The Day After...

So Tony has come and gone. I was glad to have him home, it was a nice birthday present. I made sure the house was tidy, and thanks to my mother helping me thoroughly cleaning back in January, it was pretty easy to make the house look decent. I made sure to have some meals planned that Tony likes, and the groceries in the house for those meals. I made sure all the laundry was caught up, and the dishes, etc. Then I sat back and enjoyed his company while he was here for a few days.
He left Wednesday afternoon and the house has become a place of crazy children! I swear these kids go insane for a day or two right after he leaves. Like they are mad at me for making him go, so they make all the messes they can manage! Besides the dishes that covers my counters and the laundry that needs caught up (cuz I didn't do any while Tony was here) I'll give you the list...so far anyway, because we are only halfway through day two.Last night Alex clogged and flooded the toilet after using it. (Only this morning did he confess that he put too much toilet paper in the toilet.) So last night I got to clean up yucky post-use toilet water. Which meant I had to wash the bathroom mats, mop the floor, and wipe down the toilet. Alex and Anthony both cleared out both toy baskets and have them scattered EVERYWHERE! I mean literally I can't walk more than three steps without having to step over toys. Anthony pulled ALL the books off the bookshelf while I was on the phone. They took the sheet of Anthony's bed and pulled the mattress off and were slid down the stairs with it. Alex tossed a handfull of papers down the stairs while I was putting Autumn to sleep (who I now have to feed in a quite room, just me and her, or she wears her milk). To top it off, I need to go grocery shopping, which is oh so fun with three little ones in tow.So now, not only am I wanting to hole up in my bedroom out of self-pity because I'm without my husband for another month, but I have to face the music and clean this crazy house and be the enemy to my kids while I punish them for doing things I told them not to do in the first place. I know I'm no fun, they tell me all the time.All in all, I survive though, cuz these little rascals really are funny and crack me up. They keep me going, without them I would be.....on vacation with Tony! Just kidding (:

Roller Derby at It's Finest

So Sunday was my birthday. I turned a big 28. Sunday was also the day Tony got to fly home for a few days to visit before going back east to work, work, work. The most awesome thing about Sunday was it was my very first time in a roller derby game!
Yes I know, not a very sabbath activity for the Sabbath Day, but I rationalized away and participated. I just couldn't resign my team to being short a jammer for their first game ever! Plus, it was on my birthday! What better way to celebrate my own birthday than to do something I'm obsessed with?!
So we started out behind by quite a bit in the first quarter, but by the second quarter we pulled ahead. Finally by the end of the game my team seized a win of 117 to 95! Totally awesome I might add. I did some jamming, some blocking, was even a pivot a couple times, and there of course were several times of getting knocked down and into walls. Tony was on the side-lines watching (hopefully cheering me on) with Alex in tow. Thankfully he didn't ask me to quite after he saw all my spills and slams!
Honestly, the whole game now is a bit of a blur. I scored some points on some jams, dominated points on other jams, and totally didn't even make points a few times too! Boy do I remember how exciting it was, even though I started out really nervous, I loved every minute of it!
For all of you who didn't dare brave the roads due to the nasty weather (which I don't blame any of you, they were pretty nasty!) here are some pictures of me with my new love!

This is me trying to block the other teams jammer.

Coming around trying to score,
but you see that girl in green at the front,
yeah, she took me out!

Taking a cool down minute before getting back out there.

Yes that is me just one second from sandwiching a girl into the wall,
my fellow teammate (the one on the floor) helped take her out,
and yes the girl I sandwiched was the one who took me out earlier.
Revenge is lovely!

Half-time break.

