1 Year, 9 Months

The boys are super excited by the activities we plan for them, such as attending the local Ducky Derby:

Little grumps.

Actually, I think they'll enjoy the Ducky Derby when they're older. There are carnival games and rubber duck races. The boys were a little young to really understand what was going on, although Henry did enjoy his sticker provided by the onsite ambulance crew.

Around the House
The boys take full advantage of weekend reading time with Daddy, queuing up their selection on the couch (which is basically the entire contents of their bookcase):

Running wild with poppers (Jack left, Henry right):

Thanks to Kristi and Alexa for bringing us the second popper, finally ending the great popper war. Silly me didn't think we needed two poppers. Someday I'll learn.

The boys are convinced that they should go to work with Mom and Dad. Jack has his bag (a.k.a. a shape sorter bucket) and is ready to go:

Trying again, this time Henry leads the way:

Weeding the Backyard
Jack: Dad, what do I do with this now that I grabbed it?

Steve: Put it in the bucket, bud.

Jack considers this, all the while Henry continues to pull ivy leaves and toss them in the bucket.

Airplane!

Finding Dad's instructions ultimately reasonable, Jack triumphantly places the offending plants in the bucket.

Other Outdoor Fun

My folks bought the boys a water table for the backyard, which the little dudes have used enthusiastically on the hot days we've had so far this year. 

Henry, are you a lizard? 

Jack pulled his little chair up to the water table so he could splash while comfortably reclined:

Henry stops to smell the roses:

Jack
Little Jack-Jack is a master mischief maker. Clever, persistent, and creative, the little guy keeps us on our toes.

Look, I'm taking my shirt off! That's a perfect lunch table activity, right? 

So... much... attitude:

Calculating...

Hey, there!

I don't know what they're talking about, I'm a perfect angel.

Jack has a very sweet side. He gives fantastic hugs (which his brother doesn't always enjoy, but his heart is in the right place). He loves animals, especially dogs and bunnies. He's taken a shine to a particular bunny garden ornament in our backyard and likes to carry it around with him. 

Henry

Being a Henry is sometimes exhausting:

Henry is a pretty good mimic, and will intelligibly say a wide variety of words when prompted. At this point, though, he seems disinclined to actually use his words to communicate his thoughts or desires.

Daddy's hat is a perfect fit:

One of the boys' books, which was mine as a child, refers to a crocodile snapping. Henry made an interesting connection, and now attempts to snap his fingers upon any mention of animals snapping. We just can't bring ourselves to correct him.

Henry prefers not to be recognized in public:

Seriously?

Henry, voracious reader:

Henry has a little mischief in him too. Unfortunately for him, he rarely gets away with anything because he has two very obvious tells, 1) loudly announcing "no!" right before doing something he knows he isn't supposed to and 2) this look...

... or this look:

PARKS!
Henry and Mom, off to our neighborhood park:

Henry, pretending to nap on his comfy bed of wood chips:

Henry is all about the swings:

Suave Jack:

Water!? You expect me to drink this!? Jack shows off his out-of-control curls:

Jack has taken to bringing Mom a flower upon arriving at the park:

Nanny Kasey at the park!

Everyday We're Skuttle-ing

Jack adores his skuttle bug toddler scooter from Grandparents Loveridge. He practically lives on the thing. He can get going pretty fast, but is fortunately excellent at steering and stopping. He also knows how to pick up his feet to glide, and is quick to correct himself by backing up, shifting sideways or lifting the bug if he gets caught up on something.

Here, he takes brother's scooter along in tow:

Why sit in a chair when you can contemplate your next move from the seat of a skuttle bug?

Skuttle-ing in the park:

Henry gives chase:

Visitors!
Finally this month, we had the pleasure of hosting Kristi and her daughter Alexa for an afternoon. Though the boys refused to smile for a picture, they actually did have a great time.

Onward toward summer we go; just a few more months before that big 2nd birthday...  hard to believe.