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.

Wooly Worm 2010

We went back to the Wooly Worm festival in Banner Elk, NC again this year and had a great time. The ride there was a 5 1/2 hour miserable trip however it was worth it in the end. We got a little turned around on the trip there and also had a sick little 2 year old that threw up all over herself and her car seat up the mountain. We finally arrived at Sugar top resort at 7 Friday night and went straight for the indoor swimming pool and hot tub. We stayed at Sugartop resort which is a really old highrise condo that is on the very top of Sugar mountain. I have stayed there about 3 or 4 times before when I was younger. We used to take a annual mountain trip with my family when I was younger and we always stayed there. I loved it then and we had a great time this trip too. I do not think that a thing has changed since I went there as a kid including the decor in the condos. We stayed on the 8th floor and had a great view of Sugar. WE went to the Wooly Worm on Saturday and had a great time and then watched the Gamecocks play and cooked out Saturday night with my sister, her family, and my parents who were staying in a house closeby. We hiked late afternoon Saturday and Sunday before we hit the road to head back home. No sickies on the way home but Anna loves to tell the story of how she throwed up on her knees. We decided that next year we need one more day there. Sallie took her Wooly worms to school on Monday along with a bag of beautiful leaves that we collected on our hike. Those Wooly Worms are still alive and I can not believe it. She has been feeding them lettuce everyday and they are eating it. I think that I decided that we could make a living selling Wooly Worms for this festival every year. The man said that they just go along the mountain and find 100's of them and then sell them at this festival for $2 per worm. We lost one of ours several times between Sat and Sun but kept finding them. I am not sure how I am going to explain them dying to Sallie but we will cross that bridge when it comes. I have hinted several times that they may have gone to Heaven...just trying to get her ready. Anyway, it was a great trip and we hope to do it again next year. I was saying that sometimes festivals are so stressful getting everyone there and happy ect. but these are memories that we are making and I have such wonderful memories of my mountain family trips that I hope Sallie and Anna will have too. Plus it is great family time with no work. computers, or answering work calls. Last year Sallie threw up all over herself and the car seat and had the big "D" on the side of the road going up the mountain and we forgot about all that and went back this year. This year Anna threw up all over herself and the car seat on the way up and was a little fussy the whole time but I am sure that we will forget about that and remember how much fun it was and go back to the Wooly Worm 2011.

Happy 2nd birthday Anna

Happy Birthday Anna! You are 2 going on 4. You try so hard to keep up with Sallie and it is so cute. You are such a big girl and are talking up a storm. You say full sentences now and you repeat everything. You are so cute and I am enjoying your age so much. Sallie, Daddy and I laugh at you all the time because you say the funniest things. You still love your sleep and will sometimes sleep until 8:30 or 9 if I let you. You are in the crib and will probably stay there until you are three. It will be really sad for me to pack that crib up. You love your babies and you love your new kitchen that you got for your birthday. You also love love love television and if I would let you watch it, you would do it all day. You love watching Dora at night. You had a really special day today on your birthday and thought it was great singing happy birthday to Anna. You blew out your two candles like a champ and then ate your doughnut. You loved your party and all your gifts. You got a special monkey for your birthday from Daddy. You saw this monkey in the store while shopping with us and did not want to put it back down. It is a good thing that Daddy was with us because I would have just put it back and left and just said that you would forget about it. Daddy had me take you outside and then he bought it and wrapped it up for your birthday. You loved opening it this morning. You have Daddy wrapped around your finger. You love to sing "Jesus loves me" and "Twinkle Twinkle little star" and you can say your blessing with Sallie and you try to say your prayers now. Some of your sayings that are not my favorite are "Sallie in timeout", "Bad girl" as you hit Sallie, and "mine first". Of course you learned all these from your sister and you learn Sallie in timeout from me as this is a phrase that has been said a lot lately. You are starting to test the boundaries a little but you are so cute that I have to catch myself and not laugh sometimes. Anna, you are so special and we love you so much. Happy 2nd Birthday to my sweet Anna !! I love watching you change and grow everyday. I wish that I could freeze you right where you are and keep you two forever. You are growing up way to quick..... I love you, Mama