school, scooters and sonoma

we're now six weeks into school and finally getting into a rhythm with their new schedule...although john and i both agree we are barely holding everything together (let's not even mention we're adding a third to the mix shortly). work has been busy for John over the past month, and he's in charge of getting the kids dressed, fed and out the door monday through thursday, so he's always up late working at night to make up for the mornings.  i'm then often on my own in the evenings, which isn't too bad, but now that the kids stay up later, stall bedtime, and i'm 7 months pregnant, it can be tough. oh and we can't forget about bones, who has to be walked before i leave for work at 6:45 am.

even though we may be exhausted, the kids are doing pretty well - loving school, making new friends, and being ridiculously "silly" all the time.  they often rile each other up, especially when we tell one of them to stop ___ (fill in the blank...throwing water out of the tub, spitting water at dinner, squirting pee out of the potty).  without fail, the other demon child laughs hysterically and joins in on the "naughty" behavior. we try to take it in stride - they are happy after all - but oh man, it's hard to get much accomplished!  you know it's bad when we're both looking forward to maternity and paternity leave just to have a little down time at home (wishful thinking, i know).

time for school!

"we run this place"

jacks in his element, directing construction

the balancing queen

pumping water for the sandbox

livi is hard at work in the planter box

someone found a snail!

giving the animals a good wash

snack time

a little harmless snack time gossip

drying off the big swing first thing in the morning

they made sure their fans got the best seat in the house for the gymnastics competition

and then they stunned the crowd on the floor exercise and the trampoline

off she goes

looking good in orange

preschool family picnic

down the slide he goes!

time for a haircut (last one was in january!)

for her bravery at the barber, she was awarded a mini-cupcake

family dinner

someone is loving his new pillow

liv is still getting the hang of it

one of their favorite shops…sephora!
(testing out lotions and lipsticks)

showing off their ruby red lips

melts my heart

first game of the season

someone's having a good time

waiting patiently for their "cupcake"

jacks was not a fan of the no sugar, fruit studded muffin

chasing bubbles

very pleased with their party bag

starting our wild saturday night adventure

jacks was waiting for his french fries, while liv was scratching her belly with her fork

an after-dinner treat!  now if only the book store sold ice cream…

another saturday night dinner out

livi is patiently waiting for her date to arrive…her bodyguard by her side

ahhh, odin and livi sharing a tub of ketchup over candlelight

a pre-breakfast serenade to bones

 john taught the kids how to give bones his medicine each morning

have i mentioned she's obsessed with bones?

making sure he's all tucked in for the day

dressed and ready for school

the three amigos

a BIG tower

who knew he could ride a tricycle?!

getting dizzy with their babies and carriers

showing off his moves

banana break

what a stud muffin

team work in the sand pit

yogurt lipstick (he thought it was hilarious)

this is how i found john at 3:15am…must have been
a rough night given he's still holding his pizza

i'm off to swim at 6:45am sunday morning…
guess who's in charge of getting the kids up in 10 minutes!

pre-scooter fueling

off to golden gate park

i walk bones, john gets to chase these two

mom, why is that kid screaming?
(they visited me while i was doing lab tests)

coach kathy's last day…so sad!!

whipping up a treat for bones' 6th birthday

bones started backing up when the candle was lit
(what, dogs don't like fire??)

he finally relaxed when i got rid of the candle
(and the kids serenaded him)

bones wanted a second helping of cake

annual pumpkin-themed dinner party with the girls

the best clean-up crew you could ask for!

i think i could win an award for multi-tasking

everyone STOP!  bones found a gopher.

john always begs them to do his favorite pose

thank you, trader joes

out with shelby after school

leane's the best - 3rd annual trip to the pumpkin patch!

camouflage

off the grid picnic with leanne and gregory

apparently they were pretty big fans

stopped by the firehouse anniversary party up the street from us

they loved their balloon animals, until livi screamed in horror when she
accidentally popped an elephant ear within 30 seconds of getting home

off to sonoma to celebrate kelly's 30th birthday

thankfully, the group didn't seem to mind being up at 7:30 am every morning 

checking out the pool toys

admiring the view at the winery

just me and the kids on friday since john had to stay in sf for work

while everyone got to actually taste wine, we tasted hummus!

perfectly centered shot of the weekend crew

the sober crew

patrick taught jacks the proper way to ride a bull
(we could hear lots of "moo moo" from where we were)

sitting pretty

king of the castle

the ladies

private chef for kelly's birthday celebration…it was amazing!

splashing in the freezing pool

ryann was kind enough to play ball with them

drying off in the sunshine

so thankful to have hillary help with the kiddos before john arrived

in deep conversation

too cute

bathing suits are so overrated

a quick stop at the park before dinner

hillary was overjoyed to have dinner with the pelle fam
while the rest of the crew went to a wedding

the largest 'kid's burrito' we've ever seen

capped off the evening with dessert at home
(liv chose ice cream, while jacks chose the chocolate pie)