Time To Say Good-Bye...sniff

So Long...Farewell. I love you and will miss you all.

Oh my goodness...so much has happened in the time I have been here, that I almost don't know where to begin! I have been in San Jose for a while, so I have seen some amazing things, been blessed to get to spend so much time with my little Ruby and Ford, and spend a lot of great quality time with Annie and Bobby.

I should preface this post by saying that this in no way is the entire collection of the wonderful photos and videos that will come. This is another teaser.

There have been so many firsts. First pairs of shoes (plural only because we have two babies, not because eleven month old babies need multiple pairs!); Ruby learned to crawl (Ford has been crawling since around Christmas, I am told); first solid foods,with not even the tiniest of puree involved (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, sweet potatoes, bagels, chicken, animal crackers and so many more I am forgetting right now; Ruby and Ford both have eight (!) teeth; Ruby and Ford are "cruising", holding onto things like the coffee table and walking along while holding on, with just about anything they can pull themselves up on; Ruby has taken her first TWO steps in a row without holding onto anything! She can also stand up straight not holding onto anything for quite an impressive amount of time; Ford has taken his first step, but he is less motivated than his sister to walk because his crawling is so fast that we all have to chase after him at almost a run to catch up.

Ruby has said her first word, "dog", which she can also accompany with the American Sign Language sign for "dog" thanks to a video called "Baby Signing Time", we are still holding out for confirmation of Ford's first word, although there have been plenty of sounds we would love to attribute to him. Ann asked him the other night if he was "all done" after his dinner and she and I both clearly heard him say "all done", but we think it was more of a mimic than a real attempt to talk. It did not stop our jaws from hitting the ground, however! Both Ruby and Ford say, "mom, mom, mom" when they are angry or sad. It means save me, hug me, kiss me, entertain me, etc...

*Aside: Baby Signing Time is great for teaching the signs for useful things like eat, drink, water, juice, diaper and many other words that could help a baby communicate what they want.

However, on behalf of myself, Auntie Kate, and Uncle Charlie I feel obligated to lodge a complaint. There is an entire section for teaching the signs for mom, dad, grandma, and grandpa. Nowhere do aunties and uncles get a mention. Here's the gist of the song for your enjoyment:

Mom has a mom and she's my grandma
She's another mother who loves me
Mom has a dad and he's my grandpa
He's another father who loves me

Dad has a mom and she's my grandma
She's another mother who loves me
Dad has dad and he's my grandpa
He's another father who loves me

So many moms
So many dads
There are many, many people who love me

I ask you; do you see any mention of an auntie or an uncle who loves baby? We are part of the "many, many people who love [them]".Yeah, I am disgruntled. Auntie Kate, Uncle Charlie, Uncle Eddy, Aunt Christine Caroline and I need to mount a campaign to get the aunties and uncles who love babies included! End aside.*

*New aside* If Ann, Bobby, and I ever have to tell a hearing impaired person that we need to potty or want a bird we are SO in business. Not to mention we can ask for our diaper to be changed.
Here, Ruby is demonstrating that she can hold her sippy cup all by herself and drink out of it without an assistant tipping it up for her. Forder has also mastered the sippy cup. This has a large margin for error. Fortunately, their Baby Bjorn bibs have moats to catch the overflow. Unfortunately, Ruby and Ford quickly discovered the moats, so there is a lot of play involved with the moats. It is especially fun when the moat has caught a mixture of water, yogurt, vegetables, and meat...all at the same time.
Litttle Boo is on her Dora the Explorer push car that plays music, which she and Forder love to dance to. Mommy, Daddy, and Auntie get stuck on the songs for days on end. Allow me to share, it has a Caribbean sound to it. Play along at home, please:

Dunt Dunt Dunt Dunt Dunt Dunt Dunt Dunt Dunt, Dunt;
Dunt Dunt Dunt Dunt Dunt Dunt Dunt, Dunt;
Dunt Dunt Dunt Dunt Dunt Dunt Dunt Dunt Dunt, Dunt;
Dunt Dunt Dunt Dunt Dunt Dunt Dunt, Dunt;

Are you stuck on it? We are. Every single second of every day.

