Christmas Day

Gingerbread House Making Is Fun Making

Look Who These Boys Visited

 This year, it was extra special since we visited on Nicholas' birthday. AND, neither boy cried!!! Thanks to Thomas and Percy for helping keep Nicholas under control.

At Long Last, His 2nd Birthday

 He really seemed to enjoy his birthday this year. He was more aware of what was going on and he really liked his cake.

Singing Christmas Songs on Stage at The Farmer's Market

Nicholas climbed up on a stage at the Farmer's Market yesterday when he saw another little boy skylarking on the stage.  After he settled down, he decided to sing some Christmas songs to entertain those who were milling about.  It was mostly just John, Maureen, and I, but the boy is entertaining.  I do believe this is his first time on a stage of any kind.

Hanging Out at the Grove with Santa

No tears this year!

Happy Happy Birthday from Kelly and Chica

He's famous like that.

Happy Birthday Nicholas

It's fifteen minutes long, so I really don't think many will sit through this.

Not Quite the Big Boy Bed

 Last night at about 2:30 AM, I hear Maureen scream, "OH MY GOD!"  I freak out thinking, "Good God!  What is going on!"  It turns out our Nicholas had decided to try to climb out of his crib.  Somehow, he managed to stay in the crib even with his legs dangling in the air.  He's either a gymnast or God was looking out for us.

After discussing many options (i.e. tent crib, air mattress), Maureen remembered that we could convert the crib to a toddler bed.  As soon as the conversion was complete, Nicholas was in heaven.  He couldn't wait to go to sleep in it and he made sure to place all his friends like Glow Worm, Teddy, Scout the Dog, Elmo, and Dinosaurs in there.  He kept on climbing in and saying "Night Night" over and over again as you can see from the video. Sadly, he wasn't as enthusiastic about it when the time came to go to sleep.  It took about 30-minutes for him to settle down before he realized that he had no choice in the matter.  Let's hope he gets a good night's sleep.

He woke up at 8:15.  I found him in the middle of the room.  He was dazed and confused.  I immediately picked him up and put him back in the crib after patting his back for about 5 minutes.

A Thanksgiving Photo Essay

Nicholas likes to sing "Follow" at the end of the song.

Thanksgiving Rugby

Someone Is A Little Bruiser

I like the way Nicholas just jumps on the pile after the tackle.

Someone Really Loves Ice Cream

To wrap up our afternoon on Larchmont today, we headed over to 31 Flavors for a nice bit of ice cream.  I think watching Nicholas eat ice cream is one of the most entertaining things I can possibly do.  He starts out with a spoon going into the mouth.  After a while, he just starts picking the ice cream off the spoon with his hands.  It's quite hilarious when he takes a big chunk of ice cream and gets brain freeze from it.  You think that might stop him from doing it again, but no, he'll do it again in a minute or two.

The Birth of a Stunt Man

I just love that he tells us he's ok after he falls each time.  

The Destroyer

I just call him the destroyer.  He just enjoys breaking defenseless corrugated cardboard haunted houses.

Happy Birthday Uncle Robert

Everything Is Just Duckie

Our little Mama's Boy loves ducks.  Imagine his delight upon seeing all the different colored ducks at K-Mart the other day.  This morning, he saw a baby at Target playing with a rubber duckie and kept on saying, "Baby, Duckie!  Baby Duckie!" over and over until I said, "Yes, Baby, Duckie!" The baby's mother was quite tickled by Nicholas' outburst.

Halloween Spooks 2011

Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head

My Nana, God rest her soul, love Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head.  She couldn't speak much English, but she did so love that song.  This picture from Friday reminds me of her just because of the song.  Plus, Nicholas looks just so darned cute in his jacket.  It's quite nice actually.  It's line with flannel material and it's water proof.  I wish Costco carried these jackets in my size.

I Love the Grove

Nicholas enjoys his alone time with his mother. Ever since John started going to school, Maureen and Nicholas go for adventures to the Grove and/or the Farmer's Market quite often.  It usually involves a visit to Bob's Donuts, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, or Starbucks for a pastry and some milk.  He really loves donuts from Bob's.  I usually get him plain cake since they don't make as much of a mess; however, Maureen likes to spoil him and give him the chocolate raised.  After one of those, we usually have to pre-treat his clothes before we wash them.  He's not very good around chocolate.

