Warning: Catch Up Posts Below:

Guess you've all noticed that I've spent some time today doing some 'blog catch up.' Haven't posted many pictures of the girls lately, so I had to make up some ground. Hope you enjoy seeing and hearing our latest goings on!!!

JUMPERS JUMPERS--We LOVE Jumpers!!

We took a road trip to Tupelo on Monday in the hopes of getting some of our huge Christmas shopping done. Well, I probably don't have to tell you that with three little ones in tow, we didn't get anything done. But, we were productive in one area, keeping the girls entertained and wearing them out all at once. The Barnes Crossing Mall has a 'store' that has nothing but those big inflatable jumpers. We discovered the place on one of our previous trips to the mall, so now it's become a stop for us. Reese has always had a good time playing on them, and since we were the only ones jumping when we were there, the man that was in charge said that it was ok for Anna & Maggie to jump, too. We put them in this one jumper that had small basketballs; they enjoyed playing in that one, but they had a princess one with a slide that Reese loved playing on, so we moved the babies to that one. Big mistake--Anna cried and cried and cried. She would NOT get in another one. Maggie loved them all! I was even able to go in and 'play' and take her down the slides. She had a ball. Too bad it was so for Anna Bean. Maybe next time!!!

Lots of pictures below!!!!

Action shots!!!!

Love the hair. I don't think I could have captured them that way again if I had tried!

Love 'em!
 

Reese of course loved the jumpers, too. I think she could have stayed in there and played with them all day. Wish I had as much energy as she does, especially when it comes time to clean the house! :)


 

Maggie LOVED the jumpers. I think she may be the more adventurous of the twins, and for that matter, Reese, too. Mags just seems to have a more happy go lucky kind of spirit. Anna, I'm sad to say, is probably going to turn out like me---not being much of a daredevil and not wanting to try many new things. I think I turned out fine, but I'd like for my children's horizons to be a little broader than mine!


 

The one and only picture of Anna actually INSIDE the jumper and not throwing a fit outside it! 

Anna did NOT like the jumpers much at all. She was doing good until we took her out of one and tried to get her to play in another one! 

My Little (or should I say Big) Eaters

We spent most of the Thanksgiving weekend at my mom and grandmom's. Warren worked everyday except Thanksgiving, and my sister and her family were in town and my brother and his wife were visiting, too, so we just made it a big family affair. It definitely was a lot more fun than sitting at home alone with the girls! Anyway, Friday night, I was so good about getting Anna & Maggie something to eat for supper. Little did I know that they were less than thrilled with what I had selected for them to eat. After they became very disinterested in what I had chosen, they made their way into the kitchen; that's where Reese & Lauren had been eating. Anna & Maggie wasted no time in climbing up in the chair next to Lauren, and they started snatching food off of her plate. Poor Lauren didn't see 'em comin'.

This third picture cracks me up.....

Maggie: "So what exactly is the problem with taking food off of other people's plates?"

And notice how Anna just keeps on eating! :)



Maggie: "I'm gonna try to get this whole piece of bread in my mouth."

Anna: "I like to take it nice and slow--one bite at a time."  

Better Late Than Never...

Some pictures/posts from Reese's last week at school before Thanksgiving.

Here she is sporting the Indian feather headband that she made. Too cute!!!! She even had the brown paper bag vest to go with it, but sadly, it suffered a minor set back while at school and was not readily salvagable. We'll do better next year!


This experience with her at school brought back so many memories for me. I remember dressing the same way for Thanksgiving when I was in kindergarten. I, too, had the feather headband and the brown paper bag vest, but I even had a macaroni necklace!!! Wasn't I in high style? :) There was a picture of me at one time modeling my Thanksgiving 'clothes.' I wish I could find it; after we moved out of our house after my parents' divorced, several things have fallen through the cracks--we're even missing lots of our family Christmas decorations. I digress. But the picture of my Thankgiving get up was really cute; I look back with fondness on it now. My little brother was just a baby then, and he's in the picture with me, too. Hard to imagine him as a baby!

Anyway......for your post-Thanksgiving enjoyment!!! :) 

Some School Thanksgiving Art

I just love getting 'art' that Reese does while she's at school. Here is her little hand print turkey from the week before Thanksgiving. Isn't it sweet? It has found its special place on her bulletin board that hangs on a wall in the kitchen. The board is specifically for her schoolwork, and in the few months that she's been going to school, the board is already running out of room!

Happy Late Thanksgiving! So Much to be Thankful for!

