Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a nice Thanksgiving this year - Greer started the day off right by sleeping in a little, then we had a leisurely morning before heading to Spartanburg to have our Thanksgiving lunch with the Brannon's. Greer had a GREAT time - she had lots of fun playing with all the cool toys Dave and Jean have, and also enjoyed playing with Jacky (he's driving her around the yard in the picture below - they both squeezed in the car somehow). Greer also ate her weight in fried turkey so, needless to say, she slept the entire way home!

People occasionally ask us how our cats like having Greer around. I think the picture below speaks for itself...

After we got home from Spartanburg, we lounged around the house, and Greg took this funny video of Greer and me laughing. She's easily entertained!

Poor Thing

Last week you saw a picture of a happy girl. This week, you'll see a picture of a sick girl. Greer has Hand, Foot, & Mouth Disease. It sounds worse than it is - it's really just a stomach virus, but it has given her a run for her money. In addition to fever, runny nose, and general fatigue, Greer has had nasty blisters on her hands, face, and inside her mouth. You'll be able to see how red her cheeks and chin are in these pictures. It really bothers her, and she just looks so pitiful. Hopefully she'll get better soon...until then, you can see pictures from our very boring weekend.

This is what Greer did most of the weekend...laying on the couch, watching TV with Daddy, and feeling bad.

Occasionally, she would stare out the window wishing she were outside.

Then it was back to this - on the couch, stuffy, and tired.

She found a little entertainment in sorting dry pasta into different dishes, and then pouring it back on the floor.

Our one bit of excitement was the Asheville Holiday Parade. We watched it for about 30 minutes until Greer was too miserable to stay.

Finally, with Greer's blisters inside her mouth, we decided to give her some treats that would soothe her mouth. In this video, you'll see her having fun with pudding and a banana, until she gets pitiful and needs some sympathy. You'll also hear her saying a word - it's "that." She points to things constantly, and says "that," which is basically her just asking us what the thing she's pointing to is.

Christmas Came Early!

This is the look of a happy girl.

Beema and Papa sent their Christmas present to Greer early this year, and Greg put it together Saturday morning. It's a house!

Greer was beyond thrilled with it, even while it was still being put together. She's played with it nonstop, and it is a great gift for her. It has a phone, sink, and doorbell, and she's utilizing them all! She even brought all of her dolls in the house, and put them in the corner for company. It will be a gift that keeps on giving.

For lots of pictures of the new house, some video of Greer (fuzzy, but still cute), and some extra photos of Greer, click HERE.

Weekend Wrap-Up

Oh, what a weekend! We started by standing in line for two hours in the cramped, stuffy hallways of the Health Department while waiting for Greer's H1N1 vaccine. I know, I know...it's worth it, right? Unfortunately, we are supposed to go back for a second shot in four weeks for her to be completely protected. Hopefully memory will fade the frustration of this experience so that we'll be ready to go back in a month.

Anyway, Aunt Kelly came over Saturday afternoon to play with Greer while Greg and I joined some friends to watch the football game. ROLL TIDE! We had a good time, and Greer was soundly asleep when we returned. One of the nice things about having family so close is that there is always a babysitter happy to come over. Thanks Kelly!

Sunday was a great day! Our church nursery is one of Greer's favorite places to play, but we skipped this morning because Greer has a cold and we didn't want to expose all the other kids in the room. Instead, we went out for a pancake breakfast (it was a benefit breakfast for a kid Greer's age who is very sick), then we played in the new fountain outside my office...see pictures below.

This is really a pretty and unusual fountain, but I failed to take a picture of the whole thing. Here's a shot of Greer touching the water.

We then moved to this fountain on the other side of my office. It's a fun place for kids - the water rises and falls in random order and you never know what will happen. Greer was so excited here that she was shaking! Greg ran through the water a few times for fun.

What fun! After lots of play, Daddy carried Greer back to the car and home for a nap.

This afternoon, we went to another playground for about an hour. A five-year-old girl befriended us, and played with Greer. She held Greer on the slide numerous times, and pushed her on the swing. This picture is a little blurry, but that is a huge smile on Greer's face - she loves big kids!

BOO!

We had a nice Halloween this year, and a very good weekend. Greer had her 15-month check-up at the doctor's on Friday (even though she'll be 16 months on Wednesday). She is healthy and happy, but behaved like a maniac with the doctor and nurse. They assured us that this was typical toddler behavior, but I kept explaining that normally she is a very well-behaved little girl. Of course, she was all sunshine and giggles as soon as we left the office. It was a little embarrassing...

Anyway, here are some photos from the weekend (in no particular order).

View of the mountains from our back deck. The fall colors are so pretty.

Mama and Greer with Greer's baby (they are inseperable these days).

Eating cheerios before church on Sunday. Greer typically eats cereal, cheese, milk, and two pieces of fruit (a banana and a pear, for example) just for breakfast! She's a healthy girl!

Mama and Greer at a Halloween party we had at MamaSu's.

Greer playing with MamaSu's fun toys.

Greer and friend, Jack, playing.

Greer and her buddies (Greer's in the bottom right corner). Notice her friend, Carter, next to her. He was an astronaut for Halloween!

Greer was a skeleton for Halloween. Her bones glowed in the dark!

Greer and Jack (Jack was a garden gnome).

Greer and Daddy with her baby pumpkin.

Greer reading the Toy's R Us ad.

Greer modeling her Halloween outfit that she wore to school on Friday.