This is where it all started, but the time has come to move on to a new blog that features the adventures of both John and Nicholas. Click on the link below to take you to the new blog: John and Nicholas Rule the World
We took Nicholas and John over to LACMA to kill some time. John talked us into going to lunch at the grill at the museum (excellent food), but we also decided to visit the Boone Children's Gallery to see what kind of activity our boys could do. It was a Korean Brush Painting exercise. John wasn't too keen on it, but Nicholas made great strides in his first attempt at painting. We ended our trip by visiting Metropolis II. It was super cool and AWESOME!
John is quite partial to his wubbies. He actually has a few that he calls his softees. Those are his favorites. He can't sleep with the softees. God help us if we ever lose those because we would be lost. As you can see from the photo, he really loves cuddling with his wubbies. I don't blame him. They really are soft.
It had been some time since we'd visited Joey's Gym. Actually, it has probably been about two years since we visited, so we thought it might be a fun way for the boys to spend some time. Nicholas was as excited as I'd ever seen him. He made himself at home immediately. John was a little different. He was a bit more reserved, but he warmed up soon enough. As a matter of fact, he got so comfortable with the balance beam that he could walk across it without any assistance from anyone. If he could walk back and forth on the beam for the rest of his days, he'd be a happy camper. Needless to say, the boys will be back. John is already asking how many more days until next Sunday.
John ran into our room to tell us about the "beautiful sunrise" that he saw from the living room window bright and early Sunday morning. Nicholas joined us about 10 minutes later and we just watched Scooby Doo until about 7 AM. At that point, we headed out to the living room to see the surprises left behind by the Easter Bunny.
Next, Maureen made a lovely pancake breakfast. The boys didn't like the chocolate chip pancakes since they'd never had them before, but John really liked the regular pancakes made from Uncle Err's recipe. As usual, Nicholas was his finicky self and really didn't get to enjoy the pancakes. He wanted to go back to his candy that the Easter Bunny left him. Actually, he wanted to eat the candy that he left for both boys. John isn't really big on chocolate, so I think he's ok with our little chocolate thief.
After Maureen and I had some breakfast, it was time to head to the courtyard for a nice Easter egg hunt. The boys were very excited to pick up their eggs in their baskets. At first, they gravitated toward their favorite colors (John-Blue Nicholas-Orange), but after some prodding on my part, they figured out that they could get eggs of any color. They had so much fun looking for eggs that we decided to have a second hunt by hiding the eggs again. Once again, the boys grabbed their favorite colors first and then went after the rest. We headed back upstairs for a nice rest and some lunch before we headed out to Malibu and the San Fernando Valley to visit family.
So, after a little lunch, we headed out to Malibu to see Maureen's side of the family. There was a bit of traffic on PCH and John kept on saying that we should just turn around and go home. I told him that we were past the point of no return and that we just had to sit through traffic. Sure enough, when he saw his cousins, Thomas and Nicholas, his tune changed. Now, we had to stay at the Easter Gala as Cousin Adriana called it. The boys were fascinated by the koi pond. Thomas, being the oldest, was the leader. He kept on trying to touch them. John, being a bit of a dandy, just looked on. Nicholas Edward followed Thomas and kept on trying to touch them. Little Nick just wandered around and looked adorable. A little later, Cousin Adriana showed up and joined in on the bubble blowing fun. All in all, the boys had a good time and had loads of fun with their cousins. They can't wait to see them again at Thanksgiving or Christmas. If you remember last Thanksgiving, a rugby match broke out among Thomas, John and Nicholas. This year, Nick is going to get in on the fun.
After that, we headed over to the Gonzalez residence for some more fun with the Gonzalez cousins. Good Lord, it was overwhelming for the boys. They were so tired, but they had so much fun at Mami and Papi's. There was a special Easter Egg hunt and John and Nicholas scored made out like bandits. Actually, Nicholas started to take John's candy yet again. We need to watch that one. He's very quick with the hands. If we are not careful, he may be like his Uncle Robert who once took a candy from the Hi Lo store on Sepulveda at Nordhoff. Anywho, the evening ended shortly thereafter when John got a bit of an injury on his foot. He always gets injured around Easter. The boys had a good day and got to see their family. I'd say it was an excellent day, wouldn't you?
In case we hadn't mentioned it, John just LOVES to eat at restaurants. Usually, he'll ask to go to his favorite, Tony P's, but on Saturday, he kept on saying, "I'm hungry" as we shopped at Cost Plus at the Farmers Market. We figured that he probably wanted to go to Woodranch Grill; however, that doesn't open until 11:30. Since it was 10:30, we decided to kill some time and walk around The Grove. As we were meandering about, I remembered the Cheesecake Factory. John was intrigued by the name of a restaurant with cake in the title. He said, "I want to go to the cake restaurant." As we went up the escalator, they had a lovely display case with all the cheesecakes one could imagine. He was in heaven. This was the best place next to Tony P's because we got to sit on the terrace overlooking The Grove. Since he was good and ate his lunch, we said he could have a piece of cake. As usual, he only ate the frosting, but he really did enjoy it. He was quite fond of the whipped cream as well.
