So cute but sad. His daddy will be back soon and he is going to freak out. I can't wait to see his face when he sees those big jets at the base and his daddy walk up in his uniform .. it will be precious!!

One cool dude

2009-08-07T19:28:00.000-07:00

Superheros

2009-08-05T19:11:00.000-07:00

Cousins Isaiah, Mercy and Mac in their superhero "capes" ... Mac insisted his blankie be his cape and it cracks me up Isaiah's is pink ... They are so cute when playing pretend ...

My "pappy"addict

2009-08-04T17:11:00.001-07:00

Mac will go to great lengths to rescue a "pappy" aka pacifier ...

The dreaded haircut ..

2009-08-04T16:57:00.000-07:00

Well obviously I have the pictures in the wrong order .. This is the after shot ... it really doesn't do the new "do" justice ... It is super cute even though I do miss those baby curls ... Yea he had to sit in my lap but he did pretty good overall ...

Mrs. Carolyn showing Mac her "tools" .... And the last shot of those precious curls ...

tired baby ...

2009-07-24T10:16:00.000-07:00

I told Mac to sit on the couch while I made him some lunch ... when I finished making lunch this is what I found .... I think all this summer fun is wearing him out ... :)

Fun with friends ...

2009-07-23T10:48:00.000-07:00

Annie Banannie ..

2009-07-22T07:45:00.000-07:00

Her feet are her new favorite toy ..

Poor girl all her pics are in her bouncy seat .. I guess its because thats where

she is 90% of the time ... ha

Updates for Daddy ... Bathtime

2009-07-22T07:28:00.000-07:00

Mac loves bathtime ... And just so you know he had been eating Cookies 'N Cream
ice cream and that's what on his face .......

Bathtime with friends is even better ... One of his best little friends Hannah

Also Annie's favorite time of the day ...

The 3 month wait and the terrible two's

2009-07-18T17:10:00.000-07:00

Notice the milk dripping down Zach's shirt .. ha!

Fourth of July before the parade

So, its been a while since my last post and we have been enjoying every minute of summer at the pool and park with our little friends. Annie is getting so big fast(forgive me for not posting any pics of her this time) and is the happiest baby you could ask for .. she sleeps like a champion too which I love!!

Zach left this past Monday for a 3 month deployment so it's just me and the babes .. I am not gonna lie it really stinks to have no daddy around and there were a few days this week I didn't think I was gonna make it until bedtime. I have found myself shooting up a lot more desperate prayers this past week :) Also, Mac has entered the terible two's with a bang. He has quite the little attitude and his favorite word currently is no ... EVERYTHING is no .... gonna be a long year ...

The pictures are not the most current but my camera has been hiding from me so I will take some more this week and post some recent stuff ...

Renovation ...

2009-05-31T19:00:00.000-07:00

I promised months ago to publish some renovation pics and I have finally taken some ... I only took pictures of the rooms that we have before and after shots ...

Summer!!

2009-05-31T18:47:00.000-07:00

So, it is officially summer in Georgia -- it's hot and the mosquitos are out in full force! We are enjoying the new yard and Mac is out playing in the sprinklers and sandbox until the sun goes down. Annie is getting bigger everyday and has turned out to be a great baby .. little fussy at night but that's about it. Mac is so proud to be a big brother and is constantly bringing Annie his toys to play with(this has resulted in a lot of screaming on Annie's part from getting dinosaurs in the face and balls thrown at her but whatcha gonna to the kids trying to share ... ha). We are gonna soak up as much summer fun with Zach before his unit deploys in July!

My Two Babies ..

2009-04-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

These days things are a little more hectic and trying to get to the park, grocery store or even just walk around the block wih two seems like more of a task but we are adjusting. Annie is growing like crazy and already 10.5 pounds. Mac is still my little baby too though. He is now 18 months and attempting to talk to me(he has long conversations of which I really have no clue what he said to me). The weather has been beautiful an we play with friends at the park almost everyday and can't wait to take our playdates to the pool when it gets really hot....

