Monterey Bay and San Francisco

I'm a little behind but two weeks ago we went to visit Peter, Linda, and Jude in Mountain View, CA (near Palo Alto). We got to see where they live and where my brother works, Will got to play with his cousin, I finally got Jude to like me, and we got to see some northern California sights. Will and Jude were a duo. Will was actually kind of a bully. He kept stealing Jude's snacks, toys, and chair and Jude (such a good sharer) just gave them to him most of the time. We're still working on the sharing concept with Will. It was also little tricky getting the them to sleep in the same room because they kept getting scared of each other. Eventually we split them up. But we had a good time with Peter and Linda. We're glad we were finally able to come visit them after both of us living in California for almost a year. 

On Saturday we went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium with the little boys and it was pretty cool. I'd been there when I was probably seven years old so I didn't remember it too well. They had so many different exhibits. My favorites were the sea otters (they were right next to the glass), the jelly fish, the penguins, and the deep sea aquarium (it was HUGE and filled with sharks, sea turtles, and other big fish). It was a little hectic bringing Will though. There were a few times I was worried he'd get lost (most of the exhibits were dark and he just wanted to run away) and by the end both boys and parents were tired, cranky, and ready to go home. But we did have fun hearing Jude ask, "What's this??" about every fish and playing with the boys in the kid areas before they got too cranky.

The touch pools. (I thought they liked it but they don't look too happy...)

Will touching a starfish.

The kelp forest.

Will sitting. (Yes, that is a fun activity for him.)

There was also a water bed kind of thing to simulate waves. Will loved it. He could have spent hours there crawling around, jumping, dancing, and falling as he tried to walk on it. He thought it was the coolest thing there (so much for the giant aquariums).

Ocean view.

On Monday, Taylor had a meeting in San Francisco so we spent the morning being tourists. Some of our friends from Provo happened to be visiting her parents in Santa Clara (not too far away) so we met up with them and hit most of the major sights. 

Golden Gate Bridge. (I know Taylor and I look the same in every picture but Will's face is so different every time!)

On the other side of the bridge there was an old World War II bunker with a good view.

Will with his buddy Andrew who's only a couple weeks older than him.

The jailbirds. (I don't think that's gonna work Will...)

Lombard Street.

Taylor driving down Lombard Street. It's probably good I wasn't in the car. To quote Kimmie: "Taylor looks like he's going a lot faster than everyone else went." (She said it first, Taylor!)

The houses at Alamo Square. (From "Full House")

We also had lunch at the Boudin Bakery (clam chowder and sour dough bread bowls... mmm....) and while Taylor went to his meeting, we went to Ghirardelli Square. I got a "Mint Bliss" Sundae with dark Ghirardelli chocolate fudge and mint chocolate chip ice cream. So delicious. And gluttonous. And rich. I will never *try to* eat something there by myself again. I failed miserably. We had so much fun seeing family and friends but traveling with a one year old is exhausting. His naps were off, he wouldn't eat anything except Jude's snacks, and we were all ready to go home. Will was especially happy once we were home. I don't think I've ever seen him happier than the morning after we got home and he realized he was in his own bed and got to play with his own toys. He went from being cranky and tired to a playful, fun little angel (for about 2 days--then he went back to being a mischievous toddler). :)

And this is probably my favorite picture from the whole trip. This is pretty much Will in a nutshell.

Easter and April Fools

This year my one and only April Fools Day joke was making Will think that Monday was Easter again so I could take some pictures. I'm sure he didn't even notice but as I often do I pretended his little mind was wondering, "Why am I wearing my church clothes again?" and "What is the deal with all these eggs?"

I know. I'm such a prankster.

But really, since I didn't have time the day before I needed to take some pictures of Will in his Easter outfit. Isn't he cute??

We had a busy but wonderful Easter. In the morning Peter, Linda, Jude, Taylor, Will and I met up at my parents' house for a yummy breakfast of pain au chocolat, fresh fruit, hard-boiled eggs and hot chocolate (it's pretty much always hot chocolate season for me). Before we ate we had a little egg hunt for Jude (18 months) and Will (14 months). Will was good at picking the eggs up off the ground and opening each egg to see what was inside. Jude was a lot better at actually finding eggs (on the chairs, in the bushes... not just out in the open) and sticking them straight into his "basket" (bag). By the end, Jude probably had double the number of eggs that Will had. But they both had fun and it was fun to watch them and all the adults trying to help them.

Since we were going to put him down for nap right afterwards, we just left Will in his awesome, mismatched pajamas for the Easter egg hunt. 

And that's why I tricked him into 2nd Easter. (He's still pretty cute though.)

So here's the real egg hunt with Jude:

(The only way we could get the two boys in the same picture.)

And here's the fake, dressed up egg hunt the next day:

Will showing off his dance moves. He loves to dance these days. If there's anything with a beat (we walked past an apartment where the laundry machines were running 2 days ago) he'll do one of his signature moves: spinning around in a circle or quickly stomping his feet back and forth. This boy's got some serious dance fever.

Also note the keys that never left his hand the entire photo shoot. That's actually Will's special keychain with blank (uncut) Dodgers and Toy Story keys, a mini flashlight, and a mini measuring tape. My mom got it for him because he always wants to hold our keys. I think he's starting to catch on though because he still likes our keys (the ones he can't have) better than his keys.

And this is my favorite. 

"You lookin' at me?"

Such a funny boy. We seriously can't get enough of him. He is so fun, so energetic, and will laugh at the most random things. 

After church on Sunday we drove out with my parents to my grandparents' house in Canyon Country. We got to see my grandma and grandpa, some aunts and uncles, and got to play with some of my crazy little cousins. It was such a fun day.

I am so blessed. I love my family, both immediate and extended, and I love that we got to spend Easter with so many of them this year. I also want to say how grateful I am for what Easter is really about. I am so thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ. I know that he is truly the Son of God, that he came to earth, and lived a perfect, sinless life. I also know that he willingly chose to take on himself all of our sins, sorrows, and pain in the Garden of Gethsemane. He then died for us on Calvary and overcame death when he was resurrected on the third day. The youth sang a song on Sunday that said that Calvary and Gethsemane ultimately mean love. I know this is true. I know that Jesus Christ loves each of us with a perfect, endless love. I am so grateful for that. Happy Easter, everyone!