Miscellany Flix
2010 Mish Mash
Posted on January 31, 2012
Just a quick little post … I’ve caught a nasty flu bug and have been camped out on the couch for about four days. Thank you to Miss Adeline for repeatedly coughing in my face for the last two weeks and sharing this lovely experience. At least she keeps me entertained. Here she is with Scott … one of her favorite creative time stories to act out is getting married (she got the little silk veil from us for Christmas and the fake flowers as her bouquet). She has a fiance she calls “Scottie” and often wakes up in the morning poking me in the shoulder excitedly whispering, “Mommy, today is the day me and Scottie are getting married! I must go get dressed up!!” Then she returns a few minutes later in a fancy dress, wedding veil on, bouquet in hand, huge smile on her face and asks me to perform the wedding for them. Daddy is often a stand in as her groom … they are just too cute for words (forgive the iPhone shot from this sick mama).
It would be nice, however, to see a bit more compassion from the little people while I’m feeling so rotten (said jokingly, of course). Adeline said very sweetly to me this morning, “Mama, I wish you would get better and stop being so sick.” I am touched and respond, “Awww, you’re so sweet to think about how crummy mommy is feeling.” Adeline replies, “Yeah, then you can stop being so gross with blowing your nose and coughing all the time!!” LOL! Such a sweetheart, especially since she’s the one who got me sick in the first place (can you say, “Pleeeassseee, cover your mouth, Addie??”). Ha!
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Posted on January 9, 2012
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I can’t wait until summer when we can replant our little fairy garden and elaborate on it a bit. I was so sad to walk by it today and see it in a less than flourishing state (Eliza had fun with it this summer and kind of ate half of the pathway rocks and demolished the little twig furniture we built). 
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Posted on January 9, 2012
Some quick photos of the family from over the holidays. We attempted to get out and do this three times … each time failed, this was the only time we actually got anything recorded (the other times ended with tears for various reasons or sleeping babies before I even got the camera out). This third time it was freezing, blustery and as you can see in some of the images, snowing/raining! Processed with my Paint the Moon actions.
One of my favorite shots of my baby girl over Christmas. When she wears this outfit I just can’t resist yelling, “She’s so fluffy, I’m gonna die!!!!!” 
I know it’s ridiculously furry. I’m not sure what it is about having baby girls that gives me the irresistible urge to dress them like baby animals.
You can see the snow and rain coming down around us … it was blustery, freezing and wet! We had planned on doing a whole family session, but settled for a few *very* quick shots before getting drenched (and ruining my camera gear). And, yes, I look like my head is not attached (or I have no neck??) and am missing a hand that’s pulled up inside my sweater.
And we are off and running back to the dry, warm car!!
If you love to take photos … whether you are a professional photographer or a mommy who loves taking photos of your family – or if you have kids who would love to start taking their own photos and want to learn about photography – you should take a look at the new Let’s Do 52 Project up on my business blog. It’s basically taking a photo a week according to the theme … and this year I’ve started one (with Adeline’s suggestions and help) just for the kids!! It’s called Let’s Do 52 – Kids Click Too! The ages involved so far have ranged from three years old to about twelve, and it’s so fun seeing the world through their young, artistic mind’s eye. Hop on over and take a look if you’re interested in joining us!
For the kids …
And for us big folks …
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Posted on December 31, 2011
We did our traditional trip to Sunriver for Christmas this year. Here are some of the highlights from the week …
Christmas morning in our jammies … check out Miss Eliza’s bed head!
The day before Christmas Eve our Elf on the Shelf, Matilda, got into my make-up bag … she left a note that explained her and Adeline’s baby were having a beauty day and encouraged me and Addie to do the same.
Then, on the morning of Christmas Eve we woke to find Matilda played a little trick on us all as we slept. Again she got into my make-up, but this time managed to draw kitty cat faces on all of us as we were sleeping soundly in bed (or was that Rudolph faces with the little red nose??). I’m just amazed that she was able to do it to both girls without waking them … I have a feeling it was very tricky and that she had to reapply the baby’s make-up at least 20 times due to rolling over and rubbing faces with chubby hands (just guessing, you know – and my apologies on behalf of Matilda to the housekeepers at the lodge who had to wash the make-up covered sheets!). Keeping a straight face as Addie opened her eyes to see us all sleeping next to her with kitty cat faces was quite difficult.
For those who wanted to know how our goodbyes to Matilda went … disastrously, leaving me feeling like a horrible mommy … you can read about it here.
This one was super out of focus due to my crawling on the ground at a low shutter speed with entirely too little sleep – but it was so cute I had to post anyway.
Now, on Christmas Eve my little Adeline explained that Christmas and all the happiness and love of the day doesn’t last long enough and we should do a two day holiday instead. She told us on Christmas Eve that not only did she want to keep celebrating for two days, but she wanted to save half of her gifts for the second day. What?! Who stole my sweet, but impatient child who usually cannot contain herself when their is a surprise waiting?? We all agreed it was a lovely idea – and officially started our new annual Second Christmas in the Manning family this year (and, yes, I know all of you who celebrate Boxing Day are lucky enough to already enjoy this tradition).
