Sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY!

Before these pictures get lost among the other thousands that sit on my computer waiting for their big debut to the world (which will likely never happen, unfortunately), I had to share them. It's Sunday. Superbowl Sunday. We were invited to sweet Shauna's party up in Mill Valley but ended up not going due to late naps and early bedtimes. Instead, we blocked off the driveway and had a little party outside so that Mark could (hopefully) enjoy a little bit of the game in peace.

The weather has been absolutely unbelievable. Clear, blue, sunny skies and highs of 70 all week. Where else can you get that in early February but good old California? These are the days I appreciate living here. I pulled the cars up in front of the driveway to block it so that Maddie couldn't make her suicide dashes for the street and we whipped out the sidewalk chalk. Daddy made his Superbowl treats inside and brought them out for us to share. We stomped rockets, played catch, ate baby hot dogs and bagel pizzas and drew pictures on the ground with the setting sun all around us.

I could spend every Superbowl Sunday like this.

The set up



Driving his cars on the race track we drew



So proud of those cars



Maddie joined the fun



sweet face



At most any moment in our house, you can find this scene. Jacob's arms outstretched chasing his baby sister. I sometimes discourage it (because it usually ends in an injury), but you can see this is a hard rule to enforce when she just loves the heck out of it.



This sequence of pictures just documents what a ham this child is for the camera.









And this picture documents what a cutie patootie looks like



He looks so old to me in this picture. It kills me.



Thank goodness nobody witnessed the "dinner" our kids had tonight (too bad I'm ratting us out on the blog). Mini dogs, bagel pizzas, cookies, cheese crackers and juice boxes. This is how we buy our children's love.



Big brother kissing little sister



Playing a little stomp rocket. Whatever Jacob does, Maddie has to do as well.



Stomp rocket is all kinds of fun



Until the rocket is stomped right onto the roof. Thank goodness Daddy could rescue it.



So that Jacob could get his rockets back in order to do this.



And once again, anything Jacob does...



...Maddie has to do too



I find them like this a lot too



This girl would give her right arm for a juice box. Don't you dare put one in her line of sight unless you are prepared to give it to her. Immediately.



Jacob's writing gets better and better each day. It's hard to read since he was writing with pink chalk, but this says "mommy".



And "Daddy" (in the pink)



And it can't be a fun evening unless someone gets thrown up in the air. This pic is priceless because of Maddie AND Jacob's faces.



I just noticed Jacob's pants completely undone in these pictures. Fantastic.



I hope you were routing for the Packers! Happy Superbowl Sunday!

Jacob turns FOUR!

There are so many days that I cannot believe we have a 4 year old in the house. He's a "preschoolER" and soon he'll be a "kindergartenER" and then he'll be a "first gradER". All these darn "ERs". I liked it when he was just a "baby".

He is maturing in ways that are beyond my belief, but he is still the sensitive soul that he always has been. He is desperate to take care of his baby sister, can't stand it when he "loses" a race, and says "I love you mommy/daddy" at least 20 times a day. He asks for hugs and kisses every 5 minutes and his favorite phrase right now is "Mommy/Daddy, please sit next to me" (while he eats, watches a show, plays a game, or is just twiddling his thumbs.)

We had lots of 4th birthday celebrations. They began when Nanny and Papa came to visit in early January. Of course they arrived with tons of gifts and showered him with love and cupcakes. :)



He is an expert candle-blower-outer



His big 4th birthday party was a joint party with his best friend Owen at Safari Run on Saturday, 1/29 (Owen turned 4 on the 26th). Grandma and Grandpa arrived a few days before his birthday. The party was a blast and we loved celebrating it with our closest friends.



Waiting patiently for the party to start



Jaemie and Nate! (love, love, love them)



Ellie and Emma LOVED the freeze dance



As did Jacob and Stella



Rachel and Iris -- Iris loved the slides!



The whole birthday party crew (notice how Maddie is doing her own thing)



The cake!



Double cakes!



Singing "happy birthday"



Again, awesome face making while blowing out the candles. Luke looks terrified.



Jacob is proud!



And Maddie is hungry



At home, after the party, opening presents





He got some stilts!



