2015 - one month at a time

This was an exciting year for the Leach Family of San Francisco. The kids turned 2. I became a full-time, stay-at-home mom. We visited family. Family visited us. The kids continued developing their personalities and ended the year with a strong brother and sister bond. I wanted to highlight a few things from every month.

January, 2015 - We used our San Francisco Zoo membership. We began taking hikes, toddler sized, to explore different parts of the City. We took a boat ride to Sausalito. Sutter received his first home haircut.

Happy New Year - annual walk on the beach

One of our first hikes/walks around Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park.

Kiss me brother!

Are we being helpful, Mama?

Joining in with the fun on the floor!

Swinging with Granny in the Presidio

Hanging with Chee-Chee

First boat ride to Sausalito with Granny and Bup!

Picnic time inside with our new blanket from Tante Kelli

February, 2015 - I had a job with the SFIOFF - San Francisco International Ocean Film Festival. It was a blast to be the event coordinator for their opening night auction. We celebrated Valentine's, too!

March, 2015 - We took one last flight while the kids were under 2 - to Southern California. We celebrated our friend, Jane's first birthday, with their parents, Katherine and Rob. We also celebrated Avery's birthday, too, on that trip. The kids and I visited the SF Conservatory of Flowers, the Zoo, and the Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. The SF Public Library had free passes for many of the SF attractions, so we took advantage as often as we could throughout the year. They also mastered jumping. 

April, 2015 - Frank and I celebrated our 6 year wedding anniversary - which is represented by steel. We decided to take a family walk on the Golden Gate Bridge. 

May, 2015 - Kids turned 2 on May 17th. We celebrated with cupcakes, Elmo and parties with friends. I also participated in San Francisco's Carnaval, dancing for the 5th time with Sambaxe. 

June, 2015 - Cousin Henry graduated from high school! We are so proud of him. We had a fantastic time at Auntie Kim and Uncle Jim's new lake house, too. Later in the month, Frank and I went to see the Grateful Dead and then I performed in the San Francisco Pride Parade. 

July, 2015 - In true summer spirit, we spent lots of time outside. From enjoying our backyard, hiking in Crissey Field, Presidio, and time at the Bay Area Discovery Museum. I earned a Mom Badge for driving the kids to Lake Tahoe to spend some time with the Casas. We finished the month with a fun glamping gathering with Uncle Dusan, Aunt Sara and their entire family at El Capitan. 

August, 2015 - We enjoyed more time around San Francisco. The kids attend tot time, which is an open gym with balls, bounce houses, cars, and bikes to play with, along with other rowdy kids. The kids also enjoyed time at My Gym, experiencing a ball pit for the first time. Cora prefers to call it Pit Balls. We just love the toddlerisms. They also started their second season of Soccertots. 

September, 2015 - As with most months, we enjoyed the first free Wednesday at the Bay Area Discovery Museum. Sutter had his first salon haircut. We had a fun visit with Auntie Kim and Granny Bup Granny (my mom) , where we took the kids to a pumpkin farm in Half Moon Bay. A week later, Granny Gaga came for a fun visit. The kids love to say that they have two Grannies. 

October, 2015 - We took the kids to see Spearhead perform at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in Golden Gate Park. It was only a 7 block walk for us, so why not? I took over the family event planning for the San Francisco Parents of Multiples. I planned the first party for Halloween and recruited the help from my Mom, Dad and Chelsey, to pull it all together. It was a success! We celebrated at Scare Grove in Stern Grove and then finished the month at Bob and Iris' house for a sweet Halloween celebration.

November, 2015 - This was an emotional month. Gram passed away the weekend before Thanksgiving. Gram was the kids great grandmother. She was 92. I was able to be with her before she passed away, so I feel blessed to have that memory. I look forward to sharing her inspirational life with the kids as they grow older. 

We continued to honor our family by hosting Sara, Davin, Avery and Bup during the Thanksgiving week. We made the most of being together in San Francisco.

December, 2015 - We just love Christmas Time in this house. Frank and I thought it would be super fun to get the tree as a family. We told them we were going to get the tree, which we received no response. Tumbleweeds. We arrived at the tree lot and all hell broke loose. Cora started crying, asking us, "where is the Christmas treat?" We just had to laugh at how dramatic they were. We had a fun visit from Auntie Kim, who enjoyed my Christmas-pallooza events. We drove down to Orange County to be with our entire family. Auntie Kim, Uncle Jim, Granny Gaga and Cousin Henry also joined our family celebration this year. Sutter received ELMO and a replica of the Golden Gate Bridge for his Thomas the Train collection. Cora received a Baby Doll, which she named Elmo. Cora loved opening the gifts. Sutter told us, "no more presents." It was a fun day to be with the family. 

2015 was a year of growth, understanding, compassion and change. 

2016 will be another year of big milestones. The kids will get potty trained. They will move to big beds. They will start preschool. I will keep my sanity. We will continue to create memories as a family.