Now the remarkable part of this story is that on Christmas night as we snuggled to sleep she whispered to me that “Second Christmas Day” is a gift from her to me … she overheard me saying to my husband on Christmas Eve how I was kind of sad it was almost over. In an effort to make it last longer for me she decided it would be her “Christmas Eve” gift to me since mommy seems to get the fewest presents in the family and I didn’t pick a gift to open on Christmas Eve (I actually like it this way and don’t really dig getting lots of “things” … I’d rather just enjoy my little clan and our time together than worry about material gifts). It’s amazing that these little precious people in our lives teach us so much about love and what is really important in life.
Now this next one is not a technically perfect photo, but a perfect capture of the girls’ personalities at that moment. LOL!! Let me narrate …
Adeline, “Sit still. Grrrrrrr!!! I don’t want to do this!!”
Eliza, “Let.Me.Go!! Heeelllpp!! I don’t want to do this!!”
3 seconds flat before my little models were set free. 
And I have lots more Christmas and holiday photos and stories to share … as well as some amazingly fun rock star birthday photos, but it’s going to have to wait until next week because I’m tuckered out and am ready to join Miss Addie and Eliza here next to me in sweet slumber.
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Posted on December 22, 2011
Catching up with Matilda’s latest antics. This gal is amazing … we’ve gone on two out of town trips this mont and each time she manages to get there before us (she can fly pretty fast you know)!
On Adeline’s sixth birthday we woke to a very loud sound … Miss Matilda had the song “Kriss Kross Will Make You Jump” playing *very* loudly through the house and as we walked into the family room we discovered the bounce house filling the room from wall to wall! We had a couple days of nothing but bouncing in the house (and, yes, you can bet I was in there with the girls … although Scott almost made the thing collapse on itself, LOL).
Before Adeline’s huge Rock Star birthday bash (which I am just finishing the photo edits for posting very soon – they are awesome if I don’t say so myself!), Miss Matilda decided to have a little rock concert for herself. Again, we woke to very loud music (all of Addie’s favorites – Johnny Cash, some Ramones, etc) and playing her heart out for a huge audience of little creatures forming a little mosh pit. She was dressed in studs and holding a black guitar under the lights of Addie’s punk party tree … she even had a band of ducks playing with her.
Here Matilda is after building a little “castle” for the girls … she spelled out Hi ABM (Adeline Brett Manning) and EJCM (Eliza June Clementine Manning … yes, it’s long, but it’s because Scott wouldn’t agree to Clementine for her first name and Addie and I loved the name so much – so we tacked it onto the end!) … LOVE, MATILDA.
Oh, that Matilda! She got into my purse and was Christmas shopping on Amazon! She did have some nice things on the list for the girls (although, as you’ll find from future letters from Matilda, she doesn’t really know that much about babies – under Eliza’s name she simply wrote, “Baby Stuff?”), however, she also had a number of things just for herself … candy canes, cotton candy, maple syrup you see her adding to the cart. All my credit cards and some cash were laid out and she was in the middle of a purchase when we caught her – and I have a feeling that a certain bottle of maple syrup is going to be showing up on our front doorstep here at Sunriver!
Over last weekend we went on a little trip to Portland and Adeline was terribly worried that Matilda wouldn’t be able to find her way to where we were staying. We woke to find her inside the little playhouse nana gave the girls with the rock party tree decorated for Christmas, a Christmas book propping open the door and a warm cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows waiting for Adeline. Her note reassured Addie that she would find her way to our hotel for the weekend.
When we arrived at our hotel we were amazed to find Matilda waiting for us in our room (she had the window propped open from flying in earlier). The little map Adeline had made her was all crinkled from the flight up and laying next to her along with a crowd of little horses in honor of our weekend seeing the show Cavalia.
It was so cold in the room from the window being left open that we cranked the heat up and went to sleep toasty warm. We woke to find Matilda inside a bucket of ice with a “Too Hot!” note next to her … I guess we forgot that elves are used to the cold weather of the North Pole and might not appreciate the cozy, warm room!
The second day we woke in Portland we found her on my computer writing a little note to Santa. The most enjoyed parts of the letter (according to Adeline’s giggles) were, “Eliza a great kid – she does poop in her pants a lot and pulls her mommy’s hair, but I think that is normal for a baby … this is my first time around a baby – is that normal?? She also eats garbage off the ground – is that normal?? Otherwise, she’s a really cool little kid.”
After returning from our little Portland trip we packed yet again and were off to Sunriver for a week for Christmas. This time we were not as worried that Matilda would make it there okay without us. Here she is all packed with her own suitcase (yes, a candy cane is a necessity!), reassuring us she would see us in Sunriver. She even had made a little felt stocking (again, stuffed with candy) to take with her for the holiday vacation. We, again, left her a little map to let her know where we would be.
And here she is again … sitting in our room waiting for us! She is amazing!! She was in the bedroom with the TV on watching Polar Express and had made a trail of broken, half eaten candy canes all the way across the room. Tsk, tsk.
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