beaufort boys!

I need more time with this nephew!
Merritt, son of my half-brother Michael, is holding two rubber ducks that he won in a machine there at the Cinemark.
Why did he want these speckled,
square-headed birds?
They reminded him on Minecraft -
plus, he collects the ducks!
Of course, that means I had to tell
him about my ducks, too.
(smile)

His younger half-brother, Conner,
is also into the ducks - or maybe
he's just into the guaranteed-win
game that has them!
Here he is with a sweater-vested
waterfowl holding a volleyball
while Merritt photo-bombs us!
Conner ended up gifting that duck
to me...
and I gave to Merritt, as he knew
a teacher who would like it.
(smile)

And he-e-e-e-re's Bonnie!
(smile)
She and I just wanted a visit with each other today, as it's been more than four months.
That's just crazy!
I've offered to meet them in Beaufort, knowing how busy her schedule is as guardian, caretaker of her mother, and working woman.
Bonnie prefers this leisurely outing in Bluffton.
(smile)


So, what did we do? Well, we began with lunch at El Cinco, as we did last time. The boys had the same meals as that time, too, with the Beef Nachos for Merritt and Steak Tacos for Conner. I had something totally new: Zucchini Chicken, sans queso - so much flavor! Bonnie had a triple beef plate with an enchilada, taco, and burrito... and the check for it all. She said that was my Christmas gift - how sweet!
Then, she paid for the movie tickets for all, too! Good thing it was the cheap show! The movie was "Bumblebee"... and she stayed awake the whole time!
(smile)
I sat between the boys and they were pretty rapt for the entire show, too.
Me? I really enjoyed seeing this again, especially in the company of kids.
(smile)

Afterward came even more fun!
Bonnie had the boys open the belated gifts I had brought -
what a blessing for me!
Now I know that Merritt really likes jigsaw puzzles!
I already knew that he likes "Star Wars", so the two 100-piece challenges, one of Darth Vader and the other with Obi-Wan Kenobi,
were excellent choices.
Hooray - thanks, Daddy, for the helpful hint on his birthday gift!

As for Christmas presents, I'd bought both of them the same thing, but wrapped them differently.
Those science gifts turned out to be bit hits, too!
Conner took a while to get into the styrofoam cube containing his, but he was elated by the two plaster casts inside!
I had bought those down at MOAS, getting a fossil box and a marine life box for each of them.
They'll have to let me know what was buried beneath the plaster!
(smile)

Thank you, Bonnie, for the gift of lunch and a movie with you and the boys!
Thank you, Merritt and Conner, for adding such fun to our day!

i thank You, God, for this beautiful day!