my girl hazel

Fall is Happening Here

2011-11-07T17:03:00.000-08:00

Things are moving so fast right now. I'm in shock every time I have to write the date (which is everyday) and realize that Hazel's birthday is right around the corner, then Thanksgiving, then August's birthday and then Christmas! It will all be over before you know it!
Both kids are turning double digits this year. It's a big one. They've requested a brunch at Salty's to celebrate. August looked at the calendar and picked the weekend that is right in between both their special days. I think we're all looking forward to that meal.
August is going to be a part of the ski bus every Friday. It's a big group of middle schoolers who ride the bus up to the pass to ski from 5-10pm. I'm so excited for him. It of course will mean that we're having to load him up on ski gear. I've never skied, and Trey hasn't done it in years. We spent some time looking at equipment over the weekend...holy cow! Our next step is to go to the swap meet next weekend in hopes that we can find some deals...cause skiing isn't cheep!!
Hazel has been taking a hip-hop class this season. You guys? She's so cute when she's trying to bust-a-move. I mean just picture her with her cute little hair, leg warmers, big ol' gym shoes, tee shirt and leggings trying to do the "Michael Jackson turn" or the "snake" across the room. I'm loving every minute of this class.
Thanksgiving is coming right up. I originally thought we'd be able to travel to see Trey's Dad and step-mom but then reality hit me right in the face. I'm a teacher now. Those days off right before Thanksgiving? I have to work them! So all travel plans are off. Which is sad for the Many family (both Wick's and my own). Another Thanksgiving in Seattle for us.
Christmas plans are in full swing. All our family schedules have been approved and we were even able to fit one night with friends!

That's all for now. Have to get the kids to piano.

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T17:08:00.000-07:00

The kids opted for a Halloween part of their own this year. They each made their list and sent out the invitations, created a menu, requested songs and movies. And it was a success!
While I can't post everyone's picture because I don't have permission from their parents, I can post some of the more disguised kids:

Hazel dressed as a dead vampire.

Trey, a turkey

Hazel's friend was a zombie

August's friend won the best costume contest as an accountant who sold his soul to the devil

A room full of pre-teen gals...super fun!

This was before the dance party...

August invited several friends from elementary school as well as some newer friends

August's friend as radio head (I think)

Another friend, not sure what his costume was...not sure he knew either

Francis as Hanna?

The beginning of the dance party

There was lots of noise and bouncing around. Trey made a pretty fun dance mix that the kids loved yelling to.

After the costume competition we started Monster Squad. Trey and I were upstairs for most of the party but loved hearing the squeals of fright at all the right parts.

All in all, it was a success.

How's it Going

2011-10-08T11:03:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks! It's been a wild ride so far! I'm just popping in to let you know that I have a project up on Donorschoose. It's a great way for teachers to get things for their classroom. My class really needs early reader books. I've taken all the books from my house and brought them to the class but I just can't keep up.
I've also put a project up to see if I can get an easel for the room. This would be used near the carpet corner which would make direct instruction much easier for the students to see what I'm trying to teach them. The easel would be used for all direct instruction really and has this great organizational element under it...which I love!
So, please consider giving a few bucks towards these critical needs:
Easel
Books

Something's Happening Here

2011-08-27T23:01:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here trying to come up with a post. Hazel is watching Toy Story on abc family, Trey is out picking August up from his summer trip. Have I told you about his trip yet? Okay, so August wasn't doing his best in school last year. We tried everything before we dangled the carrot- if he finished the year with no C's he could fly out to Cali to visit the Reynolds and the Mitchell girls. We thought it was a long shot...but we should've known better. He pulled some amazing grades and we bought the ticket. The first part of the trip was spent with Aunt Anna where he skate boarded, swam, revved up a ferrari and visited some crazy big houses and much, much more. And...they hunted down a real Banksy. So cool.
The last part of the trip was spent with Uncle Scott and Aunt Amy where he took an animation class with his cousin Zane, went to the Tim Burton museum and much, much more. I couldn't even keep up with all the cool things my boy got to do. I'm so happy for him and so thankful to my California family for taking care of him. He is home safe and in high spirits and is ready to go back. While sitting at the kitchen table a few minutes ago he actually started making plans for next summer...if his grades are good.

