Chez Hoversen

Mommy's First Mother's Day

2009-05-11T21:00:00.001-07:00

Last year I spent Mother's Day in labor from the morning through the night. Needless to say, this year couldn't help but be light years better and so much less painful! ;) Pete actually promised me that night that I would never have to spend another Mother's Day enduring that kind of discomfort again and he certainly has made good on that promise so far.
This year I got a whole weekend of pampering and fun! Peter joined forces with Scott Drain and Jonas Moe to secretly plan a fantastic day of pampering and fun for Sarah, Katie, and myself. On Saturday afternoon we had lunch on the patio of Il Fornaio with Mike and Barbara. On our way home while chatting about our plans for the evening Peter told me that I needed to hurry up to make it to my surprise appointment on time! He sent me over to the Drain's home with a cooler of champagne, chocolate, and wine (for options). When I arrived there Sarah had no idea that I was coming or that the Moes were one their way too! As they pulled up Sarah and I swept Katie off to the spa for our deluxe mani/pedis! The guys took care of the kids and started the BBQ they had planned for dinner. All three of us were so surprised and had such a fabulous time chatting and enjoying our kid-free 'us' time. It was great to come back to a delicious dinner and fun times with the kids. I really could not have asked for a better day!
On Sunday we spent the day together as a family. We kept it low key and spent a lot of time remembering all of the experiences from this last year. We had an lovely lunch on the patio at Pyramid, a nice stroll through downtown Walnut Creek (and their farmer's market), and ended the day with an ice cream cone dinner and a relaxing walk through Todos Santos Plaza. Hands down, best weekend I've had in a very long time! Well done Peter and Jack!!!

The Zoo Take Two

2009-05-11T20:38:00.001-07:00

With the beautiful Spring weather we Hovs decided to take a trek to the Oakland Zoo. Of course, just like the first time we went, we chose a day that was a little too warm. No matter, we enjoyed the weather and tried our best to stay cool. We enjoyed strolling around looking at the animals and had a lovely picnic in the shade.

Petting goats makes for fun times!

All a little on the hot side, but doing our best to keep cool and enjoy the day. Hot or cold, little Jack is still a ham! :) We had such a nice time that we decided to make Jack a member of the Zoo (for his birthday) so we can come back and enjoy the animals whenever he likes!

A's Game Part Deux

2009-05-11T20:13:00.000-07:00

Our friends the Drains invited us to our first A's game of the season (and Jack's 2nd game of his life). This go round was SO much less work compared to last year. We actually got to watch the game this time! We had a really great time catching up with our friends and Jack was very happy to see his beloved Catherine! ;) Oh, and our A's won the game too! It was an awesome day.

He turned on the charm by 'finding' his nose for most of the day. Wee Catherine didn't seem very impressed by this new trick though.

Cutie Catherine!

Miss Sarah wrangling babies (with the nice but quasi-obnoxious folks in the background).

Daddy being silly with his boy!

Almost One, But Not Quite

2009-04-29T09:12:00.001-07:00

We really can not believe that our baby has become such a little boy lately! He is so big and become so much fun! I've become so nostalgic lately that I find myself looking at his baby pictures and wondering where our baby went. So excuse me while I wax on about it, but I can't help but reflect a bit.

I really remember this time last year. I was as big as a house and his nursery was PERFECT and full of every type of baby accessory that we may ever need. It was organized and waiting for him and I would rock in the glider as I anxiously daydreamed about what he might look like. I can't believe how crazy and absolutely amazing this year has been. His nursery is not nearly as organized as it was then and there are often blocks and toys strewn about with a full laundry basket of his big boy clothes waiting for mommy to fold. Such is life, I suppose! :) We are so proud of surviving this year and love watching our Jack grow.

