january adventures

january has flown by and we've somehow been just as busy as we were before the holidays! our new year resolutions, like to exercise three times a week, have been a bust. john and i were each able to accomplish this feat 1 out of the past 4 weeks. at least we tried, right?

january has involved a lot of laying around,

cleaning up,

and begging for food

these two are just the sweetest

jacks made "seats" for the table...we realized the next
day that he actually glued the paper to the bench!

building their first dollhouse

livi had twins!

looking good in red

wearing her first bow

i think they've outgrown the tower...
they've started kneeling or hanging off the side to eat

off to the park!

mesmerized by the remote controlled car

getting her goodnight kiss

dance party at the pelle home

it started off innocently enough

but it soon got downright crazy!
(we were all sweating so had to take off a layer)

it was the best exercise i've gotten in a long time

there's nothing like ending an evening
with lots of laughter and smiles

we took our scooters on a long ride so needed a hot chocolate break

i don't think this girl needs any more help
in accentuating her head

livi...always rocking the boat

lyla in a yellow submarine

bouncey house time!

movie night!

off to the zoo with leanne

look at that brown beauty!

gregory is getting the taste of life with four kids

our family could not love leanne more

ice cream, ice cream, ice cream!

waiting patiently for her cone

to nobody's surprise, she loved it

more, more!

finishing the last bits of cone!

4 years + 1 month...and Lyla is 1!!

lyla has officially become a toddler!  while she still looks like big, chubby baby, she is officially toddling around and prefers walking to crawling.  she was average for height (29.5in) and weight (20.5lbs) at her recent check-up, but her head size is literally off the charts.  this is not surprising to us, although we can't believe that she actually topped the size of livi's head.  she's healthy and happy and has become a lot more smiley lately.  she's not phased by much and thankfully thrives in chaos, which is essentially our life right now (especially, with her sister and brother).  oh, and she LOVES bones...looks for him everyone morning when we head downstairs, pointing and calling "bo, bo!"  

i had been counting down the days until we could get rid of the bottles, the bottle parts, the bottle warmer...  jacks and livi never thought twice about drinking milk from a cup, but lyla initially refused it.  while i was more perplexed than worried, i knew she would come around to it, which she did after a couple of days.  we also took away her pacifier a few days later because apparently it was either now or in another year, and i definitely didn't want to have to worry about her paci addiction for another year.  there were a few tears when we put her down to bed the first few nights (weirdly, naps were totally fine), but she did it!!  

Looks at that chunky monkey!

she looks so massive next to her baby doll

get me out of here!

hands up! they'll do anything for a cupcake

same leg poses!

sheila kicked off her birthday with
a little party

finally, her turn for a cupcake! 

that evening her excitement for cake was still going strong

"um, lyla, i think you have a little something on your nose"

"are you sure? i don't feel anything on my face"

lyla was in heaven!

she even stared down jacks to let him know he wasn't getting any

her hands got tired, so she tried a different method 

jacks then discovered the frosting and crumbs surrounding lyla

lyla wasn't too far behind in scraping crumbs from the table!

stripped down and ready to be cleaned up

we go through baby wipes in this family like
we go through milk (and wine)

birthday tubby!

abuelo calling to give birthday wishes

susie calling too!

this was our attempt at getting a cute group picture

baking a birthday cake for lyla and grandma vivi

lyla will now suck down her milk from a cup...
but she sure misses the bottle!

we attempted to make purple frosting (grandma vivi's fav color)...
we settled on lavendar

cake was yummy, especially with jacks'
special request to add chocolate chips

we had a nye party at our house, which was fun
(and as reflected in jacks' face, exhausting)

they didn't want to go to bed because a few of their friends were still
here at 10pm, so they ended up "resting" on the couch

the next afternoon, the three of us really needed a nap!

i got up after 2 hours, but these cuties napped a little longer

baby dari came over to watch the rose bowl!

reflecting on life and the new year

the more the merrier (our family's motto!)

target trip

coffee run

brunch date

the pediatrician asked if she was "stacking and
organizing yet"...not quite

at least she's helping john put furniture together

morning milk buddies

morning kisses

ready or not, bones, here i come!

poor guy, all he wants to do is sleep in peace

thankfully, he enjoys a good kiss!

you can tell how thrilled he is for this conversation

trying to capture a tantrum...she didn't like it

the infamous rain puddle at school!

having a blast at music class

to say lyla is loved by her siblings is an understatement

sibling joy

lunch break

bundled up for winter weather

this is how i wish my hair looked every morning

hanging out while livi is in ballet

she is now in charge of her own dance gear!

scootering to school on a friday afternoon

i joined on a field trip to escort the Plant Seed Committee

on her way to pick up jacks and liv from school

bones' expression says it all