Hazel, Trey and I spent part of the day purchasing supplies for my new classroom. Yup. You read that right. After subbing for 7 years I finally have a classroom. I'll be working with a great gal at Hazel's school teaching reading and writing to 1st graders. It's a jobshare so I'll be working in the afternoon. Hazel and I spent most of last week setting up the classroom and leveling books. My extended family has been amazing and has sent boxes of books to fill the shelves that my neighbor built. Uh, huh, our wonderful chicken neighbor came to the school and built shelves for the class. The village has built this classroom, that's for sure.

In other news, Kat and her husband Justin and dog Royal are getting ready to move to Austin, TX. We're going to have our last dinner with them on Monday. It's a bummer because all of the events that I mentioned above have kept us very busy. All the while, Kat and Justin have been packing up their belongings and the move date looms ever closer. Soon they'll be on the road for an excellent adventure. Austin is the right place. Have you ever been there? It's so cool. They're going to have a great time out there...but the Many's will surely miss them.

So. I know it's been a long time since the last post and I know I should put some pictures up, but my computer is so slow and it'd take me a half hour to open iphoto, so it's just not gonna happen this time. But soon.

What We Saw

2011-07-23T23:41:00.000-07:00

They were sitting at a picnic bench. I watched as the mom left the area to place their order for dinner. The man and his two daughters were eating chips and salsa, all three in a row, smallest to biggest. The smallest one fell off the bench which was connected to the table. The man tried to act quickly to get to the smallest one but in his haste, he too fell from the bench knocking down the middle girl. Once the man freed himself from the bench he quickly picked up the small one and bent over towards the middle one who was laying on the bench.
His fist closed.
His arm raised.
His fist pounded the middle one on the back of her hip.
The middle one scurried to the ground. She yelled and cried and moved to the next table huddled around the base yelling things at the man.

My husband spoke to the man. My husband called the police.
I spoke to the middle one, trying to get her to come to me so we could find her mother.
The man said to stay out of it. To leave the girls alone.

The mother came back to two screaming girls and an angry man. She came back to another man talking to the police on the phone. She came back to a woman cleaning up her children. She told her man to take five. She huddled with her girls. She listened as several people told her that the man punched the middle one.
I told her we would not leave her until the police came. She asked me what to do. I asked if this had ever happened before. She cried and said yes.

The police came.
They found the man.
They spoke to the woman.
They spoke to the girls.
They spoke to us.

And then we left.

My children are shaken. They stuck close by my side. They couldn't process what they saw. My boy said he can't get the image out of his head. My girl said over and over what the man did.
My husband...is a good man with a soft heart. My husband acted quickly. My husband stood his ground.

Jonah's Pool Party

2011-07-17T17:08:00.000-07:00

Hanging before they jumped in the pool. Crazy kids.

Jonah's Swim Party

2011-07-17T17:06:00.001-07:00

Last year he had a kangaroo party...this year an outdoor heater to go with Molly Moon ice cream.

Cousins

2011-07-10T12:48:00.000-07:00

Ballard Sea Food Fest with the Reynolds and the Boden families.

Mmmmm

2011-07-07T21:18:00.001-07:00

TV...yummy drink....good night regardless of the cold weather.

Hill

2011-07-05T20:56:00.001-07:00

Everyday

2011-07-05T20:52:00.000-07:00

Not everyday is a Lake Chelan day...somedays are a Sunset Hill day.

Windy

2011-06-29T11:21:00.000-07:00

But oh so sunny!!
We woke up at 10:30 this morning. August slept on the fold out couch while Hazel slept with me.
Right outside our door there is a grassy patch with picnic tables and lounge chairs. We ate breakfast at the table and while I put all our food away the kids positioned the lounge chairs for lounging.
Today will be spent in the water, playing ping pong, lounging and waiting for Rachel and Francis.

The View

2011-06-28T18:40:00.000-07:00

Wings!!

2011-06-28T18:09:00.001-07:00

Hazel is a lot like her uncle Justin when eating wings. MESSY!
August ordered mild wings and had to return them for the BBQ sauce.
He'll never live this down.

Tin Lilly

2011-06-28T17:32:00.000-07:00

The kids and I are out at lake Chelan this week.
We just got here and we've already sone so much. The kids swam and played frisbee. We walked around Chelan and found Tin Lilly. It looks like it should be in Austin. It's got this cool outdoor seating area and serves wings. We're living large tonight!
Rachel and Francis are making their way out here tomorrow so the kids will be busy while Rachel and I relax by the water.
Good times.

More hike

2011-05-30T13:47:00.001-07:00

Still more

2011-05-30T13:47:00.000-07:00

More Hike

2011-05-30T13:46:00.002-07:00

Hike

2011-05-30T13:46:00.001-07:00

I am so out of shape!
Decided to take a hiking trail down the gorge after breakfast this morning. Holy smokes! Going down the trail was great...it was the coming back up that was the killer!
But I managed to take some nice shots while I trudged my way back up.
I'm totally relaxing on our back yard patio right now and there is a gal who is running up the trail I just thought I was dying on...RUNNING!

Wildlife

2011-05-30T09:59:00.001-07:00

This little guy keeps popping up to check out the scene.
Steven keeps calling him Wack-A-Mole, as in "LOOK Wack-A-Mole is waving at us!!"

Cave B

2011-05-30T09:54:00.000-07:00

We've seen this bunny every morning. Today I thought to bring the phone and try for a good shot. It bounced right up to me, looked at me and pooped. Then hopped down towards the rocks.
Cute, real cute.

Tulip Festival

2011-04-22T15:32:00.001-07:00

2011-04-22T12:08:00.000-07:00

Sent from ToonPAINT

Oompa

2011-04-09T20:27:00.000-07:00

Hazel is the one with the dark green wig.

Wonka

2011-04-08T12:41:00.001-07:00

Tonight is opening night. Hazel is a ball of nerves. She plays an Oompa Loompa who brings the Candy Man his huge cart. She's so worried that she's going to mess up.
We have 97 students in our production this year. It's been fun but I'm pretty ready for closing night.
Two sold out shows, months of preparation, ready for Sunday to hit.
And then it's time to produce the Hootenanny.

Much to Say?

2011-03-17T20:20:00.000-07:00

I haven't had much to say. Or maybe I've had a lot to say and no time to say it. Maybe I've just felt like being quiet this winter. I guess it all just depends on the day.
Today? I have a few words.

The days have been filled with work at Hazel's school. I almost typed in "the kids school" but had to remind myself that August is now in MIDDLE SCHOOL! So, yes, working at Hazel's school almost everyday. I'm pretty tired, but it's been good for me to be busy. The play for her school is in full swing right now as well. Hazel is an Oompa Loompa along with many other 3rd graders. We have 95 students who are involved in our play this year. Yup. 95. The credit all goes to Heather Hawkins. She's doing such an amazing job with these kids. There are afternoons when I sit in my little corner doing paperwork and emailing all the families and I look up and think that by this time in the day I would have no patience for all these kids. And even on days when I know that she is tired and wishes she was taking a nap on her couch, that woman is directing these kids like it's the only thing she's got going on.
She's pretty amazing.
In reality? She's acting in a show at ArtsWest, directing our elementary school play AND directing a middle school play. Oh, and she's the mother of 2. Really inspiring.
Hmmm, didn't really start out thinking I was going to sing the praises of Heather, but, there you have it.
Hazel's play is April 8 and 9. Let me know if you want to go. I'm filling out the ticket order this weekend.

In other news? August is a preteen. Annnnddd, that's not so fun.
Recent quotes include, "I don't want to touch anything that belongs to YOU!" and well, do I really have to give you anymore? Meh, this too shall pass.

Vacation is Over

2011-02-25T17:18:00.001-08:00

Leaving the park... ready for home.

Last Night

2011-02-25T15:37:00.001-08:00

Pano 2

2011-02-25T15:36:00.001-08:00

Pano Shot

2011-02-25T11:27:00.000-08:00

Still a Kid

2011-02-24T19:27:00.000-08:00

Daddy's Girl

2011-02-24T18:24:00.000-08:00

Down Town Disney

2011-02-24T18:23:00.000-08:00

We went to see La Nouba tonight. No pictures but it was amazing!!
On our way we ran into this Lego creation.

Pluto and Girl

2011-02-24T18:21:00.000-08:00

2011-02-23T10:39:00.000-08:00

Castle

2011-02-23T10:36:00.001-08:00

Harry Potter Pictures

2011-02-23T10:26:00.001-08:00

2011-02-22T16:51:00.000-08:00

@Trey gets picked again!

