Andy Sanders Family

Happy 2012!

2012-01-02T22:08:00.002-05:00

2011 was quite the year for the Sanders household and I apologize for the lack of post the last part of the year. I will try to do a little re-cap of the craziness that this last year was for us.
January: My grandmother got sick, got better, got sick again, got well again and moved into an assistant living home. Oh, and Auburn won the National Championship.
February: Baby Meg turned 2 years old, where does the time go? We also finalized house plans for our renovations, known as Phase 3.
March: Phase 3 began. Andy and I did as much of the demolition as we could and then we packed up and moved out. We thought it was only going to be for 12-16 weeks.
April: Andy took over as President of the bank. That is still crazy to say, Andy is the President of a bank and he is only 35 years old. And yes, that would make me the First Lady of a bank - ha, ha!
May: Still out of our house. Wenn finishes pre-K but not without her "friend that is a boy" breaking up with her on the last day of school. She was okay and said "I will just make somebody else love me".
June and July: Still out of our house and working on it every chance we get.
August: Still out of our house. My hope was to be back home when school started but it didn't happen. We moved out of the house where we were staying and in with my mother. Not fun!
Wenn started KINDERGARTEN! Can you believe it? I still can't at times.
September: Still out of our house, for most of the month. I think we moved home right around our anniversary on the 28th. We had no kitchen but we were home and happy to be there.
October: Wenn turned 6, it takes two hands to show somebody that you are 6. We surprised her with a trip to see Taylor Swift in Memphis. It was a great show and she loved it.
November and December: Holidays, family and friends.
And that brings me to now. Santa brought us painters to finish everything up in the house and we are so thankful. We have learned that it is nearly impossible to do the painting yourself, be a decent parent and work day jobs and not completely lose your mind. Thank you to everyone that helped along the way, we appreciate everything! I'm not sure I am going to keep this blogging thing going or not but I at least wanted to touch base. I don't like to do things half way and this blog has been a half way job at best. I'm going to think about it and decide but for now, Happy 2012! May your year be full of abundant blessings and love!

Raise the Roof and DANCE

2011-06-15T22:54:00.005-04:00

Raise the Roof because we got one. A new roof that is, we had been without one for about a month which made for some sleepless nights during all of those storms that rolled through. Since the roof has been on we have only had rain one time for about five minutes - go figure.
And DANCE - Wenn had her dance recital June 4th and she was great.

This is her class minus one girl. They all loved this costume and they got to dance with maracas and glow in the dark. What more could a 5 year old girl ask for?

Wenn knew every move and was right on cue.

And behind stage they acted like crazed monkeys! She had so much fun. The girl has got some moves!!!

The House

2011-05-28T23:39:00.002-04:00

I haven't posted pictures of the house in a while, mainly due to the insanity which is known as the month of May, oh and the whole potential flooding thing and just life in general. These were taken a couple of weeks ago as they were building the carport and changing the roofline. They have made pretty good progress since then and I will take some more photos tomorrow. No we are still not in but they are about to move back inside to work so hopefully it won't be too much longer. I am hoping to be back in by the 4th of July. Really, really, really hoping. It will all be worth it, it will all be worth it, it will all be worth it....

We Survived

2011-05-27T22:13:00.003-04:00

School is out and Wenn survived 4 year olds. Her friend that is a boy broke up with her the last day but she didn't seem too upset. And....

we survived the "Flood of 2011". Thankfully the water did not get as high as they projected and all of the levees have held.

Old Man River

2011-05-10T22:19:00.005-04:00

Old Man River is on the rise. Most of these pictures are from Saturday night when the girls and I rode and then walked to see the water before they closed the levee. I have always measured how high the water was by counting parking spaces on the waterfront. Saturday night there were 2 spaces, last night there were none. The water is high, really high and the river is not supposed to crest here until Monday. The levee is closed for vehicle travel but you can still walk to the top and look and at all times of the day there are people going to look. Everyone is watching, waiting, praying. The news has named it the "Great Flood of 2011" and I am hoping, at least in this part of the Delta, they have named it wrong. It is odd to me that during any other time of the year we live on Lake Ferguson, we forget about our proximity to the river but now that is all anyone can think about. For now we will keep watching, waiting and praying - praying that the levees hold, praying that this place we live will be spared, praying that God will continue to be with those who are responsible for keeping us safe. God is good, so just keep praying!

Easter in the woods

2011-04-27T22:23:00.004-04:00

We had to be out of the house we are staying in Easter weekend so when the Snipes invited us to spend some time at the cabin, we quickly said yes. The cabin is great. Really that is an understatement, it is wonderful. We wear a lot of orange & blue (well, not all of us), we play outside, we ride 4 wheelers, we do crafts, we cook, we do a lot and it is all fun. For a place in the middle of nowhere, there is a ton to do. Andy went running Saturday morning so the girls and Peggy declared him the winner of the Meadow Brake 10K complete with a chocolate bunny trophy. Meg spent most of Saturday in big girl panties which was a big step. But the highlight of the weekend was chasing cows. Yes, I said chasing cows. Some of the neighbors decided that they were tired of feeding their livestock so they just let them loose. We herded cows with the jeep then Andy and Wenn tried to run them off on the 4 wheeler. I love that my city girls get a little dose of the country life every once in a while and I love it even more that it is with Charles Ed and Peggy. Sunday we went to the Carrollton Methodist Church for their Easter service. It was a fabulous weekend and we loved every single minute of it. Thanks Snipes!!!

What's been happening

2011-04-27T21:45:00.002-04:00

Progress looks like 4 concrete trucks lined up at our house at 7:00 in the morning. We are making progress but it is a little slow and these April storms aren't helping much.
It will all be worth it in the end, it will all be worth it in the end, it will all be worth it in the end. Can you tell that's my mantra?

Praying Hard

2011-04-09T14:32:00.003-04:00

I have been praying hard lately. Thursday I learned of three different people - friends, friends' husbands or a friend of a friend - who just discovered some major health issues and are need of prayers. Today I learned that the man who was the RUF director when I was Auburn, a wonderful man who was such a great teacher, has stage 4 pancreatic cancer and is not going to be on this earth much longer. My sweet roomate my freshman year at Auburn, Emily, had an ectopic pregnancy and the doctors had to remove one fallopian tube and an ovary. I've been praying hard, all day long, every time these people pop into my head which is often. I am a firm believer in the power of prayer so I am asking you to pray too. I am sadden to think that any of these people would not be sharing their love and compassion in this world, that their ray of light would be gone. God is good, He is beyond measure, so pray that he takes care of these people. Thank you in advance for your prayers. They are greatly needed and appreciated.

Life as we know it

2011-04-02T22:55:00.002-04:00

Life as we know right now it messy but FUN! We have moved out of our house until the renovations are complete. The girls have adjusted well and don't even mind sharing a room at our "Spring Cottage". That's what I am calling the house we are living in and I am so thankful that ReRe agreed to let us stay for a couple of months. I can not thank you enough!!! The contractors are making good progress and things should really speed up now that they are about to start on the additions this week. The girls are steady growing up too fast. Wenn is doing great in 4 year olds and her progress report said she is doing well. Meg got moved up to the 2 year old class and has started potty training. They bring so much joy to our lives and the four of us have so much fun together. Today we had a picnic at the indian mounds. We toured the museum and then climbed to the top of the tallest mound. Needless to say we all took good naps this afternoon.

Phase 3

2011-04-02T22:40:00.005-04:00

Phase 3 has begun!!!! Please excuse the fact that these pictures are posted in reverse order but as you can see, we've been a putting in some sweat equity lately. Andy and I did some of the demolition ourselves to save a little money. And yes, I really did help and I am really good at ripping out sheetrock. We have lived in our house for 7 years and it is so exciting to finally be able to do the last phase of renovations and we were so happy to finally get our building permit after 3 trips to city hall. The short version of what we are doing is that we are going from a 3 bedroom/2 bath to a 4 bedroom/3 bath, kitchen remodel and adding a carport. The girls are moving upstairs and they can not wait. More photos to come.

Catching up

2011-02-24T21:05:00.004-05:00

The past couple of months have been full of exciting events. Wenn had her first play and was fabulous! We had not one but two days of ground covering, make snowmen, go sledding on the levee snow which was so much fun. Meg turned TWO! We celebrated with a dance party with Caroline, Warner and Alexander. It was a great party and even her teachers came as you can see in the picture with Meg, Caroline and Miss Michelle. Besides visits from the stomach virus, upper respiratory infections, double ear infections and the flu last week, life has been good!

A new year

2011-01-30T22:07:00.002-05:00

Happy 2011! I know I am running a month behind but what a month it has been. Meg was sick the first week or so, nothing out of the ordinary. Then on the 10th my grandmother made a trip to the emergency room and it has been a roller coaster ride since. My sweet grandmother had been sick with a cold. As you know, when you are sick with a cold, you don't really feel like eating. My 80 year old grandmother, who only weighs about 80 pounds, had become severly dehydrated and when my mom found her, she thought she had had a stroke. An ambulance rushed her to the hospital and I met them at the ER. If you had asked me that day if I thought that my grandmother would make it to her 81st birthday on February 7th, I would have told you no. But today she moved into Wellington Place and we are so excited! It has been a long road - in DRMC, out of DRMC, back to DRMC, on to St. Dominics - but we are so glad to have her in town. I just pray she enjoys meeting new friends and the transition is an easy one. God is good!
I do have to mention one bright spot of 2011 so far, my beloved Auburn Tigers won the National Championship! Yes, that is right, they are the greatest college football team in the world!!! (I can say world because no other country plays football) WAR DAMN EAGLE!
So here's to 2011, may it be happy, stress free and productive and may it be filled with love because everyone could use a little more of that!
Happy New Year!

Santa made a stop

2010-12-28T22:30:00.004-05:00

Yes the man in the red suit stopped by our house on Christmas Eve. Wenn got everything on her list and then some. She loves her new American Girl doll that looks "just like her". I mean don't you think they could be twins? She has already put the gymnastics mat to good use by practicing every single day. Meg and Wenn have both enjoyed all of the musical instruments Santa brought Wenn and we have had jam sessions every night. Maybe we will line up some gigs in the near future. I gave both the girls glow in the dark Auburn shirts that they proudly wore all Christmas morning. Andy said it looked like Auburn threw up in our house. I think someone is still having issues with the fact that Cam the Man chose AU over MSU. We gave the girls bean bags for the playroom and they have been drug all over the house and used in all kinds of interesting ways. Overall it was a fabulous Christmas and so fun to see the excitement on their faces. Some of my mom's family made the trip to Mississippi to have lunch with us and it was so good to catch up with them. Meg adores my grandmother and insist on climbing up on her lap anytime she is around so they enjoyed some quality time coloring together. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas - we sure did!

An angel, a shepherd and one hungry sheep

2010-12-28T22:14:00.004-05:00

Our church had it's annual Joy Gift Pageant before Christmas and what a joyous event it was. We had so many kids participate this year which made it so special. Wenn was an angel, Meg was a sheep and Andy was a shepherd, and boy did those shepherds have their work cut out for them. The littlest ones get to be sheep and they ranged from ages 4 down to Meg who is not even two and there were about 8 of them. I gave Andy a snack bag of vanilla wafers to put in his pocket in case the sheep got a little rowdy. Well our wild child went through those before the program even started. Luckily Joseph (Parker) had puffs for baby Jesus (Miller) and he was kind enough to share with our always hungry Meg. Everyone did great and a good time was had by all. It was a wonderful way to be reminded of the real reason for the season!

Fun times

2010-12-22T23:14:00.002-05:00

It's that time of year...well I can't recall the rest of the words to that song but it is that time of year when life gets even more hectic than usual. The weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas seem to go by so fast but we have had some fun with family and friends. The Mills family came to town this past weekend and we were so glad they stopped by for a visit. Kate and I have been friends since kindergarten and I am so thankful for that. I was telling Wenn that the other day and explaining that some of her friends she has now she might have when she is a grown up. That is such a neat thing to think about, that she is forming friendships that she could have her whole life. Anyway, I always enjoy catching up with Kate and it is so great to see our girls play together. Baker is not quite old enough to play yet but Meg enjoyed holding the baby, that is when she wasn't chunking trophies in the direction of Baker's head - I am still thankful that didn't end in a trip to the ER. It was so close! We loved seeing you Kate, Myrt and Baker!

