Here's Linda with Lolo and Audrey...
And here's Tami with Lolo and Audrey ...
And here's Audrey at 2+ weeks with her eyes open and arms up ...
Showing posts with label Lauren. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lauren. Show all posts
Sunday, May 18, 2008
More Audrey pix
Linda was at Tami's this week helping with Lolo and Audrey. I couldn't go because I was sick from my time in Santa Cruz with Lucas and Logan.
Here's Linda with Lolo and Audrey...
And here's Tami with Lolo and Audrey ...
Here's Linda with Lolo and Audrey...
And here's Tami with Lolo and Audrey ...
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Our Christmas story
We celebrated Christmas at our house this year rather than visiting our daughters' families in Victorville and Santa Cruz, and Linda's brother's family in Sonoma County in the Bay area. It was much more hectic for us than if we had traveled around California! Here is a day-by-day rundown:
Wednesday, December 19: I flew to Santa Cruz (into San Jose, picked up by Lori, Lucas (age 4) and Logan (almost 2)) and spent the night at their house on the hide-a-bed. The boys have a lot of toys and are always playing with the airplanes and race cars, not so much the trains any longer. They also watch a lot of Disney Channel (Wiggles, Tigger and Pooh, Little Einsteins, etc.) and Nick Jr. (Diego and Dora) on TV and video. Lori had a board meeting in the evening, so I got to bathe the boys, read to them, and put them to bed. Lucas likes stories about dinosaurs, airplanes and my childhood. Lori's computers are on the fritz, so we will take them to Chula Vista and see if James can resurrect them.
Thursday, December 20: We packed the car in the morning, then visited Logan's school, Lori's friend's family , went shopping, and had lunch at home before we started the 500 mile drive to Chula Vista. We left at 1:30 PM and got to CV at 11:30 PM. We stopped in Paso Robles for a break and walk the dog (Annie), then in Santa Maria, and had dinner at a forgettable Chinese place in Santa Barbara. Then it was straight to Chula Vista, stopping for short breaks in Santa Monica and Long Beach. The boys watched videos most of the way, and slept after Long Beach. This was not a fun trip ... but necessary.
Friday, December 21: I came down with a cold overnight - fever, headache, cough, snuffy - so I started my Tylenol Cold regime augmented by Robitussin overnight and Hall's lozenges when needed. I don't remember much about this day except wrapping some gifts in the garage with Lori after the boys went to bed.
Saturday, December 22: Still sick, feel even worse. Stayed home. Watched TV with the boys and read a lot.
Sunday, December 23: Still sick, but getting better. The boys and I watched videos all morning, and went for a walk. Linda went to church. I watched football games and played with the boys in the afternoon - lots of chasing through the house, wrestling on the floor, race cars on the kitchen floor, etc. After the kids were down, Lori and I put Logan's trike together - she's good at mechanical things - I couldn't have done this by myself - no step-by-step directions, only pictures!
Monday, December 24: I'm feeling much better, but Linda has a stomach virus - can't keep anything down, so she's miserable in bed. Lori took the boys to Sea World for awhile. Tami, James and Lauren (age almost 3) arrived in the afternoon with Walter (a basset hound) and the kids had fun playing with each other. James looked at Lori's computers on the fritz, but couldn't fix them without more diagnostics. We watched most of the Chargers game - they won 23-3 - no stress! Lori cooked a pot roast for dinner - and it was timed for halftime. We had to house Tami and her family on short notice at a friend's house due to Linda's sickness, so I escorted them over there at Lauren's bedtime and they spent the night there. Lori and Lucas wrote the letter to Santa and set out cookies and milk. She got the boys to bed while I got the stuff into the back yard. Lori and I put up the Blow-up Jump House in the back yard ready to plug in on Christmas morning. Then we brought all of the gifts around the tree and in stockings. Lastly, Lori wrote the Santa letter back to Lucas and Logan, and we ate the cookies.
