Last day of swimming lessons

Today was the last day of swimming lessons. The whole family (minus Cam :) took lessons at the North Shore Aquatic Center-a beautiful, fun, outside pool. Carson completed level 2 and Hannah and I participated in Parent/Child lessons. We actually learned too! Carson can now float on his back and swim with his head in the water. He also can now swim a a few yards of the backstroke (he gets nervous and stands up). Hannah can blow bubbles now and play Humpty Dumpty on the side of the wall. She never warmed up to being completely submerged though. Can't say that I blame her-I hated doing it to her too!

We had a great time enjoying the sunny weather and swimming!


Carson floating in the Lazy River


Bathing Beauty-Hannah


Carson showing off his backstroke skills

Advice...please?

It's been awhile since I last posted but we have been having too much fun enjoying the last few days of summer. I have to admit I am pretty bummed summer is over and school is starting soon-August 25th-for both Carson and I. :( Which is where I need everyone's advice...

I think I am the crazy mom who wants to cry just thinking about sending Carson to school again. I LOVE having my boy around. He is such a good boy and a great helper to me. It is also nice to have the freedom to do as we please-like sleeping in (if Hannah allows it), going to the park, the movies, or whatever we choose to do. I am especially sad because Carson will be in first grade this year-gone from 8:20-2:30.

He is also starting a new school this year with obviously new kids. There isn't one single child from our neighborhood or from his Kindergarten class that will be in his new school. Carson has expressed to me that he would like to go to his old school. Even though he is young, I am sure that he feels comfortable there. I feel anxiety over this for Carson.

Of course, you always want your child to be happy, liked, and fit in. I know Carson will find his niche in his new school but I just want it to be immediate! So does anyone have any advice or ideas on how we can make this transition as smooth and easy as possible? Does anyone have any advice for his crazy hormonal mother?

More rodeo pictures

I had to include these other pictures but could not squeeze them in the previous post.

I did not have a big enough bandage to cover this leg owie so I wrapped one of Hannah's diapers around it. Carson also wanted "ointment" on his owies and luckily I had some diaper rash cream in the diaper bag. Definetely not the same-but it made Carson feel better!! Carson also rode around in Hannah's stroller after this-because he couldn't walk and need a "wheelchair" Gotta love that boy, but he is a little dramatic. :)


My dad participating in the "spike drive" Go Dad!

It Started out Fun...or The things parents make their children do....or Rodeo-Bothwell Style!

There are too many titles for this post so I had to include them all. Today was the annual Bothwell Rodeo. For those of you who don't know, this is not your typical rodeo. The animals come from my Dad's farm and the participants are all the children and adults in the Bothwell ward. I am not a rodeo lover (I feel bad for animals!) but this rodeo is a must see.

Carson said he only wanted to ride a horse but ended up signing up to ride a lamb. It all started out pretty fun- until he fell off. It was also interesting to watch the audience- the kids would ride the lamb for about 10 seconds fall off and cry and everyone would smile and chuckle. Not sure Carson will participate in any more lamb riding but I was still proud of my little guy! For being a city slicker he held on for a very long time!

The landing (and "trampling" in Carson's words) was rough though. Carson has the marks to prove it-we were trying to cheer him up saying he was a real cowboy now! Unfortunately, he did not buy it.

Getting ready...


Hannah cheering for brother!


Hold on buddy!


The aftermath...Ouch!


What a tough cowboy!


I am glad this is as bad as his owies were and they did not include any necessary medical treatment. As Carson put it "I am never doing that again!" Sounds good to me buddy. :)

The Girl...Hannah is One!

All about Hannah at One!

I like to crawl up to furniture, people, or anything solid and stand! I am getting better at walking around funiture.
I like to drink out of my sippy cup. No more bottles for me!
I like to shake my head No or Yes but still figuring out when I should use them.
I like to dance-whenever I hear music I get my groove on :)
I like to yell DaaaaDaaaa when I see my daddy on the stand during church (which is every Sunday).
New words I learned this month are:
Hi
Hello
More
Up-(with arms reached up) This is when I want someone to pick me up!
and I mimic the sounds of I love you-I am still perfecting it though.
I love to play "bonk heads" with my dad and I only give my Mommy kisses.
I like my brother to play chase with me and cheer for me.
I like to wrinkle my forehead and give a concerned look when something doesn't look right to me.
I love, love, love being outside. If anyone is outside and I am not, I crawl over to the window and pound and yell at the person outside to come and get me!
I'm not too sure about going to the gym daycare lately. It is too noisy for me.
I like to eat anything and I will try anything but my favorite foods include noodles, bananas, and green beans.
I am getting better at taking naps and sleeping at night. I still am a light sleeper but I am having an easier time falling alseep now that I am one :).
I finally have more teeth! My top left tooth came through one week ago and my right top tooth is close behind!
I am also growing more hair-it is a strawberry blond color. What can I say? I am pretty darn cute. :)
I love my family. My Mommy, Daddy, and brother are my favorite people and can always get a smile out of me.

