8 Elena-isms

Okay, I know I said the last post would be my last one until I leave, but I have been tagged twice to do this one, so I will.

1. The best time of day is when all my kids are in bed sleeping and I can walk past their rooms and hear them breathing contendedly.

2. I am a blog addict. I check everyday, several times a day. I LOVE to read all your posts and re-read my own. How's that for narcissistic?

3. I hate cleaning house, except vacuuming. It gives me a sense of accomplishiment when I vacuum a room. Probably because the floor has to actually be clean to vacuum.

4. I love to eat. Besides seafood, there are very few foods I don't like. And not only do I love to eat, I love to feel absolutely stuffed when I am finished.

5. I, like Emily, love to read medical information books and self diagnose myself and others. And the majority of times, I am right. (I should be a doctor.) :)

6. I tend to be a pessismist, but am working really hard to change this about myself.

7. I really enjoy to read fiction thrillers and have read every book Dan Brown has written. Thankfully I have a brother-in-law (Kevin) who enjoys this same genre and passes on good reads.

8. I have a GIANT fear of spiders, especially ones with big bodies and legs. YUCK!

So there are my 8-isms and you feel so inclined to do the list, (remember I check EVERY day), please consider yourself TAGGED! :)

Last post before Hawaii!!

Well, as you can see from my countdown, we only have 2 days left before we leave for a tropical paradise vacation. So this will probably be my last post for a little while. I have lost 10 lbs, gained back 4, for a total loss of 6 lbs from my 20 lb goal. :( I have been busy cleaning, shopping, and trying to take care of all the little last minute details before I leave.

Tomorrow is the BYU opener game and of course we're having a game party, (because a BYU party is a necessity before you leave your kids for 10 days). Should be lots of fun; when isn't food and friends fun?

I thought I would post one last little picture of Kate. Yesterday I went shopping and bought a new bedspread for Alyssa (for her new room) and Kate got comfy while I finished my shopping. It was hilairous, she rode like this throughout the entire store, just taking in all the sites. Man I am going to miss my little rugrats!! (But I sure will enjoy my time off!!)

Happy Birthday Katie!!

Happy Birthday girl!! Thank you thank you for all of the phone chats throughout the years. You are a great friend and I hope you have a wonderful day!!

I got tagged.

Rachel tagged me (which means I am supposed to answer the following questions), and when a faithful blog friend tags you, you do it. :) Actually I found it pretty fun to reminisce about all these things.



1. Who is your man? Jarom G Manwaring

2. How long have you been together? We met when I was 12, started dating when I was 16, got married when I was 21. So if you start from when I was 12, that's 19 years. We joke about how we've known each other longer than we ever didn't know each other.

3. How long did you date? Technically, 5 years, but two of those he was on a mission. We got officially engaged a month after he came home and were married 3 months after that.

4. How old is your man? 31, soon to be 32 at the end of September.

5.Who eats more? Oh boy, I do. Sad isn't it!?

6. Who said "I love you" first? He did when I was only 15 years old and I told him he didn't know what he was talking about. But he really did and often reminds me of how wrong I was.

7. Who is taller? He is; he's 5' 11" and I am 5' 4".

8. Who sings better? He has a great singing voice but doesn't use it very often.

9. Who is smarter? The answer to this question is based upon subject matter. If it involves any type of math, computer skills or politics, he is BY FAR smarter. However, if it comes to medical questions, food, or kids, I win.

10. Whose temper is worse? I am going to say his temper is worse, although I am sure he'll disagree. :)

11. Who does the laundry? I do.

12. Who does the dishes? I do, although sometimes on Sundays he finds it therapeutic to do them, I think that's just plain nuts! :)

13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? He does.

14.Who pays the bills? He does and we both know it's best that way. I am NOT so good in the accounting area.

15. Who is better at the computer? He is, it's his profession. People seriously underestimate how stupid I am when it comes to this stuff. With a hubby who does it for a living, there really is no need to learn how.

16. Who mows the lawn? He used to, but now we pay to have it done. (I LOVE that!)

17. Who cooks dinner? I do and I really do enjoy to do it. I just hate the cleaning up part.

18. Who drives when you are together? He does and if I ever do, the kids ask how come Dad isn't driving.

19. Who pays when you go out? He does.

20. Who is more stubborn? We are equally stubborn (again I think he is going to disagree with this answer).

21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Oh boy, neither of us are very good at this one. :(

22. Whose parents do you see most? I think this is fairly equal since both sets live only 15 minutes away.

23. Who kissed who first? I kissed him first (just on the cheek).

24. Who asked who out? We always hung out together, but our first official date was to his Jr. Prom and he asked me.

25. Who proposed first? He did.

26. Who is more sensitive? Me; I am a regular old girl about things. But he is sensitive too and it was one of things that attracted me to him most.

