Rainy Puddles

Last weekend, we had a "storm" rage through the city.  Actually, it was just a nice rain shower that provided a few puddles for the boys to enjoy.  All Sunday morning, John was ever so excited and kept asking if the puddles were going to be gone.  We had to tell him to settle down and that all would be ok because they wouldn't evaporate just yet.  After finishing up our morning errands, they had a quick lunch and pulled on their boots.  They had fun and Nicholas even decided to take a little dip.

The Boys Take Their Dolls for a Stroll at the Grove

Our boys both love their little baby dolls.  Each has a little doll name Daisy.  Nicholas copied John's naming system, but that's neither here nor there.  In any event, they like going for walks with their strollers.  Last week, they went to The Grove with Maureen and Grammy.  I'm sure there were a few stares as two little boys were pushing their pink strollers, but I don't care.  When they get home they also like to play with mud, building blocks, trains, and cars.

A Thankful Project

Maureen picked up a nice Thanksgiving project at the dollar spot.  The boys glued feathers onto a foam turkey.  On each of the feathers, they wrote things for which they were thankful.  John really enjoys nature, so he wrote things like the trees, moon, and sun.  Nicholas, being a gourmand, wrote chocolate milk, chicken nuggets, waffles, regular milk, and this turkey picture.  You can tell which one gets the concept of Thanksgiving.

Dizzy Gonzalez

The youngest member of the Gonzalez Clan likes to dance quite a bit.  It runs on both side of the family, you know.  Anywho, it seems that Nicholas enjoys doing "The Spinning Dance" while wearing a toy container on his head.  If his arms were out, he'd be doing an "Aswirl" like the Aswirl Twins teach Tyra's charges on ANTM.

John is just tickled pink to watch his brother spin around like a top.  Sadly, he also feels the effects of the spinning as Dizzy bonks him on the head.  I just don't understand the need to spin around like that, but it's still entertaining.  It's something new every day near the Miracle Mile.

The Next Chet Baker?

As some of you may or may not know, I really appreciate the soulful crooning and trumpet playing of Chet Baker, RIP.  John is on his way to being as talented as Chet Baker.  He doesn't quite have the soulful crooning and trumpet playing down, but I can honestly say he doesn't have the drug problem that plagued Mr. Baker.

The Renegades of Breaking

Most nights, the boys ask to have a dance party.  Usually, they'll ask for some dance music and turn their room into a tiny disco or rave warehouse.  Tonight was a little different.  Both asked if they could have a Break Dance Party.  I told them sure and provided some break dancing music, The Renegades of Funk.  They really like doing their kicks.

On a side note, both boys were dismayed at the length of the song.  It clocks in at almost 7-minutes and they were gasping for air by the time it was over!

Who Doesn't Love a Good Pile of Leaves?

Do yourself a favor?  Go online and listen to the Vince Guaraldi Trio's Cast Your Fate to the Wind while watching this.  It's the perfect music to accompany the quest to build a giant pile of leaves to jump in.

These Talented Kids

I kid you not when I say that I am going to be an even bigger stage parent than Kris Jenner or Joe Simpson. My boys have "It", Star Quality, the X-Factor, or whatever else you might call it.  This video shows their musical skill.  Anyone who says harmonicas are fold old blues musicians, I spit on you.  These boys will bring the mouth harp into the 21st Century!

As if that weren't enough, they do their own lighting!

Early Christmas Treat

Stationery card

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The Best Part of a Trip to Costco

Saturday, we took our monthly trip to Costco.  We went in with a shopping list and even bought a few extra items; however, we didn't break the bank.  We were quite pleased with the results.  For the most part, the boys were really good aside from Nicholas asking for every toy in the toy aisle.  Little does he know that Grammy has already purchased one or two of those toys for the boys.

As usual, the boys wanted to have lunch at Costco.  Who am I to say no when I can get 2 drinks, a hot dog, 2 slices of pizza, two smoothies, and a frozen yogurt for about $12?  The boys really like to chow down on the pizza.  Normally, John asks for pepperoni, but this time he asked for cheese.  That's neither here nor there. They enjoyed their meals and all was well.

