4 Months

At four months old, Baby Gus
--weighs 13 pounds, 10 ounces (25%) and is 23.5 inches long (10%)
--decided he wants more time playing with Mommy and went back to sleeping only 4 or 5 hours at night
--wears 0-3 month clothes and size 1 diapers
--takes his paci out of his mouth and twists it all around, examining it
--loves to watch his brothers run back and forth in front of him
--has had more diaper explosions in his short life than Max and Jack have had combined
--is STILL gassy
--has a laugh that sounds more like deep gasps than a little giggle
--thinks it's funny for me to squeeze his little cheeks together
--likes singing "If You're Happy and You Know It!"
--will sit for short amounts of time in his Bumbo until he starts arching his stiff back and almost falls out
--is always kicking his legs and flapping his arms
--holds his rattle (after I pry it into his little hand) and shakes it, then gets scared from the noise
--is not an on-the-go baby; he only sleeps well swaddled in his bed with his noise machine making whale sounds
--has coos that are getting louder and louder and a smile getting bigger and bigger by the day
--is loved so much by his family. We are always fighting over who gets to hold and sit next to this little guy.

All Good Things Must Come To An End

As if leaving San Francisco wasn't enough, now my two favorite shows have to go and end FOREVER! Blake and I finished the last episodes of Lost last night and now 24 tonight. It's sad.

Dear Jack S, You answered hardly any of my questions and I'm still more confused than ever.
Dear Jack B, Why hasn't everyone learned to listen to you? However, I've had a hard time taking you seriously this season ever since I found out you also play the voice of Little Foot's father on Land Before Time X. But you do save the day from all the sharp teeth, so I have to give you thatGood thing there's still this Jack to save us all...

Green

A few days ago, Max came to Blake and said he didn't want his favorite color to be red anymore. Now Max's favorite color is green. And today when he brought home his picture from church of a family praying together all colored in green instead of the usual all-red picture, I knew this was serious.

So, I asked Max if this meant he was going to stop wearing the red airplane shirt he wears ALL THE TIME. (Seen here, here, and here.) But he told me that it is still his favorite shirt since he still likes airplanes. Duh Mom!
I took this picture during Gus's blue background shoot. Silly Max is the reason Gus is smiling in the pictures. Everyone around this house really loves Max!

And while I'm posting pictures of Max, remember Jack's from this shoot? Well, here are Max's. What a little poser. I love my obedient child!

The East Bay

Today we said "so long" to two of our favorite East Bay spots. First on the agenda was the tasty taco truck on the corner of Handgun and Homicide, oh, I mean 22nd and International in Oakland. We found it one time when Blake was taking me to the airport and we were looking for something to eat. This was way before there were any of the restaurants near the airport and we were so hungry. We randomly came upon it but didn't have any cash to pay for our food. So, after Blake dropped me off, he found an ATM then went back to the truck and we've been going there ever since. Really, it is so, so good. Better than any other taco truck. Just don't go there after dark...And next to the beautiful Oakland Temple. I think it is one of the best temple grounds for kids to enjoy. It is so fun to be able to take the boys through the visitor's center, around the fountains, and up on the roof of the temple. And I really love that if you ask the boys what their favorite temple is, they will tell you OAKLAND! Oakland Temple Fun Fact: When you're on the roof of the temple, you can see a statue of an owl on top of the Interstake Center that helps keep away other birds.
East Bay honorable mentions go to Fenton's, Tilden Park Train, and Blake's favorite lunch stop while working in San Pablo--Tortas y Taqueria.

Exploratorium

Another good thing about the pass Grandma got to the Children's Museum in Utah is that it also gets us in free to the Exploratorium. Yea for free and yea for Grandma! So today we decided to check it out. We really lucked out and picked a perfect day since the museum was practically empty due to a fundraiser being held there later tonight. I would usually never go to the Exploratorium by myself since I have one 2-year old in particular that loves to wander, so I'm really glad today ended up being a good day. We stayed for about 1.5 hours and did everything...as much as the boys wanted. It was perfect.

My favorite exhibit was this bubble curtain. So cool. The fundraiser people even came and took pictures of Max blowing the big bubbles. Their pictures turned out so much better than mine. Oh well--I'm so glad he was wearing his favorite holey pants and duck whistle so he'll be easy to spot if he ever gets published.

LOST

Yesterday Max lost his first tooth. My baby is too young for this. But really, he is too young for this. He must have knocked it sometime, somewhere, but I don't know when or where. I noticed it was loose while we were in Utah when Max complained it hurt while he was eating a roll. That was four weeks ago. Yesterday when Blake checked the tooth, it could bend all the way forward, so he told Max to pull it out and Max did. Just like that.

