Almost time

Well, only about 4 more weeks until D day and we can't wait.  Just as life is starting to settle down, the girls playing so well together in the afternoons, and summer approaching, it is about to get kind of CRAZY!! That is crazy in a good way though.  Baby boy Warren is growing like crazy and I feel like my stomach can not stretch anymore.  I was never this big with the girls...I feel good and the baby is healthy and has great movement.  May is flying by already and I feel like it is so busy.  Sallie graduates from kindergarten May 22nd and that is also the last day of school.  We are headed to the beach for our annual Memorial Day beach trip but this year only for about 4 days instead of a full week.  That is unless Baby Warren decides to come early which would be fine by me:)

The girls are getting ready to perform in their big ballet performance on Tues. May15th.  They have precious costumes that they are so excited about.  I can't wait to see them on the big stage.  Anna and Sallie are really into their baby dolls right now and I got a really cute picture of them yesterday with  all the baby stations they had set up. I will have to post the pics.  We have all our baby gear out in the nursery and it has been used a lot by the girls and their baby dolls. I walked into the nursery yesterday with Sallie over Anna who was on the floor with a baby doll stuffed up her shirt and Sallie was "taking the baby out". I hope they welcome this new baby and love him like they do thier baby dolls.

Mother's Day is almost here and is a reminder of how lucky I am.  I am blessed beyond words....

Can't wait to be blogging about life as a family of 5!

So behind....

I am so behind in my blogging and will attempt to catch up but no pictures for now. Our home computer got a really bad virus and we had to switch all our pics over to another computer and have not switched them back or downloaded any new pics from Christmas. I think that my last post was in Sept so let me try and think about what all has gone on since then.....Oct was the annual Wooly Worm festival which was so much fun. It was really windy this year which did make it a little harder to enjoy but we still had a good time. My parents went with us this year and it was great to spend some overnight time with them and the girls really enjoyed having them there too. We got to bring our worms home and they hung around for about 5 days before we let them go and find a new home in our backyard.


We found out in October that we are expecting another baby which is still so exciting and unbelievable! I feel great which I am so thankful for and have never experienced. I was so sick with both Anna and Sallie and I have not been sick at all this time. I never really got to enjoy being pregnant before because I was so sick and so sleep deprived because I could not sleep either. This time I have really enjoyed it. November was full of Thanksgiving plans and family time. Ward and I took a trip to Charlotte for a weekend in November to celebrate our 6th Anniversary and had a great time. My parents kept the kids and it was so nice to get away. We told our families that we were expecting a third baby the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and everyone was so excited. The kids were really excited and Sallie is still going up to people and telling them that I am pregnant and she is going to have a baby:) Too Cute!!! What a great way to celebrate Thanksgiving.....


We had a great Christmas. The girls really enjoyed all that we did to get ready for Christmas. We did operation Christmas Child at our church which was a lot of fun. We got to buy gifts, pack boxes, make pictures and write letters to include in the boxes and then got to track the boxes that we sent. It was really neat. We went to the First Baptist Church Christmas program that we always enjoys and saw some of our precious little friends in it this year. We went to Saluda Shoals park to see the lights which were great. We really enjoyed them!!! We saw Santa Claus on more than one occasion. Anna actually packaged up her passy and gave it to Santa this year. Santa thought it was a little odd but oh well, he took it. He then asked Anna what she wanted for Christmas and she told him that she wanted a snake. He really thought we were odd after that. It was pretty funny. We took Anna to Learning express and let her pick out any toy that she wanted for giving Santa her passy. She picked out a $4.00 rubber snake. Priceless......Giving up her passy was a little rough for a night or two but she has been fine since and has not looked back or questioned it once. Sallie was in a little Christmas program at church and then another one at school. She was a Shepard and she was the cutest little Shepard I have ever seen. Her line was to say "Where shall I find him" and she said it perfectly.....She really wanted to be a Angel but after we read stories and I told her the importance of the shepards, she was ok with it.