His other favorite thing to do is visit the Barnes and Noble store at The Grove.  If he isn't getting at treat at the Starbucks on the 3rd floor, he's enjoying storytime or playing with the fun toys.  As you can see, he likes to pull all his friends, The Backyardigans, and enjoy playtime.  He's very good about putting things back when we are finished playing.  Strangely, this only happens when we are away from home.  If we are at home, he loves dropping things where they are.

Happy Birthday Mama

We celebrated Maureen's birthday on Thursday at the Aquarium of the Pacific. We also decided to stay at a hotel nearby since we knew we'd be too tired to go home after the Aquarium. The boys loved the hotel. Enjoy

Friday Morning

As we drove back to Los Angeles from Long Beach, we stopped at a pumpkin patch in Culver City.  Maureen is enamored with it and I'm just indifferent about it.  I like Mr. Bones in WeHo, but I always get overruled in such matters.

Things were fine in Culver City aside from a school field trip.  There was this annoying little boy named Felix and I think he had lice.  I hope he didn't, but if either of the boys gets lice, I know where it came from.  And, I know the school Felix goes to, so I'll be able to track him down and out him as a dispersal vector for lice.  Revenge will be mine.

The Hotel Inspector

Someone really enjoyed staying in the hotel room when we were down in Long Beach.  He liked the bed, but more importantly, he liked watching Dora the Explorer dvds on his portable dvd player.  That really helped us save the day since we didn't have On Demand or DVR at the hotel.

Aside from that, he was a menace on the rooftop pool.  I had to bring him back to the room because he was getting too close to the edge of the pool.  Additionally, he kept on going into the bathroom because he wanted to take a bath.  As you know, he's quite clean and loves taking baths.  He actually gets upset if we skip a tubby.

Still, he slept well and behave well with the snack tray.  He didn't touch it.  We can't say the same for his older brother.  Thanks to John, we purchased a can of cookies for $4.50.  They weren't great and they sure weren't worth the money.

The funniest part of the room that there was a wall of clear glass next to the door that created a slight hallway.  Guess who ran into it two or three times?  That's right, our little Nicholas.

Ask and You Shall Receive

As we were shopping at the Trader Joe's in Hollywood, we walked by one of their friendliest employees, Willie.  We always say hi and he gives us cool samples.  When Nicholas saw him, he started screaming, "ICE CREAM CONE!  ICE CREAM CONE!" since Willie gave us samples earlier in the year of their tiny little ice cream cones.  Sure enough, Willie was more than happy to oblige little Nicholas Twist.  Willie did ask if it was ok since it was only 9:30 AM.  I told him, "It's never too early at Trader Joe's for samples of anything."

Aqualad

Our Nicholas just loves taking baths.  He actually gets quite upset if he skips a day.  He's very clean like that.  In any event, he loves taking bubble baths and putting bubbles all over the place.  He especially loves putting them on his face.  Thankfully, they don't sting his eyes or we may have issues like John used to have with hair washing.

Birthday Party Fun

Look Who's Driving

We stopped in at China's Ralph's today to pick up some provisions for Mami and Papi's house this week.  I told the boys that they had race car shopping carts and they were not disappointed to see this cart.  After a while, John decided to kick back and leave the driving to Nicholas who loved every minute of it!

A Member of the Peanuts Gang

We joking call him Pig Pen because he's always in such a messy state, but this is proof.  Look how he sticks his tongue out as he is concentrating.  If that isn't a characteristic of the Peanuts kids, then I don't know what is.  Thankfully, I was at work while this was going on.  Had I been here, I probably would have been saying something like, "Stop that!" or "Nicholas, NO!!!"  He must think his middle name is "No" since I say it so much after saying his name.

Born to Read

Nicholas LOVES books.  He enjoys to listen to any story at any time of the day.  He also loves to pick up a good book or magazine and just go to town with it.  At this point, I know he's just memorized things, but he's very smart.  Sometimes, he'll just say things or pick things up really, really quickly.  I'm fearful that he'll be grown up before we know it.  

