the great outdoors

san francisco has not failed us in the weather department lately - dry and sunny days equal more time outside!  we've discovered a new local park which i particularly love because it is often empty.  chasing these two as they run off in different directions at a crowded park can be quite difficult, mainly just making sure they don't run into the path of a flying swing or battle it out with another toddler over a sand shovel.  the other great thing about this new park is that there are new structures that they can climb on and show off some new skills that none of us knew they had!  they tend to be cautious with new things, like the multi-level tree stump bridge, but after some encouragement and practice, they gain confidence and begin to master the new obstacles.  we try to let them take risks and fall so long as it's not going to result in serious injury - their proud faces at the end make our anxiety all worth it!

jacks, overall, has more advanced gross motor skills than his sis - his balance is pretty impressive and he can actually jump off of things and land on both feet!  we're always a little more watchful with livi - she often prefers to smile at us as she walks across a bridge without looking at her own foot placement, which doesn't always result in the best outcome.  however, jacks can be a bit more scared in certain situations.  he often won't go down big slides alone, whereas livi will fling herself down head-first with reckless abandon.  we recently started going to a family swim at the jcc and jacks hangs out on the first step for awhile before gaining enough comfort to sit on stair two, and finally to stand in the shallow end.  livi, on the other hand, squeals in delight as soon as she gets into the pool and will leap right off the first step and take a dive if you're not careful.  

balance...it takes practice

concentrating...learning from jacks' excellent skills

after the log walk, they practiced their dismounts

jacks actually managed to stick his landing a couple of times

livi...she was lucky if she didn't land face first in the sand

headed for the x-games

i was so thankful they wanted to push their cars up the massive hill

pushing like champs

should we do it?!?

jacks bravely made the first step

livi was not far behind

they safely made it across...phew...i was worried

some parents bring fancy buckets and shovels, i bring tupperware and party cups

isn't he adorable?

there she goes!!

already on the big kid swings...not babies anymore :(

snacking in their winter coats

the three pellegrini boys 

a balance beam in nature

stanford vs. oregon...here we go!

the energy in the stadium was contagious!

momma and her little girl

this is where the three of us spend most of our time at the games

headed back through the tunnel to find daddy

our best attempt at a family pic

our favorite place to sneak a nice peak of the field

we headed home while john enjoyed the rest of the amazing game...
we got lots of high fives on the way to the car

home at last...making sure 'baby' gets fed

'puppy' absolutely loves his juice

self-pedicure

mr. january for the sffd calendar

jacks must have been getting his diaper changed
for liv to be manning the train bridge

now that's more like livi

sadly, she takes after her dad

must get every single last drop of milk from the cereal bowl

chopping some carrots for our muffins

'carefully' stirring the batter
(john made livi put a shirt on...no shirt, no service)

tasting their masterpieces

assisting leanne in making their french toast

post-soccer game snack with odin!

trying out a new bakery for a morning coffee and croissant

b. patisserie is a hit!

ice cream

the art of sharing

liv loves her t-shirt...always asks to wear her 'olivia'

dipping on his own...always a messy endeavor

jacks requires a little more time than liv to get his socks and shoes on

they're much more 'affectionate' with each other these days

they joined me at a work pot luck and thankfully didn't break anything

it helped that the host's 6 year-old twins provided lots of toys and entertainment

spending some time in their favorite place

target!!

this view never gets old

these three...

group hug!!!