Here I am. The Birthday Girl.




I am learning new things everyday-watch me grow!

The Cake

I absolutely LOVE making my kiddos birthday cakes. Some have turned out better than others but nonetheless I still love making them! I am dreading the day when they ask for a store bought cake over a homemade cake.


When Carson was one he was already obsessed with trains so the obvious cake was a train. Hannah on the other hand has not really expressed any interest with one particular item so I could not decide what to do for Hannah's cake. I thought about making a number one or doing a polka dot cake or something but ended up with this. I thought it turned out pretty cute and I was pretty proud of myself! :) Carson said it looked like Hannah's first wedding cake!-I said Hannah better only have one wedding cake and this wasn't it!

Here are the results:




Hannah liked it!

The Presents

What a loved little girl! Thank You again for everything-I can't wait for Hannah to explore all of her new toys and wear her darling outfits!

Hannah was not to into the present thing this year. I would pretty much unwrap them for her, let her see them, and then apparently I broke her little heart by moving on to the next present. A few times, Hannah started crying her little eyes out that I had taken away her presents! Uncle Sheldon sang "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to."

The present that I have to write about is the one Hannah received from Carson. About 3 months ago, Carson started planning Hannah's birthday present. He either wanted to make her a doll house or a golf course (not sure how he was planning that one) but he ended up wanting to make the doll house. Carson wanted a mansion dollhouse with different levels but we ended up with this one story one room house made by dad and Carson.

Next he wanted a professional paint job with flowers painted on the front, sparkles in the inside and so on. Again we had to settle for this. Carson picked out all the colors (he HAD to have red outside walls and a black roof-like our house) and helped mom paint it.

He was SO excited about this and for weeks we had pretended that this was my dollhouse so Hannah wouldn't know it was hers :)


Sorry the picture of the dollhouse won't upload-check back later and I will try again!

The Party

Gotta love a July birthday...the weather was perfect for an evening swim party. We ate pizza, watermelon, homemade rootbeer (recipe included), and of course cake and ice cream.

Thank you to everyone who could come and we missed those who couldn't make it!!

My little Hannah.

Tomorrow is my beautiful daughters first birthday.

I can't believe it. It seems like yesterday.

A year ago tomorrow, I was so scared that she was coming so early. I hoped and prayed all day that she would stay inside of me a little longer. I wanted to go home. I wanted to feel her inside at least a few more weeks. I wanted to pack my hospital bag, and pack her diaper bag. I wanted her to be born and not fight to breath, or work hard to eat.

Hannah was born at 5:46 pm that day. I saw my little baby for a few seconds and I was filled with happiness and love. She was delicate, feminine, and beautiful.

I wanted so badly to do the things that most other Mom's were able to do with their babies-and what I was able to do with Carson. I wanted to hold Hannah. I wanted to see her bassinet next to my hospital bed. I wanted to stare at her-to see the rise and fall of her tiny chest. I wanted to hear her cry and comfort her when she needed me. I wanted her big brother to hold her. I wanted my family to hold her. I wanted the nurse to check my hospital band. I wanted to nurse my baby and not pump. I felt so very far away from her.

Although, Hannah did very well and honestly had a minimal hospital stay. I can not tell you how bad it was for me to be discharged from the hospital and leave my baby there. It was not what I was expecting, it was not how I imagined. I felt like I had abandoned her. What if the nurses were busy and she was crying? Would she have to wait? I cried a lot.

As I look at my roley poley, chubby cheeked, happy baby now, I am so thankful for her. I had forgotten how much fun it was to have a baby around. I am glad that Hannah came and reminded me of that. Happy Birthday Hannah-Mommy loves you!

So much to do, so little time

That is my how I am going to feel for the next five days. I have 5 days down and 5 more days of school. I am afraid that the worst is yet to come. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Blogging is honestly a little relief for me, relaxing and fun. So although, I feel like I could puke at any moment because of all the things I need to do, I am sitting here blogging-I should be studying but I just can't do it anymore.

Enough from me, here are some cute pictures of my kids. I love 'em so much!