Tuesday, Christmas day: The boys were up by 7 AM, and Tami and her family came by 8 AM. We turned the tree on, got the stockings down and distributed and the kids tore through the gifts in a frenzy. Then we distributed the gifts from under the tree. In the mean time, Logan played his new drum, then discovered his tricycle and rode it around a little, while Lucas played with his new airplanes from the aircraft carrier box and put on his astronaut suit and helmet. Lauren was happy playing with her gifts - we gave her a scooter and helmet, Disney princess boombox and microphone, and lots of goodies. After the opening frenzy was over, we turned on the Jump House and the kids were surprised again, and ran out and jumped away for awhile.
I was exhausted and took a nap at 11 AM, then went into the Jump House with the kids after lunch. The moms tried to have the kids take naps - they had short ones. Tami and her family decided to go home early - they left at about 3 PM.
Linda and Lori started the turkey at 2 PM, and worked on the other dishes for a 6 PM feast. We had turkey, green beans, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie and ice cream for dessert. Linda ate dinner but took it easy. The boys ate pretty well, but really scarfed the dessert. They went to bed fairly easily, having had an exciting day. The house looked like a tornado hit it - we tried to gather toys and gifts in boxes for each of them, and put the trash in bags. The cartons and boxes and plastic wrap were stacked for recycling. Whew. It was a long day.
Wednesday, December 26: No rest for the weary. Linda felt sick again and stayed in bed. I took down the jump house, packed it in the car, and packed everything else - the van was very full! We had lunch, then left at 12:30 PM hoping to get to Santa Cruz at a reasonable hour. The traffic through LA was OK, only one or two stop-and-goes, and we stopped in Thousand Oaks for a break. Lori bought some new videos at Target, while I walked the dog. Then we went to the Foster's Freeze for ice cream (the boys loved it) and gassed up for the next trip segment. Traffic through Santa Barbara was terrible - a 10 mile backup, and we got to Buellton at about 6:30 PM. We ate at a pancake house across from Pea Soup Andersens. We got the boys in PJs, then took off again, stopped in Paso Robles for gas and a break, and finally got to their house by 11:45 PM. It was 1 AM by the time everyone got to bed.
Thursday, December 27: Logan was up by 7 AM, so I got up and let Lori and Lucas sleep until about 9:30. We ate cereal and played in his room and watched Disney channel shows. After everyone was up, I unpacked the car (put all the toys into the garage) for Lori and put my bag in the car. We left for the airport at 11 AM, and they dropped me off at noon. The lines were long but I was at the gate by 12:45 for a 1:20 departure, but the plane wasn't. When I got to San Diego, I hitched a ride home with Linda's friend Barbara who came in from Sacramento about 30 minutes after I arrived. We had an early dinner (leftover turkey) , watched a bit of the Holiday Bowl, and talked about the week a bit before I adjourned to the computer room to retrieve two days of messages.
Looking back, most of my time and energy was spent with Lucas and Logan. I feel like I neglected Lauren when she was here, although we sat in my chair cuddling, played on the floor with blocks and puzzles, and bounced in the Jump House together. She played most of Monday afternoon with the boys, and all of Tuesday morning was devoted to opening gifts.
The boys require a lot of patience and attention - they are very "busy" - always playing, talking, testing and trying. They whine a lot, and often tussle with each other. In the mornings, I usually watched them for an hour or two while Disney Channel played - we have waffles and pancakes (Lucas eats them frozen, Logan eats them toasted with me), and cereal (Honeycomb and Rice Krispies with milk) until they got dressed and went out and played or went somewhere. At bedtime, I put Logan down several nights - we rock, lie down together and I sing to him - then I recite his genealogy and he passes out quickly!
The most fun is talking to the boys - listening to them talk and think out loud, asking them questions, and playing games with them. Lucas talks a lot about his feelings and about what is happening around him - he really enjoys life. He is very bossy - he tells people what to do and wants to lead his brother and any body else in what to play and do. Logan has some words and is directive too - he says the word for "yes" a lot. Their grandpa is just a big kid at heart, and they know it.
I'll put some pictures up when I have had time to upload them. We didn't take very many pictures this week because of the sickness and the hecticity of the days.
