Santa Came to See Us! :)

And he left gifts by the tree....

Some for Reese.....

Some for Anna.....

And some for Maggie.....

And Santa filled our stockings too....

Christmas Eve

Now that the hustle and bustle around here is over, I'm taking a little time to back track through our Christmas. Now that I've begun, I realize I am going a bit out of order, but who cares, right?

Our Christmas Eve was spent by hanging out at home during the day, and then attending the Christmas Eve Candlelight and Communion Service at First Baptist Church. We have been visiting here pretty much since we moved, and we will most likely be joining at the first of the year. I always love Christmas Eve services, but I was especially 'excited' about this one because this would be Reese's first time to participate in the Lord's Supper since her baptism back during the summer. She took her 'bread' and 'wine' like a big girl, and then immediately proceeded to eat! When Warren told her that she was supposed to wait, she fell apart. Bless her! She thought she had done something wrong; she was really torn up about it for most of the night. We kept telling her that no one, including God, was mad at her, and she finally calmed down. (She is the most melodramatic of our girls!)

Once we got home from church and after we ate supper, we began the tradition of making cookies for Santa! I decided to let the girls help in shifts, one because it kept me saner, and two because we have a wall oven in our rental house and there isn't enough room for multiple cookie sheets.

It was Reese's turn first....

Then Nanner.....

(She was showing me one of the 'casualties')

Then Maggie Wags.....

We also continued our tradition of letting the girls open one gift. And of course, they kinda suspected that what they were opening would be PJs. I just love doing this every year, but Warren said that they were too excited about opening, and that we should let them pick ONE that they wanted to open. So, I think we might have started a second, new Christmas Eve tradition, too! They were thrilled with what they picked out to open.

Reese got a spacer for her Miss Chamilia bracelet.

Maggie got some Bath and Body Works smell goods.

And Anna did, too!

A quick pic in their new Christmas PJs! I'm beginning to think that taking a "normal" picture of the three of them is out of the question!

Operation Christmas Child!

We participated in Samaritan's Purse's annual Operation Christmas Child this year. Warren and I have packed a couple of shoe boxes during our years together, but this is the first year that we have done it with the girls. And, it's one that I plan on continuing for as long as we can.

Warren and I oftentimes find ourselves looking around and talking about what our girls have/don't have. We often think that they don't 'have' a lot. I mean, they have tons of clothes, and several toys, things to occupy their time, but all of this seems kinda small compared to what we had growing up. As a mom, I want more and better for my own kids, and I am sure that I am not alone in that, or at least I hope I'm not.

Anyway, before we began with our shoeboxes, the girls were really going through a very 'ungrateful' spell. No utterances of 'thank you' or 'please' or 'no sir/yes ma'am.' To say that Warren and I were both angry and disappointed is an understatement. That's when we decided that the girls may have too much after all. I mean, I know my kids aren't and will NEVER be perfect, and I have made and will continue to make gargantuan mistakes when it comes to raising them, but one thing I cannot allow is ungrateful, impolite children.

So the Christmas child donations came about at just the right time for this family. The church we've been visiting had stacks and stacks and stacks of boxes outside the sanctuary, and I made sure to grab three after service one Sunday. I had originally thought about only doing one, but I wanted my girls to gain a lesson from it, so three it was!

The following Sunday afternoon, after church, lunch and naps, we headed out shopping for items for our boxes. The girls were really intent on what they wanted for their boxes. Naturally, we chose the 5-9 year girl 'option' obviously because what in the world do we know about boys! :) Each of our girls got a coloring book and crayons, stickers, notepads, a Disney princess bathcloth, a tiara, brushes, clips, rubber bands....I could go on and on. But I do have to share sweet Anna's comment. We purchased pencils for our girls, but the store we were in did not have any manual pencil sharpeners. I told the girls we would find one before sending our boxes off. Sweet baby came home and held up our pencil sharpener and said, "Mommy, we can sharpen the pencils here and then send it to them." She didn't make the connection that they would eventually need to be sharpened again once they were out of our hands, but I think Anna wanted everything perfect for her girl.

And Maggie's sweetness too...when I was explaining that our boxes would go to children who are not as blessed as they are, I mentioned that some of those boys and girls don't even have clean, healthy water to drink. Sweet Mags wanted to send them some water! Bless her!

OCC has a new feature this year that when you make your donation online, you can follow where your box(es) go. I, of course, jumped on this and cannot wait to see where our boxes are bound for!