2011-02-22T14:32:00.000-08:00

Animation Class

2011-02-22T13:54:00.000-08:00

Loving Every Minute

2011-02-22T13:53:00.001-08:00

Nuf Said

2011-02-21T19:02:00.003-08:00

Butterfly

2011-02-21T19:02:00.001-08:00

Alice

2011-02-21T18:59:00.000-08:00

Electric

2011-02-21T18:58:00.000-08:00

Next ride

2011-02-21T16:02:00.000-08:00

Castle

2011-02-21T10:23:00.000-08:00

Wonder

2011-02-21T09:31:00.000-08:00

August still loves it!

85 with a breeze

2011-02-21T09:30:00.001-08:00

Magic Kingdom

2011-02-21T09:30:00.000-08:00

Hazel's favorite

2011-02-21T07:33:00.000-08:00

>
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Animal Kingdom

2011-02-20T13:21:00.000-08:00

Color

2011-02-20T13:03:00.000-08:00

Vacation Day 1

2011-02-20T09:38:00.000-08:00

Vacation Day 1

2011-02-20T09:34:00.000-08:00

August needs food!!

Day 2

2011-01-29T14:29:00.001-08:00

And she still loves it. Part of me was afraid she'd wake up this morning with major bed-head and freak out. But she's good.

Free

2011-01-28T20:07:00.000-08:00

Who's That Girl?

2011-01-28T17:15:00.000-08:00

Hazel donated her long curls to Locks of Love. We've been talking about doing this for a while now and she's finally reached the required 10 inches of ponytail.
I was very prepared for some tears but there were none. My girl was a trooper and was so excited the whole time.
She couldn't wait to show Aunt Kat and then rush home to show her neighbor friends. At this point Trey hasn't even seen it...Hazel wanted to make him wait until he came home...no camera photos, nothing.
It's a super cute, chunky cut. Hazel thinks it looks like the hair on the Ramona's Aunt in the recent movie Ramona and Beezus. She couldn't stop smiling.

Relaxing MLK Day

2011-01-17T14:09:00.000-08:00

We started the day with a piano lesson for August and a consultation for Hazel. Looks like Hazel will begin her own lessons in February and she is super excited for it.
I am really enjoying the kids as they find activities that motivate them.
I know I've talked to some of you about my fears that August lacks any motivation to do well...I think that maybe I'm just supposed to learn to wait things out with these kids. I think I keep expecting them to just love everything we present before them. The reality is that they will find things to dig their fingers into...all I can do is offer them variety.

After piano we walked down to the local coffee shop because they sent the neighborhood houses a super coupon for their delicious crepes. We of course ended up with two crepes and three hot drinks. Hazel worked on the gift she's making for Kat's birthday while August worked on some pretty cool sketches.

Later tonight we are meeting Kat and Justin for some West Seattle Thai food to celebrate Kat's birthday.
And then...we start the school/ work week. Thankfully we have two weeks of four day school weeks.

It's the Small Things

2011-01-01T22:39:00.000-08:00

This video doesn't seem like much but it's pretty special. You see, August and Hazel have a pretty typical sibling relationship. They fight, they tease, they bug, they yell and generally get on each others nerves. But today we were walking through the mall before dinner, I was holding Hazel's hand when I noticed that August was holding her hand too.
I didn't want to draw attention to it for fear that the hand holding session would come to an abrupt stop, so I pulled out the handy phone and tried to capture it.
I think by this point August was squeezing her hand a bit and she was actually asking him to stop, but before that? They were just walking through the mall holding hands. I loved every minute of it.

Photo Journey Through Christmas

2010-12-28T16:24:00.000-08:00

I just put all the Christmas photos up on my gallery. Feel free to take a peek at the fun we had with the Reynolds and the Boden Families.

http://gallery.me.com/jennifermany#gallery

He Caved!