Jack is 11 months old now (and really, since I'm behind in posting he's just a hair under 1 year old). He's so full of energy and loving cruising and crawling. He stands on his own and takes every opportunity to practice. He's doing well and can hold it for up to a few minutes. Jack loves walking around while holding onto someone and lately has become so daring as to hold on with just one hand. Mobility is certainly his goal and he has taken a few steps but only one at a time and usually followed by a fall! :)

He has become very vocal and loves babbling like a mini orator (arms out stretched and chin up high as he pontificates the finer points of life). We've had a lot of fun going to playgroups at the library where Jack has made friends with a few other boys and enjoys smiling and 'chatting' with the teacher. He waves (although not on command by any means), reaches up to be picked up, and says "na na" for food or milk. He babbles non stop and I'm sure that there are some real words coming, although the kindergarten teacher in me hasn't really counted any of them as a first word. I'm waiting for the real, "da da" or "ma ma" or "dog" or something for one thing consistently. But I can tell that he's learning what language is all about and taking it all in whether he's talking or not.

It's been a great month at the Hov Home and I'm sure a few more nostalgic posts are on their way. Who is this big boy and where did my baby go???

Daddy dressed Jack for this round of pics. He decided that he had to show off his baby AC DC shirt for those about to rock. (Thanks Boo!)

Thank goodness this year of monthly pictures is almost over! This has become SOOO hard to get him to sit semi-still, not eat the paper, look somewhere near mommy, AND smile. Ugh! :)

A little WWF action with Brian Bear. (Oh yes, it's Brian, as in Urlacher. What, he is Pete's son after all!)

Jack's facial expressions have really blossomed and he is always coming up with new (and usually funny) faces for us!

Just chillaxin in the tub. :)

Oh, and check out those teeth! Poor thing is cutting two more on either side of his top two. That will bring us to 6 teeth! Good thing we are just about done with nursing...it's been great, but I'm SO done!

Doesn't he look huge in the chair??? Oh, and yes we're working on the spoon thing, but mostly he just likes to bite on it and then drop it on the floor.

A Jack wave (which he has only recently started to move like a wave) is really more of a salute. :)

Here's a video of what our days are like around the Hov Home. :)

Jack's 1st Easter

2009-04-16T09:24:00.000-07:00

Our Easter weekend was pretty low-key and relaxing for us. Saturday we joined our neighbors, the Monroes, at an Easter carnival. It was fun and Jack seemed to enjoy hunting for eggs much more than meeting the Easter bunny. There were some fun carnival games and a petting zoo.(although we did not pet, we just took a look...the goat in there seemed a little shifty if you ask me!) The weather was beautiful and we really enjoyed ourselves!

Our friends and neighbors, the Monroes!

"Hunting" for eggs (although he just wanted to eat the styrofoam and tanbark)!

Poor guy was NOT interested in meeting the Easter bunny. :(

Have to admit...it was a pretty scary bunny! :(

Jack seemed pretty interested in grabbing the chickens, so we sort of stuck closer to the bunnies.

Sunday we had brunch with the some family and had a nice time catching up with everyone. We returned home to find that the Easter bunny had been to our house and left a basket/bucket full of baby friendly goodies and new sandbox toys. Jack seemed to have fun taking all of the contents out (over and over again) and was thoroughly interested with the plastic grass.

Jack's 1st Easter Basket!

The plastic grass got mixed reviews, but the tissue paper was certainly a hit!

Silly times with daddy!

St. Patrick's Day Rewind

2009-04-16T09:01:00.000-07:00

Just to finish the catch-up, I wanted to share some of our fun times from St. Patrick's day. Jack and I had a playdate/lunch with Mary and Asher Steeley. Mary and I enjoyed the excuse to dress the boys in their green, have a pint, and strolling around downtown Walnut Creek. As if that wasn't enough of a celebration, Jack and I met Pete for dinner before his baseball draft. It was a really fun (and long) day!

After a long day of celebration the little guy was tuckered!

10 Month Old Hunk

2009-04-05T08:58:00.000-07:00

Yes, our little guy turned 10 months old in March and we were so busy having fun that I forgot to post the pictures! We Hovs have been busy this month. We've enjoyed the warm up in the weather that we've had after all that rain. So I think spring fever has motivated us to spend more time outdoors. We've enjoyed a few hikes, picnic dinners, and some get-togethers with friends.

Mobility has made Jack a happy boy and he enjoys taking every opportunity to get into something new. He's gotten really good at crawling and cruising and has been spending time standing on his own for a couple of seconds and falling straight down (over and over again). We started a new playgroup with a couple of other boys who were walking and I think it's given him a new sense of determination to get upright! He's also a babbling machine and we are constantly entertained by his inflection and cornucopia of new sound combinations. :)

Jack has become quite adept at navigating his way around the pack-n-play.