27. Who has more friends? I do, I am more of an extrovert and he is an introvert. As long as he has his family around he is completely content.

28. Who has more siblings? He does, 7 siblings. I have 3.

29. Who wears the pants in the family? I like to pretend I do, but I really think he does. (Yet another one that he would have answered opposite.)



Since Rachel posted a cute video of Johnny and a water slide, I figured I would continue with the theme. Now, I tag Natalie Smith, and new to the blogging world, Emily Hanson! :)

Pachelbel Bedtime

Okay, last one I swear! (What can I say, Jarom's out of town this week. I am lacking adult stimulation.) It's just nice to know I am not the only one out there that experiences life like this.

Spoiled Bumblebee

Okay, so I am on a YouTube splurge right now, but I thought this was another cute one. Some people are so talented and hilarious.

Here's some Total Momsense

When Alyssa watched this she said, "That's totally you Mom!" (especially the part about I'll give you something to cry about.) LOL!

Creative Carter & Busy Kate

The other day I noticed Carter running around with a piece of metal in his mouth. I told him to take it out so he wouldn't choke. He said, "But mom, I swimming!" I looked closer and saw that he had a piece of broken radio antenna in his mouth and goggles on his head. He was snorkeling! How creative is that?!


This is how my dining room set looks now. We have to keep the chairs on their sides to keep Kate off the counters and out of stuff, i.e. medicine, syrup, butter, etc. As soon as I took this picture I thought to myself, "I wonder how long it will take her to figure out the highchair isn't tipped. " Not 1 minute later I heard a crash and found she had taken care of it herself.

Tip of the day.

To remove permanent marker from your fabric couch, apply rubbing alcohol with a q-tip to stained area, blot with a paper towel, repeat again and again and again.

(I love my children, I love my children, I love my children, I love my children!)

p.s. Good luck next week Mom!

Playing Barbies??

Apparently we are in need of some Ken dolls at out house. The poor kids had to use Mozart and Beethoven to play Barbies the other day.

Dinner Conversation

Warning: Parental Discretion Advised

Last night for dinner we had a meal called Hobo Meatball Stew. (Not the best, but works when you're hungry.) Anyway, Jarom was trying to get the kids to eat and being his sarcastic and once in a blue moon, crude self, said, "Eat those hobo balls."
Alyssa--"Daaaaaadddd! Don't say that!" Of course I was slightly taken back by her comment and thought "Oh boy! Is she old enough now to know this kind of bodily humor???!!"
Jarom--"What's wrong with hobo balls Alyssa?"
Alyssa--"Because hobo's are spiders and it grosses me out!" (WHEW! Not old enough yet!)
Jarom--"No, hobos are bums that ride on trains."
Halle--"What?! Hobos are butts that can get on trains??" (So we've gone from body parts to spiders, to rear ends (more body parts) all in 3 seconds.)

It was hilarious! We finally told them the term "homeless" and they figured it out.

What happens when...???

So what happens when you are neglecting your children while reading the most hilarious mom blog on the planet? Well I'll tell you. (Don't worry they are watching Dora right now.)

While I was reveling in the chaos of someone else's life, I could hear Kate and Carter playing in Kate's room. (I wasn't totally neglecting them. I knew they weren't crying or dead.) When I decided I had better just check to see what they were up to, Carter came running in holding a fish net telling me Kate was "fishing." Oh boy! I got Kate out of the fish water, (she had used Alyssa's underwear bucket as a stool) stripped her down and started the bathtub. Carter then tells me, "Kate got a fish and put it in the garbage?"
Me-"What? She got a fish out of the tank?"
Carter-"Yeah, hers put it in the garbage."
Me-"What garbage? What fish?"
Carter points to the garbage in my bedroom "An orange fish."

Lovely! So I started searching through the trash hoping that the poor fish is still alive so I can rescue it. (Why do I care so much? All I can say is I inherited this little trait from my mother.) I didn't find the fish. I checked Alyssa's underwear bucket just in case it had dropped in there, and the garbage in the other bathroom. No fish. Carter then says, " Hers put it in her clothes, maybe her diaper."

I have looked everywhere and still have not found a fish, dead or alive. And since our fish tank is so prolific (the complete circle of life going on constantly) I honestly have no idea how many fish we even have. So either the dog ate it, it's lying dead somewhere I didn't see, or it never really happened. Who knows?!!

If you ever need a good laugh....