Here's our post-Thanksgiving blog. I didn't get a chance to write anything yesterday because we weren't home much. After waking up and getting dressed, we went to my grandmother and mom's house for lunch! YUMMY! My little brother, Rich, and sister in law, Angela were there and we had a really nice time, although we spent most of it running after Anna and Maggie (they love to roam at Mimi & GG's house). The lady who stays with my grandmother during the day helped with our lunch, and it was DELICIOUS!! I have to say, though, that I am not much of a turkey eater---I know, I know that that's what the whole Thanksgiving meal revolves around, but I'm a lot like my granddaddy--I'd rather have ham! :) But I do force myself to eat a slice on Thanksgiving, and I honestly think that's the only time during the year that I eat it! And the 'festivities' continue today--my sister and her husband and girls are coming to my mom's for the weekend! Reese loves playing with Erin and Lauren!
I have so much to be thankful for. My wonderful family tops my list. I have a great husband and three beautiful daughters. I am so thankful that we are all together and happy and most of all healthy! If anyone had ever told me that I'd be where I am in my life right now, I would have never believed them. I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would have had three babies by now (although my big 'baby' is about to be 4). I am thankful for the 'rest' of my family--you know, my grandmother, mom, dad, brother, sister, nieces, etc. EVERYONE!!!! I am thankful that my grandmother is still hanging in there with us after her stroke almost two years ago; even though she doesn't see or hear as well as she did, she's still with us and that just makes me happy! I am thankful to God, for without whom NONE of these blessings would be possible. I am thankful that I live in this wonderful country where I can freely believe and worship in a God who takes care of me and my family. I am also thankful for the newest additions to my extended family--Crew Manning and Carrington Grace Holloway! They made their arrivals on Monday, I think a littler earlier than we had expected, but they are both healthy and doing well! I could go on and on and on listing everything and everyone that I am thankful for, as I know many people could, but I'll stop here with saying that I am indeed a very lucky person!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYBODY!

**these pictures were taken during our Christmas card photo shoot a couple of weeks ago. Aren't Anna (on the left) and Maggie too sweet giving each other some love? And my ol' Reesie pie, not being too happy about Mommy flashing the camera in her face! What truly special little girls they are to me!

THE HOLLOWAY BABIES HAVE ARRIVED!

Just wanted to write a quick post to let you know that my cousin Jenny and her husband Ryan welcomed their twins, Crew & Carrington, into the world last night a little before 6 p.m. Jenny's great friend (and I hope it's okay with her if I consider her a friend, too), Mary Katherine, posted some pictures of the babies on her blog site and on Jenny's as well. I am DYING to go see them, and last night I had decided that I was going to take Reese with me to Jackson, but Reese has a horribly bad stopped up nose and she's sneezing and sniffling this morning--all that good stuff. So.....I definitely DO NOT want to get anyone sick, so my trip's been postponed. BUMMER! I'm hoping to maybe go see them next weekend or whenever they've had a chance to get home and settled and get comfy at home!

CONGRATULATIONS ON THOSE ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL BABIES!!!!

**Thank you Lord for watching over Jenny during delivery and taking care of her and the babies! You are so good! What a wonderful Thanksgiving gift!

Do You Have Any Tips?

Hey all! Just asking for some advice, and I am so open to any and all suggestions!

With Thanksgiving just a week away, my thoughts are already turning toward Christmas!!! :) Last year, I had such great intentions about getting out my Christmas cards. I had the whole stack ready to go, but only a few stamps at home, so I went through and stamped the "VIPs"--you know, the grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. Long story short---I had a TON that never got mailed! They even got moved to our new house last February! Don't ask my why! So, this year my intentions are even better. I want to have them stacked in envelopes with stamps on ALL of them, ready to be mailed ASAP! Warren didn't have to work this weekend, so we had a photo shoot of the girls for our Christmas card. Talk about a nightmare!!! Conor in California has mentioned this to me before, it's like herding cats with that many kiddos. And he couldn't be more correct!

Warren was the photographer and I was the 'entertainment.' Have you ever tried to get two 17 month olds and a VERY stubborn 3 1/2 year old to sit still and look at a camera at the same time? Let me just say that after the 60+ pictures that Warren took, I was absolutely exhausted from my dancing and jumping and singing! (insert laughs here!) :) We got a couple of good shots, but I want a better one, ya know? I have been playing around on Shutterfly's website, and I had decided that if I couldn't get a decent shot of the three of them together, that I could do one of Shutterfly's new collage cards. (I love the idea of that and have saved several in my account there) I even went ahead and did a mock order, but it turns out that we'd end up having to spend almost $50 on those cards--because of tax, shipping/handling, etc. I just cannot see spending that much money, especially since we are on such a tight budget every month. I can come out cheaper using WalMart's site. I really really want one of the three of them together, so......

The purpose of this post is to ask for pointers from any and all who have tried and possibly even successfully managed to get a really good picture of three very active little girls. I know that Mary Katherine is doing some photography, so I hope she'll help me out with some pointers. And it looks like Conor & Gen are doing splendidly with their little ones, too. If no pointers, guess we can figure out something!!!!

Thanks for the advice!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Birthday wishes going out today to my big sis, Brandi! I try to get a card in the mail to our close family when they're celebrating a birthday, but alas, my brain malfunctioned this weekend, so she won't be getting one in the mail! Imagine that, with the birthday party we went to and keeping up with the girls--just busy busy busy! Anyway, just wanted ol' Brand-o to know that we're thinking about her today! We love you!!!! Hope you had a great day!

Some Party Pictures!!!