Miss Wenn decided to do her best Santa impression in the bathtub the other night. She is so ready for him to come to our house! I hope he makes a stop by your house too! Happy Holidays!

Thanksgiving

2010-11-28T22:03:00.002-05:00

We spent Thanksgiving at my grandmother's house with my mom's family. The first picture is my sweet Aunt Dale taking over my grandmother's kitchen and we are all glad that she did. It is hard work cooking that much food, especially for an 80 year old woman who weighs 80 pounds. We don't just have turkey at our family Thanksgiving, we have fried turkey, ham, roast, and every kind of side you can imagine. It is divine! Wenn tried everything I put on her plate and had two helpings of turkey which for a picky child was amazing. Uncle Buddy's fried turkey is the best and something we all look forward to every year. The girls both filled their tummies and then fell asleep on the way home. We all greatly enjoyed it and are so thankful for time with family. I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving!

Fishing and Fall

2010-11-28T21:40:00.003-05:00

Fall has been a little crazy. The girls have enjoyed playing outside and jumping in the leaves. It is so fun to watch Wenn explain the ways of the world to Meg. She is such a great big sister and is so sweet. Wenn had the week of Thanksgiving off and so did Andy so they got to spend lots of father/daughter time together. They took a trip to the indian mounds, had some driving lessons, and went fishing at the ponds at the country club. It was really hard to go to work Monday through Wednesday knowing how much fun those two were having!

Giving Thanks

2010-11-28T21:36:00.002-05:00

One of the last days before the break I went to pick Wenn up from school and this is what I found. I am thankful for precious pilgrims!

Birthday Weekend 3

2010-11-02T22:05:00.002-04:00

Finally, on Wenn's actual birthday Halloween, we had a family lunch at our house to celebrate. Nana and Papa gave Wenn some rollerskates and she could not wait to try them out. I am pretty sure it is going to be more of a workout for mom and dad then for Wenn since it is going to take quite a bit of practice to get these things figured out. After a long nap, we got the girls dressed and headed off to our neighborhood hayride and trick-or-treating. Meg realized very quickly that people were handing out candy so she was all about filling her bag up. Wenn told me that since she was 5 now, she could ride the hayride by herself. It was a little hard to let her but there were enough other moms to watch over her plus, Andy and I were walking behind with Meg so we were always close by. Both girls had a great Halloween. We ended the night at the Douglas house celebrating their daughter Darby's and Wenn's Halloween birthdays.
Happy 5th Birthday Wenn - We Love You!

Birthday Weekend 2

2010-11-02T22:00:00.002-04:00

The weekend after Wenn's friend party Peggy took Wenn to Memphis to see Wicked. I got to go also and the show was fabulous! If you love Wizard of Oz then go see Wicked! We had brunch at the Peabody and got to see the ducks before making our way to the Orpheum. Thank you to Peggy and Charles Ed for such a special birthday present! I think I enjoyed it just as much as she did!

Birthday Weekend 1

2010-11-02T21:45:00.003-04:00

Oh October has been such a busy month the in the Sanders household. On the 16th we hosted Wenn's friend birthday party. It was a party for Wenn, Sally Beth and Anne Locke and the theme was Pajamas and Pancakes. We had 20 girls over in their pj's for pillow fights, pedicures and pancakes and it was a blast. I turned the living room into one huge palette and they had so much fun dancing, singing, jumping on the beds and being silly. We made sleep masks as our craft and for our game we made-up the dads which was hilarious. One little girl told her mom that "Mr. Andy was so pretty, he looked like a queen". It was so much fun and great to celebrate all three girls' birthdays together.

Girls

2010-10-23T22:08:00.002-04:00

Sweet Meg and the almost 5 year old on no uniform day.

Estate Sale Finds

2010-10-23T14:35:00.004-04:00

This morning I ran to an estate sale after helping Peggy do flowers for a wedding. Peggy is an estate sale phenom and is always finding fabulous things to put in her house, cabin, her girls' places and sometimes even "the other sister" (that's my nickname from the Snipes' girls) gets a bauble or two. Here are some of the things I found today. I love the throw, it looks so Anthropologie and guess how much it cost - $8! Wasn't that a steal? My other favorite is that blue glass vase. I missed out on two great oriental block prints by about 5 minutes. The moral of the story - get there early! Hope you are having a fantastic Saturday!

Time with Friends

2010-10-17T22:29:00.007-04:00

Okay everyone, I am working on being a better blogger so be patient with me. For whatever reason, I haven't been a very creative or diligent blogger. Partially because between the girls, my very busy husband and working I haven't taken the time to blog better so I am working on it and hopefully I will have it figured out just in time for the holidays. So here's my first experiment in enlarging pictures. After church we invited the Hitt's and the Weather's out to the the pumpkin patch on Charles Ed's farm and had a picnic. The kids had so much fun just being kids. I think that was the best part of it, they just got to be kids. And us mom's got to catch up too which was great because we've all been too busy to get together lately. So here's to a fabulous Fall, a new blogging beginning and a wonderful week to everyone!

My adopted family

2010-10-16T20:50:00.002-04:00

Last weekend we traveled to Jackson for the Dickerson's surprise birthday party. Big D and Mrs. Cathy both turned 60 this year and it was so much fun to get to celebrate with them. When my family fell apart the Dickerson's took me in and kept me going and for that I will forever be grateful. Mr. Donnie, Mrs. Cathy, Brad and Meredith are pretty high on my list of favorite people and I have so many great memories with them. I have been truly blessed with people who aren't family but love me like I am and it has had such a huge impact on my life. I love you Mr. Donnie and Mrs. Cathy and Happy Birthday!

