Someone wants a baby

Avery has been taking careful care of his baby, Nan. He has been rocking Nan, giving Nan bottles, and shushing Nan when Nan is "cwying." Today was the first day he wanted to take Nan outside. (I must admit, the baby carrier was my idea).

I refrained from saying, "See, Avery, being a parent can make even the simplest tasks challenging."

But often he made it look easy.

Nothing like a little manual labor with bebe.

And who didn't notice the new do? Yesterday we gave him his first haircut on the back deck. It was the mark of a new life chapter. Avery is no longer a baby with his original wispy baby hair but a little boy with a tousled bob. It was sweetly sad..

February Break

WOW! We have a lot of filling in to do from the past month...

Avery rode his first merry-go-round (with a show-me-your-teeth-smile)

Chris turned 39! And his Mama sang to him...

and gave him his Dad's special hat.

We visited friends Rachael and Shirene in Novato for a goat farm tour and overnight.

And spent two days in Santa Cruz and Monterey, goat cheese tasting and aquarium viewing.

We watched the deep sea feeding.

And Avery touched sea stars and abalone.

We were one of two families staying in a tent cabin that night. It was windy and surprisingly chilly but the electric blankets made it cozy.

And then back home for some house/yard projects, like adding the finishing touches to the gazebo,

setting up the outdoor hot tub,

putting in a shade garden on the side yard,

and flag-stoning a path. 

Another Hanson?!?

The rumors are true! Another Hanson baby is in the works...

Pop quiz: Who's the mama?

(Our baby is due August 8th!)

Toddler and Coconut Gymnastics

Dear friends, Jeff and Rachel, sent us a Florida coconut in its dried brown husk. We saved it for a dinner party with our Floridian and Australian friends. It turned out that even with the folks with 'island skills' we were hosting, it took 4 people and ALL the tools shown in this photo to open the darned thing. (We threw a little hairy husk onto our shoulders for dramatic effect.)

About 40 minutes later, the water was slurped up and the meat extracted. Deeeelicious!

Avery and I have a weekly date at Arizmendi cafe for hot cocoa before gymnastics. We always take a book with us to read while we sip.

And then Avery burns off the sugar doing heroic tricks that take all his concentration and physical prowess. 

(His version of opening a coconut.)

Sunrise Hike

 Last Sunday, we woke up early headed to the east-facing hills (a spot called Inspiration Point) for some breakfast of soft-boiled eggs, scones, and tea.

It was 36 degrees (quite cold for us) but the manzanitas shielded us nicely from the wind.

Avery rode in a hiking pack for the first time. We realized later that the maximum weight reads 22 pounds. He's about 32. That explained some of our technical difficulty.

Avery Turns 2

The little man turned two. He had a great birthday week.

Complete with a birthday party:

7 friends (and their parents) joined him for scarf dancing and cupcakes

And an electric guitar from Christine's godparents arrived in the mail (for Avery).

He counts off his songs, "1, 2, 1, 2, 3."

Winter Break, Baby Cakes

'Twas the season of giving!

We gave the DC family a week-long visit for Christmas and celebrated Lauren and Tommy's engagement!

We gave our annual gingerbread house a 26th try!

We gave Uncle Peter a set of matching jammies.

We gave Avery the studio space he needed for his recent watercolor hobby. 

(He takes after his grandmother and great-grandmother.)

We gave Avery a reason to be courageous.

 Sledding with co-pilot, Lois, in Tahoe

And Avery gave skiing a try!

(This skiing business was harder than we had expected. 

Next year promises stronger legs and more success.)