Do the "Terrible Twos" start at 15 months?

While always extremely cute, Henry and Nathan are definitely entering toddlerhood. They have dramatic meltdowns and collapse on the floor at the slightest offense. They have baby fights on a regular basis. And they test their boundaries daily. On the flip side, when they play together it's the cutest thing I've ever seen. They have also learned to eat cereal with milk out of a bowl with a spoon (thank you ELC). And they can walk in the snow in big boots. Here are some shots from the last couple weeks in Anchorage.

Henry practices walking in his snow boots while snacking on Cheerios:

Nathan has a tantrum on the floor; no one knows why:
Riding on their new sleds:
Checking out a moose that was blocking our way:
Playing in a tupperware bin:
Not sure what these expressions are all about:
Henry and his sweet Pooh Bear ride:
Nathan pushes Henry on the Pooh Bear car (one of the cutest things I've ever seen):

Braving the storm

While Joe and I were enjoying our weekend away, my mom, Suzy and Dennis were braving the storm in the Santa Cruz mountains. There were 100 mph winds that knocked over several trees in the neighborhood, and one tree crashed onto the roof of the house across the street! The power was out for several days, but it hardly phased these hardcore babysitters. Here are pictures of them having a good time.

Suzy and Nathan:

Joe and Henry:
Walking in the rain:
Hangin' with Aunt Sooz:
Reading with Grandma:
Playtime with Grandma:
Playtime with Grandpa Dennis:
Woo and Nate:
N&H love their mechanical penguins:

Seven Gables Inn

Joe and I were very lucky to get two nights on our own (without babies) at the Seven Gables Inn in Pacific Grove. We arrived at the front end of a big storm. The first day we toured 17 Mile Drive and gazed upon spectacular ocean views and the mega-mansions of Pebble Beach. Our first night was spent in the Cypress Room - huge and beautiful. Sometime during the night the power went out from the storm. That day we relaxed inside and visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The second night was spent in the Breakers Room (it was featured in a Visa commercial). Luckily this room had a gas fireplace to keep us warm because the power was still out! No matter, we had a great time!

Joe at Point Joe on 17 Mile Drive at Pebble Beach:

The Seven Gables Inn:
View from the Cypress Room:
View from Breakers Room:

Christmas with the Carrs

We spent the week after Christmas with my dad's side of the family. Great Grandma Pat hosted Christmas for the family and an open house for friends and family to meet the twins. I was really happy to see so many people that I haven't seen in a while. The only improvement would be to have more time to chat with them without a baby clinging to my leg! :)

Family photo: Nate, Suzy, Grandpa, Caitlin, Great Grandma, Henry and Jessie:

Nathan bites Great Grandma Pat's huaca to make sure it's pure gold:

Hungry babies on Great Grandma's lap:

Jessie, Pad, Henry and Nathan (digging for gold):

Visiting with the Raymonds (Doug, Ananda and Beatrix) in San Francisco:

Playground slide videos

One of the boys' favorite activities at the park was to climb up the stairs, crawl to the slide and launch themselves head first down the slide. We didn't push them, I swear! :) It was really quite funny to watch them do it over and over again. I was also impressed by their bravery because they weren't scared at all.

Henry:

Nathan:

Henry again:

Playground fun

Even though there was a 'cold snap' while we were in California, we still had several beautiful days. Almost every day we took the boys to a park for some play time. Here are some shots taken at a park near Great Grandma Pat's house.

Grandpa and Henry have fun:

Suzy and Nathan:

Caitlin and Nathan:

Henry & Marie:

Babies and their aunties, Caitlin and Marie:

Henry on the swing:

Henry laughing:

Christmas in California

We returned one week ago from a fabulous trip to California to visit family and friends. It was wonderful to get together with people we haven't seen in a long time. Joe and I were proud to show off our babies! I will describe more of our trip as I post pictures. These photos were taken just before and on Xmas day.

Here are Henry and Nathan eating rocks and tanbark at the park near my mom's house:

Here is Grandma with H&N on Xmas morning:

Henry & Grandpa Dennis check out some loot from Santa:

Grandma with H&N on the wharf in Santa Cruz. These two are crazy about animals, even seagulls! Nathan especially will shout at animals as if to say to us, "Don't you see it? It's right there in front of us! Take me over there!"
Pretty view of the Boardwalk from the Wharf: