Eating solid food

I love this picture... besides absolutely loving this little man, I love these little red courdoroy overalls! They remind me of photos when I was a little one...nostalgic!
Do you get the idea this Daddy just adores his little man?
The title of this post has to do with these photos. Benjamin, who will be 8 months old Saturday, hasn't had much 'solid' food...but, I think it was about New Year's Eve, he had his first banana. This photo is not that day, but shortly after. Look at him...he's wanting some of that banana...
He loves the spoon... looks like the bowl is empty. Notice his placemat?
Yummers!!!
He went from 100% nursing, to feeding himself! (not really)
Looks like more banana..or maybe homemade rice cereal...
Notice his placemat?
Benjamin is already a lover of history. He likes to study the Presidents as he munches on his banana, his rice cereal, his avocados, or simply the spoon...
He said he was wondering what presidents do?

No comment from his Mimi on that one.
Apple? Benjamin was wondering what in the world THAT would taste like.
His daddy decided to let him have a taste...
Um?
I don't know what Benjamin thought about that apple...
I guess he liked it, considering he wanted more!

We're taking off this afternoon to go see both of our little men! Tonight, we'll get to Gabe, Emily, and Emerson's!!! I'm sure Emerson will be asleep when we get there...but maybe....? In the morning, before my meeting, I'll get to hold and kiss my little man... then after my meeting, my other little man, along with Linz and Donnie, will be there.....

Tomorrow night, oh boy, both of my little men.... One happy Mimi, for sure!

My Lineage

My great-grandparents...Pa and Meemaw

These were Mimi's parents...

Pa and Meemaw...
Granddad and Mimi...
Mom and Dad

I love these...and decided I need/I want to get a good black and white of my guy and I...of Joshua and Erica...of Gabe and Emily...of Lindsey and Donnie... There's just something about black and white photos that I love...

Of course, these are all of people I love!

A Saga

I love technology, but as I said in an earlier post, it drives me nuts when it doesn't work!

Such is the case with my new printer...my p703 All-in-One printer...my printer that is wireless... that prints, scans, and copies.

Well, at least it's suppose to!

Print? check
Copy? check
Scan? very seldom

I love old photos...and as you may have realized, old photos weren't digital...so I scan them and make them into a digital copy. There have been a few days when it worked just like it was suppose to....most days, no.

3 or 4 times, I've been on the phone with DELL for 3 - that's THREE - hours...and each time they uninstalled and reinstalled my printer...and each time they assured me it was absolutely fixed. And each time, when I went to scan the following day, it would revert back to the original behavior....maybe scan one time, then "connection failed."

Wednesday or Thursday, I sent an email to the last guy who had helped me...AND his boss ... AND some other DELL executive whose email I found... AND another DELL PR guy...

Friday, I heard from the guy who had helped me last time - from New Delhi, India - who, by the way, I could totally understand and who was very patient, very helpful, and who I noted, saw the adorable photo of Emerson and Benjamin on my desktop. He commented on how adorable they were, so...he went up in my estimation! Anyway, as nice as he was, the problem wasn't fixed. However, when he called Friday...after all my emails went out to DELL... he told me they were sending me a new printer... a better printer!Hopefully, it will be better...and more old photos will appear on the JohnstonChronicles... my baby girl is almost 29 years old... I need to start scanning!Lindsey and Donnie at one of Benjamin's baby showers...wearing hats that were gifts for their little man!

January 19th

7 years ago...January 19th, 2003...

We were in San Luis Obispo for Lindsey and Donnie's beautiful wedding!
What a grand time it was...not only their marriage, but meeting new family...the blending of two families.

I remember so well the first time I met Donnie. I had heard his name from Lindsey - they were just friends, good friends. I had gone to SLO to stay with a friend who had a home on the beach...well, I had actually gone to see Lindsey, but my friend, Mickie, had the home and offered to let me stay.