On a side note, I know that everyone says Costcos are crazy places to visit on a Saturday morning, but I know a secret.  The Pacoima store is a hidden gem of a store.  It's about 2-years old and it's pretty much empty most of the times we've been there.  We've never had a long wait at that location.

A Part of My Childhood Will Go Away

Whilst reading the LA Weekly, I ran across an article about the closing of The Family Fun Arcade in Granada Hills.  As a youth, I used to spend quite a bit of money in the machines, so I thought it might be a fun idea to go visit the arcade with the boys one last time.  Sadly, it wasn't quite as fun as I would have hoped.

Most of the games were some sort of fighting game.  It's a well known spot for Street Fighter tournaments.  It also had its fair share of imports from Japan, but of all the games, I'd say only 4 machines were really appropriate for the boys.  The Pac Man machine did not work.  The car racing game was fun.  Nicholas actually beat John at that one.  They also played Bubble Pop, but Maureen got more enjoyment out of that one.  The boys and I played this Japanese drum game where each of the pads was a different drum.  It even had a kick pedal and cymbals.  We made it past the first song, but couldn't do the last one.

It wasn't all that I thought it would be, but the boys had some fun at a place where I used to waste a lot of time.

Party for One

Nicholas just went to his first birthday party from a school friend.  Actually, he has been to another one, but John was also invited to that one.  This was the first time that he went solo and he did just fine.  It was held at a really fun indoor playground called Romp .  It has everything you could possibly want like a ball pit (washed three times a week), a silica-sand pit, an inflatable bouncer, a slide, play cars, and more than you can possibly image.  Maureen could not stop talking about this place.  It was as if she'd never been to Disneyland.

Anywho, Nicholas really enjoyed himself.  He loved the pizza and ate three whole slices all by himself.  And, they had his favorite cupcakes, chocolate with orange and yellow sprinkles.  I think that birthday party will be tough to beat.  The parents of the birthday boy were kind of funny.  On the invitation, they said, "Please do not bring any presents and we promise not to give you any cheap party favors."  That made me laugh when Maureen told me about it.

Hair Cuts for the Gonzalez Boys

It's been over 2-months since we've taken the boys to The Yellow Balloon, so it was about time for us to go for a visit.  It was a very special visit since I was also going to get my hair cut at The Yellow Balloon.  You ask why??  My barber, Jerry, retired due to health reasons and it's just so hard to find someone who knows how to cut hair.  Since I knew Vic did a great job with the boys' hair, I thought I'd give him a shot.  Let me just say that I am quite pleased.  He didn't use clippers at all and still did a great job.  I think I may be a permanent customer at The Yellow Balloon.


Nicholas is still recovering from a brutal butchery of a buzz cut that we gave him in July.  Vic's doing what he can with it and tells us that it'll get to where it needs to in a couple of months.  John was just a delight in the chair.  He converses with Vic.  He holds still and follows directions quite well.  I think Jerry would have cut his hair in about 6-months since Jerry had a rule about kids not being to young at his shop.

As you can see, they had quite different reactions to their cuts.  John was cool and ready to go whilst Nicholas was a bit out of sorts.  I think he was just having a bad day.  Actually, he's had a pretty bad weekend attitudewise.  God help me, but that boy tasks me.  He tasks me!

Two Sixths of The Village People

For Halloween, Maureen and the boys went to the annual Park La Brea Halloween Party with some neighbors.  John was more interested in jumping on the bouncers than going trick or treating whilst Nicholas knew exactly what he wanted:  CANDY!!!
Nicholas made a fine construction worker.  John was resplendent in his SWAT uniform.  The good thing about both costumes is that they'll be able to play with them even after Halloween.  If we ever find four other little boys who are willing to dress up like an indian, a biker, an army man, and a cowboy, we could have ourselves a Village People tribute act.

Methinks, He May Have a Future in Architecture

John really loves to build with any type of blocks.  Give him a set of blocks and he'll build something.  Whether it's a shopping center or a skyscraper, this boy thinks things through.  Yes, he did have some help with the skyscraper, but he designed it and told Maureen where to help with the blocks!