Some of his ninja moves! ;)

Snuggles with mom in the carrier after a walk.

We had a fun time celebrating with the Hatzimichael family at Zoe's 2nd birthday party

We also had some fun times at JD and Lauren's engagement party! It was fun to see some friends and watch the babies play on the floor.

Double trouble red heads!

What a busy month!? And that doesn't even include our St. Patrick's day fun!

Swingin'

2009-04-04T20:46:00.000-07:00

We took wee Jack for his first ride on the swings at the beginning of March. The weather was finally nice enough to venture out to the local park and take the swings for a test ride.

He wasn't so sure about it at first, but quickly warmed up to the idea!

Redding Visit

2009-04-04T18:36:00.001-07:00

Well, I've already mixed up the order for the posts...but it was pretty close. We took a short trip to Redding to visit with Grandma and Grandpa Jones and Auntie Leah and Matt (this happened before we took the prof pics--oh well). :) Jack had a great time showing off his new tricks and babbling to everyone. (Oh, and yes, that is a Kiss onesie he's wearing!)

Here's Grandma and Jack getting into mischief! :)

We had a great visit and had a fun time when Grandpa took us all out to dinner at Cool Hand Luke's. Jack was our dinner show as he entertained us all by playing with every straw he could get his hands on!

Professional Pics

2009-04-04T18:29:00.000-07:00

Well, our intention was to do prof pics at 3, 6, 9, & 12 months but this latest session finally happened the day before he turned 10 months! So I guess that he was technically 9 months for it! What finally motivated us was his top two teeth cutting so we figured we had to make it fast. Again it was another quick evening shoot but we were pretty happy with them.

Oops!

2009-04-04T18:27:00.000-07:00

Well, the month has flown by and it seems I've got a little catching up to do! Look out, here come a ton-o-posts!

We Have a Cruiser!!!

2009-03-01T21:10:00.000-08:00

This evening Jack decided to take this standing thing to the next level! He starting cruising tonight! It just may give us a heart attack, but the wee Jack is on the move! We're still not used to the falls that mobility brings (although it seems to bother us more than it bothers him), but it's fun to watch him figure it out. I suppose that I need to get serious about this whole baby proofing thing!

Rub-a-dub-dub, Three Babes and a Stud!

2009-02-19T10:34:00.000-08:00

I have to back up a bit and post some of the cutest pictures of Jack and the ladies! We went over to the Moe's house for some Superbowl fun and we ladies gave the kids a bathtub party instead of watching the end of the game. I'm sure the kids won't appreciate these pictures when they're about 15, but we thought it was pretty fun! Future embarrassment aside, I think Jack enjoyed playing with his little valentines. We are so lucky to have such great friends!

Got to have mohawks!

Earlier in the afternoon:

Catherine Drain, the next American Idol.

Jack loves playing with Miss Sarah!

Daddy's hoping for a little drummer!

Jack playing with daddy (I have to second Katie---babies in baseball caps are too cute)!

A little monkey love!

Big Ol' 9 Month Old!

2009-02-19T09:51:00.000-08:00

I keep stealing nostalgic glances at Jack, and more and more I'm seeing a little boy instead of my newborn. It's just amazing how fast he's growing! We're so excited about all of his achievements, so you must excuse me while I gush (proud mama warning---you may just want to skip to the pictures)! Recently Jack has become really good at going from his tummy to sitting and has started crawling on his hands and knees. His newest achievement is that he can pull himself up now. We noticed that he was starting to try and pull up on a couple of his toys, but were still totally shocked when we walked in to get him in the morning and were greeted with a standing and grinning baby. :) That has made bedtime and napping a little trickier since now he makes the call about when he will lay down to go to sleep, no matter what time we put him in his crib. Plus now he seems to want to climb all over anything or anyone! Also, he hasn't quite figured out how to get down from standing yet. I'm sure that will come with time and practice, but in true mom fashion, it still worries me. He has become quite the little gourmet and so far, he loves most everything we have given him (with the exception of avacado---that he can't stand!). I have to admit that it's strange to feed him 'real' food off of my plate. Finally, he's started to clap on his own. Pete's convinced that he's applauding his fantastically timed jokes and songs. ;)

We had Jack's 9 month appointment yesterday and on top of all of the new things he can do, we found that he had a growth spurt weighing in at 20.5 lbs (50th percentile) and hitting 29.5 inches tall (90th percentile--where did that come from?!). Jack is as happy as ever and seems to charm people where ever we go!

