Is Big Brother Watching You?

... because he is watching over Manning!

(Byron has affectionately nick named him "my koala baby!)

Love my boys!

Me, Myself, and Janelle!

I should be sleeping. I'm not! Steve has a new job. He is delivering for Great Buns Bakery... he had to have great buns to work there. It is kind of a prerequisite. If you are a baker you have to bake great buns, and if you are a driver you have to have great buns... you know so your buns make their ugly brown uniform pants look great too. Not that many people get a gander at my mans buns because he works from 12:30 (yes, a.m.) till around 9-11a.m. He is still training, after he has his new route down he hopes to be done a little earlier. They even have keys to a lot of the establishments they deliver to. I wouldn't want to have to let them in either! The sleep schedule has been the biggest change, oh and having bosses who actually give two hoots about my hard-working, amazing man! He's made a big impression. I'm not surprised, I've been saying for years that Steve is "kind of a big deal!" It is nice for Steve to work with peeps who care and make great buns, and who appreciate his great buns... you know for the running around with their buns that he has to do. I appreciate his buns because they are nice to look at, especially when we do p90x together. That doesn't happen nearly often enough. He hasn't worked his work-outs in to his new schedule just yet, but he better... you know, to keep his buns great. I would hate to see them demoted to just "good" buns!
Enough about buns, their bread is amazing. I'm particularly in love with their sour dough at the moment, we've scarfed down their sesame bagels and I can't wait to try the sweet rolls Steve was telling me about. I have a great NEED to purchase a panini press now that I can get my hands on some great buns great bread now. Oh the sandwiches paninis I will make!!! Steve and I were addicted for a little while when I "borrowed" my mom's new panini press for an extended period of time just after Christmas. There is a really good chance I've made more panini's on it than she has. I even saw a panini press with removable plates that would open all the way into a griddle... Josie pulled/threw my griddle on the floor! So I need a new griddle too, you know for pancakes. That will just feed my need and justification in my purchase. Sometimes justification is necessary for the purchases my practical side deems unnecessary! That is when I like to get out my spontaneous personality, she flies by the seat of her pants and lives on the edge... and I love her for that! Am I talking about myself in the third person? Oh dear, this is turning into a post of me, myself and Janelle! Ahhh, or aha? I think I may have just stumbled across my title! Back to the not sleeping... hmmm, maybe my reasonable, smart, logical personality is sleeping. Don't worry, I'll make more sense tomorrow!
Steve goes to bed really, really early (tonight 4:45p.m.) and I put the children to bed, then I stay up and clean the kitchen (or blog) and I have to get in bed and fall asleep before he gets up. Otherwise I have a hard time falling asleep in my lonely bed on my own. I'm getting used to sleeping alone... I'm pretty sure Steve loves it; I haven't quite converted him to a snuggler just yet! It is a crazy schedule, but the children just love having dad come home before lunch! Steve has really enjoyed seeing them more too, and he loves that I have revamped my 'honey-do' list. So far he has called in repairs for a busted fridge and fixed our dryer all by his little, old amazing self! He just started this new job less than two weeks ago!
I love having him around more too! We have the kind of relationship where we do better the more we get to be together. Some day I'm gonna figure out a way that we can work together! It will be awesome! We used to talk about me getting my CDL (commercial driver's license) and doing long-haul driving around the country together. I would pick up and go in a second, except the DOT has some dumb rule about little children in commercial cabs (even though some of them would rival a nice RV)! Oh well, maybe we'll see the country that way some day. We'll be gran and pop, the oldie but goodie truck drivers! Ha ha! That would be so funny! Well I better run and hop in bed, before he gets up! Goodnight!

What's in a name?

So you may have noticed I changed the title of my blog. How very observant of you! ;) That was me being Captain Obvious for a moment, a funny game we like to play at my house (maybe one day it will make for a moment worth sharing?) Just naming my blog after my dear little family caused me to feel as though all I could share was stuff about my dear little family. I want more than that... so much more. You see I admire many blogs and bloggers who share many different things, and I want to branch out a bit. I'm not nearly the photographer that NieNie is or the storyteller that cJane is and I don't quite have the knack for humorous honesty like Ann, but I've got a lot to share! I don't make up all my own recipes or design and decorate amazing things for my home... yet! However, I do know a whole lot about little people and ice cream! I just know that every one wants to know more about children and ice cream!
So changing the name is like declaring my freedom to change it up a bit with what I share. It may be humorous stories about children I've worked with over the years. Children are definitely good for funny stories... and messes! Could be just about anything!
Like my thoughts on the eternities, because the world lost another good man to cancer far too young. It really puts things into perspective. Like my Taryn drawing a TV on the wall next to her bed with a dry erase marker (did you know those are harder to clean off walls than permanent?), not such a big deal--that's what they made paint for, right? Or my children pulling all the couch cushions off the couch for the 37th time today, no sweat! At least I have three sweet little munchkins to provide that service while one more looks on! My man Steve is with me, right now, in this life! I am blessed! In the eternities the messes and stresses won't matter, but the snuggling and reading and ice cream will! Life is precious and sweet, and I want to savor it! And share it, more of what makes me tick, gets me thinking, and gets my creative juices flowing. Of course the posts about Manning's hair and my other children's antics will show up here too! I KNOW I won't maintain more than one blog... I struggle enough with this one!
So when life hands me lemons, wall drawings, flowers, treats, stress, love, laughter, tears, hope, joy, sadness, charity, doubt, faith... I'll be swinging the world by the tail! And posting about it here when I feel so inspired... and the stars align. :) That's how I feel a lot... I'm just taking what comes and swinging it my way, bringing joy and fun to it whenever I can!

