interesting weekend

hey there. what a week, y'all. what a week. 

we started our weekend last sunday. we went to church, had lunch at chipotle, came home and had a normal sunday evening for us. just hanging out, watching FNL. we woke up on monday and went to the Y. we came home. i got audrey out of the car and walked up to the door ready to unlock it, when i realized the door was open. my first thought was, "hmm did we not lock it?" but the door was not even shutting. then i noticed the side trim was off the wall. i thought, "maybe we shut it too hard when we left and it broke the door?!?" i mean, what do i know, obviously. but then i got this really bad feeling. i walked through the kitchen and looked through the doorway to see the blank spot the tv used to sit. then i saw my blank computer desk. i instantly turned around, stepped outside where jake was and said, "jake, we got robbed!" 

he told me to stay outside with the kids. then told me to drive to josh and joy's. so i headed there with the kids. didn't really know how bad it was inside.  he called the police, assessed the damage, etc. they stole several things that mean a lot to us. and unfortunately, we didn't have renter's insurance. the saddest part is, on sunday we were driving home and jake said out of no where, "i need to get renter's insurance tomorrow." it's so disappointing. we worked hard to buy those things they took from us. and we won't be replacing them anytime soon. thankfully, they didn't get jake's camera or our macbook because both were hidden from baby hands :). we are so grateful for this. and sad about the things they did take. it's just a really weird feeling being "robbed". it feels unfair and you just wonder how anyone could go in a stranger's house and just take what doesn't belong to them. i am thankful we are all safe and we weren't home. i imagine you never quite feel the same way in your house, though. i just never thought we would be robbed and now everytime i come home i wonder if the doors are still locked. it's just so crazy to think our stuff is just gone. just out there somewhere. and we probably will never see any of it again. but it's just stuff. and we're trying to keep this perspective. 

in other news, finley has gotten really into coloring. he LOVES sitting on our kitchen table with paper and markers and he is content for a long time. rejoice with me! ha! it's the sweetest thing, though. he names all the colors. he puts the caps on and off all by himself. and he is just so happy while he's coloring. tear, he's growing up. love that kid.
audrey recently started carrying around this babydoll with her, everywhere. she was holding it as i was putting her to bed tonight and i tried to take it from her to her instant disapproval. sooooo i put in bed with her. i knooooow, i know. it was a risk. 
a. because it could have prevented her from going to sleep and
b. because this could become another MUST HAVE everywhere we go. she already is dramatically attached to her pink blankey that we cart all over this crazy city.  
but it's sooo cute. it's really cute the way she crawls around with it and holds it by it's little plastic hand. i'll keep you updated on the level of attachment this decision will cause. 


so, we were robbed. and our life goes on. a little less entertainment in the house and we will miss some things that are sentimental to us. but we will carry on. i mean, what else would we do? here's to a less dramatic week ahead. 


oh, wait... i leave for portland on TUESDAY!!!!!!!! and i am sure that will be dramatic all on it's own. here's to children's benadryl. 


night, night.


love.
 

mindsies

what's been on my mind lately, you ask? well, i will tell you. thank you for asking.

• i am still obsessed with hummus. ooh la la. i eat it, like, everyday.
• i have one million bajillion calls to score in a week and 2 days.
• finley calls the song "jesus loves me", "momma's song". tear. 
• i am not happy with my fruits of the spirit project. i knooooooooow. that's horrible. 
• audrey is standing on her own...! not quite taking steps. jake and i are both okay with that. she's getting so big.
• i just love christmas lights. 
• i want to be a fly on the wall at liz and danny's house.
• our so called cats have brought wonderful little gifts up to our doorstep. knowhatimean!?! i shudder. i squirm. they're "doing their job" i suppose. yuck. 
• we're on season 5... the FINAL season of FNL. say it isn't so! please. 
• one major perk of our new job is the yummy free cupcakes/cake every weekend. 
• oh, and the extra wine :).
•  my trip to portland is getting extremely close... and i am choosing not to have anxiety attacks thinking about the flights. we will be okay. we will not die. we will all survive. it is only temporary. it is worth the torture. this is my running mental note. xoxo portland peeps.
• i gotta do more crafts. i need to put some love into our walls. 
• i opened up my sewing machine. spent like, well, 3 hours trying to thread it. i know. loo-ser. i am still unsuccessful. i even read the manual like 3 times. you guys, i HATE manuals. that is commitment. i need to skype my friend jeanette. she said she'd help me. and i'm sure my mom could talk me through it. i haven't had the heart to get it out and try again. we need to reconnect. and have a serious DTR. that we are in a loving co-dependent relationship. 
• we ask finley, "who loves you?" and he says, "uumm mama". "who else?" "uumm dada". "who else?" "uumm auda". "who else?" "uumm GESUS!" (Jesus). love this. 
•  i probably drink too much diet coke. 
• i made homemade brownies for the first time last night. can i say, brownie box mix who?! they were yum yum. 
• i'm excited to see my sissy katie. 
• i really like hydrangeas. we get those leftover from the weddings, too. score. 
• we went to a work project with "our church" (i think we're committed. YAY!) this morning. met some people. phew. needed to know we can make friends! i met some moms. this is wonderful news. and these said people seemed really wonderful. thank you, Jesus. 
• i love taking showers right before bed.
• i could eat chick-fil-a like every other day. no joke.  