If you ever need to just sit down and laugh your head off (particularly if you are a mom) then you have GOT to read this lady's blog. HILARIOUS!!! I think we can all relate. My friend, Dawnyel, linked to a friend who had found this lady's ebay listing. Hilarious as well! (thanks for the laughs Dawnyel)

Poor Baby Seal

The other night we were out at my folk's house. Carter came running in saying that Sadie (my dad's dog) was eating an "aminoe" (aka animal). So we all went out to see what she had. At first I thought it was just a mouse, but upon closer inspection, I realized it was hairless and had a long tail. We figured out that it was probably a baby squirrel. It must have fallen from a nest or something, I've NEVER seen a baby squirrel. Anyway, it was already dead, so my dad just got rid of it. As we were walking back in the house Carter said, "Ooohhh (with his shoulders slumped) poor little baby seal!" It was so sweet and funny. He's got such a tender little heart. Man I love that kid!

A Big Girl Bed for Kate!

After Kate almost killed herself climbing out of her crib, I decided it was time to move her to a toddler bed. I must admit, taking the crib down made me a little bit sad. I am not ready for my baby to grow up. But she looks so blasted cute in the big girl bed that it makes up for it. Here goes nothing!! (May the force be with me.)


Last night she kept getting out of the crib and when I would say "Kate do you need a spank?" She would high-tail it down the hall saying, "Night-night mommy." Finally, I just ignored her. I could hear her talking to herself and then she finally quit. When I went to check on her, I realized she had totally stripped naked (I have a picture, but didn't feel like I should post it. So if you want to see it ask me.) and fell asleep on the floor next to the bean bag in the den. What a nut!


She's still not asleep as I type this. She keeps coming out of her room and I can hear her running around like a maniac in her room. Halle and Alyssa won't stop giggling. I CAN'T wait for my basement to be done!! Why oh why did she have to learn how to get out of the crib?

The girls' first day at school report.

The girls came home from school rip-roaring ready to go tomorrow. The each had a wonderful day. (WHEW!)

Alyssa came home with a packet full of to-do's, which she promptly took care of. She started demanding that I "sign her planner" immediatly. It's a notebook that they bring home each day and I have to sign to say I looked at it. And if I "forget to sign it, Mrs. Barlow will CALL you right at home!" Alyssa takes everything completely serious when it comes to school. I am very grateful for this attribute, but sometimes it takes all I have to calm her down about things.

Halle has talked non-stop about Mrs. Ball. As I have stated before, this pairing is perfect. It was confirmed even more so today. They seem to share the same sense of humor. We've heard stories of how Mrs. Ball said, "if someone has a little toot-toot, then you can laugh ONLY if that person laughs." (Halle laughs EVERY time she retells this rule.) And we've also heard the story of when Mrs. Ball was a little girl, she forgot to potty before recess and when she was swinging "she peed her pants and pee went spraying all over the place." (Again hilarious laughter from Hal.) The bond has formed already, I am so excited!

Welcome little Eli!

So Ben and Kaylin had their first little baby, Eli Gregg Manwaring, weighing in a whopping 9 lbs and 22 inches long, on Friday Aug 17th. He should have come on the 16th, but he decided to wait until poor Kaylin ended up having to have a c-section. Today she will undergo gallbladder surgery. I think she's had her fair share of the knife. Anyway, I was so excited to get to hold the cute little HAIRY baby (reminds me of my own babies) that I totally forgot to snap any pictures of him. If you want to see him, look at Becky's and Amber's blogs. They have a few cute shots of him.

First day of school!

It's that time of year again! Time to go to bed early, set our alarm clocks, and go back to school. I can hardly believe I've had a full summer. It went so quickly. The girls were pretty excited and very nervous this morning. Halle said, "I don't really feel like eating breakfast." Which is huge for her; she's normally got a hollow leg in the morning. Alyssa had the same teacher for 1st and 2nd grade, so she was extra nervous this morning knowing that it was going to be ALL new. They had butterflies all the way to school, but once they got there and saw familiar faces everything was great!

Halle's first day of 1st grade. She is so excited that she gets to eat lunch at school. Isn't that lunchbox adorable?

Alyssa's first day of 3rd grade. She and Bailey still get to be together, so no worries there.

Look at all that gear. I felt like I was sending them off on a trip. Their backpacks are as big as they are!

Jarom and his weak stomach.

Tonight Jarom came RUNNING into the office and said, "Where have you been? Couldn't you sense that my world was spinning out of control and I needed you?" I thought, "What on earth is he talking about?" So he proceeds to tell me, "Kate handed me something and without looking I just held my hand out. When I looked, I saw it was a USED wipe with poop on it that she must have gotten out of a garbage. I couldn't handle it, and I threw-up all over the pizza pans that were sitting on the counter!" Honestly he was gagging as he told me this. I, of course, was doubled over with laughter. Good thing he isn't the mom!