From Alex's party yesterday! The kids had a ball!!! I love how they all wanted to climb up the slide instead of climbing the ladder and sliding down! Used to do the same thing myself!


 

A Fun Morning!

Well, today was the big day--Alex's birthday party!! Reese went to bed fairly easily last night and slept pretty well. Although she did wake up at one point and she said something about her daddy, then rolled over and went back to sleep. Guess she was dreaming! :) Warren was a sweetie to set his alarm clock so that he could come get me up so that I could get ready. After doing that, he did get back in bed! I started my coffee, thanks to the new coffee pot that we were able to buy yesterday, (big YAYs) , and I started getting ready! I even was able to give Reese a quick bath after I got out of the shower!! YAY me!! We both got dressed, and I had to redress Reese a couple of times--once due to the fact that her new jeans haven't been washed so they're still a little big and we had a run in with our pop tart and put on a different shirt that just didn't look right. But once all that settled, we had on different, better fitting jeans, and a purple shirt and her new tennis shoes! We were ready to go!!!

Alex's party was held at Jumpers, you know, where they have the big inflatables! Well, I thought we were late (the party started at 9; we got there at 9:30) because the parking lot was full! Most of the guests were from Alex's (and Reese's) class at school. The kids had a great time, and I was excited that Reese had fun playing. I even got to visit with some of the moms, and I enjoyed that, too. There were a good many dads there, too! I love it when dads are involved with their children!

The only problem we had was that Reese didn't like sitting and watching Alex open his gifts. I didn't want her causing a scene, so I told her to go back and jump in the jumpers with another child. This diffused a potentially volatile situation! :)

She got a great goodie bag that had candy, cookies, a BatMan mask (the party had a BatMan theme), and some crayons! She even got to take home one of the balloons! All in all it was a great party for her. I'm thinking we're gonna have to do a jumpers party for her in January!

Next Saturday, we're going to another party for another classmate, Eason! It's being held at a petting farm. His mother told me today to bring Anna & Maggie, too, which I thought was very sweet! We'll give an update on that shin-dig, too.

I took some pictures today at the party, so be on the look out for those later!

Have a great Saturday and rest of the weekend!

Wedding Weekend

Reese and I went to a wedding on Saturday; it was her first 'real' wedding. She went with me to Jenny and Ryan's wedding, but she was only six or seven months old then, so she obviously doesn't remember it. Warren was a groomsman for his friend, Nick. (Nick also works in the CCU with Warren). I couldn't wait for Reese to see her daddy all dressed up in a tux. (I have always liked him in a tux; he looked really really sharp, if I do say so myself). Anyway, as we were preparing for the wedding earlier in the week, I realized that Reese didn't have any fall/winter dresses. So.......Mimi to the rescue. She got Reese this darling black and red plaid dress with the sweetest black shoes. The dress even had a little petticoat type thing in the skirt. Brandi said it made her think of Mammy's red petticoat from Gone with the Wind. If Mimi hadn't helped us, Reese and I probably wouldn't have gone to the wedding! Thanks so much Mimi!!!!

We get there and get seated (kinda early--too early when you're dealing with a toddler). She was so fidgety; I thought I was going to have to 'take her outside' (if you know what I mean). Anyway, the wedding gets started and I am trying my hardest to listen to the vows and keep Reese quiet all at the same time when she leans over and says she needs to go to the bathroom. Had my brain been functioning properly, I would have taken her once we got to the chapel. I have never walked out of a wedding ceremony, and I was embarrassed that I had to do it, but the alternative of Reese having an accident was going to be way too much to deal with. So, we get back from the bathroom and the ceremony is just about over. We stood up in the back because I didn't want to cause any more commotion.

We get to the reception before the wedding party because they were taking pictures and all Reese wanted was cake. I had to explain to her over and over that no one could eat cake until Mr. Nick and Ms. Kara got there to cut it. Hard stuff for a little girl who loves cake to understand. That's when we found the chocolate fountain. That kept her occupied until the cake cutting.

Several pictures of the day are below. Don't Reese and Warren look great? Kinda makes me wish that we dressed up more often!

I Love 'Em Both

 

Stylin' and Profilin'

 

Sweet Kisses!

 

She's all ready to go to the wedding!  

Reese and the Fountain

Nick & Kara's wedding was held at the Carrier Chapel on the campus of Mississippi University for Women. I had never been to the chapel on campus before, so it was a first. As Reese and I were walking to the car to drive to the reception, I noticed this fountain right outside the chapel. And me being the picture crazy person I am, I 'made' her go stand beside it so I could take some pictures. I got nervous that she was going to fall in and get wet, but she didn't! Thank goodness!

 

Chocolate....YUMMY!!!

At Nick and Kara's reception, there was one of those chocolate fountain machines. They had all kinds of fruits and candies that you could dip in the chocolate. Well, Reese has become very fond of strawberries lately, and she wanted a strawberry dipped in the chocolate. As you can see, she enjoyed her treat--I think she liked the chocolate more than she did the fruit! Imagine that!