Manny visiting Santa at the mall

The week before Christmas, we took Manny to the mall to visit Santa. He was SO excited. He wanted to stay all day with Santa and tried to get back in line at least twice.

Then we let Manny play in KB Toy Store and he looked out the window of the store and suddenly he was gone. I followed him and he had seen Santa go by and was so excited to see him again.

Our Christmas Tree

Here's our decorated Christmas tree. It is only missing 5-6 glass bulbs after Manny was done with it...well, I broke 1 or 2 myself :)

Deck the Halls...

With Christmas Decorations....finally.


Here are some of the stockings that Manny and I decorated. He told me the names to write on each one and then we added the stockings to the green garland.

Ok, so ignore the mess in the kitchen. A nine-month pregnant woman can only do so much at once.
Manny decided to add his friends, Kristian, Roman and McKayla to the stockings

Taking the decorating into his own hands

We have had our Christmas Tree for about a week now, but we haven't had time to decorate it together as a family. We have the lights on and the angel, but no decorations.

Apparently, Manny did not think it was appropriate to have an empty tree sitting in the living room.

Look carefully, can you see it?



He added this to the tree. He decorated the stocking all by himself.

We have had our Christmas Tree for about a week now, but we haven't had time to decorate it together as a family.

Apparently, Manny did not think it was appropriate to have an empty tree sitting in the living room.

Child Labor Activitsts....Do not read!

Manny loves to go outside with Joe to help him snow blow the driveway....very exciting, I know. Manny even got to help Joe this time.

I think Joe is just trying to train Manny how to do the driveway so that Joe can sit inside and watch TV.

It's Holiday Crafting Time!

Manny and I decided that we needed some easy Christmas craft projects, so off we went to AC Moore.

Here is the result of our first project:

These projects are great. Everything is included in the package and all you need is glue. I love it!

A+ for Effort, F for following directions

Our mornings go something like this. Joe wakes up at about 6:00am and Manny wakes up at about 6:30am. I like to stay in bed until the last possible second. That usually means me laying in bed talking to Manny or listening to him play with his toys in the living room. I just can't get out of bed until I have to.

This morning I could hear Joe talking to Manny in the kitchen, something about M&M's (most likely Manny wanted some and Joe saying "No". Well, then Joe gets into the shower and Manny comes in and hangs out with me for a while.

All of a sudden, Manny says, "Be right back, Mama". Ok, I just lay there and close my eyes.
Manny comes back into the bedroom with an oreo. I guess I'm not too concerned, figuring Joe had left them on the counter last night and Manny grabbed one. I am not one to obsess over an early-morning oreo, what is the point?

Joe comes out of the shower and Manny says, "Daddy, Manny got cookie all by self". Joe went through the usual, "what did I say...blah blah blah". Joe asked Manny how he got the cookie and Manny said, "Manny get chair in office and climb on counter".

Manny looked at Joe with one of those reassuring looks and just nodded his head, as if to say, "I got it all by myself Daddy".

Joe told Manny that he was giving Manny an A+ for effort and ingenuity, but an F for following directions.

The Food Network Comes Alive

Manny and I were driving to the post office today and as usual Manny was talking to himself, me, really who knows.

I was trying to listen to what he was saying without interrupting his train of thought.

This is what I heard,

"Emeril and Rachel, and Paula at Manny's house cooking for Christmas"

"Manny like Rachael eat EVVVVO (Rachael is always using EVOO...extra virgin olive oil and Manny likes to add a couple of extra V's in there)".

"Bam Emeril"

My outburst of laughter immediately interrupted his train of thought and he looked up at me and said "Manny watch cooking one night wake up".

Is it just me or is it too funny that a two year old watched the Food Network and then has conversations with his favorite chefs?

"My friend Sarah"

Last weekend, my cousin Sarah came to spend the weekend with Manny and I. I say with Manny and I because Joe has been working some CRAZY hours lately and wasn't around very much.

I really appreciated Sarah helping me out, especially since I had both baby showers last weekend. Manny also loved having her around and having her undivided attention.


Joe was getting ready to go to work Sunday morning and Manny was talking up a storm to Joe. All of a sudden, Manny grabbed Joe's hand and said, "Daddy follow me, show you something". Joe followed Manny into the new office where Sarah was sleeping. Manny says, "Daddy, see my friend Sarah?". Sarah, of course was sleeping and oblivious to it all.

Happy Hanukkah

Manny's cousin Ben celebrates Hanukkah and sent Manny a present so that Manny could celebrate too.

This present was opened on Tuesday evening at sunset. Manny doesn't understand anything about Hanukkah, but was very happy to honor Ben and open a present.

A VERY excited Manny opened a HUGE truck that has even more cars inside of it. I cannot tell you how happy this present made Manny. It kept Manny entertained for almost an hour. I cannot thank Ben enough for this wonderful present!

Here's a picture of the truck:

"It's Banana Time"

About 10 minutes after I put Manny to bed tonight, I could hear him in the kitchen.




The next thing I knew, he came into the office and asked, "Manny have banana".