Goofy Kids

Carter and Kate had a good time in the tub after they dumped half a bottle of body soap in and had an ENORMOUS amount of bubbles. Why do kids love bubbles SO much?

We had a pretty good rain storm the other night and the girls had a blast splashing in the gutter. Halle didn't want her hair to get wet, so she came up with the bucket on her head concoction.

Here's Alyssa doing that last minute dash to get some summer reading in. This girl is all about good grades.

And the painting begins!

I let the kids help prime. They did pretty good for a while, then things got out of hand and they started scraping the walls and such. So their party ended.

Then Friday night, my in-laws came over and we had a priming/pizza party. It was so nice to have so many people helping. The work went rather quickly and I am SO appreciatve for their help!

Justin and Gregg did most of the ceilings.

Natalie and Anna hit the corners.

Amber took care of the bottom half of the walls.

And Kevin helped a lot with the walls and ceiling as well. Poor Becky got stuck upstairs with all the kids. They must have taken off before I got the camera out. Emily and Brandon came just as we were finishing, but don't worry, there is more work to be done, they'll get their chance. :)

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! To everyone.

Now we are ready to paint and hang trim. One more good paint party and we'll have it all done. Then it'll be time for carpet. Can you believe it!!!!????

Kite string and birds - not a good combo!

Last year a kite flew into our yard. The string was so long that it had draped over the roof of our house and the kite had fallen to the ground. We tried to pull the string down, but it was wrapped around something on the roof and we couldn't get it all down. It wasn't bothering us so we just left it alone.

Well, today, I glanced out my kitchen window and saw a poor, helpless bird dangling from the string. At first I thought it was dead and about died myself. (I DO NOT touch dead things!) But as I got closer to it, the bird panicked and tried to fly away. Well, it's poor wing was tangled in the kite string and it was stuck. It was like one of those flying toys you see that hang from the ceiling and they spin around and around. The bird was doing that trying to avoid my head, and not avoiding my window very well. I am sure if any of the neighbors looked out the window they thought I was crazy, screaming, ducking, trying to calm myself, and trying to grab the bird all at once.

I finally managed to grab hold of the string and then caught the bird, but when I tried to untangle it's wing realized I wasn't going to be able to without the help of some scissors. So, I broke the string above the bird and brought it into the house. The poor thing was terrified, but it was as if it knew I was trying to help it. It laid so still in my hand while I slowly tried to untangle the string. Thankfully, Jarom came home right at this moment and was able to cut the string while I held the wing open.

All was going so well. Jarom stepped into the closet to change his clothes, and I tried to turn the bird over to get the last bit of string loose from the underside of the wing. That's when the bird freaked out and got loose from my hand. Halle and I both screamed, Jarom came out of the closet just in time to almost get hit in the head by the bird flying frantically around my bedroom. (WHY ME?) It fell between the wall and my nightstand where I was able to catch it again. We got all the string off, and then let it go. It flew away a little shaken up and a few feathers short, but otherwise unharmed. Poor little thing!

Happy Birthday Blake!

Blake with Keagen and Payson at the family reunion in Teton National Park.

Blake and Carter at Emily and Brandon's wedding.

To the funniest guy on the planet, we wish you a happy birthday! We're so glad you're a member of the family and hope you have a great day!

The terrible two's

In case any of you were wondering if Kate's antics had let up by now or not, the answer is NO!!! This week alone, she has dumped an entire bottle of maple syrup on my floor and into my purse, (Vera Bradley washes up great by the way.), dumped a bottle of clear water fish tank cleaner onto the carpet in her room, (which has stained the wall, floor board, and carpet and lovely deep red brown, and smells like old coffee), AND she has learned how to get out of her crib, which means no more naps and bed time is a nightmare. Oh, one more thing, she has learned how to open the front door, so I have to constantly watch to make sure the dead bolt is locked. What a little angel, eh???!!

Kate's hair-do!

Jarom gave Kate a bath the other night and when he shampooed her hair, he just couldn't help himself. I think she looks like Jimmy Neutron or some cartoon character.

Holley Manwaring Family Reunion 2007

This past weekend we went to a family reunion for Jarom's dad's family. It was in a campground at Lava Hot Springs. I wouldn't say it was the nicest campground I've ever stayed in. Between the bugs, the weeping, Weeping Willows, and the trains that ran on the hour EVERY hour, it made for an interesting stay. But the company was nice and my kids had fun, so it was a successful trip.