Party at My Gym

We went to a birthday party at My Gym today.  Our Nicholas was a little shy at first and didn't want to interact with anyone.  He only wanted to be held by Maureen.  After about 20-minutes, I took him into the play area and dropped him into the ball pit.  He eventually warmed up to the experience and started to bury himself in the balls.  He even started to walk on all the gym equipment.  He's a far cry from John.  John wouldn't have done this at 22-months, but our Nicholas sure has no problems!

Quite Shocking

Last week, we took a trip to Costco and headed to the fruit cooler.  As is his custom, John asked me to crack open the strawberries we were going to buy in order to eat one.  As I was closing the container, guess who asked me for one?  Yes, Little Mr. I Only Eat French Fries, Chicken Nuggets, Pizza, and Bacon aka Nicholas asked me for a strawberry!!!  I gave him one and he took a small bite out of it and then proceeded to drop it on the floor.  He's taking true baby steps in expanding his menu.

I Just Don't Know What To Do With This Boy

Special Day for Nicholas

On John's second day to school, Maureen took Nicholas to drop him off.  After drop off, they headed over to Larchmont and the park for some one on one time.  Aside from enjoying his muffin and milk, he got super messy at the park. The boy found the one muddy spot and decided to sit in it.  He even appropriated some other little boys sand toys as if they were his own.  It seems our dear sweet little boy is a bit pushy.  What are we going to do?

Our Messy Guy

John decided that we were going to have lunch at Costco today.  Much to Nicholas' delight, we did have lunch at Costco.  You'd be amazed watching him eat.  It's a miracle anything made it into his mouth, but he almost finished 3/4 of a piece of pizza.  That's our little Pig Pen.

How Can I Ever Be Mad At This Face?

For all the aggravation and frustration that this little tyke causes me (he rally tasks me and he knows it), I can never stay mad at him.  He's just too darned cute and cuddly.  Look at this face.  I got home after work yesterday and he asked me for chicken.  Apparently, he told Maureen he didn't want any, but he told me otherwise.  Sure enough, he eats it.  And, the look on the face says it all.

The Calming Influence of Cheesey Crackers

I don't know where we'd be without these wonderful things.  In this case, they were some Annie's Little Bunnies.  Normally, we have Pepperidge Farm Goldfish, but Annie's will do in a pinch.  Nicholas was being a bit of an ornery little cuss since he was in his stroller and he was getting a little hungry.  As soon as I popped these puppies out, he was as happy as a clam.  They tided him over until we got to lunch where he had his favorite chocolate milk and cheechas.

This Little Stinker

So, during our visit to the Natural History Museum, John came into possession of a rose from the garden at Exposition Park.  It calmed him down after we had to leave the fountain at the center.  Eventually, we let Nicholas take a look at the rose.  In a few minutes, John was asking for his rose again.  Nicholas, being the little devil that he is, kept switching it from one hand to the other in an effort to keep it away from John.  He had a grin on his face, so he knew exactly what he was doing.  He's such a little stinker!

Cookie Party Tonight

Last week, it was Africa Hot in the San Fernando Valley at Mami and Papi's house.  As you can see, the boys enjoy dining sans clothing.  Don't worry.  They aren't naked.  They were wearing diapers.

Fun Car Games

Nicholas is always looking for entertainment in the car.  It took John about 2.5 years to figure out how to lower and raise the back windows in the car.  Within a week of him doing that, Nicholas had figured it out as well.  That being said, he still looks for little things to entertain himself.  His latest kick is to play locks before he gets in the car and after he gets out of the car.  Basically, he goes up to an open door and then just presses the lock button so it opens and closes.  It takes so little to entertain that boy; yet, he could do it for hours.  Me, being the sourpuss that I am, do not let him do it more than once.  

El Campeon Mundial

Our Nicholas is quite the athlete.  As you can see from his belt, he's a world champion wrestler.  He's perhaps the youngest in history, if I am not mistaken.  In the ring, he has a motto:  Deeds not word!

Our Trip to the Zoo

Yesterday, I asked Maureen how she felt about going to the zoo if the day wasn't too hot today.  She thought it was a grand idea.  Actually, she was thinking of taking the boys to the beach, but I put my idea forth prior to her talking to me about hers.  That teaches us the following:  If you snooze, you lose!

