Family- April 2010



STACEYALECK.COM	Amanda Rachel & Robin Beatrice Amanda was born on Wednesday, June 28, 2006 at 3:16 pm Robin was born on Thursday, August 6, 2009 at 9:24 pm April 2010 What an exciting month we've had. We went on a cruise (a first for all of us) with Aleck's family, Robin started eating finger food, and we took the kids to their first happy hour at a bar (really!). Robin became very attached to a particular purple toy, which was in hand 24/7 all month long. Amanda became a frisbee fanatic, had lots of fun and exciting experiences at school and also experimented with sleeping in underwear (as opposed to a pull-up). Our week-long cruise to Mexico was the highlight of our month. Amanda had a fantastic time playing with Matty and seeing all of her West Coast family. There were also many firsts for Amanda, including ice skating (yes, on the cruise) and taking a shower (a short-lived habit). Robin started climbing and also, rather appropriately, started some early cruising. She also saw the ocean for the first time, and if her reaction tells us anything, she wouldn't mind not seeing it again for years to come.







	Robin is 8 Months Old!
	Time for a photo shoot!












	Happy Easter!
	Every good Jewish girl should experience an Easter egg hunt. Matty shows Amanda the ropes the day before we left on our cruise.





	Eagerly awaiting the start of the "hunt"...


	... Which was not very challenging, given that the organizers walked to the middle of the field and dumped eggs in plain sight.


	Overheard this month
	“Mommy, let’s pretend. How about you be the Mom and I be the kid?”




	Johnson Family Cruise!
	All 11 of us Johnsons took a week long cruise to celebrate the upcoming 40th anniversary of Oma and Opa.
	You can see in some of the pictures our matching "J 11" shirts (even Robin has one!), to denote all 11 Johnsons: Oma, Opa, Menko, Cami, Matty, Aleck, Stacey, Amanda, Robin, Pieter and Stefanie.




	Here we are on our way to the ship: Joke, Dick, Stacey and Robin, Aleck and Amanda, Cami and Matty, Menko, Stef, and Pieter.


	Pushing off from LA! Watching from Oma and Opa's balcony.


	Back in our room, Robin and Amanda check out the beds. They're good!


	We Got To Spend A Whole Week With MATTY!

	What else would you do with empty fruit bowls?




	Life On Board

	On the ship, Robin spent time in the "baby room", Matty and Amanda passed time in the porthole, and there were card games afoot.



	Robin gets some love from Oma and Matty.


	Overheard this month
	“Daddy, stay tuned. You need to give me a bath tonight.”



	Port Of Call #1: Cabo San Lucas
	While the other 6 Johnsons got all wet on various water excursions, we (along with Matty) walked around the shore in search of a submarine adventure. We did not find it.

	However, back on the ship (far right), some ice cream makes it a little easier to bear.


	Port of Call #2: Mazatlan
	We spent the day at the local aquarium.



	Port of Call #3: Puerto Vallarta
	Beach Day!

	Amanda and Matty build sand castles, though Amanda did not like to go anywhere near the water, so she built her castle (with some help from Aunt Stef) far away from the water. Matty was much more adventurous.



	Robin's first taste of the beach and ocean was not idyllic. She hated the water and the sand.


	She much preferred this scenario: sleeping on Stacey while lying in the shade.


	Climbing to the Top

	Robin worked really hard to figure out how to climb on top of the box. Then she thinks, "Now how do I get down?"



	Amanda Went to Cruise Camp! The ship's kids camp had lots of fun activities, including pirate night and frequent face painting.



	Here are Amanda and Matty (grey striped shirt) in the pirate parade through the center of the ship.








	Formal Dinner to Celebrate Oma and Opa's 40th Anniversary











	Dinner was sometimes very long. Luckily, we were near a window. And a curtain.


	Porthole Pilates





	Cruising Agrees With Robin



	Where's Captain Johnny?

	We went to the peekaboo bridge to watch the captain steer the ship. Amanda was very disappointed that the man in there did not turn to us and wave.




	The Birth of an Obsession: Purple Guy
	During the cruise, Robin got very attached to this purple animal. There is dispute over whether it is a horse, giraffe, or dinosaur, so we just call it "Purple Guy."











	All In A Day's Work At School



	There was a lot of painting going on this month, including a lesson on different artists and creating some splatter paint.



	The kids also got attracted to school by learning about and experimenting with magnets.



	Amanda, Isabella, and Casey turn into architects and start building.


	Overheard this month
		Amanda:	"We're turnal."
		Stacey:	"Turnal? What does that mean?"
		Amanda:	"We’re turnal because we’re active during the day. Bats are active during the night, and they’re not turnal."




	Sorting rocks; sliding down on the playground.


	And, of course, there was a lot of food for Amanda to eat.









	Ice Cream!
	Amanda succeeded in staying dry all night long, and was rewarded with ice cream.




	Robin was equally ecstatic, as you can see.



	Overheard this month
	"You keep asking me the same answer!"


	Oh Boy- Os!






	See a Resemblance? Anyone?





	Double Dose of Uncle Piet
	Piet was in town for work just a few weeks after the cruise and joined us for some Hibachi dinner and frisbee.
	Click Here for a video of Aleck and Piet attempting to catch pieces of chicken tossed by the waiter/cook (video is 20 seconds).
	Note that there is no video of Stacey doing this, yet she was the only one to actually catch the food in her mouth.







	Overheard this month
	"It’s not a crown. It’s just a hat where your hair is showing."





	Click Here for a video of Amanda throwing the frisbee by herself and with Aleck (video is 55 seconds).
	Click Here for a video of what Aleck calls "the saddest throw ever" or, what Stacey calls "Socc-bee" (video is 7 seconds).



	Robin (and purple guy) watch the madness; Piet points out some turtles in the water.






	Baby Happy Hour
	Merrie and Chris introduced us to Baby Happy Hour, which is a kid-friendly time in a bar with music, food, and flashing lights.

	Sean shows off his winning smile; Aleck's lap gets tested to the limit.




	See all of these pictures and more at our photo gallery