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Twice Delivered

2011-10-20T12:17:00.000-07:00

Seasons have been passing by quickly and it has been a long time since I've posted anything on this blog.so... I think it's time for an update.
It's fall 2011 ...Homeschooling has been going fairly well this year. Grace is in First Grade, Ethan and Franklin are in Forth Grade, and Brendan, Collin And Daniel are in Sixth Grade. Alyssa is almost done with her nursing program at college. Wow!
The boys Band (Twice Delivered) has greatly improved. They have led worship in front of about a thousand people. The Band has even been requested to play a few gigs and another is one is coming up. Grace has been just amazing with her vocal lessons also. I truly am blessed to have such talented children!

Time...

2009-11-10T16:15:00.000-08:00

Time has been passing by so quickly I can hardly keep up.
Alyssa is doing well in her second year of college .

...Brendan Collin & Daniel are 9 years old.

Ethan and Franklin will be 8 in January.

Grace is 4 but she thinks she's the same age as the boys.

Just a colorful blur filled with joy and trials .

The boys are practicing Christmas songs for their upcomming recital.

Grace is taking ballet and tap dancing.

Alyssa will be home in a couple weeks for Thanksgiving..

....Life is good!

Spelunking Christmas !

2008-12-12T13:21:00.000-08:00

This year, when we Took Alyssa to college in Missouri, It was the last time we were together as a family for a photo. And..Since we traveled to 505 feet below the earth's surface in a Marvelous cave to get this picture.... We thought.. 'This would make a splendid Christmas card'!

...But I thought..something is missing from this picture...

...then it came to me..

..I got the tree!
... Now there's a Christmas card picture!

....Merry Christmas

The Smash Brothers!

2008-12-06T15:00:00.000-08:00

The Boys have been in a bowling league for three years now. It's so cool that all five can be on a team together...They love bowling too..

The first year they took first place, and the second year they were the second place team. We are now almost halfway through their third season and we are currently in first place again.

This year, rather than just using their last name for their team name...They came up with Their own name...

THE SMASH BROTHERS

...And They Smashed Their Competition Again Today!

O Brother, Where ART Thou?

2008-12-05T21:48:00.000-08:00

No...This is not the Soggy Bottom Boys...At least not any more ... (Whoa, I was just having diaper flashbacks for a second.)

The Triplets are just attending their Art class.

Mr. West is a really cool, retired art teacher, who makes himself available to our homeschooling community.

He truly is a gifted artist. Not only do the children learn, but he makes it really fun for them as well.

This class is fantastic!

...And the artwork is pretty amazing too!

The Blue Brothers !

2008-12-03T19:22:00.000-08:00

The boys have all been going to this awesome music academy

Ok..So we don't really have a name for our up and coming band yet, but I'm sure it will be something colorful.

The boys are all taking music lessons, following in the footsteps of their older sister,
Alyssa. (who is still playing the piano while away at college.)

Introducing...

Brendan on the Drum roll..

(Mr. Bobby McManus is his instructor)

Collin kick'in it on the Keyboard

(with his instructor Ms. Elaina)

Daniel on the Lead Guitar

(with his instructor Mr. Chris)

Ethan bang'in out the bass

(with his instructor Mr. Tom)

and lastly.. our Acoustical Genius Franklin

(with his instructor Mr. Ben)

And I thought our house was loud before...

Our neighbors said they were excited about it too...er.. maybe it was elated...ha!

I'm thinking about maybe painting the van and going on the road!

OHHHhhhh Christmas Tree !

2008-12-01T13:02:00.001-08:00

Each year, on the day after Thanksgiving, our family drives up north. We have done this year after year, from the time our oldest daughter, Alyssa, was our 'only' child. We have, over the years, endured; cold, rain, snow, sleet, a very pregnant wife, multiple diaper changes, pushing crying babies in strollers thru snow covered fields, and many other untold dangers...

All in pursuit of........ the most perfect, " McManus Family Christmas Tree"!

This year...was no exception !!!!!

...We picked it out..

We cut it down...

..We brought it in the house and had our traditional cutting of the twine ceremony...WOwwww, it looked smaller in the field !!

Then we decorated it...

Later that night...

...The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.

And Mom up in bed, and I on the couch,
Had just settled down for a ......