These were taking at my sister Carrie's house. She tended my kids, and hosted me for the last 4 days while I was at school. Thanks Carrie!




We went boating on one of the nights I was there. Hannah liked fishing-don't worry the boat was 'parked' and she had a life jacket on the entire rest of the time. :)


Uncle Mike let Carson drive the boat into the docking area. I was having a heart attack. All of the kids (in the front) were waving their hands in the air and falling over to the side (look at all the kids in the front) while Carson was driving. Hannah even got into the action (see her little arms raised up) Carson LOVED it-he thought he was pretty cool.

School Intensive Week again...

My next "intensive week" starts tomorrow. This time it is 10 days though! I feel less anxious about this one though, because at the end of it I will be done with school for the summer!

It is kind of like running a mile on the school track. You know you have to go around four times to finish but the third time you are tired and you do not want to do it. But, in the back of your head you know if you can just finish this one last lap you will be done. What a great analogy huh? :) But that is how I feel and the only way I know how to describe it. For those of you who like to run just pretend it is the 49th lap out of 50.

So wish me luck as I endure the last ten "intensive days" of summer semester. Thanks to my team of babysitters for helping with my kiddos!

Pictures of my Babies

One of my favorite activities is taking my kids to get their pictures done. Here are the latest results. I am only showing half of them because the other ones will be on Hannah's birthday invitations...I can not believe I am making birthday invitations!


I love Baby legs!




This is supposed to show off Hannah's cute swimsuit but you can't really see it. THe pictue does show off Hannah's "new smile"- with a crunched up nose!


Cute Kids-if I do say so myself!

Pool Saga

I wanted to post some fun pictures of the kids swimming and since this is my 'journal/scrapbooking' I wanted to write down the story of our pool. After looking at my blog and comparing it to others I have noticed that I am always pretty long winded in writing and this one will be the same. That is what you get when I don't journal and haven't scrapbooked in forever...Anyway, here is our pool story.

When we were looking to buy our current house the pool was not an enticing feature-we loved the house but honestly were not that interested in the pool. The house was a foreclosure and had pretty much been abandoned for over a year. This included the pool. The pool had never had a cover on it (scary!) and the first time we saw it, it was 1/4 full of brown, gross, stinky water/leaf junk.

My mother HATED the pool! She did not want us to buy this house because of the pool. She thought it was such a liability. She worried about Carson (3 at the time) and having the pool in its current state. She thought we should fill it in with dirt and grow a garden.

With all the work the inside of the house needed the pool sat untouched for a few months. Cam started researching pool things on the Internet and read somewhere that if you left a pool empty of the winter it would freeze/crack/possibly lift out of the ground if the water table was high enough. This was motivation that we HAD to deal with the pool.

First we got all the "chunks" (Leaves/garbage etc...gross I know) out of the water and then started pumping out the disgusting water. Where did we pump this lovely water??? Into our side yard and down the gutter (I'm sure our neighbors were impressed with us :)Once it was empty we (99% Cam I should say) scrubbed it clean.

The cleaning process was interesting. Cam had to buy certain chemicals to clean it (hypoxy something...I will have to ask and add in later) and a special suit and mask to wear to clean it in. He looked like a space man.

Cam got tied up in another project and could not finish the pool for awhile. So we would not have any problems of it cracking or lifting out of the ground while it was completely emptied we filled it about 1/4 of the way full.

A few weeks later, Cam was ready to tackle the pool again. We pumped the semi clean water out again. Once it was clean and empty again, Cam decided that we should paint it. We bought the paint ($90 dollars a gallon x 10 gallons)! And Cam started painting it. He painted the deep end first and then covered that end with big blue tarps so leaves and dirt would not blow in and stick to the fresh paint. As he continued to paint and cover, less and less of the pool was being 'ventilated' I was always worried Cam was going to pass out in the pool due to lack of oxygen/paint fumes! Cam said I worry to much (true).

After the paint job and sealing the paint we were ready to start filling it in with some H2O. This is the interesting part. We started filling it with water and after it was about 1/2 full Cam read on the Internet about children sitting on pool drains and having severe medical issues from this (research on your own if you want to know more...:). Mind you our pool drain is on the deep end of the pool which would be under 9 feet of water if we ever got it filled, but Cam was concerned and wanted to place a grate over the drain to prevent any problems. So again, we started pumping out the water.

This time we had a constant stream running down our curb/gutter of milky white water (from the fresh paint). I started feeling really bad about wasting so much water and wondering what our neighbors thought of us.