Boiling Bottles

2009-04-20T17:10:00.001-07:00

Accidents happen. That's what I keep telling Zach. Last Wednesday was a busy day; I had a closing to be at, we were meeting friends at the park, running errands .. ya know busy. Multi-tasking is like second nature to moms so as I was getting myself dressed, as well as Annie and Mac, I was gathering things and also boiling some bottles on the stove. I left the house at 10 and did not return until 1:30 ... I returned to toxic plastic smoke pouring out of my front door -- I had boiled the bottles into oblivion!! I ran inside and flipped off the burner, thankful at least my whole house wasn't up in flames. That was last Wednesday. It is Monday a week later and our house is still being treated for smoke damage... we are hoping to move back in soon ... this would only happen to me .... ugh

Tractors

2009-04-11T11:23:00.000-07:00

Mac's obsession with tractors is beginning to be a little ridiculous. Just to clarify all things from riding lawn mowers to diggers are classified as Tac-tors. Each morning when he wakes up I am greeted with Tac-tor(also his first real word) and we proceed to play with his toy tractor. The highlight of Mac's little day is riding his Tac-tor with his dad. We have a riding lawn mower and Zach is forced to ride Mac around the yard and down the street and I mean EVERYDAY! This weekend a friend gave us a used powerwheel and lo and behold it is a John Deer tractor, so finally Mac has a Tac-tor of his very own .. pictures to come:)

Always a mess!

2009-04-10T10:36:00.000-07:00

So it's pretty hard to keep Mac clean these days! It seems everytime I turn around he is a mess ... note the pictures above. Annie is doing great just sleeping and eating at this point:) Mac is trying to get adjusted to life sharing the spotlight and it's been difficult. There have been lots of tantrums, fits and tons of whining. Pray for us!

A few pictures ...

2009-03-28T07:25:00.000-07:00

This should give you an idea of what we have been up to around here. Notice Mac's new drill .. he is still fixing everything around the house!!

The arrival of Ann Bradley ..

2009-03-28T06:41:00.000-07:00

Ann Bradley Greene "Annie" arrived last Wednesday, March 18th and weighed 7.7lbs and measured 19 1/4" ... She is a great baby just sleeps and eats ... much the opposite of her brother!

Moved in and LOVING it!!

2009-02-10T16:43:00.000-08:00

Mac watches his dad "fix" things all the time and he has little tools of his own. I asked him to go fix the toilet and he stayed in the bathroom busy fixing for probably 10 minutes then came and got me and this is what I walked in to find ... Ha!!!

Well, we are officially in the new house and I LOVE it!! I am within walking distance of Zach's office, the park, my moms, my in-laws, my sisters, my cousin and believe it or not several aunts and uncles(and I am talking like not a long walk ... less than a mile to all of the places .. ha). So Mac and I are strolling everywhere and loving the mild weather. Baby girl Greene is due in about four weeks and we are trying to get the nursery together, but I am so exhausted from redoing an entire house I am having trouble getting motivated. Mac is getting to be such a big boy and I am hoping he will take the transition to big brother well, but I am sure he won't ... he has been so spoiled...

Busy, Busy, Busy

2009-01-25T08:11:00.000-08:00

So, I realize it has been a while since the last post. We are all still alive. However, we have been so busy moving things into the new house and getting prepared for baby girl Greene .. who still remains name-less at this point... I haven't breaken away to post new pictures! Hopefully, at the end of the week I can post some new ones of the house remodel and us actually living there. I am sure Dot-Dot will be thrilled to have her house back! Mac is growing like crazy and is so into all of his toys and "building" things with his tool set ... He has been such a helper setting up things in the bew house ... kinda.

Gingerbread Decorating!

2008-12-17T04:21:00.000-08:00

Ever since I can remember we have decorated gingerbread houses at Christmas and this year ws no exception! It was a fun time with family and friends....

Santa Baby

2008-12-16T10:52:00.000-08:00

So, needless to say our little visit with Santa didn't go so well ... maybe next year will be better:)

Getting ready for the holidays ...

