The Time Has Come to End This Blog

AND START A NEW ONE!!!  

I figure that it'll be easier to update just one blog, so please click on the following link  to go to the new blog:  John and Nicholas Rule the World

http://johnandnicholasrule.blogspot.com/

Joey's Gym Is Awesome

It has been over two years since we visited our friends Ron and Dana at Joey's Gym.  Maureen thought it would be a good time to get the boys started in the siblings class.  Nicholas took to it like a champ.  He was in heaven.  As you know, he's quite a handful, but he was respectful and waited his turn on the different apparatuses.

Fun at the Beach

A couple of weeks ago, Maureen took the boys to the Wiseman house in Newport Beach for a few days of fun in the sun.  Maureen struck gold when she was able to take this picture of both boys smiling at the same time.  Actually, this was a pretty good trip for the boys.  They didn't have any trouble sleeping.  They adjusted immediately to the new surroundings.  Nicholas and Baby Jack did have an argument or two; however, they tended to be little buddies more than little frenemies.

Nicholas was his normal fun self.  He even decided that he was going to run around in his swimming diaper instead of wearing his trunks over them.  I guess he's European in that way and likes the Speedo look.  He can pull it off.  Besides, look at the little guy as he stops to smell the roses.  He's got charm in spades, don't you think?

Fun at LACMA

We were bored yesterday and decided to head over to LACMA to see what kind of fun we could stir up for the boys.  John kept on asking us why the museum looked different than in the "This Is the City" opening of a couple of episodes of Dragnet, but Nicholas just liked being able to roam free.

After learning about Kinetic Art, we headed toward the Boone Children's Gallery.  There was a very interesting activity going on at the Boone Children's Gallery, Korean Brush Painting.  John didn't take to it, but Nicholas LOVED it.  This was the first time that he got to paint and he was in heaven.  He only wanted to use his favorite color, orange, but he definitely had a way with the brush.  And, he didn't get any on himself.  I think that was the first time in his young life that he didn't stain his clothing with something.

Easter 2012

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?

Had to Get This Shot

A couple of years ago, Maureen and I got a photo of John sitting in this same chair at Uncle Ron and Aunt Sally's house in Malibu.  I just had to get a shot of Little Nicky Sunshine in the chair as well.  In case you don't remember, Grammy and Maureen thought John's hair was far too short.  As I recall, some even said he looked like an orphan.  Well, if that's the case, then he was the cutest little orphan since Little Orphan Annie.

Winning

Why He Should Never Be Left Alone

We were busy taking care of something else around the apartment when I stumbled across this particular little devil.  Yes, that is a nice ring of chocolate around his mouth.  That is chocolate also on his nice white shirt and blue pants.  We should just dress this boy in dark colors.

I can't wait for him to start running around in circles.  It's bound to happen.

Something Mami Would Never Let Us Do

My mother would never have allowed us to jump in muddy puddles.  She would have kept us inside until the puddles dried up.  The boys love to watch Peppa Pig on Nick Jr.  It seems that everyone in Peppa's town just loves to jump up and down in muddy puddles.  Peppa's daddy, Daddy Pig, is a world champion muddy puddle jumper.

When it rained, we thought it would be fun for the boys to jump up and down in muddy puddles like their little friends on the tv.  When she watches this, I'm sure my mother will cringe, but the boys, especially Nicholas, really loved it!

He's So Cute

He tried to sing the North Star song like I asked him, but he is just so freaking cute.  Plus, he loves to take pictures as you can tell by his enthusiastic "Cheese" at the end of the clip.

He Wears It Well

He should be a child model because he knows how to work the camera and make a hat come to life.  After watching several seasons of America's Next Top Model, I know what it takes and this boy has it.  Plus, he's just so darned cute.  He even says that all the time:  "I sooooo cute!"

Nicholas' Eating Habits

I'm sad to say things haven't changed.  His diet consists of pizza, chicken nuggets, french fries, cookies, ice cream, pancakes, bacon, and cake.  Still, he is rather entertaining when he eats at a restaurant.  Last weekend, we went to Tony P's for a nice Saturday lunch.  He really enjoys the bread and french fries there.  We don't even bother ordering him a meal.  We've learned.  We even got him an ice cream sundae, but guess what?  Midway through his sundae, he decided to have some more bread.  That boy just doesn't know the difference in his meal courses.  Oh well, he is a delight.