Jarom's Aunt Shauna. We only get to see her about once a year or so. She lives in California and is always so good to drive up and attend the family reunions. She's a riot.

Uncle Brett and Aunt Sue. I got a kick out of watching them enjoy the tubers going by in the river.

Natty taking a snooze in her Vera Bradley towel.



Cute Becky running around in her Manwaring shirt. This was the official t-shirt of the reunion.



Kate and Gabby hangin' out.

The little waterfall across the river was a hot spring. It felt really nice and EVERYBODY loved hanging out in it and floating the river.

Sami, Alyssa, Megan, and Halle, hanging out after swimming.

Carter loved to stand on this bridge and watch the tubes of people float by.

When a rainstorm hit, we all huddled under the awning of the camper and watched the rain and lightening. I love a good storm and found it very relaxing. Even Becky stayed out and watched until a HUGE thunder shook the ground. Then she was into the camper.

Here's Emily hunkering down in her tent getting ready for the rain.

Katie and her makeshift umbrella, getting things out of the water. Later we realized that she was probably just a walking lightning rod with the metal poles up top her head. Thankfully she was okay.

At the end of the reunion we lined up all the great grandchildren that were there and took a picture. Quite a few people had already left, and some hadn't come at all, so this is only about 1/3 of the greats. Grandma Eva says she has 53 grandchildren, 96 great grandchildren, with 3 more on the way. What a posterity!

Happy Birthday Amber!

After all of our talk of not having pictures of people, you are one of my least photographed subjects! :) I have TONS of your kids, but none of you. I will be sure to remedy that next time we do something fun. Anyway, I hope you have a very nice birthday and a GREAT dinner at your moms. I am glad we got to see you a little bit yesterday.

Happy Birthday Kade!

Kade in his infamous Pooh costume.

Memorial Day Yellowstone 2006. Kade stirring the witches pot. :)

Happy Birthday Kade! Hope you have a good one. Sorry we don't get to see you on your big day, but we're off to a family reunion. We hope you get a yummy dinner and some good dessert and maybe even a gift or two. Best wishes!

We're in Boise!

This week Jarom had to come to Boise for HP, so the kids and I decided to tag-along and visit our friends. We have had a jam-packed week full of fun. Monday we spent the entire day with the Farnsworths and my kids couldn't have been more happy. When I told them we were going to Boise they were so excited. So I asked them what it was about Boise that they liked. The reply, "Getting babysat by the Farnsworths!" Kelani and my girls having a fingernail polish party. Talk about HEAVEN for my girls! Look at all the polish on the counter. Kate is just as prissy as the others; she'll sit VERY still for polish on her nails.

Monday evening we packed up a picnic of fried chicken, and went to Ann Morrison park to play.
The whole crew : Back row: David, Jarom, Kate, Ron, Jana. Front row: Elena, Malia, Halle, Carter, Tiana, Alyssa, Kelani

The kids had a blast playing in the river and water fountain. They even caught a little minnow.

Our families have kids in the exact same orders. Girl, girl, boy, girl. This just makes our bond with them even stronger even though our families started about 10 years apart. Here the kids are each with their corresponding Farnsworth. Kate and Kelani, Carter and David, Halle and Malia, Alyssa and Tiana.

Tuesday was a day for swimming. We started out swimming with the Farnsworths in our hotel, then headed over to my roomate Jennifer's neighborhood pool. My kids swam for about 4 1/2 hours that day and still weren't tired of it!

After warming up to the idea of getting in the pool for about 3 hours, Kate FINALLY let me take her into the pool and even let me put her in this little floaty.
Halle in Jacob's goggles. I had to make a run to Target after this to get my kids their very own goggles to use in the hotel pool. You wouldn't believe what a good swimmer Alyssa is becoming and she is completely self taught. Put the goggles on her and away she goes!

That evening (Tuesday) our dear friend's the Petersons, made us a yummy dinner at their home. They have 4 little boys, and they are all about the exact ages as our kids. The kids all got along great and had a fun time playing together. That is, until mean little Kate knocked little James down on the hardwood floor.

Kate and James waiting for dinner.

I tried to get a shot of how cute Jennifer has decorated her house. It's just so much fun!

Wednesday (today) we drove out to Nampa and had lunch with a couple of my good friends. A visit to Nampa just wouldn't be complete without driving past our old house. It kind of twinges at my heart to see it.

Don't worry, I didn't actually come to a complete stop to take this picture. Hopefully the people who live here now didn't see me though! I felt like a total stalker. I really miss my big red plum tree and the cute little arctic willow tree I planted before I moved!

We go back to I.F. tomorrow, but not before we see the Eakins. So I am sure I'll have more pictures to post.