Fall is flying

2010-10-16T20:39:00.003-04:00

Fall is here is flying by. I don't know what we've been doing but we have been busy, or so it seems. Wenn got moved up to Level 2 in gymnastics class. She is the youngest in her new class but has been brave and eager to learn. She practices all of the time and really enjoys it. Meg enjoys eating as you can tell and is always eager to help out with the clean up when I bake. It has been so dry around here that I've had to water my plants quite a bit to keep them going. The girls ended up playing with the hose and it was like it was summer all over again. Wenn's fifth birthday is the end of this month and I can not believe she will be 5!!
Where has the time gone?

Trip to the Big Easy

2010-09-08T21:49:00.002-04:00

We took a little trip to New Orleans this weekend to go to Brad Dickerson's wedding. The whole family went, including mom. We stayed at a very fancy "shotel", the fanciest Wenn's ever stayed in, or so she said. Meg loved her first taste of beignets, once she finally quit eating the powdered sugar and actually tried the beignet. After our delicious breakfast we went to the insectarium. Wenn loved it, especially the butterfly garden. Meg was not a big fan. She woke up from her nap that afternoon screaming "No Bugs, No Bugs!". The girls favorite part was looking out the window of the "shotel" at the river and watching the boats. The wedding was beautiful and it was so fun catching up with some old friends. Congratulations Dr. Brad!

Birthdays, baptisms and more birthdays

2010-08-22T21:08:00.004-04:00

Since school has started back, Wenn has been invited to 6 birthday parties. Four this weekend and two next weekend. We only made it to 2 of them this weekend because 3 were at the same time and two are next weekend. The first one was Mary Paxton's gymnastic party at the Y. Anyone who has been around Wenn for more than 5 minutes knows that she is obsessed with gymnastics right now. She has mastered a cartwheel and a backbend and is so eager to learn how to do a back handspring. This girls LOVES to tumble! She had a blast at the party and is ready to go to gymnastics class this week to learn more. The second party was this afternoon at the "beauty spa" as Wenn calls it. The girls got to get their fingernails, toenails and hair done plus make-up. What more could a room full of 4 and 5 year old girls want? She enjoyed all of the pampering and looked way too grown-up with her princess hair-do and sparkly make-up.
Happy Birthday to Mary Paxton and Suzi Paige!
We also got to share in the celebration of Sterlin Jackson Smith's baptism today. Sterlin is Cliff and Sarah Smith's precious gift from God that took 6 years to get here. It was an extra special day because Sterlin is such a blessing and we are so happy that we got to witness the beginning of his walk with Christ. Happy Baptism to one very special little boy!

Back to School

2010-08-15T22:33:00.002-04:00

Sorry to be gone so long but I will try to catch everyone up. Wenn is back in school and is loving life in PK4. The week before school started they had mini cheer camp and she had a blast. They get to perform at Meet the Generals Tuesday night and she is so excited about cheering on the football field. I am praying that a random cold front moves through that day because it is miserable outside! Last Tuesday after registration we had all of the girls in the PK4 over to our house for lunch. It was so fun to start the school year off with all of the girls getting to know each other and I think it is something we will try to do every year. All but 1 showed up so the house was full with 15 girls and their moms and/or dads and I will try to post a group picture sometime soon. Meg is getting old enough to play with Wenn and they are so cute together. Have a good week!

Bet you laugh...

2010-07-11T22:05:00.002-04:00

I hope these made you smile!

First Solo Flight

2010-07-11T13:34:00.003-04:00

The girls and I went to Mandeville this weekend visit the Mills family. Big Sister Myrt was more than happy to introduce her little brother and share him with Wenn and Meg. The girls had a great time playing and Baker was so sweet. Meg kept pointing at him and saying "baby, baby" as you can see in the last photo. This was the first trip that I have gone on by myself with both girls and it was great, except for Meg almost jumping out of the crib at the boathouse and having to sleep in the bed with me and Wenn Friday night. We stayed in at the Dickerson's boathouse on Lake Caroline Friday night and then woke up Saturday morning and hit the road. After our visit to the Mills house I decided we would head back home but not without a quick stop in Vicksburg. I stopped at the park downtown and let the girls play in the water. They had so much fun and it was a great break from riding in the car. We made it home around 9:45 and everyone slept soundly in their own beds. Happy Sunday!

Summer Fun

2010-07-05T20:11:00.002-04:00

I hope everyone had a fabulous 4th of July weekend. Wenn took swimming lessons this past week when it wasn't raining. She did great in lessons, no hesitation at all but was a little more cautious in the pool by herself. She even swam through a hula hoop under the water. Meg had a couple of firsts this weekend. She said her first sentence Friday night which was "No mama". I am sure it won't be the last time I hear that. She also ate a whole meal with a fork by herself. She did pretty good and actually got most of the food in her mouth. Meg is quite a character and keeps us laughing all the time, especially when she is trying to keep up with Wenn. They are complete opposites as far as their personalities but they play together so well. Wenn is quiet and shy and Meg is boisterous and never meets a stranger. They bring so much joy to our lives and there is never, ever a boring day!

Girls Trip

2010-06-21T21:58:00.005-04:00

This past Friday Wenn and I took a girls trip with Kate, Elly, Lee Ellen and Mary Paxton. We stayed at the Dickerson's boathouse and had a great time. It was all about the girls and they loved it. We went to Build-a-Bear, got their fingernails done, did the bungee jump thing and did a little shopping. They even met a new friend at the "beauty spa" as Wenn called it. The next day we ate breakfast and went to the Natural Science Museum then headed home. It was a great get-away and it was so much fun having some one-on-one time with my big girl. She is growing up so fast, I just wish I could hit slow motion!

Dancing Girl

2010-06-06T21:53:00.006-04:00

Wenn had her first dance recital last night and she did GREAT! I can not express how proud I was of her, it was overwhelming. Wenn is typically my shy child but she was so poised and brave on stage. She knew every step and every word of the song she was supposed to sing while she danced. She was wonderful and more importantly, she had a blast. I included a picture of Mrs. Peggy because she took Wenn to dancing most of the time and they both enjoyed their time together twice a week. These are just a few of the pictures from the festivities but as you can see, a good time was had by all. The last picture is my favorite one, that look of pure joy. They were lining up for the finale and so excited. It was a night I will never forget and one of many firsts for Wenn. It is just hard to believe that she is so grown up! Thank you to everyone who helped make this such a special event for Wenn!

Weekend fun

2010-05-31T21:50:00.004-04:00

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Tennis anyone?

2010-05-26T19:30:00.005-04:00

Wenn logic

2010-05-23T22:47:00.001-04:00

Tonight as we were eating supper, I was telling Wenn how I wish she could be my big sister because she is so good at it. I told her that I don't have a big brother or a big sister and she said "but Daddy is your Big Husband!". Got to love her!

Trip to the zoo

2010-05-23T22:38:00.002-04:00

We took a little trip to Jackson this weekend and our first stop was the zoo. It was a little warm but the girls loved it. Meg's favorite animal sound to make is the elephant so I included a picture. Wenn had a close encounter with the flamingos but wasn't scared a bit. It was so fun now that both girls are old enough to enjoy seeing all of the animals.

Housework Anyone?

2010-05-23T22:32:00.003-04:00

No maid? Put your kids to work. Got to love child labor!
This is Meg's favorite new toy, the swiffer. She thinks she is so big when she gets to play with it and she just laughs the whole time. Big sister had to show her how to use the dust mop too but it is a little hard for Meg to handle. If only they thought cleaning was fun forever!

Miss Priss and a wedding?

2010-05-15T15:07:00.003-04:00

Meg LOVES to dress up. She is always dragging tutus and dresses out of the basket in the playroom for me to put on her. There is nothing prissy about Miss Meg but I am glad to know that she does enjoy being a girly girl at times. Speaking of girly girls, Miss Wenn orchestrated a wedding on the playground this week at school. She and "Lil Duncan" (Will Duncan Franklin) got married under the tree at recess and she even kissed him. Let me emphasize the SHE kissed him part. Apparently she grabbed his face and planted a big one on the poor boy. He came down with a fever virus the next day so I'm pretty sure he won't be getting married again anytime soon. Both sets of parents are quite upset that we weren't invited to the ceremony but as long as everyone is happy that is all that matters!

Meg

2010-05-02T22:04:00.002-04:00

Gone too long

2010-04-30T22:44:00.002-04:00

We're back! It has been a little sickly in our house the last three weeks. We have all had issues with allergies and poor Meg had some kind of stomach bug that kept her out of school a week. We are all well now and enjoying spring. A couple of weeks ago the circus came to town and it was so much fun being ringside with Wenn. That big smile never left her face and she loved riding the elephant, camel and pony. And yes, Andy enjoyed riding the elephant too! Meg stayed with Mimi because she does not like to sit still these days. She has two gears, full speed ahead or asleep and there is no in between. Along with full speed comes crash and burn which is what happened in the last photo. She did a nose dive on my mom's fireplace which resulted in some scratches and bruises, oh and did I mention her first nose bleed? Thankfully, it has all disappeared and she is all better. Both girls are doing great and growing so fast!

Easter

2010-04-06T21:16:00.004-04:00

Easter Parade and Egg Hunt

2010-03-30T22:36:00.003-04:00

This weekend we hosted our annual neighborhood Easter Parade and Egg hunt, with lots of help from our neighbors of course. It was a bit chilly outside but the kids had a blast. The top one is a majority of the group shot. It is so hard to get all of the kids together for a photo. Wenn accidentally saw the prizes for the most eggs before the event so she was on a mission to win. Meg wasn't quite sure what to do but she liked that the eggs made noise when she shook them. Wenn let her friend Elly ride with her in her gator for the parade and they were the leaders which Wenn loved. She is just a little competitive and likes being the leader of everything and since she is not always the best driver, we thought it would be best that she go first. Overall it was a great afternoon and we look forward to doing it again next year. Happy Easter everyone!

My Big Girl

2010-03-30T22:34:00.001-04:00

Family Get-away

2010-03-20T15:59:00.003-04:00

Happy Spring Break everyone! We are on a family get-away at the beach. I won't call it a vacation because with Meg, there isn't much relaxing going on. I will say that both girls have been taking some serious naps since we have been here. Andy has had Mississippi Young Bankers and we have enjoyed being here since Wednesday. Thursday it was a little too cool to go the beach so we hit the outlet mall. Wenn got to do this bungee jump at the playground and loved it. She is definitely my shy child but she is also pretty adventerous and fearless with everything but food (she is her mother's child in that department). We all enjoyed a gorgeous day at the beach yesterday. Meg loved it and even helped Wenn build a sand castle. Wenn was thrilled that she got to wear her "kini". She begged for one, I don't know why, so I caved and bought her one about a month ago. The good thing is that the way she is growing she probably won't be able to wear it by the time summer gets here. Hope everyone is enjoying the break! I know I am definitely not looking forward to heading back to school & work on Monday!!

Meg

2010-03-20T15:55:00.002-04:00

Sunny Saturday

2010-03-07T08:53:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we had a great time enjoying the gorgeous day. The girls and I traveled to Vicksburg to watch Andy finish the Run through History race. He did the 10K and finished in under 45 minutes - Go Daddy Go! Then we hung around, listened to the band and waited for him to get his award. After that we grabbed lunch and had a picnic down at the riverfront park. If you are ever in Vicksburg and the kids need to get out of the car and play, go to this park, it is amazing. They have a fabulous playground and in the summer they even have a splash pad for the kids. This was our first time there and it was so much fun. After our picnic and play time at the park we headed to Jackson to meet Mac Mozingo and play with his big sister Mollie. Mac & Mollie are Charlie and Ellen Archer Mozingo's beautiful children. Mac arrived Friday morning and I don't have any pictures because I was too busy holding sweet baby Mac. It was a great day filled with fun, family and friends!

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-13T22:09:00.002-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day! These are some recent pictures. Thursday night Wenn and I made cookies for her Valentine's day party at school. Wenn loves to help in the kitchen and it is so fun to cook with her. We had beautiful weather today so the girls got to play outside for the first time in a long time. Wenn took Meg on her first gator ride and she loved it! Meg adores her sister and Wenn is enjoying teaching Meg about new things. They are so sweet!

Happy Birthday Meg!!!