So, we made the mistake of telling John that we were going to the zoo and we basically had to sell the idea to him.  How do you ask?  We told him there was a train.  After he heard that, he just wanted to talk about the train at the zoo.  Nicholas was just happy to be going anywhere.  He's a good little guy like that.

On our drive over, John asked if we were going to drive by the big fountain and the red train.  The boy has the memory of an elephant.  He forgets nothing.  We drove by the fountain at Forrest Lawn and then we drove by the red train at Travel Town.

We get to the zoo and the boys are all skittish because they don't know what to think.  We rent a double stroller and John doesn't want to ride in it.  Nicholas enjoyed it until John decided to join him.  At that point, he decided that he had to get out of the stroller.  Lesson for the day, get two single strollers.

The first animals we see are flamingos.  All Nicholas could say was, "DUCK!  DUCK!  DUCK!"  Apparently, all birds are ducks to him.  John was a bit more subdued and liked looking at the flamingos.  After the flamingos, he started asking about the train incessantly.  It got to the point where we abandoned all hope of seeing any animals and went to find the little train.

When we got to the train, the ride operator told us that it was closed until the end of the bird show.  To kill time, we decided to see the bird show.  Neither boy appreciated it.  They both were freaked out by the birds flying over the audience.  John was freaked out by the carved wooden bird on the stange.  He kept on calling it the Big Angry Bird.

Sadly, we left the bird show and decided to leave the zoo since both boys were getting restless.  Nicholas did not want to part with his spacious stroller and John was in tears over not riding the train.  The train was you standard carnival ride.  Oh well, it was a good experiment and we plan to try it again when it isn't too hot and the boys are a little older.

On a funny note, John decided that we were going to go to a park.  He said, "We are going to the park.  We'll take our new green stroller and walk there.  Ok?  Is that a plan?"  We had to break the news to him that we only rented the stroller.  Still, it was rather spacious and Nicholas just loved lounging in it.

Down By The Sea

Nicholas spent some quality time with his buddy Jake Wiseman in Newport Beach.  Quality time for those two is parallel play where they play in the same vicinity, but don't interact.  One day, I'm sure they'll wrestle each other since they are 1-month apart in age, but for now, they just tend to tolerate each other like Maggie Simpson and the baby with the unibrow on The Simpsons.

Fun Treats at Trader Joe's

On our weekly trip to Trader Joe's, John always wants to stop by the sample sections. Nicholas avoids it like the plague. While Nicholas and I were wandering the store, a very nice clerk came up and said hello and was trying to engage Nicholas. Eventually, Maureen and John came by and I showed her the ice cream cones that we'd been hearing about. The clerk said, "You haven't tried them? THis is my favorite part of the job." and he proceeded to open up a box for us and allowed us to try them. Needless to say, we bought the box. We were going to buy a box even if we hadn't received the free sample, but that was a very nice treat for us all.

This little one did manage to make a mess.  He didn't get anything on his t-shirt, but he did drop chocolate and ice cream on his pants.  He even managed to somehow get some on the back of his pants.  When I picked him up, I thought the brown was something else that is far less pleasant.  Thankfully, it was sticky and sweet and not stinky and nasty.

August Birthdays

We had two very important birthdays on August 10 and August 17, Mami and Papi's.  The boys were so excited to celebrate and take them a fine cake from Hansen's to enjoy.  As you can see from the photo, the boys didn't wait for the birthday boy to dig into the cake.

Yakety Sax

Fun on the Train

Thanks to Tio Luis for spotting this great find at a garage sale.  Thanks to Ana for sharing it with the boys.  Thanks to Mami and Papi for letting the boys ride it at their house. 

As you can see, they really like the train.

I Heard It and Knew Exactly What He Had Done

We had just finished shopping at Ralph's and he was enjoying some goldfish from the bag.  I didn't give a second thought to giving him the bag since he'd done a good job in the store and didn't drop anything.  Five minutes into our drive, I hear the sound of the bag being turned upside down.  I asked Maureen if it was what I thought it was and she said, "It sure is." 

Sometimes, I think to myself, "That boy's just not right."

The Joys of Shopping at Ralph's

They have a self service bakery.  Nicholas is a fan of fresh baked muffins.  As you can see, he enjoys shopping with us.

