It's friends like these

In addition to awesome grandparents, our fabulous friends have also helped keep the here-there-and-everywhere style of our recent life fun and easy. We're still waiting to get into our house, so still shacking up at camp baba and dave. While in SF and the east bay one day, we were able to sneak in a last minute play date with our friends Sophie and Ranee. Or, if you ask Arjen, his friends. "Sophie and Ranee are my friends mommy. Who are your friends?" Thanks kiddo.

When nature calls...

...you pull over and take the call, at least if you're lucky enough to be an almost three year old boy. Not sure if it was pure luck or genetic programming, but he managed to keep the wind at his back too!

Starting to feel like we're back home already!

We've been making so many trips north during this whole moving process, it almost feels like we already live here! During this weeks' trip:

A visit with our Irish cousin Dennis and his wife Rosa at Kathy and Keith's house

Reading with Baba

A surprise play date with Sophie!

And of course, another trip past the house to see what else was new...we have a front yard!!

Family Fun Night!!

Since the fridge is pretty much empty as we get ready to clear outta here, the four of us adventured out for one of our last nights out in Irvine. We ended up at The Spectrum, an outdoor mall, for dinner at The Yardhouse.  After dinner, we wandered down towards the new children's play area that was just finished up recently, but got sidetracked by the giant Ferris wheel. We figured, why not go for a ride?  We'd been past it plenty of times before, and if a last night in Irvine isn't a good enough excuse to hop on, what is?? So up and around we went, 3 times to be exact. And we even were witnesses to a proposal! (She said yes!). We did end up making it to the playground too, but the Ferris wheel was the only thing worth photographing...and the sunset...and a couple of kids enjoying themselves...and a couple of big kids having a good time too...

the wheel

the sunset

Gus getting a kick out of his selfie

Arjen looking for the moon (much less impressive in the photo than in real life!)

Gus possibly looking for the moon too

Cheese! (later he told me at least five times "I had fun on the ferris wheel mom".  I'd say that was worth his admission price right there, but he was a free ride!)

Imagine you can actually see Andrew and Gus in the foreground...

Happy Grandparents Day!!!

Okay, I'm a week late according to Hallmark, but the official date really is just a good reminder to step back and appreciate the fact that our boys are quite possibly the luckiest boys in the world!! They have four incredible grandparents in their lives. So we would like to take a moment to just say "THANK YOU!" to those incredible grandparents for everything and everywhere they have been with us in the past three years. People ask how we are able to smoothly and easily handle all the changes that we have navigated in our lives recently, especially having two young kids in tow. None of it would have been possible without GRANDPARENTS!!!

You make sure our kids know their history and culture...

...watching vintage car races

 ...go Packers!

You make sure our kids have music! (Singing songs together, playing guitar, piano)

You give our kids a safe, constant place to always return to, no matter where our crazy lives land us

You make sure our kids get to appreciate the finer things in life...

...like hand-picked fresh squeezed juice every morning!!

...like pontoon boat rides!

...and playing with Play-Doh!

From your first days as grandparents, you have been at attention, full service ahead!

- both grandmas dropped what they were doing to come live with us at various times while Andrew was away working, so that I would have help when I went back to work after Arjen was born, and right before Gus was born, and any other time in between when I didn't think I could survive for a few days without another adult around.  You both made being a new mom seem managable!

- and both grandpas kept life moving ahead at their homes so those grandmas could be there for us!

- all four of you have repeatedly, unconditionally opened your homes to us for as long as we've wanted/needed whether we had a home of our own or not!

- and possibly most importantly, all four of you have provided us with the best babysitting service ever! Thank you for giving us the freedom to take full advantage of your time and your love for your grandkids! 

So thank you, Baba, Dave, Cherie and Wayne.  It's Grandparents like you that make a Hallmark Day like "Grandparent's Day" an absolute necessity!  We just want to make sure you know how much we appreciate you!

And to our own Grandparents, thank you for being such great grandparent role models!  (Is that why they call you "Great-Grandparents"???)

Fun with (Grandpa) Dave

The kids are getting to spend more quality time with Grandpa/Dave while Andrew and I have been out chasing down a new house...

Playing "ding ding's" with Dave

Arjen helping Dave tend to the worms/compost

More worms.  I'm really going to have to lose the squeamish-ness. 

Gus building blocks with Dave

Thanks Dad!!

Getting excited to move again!

There may be a little bit of sarcasm in that title.  But the prospect of being closer to family and friends, and the reality of moving into a brand new home that will actually belong to us does take some of the sting out of having to pack up and move again.  So this crew of Anderson's is planning our third move in two years...not counting 2 trips to Wisconsin and back for the summer.  It's starting to feel like we're professionals at this whole pack-em-up-and-move-em-out business.  If anyone wants to help, we're hoping to close Sept 27th and start moving in on the 28th!!  :)

Here are some pics we've taken on our many trips to check and see how much progress they've made towards completing our new home.  There are 51 of them, so rather than making a crazy long blog post, I posted a link for a web-based photo album on Picasa:

14 Galeria Pl