Our elf, Roddy, came back this year which was so fun. The girls both enjoyed him so much and couldn't wait to get out of bed to find him. They wrote letters to him and Sallie left him candy two nights. We celebrated Christmas in Anderson the weekend before Christmas and stayed in town for Christmas Day which was really nice. We went to Church and then headed to Bishopville Christmas Day to spend the day with family and eat lunch. It was great!!! Both Sallie and Anna were good girls this year and Santa was good to both of them. Sallie loved her "two wheel" scooter which is what she kept telling Santa that she wanted. She also loved her "i touch" that she got (not really a i touch and I am not sure why she started calling it this but we let her go with it). It is really a vtech innotab which we had to take back due to a problem with it and are waiting on another one. Anna got a doll house and a scooter as well. Hers is a three wheel scooter but she still thinks that it is a two wheel scooter and we let her go with that too. She also got a musical vanity. The best gift I got was the news on Dec 20th that our baby is a boy and he is healthy. What a great gift and we are all so excited. I must say I am a little nervous about a boy just because I am clueless when it comes to boys but I know that it will all just come to me and this baby boy will be the best addition to our family. The girls are excited about "baby boy" and Ward is sooooo excited. I think he just knew that this baby was another girl which would have been great news too....The girls will be roommates starting in April and baby boy will take over Anna's room. Pray for a easy transition. They are excited about it now because they are getting bunk beds but I hope that they love sharing a room and can get along. I can not believe that Christmas has come and gone but it truly was a great one!! God has blessed me with so much and I pray that this year I focus on him even more!!!


New Years resolutions......well there are a lot in my head but the most important ones......live each day to the fullest as if it could be my last, enjoy family time and have more of it, do more for others in need, and spend more time with God... That about sums up the last 3 months. I hope to stay more up to date and can't wait to see what 2012 brings us.

No Training wheels....and balllet

Sallie learned this past weekend how to ride her bike with no training wheels and is now a riding machine. After many falls and lots of banged up knees, she is riding like a champ. I think that she likes riding even better now that the training wheels are gone. Anna has taken over riding Sallie's first bike and has learned how to peddle by herself. She loves it! She has taken several spills as well but seems to bounce back really quick. For some reason she could peddle her tricycle really well but could not do the bike until a week or so ago.

Anna got all dressed for her 1st ballet class Tuesday and got all excited about it. I took her and forgot that it was Tuesday and not Monday when her class is. Labor day really confused me this year. Anyway, she looked so cute, we had to get pics and come home and pretend ballet. She is one cute ballerina. I'm a little partial :)

Anna turns 3

Five days after the shock of having a 5 year old, I get to do it again and sing Happy Birthday to my baby. Anna, today you are 3 years old and no longer a little baby but a big girl. You know what you want when you want it and you will let everyone know. You have the best contagious laugh I have ever heard and sometimes you just make me laugh like crazy because you are laughing. I miss you when you are at school and miss our two days at home together. You love "Sallie" and when she is not around you are constantly asking where she is. Your favorite show is Dora and you love to eat yogurt and cheese. Your favorite activity is to play with your babies. You will be such a good Mama one day because you are so sweet to your babies even when they have to go to timeout. We are going to have to work on loosing your passy soon but you do love it so much:) You really wanted a care bear for your birthday and we have not gotten it yet so still working on that. Maybe that will be a later gift that you open. You are going to be so excited about your doll house that Daddy worked on for you last night for about 5 hours. It is huge!!! Before I know it you will be turning 5 too so I know that I need to soak all your 3 year old self up and enjoy every second.....We love you so much Anna Banana!!!!!!

