Michael's Birthday, the Classroom Edition

Just before I headed out of town for the Oracle show, we celebrated Michael's birthday with his class.  You can see from the first couple of photos that he was pretty unnerved by the crazy hat as well as the "V.I.P. song" and "Happy Birthday" being sung to him, but when we broke out the cupcakes, he came around.

And here are a couple of random shots from the week.  Those who remember the picture we have of Ella eating a sandwich with goggles on at the same age might get a giggle out of the last one.

Michael, Future Two Year Old

Unfortunately, it's not the distant future.  Our baby boy turns two on Thursday!  So we celebrated with family today.  Thankfully, both kids got some rest in the morning so they were in proper form to handle the BBQ, presents and cake excesses. 

The highlight was probably when Michael picked up his 'smash' cake after failing with a fork.  How else would you eat a banana, anyway?

Ella got a set of jewelry pop beads today.  I might be stealing them while she sleeps tonight - they're cool. 

Ella, Future Ballerina

Those who have seen our home movies of the kids dancing will be excited to know we've officially started Ella in dance classes.  The goal is to "contain the crazy."  She has been over the moon about the possibilities but when the big day came, she was a little shy and cautious heading in to the dance school.  In the end, she did great and we look forward to her growing as a little girl and making some new friends outside of Pre-K. 

When it was her turn to have her ballet shoes fitted, she really turned the corner from being a little scared to getting excited.  I chose this time to sneak out with Michael and Gigi in tow.  Success!  Ella's official class review is that she would definitely like to go back next week. 

The Mac is Back

Just getting caught up with photos from the Labor Day weekend now that our Mac is back home, safe and sound after a short stay at Onyx in Decatur.  It was dropped on it's power cord the first week we had it (over a year ago?) and it finally came back to bite us.  But that's all done now and the Mac is happily humming along with a new power source tonight.

The weekend was gorgeous here and we had fun hanging out at home and hitting the playground across the street and the zoo.  Surely there was a grocery store and Target run in there, but they weren't as photo-worthy as our other stops over the weekend.

Personal observation: animals that serve time in the Petting Zoo should receive some sort of special compensation.  Have you seen some of those crazy toddlers running around with curry combs??

 

TAG! You're IT!Michael, saving his bath toys from the drain.

Hold on to your hats

I know, two posts this week and I only did two in the whole month of August?  Trying to make up for lost time. 

That, and ---  sorry, I interrupt this post because Wes just asked me, "can mayonaise be 'reliable'?" after watching a Duke's commercial.  I've now lost my train of thought.

Oh yeah, I'm also busy posting because the TV is flipping between Wife Swap and Saving Private Ryan (which frightens me).  These are all from the past three hours tonight.  I'm sure the fun will wear off soon...

 

A bit of a theme tonight was Michael stuffing food in his mouth. Wait, that's every day. One more picture theme - we've discovered Ella has a cool gift and can piece together LEGO figures based on directions meant for 12 year olds. We were drop-jawed at Fellini's tonight. She actually skipped eating dinner tonight because she was so enthralled with putting them together.

Matching up her pieces to the instructions...

Mmmmm, pizza. Of course, Michael spent 90% of his time trying to fall in the fountain and had to be stripped down before we could put him in his car seat.

Night-night hugs time.The dumptruck is done! Unfortunately for Ella, that means it's her bedtime too.

In celebration of today's holiday...

...I'm adding to our photoblog tonight!  For those of you who are unaware, as I was until I logged into Facebook this morning, today is 9.02.10.  Might be a stretch to call it a holiday, but I'm always up for a celebration.  I never watched the show when it was first run, but I became a fan during re-runs.  Actually, the same thing happened to me with Seinfeld.  Apparently I'm a 'late adopter.' 

On Monday, my new camera arrived and I immediately began annoying Wes with lots of random photos while reading the manual by lamplight and trying out the new features and buttons.  I have noted he is not a fan of this practice.  I have promised not to share any of said photos.

Tonight was the first night this week I made it home while there was still a bit of light outside and both kids were awake, so naturally I took advantage of the situation and bugged the kids with the camera, giving Wes a rest.  Hope you enjoy the first batch.  I've still got a lot to figure out on the new camera, but so far, I'm loving it!

I'm pretty proud to say I did nearly nothing to each of these in post-production.  Um, well, mostly because I don't know how.  Nor do I own any software outside of iPhoto.  But still!!!!

Michael refuses to wear these shoes now (apparently he has a little 'Ella' in him, too) but I just love them.

The next three photos made me laugh...first, Ella thinks it's funny to be hanging on to Michael's third ducky.  Michael?  He doesn't think it's so funny. 

Second, Michael succeeds in collecting his three duckies.  They are all in a row and all is well with the world.

Third, little do the duckies know what he had planned all along...Too bad I didn't get a good shot of the carnage that followed a maniacal gleam in his eye. 