 thank you, truly, for reading. i would like to know your "list of mindsies". 

night, friends.

love. 

well

well guys, no naptime today. i put audrey down early because she was SO tired and fussy. at the exact time i went to put finley down, audrey started screaming. and you know, i didn't really get a "break" today. and i was feeling down about it. and extra grumpy tired. but ya know what, i have 2 healthy babies. my children are here in our house and i am going to be grateful. grateful for them and their lives. even if it feels like they are imposing on my alone time. and hey, there's always tomorrow. 

so now i'm going to go make monster cookies. because i need sweets like mad. 

love. 

careful what you wish for

so you know how i've been talking about needing to work... well, there hasn't been much available to me. i considered emailing my boss asking for more, but i hesitated because i didn't really want the extra work. well, i got an email today saying there were some auto accounts they needed help with. so of course i volunteered to take ONE more account. well, they gave me 2 and both have a high call count (meaning there are many calls to score=work). sigh. i am grateful. we could use the money. especially for my upcoming trip to PORTLAND! YEEEESSS! can't wait to see all my lovely loved ones :) anyhow, i wished for more work. and more work i have received. just thought i'd share that with you. 
 i got to sneak away this afternoon for a little while. went and got a coffee and journaled. it was pretty lovely. i haven't had day time alone time in some time (ha :)) as i was out, i had a hard time focusing on being alone. i kept telling myself, "enjoy this!" "focus!" "connect with your inner meredith!" knowwhatimean? it wasn't like a life changing time alone, i gotta say. but it was nice. and i did enjoy myself. i just kept thinking of my 3 crazies at home, probably waking up from naps, jake holding down the fort, and i wanted to be home. to be with them. remind me i felt that way when tomorrow all i'm wishing for is a longer nap time :). oh my fickle heart. always wanting what is not in front of me. it's a sweet life i have, though. 
i was trying to do audrey's hair today (which was harder than earlier in the day when i wrestled a tiger). she's not exactly, how would you say... um... COOPERATIVE! it's like i'm doing something terrible to the poor child and she has to fight me off with all her might. however, i am the big one. and i will win if i want her hair in pig tails, gosh darn it. it may take some lotion or hair spray and jake holding her out in front of him while i give her my cell phone, candy, a knife (kidding!), anything to keep her occupied so i can just get those 2 hair ties nice and tight and in the right spot. that's the real battle. making them look cute and not just like 2 sticks of hair sprouting out her head.  anyway, it is a pretty funny sight. and audrey is absolutely, completely ridiculous in her disdain of getting her hair done. as i was trying i kept saying "oh dear!" "audrey, oh dear!" and finley was right there and in his little voice just says, "oh deaw". and it melted my heart. i don't know why. but i just loved it. i love when he repeats us randomly... although it happens much more frequently so we gots to be aware of little ears more so now. 
well, that's a little story from our day. hope yours was good, too. 
night.

love. 

whoa!!!

the sky is falling in the greer house...... ready.....


finley watches TV!!!!!!!!!! well, kinda. mostly. he has never ever watched TV or been into shows. he liked chuggington, but still never really watched a whole show. well.... since we moved here, he's gotten into 2 shows. blue's clues and super why. wow, i tell you what. it is nice. it is nice to have "a show" to put on and he gets excited about it. it.is.glorious. ha! my finley is an active boy who absolutely LOVES being outside. he would live outside if he could. he has always been that way. i like the fact that he isn't super enthralled by the tv, but it is a good little break that he will sit almost through a 20 minute show and i can clean, work, blog... well, that is if silly audrey is occupied too. but it's nice. he would still choose to be outside, which i love about him. i am thankful for this transition in our lives. am i being dramatic? didn't think so.
so it's saturday night. jake's working a wedding and i'm at home. we had a good day. went to the ymca as a family. got in a good run. grabbed some lunch at wendy's with josh and bella. then came home for naps. both kids took naps! hallelujah! and pretty long ones. then jake headed to work and i took the babies to concord mills, just a mall around here, and spent a christmas gift card from my nana (thankyou!) i LOVE gift cards. i know everyone does. but there is so much freedom just knowing i can use that card and get something nice. then we stopped by the grocery for a few things and then came home. finley "helped" me make some homemade granola bars that sister liz gave me the recipe for. then i attempted to make some homemade goldfish for the first time. you guys... both recipes turned out great! i was so happy. fin and drey loved the granola bars. fin loved the fishies too, but drey was asleep before they were done. we skyped with my momma for a bit. she got to enjoy bathtime and some blue's clues with finley :) then put him to bed, made myself some stir fry and i've just been hanging out. turning out to be a regular old saturday for this family. 


on the agenda for this week:
WORK as much as possible. boooooooooo. no really. i need to.
and....make A friend! any friend.... i'll let ya know how it goes. i have some applicants out who have responded to my add on craigslist.... kiiiiiiiding! 


hope all is well in your world. thanks for checking in.


love. 