2010-02-07T21:41:00.002-05:00

We had Meg's first birthday party this afternoon. It is still hard for me to believe that she is one, time has flown by! Here are some pictures from the party. Wenn had a great time playing with Elly and Keeton and sharing in her sister's big day. Thank you to everyone for celebrating Meg's first year with us!

A day

2010-02-05T23:24:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I had "a day". I hate to say a bad day because that implies something tragic happened and nothing, in the big scheme of things, tragic happened. The past couple of weeks have been a struggle. I am at a fork in the road in my career and can not decide what I want to do. I always know what I want to do so this has been a huge struggle for me, because in this case, I have no clue. Anyway, back to my day. Meg's birthday is Monday and we are having her birthday party Sunday afternoon. Those of you who know me well know that I get a little out of control when it comes to birthday parties. I love them, I love planning them, baking for them, decorating for them, everything. I have often considered starting my own business on the side where I would plan kids (or adults) birthday parties - from invitations to decorations to the cake. I just think it is so fun to celebrate every year of your child's life and to share that with family and friends. I found this fabulous company called Gaddie and Tood. She has precious, and I mean insanely precious, stuff that I would so do myself if I wasn't working full-time and had more free time. So I ordered some stuff for Meg's party. Robin, the owner, made the stuff, posted pictures on her blog and then mailed it to me. The problem is, I never got the stuff. I don't know what happened to it but I haven't gotten it. Not the end of the world but a dissapointment to say the least. So last night I was cooking supper and Andy and I were discussing theories about what could have happened to the package and Wenn said "Mommy and Daddy come look at my playroom". Wenn had cleaned her whole playroom by herself. We never asked her to, she just did it and it really was clean. I almost started crying. She is such a sweet child and it was if she knew that I had had "a day". I am thankful for my wonderful family and that tomorrow is another day. God is good - if only He would send me a sign about the fork in the road!

Sisters and Jacob

2010-01-28T21:48:00.002-05:00

Sunday after church I tried to get some new photos of the girls. It is so hard to get them both looking at the camera much less looking and smiling. Here are the only two I managed to capture before Meg remembered she was hungry. Did I mention how much this girl loves to eat? Jacob was here this past weekend so I tried to get one of the crazy cousins but he wasn't really in the mood. They are all growing up so fast!

Better late than never holiday pics.

2010-01-28T21:34:00.004-05:00

Here are some pictures from Christmas and I apologize for posting them so late. Somehow they ended up on the internal memory of the camera and it took me this long to locate the cord to the camera. It was hidden in the junk cabinet, very hidden. Anyway, Meg got some quality time with Papa which as you can see, they both enjoyed. Both girls love their Papa, especially Wenn because he lets her boss him around. Next is Meg in the precious outfit Ann Claire and Aunt Elias got her for Christmas - So Cute! We went to Patty and Big Glenn's after church on Christmas eve to celebrate with them and have a tea party or two. And the top two photos are of the girls with some of their presents. It was a great holiday season and we enjoyed spending time with family and friends.

Meg

2010-01-04T20:52:00.002-05:00

Meg has been growing so fast. It is probably because this girl LOVES to eat. It is so hard to believe that she will be a year old in a month!

A hunting we will go

2010-01-04T20:20:00.002-05:00

Wenn went on her first hunting trip this weekend. Charles Ed, Peggy, Brantley and Maggie invited us over to their hunting camp for the day and we all had a blast. Wenn and Andy sat in a box stand for a little while but Wenn got a little impatient waiting for deer to stop by for her to pet them. That's what she said she was going to do but it didn't work out. We had a wonderful time and thank you to the Snipes Family for having us. Sunday we went down to my Grandmother's house for lunch and Andy taught Wenn how to shoot a gun. She even hit the target a couple of times. I don't know if she'll be a hunter or not but she definitely enjoys time with her daddy!

Joy Gift Pagent

2009-12-20T13:57:00.002-05:00

This morning we had our Joy Gift Pagent at church. Wenn was an angel and Andy was a sheperd this year but Meg also got to be a part of the fun. This morning Baby Jesus did not feel so well so Meg got to play the part. She clapped to the music and only growled as she was leaving the manger. Thank goodness Mr. Will was Joseph because he had to hold her most of the time to keep her from crawling off. Here are some pictures from the show. I think it was the best Joy Gift Pagent yet!

Do we really have to take pictures again????

2009-12-09T14:50:00.003-05:00

We have been taking pictures for Christmas cards, a lot of pictures, I mean a whole lot. This pretty much sums up how Wenn feels about the whole process and I still haven't done Christmas cards and it's right around the corner. I have mono, again, and haven't felt like doing much lately. It's not really mono, my Epstein Barr numbers are through the roof which makes me feel like I have a really bad case of mono minus the flu-like symptoms but it is much easier to just tell people I have mono. Anyway, Christmas cards may or may not get done this year. We will see. Right now I am just trying to take care of myself and rest. Two things that I am not very good at and it has obviously caught up with me. Hope eveyone is well and enjoying the holiday season!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2009-11-27T14:22:00.001-05:00

Big girl Meg and the Crazy Cousins

2009-11-17T21:51:00.001-05:00

Halloween Fun

2009-11-01T15:20:00.005-05:00

Yesterday we celebrated Halloween by going on our neighborhood hayride and trick-or-treating. Our adopted neighbors, the Murrell family, came with us. Wenn and Keeton were both ladybugs. Meg was a duck and Keeton's little sister was a firefly and they looked precious! After the hayride, Janelle and Heath Douglas had everyone over for taco soup. Their daughter Darby and Wenn both have Halloween birthdays so we celebrated with a cute scarecrow cake. It was a great night and so good to spend the evening with neighbors and friends!

Surprise!!!

2009-11-01T15:03:00.003-05:00

Friday night we surprised Wenn with a trip to Lost Dog with her friends for her birthday. Everyone met at our house and we loaded up car seats and kids then went to get Wenn at my mom's house. She was a little unsure about what was happening when she saw the church van in the driveway but when the doors opened and eveyone yelled "Surprise" the look on her face was priceless. The theme was "Hannah Tana", as Wenn calls her, so everyone got Hannah Montana scarves and headbands to wear. They all looked so fancy! It was a great night and thank you to Anne Locke, Lindsey, Elly, Keeton, and Sally B. for celebrating with us and Olivia and Jordan for being such great helpers. Happy 4th Birthday Wenn!!!