The grate was placed and we started filling up the pool with water. How do you fill up a pool with water? The only way in our area is to use your own water from your hoses. I don't know how many gallons of water it holds (Cam would know) but it took about a week with two hoses running 24 hours a day to fill the pool. We had a high water bill that month...high enough that the water company called to ask us what was up (they thought there must have been some kind of error, too bad there wasn't :)

When the deep end was full of water, Carson and I 'slid' down the slope from the shallow end into the deep end. It was pretty fun.

After the pool was full, our backyard went into lock down mode. We were at the mercy of coverpools. Two weeks after the day it was supposed to be installed we had the pool covered. The cover is constantly locked and only Cam and I know where the key is.

We started heating and filtering the pool and discovered that the heater was kaput. We ordered a heater and Cam installed it. After a lot of work we were finally able to start enjoying the pool!

We have had many fun days swimming in the pool but it can be a lot of upkeep and cost. I like the pool water WARM but Cam likes to save money. So when Cam goes to work I turn the heater on full blast. When Cam comes home he turns the heater off. Cam thinks WARM water is actually water that is just a little bit warmer than freezing :)

Right now, I think our pool is pretty safe, it is completely fenced in with a locked fenced, and always covered with a locked cover when we are not using it. Of course CONSTANT SUPERVISION is a must. I never worry when it is us using the pool but worry when we have neighbors and friends over. I have had a few times when the neighbor kids have come over wearing their swim gear and ask to swim. I always tell them "Yes, if your mom will come swim with you." I just won't be responsible for other people's kids swimming.

Future pool plans include, replacing the brick/tile around the edge and putting in a new deck.

So here are some pics of us swimming this summer. Carson is becoming a fish and Hannah doesn't know what to think about it yet. Also, of course the day I decide to take pictures is the day when all of Carson's swimsuits needed to be washed and he is swimming in his red undies. Good thing he doesn't realize this could be possibly embarrassing...yet.


Carson jumping off the diving board. He didn't dare do this last year.


Carson and Hannah. Hannah did not want her brother holding her. Mom did not want Carson holding her so this is the best and only picture of the two of them.


Carson and his 'swim gear' This cracks me up.

Carson the Brave

As part of the "Summer O'Fun" at the Greener Household we bought Lagoon Season Passports. I bought them with the intent of being able to pick up and go with both kiddos. I honestly thought that Carson would still want to ride the rides for little kids and Hannah and I could stroll after him and watch him go on the rides.

The first time we went luckily we were with his older cousins because the first ride he wanted to go on was the white roller coaster, next he went on the wild mouse. We then split up with his cousins and Carson was forced to ride on the 'kiddie rides.'

The next time we went I arranged a sitter for Hannah and only Carson and I went. We had so much fun and Carson is an excellent Lagoon buddy. He is not afraid of any ride. We went on wicked and the colossus and all of the other rides I did not think Carson was ready for yet.

As we were preparing to go on wicked...I have to admit that I was a little scared myself and I thought "Why in the world am I letting my baby go on this ride? What if the booster seat wasn't installed right? If you have to have a booster set should you really be going on this ride :)? Maybe I can hold him in with my one arm...yeah right. Can we get off now?"

Again, my boy is growing up.

Carson LOVED wicked and we went on it many more times that day. I can't believe how brave he is. Wow. Carson the brave...

These are a few pictures of 'Wicked' they don't really do the ride justice...

Hannah's ancestry...? :)

There is always much debate and friendly arguing about which side of the family our cute children look like. Carson is obviously his father's child-that boy looks nothing like me. I always smile when I look at my blonde haired, blue eyed boy...I never would have imagined that my child would have those traits. Carson does have my personality though :)

When Hannah was a newborn, it was hard to say who she looked like. Her eyes took forever to change (first the normal blue/gray look, they then changed to definetely blue, then greenish, then hazel and at 5-6 months finally brown!) Her hair is the same, it looks brown with a little red tint to it but if you look at what is coming in on the back it is pure white! She also has an olive/darker complexion I think she looks more like me but others disagree.

Well a friend of mine finally figured it out! She told me that Hannah resembles the Kewpie doll! Well, I had never even seen or heard of a kewpie doll so I looked them up. It's true, Hannah is a long lost relative of the Kewpie doll.


Hannah's relatives...? :)


Pictures to Compare too...







What do you think? She definetely has the same mowhawk hair style, head shape, big brown eyes, chubby cheeks, and I have definetely seen her pull Kewpie doll expressions before. Kewpie dolls are cute but I happen to think my Hannah is by far the cutest model/make of the Kewpie/Greener family.