Wednesday, December 19: I flew to Santa Cruz (into San Jose, picked up by Lori, Lucas (age 4) and Logan (almost 2)) and spent the night at their house on the hide-a-bed. The boys have a lot of toys and are always playing with the airplanes and race cars, not so much the trains any longer. They also watch a lot of Disney Channel (Wiggles, Tigger and Pooh, Little Einsteins, etc.) and Nick Jr. (Diego and Dora) on TV and video. Lori had a board meeting in the evening, so I got to bathe the boys, read to them, and put them to bed. Lucas likes stories about dinosaurs, airplanes and my childhood. Lori's computers are on the fritz, so we will take them to Chula Vista and see if James can resurrect them.
Thursday, December 20: We packed the car in the morning, then visited Logan's school, Lori's friend's family , went shopping, and had lunch at home before we started the 500 mile drive to Chula Vista. We left at 1:30 PM and got to CV at 11:30 PM. We stopped in Paso Robles for a break and walk the dog (Annie), then in Santa Maria, and had dinner at a forgettable Chinese place in Santa Barbara. Then it was straight to Chula Vista, stopping for short breaks in Santa Monica and Long Beach. The boys watched videos most of the way, and slept after Long Beach. This was not a fun trip ... but necessary.
Friday, December 21: I came down with a cold overnight - fever, headache, cough, snuffy - so I started my Tylenol Cold regime augmented by Robitussin overnight and Hall's lozenges when needed. I don't remember much about this day except wrapping some gifts in the garage with Lori after the boys went to bed.
Saturday, December 22: Still sick, feel even worse. Stayed home. Watched TV with the boys and read a lot.
Sunday, December 23: Still sick, but getting better. The boys and I watched videos all morning, and went for a walk. Linda went to church. I watched football games and played with the boys in the afternoon - lots of chasing through the house, wrestling on the floor, race cars on the kitchen floor, etc. After the kids were down, Lori and I put Logan's trike together - she's good at mechanical things - I couldn't have done this by myself - no step-by-step directions, only pictures!
Monday, December 24: I'm feeling much better, but Linda has a stomach virus - can't keep anything down, so she's miserable in bed. Lori took the boys to Sea World for awhile. Tami, James and Lauren (age almost 3) arrived in the afternoon with Walter (a basset hound) and the kids had fun playing with each other. James looked at Lori's computers on the fritz, but couldn't fix them without more diagnostics. We watched most of the Chargers game - they won 23-3 - no stress! Lori cooked a pot roast for dinner - and it was timed for halftime. We had to house Tami and her family on short notice at a friend's house due to Linda's sickness, so I escorted them over there at Lauren's bedtime and they spent the night there. Lori and Lucas wrote the letter to Santa and set out cookies and milk. She got the boys to bed while I got the stuff into the back yard. Lori and I put up the Blow-up Jump House in the back yard ready to plug in on Christmas morning. Then we brought all of the gifts around the tree and in stockings. Lastly, Lori wrote the Santa letter back to Lucas and Logan, and we ate the cookies.
Tuesday, Christmas day: The boys were up by 7 AM, and Tami and her family came by 8 AM. We turned the tree on, got the stockings down and distributed and the kids tore through the gifts in a frenzy. Then we distributed the gifts from under the tree. In the mean time, Logan played his new drum, then discovered his tricycle and rode it around a little, while Lucas played with his new airplanes from the aircraft carrier box and put on his astronaut suit and helmet. Lauren was happy playing with her gifts - we gave her a scooter and helmet, Disney princess boombox and microphone, and lots of goodies. After the opening frenzy was over, we turned on the Jump House and the kids were surprised again, and ran out and jumped away for awhile.
I was exhausted and took a nap at 11 AM, then went into the Jump House with the kids after lunch. The moms tried to have the kids take naps - they had short ones. Tami and her family decided to go home early - they left at about 3 PM.
Linda and Lori started the turkey at 2 PM, and worked on the other dishes for a 6 PM feast. We had turkey, green beans, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie and ice cream for dessert. Linda ate dinner but took it easy. The boys ate pretty well, but really scarfed the dessert. They went to bed fairly easily, having had an exciting day. The house looked like a tornado hit it - we tried to gather toys and gifts in boxes for each of them, and put the trash in bags. The cartons and boxes and plastic wrap were stacked for recycling. Whew. It was a long day.
