2 years + 4 months!

it took a few days at home for all of us to recover from our trip to disneyland.  we then got a visit from nana susie, which always means lots of relaxing, shopping and eating...just my style!  and then, after twelve LONG days, john finally returned from uganda.  he had a fabulous time visiting our dear friends ari and kelly, but i'm not going to lie - i was thrilled to have him back at home.

so what's new with the kids at 2 years and 4 months?  livi, of course, has remained primarily mommy-focused.  a year ago, our pediatrician said it was a phase... i didnt realize these so-called "phases" can possibly last this long!  she loves gymnastics class - especially the balance beam - and, not surprisingly, loves to sing in bed.  she's learning new songs all the time, so at least we get serenaded via the video monitor with a variety of melodies.  she also loves making poop jokes.  seriously.  she'll add the words poo poo in the middle of the song, or will answer a question with 'poo poo'... and of course, she thinks it's hilarious (we can't help but crack a smile too).

jacks is just a little love bug.  we're hoping this is not a phase and is actually his 'true colors.'  the only times we see him meltdown is when he's absolutely exhausted, and all we feel for him is empathy.  jacks is funny in a non-obvious way.  he isn't actually trying to by funny, but he uses phrases that make him sound like a 33 year-old without realizing it.  if we ask him 'do you want some water', he'll non-chalantly respond, 'yeah, sure.'  or if you ask if he has to pee, he'll casually say, "no, i'm fine."  this is in contrast to livi yelling 'i want water!' or 'NO!' to the same questions.

as i'm sure most parents do, we feel so lucky to have such amazing and hilarious kids.  while we'd like to think genetics and our parenting plays some role, we have no doubt that a big part of their character development is due to leanne.  we just celebrated her two-year anniversary with us, and we honestly can't imagine our life without her.  the kids adore her, and her positive energy keeps everyone in this house smiling.  we are so thankful that she shares her adventurous spirit with jacks and liv and they get to explore all the wonderful things this city has to offer!

twinsies

they both wanted to hold a soccer ball...

...so they could throw it

st. paddy's day attire

celebrating with their buddies at the park

liv and bea

masculinity meets femininity

getting crafty!

leaning in

found an awesome new slide near grandma vivi's house

and it's even orange!
(jacks' favorite color) 

nature's playground

beach babes

all smiles with shelby

heaven on earth

looking hot!

look, a froggie!

lunch break after a hard day fishing

taking advantage of one of the many beautiful views the city has to offer

it's a lion!!

hmmm, not sure what's so fascinating?!

rainy day means a playdate!

there are way too many things going on in this picture

never seen such fearful expressions next to a butterfly

the three amigos at it again

 picasso and matisse

gym class is always a weekly highlight

this sh*t's getting serious!

such joy

look at that stance -  i better sign her up for pageants!

pushing through despite the burn

there's a chance...

biking home from the park

it's 7:30am and they wanted to ride...why not?!

above the law

jacks invited some friends over for tea

livi joined the party

they thought it was hilarious when abuelo drank the hot tea

the tea cup also doubled as an ice cream shot for abuela

just two guys building a train track

anatomy of a dog jump

waving good-bye to john as he left for uganda

they spent the next 12 days in mourning

nana susie came to visit so we went shoe shopping

liv recovered quickly after getting fitted
(she screamed in hysterics when the lady came near to measure her foot)

jacks polished off his new look with a haircut

such a good helper while grocery shopping

jacks is lending his full support to liv
(despite the stench)

one proud lady

thanks to leanne, we hit a huge milestone...the big potty!

my jogging buddy

on the presidio trails we love

unfortunately the weather did not cooperate for nana susies's visit

but we managed to still get some shopping done!

what better way to spend a rainy afternoon than

baking cookies and washing it down with cold milk

they've hit the next level...adding triangles to their towers

when john is away, i'm in charge of pizza 

which results in a very green, funny-shaped pie...
but it still tastes great!

in the evenings when john was gone, i savored my latte and mini-cupcake in solitude

i'm with liv on this - cookie before milk

jacks didn't touch his cookie until he sucked his milk down and threw his empty cup across the table
...like father like son.

the new man of the house

he's baaaaack!! 

they even liked his beard!

posing for a card and sporting their new ugandan jerseys

i presented them with a dessert sampler after dinner....vitamins, prunes, and a mini-muffin

they literally went in opposite directions
(but the best part is that they were soooo excited with their special platter!)