The Big 5 and back to school

Today is the day that Sallie Celess turns the big whole hand 5. I can not believe that it has been 5 years since I brought that little bundle home from the hospital and learned all about what it was to be a "Mama". I remember those first couple of nights home from the hospital waking up every 2 -3 hours for feedings, that went on for what seemed like forever and now that time seems like forever ago..... I am so thankful to have a happy and healthy 5 year old. Not only is she happy and healthy but Sallie Warren, you are the sweetest, spunkiest, funniest, smartest little girl out there (I am a little partial). Your teachers and little friends in your class this year are lucky to have you there and I know that you will have a great year. Happy birthday sweet girl. This mama loves you more than you will ever know. I know that this next 5 years will fly by like the first and will be just as fun. I wish that I could freeze time and continue to enjoy you being 5 but I know that I can't so I am going to strive to enjoy every single day to the fullest (the good and the ugly). I hope that you have a wonderful day today.

We had Sallie and Anna's birthday party at the park last week so today is just a little birthday celebration for Sallie with family. We started the day with a doughnut with a candle in it for breakfast. I made some mini cupcakes for her class to have at snack. Ward is picking her up at lunch to take her to Frankies fun park to ride the go carts. Sallie and I are going to get pedicures this evening and then we are all going to eat at Chick fil a (her choice). You think that she may be rotten by the end of the day? I will keep you posted on that. She is so excited about her big day. She is unwrapping a pink cash register from us and some dress up shoes and a barbie from Anna. We will celebrate Anna's big day on Monday so we will do all this over again minus the Frankies and pedicures. Anna does not care about that and would hate to ride a go cart. All she wants for her birthday ........a carebear. Where do you even find those anymore? Sallie has one so Anna wants one. We are still on the lookout for that so if you have any suggestions on where to get this, let me know. Heres to birthdays!!!!

The girls both started back to school Monday which is earlier than most. Sallie started Kindergarten this year but stayed at Eastminister. She loved her first day and had so much fun. She is really impressed by the smart board that is in her room. She already came home singing a song about money and the order of the coins. Mrs. Mack is her teacher and she is so sweet and I know that she is going to have a incredible year. Anna got Mrs. Rachael for the 3's and will go to school everyday. She enjoyed her first day as well. She is warming up to the idea of going to school everyday. We used to have Tuesdays and Thursdays together at home so it is all new to be going everyday. I am adjusting to this as well:( They both get out at 12 so I do have lots of time in the afternoons to enjoy them. Eastminster has been such a great school and I will be so sad when it is no longer a part of our daily life. I do feel that the girls are loved so much there and have learned so much not only about school stuff, but about God. I know that next year we will have to move on but it will be a sad day:) This year is going to be great.... I must say that I really enjoyed my first summer being at home with the girls and we did lots of fun things.................but am loving being back in school as well. I like a routine and school is a good routine for us. I know that when we start real school, I probably won't look forward to that as much but this 9 -12 school day is great:)

Catching up

I've gotten really behind on the blog lately and had a couple spare minutes to give a few updates. Summer is in full swing now and almost over:( The kids start back to school August 8th. Sallie will be a big kindergartner this year at Eastminster and Anna will be in the 3's (wiping tears). I really can not believe that my girls are almost 5 and 3. It has been a fun and low key summer. It has flown by like I knew it would. It was my first summer at home with the girls and not working. What a joy it has been to be home with them. I can't say that there have not been days that I would have wanted to be at work however I know that this is time that I won't get back and I want to enjoy every second. The girls have really been so good at home and have learned to play together really well in the mornings with their babies and playing kitchen. Now the afternoons when everyone is tired is another story. We went to the beach for the 4th of July and had a blast. It was so much fun and the girls both loved the ocean. I actually enjoyed it myself. I am usually scared and don't like it but I made myself go in this summer and once I was in, it was ok. I rode some waves and really had fun. We have been to the lake a couple of times as well. We borrowed a float that Ward pulled behind the boat with Sallie and I on and it was so much fun. Sallie did not want to go at first but when I said that I was going, she was in. We laughed so hard that my stomach hurt the next day. It was so much fun. Not only was my stomach sore but my back was really sore from holding on for dear life. I was so scared that we would flip off and Sallie would never want to do it again. We did not flip off and by the end of the ride, Sallie was holding her thumb up for Ward to go faster. We have used the pool alot and have really enjoyed that this summer too. Sallie is swimming like a fish and Anna can hold her own in the water too. Sallie recently started jumping off the diving board like a champ and swimming to the side on her own. She got so brave that she has been jumping and twisting in the air. This is a great activity to wear them both out including myself!

