I cannot believe it's been 6 months since I updated this.
Life has been a blitz of birthday parties and milestones.
In early August, Zoe got her face painted
at a birthday party by Ariel!
This was the first 4 year-old birthday party we'd been to
and Daddy paid very close attention to what was popular
(like the big kiddy pool, which was a huge hit).
He needed some ideas for a different 4th
Bday party later that month...
Jake, meanwhile, grew quickly and always with a big smile on his face.
Zoe loves to grab him and wrap him up in a big hug.
This was the first time we let her hold him on her own.
Made for a great pic!
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(immediately after this picture was taken she let go
and Jake fell backwards and hit his head)
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Our friend Inda stopped by to take some family photos
of the four of us.
She got some really great shots of Zoe
(who didn't want to cooperate but can't help being photogenic)
(photo credit to https://www.imagesbyinda.com/)
Then Aunt Meme came out to visit!
We've enrolled Jake in mixed martial arts and he immediately
went to claw her eyes out.
He wasn't used to house guests just yet, but he's
a much better host now.
It was so wonderful to hang out with Aunt Meme.
Then a certain Paw Patrol fan had her own 4th BIRTHDAY!
August in SoCal is predictably tropical so
we bought a few super fun pools,
borrowed a few water tables,
and invited everyone to come get wet!
It was incredible to see the kids run from one pool
to the other and jump in.
The joy on their faces was truly something to behold.
The watermelon was a big hit.
Actually, it was a great party.
Some of Zoe's friends still talk about it to this day.
(not kidding)
The kids mostly stayed outside but occasionally
they'd run in to dry off and play with Zoe's
ever-growing pile of toys.
But then it was back outside for more splashing.
A few days after Zoe's party, and possibly inspired by all the big kids,
Jake rolled over!
Grammie was so overjoyed to hear about it...
She came out to visit!
She gave Jake a big hug to encourage him to roll over all the time.
Which he did. For like a month.
He rolled everywhere like an alligator.
He also had fun watching football with Daddy.
And he got pretty good at baths.
In September we went to Madison's wedding!
Zoe loved getting all dressed up.
She was a flower girl and, already with lots of experience,
did a perfect job.
And she looked cute, too!
Mommy and Jake also looked great.
After the ceremony, Zoe danced the night away.
Jake's personality has been blossoming and he's really fun.
As soon as he got teeth he let us know he no longer wanted
the blended food we'd been making him.
He loves watching Zoe and memorizing everything she does.
They make each other laugh as only a sister and brother can.
After a few more birthday parties it was time for...
More birthday parties.
But Zoe's friend James had his at Griffith Park
and hired some ponies to ride!
Zoe was a natural, not surprisingly.
Then she gave James a special birthday square dance.
Attack of the Blondes.
Unfortunately the party was interrupted by a velociraptor.
Zoe made the mistake of chasing after it, which was fine...
...until he turned around.
Back at home and safe from dinosaurs,
Jake has been practicing his smile.
He was also practicing moving around.
Here he is crawling for the first time!
He also followed in his sister's "footsteps" and
has discovered moving can be quite rewarding.
Especially with so many fun things to grab and touch and bite.
About a week after he learned to crawl,
Jake picked over Fitzgerald, Foer, and some early James Bond
paperbacks before crawling one bookshelf to the right...
I first heard Lori burst out laughing.
Then I looked to see what Jake had grabbed...
The book in his hands, and the first book he pulled off any bookshelf,
is the initial book of a 7-part series that follows a character named "Jake"
who (in part) was the inspiration for Jake's first name.
He then tore the cover off and chewed on it.
(which, if you've read the book, makes sense actually)
September rolled into October, and Zoe and Jake have
really bonded.
Here they are getting ready for Halloween together.
We picked out our pumpkin and had a great time carving it
into a Jack-O-Lantern for the first time together.
Here was the result.
Not bad for our first time!
Zoe asked if she could go as Cookie Monster for Halloween again
this year, and her old costume still fit (should we be worried about that?)
so, braving the 60-degree weather, we all went trick or treating together.
Zoe also really loved handing out candy to the trick or treaters
who came to the yellow house.
As October turned to November, and barely a month into his crawling
Jake started to get adventurous
Look how proud he is to stand up for the first time.
Look at that smile!
Zoe owns a few investments, including some Disney and some Dell.
They send her the prospectus for proxy voting and she studies them
carefully to make sure she makes informed votes.
Then, in late November (and just in time for Thanksgiving)
Grandma and Grandpa came out to visit!
We all went to the see the lights at the Zoo
and also the lights at Descanso Gardens.
Zoe and Grandpa ran off to explore together.
Mommy and Jake got some quality time together, too.
And Zoe had fun controlling the lights from afar.
I still had some free tickets to the Universal Theme Park
so we decided to check it out.
Not surprisingly, Zoe made a new friend!
He tried to follow us home, but Zoe had soccer practice
the next day, and her bed is already overflowing with friends.
Zoe loves playing soccer.
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| I absolutely adore this pic of Zoe and her fellow soccer hooligans. |
Seems like Jake learns something new every day.
He's so sharp and happy to interact with us -- he recently
started saying "Oooo - oooo - oooo!" when he's surprised.
Like this:
And now that he's got six teeth (with more on the way)
he's not sleeping well at night.
Makes for a tired kid (and VERY tired parents).
But he's super happy and rarely complains.
He loves scooting off and playing with toys.
But he REALLY loves playing with Zoe.
The two of them are like a comedy team.
I call this series: scream, smile, and drink.
We recently had a play day at the park and Zoe took
Jake for his first ride on a swing.
And just like that it's December, and time for Xmas.
Despite Zoe getting new things almost every day,
(Mommy is very active on the local buy/sell message boards)
Santa was wonderfully generous to our kids.
Then it was 2019!
(Happy New Year!)
Time flies about as fast as you're reading this, and
in January, Grammie came to visit again!
We all went to Descanso together and had so much fun
while everyone on the East Coast was freezing and shoveling snow.
After a particularly rough week at Pre-School, Zoe
just needed some time to relax.
Jake loved the waterfall.
Jake is also about a week away from walking on his own.
This is how he gets around these days:
If you look closely, you'll notice Jake's hair is getting a little long
(he hadn't had his haircut in almost a year!)
so we decided to get it cut.
But first...
Gabby was wonderful and
Jake was extra patient and didn't complain at all.
And the results speak for themselves!
And like that...6 months have gone by.
Thanks for looking, and we hope to see you all soon!