Wednesday, December 26: No rest for the weary. Linda felt sick again and stayed in bed. I took down the jump house, packed it in the car, and packed everything else - the van was very full! We had lunch, then left at 12:30 PM hoping to get to Santa Cruz at a reasonable hour. The traffic through LA was OK, only one or two stop-and-goes, and we stopped in Thousand Oaks for a break. Lori bought some new videos at Target, while I walked the dog. Then we went to the Foster's Freeze for ice cream (the boys loved it) and gassed up for the next trip segment. Traffic through Santa Barbara was terrible - a 10 mile backup, and we got to Buellton at about 6:30 PM. We ate at a pancake house across from Pea Soup Andersens. We got the boys in PJs, then took off again, stopped in Paso Robles for gas and a break, and finally got to their house by 11:45 PM. It was 1 AM by the time everyone got to bed.
Thursday, December 27: Logan was up by 7 AM, so I got up and let Lori and Lucas sleep until about 9:30. We ate cereal and played in his room and watched Disney channel shows. After everyone was up, I unpacked the car (put all the toys into the garage) for Lori and put my bag in the car. We left for the airport at 11 AM, and they dropped me off at noon. The lines were long but I was at the gate by 12:45 for a 1:20 departure, but the plane wasn't. When I got to San Diego, I hitched a ride home with Linda's friend Barbara who came in from Sacramento about 30 minutes after I arrived. We had an early dinner (leftover turkey) , watched a bit of the Holiday Bowl, and talked about the week a bit before I adjourned to the computer room to retrieve two days of messages.
Looking back, most of my time and energy was spent with Lucas and Logan. I feel like I neglected Lauren when she was here, although we sat in my chair cuddling, played on the floor with blocks and puzzles, and bounced in the Jump House together. She played most of Monday afternoon with the boys, and all of Tuesday morning was devoted to opening gifts.
The boys require a lot of patience and attention - they are very "busy" - always playing, talking, testing and trying. They whine a lot, and often tussle with each other. In the mornings, I usually watched them for an hour or two while Disney Channel played - we have waffles and pancakes (Lucas eats them frozen, Logan eats them toasted with me), and cereal (Honeycomb and Rice Krispies with milk) until they got dressed and went out and played or went somewhere. At bedtime, I put Logan down several nights - we rock, lie down together and I sing to him - then I recite his genealogy and he passes out quickly!
The most fun is talking to the boys - listening to them talk and think out loud, asking them questions, and playing games with them. Lucas talks a lot about his feelings and about what is happening around him - he really enjoys life. He is very bossy - he tells people what to do and wants to lead his brother and any body else in what to play and do. Logan has some words and is directive too - he says the word for "yes" a lot. Their grandpa is just a big kid at heart, and they know it.
I'll put some pictures up when I have had time to upload them. We didn't take very many pictures this week because of the sickness and the hecticity of the days.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
My favorite little girl
Our granddaughter Lauren ("Lolo") was down again this week for a visit with "Papa" and "Mamma." I took her to the park for sliding, riding and teetering --
"Papa" and "Lolo" have a fun time together - riding horsey, chasing around the house, stacking up the blocks, watching TV, running trains over the floor, sharing waffles, apples, tomatos and strawberries, eating ice cream and cookies, and just tickling and hugging. Her bath is really fun too. She is a very darling and good 2-year old.
"Lolo" is talking up a storm, but we don't always understand her. She loves the Disney Channel shows, especially The Wiggles, Tigger and Pooh, and Little Einsteins.
"Papa" and "Lolo" have a fun time together - riding horsey, chasing around the house, stacking up the blocks, watching TV, running trains over the floor, sharing waffles, apples, tomatos and strawberries, eating ice cream and cookies, and just tickling and hugging. Her bath is really fun too. She is a very darling and good 2-year old.
