Eat, Sleep & Play

As far as Jei and I are concerned... having Moe-Joe at the house means only one thing: we get to sleep in!!! So while Jei and I catch up on some shut-eye, Allen Jess and his favorite playmate spend the morning chasing each other around the house.

Until they both eventually wear each other out...

and nap time ensues!

After a long morning full of playing & napping, we all like to make the trip to the local park, and in Moe-Joe & Allen's case... the short trip is on two wheels!

"Water bottle? Check! Safety straps? Check!

Okay Moe-Joe... let's ride!"

Allen loves coming to the park...

and his new favorite part is crawling through the tunnel!

But with Moe-Joe on one end and Dad-Oh on the other, bless his little heart - he just couldn't pick sides and was torn on which way to go!

"Mom... Dad... a little help here?!"

Where the tunnel was a lot more fun for Allen than it was for the rest of us... the slide was definitely just the opposite! 

But when it was time to swing...

we all had a good time!

Hmmm... perhaps leaving Moe-Joe & Dad-Oh to pedal their way back home at dusk... in an unfamiliar neighborhood... on unfamiliar bikes... with our child in tow... wasn't such a good idea?!?!

"'Do we go straight here or turn right? I thought you said you knew where you were going?' 'Oh shut-up bird-brain and help me figure out how to switch these stupid gears!'" 

A Moe-Joe & Dad-Oh visit just wouldn't be complete...

without lunch at one of our favorite wineries in Temecula.

It was a gorgeous day, but unfortunately it was just a tad bit too hot out for us to enjoy our lunch outside on the patio... but after stuffing our faces in the cool A/C inside, we came back out and walked off our meals on the grass in the warm sun.

The next day was more of the same... hanging out with Moe-Joe (outside of course) and playing in the big pile of rocks...

Taking a walk around and exploring the backyard...

Another bike ride...

And of course another trip to the park!

Moe-Joe & Allen's trip down the slide looked so much fun that Dad-Oh just couldn't help himself!

"Hey Dad-Oh... Um, I think this thing is broken."

"Well let's have a look...

I may be retired, but I'm still an engineer at heart!"

Turns out it was just operator error!

After a long day full of playing... it was finally time for dinner, and there's no one more fun to eat dinner with than Moe-Joe!  "All done!!!"

"Listen Moe-Joe, you're doing this all wrong.

Let me show you how it's done around here!"

While it may have been super fun to eat dinner with Moe-Joe... hanging out with Dad-Oh after dinner was just as much fun!

And at the end of the day... Moe-Joe & Dad-Oh were left with one dirty little boy!

So they happily agreed to clean him up and get him ready for a good night's rest, and another fun-filled day!

A Day In The Shade

With the backyard... well, let's just say it's under construction right now, we were forced to play in the front yard.  Sure, it felt a little ghetto and/or white-trashy, but it actually turned out to be very pleasant... with great weather, plush green grass, and just the right amount of shade to stay out of that warm sun!

"Hold on Mom... Dad-Oh's telling a joke!"

Dad-Oh's so funny!!!

Allen was so happy that his Dad-Oh was there to play with him!

Love those dirty little adventurous feet!

Moe-Joe was a great playmate... and being that we were all playing together outside, she and everyone else was very happy.

Allen: "Nope, I don't see any of my toys in here!"

On the concrete or in the grass,

Allen loves to practice his walking skills with his Moe-Joe.

Moe-Joe & Dad-Oh are fun to play with...

but no one beats or is more funny than his Momma!

Such a happy little guy!

After building up our appetite with all the playing and fun at home, we decided to go to our favorite local pizza joint for dinner that evening... and of course we ate outside!

Allen Jess loved eating out with his Moe-Joe & Dad-Oh!

Nothing like a little wine to end a great day of playing!

Birthday Wish

Alec and I love having company over, especially when it's family... but even more so when it's family we don't get to see that often that live so far away! So naturally, we were both looking forward to and anxiously awaiting Mojo and Dado's arrival for weeks. Allen Jess on the other hand, was totally unaware of the special visit and completely dumfounded when he saw his Mojo & Dado finally walk through our front door. He was quiet and reserved at first, for he just couldn't figure out in his newly one-year-old little mind how exactly the two familiar voices and faces he had seen so many times on the computer screen via Skype... somehow magically materialize right before his little eyes! I guess he figured his birthday wish had come true after all! It didn't take long for Allen to warm up to his Mojo... for he found himself one of the best playmates he could ever know, and have the best lap to sit in in the world!

It didn't take Dado long

to win over this little guy's attention either!

How could anyone say no to banana flavored snacks!

It became very clear that our adult conversation of catching up with each other had become extraordinarily boring and less than interesting for Allen's liking.

And less than an hour after their arrival, surprise - surprise... Mojo got cabin fever and needed to go play outside. Good thing her order of warm weather & sunshine had come through!

Allen showed off his walking skills...

with a little help from Dado of course.

Tall, skinny, and acts like a Monkey...

yep, he's an Etheridge Boy alright!

A big pile of rocks...

every little boy's dream!

After realizing his Mojo & Dado were here to stay... only to have fun and play... Allen Jess was super excited and belted out a big 'Yay!'

So was it his birthday wish that Mojo & Dado show up and visit for a few days... only Allen knows, but regardless, we were all very happy that they did and are looking forward to many more happy days and smiles together!