Our Little Monster Got a Haircut

It looks like you can actually do something with his hair at this point; however, by the time we left The Yellow Balloon, it was back to its bowl cut glory.  As the one who had to hold him while he screamed and cried, I was in favor of giving him a buzz.  Maureen will have none of that.  She likes his hair even if it does revert to a bowl cut every time.

Someone Is Back To Normal

He's sleeping through the night.  He no longer has a fever.  He's asking for chicken and cheechas like before.  He even bit John on the arm.  I think he's ready to rock.

Feverish Nights

I hate to say it, but I was a bit relieved when Nicholas woke up last night with a fever.  When Dr. K mentioned that there was a slight chance John's symptoms were that of an appendicitis, I was a little freaked out.  Last night, he woke up at 2:30 asking for Donald Duck, Milk, and something else (I can't recall).  All I know is that I was begging him to be quiet.  I gave him his first drink of Powerade.  He made a sour face and shook as if he were shocked when he sipped it; yet, he continued to sip it.

How To Entertain Nicholas at Ralph's

Nicholas will sit in the shopping cart for only so long.  After about 20-minutes, he needs to be set free.  What entertains him?  The flower section.  He loves to look at the balloons, the bears, and the flowers.  If it were up to him, we'd buy little bears and Thomas the Tank Engine balloons.  Mind you, each of those costs at least $10, so we don't really do that.  We just let him look and touch.  Thankfully, THey let him play.

Someone Loves to Eat His Breads

Nicholas has never been a Dainty Dan when it comes to eating.  As a matter of fact, he really likes to devour his food whatever it may be.  Since he's a bit delicate when it comes to eating, it's usually pizza, chicken, "goldfish", chips, or breads.  As some of you know, Papi and Daddy both love their breads.  Clearly, Nicholas takes after his Grandfather and Father in that respect.

Leave Me Alone

I think Nicholas just wants to enjoy his dinner roll, but birthday boy, John, just wants to play "tickle tickle".

A Duck?

Our Nicholas seems to think these birds are ducks.  Who am I to tell him otherwise?

He's Very Unique

He's so unique that he's the only one allowed to use shoes in the jumper.  Anyone who knows anything about jumper ettiquete knows that one does not wear shoes in the bounce house.  Our Nicholas bucks the system and wears his little brow sandles that everyone loves.  He's bad and he knows it.

Someone Looks Like He's Up To No Good

Cousin Shelby

Shelby moved to Arkansas in 2003.  She's come back fro visits every couple of years or so to see Grammy, Uncle Rick, and Aunt Maureen.  She's had the pleasure of meeting Cousin Adriana about three years ago, but she hadn't had a chance to meet Nicholas until last Thursday.  At first, he was a little shy because he had never seen her before aside from photos.  Soon enough, he was letting her hold him in her arms and even walking around the grove holding her hand.  Nicholas knows good people when he sees them. 

She was one of the best high school softball players in the state of Arkansas.  As a matter of fact, she was the top hitter in the state.  She earned a full scholarship to Williams Baptist College.  Way to go Cousin Shelby.

Nicholas and the Kids

At the Grove, there is a bronze fountain celebrating the fun of summer.  The statues are at a lemonade stand and there's even running water to give their dog "a drink".  John has been a fan of this for a while.  Some of you may remember that he used to play with it all the time.  This was the first time we let Trouble Gonzalez get close to it.  I was pleasantly surprised with the restraint he showed. 

Lunch at the Cafe

Enoying my first Beignet

Saturday, we stopped in at Kmart to pick up a new microwave but didn't buy it.  After we left the store, John asked if we could go to the Grove to see books.  Since we had no other plans, we headed over there for the standard Grove Itinerary:  1.  Barnes and Noble; 2.  The fountains; and 3.  Lunch.

For lunch, we decided to try something new.  We stopped at Morel's Steakhouse and had a lovely lunch on the patio.  Much to our surprise and delight, they brought out some lovely beignets and jam.  Our Nicholas just LOVED them.  He wasn't such a fan of the jam, but he did love the savory treats.  Aside from that, he ate his standard cheechas and milk.  One day, he will have better eating habits.  I can't say when, but I know he will.