2010-11-28T17:51:00.000-08:00

So you might have heard that Seattle got some snow...and it shut down the whole city.
The kids were super excited when the first flakes started to fall.
It started on the 21st and didn't really stop until Thanksgiving. I was a bit afraid that we'd have to miss some of our guests but everyone made it to the house safe and sound.
But before we had Thanksgiving and before the snow really hit us, we brought the kids out to a local nursery to see the reindeer.
Trey has always stuck to waiting to celebrate Christmas until after Thanksgiving. This means no Christmas music, no Christmas drinks and NO Cranberry Bliss Bar from Starbucks.
But guess what? The snow got to him...and he totally bought one! And then? When we got back into the car? Yup! He turned on some Christmas music!!

Now that Thanksgiving is over we are officially getting into the Christmas spirit. Even our dogs are getting in on it...although they aren't as excited as the rest of us.

This is Halloween

2010-10-31T19:16:00.000-07:00

I know I already posted a few pictures of the kids in their costumes, but I had to snap a few more on the actual night of all the festivities, right?
Trey was the puppet master this evening so I could greet all the goblins and ghosts at our door...although it's been a bit slow going.
Hazel was the puppet and August was "Mustache Man".
I'm super proud of both the kids this year. They came up with their own costumes and were totally original.We couldn't leave out our biggest chicken:

Waiting For Sufjan

2010-10-30T20:45:00.000-07:00

Hazel's Pumpkin

2010-10-29T19:41:00.001-07:00

Field trip

2010-10-22T10:16:00.000-07:00

Photographs

2010-10-18T16:16:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to getting pictures taken of the kids!
I would highly recommend our friend Monica Wilkinson if your family is in need of some updated pictures. Take a look around her website...holy COW! Looking at her newborn pictures makes me want to have one just so she can snap some shots!

Trey's Birthday Treat

2010-10-16T13:16:00.001-07:00

My LIttle Note Collection

2010-10-14T11:13:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while I'll go to bed and as I'm moving my pillows around I find a note. Sometimes the note has words, sometimes it has pictures, but all the time it is amazing!
When I hear the crinkle of paper I get as excited as a kid who just lost their first tooth. I'm not even kidding!
Hazel's notes have often come at the end of a rather rough day. She has an amazing sense for when I could use a little pick-me-up. And her notes are just the thing.
This last one says:
"I love my momy. I hog and kiss her evrey day. I miss her when I'm at shcool and when she is away. When I am mad at her I still love her. When she is sick or srest (stressed) I triy to help. I don't caer if I donet hav a berth day or get eny toys I still love her."

I mean come on! She's killing me lately!

On Our Day Off

2010-10-08T16:08:00.000-07:00

The kids don't have school today and both of them have requested a chill day. Can't say that I blame them, seems like we've been going and going and going everyday.
Hazel did have a Girl Scouts event that she almost missed because I had the time wrong, but thankfully her wonderful troop leaders drove past the house to pick her up so she didn't miss a thing.
Once Hazel came home I gave the kids some video time before calling them up to make caramel apples. Let me be clear- I love caramel apples, so when I bought the bag of caramel I said I was doing it all for the kids...you know, so they'd have something fall-ish to do on their day off...but really? My mouth has been watering just thinking about making them.
Growing up in Michigan meant that there were several trips to apple orchards to pick fresh apples, eat warm apple donuts and drink delicious cider. Oddly enough, there are no orchards out here that do any of that. So, I buy the apples, and eat pumpkin donuts from Top Pot instead.

*Photo from Top Pot website

You gotta make do with what you've got, right?
Back to the caramel apples...In my humble opinion, the best caramel apple out there comes from a little store in Michigan called Kilwin's. I will always make time to pick a few up when I visit. Often saying that I will share them only to sneak down when no one is looking and slice them up all for myself. It's shameful, I know.While these apples don't look as pretty as Kilwin's I'm sure they'll do for now. Both August and Hazel helped out by melting the caramel, but once it came to covering the apples I just had to take over. It was pretty easy. I can totally see this becoming an autumn event in the Many house.

While Waiting for August's First Piano Lesson

2010-10-04T18:20:00.000-07:00

Pretty Penny

2010-10-02T15:49:00.000-07:00

Little Bit Summer, Little Bit Fall

2010-09-30T14:31:00.001-07:00

It's another beautiful day today.

Tired 6th Grader

2010-09-28T07:28:00.000-07:00

I think August is feeling the effect of having to wake up at 7:00 each morning. He has his own alarm, which really has saved our relationship, and takes a shower every day. Poor kid has somehow received his father's ability to take super long showers and has to set an additional alarm in the bathroom so he knows when his 10 minutes are up.