Deep in thought.

Crackin' up! :)

That first morning we walked in and saw him standing in the crib (the camera was on the shelf so I grabbed this shot, although the grin had definitely faded).

Getting his picture while he's crawling is tricky at best.

Silly moose!

8 months down, a lifetime to go!

2009-01-13T13:57:00.000-08:00

I really can't believe that there's only 4 more months until our little monkey turns one! Jack is so much fun (when he's not upset from teething) and we're constantly amazed at what he can do. Jack is weighing in at just under 19 lbs now. He sits up (then looks around and falls down), eats finger foods, creeps and rolls all over the place, gets up on his knees and rocks (we'll see when he can figure out how to coordinate his arms and legs and not fall straight into the floor like he does now), babbles constantly, plays peek-a-boo, loves banging his cars on his highchair tray, waves his arms when we clap, and puts anything he can get his hands on in his mouth. His personality is really starting to shine and we think he's going to be a pretty fun guy!

Here's my attempt at a picture of his teeth (sorry it's so blurry, but you can see the two little white teeth on the bottom).

Quite the little comb-over our Jack has these days!

New Years y Nachos!

2009-01-02T09:57:00.001-08:00

For New Years we decided to have a little party with some good friends to ring in 2009. The Hoversens were in Southern California, so they graciously offered their home for the evening. We kept it low key and had a delicious nacho bar! I enjoyed 'bartending' again by making pomegranate margaritas. We had a great time with the kiddos before bed time and fun times playing games and chatting until new years! We've had a pretty fantastic year and can't wait to see what 2009 has in store for our family.

Jack with Mr. Bekker and Mama Yerg.

Jack and Catherine partying up their first New Years!

The Moe ladies were great at using the noise makers and were all set to party!

The Yergovich family.

Mr. Malone was the lord of the new year. :)

Games until midnight and beyond!

Our Days Have Been Merry and Bright!

2008-12-31T10:45:00.000-08:00

Jack's first Christmas was lots of fun this year! We went up to Redding for Christmas this year. Jack also had a monster of a cold (his second cold of the season) so it was off to a rocky start. It was really fun to watch Jack go after the bows and try to open the presents. Of course he needed a little help from us, but he did seem to enjoy ripping the paper and immediately sticking it in his mouth.

Grandma brought out a drum and Jack had a grand old time banging away on it (which pleased Pete to no end, since he too used to play the drums)!

Grandma telling Jack secrets! ;)

Fa la la la la!

My Mom, me, and my sister, Leah.

Jack and his Auntie Leah.

Jack was the best present under the tree! ;)

Christmas was fun, but Jack had his fill of presents, bows, and excitement.

7 Month Old Catch Up

2008-12-22T21:56:00.000-08:00

The holiday season has been a busy one for the Hovs! It's gotten the best of me so here is Jack's 7 month post a few weeks late. This age has been a lot of fun so far. We are seeing more and more of Jack's personality! He's such a fun and happy guy! :) He's creeping more and more, pulling up (with help), and sitting on his own with much more confidence (although he still makes mama nervous). He has two little teeth in the front and loves to chew on anything he can get his hands on (luckily he hasn't taken to biting mommy just yet). Jack's new favorite game is peek-a-boo and he really loves playing it on the side of his crib or by pulling a blanket over our heads.

These pictures have gotten increasingly difficult to take since Jack has decided he needs to destroy and eat the paper!

Jack's been trying more varieties of solid foods and seems to love most of them. One thing we know for sure is that avocado is not for him!

Bath time has become fun time for Jack! He loves it and has started to splash and play with toys.

Right after Thanksgiving Jack got to visit with his friends Catherine Drain, Taylor and Hayden Moe, and James Dixon. It was cute to see how big the kids are getting, and we tried to get a picture of all of them (although as you can imagine the kids didn't quite pose for or even look at the camera)!