Daddy's Boy

Breakfast at Breakfast Friends aka Fiddler's Bistro

Nicholas can be a bit of a troublemaker.  He likes to task me.  He pushes my buttons, but I can't stay mad at him.  He's just too darn cute and too much like me.  Sadly, he tends to share my eating habits.  As of right now, he only likes to each breaded chicken, cheechas aka french fries, and pizza.  For breakfast, he breaks it up with some bacon and toast.  Guess what my favorite breakfast is?  Bacon and toast! 

Who's That Behind Those Foster Grants?

I had no clue that they still made Foster Grants glasses.  Sure enough, there's a giant floor display of them at the pharmacy at Ralph's.  As you can see, Nicholas and his mother were having quite a good time while John was pushing the buttons on the blood pressure monitor and I was paying the bill.

Lunch at Tony P's

To celebrate our anniversary, we took the boys to Tony P's for lunch.  As usual, Nicholas didn't want to eat anythign other than bread, cheechas, and milk.  Thankfully, all three are on the menu at Tony P's, so he was quite happy.  He also received a little bit of vanilla ice cream as a treat for being so good.  Actually, when we got there, he was a bit of a terror and throwing things all over the place, but that changed as soon as we got some bread.

Thank you Tony P's for your yummy bread!!

El Pescadito Chico

Our little man loves the water.  You can't keep him away from it.  On nights where we are too tired to give him a bath, he gets very upset because he's not getting a tubby.

When I was younger, I was like that.  They called me, "Pescadito" (Little Fish).  I think it's quite appropriate to call our Nicholas by the name, Pescadito Chico, since he still so small.

He got very upset when I took him out of the wading pool this afternoon when it was nap time.  His good buddy, Papi, calmed him down and got him to sleep.  Thank you Papi!

Happy Father's Day Papi

Nicholas Loves Trader Joe's

He's not much of a fan of the samples.  That's John's thing.  he really loves the new items that we try out.  Yesterday, we picked up some great kettle chips and sure enough, our boy was double fisting like it was the greatest thing ever.  Plus, the staff really like him.  They remember him quite well and always try to get him to smile.  The store in Hollywood is AWESOME!!

The Little Screamer

Our boy is quite vocal about everything.  If he sees a train, he says "choo choo."  If he sees something that it round (eg. an orange), he starts screaming "ball".  Much to my surprise, our Nicholas likes to call out to his brother all the time.  I first noticed this on Thursday of last week.  I was leaving my parents' house and said, "Bye, John."  In a corner of the room, I hear, "Jahn!  Jahn!"  He was calling out to John.  I swear this little man is going to be even more talkative than his cousins and his brother.  That one is hard to believe, but I can see it.

Not Feeling It

We went to the Hollywood Farmer's Market to pick up some produce today.  We had a great time at the ice cream stand.  John enjoyed the samples, but our little one just didn't feel like it.  I gave him a strawberry and he just kept on rubbing it on his lips and smelling it.  I felt bad because I couldn't find any samples (bread) that he'd like.  Anyway, we headed over to Trader Joe's to get something and I got him a very nice croissant.  He was happy with that.

Nicholas and Daddy Lunch

I had the great pleasure of having lunch with Nicholas all by myself yesterday. Maureen took John to "More Fountain" for some lunch, but Nicholas and I stayed home. I had baked a homemade pizza on Thursday night. It was ok, but Nicholas seemed to like it. He also seemed to like spilling his milk, but that's nothing new. If he isn't spilling something on himself, he's not being Nicholas Edward Gonzalez.

Not a Fan of the Yellow Balloon

Our Nicholas is not a big fan of the Yellow Balloon. He likes all the toys and the fun; however, he hates gettting his hair cut. Sadly, I'm the one who has to sit in the chair and try to restrain him as the stylist cuts his hair. If it were up to me, I'd give him a buzz, but Maureen and Grammy do not like that look. When we did that to John's hair, neither was happy. I was fine with it since it was fast and easy. Sometimes, we need to think of function over form.

He did get to enjoy a nice bit of milk and some muffin at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf after he was shorn. As we waited to cross the street, he wanted to push the button to signify that we wanted to cross the street. He even said, "Ding Dong" as if it were a door bell. That boy has quite the imagination.