Returning the visit!

Our dear friends (and too-often hosts in Oakland), the Lees, visited us this past weekend.
Iver loved chasing around and trying to keep up with Mason (7) and Sophia (4.5).

They exchanged gifts, we enjoyed a birthday celebration at Judo Hut (post forthcoming),  but we mostly hunkered down at home with brutal, 30-50-degree temps outside (:)).

(these pants never leave the house... can you tell why?)

Iver really took to Hanh!

Hanh and Wai-Kiu are some of the very best people and parents I know, and have raised two delightful, polite, perceptive, and empathetic children. We want to follow in their footsteps!

Holiday Cheer

In this season leading up to Jesus' birth, it's been a busy time at Mad River Hospital's birth center!

Iver came to visit us (and Santa) one time I was on call.

On Saturday, we went to Open Door's Holiday Party. Two years ago (it was a bit later in December that year), this party (the lasagna?) sent me into labor, so it was fun to go with our now-almost-two-year-old!

 

  (the tarp in the living room is to protect our stuff amidst potty training, which is going fairly well [as well as can be expected from a strong-willed child?]).

Not wanting to pose in front of the tree.

Everyone had fun in the photobooth!

MCHC crew

(This is how I feel about 2016...)

Discovery Museum

On a rainy Saturday morning, we took Iver to the Redwood Discovery Museum in Eureka.  We'd never been there, and it was free as it was the day of the Saturday monthly playgroup (yay!), which was a bonus.

He really enjoyed playing at the different stations, which included some ball runs, water tank, levitating ball, a puppet theater, a grocery shop with a cash register, and more! This being a small area, we ran into two other families we knew there!  We'd definitely go again to let him experience the science and play exhibits some more times-- the cozy museum was a great fit for our curious toddler.

Levitating ball

Ball run

Parenting

 

(4% almost-two-year-olds can get away with this!)

Family photos

I didn't get around to posting them yet, but on Thanksgiving Day, we took some family photos at Huntington Beach Library.

The toddlers weren't particularly cooperative, and we had some interference by sun, but some of the pictures (most by Kenn and Lisa) still turned out well.

 Iver is obsessed by boots!