2008-11-30T14:48:00.000-08:00

We have officially been residing at my parent's house for a month and a half and it looks as if we will be here through the holidays as well. Things are coming along on the new house and floors are being refinished this week:) Mac is enjoying his time at Dot-Dot's house and is walking like a crazy man. He gets constant attention around here because there is always someone around to fulfill his every whim. Notice his dislike for the robot reindeer pajamas ...

We survived a YEAR!

2008-11-12T18:56:00.000-08:00

Mac turned one on Monday and instead of celebrating that I survived the first year of motherhood we gave Mac presents and ate cake.... ha... kidding but really not. It was a small event just family,bbq and cupcakes. Mac had a blast! I am missing the classic birthday cake in the face picture but it was so hectic we only got that on video ...

Shopping cart covers

2008-11-12T18:48:00.000-08:00

As I walked through Target today to grab a few things I noticed something. Everywhere I turned there was a mom strolling their baby in a shopping cart with one of those germ free covers. This is not a bad thing, however let me paint a picture for you. Mac has on a maroon sweatshirt, brown pants, and one red sock. He is also currently eating bits of my blueberry muffin from Starbucks which he has managed to crumble all over himself and even smush into his hair ... all this in a shopping cart with no cover.

It's official!

2008-11-07T12:28:00.000-08:00

Today I am 21 weeks and some change. We found out the gender of the next "Greene to be". Now don't get me wrong, I am excited about what I am having, but I hoped for weeks this next babe would be a little brother for Mac to wrestle with, play army with and just entertain each other in general, however, God has different plans .... Sometime the month of March we will be adding a little Greene gal for Mac to wrestle with, play army with and entertain each other in general:) Out with the blue boy stuff and in with the pink ... or maybe salmon orange colors(pink in great mass I am not a fan of)! However, this little girl will have many nice young fellows around. There has been a boom of babies at our church and I have seen some handsome ones ... :)

Hanging around at Dot-Dot's House

2008-11-01T18:06:00.000-07:00

So, since we are living at my mom's for a while while renovating the new house Mac has spent a lot of time outside pushing the walker up and down the driveway and checking out Dot-Dot's beautiful landscaping compliments of my sister's landscape design talents. Notice we are getting some extra use out of the Halloween outfit!ha!

Trick or Treat!

2008-11-01T17:25:00.000-07:00

Yes, Mac was a fireman and a VERY cute fireman at that! We went trick or treating with the cousins and some more friends and had a fabulous time. I forced Zach to walk him around in the hiking pack and carry a bucket(very obvious the candy collection was not for the one year old), but Zach was a good sport. We are looking forward to more holiday festivities to come ...

On Repeat

2008-10-25T07:05:00.000-07:00

Well, we have made the move and are now residing at my mom's house and by the looks of things we will be here through the holidays. The new house I believe has a few more projects than we thought... like we didn't even notice there was no laundry area! I guess that's what you get when you buy a house built in the 30's or 40's anyway .....
So, Mac's vocabulary is improving everyday and he has now mastered da-da, dah-dah(Dot-Dot is my mom), ahhight(light) but his favorite word is "I". We have been singing this song about cows in the bathtub since birth because of this "lovely" CD Zach's friend Austin and his mother gave us(all songs are about cows in some way). The songs goes .. "I saw a cow in the bathtub reading a book, a big book about ice cream..." Mac has picked up on the first word and right after I end the song he says, "I." So essentially I am on repeat with this song all day ....

Making some progress ..

2008-10-10T12:49:00.000-07:00

Well, it looks as if the Greene family is making some progress in many ways...
Mac is now standing on his own - yet to take a step put loves to pick things up, stand, scream and then plop back down on his booty. Never the less that's progress.
Zach has made a smooth job transition and is now working with his dad and another guy doing commercial and residential appraisal. It is fabulous because every morning when Mac and I go to walk we can stop by daddy's office and pop in(not sure if Zach appreciates all our little drop bys but ...)
Though the market has slowed, I have had a few closings this month, which with the new house and all the projects we are facing were very welcomed. As far as packing up our little home I am definitely making progress! Most everything is boxed up and ready for the big move next weekend. Mac is going to love living at Dot-Dot's(my mom) for a few weeks ....