P.S I ordered Hannah a Kewpie doll for her 1st birthday. I think it is important for her to see some of her ancestors :)

Hannah is 11 months!

All about Hannah at 11 months!

I can pull myself up and stand up. My mom finds me in my crib standing anytime I wake up.
I can dance.
I can drink out of a straw.
I love to drink out of my sippy cup.
I am figuring things out like, I try to put socks on my feet or hats on my head. I try to plug things into the outlet,
I can shake my head no.
I only have two bottom teeth. (Note from mom, I just learned in school that children should have there age (example 11 months) minus 6 and that is how many teeth they should have. So Hannah should be close to tooth number 5...where are they?
I have discovered opening drawers and cupboards.
My favorite foods include: bananas, ham, mashed potatoes, crackers.
I usually sleep through the night. Occasionally I wake up for a little snack.
I can hold my own. A girl has to stand up for herself. :) When my brother is pestering me, I either crawl away really fast or I climb on him and bounce aka "bum drops" With that said...
I really do love my brother. He entertains me, plays with me, and makes me smile and laugh a lot.
As always I LOVE being outside.
New words I have learned

Thank you
Hot
What's that? (Doesn't really sound like that but it is :)

(Note from mom, Hannah's language has really taken off this month. She will mimic almost everything she hears either with sound or with the pitch of her voice. We may hear it over and over again (like Thank you) or sometimes she will say it once and then that is it.)

And lastly, my mom's favorite...
I give kisses

I am learning new things everyday! Watch me grow!

Here are a few pictures from my 11 month birthday.






I did not want my pictures taken tonight. Some of my pictures turned out pretty good (like above) but most looked similar to the ones below.


Make this picture big to show off the bottom lip. It is so cute.

Newman Family Reunion

The second I came home from school on Friday, we left to go camping for the weekend at Downatta hot springs for the Newman Family Reunion.

We had a great time. The weather was perfect and the company was fun. As always there was a lot of yummy eating and lots of swimming.

This was Hannah's second time camping (the first time she was about 9 weeks old) and she did okay. Now that she is mobile she wanted to be on the ground crawling around! It was pretty dirty and so was she. The first night sleeping in the tent was not her idea of a good time. She woke up 4 times that night! The second night she only woke once.

Carson, played all day. Whether he was swimming, playing in the sand, or riding his bike he was on the go all day. He had so much fun and said on the way home he wished we could stay there for "ten days"

We really did have fun but I have not been home now for one week! I am grateful to have a weekend away but also so grateful to be home!


Hannah and Daddy. As you can see, the seeds from the nearby trees were all over the pool...the hazards of having an outdoor pool!


Carson under water!


Mason under water!


Hannah feel asleep on our second time in the pool. What a cute little baby.


The sign that it is time to get out of the water!

TItles

I have had many titles in my life, daughter, student, teacher, nurse, mother, wife, etc. This week I earned a new one...coach.

Last Thursday, the Dragons played their final game. It was mixed with relief and with sadness for me. First the relief...

What a commitment! Two days of games and practices is a huge time commitment!

Responsibility! We HAD to be at every game and every event (coaches training, closing ceremonies). I would like to say that we are responsible but sometimes the option of not having to go is nice...even though most likely we would have went anyway!

Fairness! This was probably the hardest thing for me. I wanted to make sure that everything was fair. At the age of 6 I did not think it was important for the 'best' players to play pitcher etc. All of the kids needed a fair rotation of positions and that was difficult to do! I was of the opinion that this was strictly to have some fun and teach some t-ball basics. Some parents/opposing teams thought this was the professional leagues and I hated that! I also did not want anyone to think we were favoring Carson so he probably played outfield the most. It was hard to find a fairness balance and we did the best we could.

So now the sadness.

Time goes by too fast. T-ball is over-the end of an era in the Greener household. Carson will play pitch next year. Ouch, he is growing up.

I really did like our little team. I know all the kids, and their families. I was happy when they succeeded. I wanted them to feel good about themselves and feel like they could do anything they wanted. I hope they had a good experience.

The fun is over. Next year, they keep score, call outs, and if you are not one of the best you sit on the bench. Seems a little intense for 7 year olds, but I guess that is a skill that each child has to learn. I want to 'protect' Carson just a little longer though...

I do not think we will ever be Carson's coaches again. We are not athletic or knowledgeable enough. That is why we did it this year so we could do 'our community service' and then let the professionals take over!

I will add 'Coach' to my list of titles, tuck it away and pull it back out when Hannah wants to play!



A dragon lives forever-Go Carson!