.....When out from the other room there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the couch to see what was the matter.
Away to the dining room I flew like a flash,
Then I heard the really loud "CRrraaasshhh"!!!....

..When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But our amazing Christmas tree fallen over...broken bulbs everywhere..geeeeesh..what a mess!

It was just too much for the stand...Sue strongly suggested a smaller tree next year...I think we just need a bigger stand :)

(we cleaned up the mess.. the tree looks awesome again, all strapped to the wall and such.)

Hang Ups!

2008-11-19T18:48:00.000-08:00

There she is... My little fashion statement! Just look at her all bundled up in her matching ensemble. matching scarf, hat, coat. Which can only mean one thing...Its cold out; which means, winter coats; which means, winter coats for a family of 9..Yiiks!

AND...
Our standing coat rack has taken one coat too many, and is now going on to coat rack heaven!

Soooo...
I built a Coat Closet...with 18 hooks...times 2... I hope 36 will be enough!!!

ITS THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!

2008-11-18T13:49:00.000-08:00

My sons were helping me unroll the giant wad of twinkling lights the other day and I could'nt help but think of

Christmas Vacation...

OURS!

Hope you have the Hap -Hap -Hap Happiest Christmas ever!!!

I know we will!!!

Twins!!

2008-11-17T20:53:00.000-08:00

The boys were having a snow day today. It seems everything is done in multiples around here! It has been a very long time since I've posted anything. But I figured now that I'm homeschooling the boys, and they only have their bowling league, music lessons, and Royal Rangers( of which I am the Commander of 15 Boys), not to mention we are also hosting a Small Group, I've got plenty of extra time to post on a blog. Life is Good! Gas prices are reasonable again. Christmas songs are playin on the radio. Alyssa will be coming home for Thanksgiving. Who could ask for anything more!

School is in Session

2007-09-04T16:15:00.000-07:00

Today was our first day of school. It was a great day! The boys did so well, we even did additional lessons .. So after our school day was over, we decided to celebrate with a trip to Pizza Hut. Wow!!!! The place was Packed, standing room only! There were only two employees, and one was the manager/cook. Dirty dishes were stacked to the ceiling,on almost every table, like Leaning Towers of Piza, !!! The salad bar looked like a pack of starving wolves had fought over the last few scraps. The buffet table had only a few slices of pizza and they disappeared like Houdini. People were waiting for like 10 to 15 mins, just to pay their bill, so they could leave!
I thought school would be stressful, but as it turned out it was only our celebration lunch.....

Summer Break Is Over!

2007-09-01T08:12:00.001-07:00

Well. ...I took the summer off from the blog. We had a Great summer! Now I'm back and and I'm ready for school to start. We've purchased all our school supplies (a package of #2 pencils, 2 glue sticks, a box of kleenex and a bag of snacks each). We've also turned our dining room into a classroom, so we are now set to Homeschool.
Are you as smart as a second grader? yikes Er, I daknow... After looking at some of these teaching manuals. I think im going to need a tutor. I don't remember doing this stuff in second grade...as a matter of fact I dont remember second grade at all. I do remember first grade though. There was this kid named Ralph and he cried alot. Sister Donada would say stop crying Ralph, then she would give him a swat with the broom handle. Ralph would of course cry louder. Then he would get another swat, more crying... swat..more crying..etc.. Geesh it was ugly!
Maybe we should take a week off and go on a field trip or somthing, after all I am the principle.

Birthday Wars!

2007-05-09T19:18:00.000-07:00

Well ..Its almost time for another birthday party around here. My triplets will be turning 7, how cool is that!

My wife works every other weekend so we chose her off weekend for the party. Then, another boy in their first grade class, picked the same day..(grumble, grumble)..no problem...I guess we'll do it on Sunday... Then we get a call from another boy's family and they want to have a party that same weekend.

So..now our party's theme is.....~~Star Wars~~... strike that... Birthday Wars!

...I made the invitations!

Only A Little Girl!

2007-05-06T19:58:00.000-07:00

It seemed like just yesterday she was only a little girl. What happened to all that time? The small child who won my heart, from the first time I saw her, is growing up.

Alyssa went to High School prom this weekend. It was almost surreal. ...Life has those moments. Like when you find out your going to have three babies at one time....Or a year later, you find out your going to have two more! Sometimes life can be downright amazing!