croutons

hey guys. it's been a while. i haven't been at my computer much the last couple weeks. which means i'm not working too much, yikes. and me and jake are still much into FNL (friday night lights). anyhow, how are you? life's moving right along in the greer house. 
we had one of those mornings where your 2 year old asks for croutons for breakfast, and you actually give them to him. it was a mix of being tired and not really wanting to say no. i kinda have that weakness as a mom often. i don't like saying no to finley. yes, partly because i, nor anyone else around, enjoys his fits when he doesn't get what he wants. but also, because i really like him to have freedom to make choices and experience things. my standard is usually "is this 'experience' worth the mess"... and if it is, win win. and then things like croutons... he also has a bagel and eggs on the table, should i let him have croutons? you know, probably not. but he did enjoy them and he ate some of his real breakfast, too. 
audrey has been a ball of crank lately. i think it's a mix of a few things. we're weaning. i didn't think she would struggle with this, because she hasn't been really into it for a couple months. we've decreased one feeding for a couple days, and then another. we've been down to only nursing before bed at night, and tonight i wanted to give that one up, too. she's just been fussy and having some issues going down for naps. i also think she's teething. and just growing. and she's just a baby. she's also been really snuggly! which i'll take. 

hmm... there's much more i could write and say i am sure. but i think i'll turn in for the night. oh, i think jake and i found a church! which is really encouraging! and it seems to be a really great place to be. they are big on 2 things:
"being a place where people belong"
and "doing for one what you wish you could do for all."
 i love both of these missions and ideas. and i hope to instill in my kids the idea of "do for one what you wish you could do for all". love that. 
i'll keep you in the loop on that.

and i'm gonna be posting some awesome videos soon! mostly for aunt katie :) 

love. 

lots to talk about

hey there. i feel like it's been forever since i've written. but really, this week has just been dragging on. i don't really know why. i just keep having to remind myself what day it is. 
TODAY is my audrey girl's birthday! i cannot believe she is one. i love this age. she is into everything, but is still a baby. she loves to snuggle. she eats like a champ. she is FINALLY sleeping great! from 6:30pm-7:30 am every night. and is taking one nap a day. some days she'll take a short morning nap, but it just depends on her mood. and she is just a light. she brings me so much joy. we are having a real birthday party for her at the park on monday, but tonight we did an itty bitty family party here, just the 4 of us. i can tell you, she LOVED that birthday cake! no surprise, but it was so fun to see her enjoy it! finley loved it too. although, he mostly just stuck his fingers all over the whole cake to eat the frosting. cutie. happy birthday, my audrey girl. we love you so much.  

i realized i never really told you guys about the time we had with jake's mom and sister and then my brother danny. it was great to have visitors! so fun to have people in our home that we know and know us. i mean, we don't have any friends here yet, so people being here was extra nice. me and jenny had some good time together and she is always an encouragement to me. we get along so well and she really is a sister to me. jake's mom had sprained her ankle a couple days before they came, so she was on crutches! she was a trooper though, and still got to play with fin and aud a fair amount. 
danny! my little brother danny.... you know what he did!?! you don't, but i'll tell you. he came from portland.... the west coast one, the one above california, very very far from here... well he brought me the BEST gift............ my all time, hands down, above all, favorite tortillas from there! i have searched all the grocery stores here, with no luck so far, to find them. he knew this devastating truth because i kinda talk about it all the time... how i can't find "tortilla land" tortillas, you know, the one's that you cook yourself. that make all forms of mexican food better. you know, my favorite food burritos. it makes them amazing. sigh. 
anyhow, he brought me some all the way from portland. two packs to be exact. we've eaten a whole pack already and opened the other last night. i'm trying to ration them out... but you guys, they're my all time favorite! and i can't find them anywhere in this silly city. and right now they're in my fridge. thank you, danny. thank you. 
we had a wonderful time with danny here. we went to some different parks. hit up chick fil a, cici's pizza, chili's... and just spent so much time together. him and jake got to play disc golf together a couple times. finley woke him up every morning... it was just wonderful to have his companionship here for a whole week. thanks for coming, danny. we loved having you and finley still calls it, "dammy's woom" (for your room:)) love you like crazy.

you guys, i need to bust out my sewing machine! i know, i know! i want to so bad. and i was even able to get some cute fabric and stuffing for a pillow. i'm kinda hoping to do it this saturday night when jake's at a wedding and the kids are in bed. 
guess what i did today... ran 30 minutes without stopping! it was not quite 3 miles... but i'm working on my endurance and that is improvement. it's taken me long enough, geesh. i have a renewal of hope, though. and i know i can do it and run better, longer, and faster. i should be a football coach or something, i'm very motivational. 
speaking of football coaches.... what have jake and i been doing during our evenings together you ask? well... we are new converts to the wonder and amazement that is the show "friday night lights". have you seen this tv show? it is completely amazing. and we have been watching multiple episodes every night! totally addicted, but it's the best show either of us have ever seen. if you have not seen it, get netflix. right now. and start watching. man, we love it. 

well, that seems like a good update. hmm... i'm tired. the Lord is taking care of us, here. i couldn't be more thankful. 

love.