Blog of Chang: February 2008

Pickle Ball

Last Sunday we got to go for a walk in our wagon. Mommy and Nana took us over by the Pickle Ball courts to watch them play. We're not sure of what it all is about, but it's pretty fun to watch the balls flying back and forth around the court. If you look closely, you can see the yellow whiffle balls in the picture:

Happy Birthday...

To Us? We think it should have been to us. We went to a birthday party for Michelle at Uncle Larry's house last weekend. We got to play at the playground across the street with Papa and Nana and Uncle Dave. Then we at yummy food inside. Finally we got to have cake and ice cream! Everyone sang "Happy Birthday" and we are sure that every time that song is sung it's for us. We smile and clap each time we hear it!

Here is a picture of me (Josiah) sitting on Uncle Dave's lap while everyone sang and laughed at the candle that Uncle Larry put on Michelle's cake:

And this is my brother sitting on Aunt Debbie's lap and me in the background, enjoying the serenade!

Open Wide!

Last week Daddy and Mommy went to the dentist. We usually play in the car or go to the playground while they do whatever it is they do in there. This time they decided that we could go in and see what happens behind the door. It was SCARY!!!

Mommy took us back and we saw Daddy laying in a chair with his mouth wide open. There was a lady there with a mask and funny glasses on and she had her hands in Daddy's mouth! Mommy has been having us practice "Open Wide," but when she asked us to do it there...NO WAY! I (Jonathan) clamped my mouth shut as tight as I could, and my brother almost started crying because it was so scary. There was no way we were going to open and let that lady put her fingers in our mouths!

The worst part is that we had to leave Daddy back there. Mommy took us back to the lobby and then wanted us to go to the car. I was shocked! I turned back to get Daddy and threw my cup down and called out to him, "Daddy!!!" I tried to rescue him, but Mommy just left him back there to be tortured. He did come out eventually, but we don't even want to know what happened after we left.

Daddy and Mommy say that we "get" to go to the dentist in the next year or so. We don't think that's very nice.

A Day at the Park

We got to go to the park with Isaac the other day! It was so much fun to run around an play in the sand. You can click here to see some pics of us playing together.

In Loving Memory

Linus Drake Chalupa

August 15, 2006 - February 11, 2008

Our friend Linus went to be with Jesus this past Monday. Our whole family is so sad. Linus was born a month and a half after us. His mommy and our mommy have been comparing notes about us through their pregnancies and the first year and a half. Please pray for his Mommy and Daddy as they miss him very much and are so sad. We love you, Linus!

CEDAR RAPIDS - Linus Drake Chalupa, 18 months, of Cedar Rapids, passed away unexpectedly on Feb. 11, 2008. Funeral Mass will be held 10:30 a.m. Friday at All Saints Catholic Church. The Rev. David O'Connor will officiate. Friends may call from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday at Cedar Memorial Park Funeral Home, where a vigil service will take place at 4:30 p.m. Friends may also call at the church on Friday after 9:30 a.m. Interment: Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery.Survivors include parents, Erin and Taro Chalupa of Cedar Rapids; grandparents, Marcell and Yumiko Chalupa of British Columbia, Mary Boland Twomey of Manchester and Mike and Mary Twomey of Manchester; two aunts, Megan and husband Doug Cole of Fort Collins, Colo., and Abby Twomey of Manchester; and an uncle, Chris Twomey and wife Lisa of Chicago.

He was preceded in death by an uncle, Marc Twomey.

Linus Drake Chalupa was born Aug. 15, 2006, at St. Luke's Hospital, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the beloved son of Taro Milan and Erin Kathleen (Twomey) Chalupa. He loved his mommy and daddy, his blue blanket, having books read to him, and eating popcorn and cheetos. He had a winning smile that captured the hearts of all who had the opportunity to meet him. He was dearly loved and will be greatly missed by all.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the memorial fund established in Linus' honor.Please leave a message, tribute, or memory, to Linus' family on the Web page www.cedarmemorial.com under obituaries.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Interactive TV

Mommy brought home a DVD of the Backyardigans for us today. We were watching it and Mommy caught us on video:

She kept rewinding it and we (especially Jonathan) just laughed and laughed!

Beyond...

Today we went to the library for "Babies, Books, and Beyond." They sing and read stories, and then afterward they pull out these big shelves full of toys to play with. Here we are enjoying the "beyond" part:

While You Were Sleeping

This is how Mommy found Jonathan sleeping the other day:

This is what happened when he heard the camera make a little noise:

Our Favorite Things

Here are a few of our favorite things:
The dogs...we think it's fun to play with them when they're out, but it's funny to taunt them while they're confined. :)

We got our chairs converted to booster chairs and now we get to sit at the big table with Daddy and Mommy!

Our Bounce N Spin Zebra is so much fun!!

Our fun tent!

Magnetic letters are great to play with - and even better when Daddy and Mommy give us the base that they go in so that they make the music and noise!

These are just fun and noisy!

This is our new(ish) toy box. We are starting to get good at putting our toys in it before we go to bed. Daddy and Mommy appreciate that a lot!

This is Monkey. He is Josiah's favorite toy. He never goes in the toy box!

These are some of our favorite things to eat:

These are some of our favorite things that aren't Mommy's favorite things:

We like the doggie door. We throw things out of the door. We sometimes throw ourselves out the door. Daddy and Mommy don't like that.

We like to play with the dish towels hanging on the handle of the range. There is only one towel there and you notice that it's tied. Apparently we figured out how take them down because there are supposed to be three up there. Us: 1 Mommy: 0

We like the windows (and windows in the french doors, and all the pretty stainless steel appliances in the kitchen).

We like them because they're fun to lick. Mommy said that she knew that she'd have finger prints on the windows and appliances, but never imagined this:

One of Mommy and Daddy's favorite and least favorite things:

They like that they can hear us on the monitor and think it's fun to listen to us play with each other. They don't like it at 5:30 a.m.

Nobody's Favorite Thing:

This is our Time Out area. We have a little timer set at 1 minute. We have to sit here and face the wall (so we can't play with or communicate with each other) when we're naughty. We also have to say "sorry" to Mommy or Daddy before we get up. Nobody likes this, but Daddy and Mommy won't take it away.