What A Great Birthday

The Library

On Wednesday, after hitting the "blue park", Maureen took the boys into the library.  They discovered a world of wonderment in books.  Sadly, Nicholas cannot have a library card until he is three; however, he's still able to sit down and enjoy the books like everyone else.  Don't worry, John was able to check out a book for Nicholas, so everyone left happy.

Fun Time at Grove

Maureen used to say that she felt like she didn't get enough one on one time with Nicholas since John was so young when Nicholas was born.  Since John started going to school, Nicholas and Maureen have had plenty of time together.  Heck, they even went to Travel Town one day, without John.  Shhhhh, that's a secret.

Maureen enjoys her days out with Little Man.  Nicholas enjoys heading over to The Grove and leads Maureen over to Jamba Juice all the time.  The other day, they stopped into the movie theater because there was a giant Lorax display in the lobby.  Since orange is Nicholas' favorite color and the Lorax just happens to be orange, guess who was in heaven?

Los Playeros

Sometimes, I wish I liked the beach.  I'm sure I would have enjoyed this day with the boys.  Maureen's lucky.

Bathing Boots

John took a few dollars out of his piggy bank to purchase a bath tub for baby Daisy.  He was kind enough to take some more money out so that Nicholas could buy a baby Boots doll.  Maureen said that this was one of the more quiet periods of the day.  Apparently, they both fought over the tub.  John is a bit territorial, but he does believe in keeping babies clean.  He knows the importance of hygiene.  Nicholas was quite thankful for the help from his brother and Baby Boots was happy splashing about in the tub.

Nicholas and His Teeth

Our Nicholas is very serious when it comes to brushing his teeth.  He likes to use as many tooth brushes as possible to get everything from any imaginable side.  He prefers his Colgate animals toothpaste to John's Little Bear toothpaste.

He gets very excited whenever I say that it's time to brush his teeth.  He immediately sprints toward the bathroom and hops up on his step.  I have to help him reach his tools, but once he has them, he's a brushing maniac.

Nicholas Loves Papi

Papi fell down  about 10-days ago and hurt his knee.  The boys wanted to stop in and say hello since they hadn't seen him since his accident.  John was a little shy, but Nicholas ran right up and gave him a big hug.  In case you didn't know, Nicholas is not shy at all.

BTW, John did give Papi a hug and a kiss later on after he was a bit more comfortable with his surroundings.

Nicholas and the Ice Cream Cone

Since he ate his dinner, I decided to give Nicholas a vanilla ice cream cone.  He followed the rules and sat at the table like a good little guy.  Unfortunately, he doesn't quite get the concept of liking the drips on the sides of the cones, so his hands were eventually covered in melted ice cream.  It got so bad that it kept slipping out of his hands.  At that point, he gave up and asked Maureen to clean him up.

A Swinging Guy

Someone loves riding the swings a whole lot!

Cold Treat at Claim Jumper

Guess who didn't want to eat anything aside from his dessert?

I Like Chocolate Cake

Earlier this afternoon, Maureen and John made a nice chocolate cake with all sorts of sprinkles.  Guess who had the first piece?  Our Nicholas was good at dinner and had his chocolate cake as a treat.  He even went to get his own spoon.  Honestly, he could have done without the spoon since he wound up grabbing the cake and feeding himself by hand.  From the frosting, you can tell he enjoyed himself.

BTW, John also got a piece of cake, but he only ate his frosting.  I just don't get that boy.

New Year's Fun

Nicholas really liked to drive the boat.

The Dread Pirate Nicholas?

Nicholas truly enjoys pirates these days.  He has a little MegaBlocks pirate set that he drags about and he just goes around saying "Shiver me timbers!" in a scruffy voice like a pirate.  While we were in Newport Beach, Captain Brent allowed Nicholas to steer the Duffy boat on our way to the Fun Zone.  Thanks Captain Brent and First Mate Aly for the help.  I think he's a natural sailor like his Grandpa Dick was.