The Gentlemen Are Growing Up

Hunter and Nolan like to do puzzles.

They like puzzles with lots of pieces,

puzzles with dinosaurs in them

and very large puzzles that cover the floor.

Seth is being toilet trained, so he now uses pull-ups as a transition..

Why is it that little boys can learn to stand up to go to the bathroom,

but hide when it's time to do more serous work?

Gramma thinks it's easier to do surgery on the pull-up

than to attempt pulling them down.

There must be a reason they're not called pull-downs.

No one told her they have velcro emergency openers.

She was afraid to pull to hard on them,

 for fear it would go from bad to worse.

Seth is not worried and knows someone will tell me how to do it next time.

Mommy made superhero masks for the boys.  

Seth naps with his mask on.

As does Batman.

Superheroes have to protect their identities.

Being the little brother means your turn is last.

It's so hard to wait.

But Gramma uses a timer.

When it rings, all the fun is yours.

News from the California Crew

The boys live in engineering heaven.

It's the perfect breeding ground for innovative minds.

What a great place to relax and enjoy the sunshine.

The Ninja turtles are up to another adventure.

This looks like the entrance to a castle.

What diabolical plan lurks behind those doors?

Nathan and Andrew turned seven... 

on the same day!

No amount of spinning, twirling, and speed can slow these Goedkens down.

And where is Mommy?

Gramma is amazed at everything these boys have accomplished in only seven years.

Love

Exploring Life at Gramma's - Play ball!

Seth is thinking of becoming a bird watcher.

The tree outside the window is a perfect place to start.

Another way to get a new view of the world.

It's an unusual look,

but when you bump your nose at Gramma's

she makes sure the blood doesn't get on anything else.

Daddy was there when this happened.

Gramma was off duty.

Seth loves the rocking chair Great Grandma Lynch's grandfather made for her.

Becky and Gramma used this chair so much our grandfather had to repair it.

You can still see all of his repairs.

Nolan is reading at his table.

He is learning to read with the same books his Daddy learned to read.

They are now out of print.

He also writes at his table.

Here he is filling in his piano practice sheet.

Nolan takes a lot of pride in the work he does.

After he played nine songs for me, 

I told him I was proud that he had practiced all the songs he knows.

He reminded me he knows ten songs and had one more to go.

News from the California Crew

The entire family loves to read.

And will take any opportunity to do so.

We also love animals and care for them as part of the family.

This includes lizards.

Living in California, the weather makes it easier to enjoy sports.

I can tell this catcher is smiling,

even with his mask on.

With this much gear on, 

I hope he doesn't have to run too far.

Why is it a guy in uniform looks so cute?

Perhaps because they just are.

Grampa's Helpers at Work

Seth follows in Grampa's footsteps.

It is better to fix things before they're broken.

Home Depot may not be open, if you wait for them to break.

Like all of my students, 

Nolan enjoys the treat following the lesson.

I enjoyed the clouds on this day.

Seth is now promoted to helping Grampa with his office problems.

I DID NOT do this to Nolan.

He thought it was fun.

Nolan and Seth help Grampa put his Valentine's present together.

Nolan was moving right along, while Grampa was busy with his own part.

When they went out to put it in the ground,

they found out the ground was frozen.

An Earth Science lesson for free.

Maybe it will thaw by summer.

News from the California Crew

All three boys remain Bears' fans.

Nathan also likes the

When Becky and I were growing up, 

we were responsible for doing the dishes.

To encourage our practicing my mother would fill in for whoever was practicing.

You had to time it just right.

You didn't want to practice right after leaving the table, 

because you might finish before it was time to do the dishes.

You also didn't want to wait too long, 

or the other sister would find herself on the bench during dishes.

When one made a move to get to the piano, 

the race was on.

When people commented on how well we played 

and asked my mother if it was difficult to get us to practice,

she would respond, "No, they actually fight to practice."

My children might have gone on into music if we hadn't had a dishwasher.

Bogie supervises not only their practice, 

but also their screen time.

He's a good au pair.

The Ninja twins enjoy a day celebrating nature.

The beaches have such soft, white sand in California.

And good looking boys, too.

Helpers (January 2016)

Seth may be small for the job, but ...

he has Gramma's ability to hare his heels high.

Nolan is also a great helper.

He cracks Gramma's Brazil nuts, although he never eats them.

It takes a lot of muscle to use our industrial nut cracker.

It is an engineer's dream.

Seth enjoys doing his "office" work with Grampa.

He requires lots of office supplies;

such as big sheets of paper and assorted colors of ink pens.

News from the California Crew

Swinging in the rain.

Oh, that's right.  There is no rain in California.

Andrew's adult teeth are here!

And so is the biggest smile.

Can you find eight ears in this picture?  

Nathan has two.

Cletus, the elf, has two.

And Bogie, half cat/half bunnyt, has four!  Huh?

My biker dudes!

Bogie practices with the boys.

Actually, he likes when they practice, 

because he knows where their hands are.

Between songs they are required to pet him.

The boys enjoy living across the street from the school.

They can learn to do wheelies after school.

And more typical subjects during school.