Post-bath time...waiting for Ella to finish up washing her fabulous head of hair.

Bathtime is over and Michael is happy in his favorite doggie jammies. How do you keep a 23-month old occupied? Give him a wet wipe and tell him you have a very messy lens cap that needs his attention. He'll go to work right away with a very serious sense of purpose.Can't deny that I miss the 'new baby' smell that both of my babies lost many, many months ago. But the fresh-from-the-bath-in-the-evening smell runs a close second.

Hope everyone else is having a good night.  Apparently college football season started tonight.  That's probably a good reason to celebrate, too. 

Sunset Beach 2010

Apparently, if it's your birthday, anything involving technology will not work properly for you.  Maybe the cosmos are telling me I'm supposed to be unplugging and getting away?  Fat chance.  In any event, this is my second time putting together this post.  Hope you enjoy!

I took nearly 900 photos during our week with the beach and culled those down to about 180 that you can see if you CLICK HERE to visit my MobileMe Gallery. Of course, there are only about 160 that are currently showing, so you can check back tonight after I troubleshoot on our Mac at home.  (See paragraph #1 reference to technology.)  [Edited to add: it's fixed now!  181 pics are up.]

Luckily for most of you who are short on time, I've posted just a few to the blog. I have to give credit on this first shot to Michael who was in charge of the camera at the time.  Not bad for 23 months old!  I'm a proud mama. 

Also, I should add that I'm missing said camera already.  After being such a faithful sidekick, it's gone off to a new home in Indiana and I'm anxiously awaiting a call from Adorama that my new (refurbished) camera is ready for me.  Ring, phone, ring!  It's my birthday!

So I guess this will be my last post for a couple of weeks.  I may go through photography withdrawl.  The family, however, is probably already rejoicing at having a few weeks' break from my bribing and pleading for smiles. 

Back-lighting Assignment - Take Two

If it's possible to fail a photo assignment, I'm pretty sure I failed last week.  So tonight after dinner, I took the kids to the nearest window with the camera and let them play around.  Still not sure I'm going to 'pass' on my re-do, but here are a few that I liked. 

I'm learning to embrace the noise/grain that comes from my camera - I have to bump my ISO waaaaaay up to get a shutter speed that won't make all of the photos look like the kids are on LSD. 

For those that missed it, Elizabeth, Viv and I surprised Meg in Miami this weekend (we missed you, Ashlee!) and if you want to see some of those photos, I uploaded them on my MobileMe gallery. 

Here is Ella teaching Michael about the finer points of Silly Band collecting.

Apparently the empty bathtub is a really fun place to play and dance.

P.S., I'm still having lots of trouble with newer photos replacing older ones on the photoblog in case you're noticing the same.  Tonight I'm trying out one more fix that will prevent it from continuing to happen.  We'll see...

Dear Tylenol PM...

I'm developing some insomniac characteristics lately and I'm not liking it.  One bright side is while I wait for the "safe, OTC nighttime sleep aid" to kick in, I can post a few of my recent photos of the kiddos. 

Hope you enjoy them.  During reasonable daylight hours, of course. 

 

Can you tell one of my children responds better to my bribes to puh-leeze look toward the camera?

Big Canoe

Not only was this weekend a good time to get away to the mountains and visit Poppa and Gigi, I also had a photography assignment due tonight so our poor kids were subjected to the camera all-weekend-long.  Oh wait, that's a good and a 'bad.'  Well, Ella did earn several pennies, nickels and quarters in exchange for sitting still 3 seconds at a time.  It does make a difference.

It's hoootttt here in Georgia but it was so nice to escape to the pool and the lake.  We need to go back, soon!! 

A lazy weekend turns not-so-lazy

In typical Manning fashion, if we have five minutes of free time, we'll fill it with 10 minutes of activities.  We went into this weekend with very little planned and we were really looking forward to some family time sans outside obligations.  What to do with all of our "found" time?  Hit the aquarium on Saturday (insanity!) and go to a Braves game on Sunday (freakin' HOT! ...so much for the "cooling" thunderstorms that caused a rain delay.) 

We had a really good time.  Can't wait for our next "lazy" weekend.

(Note, these aren't in order.  Second note,  I'm currently experimenting with way too many things at once on the camera so many of these aren't really great but they are the best captures I have to document the weekend.  I think this is like when you try out a new golf swing.  You sudddenly suck at golf for a few weeks, with the hope that it will become natural and you'll go pro at the end of all of the painful shots.)  

Oh, and we also went to Fox Bros. BBQ. Big yum.

First week of "class"

Soooo, I guess I'm getting serious about figuring out how to take pictures like those I am jealous of when looking at other peoples' photoblogs.  I signed up for a four-week online photography workshop about light.  Today I started on my first assignment, posted my results, and am waiting anxiously for the instructors to rip me apart.  Can't wait.  Seriously. 

