Get It Off.....Get If Off....NOW!!

Maggie hasn't quite figured out how to get her towel off of her head. She was soooooooo mad that she couldn't do it--too funny! She wasn't a happy camper at all!

Before Paint in Anna & Maggie's Room

These are the before shots of the babies room. There was a chair rail in the room that we had thought about keeping--for about a second when we realized it wasn't put on the wall very well, so we just decided to scrap it. It took two full coats of the green--an entire gallon. Hadn't had that happen to us in the other two rooms that we've painted, but it all came out okay. Looks much better!
 

Middle Phase of the Babies Room

These shots are the middle stage of the room makeover. I saw the green online at Lowe's and really liked it. When I saw the chip in the store under the lights they have for you to test your colors, it was a lot brighter. I debated about another shade of green but decided to stick with my original choice. Once we got it on the walls, it was really bright, but now that it's been on the walls for about a week, it has REALLY grown on me. I love the green!!!! :)
 

After Paint in Anna & Maggie's Room

Here are our after shots of Anna & Maggie's room. I know, it's really bold, but we wanted something different and really fun for their room. The pictures don't do it justice; I even hesitated about posting them, but I know Warren's mom wanted to see them, and her computer is really slow about loading pictures when I email them, so it's a lot easier for her to see them this way. What do you think, DamDam? She got us the purple paint, and even though this is different and the color choices are kinda daring, it turned out really well--better than I had expected! ;)

The girls even have a new bumper pad/dust ruffle ensemble thanks to DamDam. The colors in that are great--pinks, purples, greens. It all goes together--even if the walls are darker than the colors in the bedding. But, it all works!! :) It grows on me more and more everyday.

 

Breakfast Time.....And Our New Bibs!

Okay, okay, I know I am probably the biggest nerd in the world for posting pictures of my children wearing their new bibs, but once I finish the story, hopefully you'll see why!

Reese and I made a trip to town yesterday for some diapers, etc, and she got a special Reese/Mommy lunch, so Anna & Maggie needed a treat, too. As all you mommies out there know, you never really can have too many bibs, right. And, my babies are REALLY messy when it comes to eating, especially since they love to grab the spoon and fling the food everywhere. So, not only do we need a lot of bibs, we need LARGE ones. I found these cute ones that go over their heads....but the greatest part about them is the sayings on them.





Anna is modeling my favorite of the two....it says "I am such a drama queen." Isn't that too funny. I couldn't really decide who was more of our drama queen--they go back and forth so much on everything! But today, Anna was being very dramatic, so she was the winner!
Maggie is sporting the other bib.....it says "I just want to have fun." She won the right to wear this one since she woke up and started screaming at the top of her lungs, and the fact that after her dinner last night, she was really wired! She had more energy last night than I think she's had in her entire little life.













I just thought they were too funny--especially for the personalities of all the girls we have around here. They fit them to a "T."


And....Anna and Maggie have discovered a new breakfast.....OATMEAL. I had a box sitting in the cabinet for a while but had been hesitant about giving it to them...Reese didn't like it and I'm not crazy about it myself. But they like it. Part of me thinks it's because it's different than the regular rice cereal they are used to eating everyday. 

Happier Girls!

 

Future Mia Hamm???

****Shout out to Conor in California--does it look like she has any talent? :) (ha ha) ****

I have no knowledge of the game of soccer at all--unless you count the fact that I do know that the object is to get the ball in the goal for a point and you can't touch the ball unless you're the goalie. And who knows, I may not have all the facts about those two! :) But, one day, Warren was able to come home really early from work, and he stopped by Wal-Mart and had a surprise for Reese--her own soccer goal for the backyard. She loves to kick her soccer ball, and especially loves the Dora one the Easter Bunny brought her.
A nice action shot--just don't think she's ready for the big leagues yet!

She shoots.....she scores!!!!!!! 

I'm Mad as Heck.....

....and I'm not gonna take it anymore! Anna is NOT happy about something in this picture. I had them dressed so sweetly for church a couple of days ago, I had to take their picture. They both cooperated really well while I was dressing them, but once that was done and I left the room to get all our "junk" together, Anna just fell absolutey apart. Guess she may not be much of a dressy girl. :( I felt so bad for her because there wasn't anything I could really do for her--especially since she stopped when I would walk back into the room! :) Maggie, on the other hand, just looks hungry--looks like she's about to eat the rail to their crib off. Even though she's not happy, Anna is still adorable and so is Mags! :) 

Seven Years. . .

***Warren and me on our wedding day--April 24, 1999***

Today, Warren and I celebrate seven wonderful years of marriage! There are times when it really does feel like seven, but there are many, many others when it feels like it was just yesterday. And, speaking of yesterday, we were in church, and I found myself remembering our wedding day. I love being back "home" in Columbus and going to church each Sunday because it brings back those memories of that wonderful day. I thank God for His allowing us to find each other and be together with the lovely family we have been blessed to have.