*Inspiration for my title came from this song:
Killing the Blues by Alison Krauss and Robert Plant

The Whole Hairy Story!

My name is Manning, and this is the saga of my hair. It is a bit long and full of pictures! 26 I think... still working on my numbers, but hey I can type! :) You need all the pictures to see how adorable me and my hair are, and as proof that my family is mean when it comes to my thick, luscious mane! My mom keeps saying something about "lots of black mail pictures" to use when I'm a dating teenager?!? I'm so lost!

Hair, now that is something I know a bit about! This is me a couple days after I was born. I look a bit milk-drunk I think!Totally adorable new born fuzzy hair!

I affectionately call this my "chia pet" hair style!

The classic part! A bit long to be a missionary hair cut I think!

Byron gave me a faux-hawk, so I could look just like him!
He is one cool dude and I want to be just like him when I get big!

Ummmm, hmmmmm?? Not sure what to say about this one? Taryn had her turn combing my hair!?! Then I started to cry... I mean, come on people! I am not a doll here! Real boy!
I am a real boy, just ask Gepetto, he'll vouch for me! :)

Here my hair looks like a dandelion, and I need a nap!

Crazy Hair! Crazy Eyes!
"You say one mean thing about my hair and I peel you!!!
Like a carrot!"

You makin' fun of my hair??? Take this, "thpfllt! Neener neener!"

Bed Head!
Nuff' Said!

Mom called this one the "President Howard!" He ran the country? Or ate steak? Or was the president of steak? Something like that!

Boo hoo! I told you they're mean!!! They made me look like Donald Trump! Waaahaaahaaaa!

I mean, come on... no one looks good when they start combing their hair from way over here!

Now even I've got Bieber Fever!!! Just call me Justin!

That stuff on my head has a mind of it's own... or maybe a lot of little minds, one in each hair? Whatever, you know you want to be on my team! ;o)

My mom kissing on her cute little baby girl! What? Wait a sec, me again! I told you they were mean! Brace yourselves it only gets worse!

Just my normal, wild-haired self! Wait till you see what the do to me next...

Pigtails!?! Who do you think I am? Cindy Lou Who? Aw man, I look like a really cute little girl!

I kinda like this one! Does that make me weird. I think I look like a human water fountain! I mean that is like eight whale spouts. "Thats right my little 7 month old, female counter parts! Count them and weep!" (Except you Jules, only cry a little!)

Coolio?!? Rapping?!? WHAT THE???

"You give me one more crazy hair-do and I'll tell you what I'll do to you..."

"I can't believe they are doing this to me! Will some one come and rescue me? Please? I think my whole family is...

TOTALLY NUTS!!! And I'm gonna get them for this!!!"

Be afraid little Mann! Be very afraid! "What are they going to do to me?"

Good thing Josie loves me, because I think she is a little jealous that my hair all fits in one pony tail and she still has to wear two!

Taryn says I'm her unicorn! I wish I had wings so I could be a pegasus unicorn, ah well we just have to work with the things God gave us!

When Josie softly, okay not so softly removed my horn, this is what happened...

POOF!!! Is my dad laughing at me?

"I make all this hair look good!"

It's been a long day, can you leave a poor baby's hair alone??? See even dad feels my pain!

If you want to play with awesome baby hair like mine you'll have to pray that your next baby (or baby brother/sister) has hair like mine! Do me a favor and pray she is a girl too, for the baby's sake! Or buy yourself a troll doll!
Since these pictures were taken I've had two haircuts, and the torture continues! :) I'm sure the hairy story isn't over yet!

The Dino-Whore Park!!!

I hope no one is too crushed when I inform you that there aren't any Dinos in my pictures... or whores! I stole my post title from Elijah, my adorable nephew who calls all dinosaurs, dino-whores. It is my favorite. Sometimes I ask him questions about T-rex that I already know the answer to just so I can listen to his cute little voice as he tells me all about his beloved dino-whores! Someday he'll say that word perfectly, and I'll be a little sad... until then I'll love it & him!

We love the Dinosaur Park out in Alliante, but it was too hot for me to take pictures of Byron's 5 minute-at-a-time dino digs in the sand box! The too hot part of that last sentence is a little entertaining, because the high here is 68 lovely degrees tomorrow! :o) That said, it was lovely to watch the children run amuck at the splash pad there. One crocodile was even so kind as to spit a large amount of water on the back of my pants while I took pictures... I just wish he'd done it earlier, it was cool! Here are some fun photos of our day at the Dino-whore Park!

Taryn would not commit to getting her hair wet... funny girl! I guess I understand, we did spend 42.5 minutes getting her to look that good in the morning. Who wants to waste that kind of hair-do dedication?

On the other hand... or should I say foot? Josie was totally dedicated to getting her feet wet. She had a lot of fun jumping in puddles, and doing this!

I think the little boy running through this shot is too adorable! Taryn is thinking, "I think I'm touching the water! Am I touching the water? I'm not sure... what am I trying to do here again?"

Like I said... funny girl!

This is my favorite shot of the day... quite possibly one of my all time favorite shots! I love the action I caught and Kaitlyn's expression. That girl was even more hard-core than Byron in her commitment to the splash! Too cute and made for a fabulous photo!

Chelsa is such a gorgeous, hot mama and Griff is such a handsome little guy! He is getting so stinking big! Love her hat!

I LOVE these 3 munchkins! This is the spitting crocodile being questioned in the wetting of my pants! Ummm, that didn't come out right!?! ;o)

Josie loved the crocodiles with the same passion that Eli loves his dino-whores! She did however prefer them when they weren't spitting.

Taryn too! What a gorgeous cheeser this girl has on her!

How fun is that park!! You should see the baby dino's coming out of their eggs, and the enormous Triceratops head! Fun to be had by all!