It has been fun prepping Max for this moment. He and Blake had a good talk about what to do if the tooth fell out when he was at school (put it in his pocket) and all about the tooth fairy. When it came time for the big night, I had Max put the tooth in a little box under his pillow so the tooth fairy could find that little tooth easier. Max was worried the T.F. wouldn't know it was in the box, so he decided to write her a note. He wrote the note by himself since he knew how to spell all the words that got the point across:

MAX
TOOTH
BOX

After we taped the note on his bed, he decided to add the word "PILLOW" to make things a little more clear. I think the Tooth Fairy will treasure that note forever. In return for his precious little tooth, Max received four quarters. Instead of spending the money right away, he decided to save it to buy a new TV. I love this little boy!
Is it just me, or does a missing tooth make him look so much older?

Yosemite

This week we decided to take a weekend getaway to Yosemite. We've always wanted to go, and there's not much time left, so go we did. We arrived Friday evening just in time for a beautiful sunset dinner at Priest Station Cafe. Really, so beautiful. And as everyone else peacefully ate their dinner and took in the view, Blake and I realized how extremely loud our children's voices are. Especially when Jack announced to everyone, "I can't sit on my chair! I have poops!" Thanks Jack. And to make the situation even better, all I had was size 1 diapers for Baby Gus. It's moments like these that make trips so memorable.
Our deluxe accommodations were at a bed and breakfast in Groveland, about a half hour outside the gate to Yosemite. You have to book campsites 6 months in advance and I'm more of a B&B girl anyway, so it worked out perfectly. We stayed in the "Fireplace Bluff" suite which was definitely not meant for five people to bunk up in. But the large jacuzzi tub definitely made up for it!
After our tasty toaster pancake breakfast (the host was quite adamant that these pancakes were just as good as any others), we hit the road to Yosemite. After several scenic stops, our first real stop was at Bridalveil Falls. Now I've been to Provo's Bridalveil Falls and this one puts that one to shame. Apparently spring is the best time to see the waterfalls crashing down with all the run-off water and we had hardly walked up the trail when we could feel the mist spraying down on us. Max, Gus, and I chickened out, so by default Jack got to accompany Blake as far as Jack would go and the two came back soaked.
Next we made our way to Yosemite Valley. After lunching with squirrels and a monstrous diaper explosion from a very small baby, we went to the visitors center to watch a movie all about Yosemite and figure out our next move. We rode the bus to the base of Yosemite Falls (the tallest waterfall in North America) to start our first hike. I was surprised at how kid-friendly everything was. Max and Jack could easily do several of the hikes and they loved riding the bus all over the park. And speaking of kid-friendly, I need to give a big shout out to Max. We didn't realize we'd be parking our car so far from everything and didn't have anything to carry all our stuff around in...except Max's backpack. So, Max carried jackets, water, and snacks around for us all day. Thank you Max!
Next Blake, Max, and Jack hiked to Mirror Lake at the base of Half Dome while Gus and I took a little break. On the way back they were getting hungry and tired so they ate every last thing Max had in his pack and then Blake took turns carrying each of them back down the path. I'm happy I chose to sit in the visitor's center.
Other noteworthy events from the day included a bear and deer siting. Look how close the bear is to the playground, and to us for that matter. Kind of scary, no?

We finished the day with a sunset view of Half Dome from Sentinel Bridge. Blake's already planning our next visit, complete with REAL camping and bikes. We were quite jealous of all the bikers around the park. Who's in?

Countdown

Back during my working stint, when there was one hour left of the work day, I would start my "countdown." As of today there is one month left for us in San Francisco and I feel like I'm starting a countdown. Except this isn't one I want to make a chain for. I just want my life to stay like this forever.

Cruisin' the City

Have I mentioned that Blake is the best? Well, he is. After I basically threw a fit because we weren't going to have a car for our last little while in San Francisco (we've been renting a car only on Tuesdays for grocerying, etc. since everyone left after Gus's blessing), he rented a full-time car for us to cruise around our city in. And not just any car, a mini van! We are loving it and all the different seating options. Right now we have Max sitting right next to Gus in the middle and Jack in the back by himself. Our rental car situation has been perfect because it forces us to get out and do something every day to get Blake's money's worth. Today we ended up at playing at the park and having a picnic at Alamo Square. I really love it there.
Andy and Bri showed us this video and I think it's hilarious. Everyone in the world may have already seen it since I'm so out of things like this, but really, it's so funny! Enjoy!

Blue Backgrounds

I'm kind of a psycho when it comes to tradition. Just picture me shimmying and singing right along with Tevye. I love my blue background pictures from last year, so you better believe I had to do it again before this year's buzzes. Today I finally got around to doing Gus's pictures so now my set is complete. I really can't get enough of these boys.
{Next year I'll have to do the pictures all at the same time, in the same light, so the blue will look the same and I can really have a set...}

Mother's Day Buzzes

The tradition is going strong! I think this is the longest Max's hair has ever been.

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

Even Jack got a little trim. (Sorry for the stinky pictures.)

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

Let summer begin!