This Weekend

We had a rather uneventful weekend. Yesterday, we took a lovely trip to the Beverly Center. Maureen had some items to purchase at Macy's and John didn't want to go grocery shopping with me, so we all went. Nicholas was good for the most part until the end of our excursion at Macy's. He just started to flip out, so we left and headed to the Grand Luxe Cafe for some lunch. Nicholas had the Mac and Cheese. It was very good. Not as good as Woodranch, but good nonetheless. On a side note, our server, Jacob, was SUPERLATIVE!! He was very attentive and brought everything that we requested. If ever you eat there, I hope you are fortunate enough to sit in Jacob's section.

Today, we had to separate. Maureen had to attend Open House at St. A's. That left the Gonzalez boys alone. Grammy Brady was sick and couldn't come out to play. Mami and Papi had errands to run and couldn't come out to play. Instead, we headed to Target for some fun. I bought Nicholas some Chuggington Station trains and made a point to tell John that they are Nicholas' trains. If you ask him, yes, they are Nicholas' trains; however, when Nicholas wants to play with them, guess what John says, "NO! NO SHARING!" Oh well, it's good that Nicholas doesn't quite get the concept that those are his specific trains. We came home and had some Domino's (I was too lazy to cook), but Nicholas was so good at eating his pizza. I was so proud of him.

Bieber Fever?

Guess who has Justin Bieber hair without even trying? Yes, our dear sweet Nicholas' hair can be styled like everyone's least favorite teen singing sensation. Why his mother styled his hair as such? I cannot say, but he does carry it off quite well. Don't you think?

To top it off, he's wearing his tux onesie. It's like he's saying, "I'm ready for a formal, but I'm ready to party down!" It's far better than John's old mullet that he had when he was just a baby. Grammy called it "George Washington" hair, but we call it a mullet in these parts.

Hooray For Santa Claus

Our Nicholas loves his ridealong that Santa gave to him for Christmas. He hits the buttons to make sounds. He doesn't quite get the game that you can play with it, but he loves to put things under his seat. And, he has recently started to ride it. As soon as he started expressing an interest in it, his older brother wanted to play with it as well.

Fun Day at the Grove

Last Monday, Maureen took the boys over to The Grove to meet up with the Lopez Ohana on MLK day. Don't get me started on MLK and plagiarism. Unfortunately, Matt and Mateo could not attend since the latter was ill, but the Gonzalez Family was able to have some fun, ride the up and downs, and have a yummy lunch at Woodranch Grill with Dana and Dylan.

I was quite jealous when I heard where they went. I just love the burger at Woodranch. It's so tasty and filling. If I have it for lunch, I don't need to eat dinner. Nicholas had the ever yummy Mac and Cheese while John had the chicken strips. Of the two, I think I'd have to go with the Mac and Cheese because it is DANG good. There's some sort of crack like quality to it.

Good Oral Hygine

Unlike his brother, Nicholas loves to brush his teeth. We give him a toothbrush and some toothpaste and he just goes to town. Look at that winning smile. I just hope it continues that way and that we don't have to take him to Cunning Dental. Those of you who listen to KFI and hear the ads know what I am talking about.

Also, it looks like he has a great grasp on his toothbrush. I think he'll be ready to take on any intruders and defend us all.

Trouble Adjusting to New Digs

We moved Nicholas into John's crib a couple of weeks ago and he hasn't really transitioned all that well. I don't know if it's the unseasonably hot weather that's really bothering him or if it's the extra space that he's not used to. In any event, it's time to sleep train yet again. The problem with sleep training is that his cries wake John up. John starts to cry and everyone winds up in bed with Mommy and Daddy. It's loads of fun.

Nicholas' Big Day

Since Johnm requested that we go to "Mama's Work Church" for Mass this morning, we found ourselves near Marina del Rey. John asked if we could go to Tony P's, but we thought the service there might be a little too slow on a Sunday during the football playoffs, so we drove around until we settled on the El Torrito at Fisherman's Village.

Initially, we weren't going to go since we didn't have any food for Nicholas, but we decided to give it a go. Boy, were we ever pleased with Nicholas. He ate his mac and cheese like a champ. And, most importantly, he was able to use a straw for the first time ever!! Sure, he dribbled most of the water out of his mouth, but he was able to hydraulically move the water. What a baby genius!!!

Fun at the Park

Maureen took the boys to the park this afternoon whilst I had jurisdictions to do. Nicholas just loved the freedom of walking around. He's unstoppable these days. He really is Speedy Gonzalez. He rarely crawls these days. It's just another step to adulthood.

Dinner at Fiddler's Bistro

Nicholas was as delightful as ever this evening. He had his yogurt and pears prior to the rest of our meals being served; howver, he did get to enjoy two types of breads. First, he had a rather long piece of some Armenian bread. Then, he had the audacity to take a piece of pita out of my hand as I was eating it. That boy is a bully.

He did enjoy some french fries from my meal. He wouldn't touch the chicken or the burger, but he just loved the fries.

If John Isn't Careful

His little brother is going to kick his you know what all over the place. Anytime they wrestle, Nicholas always winds up on top and pins John.

Rasslin'

This is Nicholas and John's favorite passtime. Nicholas just climbs on top of John and steamrolls over him. If I left them alone, they could probably rough house for hours on end. Let's hope one of them doesn't crack open his brother's head.

Pretty Fly, Don't You Think

Wearing you cap to the side has been out for quite some time, but I think Nicholas carries it off quite nicely. He's got the style and attitude to pull it off.

New Sleeping Arrangements

Since John is the proud owner of a brand new bed, Nicholas gets to move up in the world. He moves from the Pack and Play in our room into John's old crib, aka The Black Boat. Why The Black Boat? We have no clue. John just calls it that. Anyway, he's still working on getting used to it, but he'll get there soon enough.

Nicholas' New Car Seat

We were fortunate enough to be given two car seats for Nicholas when he was old enough to face front; however, our Nicholas is a bit too big for one of them. Consequently, we had to purchase a new seat for him. It arrived yesterday and I tested it out today. He was quite pleased in it. John was quite covetous of it as well. I think he just likes the blue color of it.

Look at Our Nicholas' Journey to Walking

From crawling to walking in about 3-weeks.

Angry Nicholas

Our Nicholas tends to share the Gonzalez temper that is so prevalent in my family. John's temper is well documented. Today, Maureen was having her lunch and enjoying a Diet Coke. Nicholas decided to grab for her Diet Coke. Maureen gave him a firm "No." He didn't like that very much. He gave her an angry look, growled, and pounded on the table twice before he started to cry.

Trapped in the Closet

Those of you who have had the "pleasure" of sitting through R. Kelly's Trapped in the Closet will agree that this is a much better version. Who can resist Cheeky Cheekerson's cheeks? And, this is considerably shorter at 47 seconds.