In case you were wondering, Nicholas ate bread and "cheechas". He was good enough to earn a scoop of vanilla ice cream with whipped cream. It didn't have any chocolate sauce, so I think his shirt escaped the chocolate curse.
John woke up at 6 AM this morning. He ran into our room this morning at 6:07 AM to let us know he was awake. He also informed us that he'd gone to the living room and saw something. I asked him, "What?" since I knew the Easter bunny had dropped off a few baskets for the boys. He said, "I saw the beautiful sunrise." What 3, almost 4, year old boy says things like that. Anyway, he also informed us that Nicholas was being a sleepyhead and that it was time to watch Scooby Doo.
Sure enough, we had to watch Scooby Doo. Shortly after that, little Sleepyhead staggered into the room and decided to climb up on the bed and cuddle. Neither had any clue about the great surprise that awaited them in the living room.
A couple of weeks ago, John went to his classmate's birthday party at My Gym. As you can see from the photos, he had a great deal of fun. He was so brave and even rode the zip line. I never thought I'd see the day when my little Johnny Fraidy Cat would go on the zip line.
As you know, John is now a fan of the Yellow Balloon. His stylist, Vic, does wonders for his hair. Actually, I think he just likes the popcorn and lollipops that he gets, but that's just me. Finally, his shaggy hippie hair is closer to where I'd like it to be.
John asked Maureen if he could go get a fancy shirt so she could take him to a nice lunch at Tony P's one day after school. He's a bit of a dandy in that way. They went to H&M and picked up a nice button down blue shirt. I must say John looked rather smart in his outfit. Of course, he was able to talk his mother into taking him to Tony P's for lunch. He's a smooth operator like that. It's hard to say no to him because he ALWAYS has a counter offer that sounds just as good as the first offer.
On Saturday, the 24th, John's school had a nice function called Dad's Day to Play. The kids invited their dads or grandpas to school to show them around and play. It was quite nice to see them have fun in their classroom. They sang some songs and we played all sorts of fun games.
After an hour, it was time to go out on the playground and have some fun on the slides and in the sand. As most know, I detest the sand, but John just loved to roll around in it. What was I to do? It was a good day for all because we topped it off by heading over to Tony P's for lunch. Nicholas and Mama joined us for that fun lunch. John enjoyed his special tiny hot fudge sundae.
John is always fashion forward in thought and deed. His Godparents were kind enough to give him some sunglasses a couple of years ago. Until recently, he didn't want anything to do with his shades. As you can see, he wears them quite happily these days. I think he's just happy that he's going to school. Then again, maybe he is too resplendent and needs to wear his shade to protect himself. It's good to be Johnny
Even though the libraries are being shut down due to government inefficiencies, that didn't stop John from acquiring a library card. I didn't get a library card until I was in the fourth grade. Even then, it was a cheap piece of paper. John's card is a nice plastic card with a magnetic strip like a credit card. He's proud to posses a library card and was happy to take out a few books from our local branch. He was even kind enough to check out a book for Nicholas.
One of the treats of my weekly trips to Golden Apple is that John will get a special treat, a Scooby Doo comic book, every so often. He thinks they come out every week. He doesn't quite get that Scooby Doo is a monthly, not a weekly periodical. Anyway, this was John's lucky day as you can see. He's quite entranced by the going ons in the book. I bet the gang finds a ghost or spooky creepy character that turns out to be Old Man Withers. It never fails.
It was a lovely day for a stroll this week and Maureen decided to take the boys to the big fountain for some kickety-kick ball. John worked up quite a thirst and had to pound a coffee to keep going. Actually, it was just milk, but the look on his face would have you think otherwise.
As most of you know, John has a little girl named Daisy (she has Maureen's eyes). He takes her almost everywhere he goes. He takes his role as parent very seriously. He loves to feed her, bathe her, and also put her to sleep. He puts her to sleep with a very comfy pillow and a nice cashmere blanket (nothing but the best for his little girl).
In case you are wondering, Nicholas loves Daisy as well. He's a good uncle when John lets him take care of her which isn't all that often.
Nicholas wanted some cookies and John was more than happy to oblige. As you know, John is quite handy when it comes to the kitchen. He's a great executive chef when it comes to preparing meals. He's even good at baking cookies. I think it's his hat that gives him his edge.
John was relatively good today and he ate his dinner, a turkey and cheese sandwich. I decided it would be a good time to reward him with a chocolate ice cream cone. There are very specific rules when he eats an ice cream cone at home. The most important is to sit in his red chair and eat it at his dinner table. Needless to say, the joy of the chocolate ice cream kept him in his chair. He got a little on his shirt, but a little soaking over night and it'll be good as new.