This morning I couldn't help but notice that he was dragging a bit more than usual. Last night we picked Trey up from the airport and didn't get home until 10:00pm. I think the kids now understand why we keep their bedtime between 8 and 9.

Speaking of Trey, he spend the weekend in LA so he could see a few shows and came home so sick! He's got that body ache and headache and he just wants to sleep. We're keeping him away from everybody so that it doesn't make it's way through the family.

The kids and I all got our flu shots the other day...well, I got my flu shot and the kids cried and generally threw a fit until the nurse happily suggested that they get the nasal mist. August has always had a hard time with shots, but Hazel? She's been so brave every time...except this time.
But I'm hoping having had the immunizations, we'll be set for a healthy winter.

August Many

2010-09-01T21:06:00.001-07:00

Did I ever tell you about the time when August was quite into super heroes? He still likes them, mind you, but this was when he was nuts over them. Talked about them all the time. Created new heroes on a daily basis. The kid was obsessed!
There is this restaurant we used to go to pretty often out here called Blue Star. Wonderful brunches, always long lines on Sunday, you know the kind of place...every city has one like it. Anyway, we would go there and of course, while we waited, August would talk about super heroes. What his favorite power was, who the strongest of the strong was, you get the picture. When suddenly he stopped talking and just went slack-jawed. I followed his line of vision and saw the bus boy. Wondering what was wrong I tapped August on the shoulder and asked. He continued to stare and said that the bus boy looked like someone.

Let me pause here and remind you that I have played many tricks on my poor son. There was the Mommy Dot- where a dot would appear when he lied and only a mom could see it. (He spent years covering his forehead whenever he told a lie.) There was also the time when I told him that whenever he steps on ants the bees are notified and they'd come after the person who killed the ant. (Totally believed me.) We won't mention the Tooth Fairy, he figured that one out when she kept forgetting to put money under his pillow.

Back to Blue Star. I took a good look at the bus boy and though that he did look like someone. He looked like Tobey Maguire.
By this time we were in our seats and I too kept sneaking peaks at our man Tobey when I looked back at August and whispered, "Oh my GOSH! I know who that IS! It's SPIDERMAN!"
August's eyes widened and...he believed me. Bought it hook, line and sinker. He wondered what Peter Parker was doing in Seattle and I told him that he must have needed to get away to conceal his secret identity. That he got the job at Blue Star pretty easily and can be a regular person until his Spider Senses went off, then he could slip out the back door and no one would ever know.
For months we kept going back to Blue Star and August would always stare at "Peter Parker". Even felt sorry for him at times. Finally one brunch, August went up to use the bathroom and we called "Peter" over to the table and explained that our son thought he was a super hero, Spiderman to be exact. That we all agreed, he did look a bit like Tobey Maguire, surely other people told him that. Nope. We were the first.
After chatting for a while we asked if he would consider playing along. He loved the idea and when August came back from the bathroom "Peter" quietly came up to our table and started talking to August. Thanking him for keeping his identity a secret.
I watched my little boy turn all shades of red while his eyes widened, he agreed to continue to keep the secret.

August has come a long way since those days. He thinks twice before believing EVERYTHING I tell him. But he's still pretty trusting.
He's about to be a sixth grader. Starts a new school next Wednesday. I've been watching my friends on Facebook post pictures of their kids on their way to school. Many of them lament days gone by when their children were younger.
I am not lamenting those days. I enjoyed August so much when he was a baby. Enjoyed him as a toddler and a little kid. But I am so excited for my son to become more independent. Can't wait for him to feel that he can make his own way and be his own person. Next Wednesday is the start of all that.

We cleaned out his room a few weeks ago. Worked on getting rid of the little kid stuff and replaced them with band posters and such. The huge bin full of his super hero action figures was pulled out of his closet. He sat in the hallway and looked at each one. Asked us if we remembered when he did this or that with this guy. Took some time to pose each one. And then informed us that he wasn't going to get rid of these.

Look What I Can Do!

2010-08-19T19:51:00.000-07:00

I made a chicken pot pie!!
And best of all? It actually tasted good! We ate it two days in a row even!!

