Date Night

Every three years wether you need it or not.

2Pop and Biggie Mimi kept StayPuft and Number 4 Saturday night for a bit so that the supermodel and I could go have a date. We were going to go to Avondale and eat and then walk over to the brewery and have quiet drink or two.  Turns out she and I are both a bit chatty. Went to the new pizza place over there, Post Office Pies. It was quite yummy but we sat down at a communal table and then a husband a wife sat down next to us. Somehow a conversation was struck up. Yada yada yada several high gravity beers later, the supermodel is gesturing wildly with her hands as she tells an anecdote as a good latin woman does and it is several hours later. I take responsibility for my share of the conversation as would Jeff if he were here. It is just fun to picture current wife trying to get a point across using only her hands. We told the couple goodbye and then looked at our watches. Time to go pick up the kids who we found out are acting age appropriate now and had worn my parents out.

"So at first it they fine and normal and then I balled them up and crushed them."
when referring to the souls of her enemies 

Not sure that was the date night we wanted but it was nice to go out with my smoking hot wife and not have my head on a swivel looking to see what StayPuft was destroying, who Mr. Fabulous was conning out of their wallet, or hearing how we were doing on time from AARP.

Yes my wife is gregarious and talks with her hands but it is in the best way. Sure she has saddled me with four of the most wonderful kids ever. No our date night didn't exactly follow strict lady and the tramp eating in a filthy alley standards. However, I would not trade it for the world.

Summer Projects

This last week around The Home has been extraordinarily quite as the boys are at their dad last week and this week. This means that things around here a pretty laid back. Lots of projects getting done. Having four minions progeny angels... well having four children keeps the project load a bit high. I try to not let Mr. Fabulous and AARP see me doing projects for their sister and not doing things for them. I am fair that way. Number 4 doesn't seem to mind too much at this point.

Ongoing projects you ask?
Picture this... Close your eyes and remember back to middle school. Not try and pinpoint that smell from gym as the young men found their bodies smell bouquet begin to bloom. It then immediately turns into a rotting garbage smell best I can remember. This then gets masked with deodorants with names like AwesomeSauce and I'mBoss and Swagalicious.

Okay now open your eyes. The boys have a pink 1950's bathroom. Upon seeing it for the first time Mr. Fabulous said he wouldn't use it. We then told him we didn't live in the country anymore so no peeing in the back yard. He relented. The unique thing about their pink bathroom is that it only has a bath and no shower. See picture below.

Clean this tub you must, Filthy it is. 

So, they soak in their own filth. Recently I have found that after they get out of the bathroom Stay-Puft's bath toys are in the tub. Those foam letters are fun, I don't blame them really. So all this to say, they have a shower now. We still have to figure out tile or some such and a shower curtain but, I sleep better knowing that my kids don't have to be the stinky ones. There  is always a stinky kid I warned AARP and this seems to have worked. He is pro shower now. 

In middle school stink terms, every shower is an emergency shower.

Second project is Stay Puft's bed. She is really slimming down now with all the pool time of late but her Dozier status has not changed. Run through a wall and be more stubborn than it. Anyway, I need her crib for Number 4. She is being evicted from it and as such needs a big girl bed. We took the front off the crib a while back and have been using it as a de facto toddler bed that she won't sleep in. The floor is so much better. Just ask her. So, a princess bed. Fun parts. Supermodel thought it was a twin sized bed and fell in love. It is a full sized bed and I loaded it in the car. It was covered in child killing lead based paint. Supermodels attempt as stripping said neurotoxin were futile. So it was sandblasted and then Number 4 and I went to buy steel to reinforce and make better. 

There is a great sense of pride pulling into a steel supply yard with all of its cranes and men and sparks and grease and what not and holding a two month old while you give him a bottle. I do think this is what landed me a date with the supermodel this past weekend. 

You can't see Toothless (my minivan) but it is parked behind the truck and
I am in the back shopping and giving Number 4 a bottle. 

I digress, I got to weld and cut and grind and weld to my hearts content (read as: until the smoke detectors went off). We are now in the process of finishing the paint job on this thing and it will be the girly-est thing in her life by leaps and bounds. 

picture this bed with a magenta bedspread in a room full of matchbox cars

So, boys get clean and she gets some idea that she may in fact be a real princess and not a really chatty bull dozer.

Summer Time

Well it starts this week. Finals were yesterday and I officially take over as Manny. Wilson (who I feel like needs a new pseudonym) and Mr. Fabulous are still in the thick of it at school. I feel like I should give a recap on the progeny by way of fun amusing anecdote each...

Wilson aka the worlds oldest man aka Benjamin Button aka Life Alert aka Family Safety Officer(nope still no good replacement. Taking suggestions)
Two weekends ago the boys dad became ill and we had the  boys unexpectedly and to prevent any disappointment I decided to drown them in decadence that Friday Night. The first stop on our tour of excellence was a trampoline gym call AirWalk. I pause to let you know that all of the orthopedists around town have condemned this place. Not a joke. Also, I tried to order two tickets before we left and the supermodel stopped me and said she would take care of it. When all was said and done we had three tickets. That supermodel is subtle about her desire to humiliate and break me.

On the way there I told them where we were headed and the first words out of his mouth were: "people get hurt there. Like bad." Bless his reasonable heart.