Finally, another boy to play with!

Cute ladies!

Catherine getting to know James up close and personal!

Class of '08!

November '08

August '08

Stay tuned for Christmas pics...there's a lot, but I'll try to weed through them before 'o8 is through! :)

Finally...Thanksgiving Pictures!

2008-12-22T21:20:00.000-08:00

Seeing that Christmas is a few days away, I figured that I had better catch up on the blog. For Thanksgiving Pete's Cousin Dan, his wife Cristie, and their daughter Lexi came from New Jersey to meet Jack. We had a lot of fun chatting and playing with sweet little Lexi. Jack's first Thanksgiving dinner was plain sweet potato with all the relatives at Grandma and Grandpa Hoversen's house.

Jack's trying to make a deal with Uncle Dan!

Aunt Cristie and little lady Lexi (she's literally cheesin' for the camera)!

Our little family's first Thanksgiving!

A pair of Jacks!

Aunt Maureen's hair is fun!

Playing at the park with The Powers!

Smiling at Aunt Ellen.

6 Month Professional Pics

2008-12-09T14:18:00.000-08:00

Well, the moment Jack's first tooth started poking through, I rushed him off to get his 6 month pics (a couple of weeks late) to catch the last toothless smiles! Here's what we got---not half bad for a Monday night impromptu photo session. :)

Okay, it's cheesy, but I had to have the 'Jack-in-the-box' picture!

He just may have two front teeth for Christmas!

2008-12-01T13:02:00.000-08:00

Well...maybe not two teeth, but definitely one! Just this morning Jack and I were playing on the floor in the living room and I was trying to check his gums (which is always a struggle since he just licks my finger). With the natural light I was able to see a little white and sure enough, I could feel his first little tooth popping through his gums! :) :) :) I can't get a good picture of it, but was too excited to wait to share the news! No more toothless smiles for little Jack Jack!

Happy Half Birthday Jack!

2008-11-30T20:23:00.000-08:00

So much to blog about, so little time! The time is flying by and yes, our Jack turned 6 months old! I just can't believe how big he is. He's become such a happy and fun baby! He got an extra shot (flu shot) at this month's checkup which wasn't a very nice birthday present. He is a strong 18 lb (which is still the 50th percentile for boys his age) and 27 inches tall (75 percentile). He's getting so strong and started sitting on his own right before his 6 month birthday! He is still pretty wobbly (here a couple weeks after) but it seems to be because he wants to stand up or kick his legs (so his head flies back). He loves sweet potatoes and peaches (those seem to be his favorites) but seems to be a pretty good eater overall. (Wonder where he gets that from???) Lately I've seen a change in his lower gums and I think we may be teething, but who knows how long it will be until we see teeth!

Jack has become more and more interested in the world around him and we love watching him discover it all. The newest newsflash is that we have a creeper! I first noticed that he was moving all over the place in his crib, but I just figured it was because he was rolling around when I wasn't watching. Then the other day Pete was playing with Jack on the bed and caught him in the act---tucking his head and pushing with his legs to get, of all things, the remote control! :) We're just hoping that he holds off on crawling until after the holidays!

Oh and professional 6 month pics are to follow (although they may be closer to 7 months with all of the holiday stuff going on)!

I have to say that with this new strength and movement picture time has become much more difficult! The days of the picture in the glider may be numbered!

This is a blurry but true-to-life picture of one of the first times Jack sat on his own! Such a great smile for his big accomplishment!

Halloween with the Hoversens

2008-11-24T21:44:00.000-08:00

I suppose I had better get this post up before Thanksgiving! Overall, Jack's first Halloween was simple but fun! As you can see we had a little monster on our hands. :) We went trick-or-treating with our neighbors, the Monroe Family, around our little neighborhood. Then we went back to put the little monster down to sleep and share some wine and good times with good people. Couldn't really ask for more!

Mia was pretty interested in our little monster.

Why else would a stroller have 4 cup holders???

Luke (superman), Hollie (supermom), Mia (little bear--but I swear she looked like an ewok), me (monster wrangler extraordinaire), and Monster Jack (ridiculously cute little monster).