Here's a quirky one I took that I liked, but didn't make the cut for my submission. Ella was trying on her doll's tiara.

E&P Tied the Knot

I have always enjoyed weddings and love all of the craziness that goes along with them, and this one was definitely one of the best we've been to!  Except that it wasn't crazy.  Elizabeth was the most calm bride I've ever seen - and not just on the big day.  If only all weddings and all of the festivities leading up to them could be so relaxed and drama-free. 

We sincerely had such a great time and we're especially grateful for the time to catch up with so many close friends.  All the best to the happy couple as they take off on their honeymoon to Oregon!

I've posted a few of my favorite shots below, but you can see the rest if you CLICK HERE for the gallery.

Photos by Wes

They're back!!  Wes and the kids drove home from Hilton Head Island yesterday and I am soooooo happy to have them home.  My usual documentary duties were very well-handled by Wes as you can see below.  Helps me feel like I was right there with them, instead on the other end of the phone, competing for attention with the sand and waves...

Maybe I shouldn't have pointed out Wes took these so I could take some credit. :)

Grrr - What's going on??

Maybe some of you have noticed what I recently did: many of my photos are suddenly being duplicated in place of other photos in earlier posts I've made.  I'm confused and frustrated.  Entering an IT help ticket momentarily...

Clickin Moms

I have added a new obsession to my growing list of hobbies - Clickin Moms.  It's an online community of photographers (total beginners [me!!] to professionals) and in such a short period of time, I've learned more than I ever could on my own. 

Check it out by clicking on the banner link on the right side of the photoblog.  (Oh, and I'm super proud of myself for figuring out how to insert HTML code.  Wahoo!)

Right now, they are running discounts on memberships - usually $50 for a full year.  Use coupon code FRIEND at checkout for 10% off any subscription, or coupon code LOVECM for 20% off a lifetime subscription.

If you're not sure about it, they have trial memberships for 7 days.  It took me, oh, about 20 minutes to decide maybe I should just go ahead and get a lifetime membership.  LOL

Anyway, sorry for the non-photo entry today, but I've gotten really excited about this new find and wanted to share!

Bear With Me

So this week, I've decided to add insult (to injury) and try shooting in manual mode.  Not going to say I haven't switched back to old 'Av' when the kids were just moving too fast, but so far, I'm trying to hang in there.  I'm told this is how I'll really learn more about the 'how' and 'why' of photos and I'm looking forward to that boon of knowledge falling on my head.  Any day now.  :) Meanwhile, I'm enjoying a delicious Layer Cake Malbec. 

I'm only doing one post for this weekend, so there's a few more this time than usual...

More sprinkle time. Dang it's been hot here. We visited the Osterloh's new home and took a dip in their community pool. Kids had so much fun and slept the whole way home!After dinner, Michael is often "sans shirt."Oops! A little out of order. Back at the Osterloh's new neighborhood. Michael loved the fountains. Tonight, I got lots of practice taking pictures of little persons riding on my back. They thought it was hysterical. In response to those who say I'm absent from this photoblog...viola...courtsey of Ella tonight. :)And this photo reminds me of the funniest thing Ella said tonight. As she and Michael were chasng each other around the house while we were making dinner, Ella ran and clung to my leg with all of her strength. Michael closed in behind her, and she said, "Mommy. HELP ME. I have a 'Michael' issue."

 

Happy Dad's Day

We've had a really good weekend.  Decatur Beach Party, bikram, IKEA, Alfredo's (YUM), McKoy pool, Toy Story 3, book club night at Tesoro...next weekend needs to start getting it's game together.

 Michael was a little reluctant to show me his toy (hand-knit by Nana...side note, Michael can now say Nana, Ra-Ra, Pop-pop and Gigi...we're so proud!)

Watch out!

 Soaking in the sun.Happy Father's Day to all of the great dads out there, especially those in our lives.

Mixed Bag-o-Fun

No real theme to tonight's post, just a few fun things we've done so far this week.  Details to follow in the captions...

I believe Ella was showing off her snack but it got cropped out of this shot one morning this week. "Pretend" nap time started to degrade into Michael harrassing Ella. He doesn't get the "rules" just yet, but Ella still seemed to be having a good time. Ella's "sans clothes" Barbie is going with us everywhere these days (yes, slightly upsetting.) I thought she deserved a spot on the blog. Happy time at McCoy pool. At Decatur Beach party tonight. Michael was not about to look up from his sand "project" to let Mommy take a picture. I think this was Ella's response to "smile, please!!"And this is when Wes and I reaaaaaalllly started cringe. Afterall, we are well aware of having to get these kids into the car, into the bath then into bed. And oh yeah, it's already an hour past Michael's bedtime. Happy days. :)