Summer Days

2010-07-30T11:55:00.001-07:00

Summer Days

2010-07-30T11:54:00.001-07:00

International Fountain

2010-07-28T22:40:00.000-07:00

After looking around for free things to do in and around Seattle I re-found the International Fountain at the Seattle Center. We've walked by it in the past but we've never spent much time there. I invited our wonderful backyard neighbors and we all loaded into their 3rd row vehicle (man I can't wait to get one!) and headed down town for the afternoon.
Between the two families the kids had a great time. We packed snacks and let them graze as they saw fit while Monica and I sat and talked in the sun.
One of the many benefits of doing things with Monica is that she's a photographer. We're not talking a mom with a camera kind of photographer, we're talking a woman who can take great pictures. Check out her website if you're looking for some really nice photos. She snapped some shots of our little outing today as well:
After spending the afternoon together, the girls went to our other neighbor's house to check on their most recent project. Today the guy was making a salad bowl. Yup. They needed a salad bowl so he went out in the backyard and made one. No joke. These are the same neighbors who have chickens. They are selling 2 of their chickens along with a really nice chicken coop if you're in the market...just a thought.
I believe this is one of the chickens they are selling.
After all the running around August and Emma went with our youth group to hang out in Lake Washington till 10:00. They came home super tired.
And now? I'm sitting on the couch with a cool breeze blowing through our screen door while I watch Top Chef and write this blog. All is quiet in the Many house.
Tomorrow? We are going to see Shakespeare in the park in Lynnwood. But that's not till the evening. Think we'll take it easy during the day.
I've got to say- I really love living where we do right now. Having the freedom for the kids to be able to run from one house the other has been so wonderful. It reminds me of when we were young and would spend the whole day outside riding bikes and rollerskating with all the kids in our neighborhood.

My Pictures

2010-07-25T14:21:00.000-07:00

Well, I can't remember how to put this on the side bar so that it'll be up there for good so I'll just put it up here:

Here's the link to my pictures:

http://gallery.me.com/jennifermany

Sorry for the confusion.

A Birthday to Remember

2010-07-20T15:48:00.000-07:00

Not sure how this party will be topped! Our friend Jonah was celebrating his 10th and we were on the invite list. How luck are we?
Here's a sneak peak at what we got to do:
Yup! Kangaroos! At the party! Hopping around the yard! And there was a baby Wallaby! It was the softest thing I've ever felt in my whole life.
The kids always love visiting Jonah and we look forward to his birthday parties every year but honestly? Not sure how they are gonna top this one!
I've posted all the pictures to my gallery...feel free to check them out.

Dog Days Of Summer

2010-07-20T15:16:00.000-07:00

The kids and I are enjoying our long awaited summer. We haven't really done much, just kinda been hanging out at home. We've has many fun days with our backyard neighbors playing in the yards and playing wii and watching movies. It's been great.
Recently we watched Scout for a few days which added some excitement to our backyard. Cute little Scout wanted desperately to get back home and would occasionally disappear under the fence only to realize that no matter how much barking she did at her back door, no one would open it for her. So she reluctantly would allow herself to be picked up by Hazel or August and brought back over the fence to our backyard. She's a funny little thing.
You can't really blame us for having to make a quick stop on our way to the dog park to grab some doughnuts. I made everyone chuckle by not ordering a doughnut for myself. Instead, I took bites of everybody's choices. What? I was able to nibble on a variety of tasty treats and was left feeling better about myself for not eating an entire doughnut.

So Much

2010-07-09T16:16:00.000-07:00

Our summer began with a trip out to Chicago and the Detroit area.
My grandma Dixon turned 90 this year and boy howdy did they throw a party for her!
I'm not sure how many people came to celebrate her but it was a full house! We got to see many friends from long ago as well as our immediate family. More pictures are up on my mobile me gallery.

After spending some time with my side of the family we drove from Chicago to the Detroit area to spend some time with Trey's side of the family, but before we officially left my old stomping grounds we made a stop at the house I grew up in.
We've done this a number of times in the past but this time...someone was home...and they noticed a crazy gal snapping pictures...and they invited us in!
The event was rather emotional and I don't think I've fully processed it yet but I did put every single picture up on my mobile me gallery. I know that it won't mean that much to most of you but to me and my family, it's pretty cool. August and Hazel and Zane got to see where their parent's grew up.