On Sunday (his actual birthday), we all went down to the San Jose Discovery Museum, one of his favorite places. We hadn't been since we moved back but Jacob remembered it well. Maddie was obsessed (and that's an understatement) with the water section with all the balls. She refused to put a smock on and was literally soaking wet by the end of it. That area just so happens to be Jacob's favorite too.













On Monday, his school did a special birthday celebration in the Montessori tradition. He helped the teacher place a sun on the ground and then they place the months of the year around the sun. Jacob stood up where January was, and did a walk around the sun 4 times, to signify each year of life. After each walk around the sun, he paused and his teacher read a little story (that we had written) about that year of life. We also created a "birthday board" with pictures and captions detailing each of his 4 years. It was an awesome way to look back and appreciate how much he's grown and changed.

Poor Zachary must not have had a good night sleep the night before.



Laying out the sun



With globe in hand, he was ready to circle the sun






Now he's already talking about his 5th birthday. I can certainly wait another year for that.

Twinkle, Twinkle. Sort of.

She talks up a storm these days. Most of the time, you have no idea what she's saying. But she knows exactly what she's saying and will get extremely frustrated if you don't understand "bow koo shy mo la?" And she'll repeat it again just in case you didn't hear her the first time. And louder. "BOW KOO SHY MO LA?!!!" Her exasperated look is fantastic.

So is her singing.

Mommy conscious already?

I found this sequence of photos tonight as I downloaded them off of my camera and had to share them with you. As background, Maddie received an American Girl baby doll from Aunt Amy and Uncle Sean for Christmas (thanks you guys!) Maddie loves this doll. She really does. She has other dolls but this one gets the royal treatment.

I was shocked at how delicately she treated this baby doll when she decided to take her for a stroll in the shopping cart. See evidence below.

Maddie and her baby doll. We have yet to name her.



Maddie putting baby in the shopping cart to go for a stroll



Hi Mommy!



When Maddie gets to the step where you enter the playroom, she takes the baby doll out of the stroller



And puts the baby doll on her shoulder so she can push the shopping cart down the big step. It was clear she was concerned for baby doll's safety! How flippin' cute is that?!



She then holds baby doll...



And sits down to scoot off the step, not letting go all the while



And back in the cart baby doll goes...and they are off...safely



She's 15 months people. FIFTEEN months!!

Birthday Mania!

It has been a whirlwind month so far, evidenced by my lack of writing. In all honestly, I'm afraid this will become a bad habit I need to break...the neglecting-my-blog habit.

So here's what's been going on. It is birthday MANIA around these parts folks. Birthday parties every single weekend. Not that we are complaining (did I say we? I mean us.) First, it was Sheri's party at the ever-so-popular Pump it Up (where Owen and Jacob celebrated their 2nd birthday together.) Then it was Warner's birthday party at the PJCC featuring Andy Z (hey, have I blogged about him before? ha). This weekend is Jade's birthday party at Safari Run, followed by OWEN AND JACOB's birthday party at Safari Run on Jan. 29th. THEN, it's Ellie and Iris's birthday party's on the SAME day (2/5) -- luckily, at different times, so I can be there for both (did I say I? I mean we.) Then finally, we have Tyler's birthday party in mid-February.

Friends, you are exhausting me! (Did I say me? I meant us.) heh. If you haven't noticed, I love myself some birthday parties. Throw on some Safeway cake and that delicious icing and I am in heaven!! Darnit, I keep talking about myself. I MEAN, the kids LOVE the parties and the cake and the singing and the fun.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL OF OUR BESTIES HERE IN CALIFORNIA. HOW LUCKY WE ARE TO HAVE YOU ALL IN OUR LIVES!

Here are some pics from Sheri's Pump it Up celebration.

Stair climbing. All. The. Time.

If you don't want to just kiss the heck out of this face, you are not human.

I have nothing else to write. But I'm being harassed by my awesome Dad for more posts! (Love you Dad!)

I absolutely love, love, love this outfit from Aunt Misty and Uncle John. They were good to Maddie and Jacob this Christmas!!



One of her favorite ways to pass the time...up and down the stairs...over and over again. Thank goodness she's getting quite good at going down on her belly.



Those darn baby blues will always get me



Check out her 8 teeth!



Going up and down the stairs really couldn't be any more fun!



When most people ask me how old she is, they are shocked when I say 15 months. They all think she's at least 2 years old!