Our John is good. Somehow, he is always able to talk us into taking him to shopping malls to visit train rides. I have no idea how he does it, but he gets the job done. Naturally, Nicholas gets to enjoy our trips as well, so he should give his big brother a bit of thanks.
We have a large courtyard behind our building. There is also a nice little playground. The boys love to play outside. I'm so pleased they like to go outside and actually look away from the tv.
Maureen was going to meet Andrea for lunch at The Grove and the boys were going to tag along. When Maureen told John that they were going to see Andrea, he said, "The one that sings (and he started to sing this),'Tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime to saaaaaaaaaaaaaay Gooooooooodbye....'?" Apparently, Andrea Bocelli is the only one with that name. As you can see, John was ok with the Andrea he went to lunch with. He even let her take him on the trolley.
John is quite partial to his wubbies. He actually has a few that he calls his softees. Those are his favorites. He can't sleep with the softees. God help us if we ever lose those because we would be lost. As you can see from the photo, he really loves cuddling with his wubbies. I don't blame him. They really are soft.
It had been some time since we'd visited Joey's Gym. Actually, it has probably been about two years since we visited, so we thought it might be a fun way for the boys to spend some time. Nicholas was as excited as I'd ever seen him. He made himself at home immediately. John was a little different. He was a bit more reserved, but he warmed up soon enough. As a matter of fact, he got so comfortable with the balance beam that he could walk across it without any assistance from anyone. If he could walk back and forth on the beam for the rest of his days, he'd be a happy camper. Needless to say, the boys will be back. John is already asking how many more days until next Sunday.
Next, Maureen made a lovely pancake breakfast. The boys didn't like the chocolate chip pancakes since they'd never had them before, but John really liked the regular pancakes made from Uncle Err's recipe. As usual, Nicholas was his finicky self and really didn't get to enjoy the pancakes. He wanted to go back to his candy that the Easter Bunny left him. Actually, he wanted to eat the candy that he left for both boys. John isn't really big on chocolate, so I think he's ok with our little chocolate thief.
After Maureen and I had some breakfast, it was time to head to the courtyard for a nice Easter egg hunt. The boys were very excited to pick up their eggs in their baskets. At first, they gravitated toward their favorite colors (John-Blue Nicholas-Orange), but after some prodding on my part, they figured out that they could get eggs of any color. They had so much fun looking for eggs that we decided to have a second hunt by hiding the eggs again. Once again, the boys grabbed their favorite colors first and then went after the rest. We headed back upstairs for a nice rest and some lunch before we headed out to Malibu and the San Fernando Valley to visit family.
So, after a little lunch, we headed out to Malibu to see Maureen's side of the family. There was a bit of traffic on PCH and John kept on saying that we should just turn around and go home. I told him that we were past the point of no return and that we just had to sit through traffic. Sure enough, when he saw his cousins, Thomas and Nicholas, his tune changed. Now, we had to stay at the Easter Gala as Cousin Adriana called it. The boys were fascinated by the koi pond. Thomas, being the oldest, was the leader. He kept on trying to touch them. John, being a bit of a dandy, just looked on. Nicholas Edward followed Thomas and kept on trying to touch them. Little Nick just wandered around and looked adorable. A little later, Cousin Adriana showed up and joined in on the bubble blowing fun. All in all, the boys had a good time and had loads of fun with their cousins. They can't wait to see them again at Thanksgiving or Christmas. If you remember last Thanksgiving, a rugby match broke out among Thomas, John and Nicholas. This year, Nick is going to get in on the fun.
After that, we headed over to the Gonzalez residence for some more fun with the Gonzalez cousins. Good Lord, it was overwhelming for the boys. They were so tired, but they had so much fun at Mami and Papi's. There was a special Easter Egg hunt and John and Nicholas scored made out like bandits. Actually, Nicholas started to take John's candy yet again. We need to watch that one. He's very quick with the hands. If we are not careful, he may be like his Uncle Robert who once took a candy from the Hi Lo store on Sepulveda at Nordhoff. Anywho, the evening ended shortly thereafter when John got a bit of an injury on his foot. He always gets injured around Easter. The boys had a good day and got to see their family. I'd say it was an excellent day, wouldn't you?
John asked Maureen if he could go get a fancy shirt so she could take him to a nice lunch at Tony P's one day after school. He's a bit of a dandy in that way. They went to H&M and picked up a nice button down blue shirt. I must say John looked rather smart in his outfit. Of course, he was able to talk his mother into taking him to Tony P's for lunch. He's a smooth operator like that. It's hard to say no to him because he ALWAYS has a counter offer that sounds just as good as the first offer.
As most of you know, John has a little girl named Daisy (she has Maureen's eyes). He takes her almost everywhere he goes. He takes his role as parent very seriously. He loves to feed her, bathe her, and also put her to sleep. He puts her to sleep with a very comfy pillow and a nice cashmere blanket (nothing but the best for his little girl).