She looked like a princess standing there in her Prom dress. I was thinking WOW, she is so beautiful.

Then there was this guy...I remember when she said she didn't even like boys. I am still not ready for this... I almost locked her in her room and told her date that she left with someone else. ... Well, he came to the door in his tuxedo so my wife had to let him in. Then after a few pictures they went to leave...so he walks over to his mom's van and gets in...Then my little princess walks around to the other side, opens her own door and gets in....
Then they drove away... Hmmmm... My wife says to me, "no one would be good enough for you" ...I guess she's right!

She's So Smart!

2007-05-02T08:21:00.000-07:00

Grace is such a big girl! My goodness is she growing up fast. The boys were over 3 years old before they were potty trained, and I told them when it was time to learn. Not Grace, she has been telling me toilet....toilet for a while now. So we got her a toilet. She went the first time I showed her her new little potty..amazing(applause,applause)! I was a little concerned at first, because she kept wanting to stand up, like her brothers.. but she figured it out pretty quick and away she went. Shes so smart! That's my girl..(she takes after her dad ya know).

She is also daddy's big helper. Grace loves to help me empty the dish washer. She hands me one thing at a time and then I put it away. she especially likes to put all the lids on her sippy cups. She's very methodical about it...so different from my boys. So, when she was helping me yesterday, I got sidetracked for a minute, and I was like "Grace"..."Grace"..."where are you Grace". well I found her.. sitting on her new toilet having a drink in her sippy cup... only she cant reach the faucet... I screamed "No Grace" "No" "Bad ukky toilet water"! She started bawling and wanted more..she was very confused..(she must have got that gene from her mom's side of the family). Needless to say we put that cup back in the dishwasher.

Do You Hear What Your Saying?

2007-05-01T05:37:00.000-07:00

I believe, you are what you eat, so to speak. If you eat healthy you will grow healthy. If you put garbage in, you will get garbage out. More importantly, what you put into your children is what you get out. Children aren't only like little sponges, they are also like little mirrors, absorbing and also reflecting the world around them. Children learn far more from our examples then they do from what we tell them. What an awesome and wonderful responsibility parenting is.

It's funny when I hear some of the things my children say. Some of the quips or remarks, they use, are straight from the horses mouth...Me being the horse of course.
I can only give God the thanks that he took my once foul mouth away from me, long before my children were born. Many times, we parents will talk with other adults and act as if our children are oblivious to our conversations, especially if they are really young. Well... they're not... If you don't believe me just listen to your children.

Clean! Clean! Clean!

2007-04-30T14:30:00.000-07:00

OK, I have to admit, I'm a bit of a pack rat(my wife would say that's an understatement). When it comes to saving things,I've got this 'ya never know when you might need this' mentality. But today is a new day! Today I threw that mentality out the window, along with numerous garbage cans full of stuff. I'm on a mission and I'm taking no prisoners.

It's spring cleaning with a vengeance. Even the boys are working. It's amazing how fast five boys can clean a room...like a machine. They're no strangers to cleaning. They've actually had to learn to do more things, at a younger age, than most. I've found that children are much more capable, than many give them credit for. Grace is already starting to help set the table. She also puts her dirty dishes in the sink and throws away her own garbage, and she's not even two yet. I certainly don't put any huge responsibilities on them. But I do expect all of them to clean up when they're done eating, keep their rooms clean and put away their toys before playing with something else.

They've had certain responsibilities pretty much from the start ...so its normal for them. When we have gone to other peoples homes, and they would clean up their mess before we would leave, some of our friends have said 'wow that's amazing how do you get them to do that?'

My Swinging Days Are Over!

2007-04-27T14:33:00.000-07:00

It's gone!... Our family tree is no more!.....When we moved into this house 12 years ago, my wife and I both agreed, we loved this neighborhood because it had so many big old trees. Those trees are slowly disappearing. Little green beetles killed our tree....Our neighborhood will never be the same. I think it's time to move!

I have had many fond memories from that tree. When the triplets were one, I climbed that tree and hung a swing from a branch that was about 20 feet up. I would push the swing so hard, it seemed like they would go a mile before they came back. Some times people driving down our block would stop and watch with a look of terror on their faces.