Wilson's Spirit Animal

Let me paint the picture. When the Spanish Orthodox Catholic Movement decides to bring back the inquisition like its 1478, they will hold the infidels here for their torture. Not to say that it wasn't fun but there is a three page wavier. After the waiver, living will and power of attorney are notarized you enter this large room divided into three parts. A large portion is wall to wall trampolines. Another portion with trampolines that launch you into foam pits similar to the garbage compactor from Star Wars. Finally a room dedicated to dodge ball on trampolines. Needless to say fun was had by all for around 45 minutes. Wilson then needed a sit down. After this was hot wings and cheese fries with P-Daddy and then an arcade. The next morning both he and Mr. Fabulous both claimed to be so tired that they couldn't play video games. I win (except for the soreness that lingered.)

Early version of what would become AirWalk

Mr. Fabulous.

He is going strong. Being awesome at everything (just ask him). The only thing that there is some debate about is his behavior in class. Admittedly I know its because he is bored and well ahead of other students but he better get used to it now that his stated goal is an Electrical Engineering degree from MIT. He questioned a friend of ours who he found out did just that about the schools in Boston. The gentleman was confused and Thomas told him that he wanted his children to go to good schools. He is a planner like his brother.

I digress. Behavior. The teacher was apparently struggling to keep control of her classroom and has tried 3 or 4 different reward/demerit systems this school year. New system: divide the class into tables and let them compete to win prizes as a group. Your group receives  a "X" for poor behavior and a "check" for good. As soon as this was announced (according to Mr. Fabulous) he immediately volunteered to be his own team and move his desk next to the teachers. He didn't want to cause any other team to lose. How very altruistic. That sums up his status in a nut shell.

Mr. Fabulous would start an
argument just to win it. 

El Fox

My girl is growing up. Talking is coming along. She loves everyone now and want hugs and kisses all the time. She is two now and I can't say that I am likely to remember this year as her brother is a bit of an attention seeker. I will say that the fox is as sweet and perfect as anyone in the world and I am smitten and will do whatever she tells me to. UpDown(oatmeal) every morning? Yes ma'am with extra cinnamon and sugar just because you are mine. I am biased. Mostly, because she is potty training herself. Parents are the worst about over sharing bathroom humor so I will avoid it.

Now I may have rushed her so that we can have a talk about mr. the king aka LGA aka lil reezy aka jack jack.

My new bundle of joy

I don't know what a holy terror would look or sound like. I don't know what colic is. He is neither a terror nor does he have colic. He does however have a screaming issue. Well I have an issue with his screaming. I think we have isolated the cause of it. His mother's dairy consumption. Problem with that is her food pyramid.

Dairy sits at the bottom. Then Carbs. Then sugars. Then Conecuh Sausage. The top, which was full of fruits and vegetables, has been shot off like the sphinx's nose. Never to be seen again. She has valiently tried to cut back on dairy. Give it up cold turkey?! including half and half?! you can forget it. I prefer Mr. The King screaming over her screaming. He doesn't get mad when I ignore him. So, we are tapering/rationing.

Although delicious, it will never be a replacement for
Half and Half first thing in the morning
 with a splash of coffee

This is how my morning started. Apparently mom had milk with her waffles last night

Now? Best Manny Ever

That's us. The American Dream.

the new normal*

baby here.

So a week ago yesterday the latest progeny arrived. It has been a busy week in a sense. Lots of visitors and food dropped by. It has really been great realizing just how many people care about my wife and love holding babies (not necessarily in that order). The boys were in MS with their dad for the week so that worked out great. It was my spring break so no canceled classes.

My new son....

Boys came home yesterday in the midst of lunch with MiMi and 2pop and a remodel of the tree house. We have demoed our dilapidated deck and am re-purposing it into a playhouse/fort under the boys treehouse. It looks like a hog pen according to my mother. I see it as more of a Stay-Puft pen. Speaking of which....

Stay-Puft without naps = Velociraptor

 So, that happened. She can open doors. This happened the same weekend that she refused to nap and realized that she knew how to crawl out of the crib. Excellent timing. I first learned that she could open doors when she chose to open the back door and run away as though she were being chased while laughing manically.

Needless to say that by Sunday, the lack of sleep and excitement that comes with learning new things had her worn out. She fell. She fell a lot. At one point while trying to escape again she ate it pretty well on the street and now is scrapped up on her nose and lip. She didn't cry much. Tough this one. Strong willed is what 2pop called it. Trouble I say.

I sat at the table this morning and looked at the new normal. Its not bad at all.

Well that was quick

So I now have a new baby....

Live blogged on the supermodels Facebook all day as blogger can be shameful. We are all resting now after a bit of a day. Not only is my smoking hot wife a supermodel, she is also the best baby incubator and evacuator I know. I lie in awe as she and lil reezy nap

See I shouldn't have said anything

At hospital. Only 1.5 cm but supermodel is unhappy. Mostly with her cervix. 2pop and Mimi already have the fox so, no big deal. Just got into a room. I feel bad for these folks if they have to send us home. That's a LOT of paper work for "maybe next time."

Home Birth? No thank you.

Just read up on what it would entail to catch the baby. Now mind you I was never a star athlete. My coordination has been likened to a giraffe on roller skates. I am not the guy you pick to play catcher on your code church league softball team. You get my point. Plus the sheer number of towels I would need. Should I go do laundry? Blood? Gore? Afterbirth? No problem. Clean towels and hand eye coordination have me worried.