2 Years, 2 Months

When asked to pose for a picture, here's what the boys did (Henry on tower, Jack on ground):

Very silly critters.

Boys and Their Daddy
The boys absolutely love their Daddy, and have a tendency to mob him at home in the evenings and be extremely demanding of his time on the weekends. No rest for the weary when twin toddlers are in the house.

I don't like to post nudity (lest the boys be even more embarrassed by me in their teenage years than is already inevitable) but I think this is tasteful. Doing "cannonballs" in the bath (Henry in Daddy's arms, Jack in the tub):

Getting ready in the morning can be a challenge for Steve. "Helping" Daddy brush his teeth (Henry manning the toothpaste, Jack attempting to climb up to assist):

A favorite activity, opening a package from Grandma and Grandpa:

Yay, books (from their travels around the country)!

Reading on the steps in the boys' bedroom (Caps for Sale, a favorite of all of us, Henry left, Jack right):

Selfie with Daddy (Jack left, Henry right):

School!
Late in September, the boys started preschool at an absolutely wonderful facility they'd been wait-listed for since they were three months old. Only one spot was available in the high demand program, so the boys are splitting it until another spot becomes available. Jack goes Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Henry goes Tuesday and Thursday. Henry is a little more nervous about being away from home, so we started him with fewer days. On their home days, they get lots of fantastic attention from Nanny Kasey while Mom and Dad are at work.

Henry on his first day of school:

Jack on his first day of school (wearing a knit hat he adores, made by Nanny Kasey's grandma):

The boys bring home lots of artwork. On one of Henry's days, the children were dictating stories to the teachers. This was apparently Henry's story:

Hmmmm...

One of the highlights of going to school is getting to ride in "Daddy's car" (my parents' old Saturn they graciously gifted us so we could have two vehicles), since it's convenient for Steve to drop the boys off and pick them up on his way to and from work.

Henry familiarizes himself with the controls:

Henry travelling home from school (fresh off of the thrilling ride that is the speed bumps on a local street):

The unfortunate part about the boys going to school is the exposure to all sorts of new and exotic germs. I know communicable diseases are just part of being a social animal, but by the boys' second week of school, we were all sick with a nasty cold. I'm still coughing two weeks later. Ugh.

Henry
Henry loves coloring and making crafts. His parents are thrilled that he can use paint and glitter at school instead of at home. He's recognizing more and more letters and points them out when reading. He knows chunks of the alphabet song and loves to sing it. Henry's enunciation seems quite good for his age and he's an excellent mimic, parroting back words like "delicious" and "excellent." His favorite word by far is still "adventure!" which he declares enthusiastically at the prospect of any trip out the front door.

Reading, comfortably?:

Happy Henry:

Posing on the porch after an exciting outing on the town with Nanny Kasey:

More happy Henry (with play dough!):

Henry loves to be helpful, in this instance vacuuming under the couch cushions:

Being pestered by Mommy:

Out getting bagels and people-watching with Nanny Kasey (a favorite activity):

Perched in his favorite spot (looking extremely pleased with himself), the back of the couch: 

Henry loves to sing. He sings songs he learns at school and library toddler time, and is particularly fond of the Sesame Street theme, singing "sunny day, clouds away" repeatedly. Here he is enjoying the fun muffled sound if one sings while wearing hearing protection:

Henry (and Jack in the background) at friends Alex and Anthony's house, enjoying his favorite toy of theirs:

Jack
Jack continues to be a keen observer. One of his more common observations is to chime in with "Henry sad!" when brother is throwing a tantrum. He was also contributing "Mommy/Daddy/Henry/Jack sick" frequently during our recent cold. Jack doesn't sing as often as Henry does, but he has started to sing the happy birthday song (which he learned at school as the other kids celebrate their birthdays). He's started to piece together longer sentences like "Daddy go work." Jack loves to read and we hear the command "read book!" at least a dozen times each day. Right now, he's particularly hooked on Curious George Rides a Bike.

Acting like a model, out on a walk on the town with Nanny Kasey:

Scheming:

Imitating Mommy while wearing Nanny Kasey's shoes:

Powering up? (and showing off his Curious George fandom)

Cozy little imp:

Chillin' on the porch: 

"Hooray!" 

Playing with his animal sounds book:

I can't hear you:

Pretending to nap on the couch: 

Brothers at Home

Playing in their shed (Henry left, Jack right):

Using a small rock to "unlock" their shed (Jack left, Henry right):

Playing with their water table with Mommy (Henry in orange, Jack in blue):

The boys love yogurt...

... a lot...

... a whole lot.