4 years old and 2 and a half already!

Annika LOVES preschool!  Here she is on her first day, sooo excited!

She's enthusiastic about everything, but especially the art projects.

 Jakob gets special time with Anna while Annika is in school, but 2 days a week he gets to go to "school" too - ECFE which is like preschool based childcare where he's not with either Mommy or Mamma.

This is, of course, a big deal for a kid who otherwise is only with his parents (EVER!). 

Annika is Ms Bossy-Pants to poor Jakob, but he seems to hold his own just fine. If it were up to her she'd be the one setting limits and admonishing Jakob when he broke the rules or whatnot.  We have to keep reminding her that we're the grown-ups and she doesn't get to boss the poor kid around.

Thankfully Jakob is very laid back and congenial about it all.

He's also a born performer.  Give him a stage, get him even near a stage, and he is ON.  Annika for her part likes a little limelight, but it's really to show how good she is at something.  Jakob, on the other hand, wants you to laugh and be entertained.

... except now that he's crying "Mommy, mommy" from his crib.  Nap time over!

We no longer have babies? How'd that happen so quickly?

We do miss having babies, but our children are in some kind of developmental rocket which has made for a really, really fun ride at the Xerxes Ranch.  Here they're insisting on eating out in the backyard on one of Anna's amazing garage sale finds - a picnic table with a blue bench and a pink bench.  Little Ms Pinks, of course, is thrilled with this and insists on only sitting on the pink side.  We're certain the color pink is hard coded into her cells (we clearly didn't put it there).  

Jakob is happiest when he's watching a video or holding an electronic hand-held device in his hands.  Annika could really care less about these things, but they basically drive Jakob's minute-by-minute requests.  

Jakob is still unbelievably strong.  He's already (accidentally!) broken Anna's nose - twice.  And not to leave Annika out, she ran full force down the hallway into Anna's lap (as she was sitting on the floor), knocked her out and ultimately gave her a concussion.  The brutes!  I swear we're going to spend most of the better part of 20 years watching them in various athletic pursuits.  Jakob, likely something big and burly like hockey and football and Annika something more congenial like volleyball (which of course, is also good for tall girls). 

They both are still singing - at the top volume.  "Use your indoor voice" only goes so far.  Annika and Jerilyn are finding themselves very often watching and laughing with/at Anna and Jakob as they perform in various ways.  But, don't worry, Annika is learning well the highly skilled eye-rolling technique made famous by Jerilyn and her mother, Marilyn.  [Basically, Annika is just a Mini Marilyn when it comes down to it.]  Jakob's little personality is still being revealed to us.  His language skills are snow-balling, however, and any minute or so we're going to have another a full-fledged little talking person in the house, showing off is newly emerging personality.  We can't wait!

Parenting is TONS of fun for both Anna and Jer.  We love it, have great kids, and feel very fortunate!