The boys have used that swing every summer. From the time they were one, they loved that swing. The phrase 'my turn' were some of their first words... then when we had all five boys saying 'my turn','my turn','my turn','my turn','my turn'(kind of like those seagulls in Finding Nemo), I would push them until I nearly passed out...We started using a time limit after that. Last summer when Grace was one, she got to go too...she loved it!. Now the tree is gone and all I have are a few pictures and ...a bad back....

Video Games Are Good!

2007-04-26T08:50:00.000-07:00

I was in the kitchen and found myself whistling along to that old familiar tune. The only thing was, the tune was the theme song from the video game that the boys were playing in the other room. ...I'm thinking, I've definitely heard that song way too much! ..Ohh No!.....My children's minds are being sucked into that black hole called a game console. ..So I went in the other room and turned the game off.

.....Then I read this article online.

The Good Things About Video Games

Good-quality video games offer lots of benefits to kids. They can:

provide a fun and social form of entertainment

encourage teamwork and cooperation when played with others

make kids feel comfortable with technology—particularly important for girls, who don't use technology as much as boys

increase children's self-confidence and self-esteem as they master games

develop skills in reading, math, and problem-solving

improve eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills

...So there you have it, boy was I wrong !...This is just what my kids need ! ..Right up there next to vitamins and exercise! Who am I to deny my children, the wonderful benefits, video games can provide?

...I'll tell ya who I am...I'm the Dad that's who! ...Geesh ...That article had to be written by the same people that are marketing this stuff . ....So ...fun is ok ...but I'm thinking less is more!!!

Maybe we'll make something with paper mache today : )

Tonight is a Fast Food Night!

2007-04-25T10:45:00.001-07:00

It all started when I woke up this morning. I set the alarm wrong and I got up an hour late...

The boys had homework yesterday and it was so nice outside, I told them go out and play, they could do it this morning before school... Oooops!

After We Got in the van the boys were like "Dad you forgot to pack us a snack!"...Oooops!

We got to the school and Collin said "Dad you forgot to put my folder back in my backpack"...Oooops!

"O yea and its library day, at school today and we forgot our library books at home."...Oooops!

When I took Ethan & Franklin in to their preschool class, they immediately told their teacher "Mrs. JoAnna we had cake for breakfast today "...(Another running late improvisation)... Oooops!

Then, when I picked up Brendan, Collin and Daniel they told me they recieved a tardy at school today...Their first one actually... Oooops!

SOoooo ...'TONIGHT IS A FAST FOOD NIGHT!'

I cant wait for homeschooling next year!

We All Scream for Ice Cream!

2007-04-24T08:37:00.000-07:00

The walls were starting to close in around here. It's so nice to finally have good weather. Shorts and tank tops - good! Ice cream outside - good! Bees buzzing - good!....ok so maybe we could do without the yellow jackets..the boys all came running back in the house yelling ..bees...bees!.

Grace has now added the word 'outsi" to her vocabulary... she loves drawing a line with the sidewalk chalk and saying "look dad"..then drawing another line and saying "look dad"..then drawing another line and saying "look dad", you get the picture. I got the boys bikes out of the garage and they rode like the wind bullseye. We grilled steaks on the barby while basking in the sunshine, all is well with the world again!!!

I'm Talk'in Trash Here Folks!

2007-04-18T18:03:00.000-07:00

It's garbage day tomorrow so its time to put the trash out again......geesh!
Have you ever seen so much garbage....I'm talkin trash here folks, complete with poopy diapers and everything. In fact, my garbage men have carried away like tons of those smelly little packages...They'll probably have some kind of party when Grace gets potty trained!

I remember one time, there was this new guy...I was out side and said "Hi", and he says to me.... "Yea your the guy with all the diapers". ....I mean like that's how we were referred to on their route. Hmmm, I guess that's why we had the new guy...we must be some kind of training stop.

Make a Loop Then Wrraaaaap Around It...

2007-04-17T18:03:00.000-07:00

OK..so that's the second time this week I have had to un-tie the double knot on my own gym shoes!...
...I guess after having to tie shoes on 12 different feet, every time we go somewhere, I am now unable to tie a single knot!!

I have decided its time for all of them to learn to tie there own shoes NOW!
Although,it still might be a little difficult for Grace ..since she's not quite two years old yet....and she hates wearing shoes.