Take special note of the front of the car. It is like the Small World ride at Disneyland, complete with animatronics.

It has not been uncommon to hear a "fantastica" blurted out by one of us from across the house, or in the supermarket, or at the park. You know, all the places where one looks crazy shouting out Spanish words at random. You see, Dora not only speaks English, she shares with us in Spanish, as well. It is...a bit annoying, but Ruby and Ford love it, so what are you going to do?
This is Ford Patrick's "Home Depot Big Digger". It is pretty cool, but has one little feature that causes adults to jump in fear. There is a button that makes the EXACT same noise as the one trucks, and apparently farm equipment, make while backing up. Ann, Bobby, and I have all been caught looking around in panic and fear for the truck backing up in the middle of the living room. Imagine our shock if one of these times there really is a cement mixer backing up in the living room. I sort of feel like I should throw myself over the babies to protect them when the "Big Digger" starts beeping!
Here, Boo Boo is demonstrating how you push the button that makes the back up beeping noise. Notice, she has picked up some debris along the way. She comes from Minnesota farm implement stock, so I think she is channeling her Stimmler and Johnson roots. Bobby and my Grandpa Johnson sold farm implements in Wheaton, MN and Ann's Grandpa Stimmler sold farm implements in Morris, MN., don'tcha know!

Fun fact, our Grandparents knew each other from approximately the 1950's on! They both sold International Harvester implements and went to the same conventions year after year. It's a small world after all. Are you sensing a theme yet?
This is one of my favorite pictures that I have ever taken in my life. This is the face of pure mischief. Ford Patrick is "sneaking" to take my glasses or camera.

This is the face he gets every time he is stalking his prey, not unlike a cat, which is usually a camera or the glasses off of ones face. He even gets eerily still and quiet as he assesses what his next move will be. He is his own little National Geographic special. I can hear the dialog now. "Observe the animal in his native land as he crouches down and becomes still, waiting for his prey to let its guard down."

Birds beware! He out to get you; part baby, part feline. Maybe we should attach a bell to him like we did to our cats when Bobby, Eddy, and I were growing up to give the birds a fighting chance.

Notice the barely contained smile or giggle when he is trying SO HARD not to give away his master plan. I adore mischievous Ford. It cracks me up every single time.
Really, is there anything sweeter than snuggling up to a baby who is just out of the bath, sleepy, and about to go to bed? Boo Boo loves her Daddy to snuggle her just a little more before she shuts her peepers and says good-bye to the day.
Mommy is no dummy and she is quick to join the sweet, sleepy baby and Daddy before she puts Ruby to bed. Ann is the one who rocks them down every night, not because she thinks Bobby is incompetent, but because she nurses them to sleep. It has to be the most rewarding time of the day for her!
Grandma and Grandpa, I swear I had nothing to do with Ruby and Ford's fascination with dirt. I know it looks suspicious after the incident where I filled the hole the willow tree's roots had vacated with water and then convinced Bobby and Eddy to jump in, but I am innocent. Innocent I tell you!
Yum, dirt! I am sure Auntie Christine has nothing to do with this mischief. I was simply there to document the moment...Does talking about myself in the third person make me sound even more guilty? Hmm.
Boo Boo had to munch on quite a large plant before she got down to the delicacy that is dirt. Again, I am not responsible at all.
Park! Ford decided one day, completely out of the blue, that he wanted to climb to the top of the slide. It was a toddler slide, so it had very deep, short, shallow steps that curved around. Still, he scampered up them on all fours like he had been doing it forever. It was one of the craziest things I have ever seen. As far as I know, he has never really even seen stairs or paid them any interest.

*Update: Bobby has confirmed this was Forder's first experience with stairs.*
This is the very slide Ford Patrick climbed up. He was rewarded with a trip down the slide being held by his very proud Daddy while Mommy and Auntie Christine cheered his accomplishment.
Ruby Lee and Daddy sharing a little down time at the park. Ruby's favorite thing to do at the park is swing. She is a swinging maniac. She laughs and laughs at the babies swinging next to her on the toddler swings. It is hilarious.
Don't look now, but Monkey Man learned how to climb up onto the dishwasher's door and play with clean dishes. You know, because the best toys are the ones you aren't supposed to have!
This is Ford's triumphant face. Have you ever seen anything so sweet in your whole life? Please don't ask me where this script and the underlining came from, Blogger apparently has a bug and occasionally drives me crazy by pulling this nonsense.
Boo Boo watched her brother's adventure and the next thing we knew...