Pictures below...

empty boxes ready to be packed....I think the girls were kinda excited!

careful concentration is required when packing our shoeboxes

Reese and Mags hard at work

Anna, the more meticulous one, was focused on getting all of her items to fit!

My cup runneth over!

Visit From the Grands....BopBop & DamDam!

BopBop and DamDam came for a visit during the first weekend in November. Warren wasn't able to visit with them very much because the hospital was hosting a heart symposium, and he was required to attend. But, that didn't keep us from having a great time.

First on the agenda Saturday morning was a trip to Borroum's drug store. Click HERE for a link to their site including their history. I will go ahead and include here that Borroum's is the state of Mississippi's oldest drug store, having originated in 1865!

The most AWESOME thing for us is that it still operates a soda fountain, and they even make their own soft drinks. Nothing out of a can, unless you want it, I guess. But when you order a coke, you get the awesome shaved ice (like at Sonic, but better I think), and a couple of squirts of caramel like syrup topped off with a full glass of fizzy/carbonated water. (I'm sure I'm not calling the water by its proper name, but it's what gives the syrup its fizz!) Not only are the soft drinks 'real', they also have real, hand dipped milkshakes! And let me tell you, they are DIVINE!!!

the pink girls (Anna & DamDam) sharing a good ol' vanilla shake

And the burgers are fantabulous as well. Don't think much could compare to an old-fashioned milkshake and a fabulous burger!

BopBop got in a little tickling aka aggravating :) before leaving!

Fun fun fun times!

Halloween 2011

We had a wonderful Halloween night this year!! Probably the best one ever for our girls.

all lined up before heading out to eat--the serious photo op

followed by the NOT serious photo op! :)

We went to eat at a local, family owned (I think?) restaurant that was advertising free children's meals if they were dressed in a costume. Well, we could NOT pass up that freebie. I mean, eating out is expensive enough, but now that our girls are bigger, it's gotten a wee bit more expensive. Anyway, the restaurant employees were also dressed in costumes and the restaurant was decorated with black lights, and spider webs and all things Halloween-y. When we walked in the door, the hostess (pictured above) immediately told Reese that she wanted a picture with her before we left. They were taking pictures for their Facebook page, but I had to get one for our collection, too. Reese loved how she 'glowed' in the blacklight! :)

To finish off our night, a co-worker of Warren's invited us to go trick or treating with her family. The kiddos and dads rode in the back of a truck while the moms traveled behind in the mini-van (and the heater!).

excited about riding in the back

Mags listening to Ms. Nicole explaining the rules for riding in the back

We trick or treated for about two hours!!! It was insane. We haven't ever really lived anywhere where we could walk up to a line of houses and exclaim "Trick or Treat!" To say that the girls had a ball is a total understatement.

They would hop out of the truck and sprint to the doors, ready to receive any candy that was being given out.

I will always remember Halloween night 2011. It was truly an experience to cherish, not only for my girls but for our entire family. I think I had just as much fun watching my babies' faces light up with excitement after getting candy from each and every house.

Daddy and his Halloween-y girls

me and my babies :)

Saying Goodbye....

On September 15, we loaded up our cars one last time from our house in Columbus. The movers had come a day earlier and packed up the house (for the most part--beds, etc were still there) and they returned the 15th and loaded everything on the moving truck.

Once we loaded our cars with the things we'd be needing for the night, we headed north to our new home. Before leaving though, we had to take some photos.

This was our very first house--meaning the first house we bought ourselves. No renting, leasing....it was ours. And we loved it. The twins were eight months old when we moved in, and now they're six years old!! Zowie.

As much as we loved the house, we were beginning to out grow it. If we had remained in Columbus any longer, we would have begun looking for something a bit larger.

Me and my sweetie--as we were walking through each room, tons and tons of memories came flooding back. Reese starting 'real' school, losing her first tooth/teeth, the twins' first birthday, their first steps, wonderful Christmases and other holidays...you get the picture.

It looked so very empty! Kinda sad, but we know we will make memories here and more will be made in our house for another family.

I have no idea why they posed this way, but they all were pleasant about it!

Reese had to say goodbye to her room....

And so did the twins....and they said goodbye in a style all their own.

Ada is a Year Old

Our precious niece, Ada, celebrated her first birthday back in September. The girls and I traveled to B'ham with Mimi to see the birthday girl. I cannot believe that an entire year has gone by since she was born. The older I get, the faster time seems to fly.

