Tummy Time

Tummy time... I don't remember using this term 29 years ago. Most of the time was tummy time because that's what the doctors and baby specialist recommended...lay your baby on their tummy to sleep.

Not anymore. Now you lay them on their back. Now, tummy time is what you do to encourage them to raise their heads and strengthen their upper body...I think.

Tummy time has not been one of Benjamin's favorite activities. Emerson didn't like it in the beginning but all of a sudden one day, UP he went...and now he can do his tummy time for quite a while. I went to post photos of Emerson during his Tummy Time, and realized...they're all on my cellphone! ( How in the world do you get those on a computer?) The last time I was with Benjamin, I cheered him on as I gave him some tummy time and up his little cute head came.


This is Lindsey, Benjamin's sweet mama on March 31, 1981...she was born on February 19, 1981 - you can do the math. She wasn't even two months old and look at that tummy time!

When I saw these photos, I was thinking about how young Lindsey was compared to Benjamin and Emerson...and I figured it was probably because she was on her tummy so much, it encouraged her to raise her head up sooner.

Benjamin was looking at me, wondering if he should make me squeal and holler and cheer...
Oh, come on Little Man!
Go ahead, use that cute little arm to push yourself up...
He was thinking how much fun this was...looking at himself in the mirror that was on the toy in his bed...
Tummy time... part of the new mama vocabulary!

Greetings from our little men

Our little men send their greetings, their best wishes to their friends at the Johnston Chronicles. They told me they were really looking forward to Thanksgiving when we, hopefully, will all be together...and everyone can see each other.

The Rocking Chair

On November 10, 1901, my grandfather was born...

On November 10, 1902, my grandfather was given this rocking chair.

On April 12, 1928, my mom's first birthday, she was given this rocking chair. That's the photo above. I don't remember when I got the rocking chair. I don't remember that we ever had it in our home when I was growing up...but after we moved to California, I brought it home. I know Mimi gave it to me, but I don't remember when. I know I didn't have it when Joshua was a baby, but here is Gabe in it... this was Easter of 1979, which means Gabe was about 6 months old.
Over Labor Day when Benjamin and Emerson came to visit, I put them in the rocking chair... the rocking chair that has never been refinished...that I don't want to refinish...
It's obviously not their first birthdays...
and they don't look overly excited about their rocking experience...
but eventually they'll probably fight over who gets to sit in it...

and that will make me smile...

I love this rocking chair, with the arms that have been worn from my grandfather, my mom, me, and my children rocking in it, rubbing their little hands over the wood....

He would be proud of me!

My dad...

He was a golfer....he loved to golf...he practiced his swing all the time, whether he had a club in his hand or not. He also smoked a pipe... this was my dad.He walked many golf courses in his day...
I will walk on many golf courses...but I don't smoke a pipe...
but I'm practicing my swing...
Today was the first day of golf lessons with my buddies, Lynne, Pam, and Jane.
When I mentioned to my guy that I was going to take golf lessons, he just looked at me,

"Golf?"

"Yeah, golf," I said.

"You don't look like a golfer," was the first thing out of his mouth.

"WHAT? Does Pam look like a golfer?"

"No."

"Does Lynne look like a golfer?"

Again there was a "No," and a little chuckle.

"Does Jake look like a golfer?"

"Yeah, she does," was his answer.

Jake actually does play golf... but I don't know what a golfer is suppose to look like...

Well, we had a grand time...

My dad would be proud of me, even if my guy doesn't agree!

401

I just realized that my last post was my 400th post on the Johnston Chronicles!

How perfect that it was of my little men! I don't know why that is perfect, but it is.
In honor of this being the 401st post, I decided I should post 401 photos of my little men,
just kidding.

But I am going to post some of the many I took last weekend.

Emerson

Benjamin

Mimi giving kisses to Emerson

Mimi giving Benjamin a bath

Papa playing with Emerson

Papa showing Benjamin how to bang on the gong he bought Mimi for her birthday

Emerson not happy because Papa wasn't throwing him up in the air

Benjamin modeling his cloth diaper for his Mimi

Emerson happier now that Papa is ready to lift him up in the air again

Benjamin wondering how many hundreds of pictures he has to pose for in this diaper

Emerson with his mama

Benjamin with his mama

Emerson loving to be with his mama, especially in his Mimi and Papa's backyard

Benjamin having fun standing on his Mimi and Papa's table

Emerson sitting in a bumbo

Benjamin hanging out in his Mimi's sink - well, in his and Emerson's tub in his Mimi's sink.

Emerson VERY happy being up in the air above his Papa

Benjamin in his little preppie shirt

Emerson OVERJOYED to be up in the air above his Papa!!!

Benjamin, after his bath, enjoying kisses from his mama

Oh, how we love our little men. I get to see them again in approximately 8 days! Oh boy!

My Little Men

Our little men came to visit this past weekend.

They brought their parents with them.

Their Mimi and Papa absolutely loved having them visit.

In the mornings, they would come in and wake me up. Actually, their parents were probably wanting breakfast, a cooked breakfast, so they knew I'd want to wake up and snuggle with my boys...which was step one of getting me awake..

Actually, Benjamin's mama was cooking breakfast herself....Benjamin and Emerson hanging out with Mimi in their jammies!Emerson

Benjamin

After their walks...

Oh, how we love our little men!