Meeting friends and family

Well, December has nearly come and gone, and with it, more adventures of Arjen.  In early December, his Uncle Arden and Aunt Tracy from Wisconsin came out for a visit.  We were so delighted to have them here, and Arjen immediately bonded with his Aunt and Uncle.  Some of our adventures with them included trips into SF for some Christmas shopping, walkabouts on College Ave with lunch at Bakesale Betty's (a local favorite), and Sunday morning at our neighborhood Farmer's Market. 

getting to play with Aunt Tracy

headed towards Frog Park on our way to College Ave

Sporting his Wisconsin Badgers hat while chillin' in the stroller

Over the course of the weekend, Arjen started paying more attention to the toys we've been dangling in his face for weeks now!

Lunch at Bakesale Betty's

Nonstop love!

Arjen humoring his uncle Arden during a little early Christmas celebration. 

"Thanks for the XBOX luggage tag!"

Breakfast at the Farmer's Market.  Good thing the stroller was empty!

It was hard saying good-bye to Arden and Tracy.  We really enjoyed their visit!

A few weeks later, we finally got to meet Frits!  He is Jochem and Nandita's newest addition, and little brother to proud Nina.  Frits was due only 2 weeks after Arjen, but as you can see in the pictures, the extra two months Arjen had on him make a little difference in size!  Soon enough they'll be standing eye to eye, best of friends. 

Mom's and their babes

My child is a monster!

Really, that look means "yo dude. sup?"

Dads and their babes

And finally the Tsao's made it home from NY for the holidays.  We miss them and hope they move back soon!

"So nice to put a face to the voice! My mommy seems to talk to you a lot!"

Ranee and Jamie learn about baby gas

Sorry Jamie, but this look is priceless!

The dogs are starting to wonder if they have to schedule a visit so they can get some attention too

And then there are the grandparents.  Two weeks without grandson time was just too much!

Getting into the Christmas spirit, and other fun...

Wow!  Arjen's first Christmas!  Little did we know that we'd have a 2, nearly 3, month old son by Christmas this year.  We have absolutely fallen in love with this little guy who continues to amaze us each day as he becomes more animated, interactive and strong!  He's now starting to hold his head up for a few seconds without bobbing, and his not-so-little-anymore legs are pushing and kicking at anything those little toes can reach! 

Here a just a few photos from the past week or so, and the kickoff to our First Family Christmas...

The cutest angry gnome you've ever seen (fancy sweater and booties courtesy of grandma keane's friend)

Danger! Explosives!

Just another day at the office

The cutest little penguin ever! (sorry kiddo, blame your Aunt Casey)

Let's just jump straight to walking!

How cute are those feet?!?

Check me out!

Arjen's starting to notice toys and objects now, and definitely wanting to eat anything in sight!

"Hey Christmas Goat."

Adding the Angel to the tree. Next come the ornaments!

Arjen's 1st Christmas ornament

Maybe next year he'll actually stay awake long enough to hang an ornament

Many Thanks!

Aside from being a wonderful holiday full of family, good food, and a time to reflect on what you're thankful for, Thanksgiving has the added bonus of a couple very special memories.  Four years ago, Andrew and I got engaged on Thanksgiving, and it was also the first time our parents met.  It also started a new tradition of Wayne and Cherie joining us from Wisconsin every year.  This year we had the addition of Arjen to be extra thankful for!

Our little guy enjoyed plenty of cuddle time with many relatives over the holiday weekend, but he particularly enjoyed getting to finally meet his paternal grandparents.  I'm pretty sure they were thrilled to finally get to hold their newest grandson too!

Grandma Cherie giving Arjen some long-awaited love

He was so excited to see his Wisconsin Grandparents, he stayed up until their  flgiht landed at 1 am!

Grandpa Wayne finally got a chance to hold Arjen the next morning

"I am so thankful for you!"

2 Grandmas and a Great-Grandma!

Shannon and Pasty setting out the deliciously inviting table

The sleep deprived, but ever happy parents

"Cousin Kyle, hows college life?"

How many men does it take to change a diaper?

The Aunts serenading their nephew with the first Christmas music of the year

Three generations of Andersons ("sorry I got your shirt Grandpa!")

Grandma reads (and records) a book with Arjen

playdate!

We recently had some friends over, giving us a glimpse into the future of big kid playdates!

My friend Kelley and her 1 year old son Ryan came by. Ryan was excited to see "the baby", but more excited to bang on some "drums". He impressed us all however, with his piano man skills!

Andrew's friend Aimee and her 4 year old daughters Kianna and Addison came over too. The girls were also interested in "the baby".  Their excitement was somewhat short-lived though...as soon as the play-doh was out, they said "what baby?"