And she now has....

2009-10-25T21:55:00.002-04:00

Two Teeth!

Chicago

2009-10-19T13:26:00.002-04:00

The weekend before last we took a trip to Chicago. Andy, Ann Claire and her husband Elias all ran the Chicago marathon on Sunday and Wenn and I played. She got to go to the American Girl store and pick out a doll for an early birthday present. We took in some sights while we were there. Wenn loved the Hershey store as you can see in the first picture. We also went to the aquarium and saw the dolphin show. The first night we were there we took an architectural boat tour which was very cold but really cool. It was a wonderful weekend and so good to spend some time with AC and "Aunt Elias". Wenn has always called him Aunt Elias, don't know why but it has stuck. Andy, AC and Elias all did great in the marathon and we are very proud of them! This was Wenn's first airplan ride and while we were taxing onto the runway she kept asking "Are we in the sky yet?". It was so cute and I'm fairly certain she inherited her mom's love of traveling! We will be staying close to home for a while now but it was a great adventure!

Meg

2009-09-29T13:35:00.000-04:00

Bath time

2009-09-20T12:21:00.001-04:00

War Eagle!

2009-09-14T14:00:00.002-04:00

We traveled to Auburn for the game this weekend and it was great. Well, Wenn and I thought it was great but Andy did not. We stayed with Harris and Laura Beth Bond. LB and I went to DSU together and lived together in Italy. Mrs. Laura Beth is Wenn's new BFF and she sat in LB's lap the whole game. Wenn got a huge hug from Aubbie so now she thinks he is way better than Bully. Meg stayed with Mimi and cheered for the bulldogs while we were gone. She is too young to know the disappointment that comes with being a bulldog fan so I guess it was okay that she wore her maroon and white. Now thanks to Auburn's victory the girls will both be wearing orange and blue for next year's game! War Eagle everyone and it is GREAT to be an Auburn Tiger!

Auburn vs. Mississippi State

2009-09-10T23:09:00.003-04:00

So this weekend is the Auburn/Mississippi State game and we are traveling to Auburn to watch. Wenn is so excited and so am I because I haven't been to Auburn in a long time. Last weekend Wenn traveled to MSU with her dad and Elly Hitt and her dad. She had a great time. The night before they went I asked Wenn to try on her MSU dress to see if I needed to move the buttons and she decided to practice her Auburn cheers. I was lucky enough to capture it with my camera. Andy was not happy but you have to smile because she is so darn cute! She will be wearing her orange and blue this weekend because Auburn won last year - that's the deal, whoever won the year before is the colors she wears to the game. We will be a house divided this Saturday but I'm pretty sure we will all have fun. War Eagle! Oh, and I apologize for it being sideways but I can not figure out how to rotate a video! Have a good weekend everyone and stay well!

Meg on the move

2009-08-30T22:14:00.002-04:00

Silly Saturday and Soccer

2009-08-17T20:31:00.004-04:00

This weekend we celebrated the first week of school by having Silly Saturday. We all dressed up in silly outfits and ate breakfast for supper. Wenn loves her new school and Meg is getting used to First Pres. - if only she would take naps! Soccer starts next week and we went ahead and got all of Wenn's supplies this weekend. She looks so cute in all of her soccer gear, I know Uncle Todd will be proud! Andy is going to coach the U4 division so it should be fun! I think there are 15 kids signed up already so he is going to have his hands full. Today is Andy's birthday so I cooked Sunday night and Mom brought him an ice cream cake. He and Wenn blew out the candles and we all celebrated. Happy Birthday Andy! Have a great week everyone!

First day of school

2009-08-09T10:02:00.002-04:00

Family photos

2009-07-31T21:43:00.005-04:00

These are some recent pictures of the girls. Gabbie was here some during the summer and Candace and Christopher came to visit too. Wenn adored every minute she got to spend with Gabs, especially when it involved dressing up and make-up. Aunt Ann Claire sent the girls precious t-shirts from the Ann Arbor arts festival and they love them. We got ready for church early Sunday so we tried to take a few family pics. It has been a great summer and it is hard to believe that school starts next week. A great big huge THANK YOU to Mimi for keeping the girls this summer. We love you and appreciate all you do for us! Have a great first week back at school everyone!

Sweet Meg

2009-07-20T22:03:00.001-04:00

Graduating from swim class

2009-07-19T00:57:00.002-04:00

Visiting the Mills Family

2009-07-12T22:18:00.003-04:00

We made a trip to Mandeville to see Nick, Kate, and Myrt this weekend. It was great to see their beautiful new house and spend time with good friends. Saturday we started the day with beignets, which as you can see, Wenn thoroughly enjoyed. That afternoon we went to New Orleans to go to the aquarium and do some sightseeing. It was a wonderful trip and we look forward to doing it again once the weather cools down a bit. Thank you for a fabulous weekend Mills Family - We love you!

Fun with Gabbie and Jacob

2009-07-12T22:13:00.002-04:00

My Favorite Sound

2009-06-28T22:16:00.002-04:00

Meg

2009-06-21T16:03:00.002-04:00

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-20T23:41:00.002-04:00

Happy Father's Day Andy! When Andy and I got married I knew he would be a good father. What I did not know was just how good he would be. He is so incredible with the girls and they absolutely adore him. I thank God every single day for my sweet husband and am so glad that Wenn and Meg have such a fabulous dad. We Love You and appreciate all that you do for us!

Summer Fun

2009-06-20T23:28:00.002-04:00

We had a very busy weekend last weekend. Saturday we went to Jackson to spend the day with Uncle Todd, Aunt Amelia and Jacob. We went to the zoo and the new exhibit at the Natural Science Museum. When we got home we got to visit with Kate, Nick, Myrt and Mary Wright. Sunday we had a church picnic at Leroy Percy park. It was so good to spend time with family and friends!