I especially love telling our story of how we probably would not be married today had I not called him and asked him to a Phi Mu party! I was sitting around with some of my friends, and we were all talking about who we were wanting to ask. Several of my friends had dates already, but I didn't--until my Phi Mu big sis, Eva, suggested that I call Warren. (She had taken him to the Phi Mu spring party.) So, I did and we had a great time--since I had recovered from the dreaded stomach virus that had been going around campus. (YUCK) That's a story for another time!

Of course, I had to wait a week before hearing from him again. I mean, a whole week went by and I heard NOTHING....NADA....ZIP!!! But, he called, I accepted his invitation to dinner and a movie.......and as they say the rest is history. We've been together ever since. He told me that he told his mom after our date that night that he knew I "was the one." How sweet is that?!

Thank you, Lord for sending me and Warren to each other and a bigger thank you to Warren for the past seven years and the wonderful family we have. Y'all are my life and I love you all dearly. I'm looking forward to many, many, many more terrific years together!!!! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY SWEETIE!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!!

Another Bath Shot

Bathing Beauties!!!

Clean & Happy Anna Banana!

She's absolutely darling anyway, but she looks adorable when in the tub. She (and Maggie and Reese, too) love bath time!

Congrats to Ann & John

I just found out today that a friend from high school, Ann Harpole, had a baby girl recently. I don't know any of her specifics--birthday, weight, length, etc., but I do know that her name is Peyton Bevill Roth! What a beautiful name. Bevill is Ann's middle name, and I have always loved it! So classy--and different. I'm hoping to have specifics about Miss Peyton soon. So...big congratulations to the Roths from all the Mannings!

Bath Time with the Twins

The twins second experience sharing a bathtub happened last night! (I really try to watch myself when I call them "the twins"; I really try to just call them Anna & Maggie--don't want them to just be "twins" all their lives.) It was an experience for me, too, since I bathed them by myself. The girls got out of the living room so Daddy could eat his supper in a little more peace than what he walked in to from work. Anyway, now that they're both sitting up, I figured that bathing them together would be a little faster than doing it separately! Would have loved to put Reese in there, too, but the babies don't seem to be sturdy enough for the big girl. I worry she'll knock 'em over. Anna & Maggie really seemed to like the bath together. I wish I had been able to get another shot of them. I had finished bathing Anna (hair washing and all), so I moved onto Maggie. Once I had Maggie's hair all washed, the two of them looked at each other in the funniest way.
I would love to know what they're thinking when they see each other. Their faces last night were priceless. They were just kinda looking at each other like "Hey, I know you. You look like me!" :) They are just so precious. It is really hard for me to believe that they'll be a year old in June. The time has just gotten away from me. Before I know it they'll be arguing with me like their big sister does over juice and not milk and chicken nuggets and not cookies for dinner! :)

***Maggie's on the left & Anna's on the right*** 

More Easter Pics

You would have thought it was Christmas all over again at our house. Our Easter Bunny went a little crazy, but it is all worth it to see how excited our girls get. Looking forward to seeing how Anna & Maggie will fit in to all the excitement when they're a little bigger and know what's going on! 

The Girls at Easter

Here is our family shot from this Easter. Excuse the refrigerator on the side; this was taken in the CCU break room while Warren was working. I begged him to let someone he was working with take the picture so he could be in it, but he didn't want to since he was in his scrubs and had been dealing with a lot of stuff all morning. He was kinda whooped when we saw him. Bless him! Hopefully next Easter he won't be working. I just love all the pictures that everyone else has posted on their blogs of their families and kiddoes in their Easter best. Next year, we'll get a picture. Who knows. . .we may just have a photo shoot in our church duds really soon so we'll have a complete family picture in our dressy best! :) (Doesn't Reese look fantastic in her dress? I wish she would have let us take one of her standing up by herself, but she wasn't too thrilled about that one. I cannot believe how strong willed she is--and she's just 3! Can't imagine how much "better" it's gonna get over the years. Lord be with us! 

Thanks Easter Bunny!!!

The girls and all their Easter loot--sorry you can't see all their goodies, but rest assured, the Easter Bunny didn't disappoint! :) 

Easter Weekend

Maybe I can finish telling all of you about our Easter weekend. After Reese's egghunt, we met Warren and the twins for lunch. Reese loves Peppers Deli, partly because they have a cookies and cream pie made with Oreos that she loves having for desert. We had a great time being together as a family.

After lunch we came home to rest, and at 2:30, I headed back in to town for The Stations of the Cross production. I'm so glad I left home when I did because I only had to wait 5 minutes before the program started. This program illustrates the last 14 steps that Jesus took before his death. I had never heard of it or seen the program before, so I was really looking forward to going. Most of the churches in Columbus participated.