A Worthy Oppenant / Subject

Once again, Alex used his camera sonar and found the camera. This time it was in my jewelry box on top of my dresser. How he got it I really don't know. So I found the camera on the living room floor as I was picking up the lifetime supply of hot wheels cars, and knew instantly how it got there. So I turned it on, and low and behold... Alex photography! Imagine that! Enough sarcasm, sorry.
Now let me explain why all of these pictures happen to be of Anthony. Just like most siblings, Alex and Anthony have a love-hate relationship.
Alex hates him when Anthony whoops up on him, which happens more than you'd think. Anthony is a tough little brute, and he hits hard! Not only that but he's a bit of a klutz and frequently hurts people out of pure clumsiness, and wholly on accident. He also is so used to bumping into things and falling so when Alex tries to inflict punishment or revenge for some hideous injustice on Anthony's part, it doesn't phase him enough, at least not enough to keep him from retaliating. Which sends Alex crying to me. I'm never really sure who starts it, but Anthony frequently finishes it. Alex loves Anthony because he makes such a great Alex follower. Alex is definitely your typical Alpha-male. He is very used to being the boss with other kids, and I frequently have to remind him that he's not the boss of me. Think, "Mommy do I need to spank your butt for making me sad?" Seriously. Anthony of course is more than happy to do as Alex says, because most moments he thinks Alex is pretty fun. Whatever Alex wants to play, Anthony is more than willing to go along with it. If Alex wants to do something mischievous, Anthony is right there too! If Alex knows he'll get in trouble for it, he has Anthony do it. Frequently I'll ask Alex to do something, he'll then walk out of the room and have Anthony do it for him. Most common thing is sending Anthony to ask me or tell me something. Hence the love of his little constant companion/buddy/follower/minion.This morning Alex was unhappy because Anthony wasn't doing what Alex told him to. This happened to be Anthony giving up his toy to Alex. Anthony wouldn't have it. So Alex came to me and told me he didn't want to play with Anthony anymore and to tell Anthony to leave him alone. Funny how Alex doesn't like it when Anthony stands up for himself. It's a good thing they forgive and forget so easily. It's a good thing Anthony is such a good sport about it all.Anthony also quite enjoys posing for the camera and getting his picture taken, so as you can see he was quite happy to perform for Alex as Alex clicked away. Most of these pictures are of Anthony racing a truck through the house, which, besides doing what Alex wants, is his favorite thing to do.

Accomplices

Last weekend the Amber and Mark Galbraith clan stayed the night at the Manley house, so that I could be at Domino's at 1:30am and not be leaving my kiddos at home alone.

Well Alex and Yvy are crony buddies. As it was getting closer to bed time Saturday night, Yvette was looking for her bag with her pajamas in it. She found it, but decided it was near to a Herculean feat to try and get the pj's from the bottom of it. So Alex volunteered to share his.

Next thing we know, Alex and Yvy are running around in Alex pj's and look very matching and cute. Of course, I made them pose for the camera, and of course Amber was coaxing me on.

Alex and Yvette were more than willing to give my their cheesiest of grins, and show how goofy they could be. It took a couple of tries, since as soon as they heard the camera beep, they wanted to see their pictures. Definitely kids of the technology age. Definitely cute little cronies.

One Fish, Two Fish, White Fish, Gold Fish

Alex must have decided it was high time someone took pictures of the other members of the Manley household.

(Any more it's quite interesting what I find when I turn on the camera. It never fails, no matter where I put it or hide it, somehow Alex finds it. That kid has camera sonar.)

The fish don't have names. But I must admit, we've grown fond of them anyhow. And Alex is actually a pretty good photographer for only being 4.

Time Flies When Your Pluggin Away at Life!

Any of you who are facebookers, may have noticed the Valentine's Day theme profile pics and status posts. Well I finally got my printer/scanner to work so that I could scan a picture of Tony and I (where I don't look upset like I did in the last one). I decided to use the one we sent out for our engagement pictures (to announce how crazy we were to even think about getting married at the unholy ages of 20 and 21!) that I'm kinda fond of. I think I look pretty good, but then again I'm reminded how tiny I used to be, and how similar to a porpoise I am now, blah. But anyway, I pulled it out of the picture frame off our dresser, and scanned it.

As I was loading it onto facebook and doing the math in my head how long Tony and I have been together, I realized, WHOAH, it's been 9 years since we first met. Now granted we didn't start dating for another year or so, but we had lots of comical jabs at each others expense while slaving away at Sonic. I also cannot say we have been together since we started dating, we broke up, realized we wanted to be together, broke up, realized we couldn't live without each other, got engaged, broke up, got re-engaged, got married. It was a definite roller coaster ride of emotions and relationships.

I look at this picture and I can almost see how much we were in love. We look so happy, (and so young) and we were.
Glad we stuck through it all, and still can, and figure out the bottom line.
We are in love. We need each other. Yup, still, but boy did we look like kids.