Sunday morning

2009-06-07T13:43:00.003-04:00

I took this picture before church this morning. The girls are both getting so big! Meg is laughing and rolling over. Wenn ran the kids fun run yesterday in Leland and won her first trophy. She did great considering that Friday we were at the doctor with 101 fever. After a shot, some medicine and a good night's sleep, she was ready to go. I went back to work last week so we are trying to get used to our hectic schedule and find a new normal. Life is busy but good! Happy Summer Everyone!

Weekend Fun

2009-05-31T21:18:00.002-04:00

"Nastics"

2009-05-29T21:34:00.003-04:00

Wenn had her gymnastics program tonight. She did great and we are so proud of her. She has come a long way since Mom & Tots class thanks to Miss Amanda. Wenn has been "prasticing" for weeks so it was good to see her in action.

Busy Week

2009-05-17T20:38:00.002-04:00

We had a busy but fun week this past week. Tuesday was Wenn's end of the year program. Here are Wenn, Lindsey and Ann Garner at the Family Feast. Thursday Sally Beth walked home with us for a playdate. The girls made bracelets and played dress up. Yesterday Wenn got to play at Elly's house and had so much fun - thanks Elly and Mrs. Kate! Today Wenn rode a big girl bike for the first time. Mimi saved this bike that was Gabbie's and we brought it home, cleaned it up and off Wenn went. She did very well and loved the fact that her baby doll Caroline got to ride with her. It was a fabulous week despite all of the miserable weather.

The Fair

2009-05-12T11:02:00.003-04:00

To celebrate the end of Wenn's pinching streak we took her to the fair Friday afternoon. It was a blast and she loved it. It was a little scary because none of the rides had seatbelts. You can see the death grip I had on her as we rode the ferris wheel - it was terrifying! It was a fun family outing and a great way to start off the Mother's Day weekend!

Sweet Girls

2009-05-07T18:43:00.001-04:00

Cotton Classic

2009-05-02T17:29:00.005-04:00

This morning was the Cotton Classic. Andy ran the 10K and won his age group. The first picture is him and Wenn with his trophy. Wenn thought it was her trophy and I think she deserved one because she ran the fun run and actually ran the whole mile. I ran with them but cut through a parking lot to get some pics. at the finish line. It was a great morning and a big THANK YOU to Mimi for keeping Meg. I don't know what we would do without Mimi!

Happy Girl

2009-04-29T11:54:00.001-04:00

Meg's Baptism

2009-04-26T16:15:00.002-04:00

We had Meg baptized today. It was so wonderful to have so many family and friends here to share in this special day. Thank you to everyone who helped make this such a meaningful celebration of the beginning of Meg's life as a Christian. We were definitely surrounded by joy and love!

Last day at the beach

2009-04-25T07:01:00.003-04:00

Fun with Friends

2009-04-21T23:52:00.004-04:00

Today we went to Pensacola to visit the Crain family. Joey and Andy lived together at State and we always enjoy seeing them when we are down this way. Parker, who is almost 3, loved baby Meg and kept asking to "pet her". It was so cute. He and Wenn had a blast playing together. Thanks to Joey, Deann and Parker for a great day!

First day at the beach

2009-04-20T13:55:00.003-04:00

Green Thumb

2009-04-17T21:44:00.003-04:00

Mary, Mary quite contrary, how does your garden grow? With the help of Mrs. Peggy of course! Wenn and Mrs. Peggy planted this garden today. It is full of pink and white flowers and is beautiful! Thank you Mrs. Peggy for making our yard a little prettier -we need all the help we can get!

Insights of a 3 1/2 year old

2009-04-16T15:06:00.003-04:00

Things have been fairly calm here at the Sanders household. Andy has actually been home every night this week which has meant some quality family time. We have discovered this week that Wenn is growing up way too fast. She has been full of insight and advice this week. She informed us that sometimes mommy is wrong and sometimes daddy is wrong and also she has realized that daddy doesn't always listen to mommy which is bad. It is amazing what they observe and how they translate it all in a way that only they can understand. They are always watching, learning and hanging onto every word you say. My favorite Wenn saying is when Andy does something he shouldn't, like tracking dirt in the house, I ask her "What are we going to do with Daddy?" and her response is always "We're just going to love him". It always makes me think of God and his constant love for us, no matter what we do. Oh, to be a child again!

8 weeks old

2009-04-06T20:06:00.002-04:00

Meg turned 8 weeks old yesterday. She is growing so incredibly fast! She is smiling and talking to us and she LOVES her big sister. We go Thursday for her shots so we will find out how big she has gotten. She has been a joy and I can not believe that she is already two months old!

Easter Parade

2009-04-06T19:54:00.002-04:00

Yesterday we hosted our neighborhood Easter Parade and Egg hunt. It was so much fun and the weather was beautiful. Sally Beth found the golden egg that had $5 in it. As you can see, she was quite proud. Wenn explained the wonderful world of cupcakes to her baby sister. Mary Wright and William enjoyed each other's company as well as the treats. Wenn, Sally Beth and Keeton all rode in Wenn's wagon together for the parade. Everybody had a great time and look forward to doing it again next year. Happy Easter everyone!

Creative Endeavor

2009-04-01T21:38:00.003-04:00

Okay, so I am not one to brag, but I am very proud of myself for making this outfit for Wenn. I have tried to sew before but it usually required a ton of help from my mom and still ended up looking very homemade. This pattern was fairly simple and I did it all by myself (I know, I sound like Wenn). Anyway, this was my latest creative outlet and it was fun so I would encourage anyone to try sewing! If I can do it, so can you!

Glamour Girls

2009-03-27T14:07:00.002-04:00

Cousin Fun

2009-03-20T12:51:00.003-04:00

Spring has been full of visitors! Jacob came for a weekend and the weather was beautiful. Candace, Gabbie and Christopher came to meet Meg during Spring Break. It was great to get to hang out with family!

Big Sister LOVES Meg

2009-02-27T18:05:00.002-05:00

Wenn loves her baby sister. Meg will be three weeks old Sunday and she has been a joy. We had her two week check-up and she weighed 9 pounds 9 ounces. She is growing so fast! We feel so blessed to have two beautiful girls!

New PIcs.

2009-02-25T17:12:00.000-05:00