Vacation Photos

2010-07-04T10:37:00.001-07:00

White Lake Michigan

Vacation Photos

2010-07-04T10:36:00.001-07:00

Relaxing on the 4th.

Vacation Photos

2010-07-04T10:35:00.001-07:00

Giant plants in Grandpa Kliers yard.

Vacation Photos

2010-07-04T10:34:00.001-07:00

Browns in South Lyon

Vacation Photos

2010-07-04T10:33:00.001-07:00

Dinner with the Klier family.

He Made It!

2010-06-23T20:18:00.000-07:00

All the parents agreed that none of us had an official graduation from 5th grade...but here we were watching our 5th graders walk up to their teachers to get a diploma.
Nope, I did not cry. I have to admit that the thought of August going to middle school terrified me last year, but this year, I'm so ready. Ready for him to meet new friends and to have several teachers. I'm ready for all the amazing classes he'll be able to take. And I'm ready for him to have more responsibility.

Most Improved

2010-06-11T10:16:00.000-07:00

Hazel Many takes the award!!

Student Awards

2010-06-11T10:13:00.001-07:00

August got another award!

August Got An Award

2010-06-11T09:55:00.000-07:00

For keeping our school safe this year.

Right Now

2010-06-05T18:38:00.001-07:00

Tonight!!

2010-06-05T15:22:00.000-07:00

National Doughnut Day

2010-06-04T16:01:00.001-07:00

At Top Pot

Following Molly Moon

2010-05-29T11:13:00.000-07:00

Birthday

2010-05-23T23:53:00.000-07:00

It was a great day for me. Things started with some beautiful flowers from my brother and sister-in-law:
Aren't they lovely?
It was a beautiful day out here, we are known for our cloudy skies, but the sky on the day before my birthday was just wonderful. Big, fluffy, white clouds against a bright blue sky:

Hazel spent the weekend at her first Girl Scouts camp and we asked our friends the Nyssen family if they could watch August overnight so I could have some adult time. Sadly our day alone consisted of which restaurants we would go to!
First off Paseo:
We waited for our food and didn't complain once. Amazing Cuban sandwiches, so worth the wait!!
After spending some time downtown we decided on meeting some friends at this little hole in the wall called Delancy. This place always has a super long wait and we haven't wanted to take the kids there because of it:
While we were eating dinner this guy walked in who looked just like my friend Mike G...it was almost as good as having him here:
After dinner...I got Iced!
Then we all went to the cinema to see an important film:The next morning we hosted a birthday brunch with friends. Trey made an egg scramble and I made some sweet rolls. Kat brought some pastries from a bakery by her house and the fixings for mimosas. It was a nice way to celebrate my day.
And having a birthday on Facebook just about blew my mind. I couldn't keep up with all the friends, far and near, who wished me a great day!
Thanks everyone!!

We've Got Neighbors

2010-05-19T20:32:00.000-07:00

Check out our awesome neighbors! They're the ones with the chickens!

http://www.hgtv.com/videos/hobbit-house/1710.html

Hootenanny 2010

2010-05-09T10:59:00.000-07:00

Wake Up by The Arcade Fire
Featuring
Uncle Justin on Bass
August on Guitar
Trey on Drums
Hazel Lead Vocals
Jen Backup Vocals

May

2010-05-04T17:13:00.000-07:00

Shhhhh, don't make any sudden moves.
Calmly raise your eyes to look at today's date...yup, I know! It's May!
May is my month and I try so hard to live in every moment of it.
In May I was born. In May I was married. In May I am a mother. In May I get to go to Sasquatch.And in May we do the Hootenanny.So there's a lot happening in May. More often than not the month flies by and I feel like I missed it all. This year Trey is cooking brunch for Mother's Day (I think). We're singing an Arcade Fire song for the Hootenanny. We'll go out to eat for my birthday and we'll be able to celebrate our anniversary at Sasquatch thanks to Kat and Justin who will be staying with our kids and dogs.
The days are slowly warming up and we're able to walk to school more and go to the dog parks more. Hazel comes home from school and plays in the backyard with our neighbors and August continues to work on skateboarding and unicycling. The days are longer and summer is just around the corner. Life is good in May and I'm just trying to love every day.