Sunday, January 26, 2014

Playing outside

William was up in the play equipment...peeking at us through the window.


 He was definitely having fun up there...and his Mimi was a little nervous...I was the same way with Benjamin when he was younger and was up in this part of the equipment. 


 Benjamin was playing a game on my phone before he came out to join the fun!  Actually his dad and Papa were working on planting an avocado tree!
 William decided they needed a little tractor help...




 When William abandoned the tractor, Benjamin took over the work!



 You can see the avocado tree...not yet planted!

 Benjamin was helping with moving the dirt...

Papa was busy digging the hole for the tree...but he definitely had a lot of help!

Monday, January 20, 2014

Five Hours

Benjamin and I headed to the park...to the park fairly close to his house...one of the days we were there at the beginning of January.  It was a gorgeous day...absolutely beautiful. 
He asked me if I could do this...can't remember what he called it, but he kept demonstrating how to do it on one side.  This came on the heels of our discussion of winking.

I wish I'd taken a picture of his winking.  Priceless!  I told him I couldn't wink and he would demonstrate and then tell me I just needed to practice!
 There was one 6 year old boy there that asked Benjamin if he wanted to play.   Benjamin is a bit shy around people he doesn't know...and so he was with this little guy. 
 He had a remote-controlled helicopter that he was asking Benjamin if he wanted to play with...Benjamin was intrigued...but shy... He told the boy that he had a remote controlled car...and all about it, but he wasn't taking the bait for the helicopter.
 The boy was persistent....and Benjamin finally began to play with him and his helicopter.  They had a blast and probably played for about an hour!  I enjoyed watching all this...and ended up spending a lot of time visiting with this little guys mom. 
 When they left, Benjamin and I wandered over to the playground we had originally been heading for. 
  He told me he wished Emerson were there...

He was wanting to go up the slide...the big slide...but there were a LOT of kids there, running up and down the stairs, whooping and hollering, having a grand time.  It was actually a lot of kids from a day-care type place.  Well, Benjamin was not wanting to get in the middle of all of them.  I kept encouraging him to go on and just join them. 

He held back...

Eventually, we ventured over to a different part of the same play area but it had less kids.  Not a lot less, but they weren't as rowdy.  He went right up the steps to get to the slide...but then came back down the steps...not sure of all the kids storming into the opening where you came down the slide.  He'd watch a while, then start up...

There was an alternate way up which was inside the 'trunk'...with a rope ladder to climb.  He really wanted to climb that, but was a bit hesitant.  Kids were dashing in and out...

I just continued to encourage him...
 Finally...I saw him go in the stair area that led up...

and down he came.  That's all it took...just one time, and then he joined right in with the others, jockeying for position to slide down...coming down laughing and ready to keep going.

 His sunglasses were cracking me up.  He kept them on the entire time.  They weren't fitting exactly on his nose, but he wore them anyway.  The sun was VERY intense and bright that day!  (I loved it!)
 After his initial slide, he was all over the playground...
 He decided he wanted to slide down the pole... I told him I'd help him at first.  He was pretty high up and you have to reach out to grab the pole...but he didn't hesitate...down he came...about 10 times!
 Next thing I knew, he was going inside the trunk to climb up to slide...

From there, he took off running toward the original slides he wanted to come down.  Up he went without any hesitation.....

We took a break and sat at a table and ate granola bars...and he was ready to play some more...

Five hours after arriving, he finally decided he was ready to go home.  I don't remember what time he went to bed that night, but he had definitely had a full day of fun and play!

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Eleven Years!

 Eleven years ago today, we were all in San Luis Obispo...
 celebrating...
 having fun...



and now...eleven years later, we have 2 little men who have joined Lindsey and Donnie...who have joined our families...

Happy, happy anniversary!

Sunday, January 12, 2014

New Year's Day pic of Gabe and Emerson


 On January 1, Ron and I took off to head to Lindsey's.  Along the way, we stopped at an In n'Out Burger for lunch with Gabe and Emerson.  It was a short visit...but I was happy to see them on New Year's Day!


 Happy New Year!

Sunday, January 05, 2014

Christmas

 Christmas!  I love this time of year...especially when I have family around me.  Little people and their excitement...I just love it!
 Last year, Emerson was mesmerized by the tree, the lights, the gifts underneath.  Last year and this year, too, he would just sit and stare at the tree.  I would wonder what he was thinking about...  both years, after looking at the tree for a long while, he'd begin to pick up packages to see who they were to.
 If his name was on one, his eyes would get a bit larger, "It's for me!"  or "It says EMERSON!"
 Last year he piled his presents up, but this year, he separated them into piles.  When he was finished, I asked him if he was going to put them back under the tree.

"No"

Ok, that's Ok...so that's how they stayed!
 He took a break every once in a while to check out the score of whatever game was on...
 At one point I asked him to stand over by the tree.  I just LOVE this picture...he's just standing there so straight and tall!
The next morning, he opened his stocking first.  He was VERY excited about his SF 49ers cup!
 He wasn't sure what this was...it was a balsa wood airplane...
 Silly String?  "What's that?" he asked.

 He thought it a bit amusing that Santa would have put a 'cutie' in his stocking...no, 2 cuties!!!




He was enjoying watching his Dad dive into his stocking...



 and his Papa dive into his stocking...


 After stockings, we started to open presents...
 Emerson opened 3 action figures...Two Captain America's and one...never can remember the other one's name...he was red??
 Emerson loved handing the presents out.  Here was one for his Dad....
 Binoculars!

 Now it was Papa's turn...
 and Emerson's....
 another for Papa...

 Oh my...more binoculars!
 Back to Emerson...
 Among other things, he got two books on Monster Trucks...

Mimi got a mouse from Papa...
 This was great.  There was a lot of curling ribbon on the packages, which made them hard to open.  Emerson became the official cutter of the curling ribbon!

 Oh boy!  A track for monster trucks.  He got one from ... I think from his Mama...but here was a different one from his Dad...


There was one last gift under the tree with a name beginning with an E... 
 Monopoly Junior!  Another present from his Dad.  Emerson definitely likes to play games...

 I actually posted on this JohnstonChronicles out of order!  (I try to always write these posts in order)..but I already posted us playing Monopoly Junior...but here is where the fun with that game began!
Gifts...I love to give gifts...and when little ones are so excited...well, it adds excitement for all of us!

Merry Christmas!  

(a bit late!)