Easter is always a very special and moving time for me as I reflect on what it's all about. The stations program really moved me. Even though a young man was portraying Jesus and wasn't hurt or bleeding the way Jesus did, I couldn't help but get teary and find myself having to take deep breaths. I got teary at several stations as I and many others walked the streets of downtown Columbus. However, I really became emotional on our way to the 11th station where Jesus was nailed to the cross. As I was walking down College Street, I could see in the distance that two young men (portraying the two criminals that were crucified along with Jesus) were "nailed"to crosses that were standing on a trailer. As I saw those two crosses, chills ran all up and down my arms and body. Even though that particular crucifixion wasn't real, Jesus' was, and He suffered and bled and died for ME/US. What a sacrifice--What a gift! Knowing that Jesus took my sin and made it His own so that I will never die. Praise God that He is risen and lives in our hearts--not only at Easter but for all time!

On Easter Sunday, the girls and I went to church. Warren wasn't able to be with us as he had to work. It saddened both of us that his one weekend a month to work fell on Easter weekend, but like he pointed out hospitals "don't close" not even for Easter! I got up earlier than I usually do that morning since I was going to get the girls ready by myself. Better judgement told me to do as much the night before as possible, so I packed the diaper bag and made bottles--all that good stuff. I did pretty well, but it was amazing to me how the time just got away from us. Before I knew it, we only had 30 minutes to get dressed and out the door! It was a rush, but we made it. Course, it took me about 10 minutes to get the twins in their stroller to go inside the church, but we made it in time. It was a new experience, however maneuvering around with them in high heels! :) If I take them to church by myself again, sandals/flats will be the shoe of choice! :) And, since I was so sad that Warren wasn't with us at church, we went by to see him at work before heading to my mom's for lunch. I think we really surprised him! I wanted him to see how beautiful his little girls looked on Easter Sunday. Reese really looked great! She loves to dress up--guess it's a good thing she's a girl, huh? :)

I have a few more pictures to post of our weekend. I wish I had taken it to the Stations program, but I wasn't sure if we were allowed to or not, but I took lots of Reese as she was discovering what the Easter bunny had brought her. She was soooooooooo sweet as she was picking up different goodies and yelling "Thank you Easter Bunny"! She is the sweetest thing!

I hope everyone's Easter was as special as ours.

Reese's Big Win--an Inflatable Dora Doll!

When we first walked onto the grounds where the egghunt was being held, Reese saw this Dora doll IMMEDIATELY. And thanks to PawPaw, we were able to play "Duck Pond" to get her. Everybody remembers "Duck Pond" right? You pick up the ducks as they're swimming and the number underneath them lets you know which prize you won. (I LOVED playing this game at our school's Halloween carnival when I was little!) Anyway, we paid for our first go and asked the girl in charge what number we needed to pick in order to get Dora. She said 3! So I cheer Reese on and hope and pray she gets a 3. She selects her duck; we turn it over. . .and it's a 1. I know we cannot leave the game without a Dora, so I pay her again for another turn. I commence with my cheering again; Reese picks out the duck she thinks will be the big winner; we turn it over. . .it's a 2. Sensing my desperation and Reese's real desire to have a Dora, the girl came over and started picking up ducks until she found one with a 3, so Reese did find a 3 and got her Dora. I have never seen a child as happy as she was that day walking around with that doll!

Visit with PawPaw

On Good Friday morning, I took Reese to a community egg hunt at The Shops at Brickerton. My dad's office is on the grounds where the egg hunt was held, so it was a wonderful opportunity to drop by and visit. After Reese found all her eggs, we went to Dad's office. Reese loves going to see her PawPaw, possibly because she always finds candy there! PawPaw even gave us a little bit of money so that Reese could play some carnival games. (I didn't have any money on me because I had no idea all of those things would be set up, so thank you to PawPaw for helping us out!) Anyway, the story and pictures of her "win" are above.
 

The Girls & their Easter baskets

All of these pictures were taken at the beginning of April. I had some made into cards to send to the grans & aunts & uncles. But, I wanted to share them with y'all out there in "blog land." I could eat 'em all up!!!! :) 

I'm a Horrible Friend---

Okay, I am officially a horrible friend. My college roommate of three years, Keri, celebrated her birthday on March 31. She and I were Phi Mus together, and I loved being her roommate. She probably can't say the same since she always went to sleep early and I was the night owl who liked to stay awake and watch TV. A favorite story involved a guy in one of her science classes (she was a biology major) who would always call the night before big tests and want to ask her what all she studied, etc. I always had to tell him that she was already in bed! He was a night owl, too, who was, shall we say, high strung and intense. Her birthday is the same day as our brother in law's, and I gave a shout out to him but not her! I even have reminders sent to my email, and birthdays are the first things I put down on our monthly calendar that sits on our fridge. How idiotic I am--or should we just say mentally off; I am beginning to think I've lost about a billion brain cells since having babies! :) So, Keri, if you ever check into our blog, HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!! I am so sorry that I didn't get in touch with you. I'll do better next year! Love you lots!!!! :)

Fun in the Sun

Anna enjoying the air show! She hated it when the planes flew directly overhead; they were waaaaaaaaaaaaay too loud for her little ears!!

Maggie having a ball at the air show. She slept right through the Thunderbirds' show! Too funny! I thinkI slept through loud stuff when I was little, too. Like Mommy like daughter! ;)