The girls are having their birthday party today at the park I just watched the weather and they said 100 degrees by 12. Oh well it may be a short one. They are having a little princess party together at Heathwood park. This may be the last year to do a party together and get away with it. It was pretty easy this year because Anna is so agreeable. She keeps checking to make sure that she will get to blow out her own candles. I did make them small individual cakes to blow out on their own. Sallie really wanted to paint nails at her party and Anna wanted a pinata so we have both those requests filled. They are really excited and I must admit I am excited too. I could not sleep last night. I love to see them have fun:) I will post some pictures after the party!!

A "funny"

Sometimes things that Sallie says are so cute and funny that I don't want to forget them. Sometimes I try to mentally remember them but sometimes they make me laugh so much that I must actually type them and put them on my blog to go back to one day. This particular "funny" was really funnier in person but still one for the books. We were eating dinner outside and Ward was not feeling so good so he was laying on the couch. Sallie said "I hope Daddy feels better because I love him all the way to Disney World and back. I said "that is really sweet Sallie, I am sure he is better now." Sallie said "I love you all the way to Bethlehem and back." Anna was sitting there looking at me like she was thinking, what about me? Anyway, I said "Sallie, what about Anna?" She looked at me and said, "well, I love her to the park". It was so funny! Again, much funnier in person but want to keep some of these things fresh to refer back to. I will blog about our annual beach trip this week. We got back Saturday and had a blast as usual. It was wonderful to get away and relax with the family.

Anna's 1st trip to the dentist

Anna had her first dentist appointment yesterday and did great. Sallie was always great at the dentist so I really was not worried. She loved it and especially loved her bag that she got with the toothbrush, toothpaste and little flossers. I wish I could sit in the dentist chair like this with a smile on my face. She does not come by this honestly. I really don't like the dentist at all but I guess I do a pretty good job hiding my fears of the dentist:)

Mother's Day 2011

This Mother's Day was once again a wonderful day. Sallie had the sweetest tea for me at her school where they sang songs about us, said memorized bible verses for us and then shared cookies and tea with us. It was so special. She made me all kinds of sweet goodies but the best of them all was her picture of me and description of me. I was 35 this year which is pretty good considering I was much older last year. I look pretty when I am going to work. I love to play with her and she loves me because she likes me. Oh, and my favorite food is salad. I almost left that off. Anyway, it was really cute and her picture of me was so cute. I had purple earrings in and a matching madras like top. I will have to get a picture of this and post it. I had a free day to myself on Saturday which was so nice and Sunday we all enjoyed church together, lunch with my Mom and Dad, and then a trip to the lake. Ward let the girls fish and they each caught a little fish that we threw back. The girls loved the worms...YUCK! They held them, played with them, squeezed them, and maybe killed one or two. Anyway, I could not have asked for a better day. I am so lucky to have my girls and my Mother to celebrate with.

Tables turned

It was so funny yesterday as we were sitting down eating breakfast and Sallie was trying to tell Anna that she needed to eat her fruit first before her waffle and Anna turned to Sallie and said, "Sallie, you worry about yourself". I lost it laughing. It took me by such surprise to hear that come out of Anna's mouth. I say this all the time to Sallie because she is always worrying about everyone except herself. Anna is really staring to pick up on what we are saying and repeating it all. Sallie did not like this comment either but I really think it took her by surprise too. The look on her face was priceless. The tables are turning and I think that all the bossing around from Sallie is about to come to a halt. I think that I might have two tough cookies on my hands.

Sallie started playing soccer last month. She does not love it by any means but is sticking it out to complete the season. She got kicked in the eye in practice and really has not wanted to play since. She is pretty good at it and I have tried to encourage her to continue until the end. She looks pretty cute in her soccer shirt and little soccer shorts. She does love to put on her "skin guards".