"Lolo" is talking up a storm, but we don't always understand her. She loves the Disney Channel shows, especially The Wiggles, Tigger and Pooh, and Little Einsteins.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Lolo's Summer Vacation
We are so lucky - our 2-1/2 year old granddaughter Lauren (Lolo) came to visit us for a whole week without her mom and dad. James dropped her off on Sunday with a suitcase of clothes and some diapers, and drove off back home. He had to work all week, and Tami had to be at the university for her PhD studies all week and wasn't going to go home, so Lolo got a week in cool San Diego with "Ba-ba" and "Mam-ma."
On Monday, Lolo audited Grandpa's genealogy class for awhile, then went to grandma's toddler reading time at the library. That night, we took the trolley to the Padres game at Petco Park and had a good time. Linda bought Lolo a pink Padres shirt and we found an extra cap for her. We schooled her in how to say "Go Padres" and she learned quickly!
On Wednesday, it was back to the library for the computer group with grandpa, then grandma came and took her to the bay to play on the equipment and look for squirrels on the rocks. We all met for lunch at Rubio's (Lolo loves fish tacos, chips, salsa, etc.) and went home for a nap. Usually, in the afternoons we went out and watered the plants and looked for birds and bugs or played ball.
We went to the Padres' game on the trolley again on Thursday, and she had a great time. This time we ate fish and chips at the Tin Fish before the game. Lolo had a great time entertaining us and the other fans with lots of smiles and giggles and running around our seats. We got home at 10:30 and she went right to bed.
On Friday, after a lazy morning, Lolo and Grandpa went to McDonalds for lunch and then for a walk with Grandpa's friend George down on the bayfront. We had a good 30 minute walk, and she played a bit on the equipment. George suggested we go to another park which has squirrels running around. so we went there and fed soggy french fries to the squirrels, and she played on the slides.
Saturday was a really big day for Lolo. Grandpa took her in the morning to another park with big slides and she played for an hour there. We went for lunch at Chick-Fil-A and who was there but her mom and dad. She was really happy to see them. After lunch, and a long play time on the equipment there, we came home and everybody had a nap. Then we went to Lolo's third Padres' game this week. We ate inside Petco Park - Lolo had a hot dog and a pretzel. During the game, she had popcorn and ice cream (shared with Grandpa). We took this picture of a happy Lolo with happy parents.
They drove home after the game. Our house is pretty quiet and empty now, but we were pooped from all of the activity. We sure had a good time. She is so cute and so much fun to be with.
Baseball, hot dogs, ice cream and Lolo - what a great week!
On Monday, Lolo audited Grandpa's genealogy class for awhile, then went to grandma's toddler reading time at the library. That night, we took the trolley to the Padres game at Petco Park and had a good time. Linda bought Lolo a pink Padres shirt and we found an extra cap for her. We schooled her in how to say "Go Padres" and she learned quickly!
We went to El Pollo Loco for dinner, then went to the park. At the game, she really enjoyed the food, the lights, the excitement, the music, and quickly found the Disney World ad on the scoreboard with Nemo on it. The usher took this picture.
Lolo was a trooper - we got home from the game at 10 PM and she went right to bed. On Tuesday, we stayed home. Lolo played with the Wedg-It blocks (below) for over an hour - she's really good at building them up, and she loves to knock it down and start again. We watched PBS and Disney programs, then she played a bit on the computer.
On Wednesday, it was back to the library for the computer group with grandpa, then grandma came and took her to the bay to play on the equipment and look for squirrels on the rocks. We all met for lunch at Rubio's (Lolo loves fish tacos, chips, salsa, etc.) and went home for a nap. Usually, in the afternoons we went out and watered the plants and looked for birds and bugs or played ball.
We went to the Padres' game on the trolley again on Thursday, and she had a great time. This time we ate fish and chips at the Tin Fish before the game. Lolo had a great time entertaining us and the other fans with lots of smiles and giggles and running around our seats. We got home at 10:30 and she went right to bed.
On Friday, after a lazy morning, Lolo and Grandpa went to McDonalds for lunch and then for a walk with Grandpa's friend George down on the bayfront. We had a good 30 minute walk, and she played a bit on the equipment. George suggested we go to another park which has squirrels running around. so we went there and fed soggy french fries to the squirrels, and she played on the slides.