Ada's 'smash' cake. I wasn't too sure what she'd think about it. I have several more pictures of her in the checking it out phase, but I just picked the 'important' ones. The larger cake had the same colors with sweet little elephants on it. (Wonder why? RTR!?)

I know I've said this before, but I am SO proud of my baby brother. He is an AMAZING daddy. I will forever think of him as this precious blonde haired, blue eyed little boy who I was jealous of because I had/have big ol' brown eyes and dark hair. His baby girl certainly thinks her daddy hung the moon. Can't you tell? The way she's looking at him in the picture above just melts my heart. So precious!

Such an adorable family! I can't leave this post without bragging on Angela, too. She is a fabulous mama. She does a great job of giving in and being firm. Ada is probably the most well behaved little one I've been around. I'm not sure she knows how to throw really big fits; of course, I'm sure her mama and daddy would say differently. :)

Before heading to the party, we stopped at Build A Bear so Mimi could see what it was all about and get Ada a bear for her birthday. Needless to say, my girls loved making "Bama" for their baby Ada. This sweet little bear has five hearts--one from each of us and Mimi even recorded her voice so Ada can hear her whenever she wants to. My girls have several BAB's, but they have certainly come a long way since our last trip there.

Mimi had to get in some good loving while we were there.

When we arrived, Ada was napping, and Mimi and I both were chomping at the bit to get our hands on her. Well, when she woke up, I ran as fast as I could to get her. She wasn't fussing much at all, and I love saying that she was kinda clingy to me for most of the afternoon. That didn't bother me at all since I don't get to see her very often.

We love you Ada Gator and cannot wait to celebrate many many more birthdays!

We LOVE Rachel!!!

This post is a bit out of order, but I have to include it on the family blog.

For those of you who don't know, this is Rachel. She is our favorite babysitter EVER, and we love her like she is one of our own. We met her and her sweet mama during Reese's first VBS at Fairview over three years ago. Describing how much these sweet folks mean to us is a post in and of itself....so I'll get to the point.

Rachel was a senior at Columbus High last year, and she is attending Samford University this year. Before leaving for college, she asked if she could pick the girls up after school one day and spend some time with them. Considering how much grief my girls would have given me had I said no, I of course said yes. Rachel took them for ice cream and then drove them to her house for a quick swim in her pool.

Saying the girls had a wonderful time is a complete understatement. All four of the girls, and me too, shed a few tears as we said good-bye to Rachel. This young lady is awfully special, and we know that God has wonderful things in store for her.

Thanks Rachel for loving my girls!

First Days...

Our first days in our new town went by quickly and without a lot of turmoil. Having my girls start another school was kind of scary for me, considering that fact that I spent 13 years in the same school with many of the same people each year. I am extremely proud of my girls for adapting so well to the many changes that have occurred in their lives; they are great at just fitting right in, at least that's what their new teachers have told me.

ready for our first day at our new school

It is hard for me to believe that Reese is already in second grade...where has the time gone? Warren says he's blinked and missed it! And the twink-os...boy, do they have some fire in them. My granddaddy sure would LOVE watching them.

our little Warriors!

The girls' first week at school just so happened to be Homecoming! I loved that! I think it may have helped them adjust a little more quickly, too. Their new mascot is the Warrior, and on Friday game day, the first graders got to attend the high school pep rally. I am sure my Nanner was in hog heaven since her whole purpose in life is to grow up to be a 'Sippi State cheerleader. Prior to going to the pep rally, the first graders got their war paint on. I was so surprised when I picked them up from school, and I had to take them to the hospital to see Daddy. He thought they looked kinda cute, too!

One Friday at the hospital, the employees were able to wear their favorite sports jersey. Well, it is no question in this house who our (or at least my and Warren's) favorite player is, so we had to get Warren one. He has been wanting a Peyton jersey ever since he made his pro debut in the NFL. Plus, I mean, since we are related to him, it only makes sense for us to wear the MANNING name on our backs, too! After checking several places, we found one at Hibbett's (and it was on a pretty great sale, too, which always makes me happy). I think the girls and I were more excited about it than Warren was, which makes total sense since all the girls love to shop and have new clothes.

Because it was spirit day and because Warren finally had himself a jersey, I had to take pictures before he left for work.

I made him pose like this in the above picture, so don't judge him. He thought/knew he would look silly, but he humored me. :)