Lindsey was going to stay the night there, too...but she was busy earlier on this one particular night. When she arrived, late, she was with Donnie...and someone else who I can't remember. We all sat and talked awhile...actually Donnie and whoever else it was, were standing...I remember that. I have no recollection what Donnie said, but I remember he made me laugh and I remember his wit. It was a 'feeling' I had too, that this was a great guy.

As Lindsey walked outside with Donnie as he was leaving that night, I turned to Mickie and I distinctly remember saying, "THAT'S the kind of guy I would love Lindsey to marry!"

I don't remember if that was the first or second time I had met him. One time, which was probably the same trip, I had just driven in, called Lindsey, and she and Donnie were at a Denny's or something like that - and they were studying. Studying...that hasn't changed. They both love to learn...to study...

Prophetic? I don't know, but we couldn't have been happier!
Here it is 2010... 7 years later... and Benjamin has joined the family!
Happy Anniversary, Lindsey and Donnie...
Happy 7th Anniversary!
Benjamin is a lucky little man!

These next photos were taken on their anniversary bowling night! Benjamin had a great time, too!

Being a grandparent

Papa and Thalia

Thalia ... our granddaughter ... taught us well... taught us how to be grandparents, how wonderful it is to be a grandparent... we so love her!
Thalia and Mimi

We love...absolutely love being 'Mimi and Papa'... Thalia called us that first, and now that's what we call ourselves to Emerson and Benjamin...
Joshua and Saddie

Joshua was Saddie's first grandson...
Joshua and Daddy

Joshua was my dad's first grandchild.... He loved to rock Joshua...and walk with him... he called him "Big Josh"...
Sid and Joshua

Joshua was Sid's first grandchild... he taught Joshua how a horse eats corn...I think this was taken in April, 1979...

Joshua and Gabrial... they were the only two grandchildren my dad ever knew... Mimi and I

I was Mimi's first grandchild... I loved her so incredibly much...and that's why I wanted to be called "Mimi"...because of my Mimi...Mimi and I, Christmas 1955

I've been sitting here thinking about how much I love my grandkids...and how I would love to see them more often... so I went back into some old photos I had scanned...

and thus, this post!

1971

December 28, 1971

My guy and me... celebrating his award as MVP for our high school football team.

He was a stud... his nickname was 'Lightning' ... because he was a running back and was so fast on the field...
Yep, this is us 39 years ago!

I don't ever remember Jo and Sid having that short of a Christmas tree, though! This was in their living room, the room that was hardly ever used! Ahh! This is actually 1972...probably in May... and I had just gotten my first car. My guy called it "the Pinto Bean"...

I believe it cost $2100... and it cost about $2.50 to fill it up... it was a stick-shift, my first. I remember learning to drive it...mom in the front seat, my guy in the back...and me trying to take off on the hill of Lochwood Blvd...with a car behind me...and rolling...putting on the emergency brake...switching seats with my mom...my guy snickering in the backseat! Memories...

He always made fun of me and my Pinto...

Until we got married and it became his car, too. Then he would talk real sweet to it, "Come on girl, you're good!"

She served us well...

6.5 and Cowboys

At 4:27 p.m. today, we had a 6.5 earthquake hit. I was talking on the phone to Lindsey, and I'll could say was 'OH MY GOSH'...over and over... I knew it was HUGE because the house was moving ... really moving... more, I think, than any other earthquake we've had.

Fortunately, we had no damage...nothing broke...I don't know how, not with the way things were moving. However, some of our channels were knocked off the air, not all of them, but some. One of which, was the channel the Dallas Cowboys were on! My guy kept checking...nothing!

Finally, I thought about the internet...and so I tried to find a way to watch it online. I couldn't find a place that didn't ask you to pay or to give other information that I didn't want to give.

THEN... I thought about SKYPE!
I called my baby brother...

I asked him to turn on his computer... to turn on SKYPE....
He did... and put his computer in front of his TV...
So we watched the Cowboys... and were able to cheer them along with my brother... my brother who is 2000 miles away!

Technology... it's great when it works!

And... yeehaw for the Cowboys!