Ta Da!

Before morning naps, Ruby and Ford go for a walk with Mommy. How adorable are their "snow suits"? They are irresistable.

People never cease to amaze me. I am the sister of twin brothers and I have heard pretty much all of the ridiculous questions strangers ask when confronted with twins." Are they identical?" "Do they have the Super Twin powers?" Okay, that last one might be made up, I will never tell!

The fact that we can take them out in their snow suits and have people ask if they are boys or girls astounds me. People, don't make yourself look stupid. One is in purple and one is in blue. Do the math and work it out!

This rant is completely ignoring the fact that Ruby looks so much like a baby girl and Ford looks so much like a baby boy that I think we could dress them in the opposing colors and you still would be able to tell Ruby is a girl and Ford is a boy. No wonder Uncle Eddy wrote his college entrance essay on the downside of being a twin. I have been asked my entire life how I can tell Bobby and Eddy apart, and they look nothing alike. Plus, Eddy is three inches taller for Pete's sake. People are crazy!
After they go for a walk, they watch Baby Signing Time or Baby Einstein Mozart. Usually they are in their swing or exersaucer to watch their sleepy time videos, but they were so excited by this one they had to hold on to the TV's baby gate. Little bottoms are so cute!
After they have watched their sleepy time video, Mommy rocks the babies to sleep. I am so jealous of this time she has with them. They only want Mommy when it is time for a nap, not surprisingly.
Little sleeping Ford Patrick. He is so precious that you just want to kiss him! He is irresistable.
Baby Forder finally asleep in his crib. Note the cutest ear curls ever!
Not to be outdone in the cuteness department, little Ruby has her hair in an adorable pony tail. It looks just like an antenna. She may be picking up radio signals!
Awake and ready to play! This is the coolest toy ever. They can walk behind it like a stroller, there is a place to put Sweet Pea (shown) and their Pooh Bear, and it is even a shape sorter. You can see where the shapes go in right under Sweet Pea. The shapes stick with magnets to the side of the stroller when not in use. The opposite site has a maze where they can move wooden shapes through the maze. It is really cool. Mommy and Auntie Christine put it together and it required a lot of wood glue and very few screws, so we are a little afraid of it, but it seems really sturdy so far. There are wheels to attach when they start being able to walk faster. Ann put felt on the bottom for now.

I sound like an infommercial. This AMAZING toy is available at Target for approximately $11.00 for a limited time. Okay, I made the limited time part up. Act fast and we will throw in a set of steak knives ABSOLUTELY FREE!
Freaking underlining is back and it has brought its friend bold with it...Anyway, one of the fantastic things about visiting Bobby and Ann has been the amazing food we have been cooking at home. We have become quite the gourmets! Here, Bobby is warming up to cut the awesome mushroom/feta pizza we made with his new toy, just like the pizza parlors have! It is important to stretch before attempting this tricky manuever.
Next, Bobby checks for sharpness and shape to make sure that his new toy is properly crafted. There is nothing worse than ending up with a dull, warped pizza cutter, I always say.
Annie gets in on the action. Her pieces were more uniform, but don't tell Bobby!
Beautiful pizza. Please note the piece in the upper right corner. SOMEONE couldn't wait for Auntie Christine to snap the money shot before taking a bite. Hmmm...I wonder who?
This morning. My last to snuggle Ford right after he woke up which is the best time to snuggle with him as he just wants to be cuddled and kissed on. Ford is the cuddliest baby I have ever met. He will crawl over and get in your lap in the middle of playing just to get a snuggle. Ruby is a not quite as big a snuggler, but she, too, has her moments. I love them both so very much and leaving them is horrible. I will see Bobby, Ann, Ruby, and Ford in four months, which seems like forever!

I am off to L.A. to see Grandma, Eddy, Christine, and Astrid so that is all for this post. Believe me, with the amount of pictures I have taken, there will be more to come soon!