We are loving the spring weather.....our annual picture at the tulips at Trenholm road Methodist Church. So sad at how much they have grown since last year :(

Disney World 2011

We just got back from Disney World for the kids first trip and mine and Ward's second trip. Wow has Disney changed since I went for the first time in the 6th grade.....We had a great trip and the girls loved it. There was so much to do. The trip started out a little rocky with two little girls with the flu. We started tamiflu on Saturday and did not leave until Sunday so they were a little better by the time we left but not fully recovered until Monday. Then on Monday I got the flu and was very sick. I did Epcot in a total fog because I felt so bad. I had to go to a care clinic in Disney on Monday and got tamiflu as well and was better by Tuesday late afternoon. By Tuesday we were ready to have some fun. Some of our favorites were our character dinners with the princesses at Akershurs House in Epcot, Chef Mickey, and Crystal Palace. We loved Peter Pans flight, Its a small World, and the play Beauty and the Beast. I did Space Mountain and it was so scary. I think I am too old for roller coasters. Ward did Tower of Terror and some other scary roller coasters. Sallie was too short for all the bigger rides. She is 39 1/2 inches and you have to be 40 inches tall for a lot of those rides. She did get to ride thunder road with Ward and loved it. We stayed at Wilderness Lodge and the girls got to sleep in bunk beds which may be Sallie's favorite part of the trip. She also loved the swimming pool which she begged to go in everyday. It had a pretty cool water slide that she loved. It was pretty hard to explain that we can swim anytime and Disney was what we were going to do during the day time. Anna did great in Disney. I thought that she would be scared of alot of the characters and shows because she does not like a lot of noise but she loved it all. The car ride was a breeze. We have never traveled further than about 3 1/2 hours in the car with the kids and were a little worried. We drove straight both ways. On the way home we only stopped one time for about 15 minutes. I was so proud of them:) It was a great week of family fun and hopefully happy memories for the girls. We had such a great time. The pictures we took and the smiles tell it all.

Big girl in a big bed

Anna had her first night in her big girl bed last night and slept great. She went down great and did not get up until I woke her at 8:30. It was really sad watching Ward take the crib down. I tried to explain why I was sad and I guess it is just that the crib has been a part of our house and lives for 4 years now and it is now in the attic in storage. Plus this also means that Anna is now a big girl :( She is pretty darn cute in her big girl bed!!! I will post some pics of her big girl room later. I can not believe that my baby is in a bed but do love that I can now snuggle in her bed with her and read books at night. She is very proud of her big girl bed and is telling everyone that she sees.

Here Comes Santa Claus

Well Christmas has come and gone and I am late on this post but I thought better late than never. I am so sad this year that Christmas is over. I enjoyed the holidays and lazy days so much. I was ready to get the girls, especially Sallie back in a routine as she does well with structure but I sure did like sleeping in and not rushing to get out of the door everyday. I had almost a full two weeks off of work and loved it so much!! It was also nice having Ward home for some of that time off as well. We did so many fun Christmas activities. We drove around and looked at Christmas lights, baked many batches of cookies, attempted a gingerbread house with about 5 little girls that were more interested in the candy and the house finally collapsed so we just ate the candy instead of completing it. We took part in a Christmas play at church, visited old friends and made dozens of loaves of bread for our neighbors. Our Christmas was busy but it was busy with fun memories. The girls really got into their Elf name Rody, this year and had so much fun searching for him every morning. We did Christmas three different times with three different sides of the family which was fun too. It made Christmas last longer. Anderson, SC was our first stop at Nanas house, we celebrated with my family on Christmas eve with brunch and then again on Christmas day at out annual Bishopville trip. We then celebrated it with Ward's Dad and family on New Years Day. All were so much fun. We went to dinner with the kids and then watched the game with family and neighbors on New Years Eve. It was low key but a lot of fun. 2011 is here and is going to be a great year. I just know it :) Our big surprise for the kids for Christmas was a trip to Disney World in Feb. They were excited but I really think that I am more excited. I can not wait. I went when I was in the 6th grade and don't remember a lot about it. Sallie really has no clue what she is about to see and do but she is still excited. She has heard many friends at school tell stories of their trip. Our New Years Resolution: Well we really did not make any this year but I am going to try to spend more time reading the bible and less time on the computer so better get off here. Happy 2011 everyone!