Nap Time Scrimmage

Sometimes I sit back and think how crazy it must seem to others that I enjoy roller derby, getting knocked off my feet, or slammed into a wall, just to get up and keep going. Well, today I had an epiphany! Nap time is 10 times worse. Not only am I battling against a willful 4 year old, but a stubborn 2 year old copy cat, and a random sleeper 5 month old. Ugh....I feel like waving the white flag just thinking about it!
Alex doesn't like to take naps anymore, but if I can get him to lay still with his eyes closed for 15 min, *poof* he's out!
Anthony doesn't go to sleep when there is distractions in the room (ie Alex) and Alex frequently gets Anthony to do his dirty work. (ie to come tell mommy they want to sleep on the floor, or share a bed, or leave the light on, or turn the fan on)
Seriously, the last nap time, took 11 trips of Anthony coming to me mumbling Alex's orders until I finally got fed up enough to put Anthony in the crib that he can't climb out of, and to bring Alex downstairs.
Then Autumn, she's pretty good about going to sleep, but unfortunately the boys are pretty good about sneaking into my room to love on her, and somehow she is awake EVERYTIME they go in there! "No Mommy, she was already awake!" Mm-Hm, sure.
So I am resigned to battle these anti-nappers every day, just for their sake. Because honestly, for my sake, I'd let them go go go til the crashed where they stood. That makes for cranky kids, but either option makes for cranky Mommy. What is one to do?
Did I mention I really don't like nap time? Well, maybe when they are all asleep, yeah, I like that part. Check that, I LOVE that part! That may be the only reason I keep trying.

Oh my Anthony, how I love thee, let me counts the ways....

Today has been a long and very tiresome day. I went to work at Domino's (yes I don't technically work there, but because my boss is way awesome I promised I'd help out with this very large order) at 1:30am to help put out 721 pizzas and 250 orders of wings. All for inmates on good behavior to celebrate Super Bowl Sunday. UGH! Then I met my lovely sister Amber (who stayed at my house with her honey and her brood so that my kids were supervised as they dreamed) and clan, at church so that I could teach my Sunday school class of 9 year olds. And last I brought my brood home and managed to stay coherent for about...... 10 min. I figured out quickly that every time I sat down I fell asleep purdy dang quick. So I woke up and decided I had to keep busy or my house would get torched by 2 very mischievous little boys.

Only I did this a little too late.

Well the house wasn't torched, but Alex and Anthony must have been hungry. They had finished off pancakes that were on the table left over from breakfast, and had taken yogurt cups upstairs to eat them in secret. Alex had eaten all of his, but Anthony had decided to paint with his.
Yogurt I guess must be a fun finger paint for coffee tables, carpet and futons. When I told Anthony that we eat yogurt at the table, this was the face I got. He knew I was not excited about this secret artsy play time of his, but I knew that as tired as I was, I would be a little harsh, ok maybe a lot harsh. So a little mommy voice in my head said "Take a picture and blog."

So I took a picture, pulled out the wipes and quick as a jiffy fingers, face, and house were clean. Thank goodness I had discovered this mess before it had spread too much, or before it dried. Even more, thank goodness for taking a deep breath and that selling children is illegal.

Too cute!

They say that every mom is biased about how cute their kids are. Well I'm not gonna lie, when Alex and Anthony were born I knew they looked like wrinkled old men and were not cute at all. Tony was the one who wouldn't have it when someone didn't insist they were adorable. For him it was love at first sight.
This time around, with Autumn, has been totally different for me. When she was born she was so perfect, so cute! Her head was perfect, she was so alert and wide-eyed. Nothing old and wrinkly about her. Tony was excited to have a girl and a new addition to the family, but eh, it was just another one. I must admit it was quite odd putting pink on her the first time.

So it is with Tony, that it was with me and the boys, she is surely growing on him, and he has quite completely replaced his "baby" Anthony with his "Daddy's Girl" Autumn. (Sorry Anthony, guess it's perfect timing that you've turned into a Mommy's boy.) He was so fascinated with her while he was home three days, that he took a picture of her that I thought was amazing. So here it is.




She has grown SO much! It won't be long til she is crawling, I know it. She is so intent on being up, sitting, watching! Granted she can't do that by herself, but I have this wonderful little chair that helps with that so my arms get a break now and then.

I must admit, I am frightened beyond words on what I am in for as the years fly by, but right now, she is the princess of the Manley Family and she has managed to captivate us all with her sweet and rewarding grins and jabber!