Grace does however learn very fast... The other day she was like "toilet" "toilet"...She walks in the bathroom, pulls down her pants... then she stands pressed up to the front of the toilet with the lid up..and raises her shirt. She has definitely been learning from her five older BROTHERS!!!!Ha Ha Ha!

Hey get this....we were in McDonald's this evening and one of the employees comes around the counter..."o my gosh..o my gosh are they?..." to which my wife promptly responds.."triplets and twins"...so then another employee comes around the counter pointing at my kids..and her co-worker fills her in with "triplets and twins" so she says...."O Yea.. I hear a lot of families are doing that these days..."
Ha Ha Ha..My wife and I looked at each other with raised eyebrows and started cracking up!!

Bowling Bonanza!

2007-04-14T10:16:00.000-07:00

Where ever we go people say things like... "O my gosh - you have your own baseball team" ..or "Holy cow - you have your own basketball team"....then there's my personal favorite... WOW - YOU HAVE YOUR HANDS FULL! .....(If I had a $1 for every time I heard that, Donald Trump and I would be traveling in the same circles.)

Anyway we do actually have our very own bowling team, and with only 4 games left in the season, we are still in first place in the league!.. Also, Every week, we wear a different uniform...how cool is that!

An Eggcellent Easter!

2007-04-08T14:43:00.000-07:00

We laughed... We cried... We died......eggs
(...note to self, boil more eggs than you need next time, in case some break!)

6am ..."Dad is it Easter yet"
...'whisper' 'whisper' ...."I saw them"..."me too!!!".."I'm going to look too"...
"DAD IS IT EASTER YET!!!!"

Theres no such thing as too much candy.....that is ..unless your the parent.

The stone's been rolled away
And now His body isn't there....

That's Some Family Tree!

2007-04-05T18:55:00.000-07:00

IF SOMEONE TOLD ME WHEN I WAS YOUNGER THAT SOMEDAY I'D HAVE 7 CHILDREN, I NEVER WOOD HAVE BE-LEAVED THEM!

To Infinity and .....Beyond!!!

2007-04-04T17:39:00.000-07:00

I'm actually stationed at the Gamma Quadrant in Sector Four, as an elite Universe Protection Unit.

A Family of Nine !

2007-04-03T09:59:00.000-07:00

We are Livin Large ...and Life is Good!!

I am the proud father of Seven ... My Oldest Daughter, Alyssa (17), Triplet Boys - Brendan (6) Collin (6) Daniel (6), Twin Boys - Ethan (5) Franklin (5) and The Baby, Grace (21Mos.). My name is Sean and my wonderful wife is Sue. I am a stay at home dad and although challenging at times, raising my children is the most rewarding thing I've ever done.

OK... so I decided to start this blog...and I welcome any comments, tips and or advice....if not I have a bunch myself...so fasten your seat belts this might get a little bumpy.

In the beginning... there was just Sue, Myself and Alyssa. We both worked and Alyssa attended school...it was a simple life, an easy life, no worries.....Then it happened...........dunt dunt- dunt dunt- dunt dunt....The ultrasound!!!!!!Aahhhhh

The last 7 years of my life have gone by like a blur...come to think of it every thing is looking a little blurry lately ..maybe I just need some glasses. Anyway, when the triplets were born, my wife and I both agreed one of us should stay home full time. Sue is a nurse; her benefits were one of the biggest reasons for our decision that it would be me. So I went to part time with my job as a realtor and full time as Super Diaper Changing Dad (without the cape)... Then ...just when I thought it was safe to go back in the water...dunt dunt- dunt dunt- dunt dunt....The ultrasound!!!!!!..Again!!!!Aahhhh...My twins were born ..so I put my career on hold entirely and just held babies instead ..O yea and did I mention diapers( so I got a cape....ok...it just looked like a blankie). Three years later we skipped the ultasound - I just used my x-ray vision......we only had one..Grace ...one-----one is easy...That is unless its a 16 YEAR OLD (teenage)DAUGHTER followed by FIVE SCREEEAMING BOYS and a BABY...Aahhhh!!!
.

Well ...now that the boys are school age and I could finally get a break, we thought ..hey...why not homeschool ..(((putting on cape)))..(actually there are many good reasons, sound reasons to homeschool.......really!). Soooo... starting next fall, we will have our very own classroom full. We are excited about home schooling and are currently looking into different curriculums, desks, chalkboards, crossing guards, counselors, teachers etc...