Stylish

So, this is the look Max has been sporting the past couple weeks. Stylish, right? It all started when I was digging through tupperwares of old clothes, trying to find a hat for Jack to wear to the beach (but didn't, if you noticed how his big head was squeezed into his old, little, baby hat), when Max informed me that I didn't need to find a hat for him since he already had one to help keep the sun off his head. I didn't pay much attention to him until he came back wearing "his hat," which is the hat my friend Michelle made for him when he was a little baby. And what could go better with a hat that keeps the sun off your head than sunglasses to keep the sun out of your eyes. Apparently you can't wear one without the other, and wa-la, the look is complete. The good thing about his precious hat and sunglasses, that he refuses to leave the house without, is that he usually decides to take them off when we reach our destination so the other kids don't get jealous. So, I'm spared from too much embarrassment, but he still wears them long enough for me to get some good pictures. What a silly boy!

With or Without You

Last week I found an envelope of notes from Blake when we first started dating. I especially remember this one that I found in the windshield wipers of my car along with tickets to U2's Elevation Tour in Phoenix.
So, 8 years ago today, after about a month of dating, when I probably loved U2 more than I loved Blake, I hopped on a plane and flew down to Arizona to meet (and totally impress, right guys?!) Blake's family and go to the best concert ever! Other things I remember about the short trip: Getting fried at the lake, helping Beth make the huge ball to answer Matt to prom, and everyone making fun of me for staying in my Sunday clothes after church. And the concert, oh the concert. Besides the fabulous music and performance, I remember there was something weird about the security guard (Blake took my picture with him), but I don't remember what. And I remember the people in front of us were crazy dancers. So crazy that once we got to the parking lot we set up the self-timer to impersonate their dancing.
And to this day, the song "With or Without You" reminds me of Blake. At first it was because of the concert. But then, several years ago, when the song was playing on the radio, I asked him what it reminded him of. And instead of answering the concert, he said, "Ross and Rachel." And there's yet another reason why I love Blake.

Apprentice

Sometimes Blake takes Max up to school with him on the weekend for some quality bonding time. And also to give me a nice little break. Jack is usually napping and I like my alone time. But I really like when Max calls to have me and Jack come up and see the project they've been working on. And not only do I get to see the finished project, but they are also nice enough to take pictures of the step-by-step process.
I think Jack's up next. He had a practice run today. Some people do foot prints or growth charts, we do impressions of our children's teeth.

Crabbing

Today the Elder's Quorum planned a fun crabbing activity, and lucky for us, several wives and children decided to tag along. We got a good look at some seals and got to chase a lot of seagulls and pigeons, but unfortunately I got more pictures of our bait than I did crabs. Actually, I got no pictures of crabs. And since I don't want pictures of rolled up bacon, raw chicken, and fish heads on my blog, here's a nice picture of our family by a net that we used to catch the crabs. Except, we never caught any. Good thing we really liked the company. We can't wait for the next EQ activity!

FI-NAL-LY!

After over two months with no oven, we were pleasantly surprised tonight when our oh-so friendly oven repair man, who has been a frequent visitor at our house over the past month, actually fixed our oven. (If you need your oven fixed, I can give you a good recommendation of who NOT to call.) And you better believe we had Mindi's sweet and sour meatballs for dinner. I make sure we always have everything we need for those tasty little balls on hand. The boys LOVE them and we scarfed them up faster than ever tonight. Also on the upcoming menu will be these creamy enchiladas (scroll down about 3/4 the way) from This Week for Dinner, that I have been craving like crazy.

Max, on the other hand, has been craving cupcakes. Every time John, our oven friend, has left our house, Max has asked for cupcakes. So, today, I was finally able to oblige. He got right to licking off all the frosting, then threw the rest of the actual cupcake in the trash, ready for more. If I would have realized he was only interested in the frosting, I could have saved myself from a lot of whining over the past few months.

Thank you so much crock pot and stove top for saving us, but oven, it sure is nice to have you back!

First Beach Day

Today was the first beach day of the year. And with temperatures over 90 degrees in the bay area, the day definitely did not disappoint. This is walking-Jack's first time to the beach and he was so excited. His little legs went so fast right in to the tide pools that the rest of his body couldn't keep up with him and he fell straight in. The rest of our 3.5 hours at the beach, he was a little hesitant getting back in the water without his mama close by and chose to spend most of his time stealing other kid's beach toys. I love this sad little face.

Bus Outing

Both of the boys love the bus. Who doesn't? So today when Max said he wanted to ride the bus, it sounded like the perfect plan. Max loves to give the bus driver the money and hold the transfers and Jack loves to point out all the other buses we pass and be such a big boy, riding around with no car seat. Plus, we always ride the bus in style since someone always gives up the handicap seats for us.
We rode the bus down to the Marina to picnic (but really chase birds) in front of the Palace, get a Jamba Juice, check out some books at the library, play at the park with Daddy, and eat dinner at Pacific Catch. All in time to hop back on the bus before our transfers expired. We definitely did not want to be walking up that steep hill with such stuffed bellies. Mmmmm...Pacific Catch!

Fairyland Take 2

It's getting to be that time of year when people are getting ready to leave this beautiful city and we have to start packing in as much fun as possible before they do. Since some of our friends had never been to Fairyland, we went back today for more fun. I'd even go out on a limb and say this time was better than the last since I didn't have to climb up any pirate ships to rescue my child. Plus last time Jack couldn't walk and it's an entirely different experience with two mobile children. Both boys had so much fun playing at the wild west town, on the ship (not the pirate one), and walking around all the little fairytale villages. But when it was time for rides, things got a little interesting. Max loved all the miniature rides. I think the kids went on the carousel about 8 times in a row and he got in trouble on both the carousel and ferris wheel for standing up and shaking the ride.

