A Beautiful October Day

The kids had a fall party at school this morning and the best part was that parents and grandparents were invited to join the kids in making a craft and enjoying a snack. Grandma (my mom), Mima (Steven's mom), and I were able to join the kids and it was so much fun. The twins were so happy to see us there as they walked in the room. They made a cute little scarecrow craft and I was thrilled with how the twins drew their own faces on the scarecrow without assistance.

Then this afternoon the twins presented the chickens they've been taking care of (with lots of assistance from their Papa) at the 4-H Poultry Show. We were thrilled to learn that the twins' chickens placed second and they won a huge trophy and blue ribbon. They were so ecstatic about that trophy! The twins were decked out in their farming best; overalls, cowboy hats, and boots. I figured if they are in a farming show, they ought to look the part:)

Finally, I just wanted to note that the the twins have created imaginary friends. Berkley's friend is "Chantdirt" and Meredith's is "Medina". I've been surprised that they have created imaginary friends since they always have each other. They play along with each other when they are talking about their friends. I wonder how long this phase will last?

It's a...

Today was the big day, our ultrasound to see the health and gender of our baby. I've been counting down the days since the appointment was made. Steven thought it was a boy and I had a dream that it was a girl, so I thought girl. Well, we have a beautiful, healthy baby girl on the way! She was super active during the ultrasound and the first thing she showed us was that she was a she, she wasn't modest at all. She's measuring right on target and al of her organs and bones look to be formed correctly. Praising God for this unexpected gift of a new baby girl! We're excited to announce that her name is Elizabeth Irene, Elizabeth after Steven's mom (Mary Elizabeth) and Irene for my Nana. I am now 19 weeks along, my blood pressure is great and I haven't gained any weight from my start weight (but I know that will come). The twins seem happy to know they will have a sister and we've been practicing saying Elizabeth all evening. We all enjoyed a pink cupcake to celebrate a new sister. Here are some pictures of our new baby girl as well as one of the twins enjoying their cupcake.

A Perfect Fall Day

Today was a glorious fall day in eastern NC. The weather was in the upper 70's with nothing but blue skies and sunshine. My mom and I took the twins to a petting zoo and park in Windsor for the morning and the kids loved it. It amazes me to watch them on the park equipment, to observe how much they've grown developmentally and socially. It was a perfect morning. Then in the afternoon we went to visit Steven's Grandma Dot for her birthday. We are so blessed to have G-Dot in our lives and it was a treat to spend some quality time with her this afternoon. We followed that visit up with a quick trip to Mima and Papa's house, they had been out of town since late last week, so you can imagine how excited the twins were to see them. Mima and Papa were outside riding the gator around their property when we arrived so we patiently waited until they drove around and saw us. Oh, you should have seen the bliss on everyone's faces when they saw each other; it was a happy reunion indeed. And then to top off the evening, my mom and brother came over to put the kids to bed while Steven and I both had meetings. So, to say the twins had an awesome day is an understatement. We got to share the day with so many people that we love, what a blessing!

My sweeties

Sweet things that my kids have said lately...

They came to hug me goodnight, but I was getting a quick shower. Meredith said, "that's okay, I'll give you a shower hug" and she proceeded to press her little hands and head to the shower. Then Berkley proceeded to give me a shower kiss and pressed his little lips to the shower door. My babies love me and I love them right back.

Then today Berkley asks me to open my mouth and say "ah" so that he can see the new baby. He was pretty disappointed when he couldn't see the baby, but it was pretty sweet.

The State Fair

Today, my mom and I ventured to the State Fair with the twins. We were on a mission to watch Papa (Steven's dad) compete in a draft horse competition. Oh what fun we had! The twins ended up riding with Papa in his first competition of the day. I was so nervous that they would act out and cause Papa distraction, but they were absolutely wonderful! I'm so proud of my babies, not to mention Steven's dad and his beautiful horses, who by the way won the blue ribbon today (one of at least 6 from the past two days). We also had a blast riding rides with Grandma, Papa, and Mima in tow. I tell you, my kids are blessed to have such amazing grandparents who make everything so much fun! The twins rode their first true roller coaster and I was shocked that Meredith was so fearless (she's very much like her Aunt Meredith in that way). Berkley loved the roller coaster too, but as you can see from the picture, he held on a bit tighter than his sister. I know my mom and I are going to be sore tomorrow, but we both decided that it was totally worth it. And as you can see from the picture below, Grandma was happy to be with her grand babies, soreness or not!

17 weeks

Several friends have been asking to see some baby belly pictures. Pregnancy is the only time in my life I don't mind flaunting my belly:) Here we are at 17 weeks. Little Manning is said to weigh around 5 ounces now. We will be going for our big ultrasound on October 24th and I am counting down the days! I'm more anxious to see the health status and sex of this baby than I was the twins.

Pitt County Fair 2012

Tonight was our first experience as a family at a fair. We visited the Pitt County Fair and had a magical time! Berkley and Meredith are just so enthusiastic, imaginative, and just plain fun at this age, which made the fair a truly memorable experience. The first ride we did together was the giant slide that you ride down on burlap sacks. Steven reprimanded me later for having ridden with Berkley (I was supposed to be waiting with Berkley at the bottom) and I have to admit, about halfway down I was wondering what I was doing, but boy was it fun! When we got to the bottom I have never seen such a giant grin on Berkley's face, he laughed hysterically and began asking to go again. The twins rode many rides by themselves, which I can't believe my babies are big enough to do that! They loved the pony ride and both exclaimed, "Yee haw" the moment they got on the saddle. Overall, it was great to see the twins take pride in the realization that they are more independent, which was evident on their faces as they ran to get onto and off of rides. We capped the evening off with a Ferris wheel ride, which they adored...made mommy kind of nervous, but they were oblivious to any fear. Fun times tonight for the Mannings!

Preschool 2012-2013

The twins began their 2nd year at Memorial Baptist Preschool about 4 weeks ago. I was so preoccupied with the pregnancy (i.e. nausea) that I didn't even post a picture of their 1st day. So, here they are, Meredith and Berkley on their first day. They have a new teacher and their class size is doubled from last year. They are the most excited that they get to play on the BIG playground! Their teacher has already shared that Meredith is a respectful child who really wants to help and she says that Berkley is content playing independently or letting others join in. I'm so proud of both of them and how they are learning and growing!