4 Months

Here he is....4 Months already!

This baby is such a happy one! He is getting more interested in grabbing things, chewing on blankets and his fists and toys, still trying to roll over more (although sisters always want to join in to "help"), kicking, wiggling, loves to stand with help and is on his way to sitting up as well! Such personality he has gotten so quickly! Wasn't he just born?

Time

Here's a little video of a few fun things and some pictures too!

STICKERS!

A unique combo from Maggie Pie.

The bib the girls picked out for him to wear one day!

And someone is learning new tricks.....rolling over!

The girls like to help baby when he wakes up.

Doing some more projects around here! We stripped the front door thinking that the wood underneath might look nice, but now we're contemplating a new front door color as the wood is not in good shape as we were hoping....

Tearing out some deck in the back and Josh used the wood to build a raised garden! Looking forward to planting some yumminess!

Since she quit naps in June, she's been getting extra mom time and I think enjoying it!

"Once there was a woman, with red lipstick on her lips...." Gretta told the story.

The bubble blower.

One of their favorite places to play. In a storage cube. Also of note, they are wearing Christmas dresses and "taking orders." "What's your name and what's your number?"

Broke down and got a pool for the backyard! 

Adding the slide instantly made this THE pool to be at.

And there ends the latest going on in California.

 Gretta is also doing a gymnastics camp this week and having lots of fun, Torsten is 4 months tomorrow so maybe more than 1 blog update this week?! School starts in 2 weeks for Ms. Gretta the Kindergartner and 3 weeks for Ms. Maggie the Preschooler. Summer is winding down.....

Dam Adventures, Capital City, etc.

To say I'm behind in picture world is an understatement. I'm still getting used to the new computer, then I had to format my hard drive and figure out where all the pictures are in my editing software catalog, etc. well.....I'm trying not to stress out about it too much. In just a few weeks school starts so maybe that will give me a few moments here and there to catch up?! Can't believe we will have a kindergartner this year and that little Maggie is going to be enjoying some preschool time!! Torsten (and I) may not know what to do with all the quiet.....

Our latest adventure was to Nevada City, Oroville and Sacramento. It was meant to be a trip to the mountains/Tahoe area, but we didn't quite make it there. Nevada City and Sacramento were pretty cool towns though, lots of old buildings. Got in a little hiking, it was in the 90s there though, which foiled some of our hiking plans, but of course there was some pool time at the hotel. 

Welcome to Nevada City.

The National Hotel in Nevada City, one of the oldest continuously operated hotels.

Had to stop for a little treat and found these candy bars.....

We stayed in Oroville, home of the Oroville Dam, which is the tallest and one of the largest earthen dams in the US. Tried to do some hiking and go to a fish hatchery, but it was too hot for hiking (at least when having to carry kids/make them hike) and the hatchery was closed. So we stopped at the visitors center for this view and an old Marty Stouffer show (Wild America if you don't know it). Brought back some childhood memories for Josh and I! 

Then we decided it was time to mosey on home, heading towards the view of the world's smallest mountain range, Sutter Buttes.

We then realized Sacramento was on our way home and decided to stop there for a quick look around and a train ride to redeem our day of disappointment.

The train whistle was a little loud for Maggie! 

Torsten didn't have much to say....

Overall though, it was a fun little side trip and we definitely want to get back to Sacramento to check out more of the city and tour the Railroad Museum!

The Beat Goes On

Our summer days continue with all sorts of time at the pool, parks and just playing at home, the girls are enjoying Barbies and making things to eat and drink, biking and scootering, as well as adoring their brother! Didn't realize just how many random every day pictures I had saved up until working on this post and since it was adding up I figured a video would be better! Enjoy!