But poor Baby Jack, he wasn't quite tall enough for the carousel and I was a bit too tall to go on and help him. I thought the ferris wheel would be his ride, but Max wanted to ride with Audrey and I couldn't imagine what my little baby would do locked in that cage all by himself. So, instead, he just watched the big kids, until he had enough and fell dead asleep.

Don't feel too bad for Jack, though. He did get to ride on the train with me and Max and he chugga-chugga-choo-chooed the entire time. A perfect day.

Sluffing

Blake tells me only people from Utah call it "sluffing." Or maybe I just call it that. What else is it? Ditching? Playing hooky? I don't know. Whatever it is, that's what Blake did this morning and we loved it. We went to the Academy, but unfortunately it was spring break and the rest of the Bay Area had the same idea. So, we stayed long enough to show Blake the white crocodile and get Jack's fishy fix, and got out of there.
We ended up at the Botanical Gardens to eat our sandwiches and watch/chase the birds. We saw a Mommy Duck and three of her little ducklings swim around the little pond and come over to beg for some of our sandwich. We also saw that same Mommy Duck scare off a group of seagulls when they got a little too close for comfort to her ducklings. And since Jack's love for chasing birds has started to rival Max's, it was nice to have Blake there on pond duty in case anyone fell in. Can't wait for more sluffing!

Happy Easter!

Our Easter celebrating started this week with an indoor playgroup egg hunt. Max was all geared up, ready to go. Jack, on the other hand, would not let his mommy put him down. Well, not until his brother shared an egg with him and he could take a turn loving the candy to give his mom a little break.
It seems like every year we have an egg-dying fiasco. At least this year it was before we even started with the eggs. I thought I was doing a good job by getting all the dye ready early, before we ate dinner, so as soon as we were done, we could get right to it. Unfortunately I left the dye too close to the edge of the counter and silly Jack pulled all but pink and blue off.
We saw the Easter Bunny earlier this month on a trip to the mall and ever since then, Max has been terrified of the bunny visiting our house. When he woke up, he was so happy that the bunny still left a basket even though we didn't see him. Maybe there is hope for Santa. As for Jack, he loved his book about Noah's Ark and shaking all his candy eggs thanks to the many Easter bunnies who definitely delivered this year. Thank you bunnies!
I have really enjoyed this Easter season. It's the first year I feel like Max has a small understanding of the true meaning of Easter. I am so grateful for my Savior's death and resurrection which has made it possible for me to live with my three boys forever.

18 Months

Jack went to nursery today. For the first hour, Blake tried the stay for a little, leave for a little, and come-back method. It didn't go so well. I could hear Jack crying (screaming) in my class, three rooms down. The second hour Blake just left. He peeked in a few times and Jack seemed to be fine as long as someone was holding him. (Thank you nursery leaders!) I can't believe Jack is old enough to go to nursery. He still has the same little personality that is developing and evolving so quickly. He still loves balls, trains, and animals, both real and in books. He is the king of animal sounds and my personal favorites are his elephant, alligator, and skunk noises. He loves taking toys from his brother to make him mad and if you're doing something he doesn't like he acts all put-out and makes mean grunting noises and hits his belly. Behind that sweet little smile, he has the most high-pitched, blood curdling scream that he has learned we will do almost anything to make stop. He is becoming a little talker and said his first two complete sentences last week: "No-no Max!" and "Mmmmm! Dat's dood!" Jack has grown to be a very picky eater. He doesn't eat sandwich and pizza crusts, apple peels, noodles (except macaroni), or practically any vegetable. His favorite songs are "Popcorn" (he does all the actions, but the only word he says is "eyes" and instead of pointing to himself at "but it seems to me" he points to whoever is singing the song with him) and "If You're Happy and You Know It" (his favorite action is stomping his feet, but I love hoorays!). He loves being outside and has become a pro at the park, playing on the toys without any help from his mom. But with all the growing, changing, and developing, there is one thing that has stayed the same. I am still his favorite. There is no one he loves more than his Mama. And I hope it stays that way forever. I love my sweet baby boy.

New Fridge!

Finally, finally, finally! It's here! Goodbye finger-printed, streaked, dying, old fridge.
Hello beautiful, sparkling clean, new fridge. (As a side note, I thought stainless steel was supposed to be, well, stainless. I've tried everything to get the greasy little fingerprints off our stainless steel fridge, dishwasher, and oven. Any ideas?)
And you better believe our Friday night activity is going to be stocking this baby up at Costco. We've been without a freezer that can keep ice cream frozen for 4.5 months now, so we'll probably be coming home with a couple gallon buckets to make up for lost time. Plus, I want a churro! Yay for a new fridge!

{All pictures in this post courtesy of Max}

J is for...

My aunt Dawna is a very talented poet and scrapbooker. For my birthday she gave me the cutest "J is for..." book. And since I'm dying that Jack is already celebrating a milestone half birthday on Sunday, I've been looking at my book over and over and over. I wish I could take good pictures of each page of the book and post them, but I can't. I tried. So, this will have to do. Thank you so much Dawna! I love, love, love my book, but not nearly as much as I love you!

J is for JAMMIES like I wear to bed
J is for JOLLY like Santa in red
J is for JOCK dressed all in red clothes
J is for JACK FROST who nips at your nose
J is for JACK-O-LANTERN on Halloween night
J is for JUNGLE with crocs that might bite
J is for JUICE like we get at the store
J is for JEEP way fun and more
J is for JESUS our Savior divine
J is for JACK precious baby of mine