I replied, "No Manny, it is bedtime."




He said to me, "No Mama, it's banana time".




It was very difficult to keep a straight face.

Manny quotes

Here are some of the things Manny has been saying lately:

"One night, wake up...." This phrase could be followed by anything. "One night, wake up Manny watch Cars". "One night, wake up Manny go to library". It doesn't necessarily literally mean one night, it just means it happened.

Manny was playing with his Cars and I continued to hear him saying, "All that NOISE, NOISE, NOISE, NOISE". I was thinking where do I know that from? I asked Manny who says that? He laughs and says, "The Grinch, Mama on movie".

"Just One More Lego, Mama"

Yesterday I think I walked Manny back to his bedroom at least 10 times when it was time for his nap. Everytime he left his room he seemed to have a valid reason for leaving. Here are a few examples:

"Manny very thirsty, Mama, need a drink"
"Manny peed, need diaper change"
"Mama, Manny need just one more lego"

At this point, I brought the whole bucket of legos into his bedroom and just figured he would play for a while. I looked in his room about 10 minutes later and he was sound asleep....on top of the legos. If I wasn't so worried about the flash waking him up I would have taken his picture. It was so cute.

Thanksgiving

We spent this Thanksgiving at Governor's Restaurant. I know, I know, very exciting.

Joe had worked 110 hours in the last 5 days before Thanksgiving and was taking the day off, however, he had to stay in the area in case they needed him at the mill. So off to Governor's we went.

The food was really good, but it wasn't quite the same as hanging out with family and then getting leftovers to take home...I really miss the leftovers :).

One good thing about the meal was the YUMMY!! chocolate cake with peanutbutter frosting.

We also got to see Manny devour a plate of Thanksgiving food...turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and a whole bowl of cottage cheese. He said, "Manny like Thanksgiving food."

Visit with Uncle Phil

Uncle Phil had Veteren's Day off from school, so he came down to visit. Manny was so excited, he woke me up at 6:30 am saying,

"Mama, get up, Uncle here NOW."

I slowly opened my eyes and saw that it was still dark out and said, "Manny, there is NO WAY Uncle is here right now, it is still dark out".

Manny replied, "Yes, Mama. Uncle here now, GET UP, glasses on."

I struggled out of bed to start the day. P.S. Uncle did not get here until 9:30, a very reasonable time of day.

Remembering Gramp

Remembering Gramp everday, but especially today as I think about how he served our country during World War II

Manny's new clubhouse

Daddy and Manny have built themselves a clubhouse. I say that it is for both of them, because to be honest, sometimes they are about the same age (see previous Lego posts). It was actually somewhat warm one afternoon last week and Manny and I went out to play.

Better Late than never

Here are some pictures I took of Manny watching the jack-o-lantern. They didn't come out as cute as I thought they would, but I still like them.

While Mama's Away....

While I was at a baby shower today, Joe decided to take Manny to the grocery store to pick up some milk. He let Manny walk, something I NEVER do because it usually means a lot of walking and not a lot of grocery-getting. Well, anyway, what did I care, I wasn't there so I didn't have to chase him.

This is what they came home with: (Remember, they just went in for a gallon of milk)
*onion bagel
*one red apple
*one green apple
*a salad from the salad bar
*Baby bell cheese
*raspberries
*yogurt covered almonds
*jelly bellies

Hmmm....who do you think was doing the shopping?

"Same, Mama, the same socks"

So the other day, Manny and I were twins. He loved it.

Halloween 2007

Manny decided to be a pirate this year for Halloween. He thinks pirates say, "yay-ho, ho, ho" (a mix between Santa and a pirate).

We started the day going to Dexter to visit GG and have lunch with GG, Grandpa, Grammy, and Phyllis. Then we got to go to the school and see Uncle. GG told Manny that she didn't have any Halloween candy, Manny replied, "GG, no candy, GG have cookies". So he was all set.

After we visited in Dexter, we came home and had dinner with Daddy. No trick-or-treating this year, but we had a fun day anyway.

Comparing the two

Here is Makenzie's latest ultrasound picture compared with Manny. Manny is a couple of hours old in his picture.

We had to have a 3D ultrasound with Makenzie because this is the first picture we have seen of her face (28 weeks). She wouldn't look at the front and all we have seen is her profile.

Playing in the Leaves

We decided to play in the leaves this past weekend while Daddy was working on the club house.

Manny loved playing in the leaves and trying to throw them at Joe and I. It is funny that this year Manny loves the leaves and last year he didn't like them at all. What a difference a year makes.

56 Days Until Christmas...Manny thinks it is time to pick out presents...

In the newspaper this weekend was the Toys R Us Christmas toy ad. Manny LOVES looking at magazines, catalogues etc especially when they have toys in them. He even helped me out by pointing to EVERY toy that he wanted (which was just about everything).

WoooooHoooooo!!!

Some of you might find this post a little too much information, some (mostly those who are/have been parents yourselves) will be sooooo excited.....

