1 Year, 6 Months

Jack and Henry are busy little dudes. They love the usual kid things: reading books, snuggling stuffed animals, running around the park, and relentlessly seeking any available opportunity to wreak havoc. 

Around the House

Reading time with Daddy (Jack left, Henry right):

I get the distinct impression Jack is trying to sell us something:

Henry shows off his reading skills:

The boys like to look out the window and wave or blow kisses when Steve and I leave for work. Jack shows his displeasure at Dad leaving for work this particular morning:

Henry is ready to play, Jack would like me to note that Dad forgot to take his tiny assistant to work with him:

Henry attempting to photo-bomb Jack's reading time:

Jack demonstrates "proper" pacifier technique: 

Big grins from a little Henry:

"I'm not touching you" (Jack left, Henry right):

A more amicable moment, the boys play with their electronic toys together:

Henry, fashion icon:

Henry really loves his yellow vest. Almost as much as he loves playing piano... if only he could reach:

Tickling the ivories (Henry foreground, Jack background):

Hmmmm... I dumped out all of the toys, now I'm sitting in the bin. What was the next part of this plan? Henry contemplates:

Ah, yes. Try to reach stuff on the desk!

Jack indulges Mom with a demonstration of his puppy pull-toy:

Henry does the same with alligator (with similar enthusiasm):

Henry, ready for his close-up:

Jack, ready for his Broadway debut:

Jack, cuddled up in a cozy corner with monkey and puppy:

Jack, always thrilled to help Mom out with a picture (if looks could kill...):

Henry, sock collector extraordinaire: 

We're trying to train the boys to pull weeds. So far, they will pull the occasional offending plant, but Henry spends most of his time picking flowers while Jack carries the yard waste buckets back and forth:

One thing we all can agree on... we're exhausted: 

Hooray for Parks!
We have a tiny yard and two active toddlers; our local parks have been lifesavers.

Jack pilots his scooter from Grandparents Loveridge:

Jack attempts to take brother's scooter along for the ride:

Jack, a portrait:

Jack engages in some sort of delicate sand-based activity under the play structure:

The boys look wary of other occupants of the park discovering this amazing sand game:

Come at me, bro! Henry is ready to take on the skater kids:

Cruising the bike/scooter/skateboard ramps:

Henry shows off his "big boy" swing technique:

Returning to the little swings to relax:

Playing in the sand with Dad (Jack in stripes, Henry in Star Wars):

Food!
Mealtimes can be... unhinged in our house.

Jack experiments with a new hair product (yogurt):

Henry is enthusiastic about all things food:

Henry definitely understands every word we use for food (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, and such) and will race to the kitchen upon hearing any of those. Steve and I have to watch our language when discussing meal plans lest Henry get his hopes up.

When it comes to snack time, we hear no...

(Jack)

... see no...

(Jack)

... speak no evil.

(Henry)

Really, Mom!? 

Yeah, I suppose Jack is right; that was silly.

Of course I'm right.

Daddy looks hungry! Quick, share the snacks! (Henry left, Jack right)

Henry shows off one of his favorite after-dinner games: bucket foot!

Chillin' in front of the fridge, just in case dessert materializes (Jack left, Henry right): 

Adventures
Steve scouted out an afternoon hike along a fire road on the UC Santa Cruz campus. The boys were thrilled to discover the forest... primarily the endless supply of rocks and sticks.

Jack and Steve:

Henry gathering rocks...

... as many as he can carry (plus a few for Mom to carry). 

Jack carrying the largest sticks he could manage to pick up (he also whirled them around like a ninja turtle, so I'm a little afraid for our future):

Rocks! Jack shows off his finds:

Jack, Mom and Henry taking a water break:

The boys were invited to a first birthday party. The birthday girl was adorable and everything was lovely. The boys were predictably most excited about the balloons and dessert options. 

Henry double-fists a delicious cupcake: 

Jack is more inclined to gingerly eat the frosting with his fingers:

To add some variety to our outings, we got a membership to a humble but fun little children's museum in our area. 

Light table in the toddler area, Jack is definitely a fan:

We're looking forward to adding more new adventures as the boys gain confidence physically. They did a pretty good job scrambling up some rock stairs on our hike, so more ventures into the great outdoors are in order. The real trick is for their tired old parents to keep up.