Feeling Stressed ...

2008-10-05T05:54:00.000-07:00

So, here we are October 5 and only 12 days till we have to vacate our home of 2.5 years. I know that doesn't sound like long but it is the house I brought my little baby home too last year, so I do feel a twinge of sadness, however, that small emotion is overcome by my stress. The last time we moved we had about 15 pieces of furniture to our name and a few boxes of mostly wedding gifts now somehow over the last 2.5 years we have filled our house and to pack and move seems so daunting! The added stress could also be because I am pregnant and hormonal but ....
Yesterday I wanted to start packing but where do you start dishes? decor? clothing? ugh .. this sucks ... To add to it Zach will be on active duty for a few weeks post move and I will be overseeing to remodel of the 1940's shack we convinced ourselves was the perfect home in the perfect neighborhood with soooo much character ... I just needed to vent a little bit ... wish me luck in the next 12 days ...

Finally some pictures!!!

2008-09-27T08:52:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures just to get ya'll up to date .... Mac is at a great age and so much fun!

The worst blogger ever!!

2008-09-16T14:01:00.000-07:00

So, I thought I would be able to keep up with this darn thing but I am such a slacker. The real story is that a tree from our neighbors yard feel into ours crushing the powerlines and causing our circuits to blow everywhere in the house. There were lots of cracked blubs and of course now half of our outlets won't work!! However, Zach's precious TV was spared because of a surge protector but our computer suffered some casualties .... thus I have not been on the computer much lately unless I am at the office for real estate stuff.
So here is the Greene family update without pictures ... AGAIN
We are expecting a new addition somewhere around March 15th. I will be so happy for Mac to have a sibling to bother instead of mom all the time. He is growing an exploring so much and is just on the verge of walking(secretly I am hoping he is walking by Halloween so that when we go trick or treating he can actually walk to the door and I don't have to put him in a stroller and be one of those parents that are obviously just bringing their baby around for the candy!ha!) By the way Mac will be a fireman for Halloween ... the perfect little outfit was at a consignment sale I went to where I bought all of his fall/winter clothes for under $50 .. amazing! I am ready for the weather to cool down so he can wear them and I can stop sweating like a pig whenever we are playing at the park or going for a walk ... and of course I am ready for all the fall festivities!
Hello to all Mac's little cousins and all the out of town friends. WMac sends a belated happy birthday to Ellie Stewart!!:)

Please overlook all the errors I just made typing that ....

Go Dawgs!

2008-08-11T17:54:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is for sure ... Mac is a dawg fan! I have been waiting for months for Mac to bust his first move but it wasn't until he heard the Georgia fight song that he started dancin' and hasn't stopped(We all know he gets his amazing dance moves from his dad ..ha). Zach's parents have a little bulldog toy that plays the fight song and he loves it. He also has an affinity for his Dawgs sippy cup so ...

ps ... photos to come ...

Just a little adventurous ...

2008-07-26T13:14:00.000-07:00

Each time I turn around I find Mac into something new ... I feel like I am on constant suicide watch. He is becoming extremely mobile and I think walking is in the near future.

O the good 'ol days of the blowup pool ...

2008-07-18T08:39:00.000-07:00

Who knew a $10 blowup pool could provide so many hours of entertainment? I decided to invite Mac's cousins Mercy and Isaiah and some friends Karis and Hannah over for an afternoon swim. It was a circus but so much fun...

Mac's future profession?

2008-07-18T08:29:00.000-07:00

As you can see from the picture Mac has a certain affinity for the toilet. If I see he has crawled away I can usually find him in this exact spot. Whatever part of the toilet that is attached to the floor has some sort of washer on it that Mac likes to bang because it makes a funny noise. That said do we have a future plumber on our hands?ha! Actually I think he is going to be a lot like his daddy and want to "fix" things(or spend hours taking them apart to see how they work) . Hey, two handy men what more could a girl ask for?!