Manny pooped in the potty!!!!!

We had just changed him into a fresh diaper (of course) and pajamas and he started showing the signs of having to have a "bowel movement" (some may like that term better :). We decided to ask him if he wanted to sit on the potty. He said, "yes, little potty". He sat down and that was that.

He (and Joe and I) were way too excited than anyone should be over bodily waste, but hey, it was the first time he has EVER used his potty that has been sitting in the bathroom for almost 9 months now.

All Figured Out

Last night, Joe, Manny and I were in the backyard doing some work on Manny's new club house. We were just talking (I can't even remember what we were talking about) and Manny says,

"Mama says no, Daddy says yes."

For not even 2 and a half years old, Manny pretty much has his parents all figured out.

What do you do on a day without a car?

Make Cookies!!

Yesterday my car was in the garage leaving Manny and I at home with no transportation, so we decided to make cookies.

Here are step-by-step directions for making cookies with Manny. *Disclaimer: Shirts are usually required, but when you have a two year old, you kind of pick and choose which battles you are going to tackle*

Step One: Bring your mixing bowl to the table:

Step Two: Dump the cookie mix into the bowl. Yes, I know we didn't make the cookies from "scratch" as GG would say, but hey I was trying to document the steps and measuring flour, sugar etc takes a lot of work.

Step Three: Stir the ingrediants together (so, we don't show the step of cracking the egg and adding the butter, but you get the idea)

Step Four: Roll out the dough

Step Five: Take multiple random samplings of the cookie dough for quality control purposes.

Step Six: Use the cookie cutters to make shapes in the dough. Notice I didn't say remove the cookies once the shapes are made, just keep pressing the cookie cutters into the dough at random intervals.

The cookie recipe said that the end result should be 2-3 dozen cookies. We ended up with 1 dozen...hmmm wonder what happend to all that cookie dough?

"Make 'em grow"

Manny has insisted on helping me clean the house. Not that I mind, but his idea of cleaning is spraying everything in sight and then unrolling a whole roll of paper towels.

I tried giving him a plain spray bottle (like you would use for plants or naughty animals), however, this was not authentic enough for him. So I rinsed out an old 409 bottle and filled it with water.

I found Manny in the kitchen spraying our pumpkins. I asked him if he was cleaning the pumpkins? He said, "no make 'em grow, like Rabbit". (He was talking about Rabbit from his Winnie the Pooh book)

"Garden grow pumpkins" he was so proud that he was growing pumpkins.

I'll love you Forever...or until Mama is sick of reading this book

Anyone ever read this book? It has a cute story....but it is SOOOO long! Manny insisted that I read it to him before his nap today (along with 16 other books) and I skipped a few pages.

Just as I had set down at the table to eat my corn chowder for lunch, I hear Manny laughing and coming towards me. He laughs and says, "Mama missed pages". He then proceeded to point out each page that I skipped. He then said, "Silly Mama".


At least he just thought I was being silly. Hmmm....

Girls VS Boys

Manny and I were enjoying a quiet ride home from Dexter on Tuesday just watching the changing leaves go by. Manny was in the back seat holding his "baby", who he has decided to name Kristian (his friend McKayla's little brother). Usually Manny falls asleep 2 minutes after we say goodbye, but apparently his 30 minute power nap at GG's was enough for him.

All of a sudden, Manny says, "Baby no penis". I asked him to repeat what he had just said. He did, and I had heard correctly. I looked back and he was looking up the dolls long nightgown and discovered that his baby did not have a penis.

Once I decided that 2 years old was old enough to learn the difference between boys and girls, I explained to Manny that boys have a penis and girls have a vagina. He went through a short list of people he knew (Mama, Daddy, Grammy, GG, Uncle) and correctly identified their reproductive organs.

Later when Daddy got home, I told Joe that he should ask Manny what boys have. Manny stood up and proudly said "boys have penis, girls have a gina".

Joe was quite impressed with his little smarty-pants.

Another Month, Another New Excuse....

As to why the family blog is so far behind. We really have been busy. We have been on the go for the last month and we have had company and a week of vacation with Joe. I know, I know, I use the same excuse every time. Wait until baby #2 is here and then I will have more creative excuses to use :)

Manny's vocabulary has certainly been increasing with every day that passes.

Joe tried to clean the popcorn crumbs off Manny's face before going into the store (of course with a wet thumb....I know, I know, I used to hate when my Mom would do that to me when I was little, but desperate times call for desperate measures). Manny wrenched his head out of the way saying, "NO Daddy! Gross!!".

The other day I asked Manny if he could open the door for me so that we could go outside onto the deck, he looked at me and said, "Oh, of course, Mama". I have no idea where he got that one from.



Cranberries = Cran-babies
Old Navy = Old Baby
When he wants to be picked up/held = "Hold You" (instead of hold me)
"Oh, Yes of course"
"I can't believe it"


My "favorite" of the moment is his demanding "now". This one has just started.
"Manny play with Cars, NOW!"
"Manny go outside, NOW!"
...yep, that's a fun one.