Saturday was a really big day for Lolo. Grandpa took her in the morning to another park with big slides and she played for an hour there. We went for lunch at Chick-Fil-A and who was there but her mom and dad. She was really happy to see them. After lunch, and a long play time on the equipment there, we came home and everybody had a nap. Then we went to Lolo's third Padres' game this week. We ate inside Petco Park - Lolo had a hot dog and a pretzel. During the game, she had popcorn and ice cream (shared with Grandpa). We took this picture of a happy Lolo with happy parents.
They drove home after the game. Our house is pretty quiet and empty now, but we were pooped from all of the activity. We sure had a good time. She is so cute and so much fun to be with.
Baseball, hot dogs, ice cream and Lolo - what a great week!
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Lauren is still cute
We visited Lauren and her family last weekend, and had fun with her.
This is at the mall where Lolo likes to climb and slide on the play equipment. Afterwards, we eat lunch and have an ice cream.
Bath time is special - and afterward she runs around naked with the towel on until somebody catches her. It is great fun!
This is at the mall where Lolo likes to climb and slide on the play equipment. Afterwards, we eat lunch and have an ice cream.
Bath time is special - and afterward she runs around naked with the towel on until somebody catches her. It is great fun!
At the park, grandma and Lolo take a break from climbing and sliding.
We went to Baskin Robbins and had a great sundae (Lolo shared everybody's, I think). Afterward, there was a fire truck in the parking lot and Lolo learned to drive it.
Here are James, Lauren and Tami in their kitchen - the classic pose (I must have 10 pictures like this over the last 2 years).
Lauren was 2 in February
Lauren likes to wear grandma's slippers --
and climb on grandpa's back and ride like a horse --
and climb on grandpa's back and ride like a horse --
Lauren loves the mall play area - she climbs and slides --
We celebrated her birthday at a "Pump It Up" place where the kids jumped and played for an hour, then had ice cream and cake.
Lauren likes the Gymboree store --
She is really cute, eh? I'm prejudiced, I guess.
Lauren is still very cute
We were away last weekend to visit 2-year old Lauren and her parents up in Victorville. We drove up on Wednesday and met Lauren and her mom at Ontario Mills, a big shopping center. After some shopping (I bought 3 books) we had dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe - they have animated animals and birds along the walls that occasionally come "alive" - Lauren loves to watch this, but not get too close. When the cheetah snarled, she jumped.
The next day we went to the mall in Victorville, and we met Abby and her mom there for a play date. The mall has a nice play area for toddlers to climb on and jump from, and run around, and the girls had fun. Then we had lujnch - Lauren likes the Mongolian Beef barbecue - I went for the pizza. The highlight was the chocolate chip blizzard from Dairy Queen - Lauren shared mine and loved it. It's called bonding...
When Lauren's mom had to go to a class, we took Lauren to the park - there are slides and a lake there. She had a blast climbing and sliding, and we had to go to lunch afterwards at In-n-Out. Lolo shared my cheeseburger, fries and chocolate shake (remember...bonding!).
Lauren is just starting to name things and string words together. She calls me "ba-ba" now - hopefully that will improve to "grand-pa" sometime soon, but "ba-ba" is OK with me. It was fun teaching her "milk shake," "blizzard," and "chocolate."
The next day we went to the mall in Victorville, and we met Abby and her mom there for a play date. The mall has a nice play area for toddlers to climb on and jump from, and run around, and the girls had fun. Then we had lujnch - Lauren likes the Mongolian Beef barbecue - I went for the pizza. The highlight was the chocolate chip blizzard from Dairy Queen - Lauren shared mine and loved it. It's called bonding...
When Lauren's mom had to go to a class, we took Lauren to the park - there are slides and a lake there. She had a blast climbing and sliding, and we had to go to lunch afterwards at In-n-Out. Lolo shared my cheeseburger, fries and chocolate shake (remember...bonding!).
Lauren is just starting to name things and string words together. She calls me "ba-ba" now - hopefully that will improve to "grand-pa" sometime soon, but "ba-ba" is OK with me. It was fun teaching her "milk shake," "blizzard," and "chocolate."
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