I am thankful for......

Thanksgiving came and went very quickly again this year and we enjoyed it so much. The kids had a big Thanksgiving feast at school on Tuesday and Sallie got to dress up like a Indian and parade around the school with the Pilgrims. Her Indian name was Rose Petal. They had a tee pee in their classroom and learned all about Thanksgiving. She loved the Tee pee and as you will see in the pictures at the end of the post, she loved it so much that she asked her Daddy to make her one at home and he did. He made one and Sallie and Anna played in for almost a hour straight while I cleaned up the kitchen on Wed. It was great. They even had a picnic lunch in it. We had Thanksgiving lunch Thursday with my parents and then traveled to Anderson on Friday to spend the weekend with Ward's family. We had a great time both places and are so blessed and lucky to have family to spend this Thanksgiving with. The kids loved seeing and playing with cousins. Sallie made a place mat at school where she wrote what she was thankful for. She was thankful for Ella, Sam, and Peppy and Pops. I asked her what about her Mama, Daddy, and Sister and she said that she forgot. Anna's bulletin board at school posted what each child was thankful for and Anna said that she was thankful for Macaroni and cheese at her Peppy and Pops house. So this is what they are thankful for this year...... Well I am thankful for my life, my children, my husband, my family, and so much more that God has blessed me with. I am one lucky wife and Mama...and I am thankful for the wonderful food that we consumed on Thanksgiving.

Anna's latest

I feel like I blogged so much about Sallie at this age and all her talking and pottying and playing ect. Poor second child, poor Anna!!! I feel like I do recognize all Anna's milestones just don't have the time anymore to blog about them. I do want to try harder to do this so that Anna and myself can look back on this and remember her cute little 2 year old self. Anna is talking like crazy and you can really understand everything that she says now. She says full sentences and really makes sense. She is so sweet natured. She tells me all the time when I get dressed up, Mama, you look pretty". It is really sweet. She loves to sing and "Jesus loves me is her favorite song". She is really funny about her bedtime routine these days. I have to put her to bed every night. She does not like any blanket on her and wants to always sleep in her ducks (bedroom shoes). She like to have a baby doll and a book in her crib with her. She usually calls for me very loudly atleast one time after putting her to bed and then she is good to go. She will tell me as I walk out of her room, "night night sweet girl". This is what I usually tell her and now she loves to tell me this. We are working on the potty thing with little success but I believe that when she really starts, it will be full on. She has gone on the potty about two times. I bought her some Dora panties to see if this would help . Anna loves to go to her school three days a week and especially loves Ms. Janice, her music teacher. I think that is because she loves music. I get to enjoy Anna one on one on Tuesdays and Thursdays and even though those days are usually filled with errands and other things, it is fun to do them with Anna. Anna's favortie food is hotdog cheese. This is really a hot dog (no bun) and slice of cheese. She will eat this anytime and anywhere. She is growing up and it is happening so quickly.

A PRINCESS and a princess

We had two princesses this year for Halloween. One little and one a little bigger. Anna was actually a fairy princess in the costume that Sallie wore last year and Sallie just chose a dress up outfit from her dress up bin and added some new high heel shoes and some makeup and we were good to go. They had a big party for Halloween at school Friday and trick or treated outside around the school. Saturday we had a dress up birthday party and Sunday we had another dress up birthday party before we went to our church party. We went to our church trunk or treat that night and had lots of fun and got lots more candy. We then trick or treated at three houses on our street. This was both Sallie and Anna's first time trick or treating at houses and they really liked it. Anna really did not know what to do but enjoyed eating the candy as she walked door to door. They were both precious as princesses and enjoyed Halloween. I am having to give the candy away because I can not stay out of it. The kids have been good with forgetting about it but I can not leave it alone.