Trying to figure out this whole pumpkin thing.

Sort of looks like he's trying to latch. ;)

Our family did make a quick trip to the pumpkin patch, but it ended up being short due to an urgent need for a nap. So far the pumpkin patch wasn't a big hit for us. I suppose next year we'll need to plan a little better!

Sunday Stroll at Yet Another Fair

2008-10-27T08:48:00.000-07:00

So after our late night we were somehow able to get up and going to meet Mr. Malone and the Moe Family at the Danville Arts and Crafts Fair. Those little Moe ladies were adorable as usual and Jack slept through most of the day. It was a fun and relaxing Sunday with great friends!

Our First Outing Sans Baby!

2008-10-27T08:36:00.000-07:00

Yes folks, Pete and I have finally been out together without the wee Jack! Yes, I work on Fridays while Pete is also at work, so I suppose that could be considered being 'out'. Or that time we went to the dentist was technically out without him, but in my book root canals and work should not be considered going 'out'! So Grandma and Grandpa Hoversen came over while Jack slept and we went to a Halloween party with Andrew and Christy Reams. We had a great time (despite having to dress up) and were still in bed before midnight!

Soakin' up the Sun

2008-10-26T19:30:00.000-07:00

This October has been pretty warm in the Bay Area, so we've taken full advantage of the nice weather while it's here! We checked out the OktoberFest in Concord with the Reams family. We had a pretty fun time enjoying the polka music and the mini-beers (obviously we would have preferred 'adult sized' beverages).

Aiden is getting so big (and flexible)!

We've gotten pretty adventurous with our evening walks and made our way to the Lafayette Reservoir (this was the first trip for all of us...which seems odd since it's so close). It was a beautiful evening and a nice time for our family.

Holy Cow...5 Months Old!

2008-10-13T12:15:00.000-07:00

Holy Cow! Our little monkey is 5 months old (yesterday)! He's weighing in at 16lbs 10oz and getting bigger everyday. Jack loves dancing with mom and dad at night (he laughs big belly laughs and waves his arms) and hangin' out with mom during the day. He's rolled over from his back to his belly (but not the other way around yet, which is scary when he decides to roll over in his crib) and always grabs at whatever mom is drinking or eating. It's amazing how much he's grown and how much he seems to be learning now.

One of Jack's favorite new toys is his jumperoo. He mostly likes the toys on it and hasn't really got going/jumping yet, but I'm sure that's around the corner.

He's had a fun month playing with his friend Aiden (10 mos) and the wee Catherine (4 mos).

These were just a few impromptu pictures from one of our evening walks. I can't help but bring out the camera when he gets in such a good mood! What a happy boy!

Good Times In Redding

2008-10-12T09:13:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we decided to head out to Redding to see my folks for a bit and take in the sights around the area. First stop was Turtle Bay (a discovery museum of sorts) and the Sundial Bridge. Surprisingly enough, there were no turtles at Turtle Bay! :( We checked out the museum, walked across the bridge, and wandered around the botanical gardens. It turned out to be a kind of rainy day so we didn't spend a huge amount of time there, but overall we had a fun time! Here are a few highlights of the day:

Daddy being silly in the museum.

The Sundial Bridge is made with glass bricks to walk on (= VERY slippery when wet) and apparently is a real sundial (although I think Pete read that it's only right once a year...but don't quote me on that).

In the botanical gardens we found what we would like to be our next Christmas tree...the Monkey Puzzle Tree! I'm not sure that's a variety that is offered at our local tree lot. ;)

Then it was back to the Jones home for a nap and then off to dinner with Grandma and Grandpa. We were able to meet up with Aunt Leah for a little bit of time with her favorite nephew!

The next day we were off to ye old Renaissance Faire! This was Jack and mommy's first Renaissance Faire, although we opted not to dress the part. :) The weather cleared up and we decided what better idea than to munch on a few turkey legs, drink some grog, and do some people watching. Jack seemed to LOVE it! He did lots of talking/shouting and practiced his ninja kicks while in the Bjorn. Of course, we got lots of compliments on his red hair!

Some of our favorite sights that day were the 'roaming gnomes' that seemed to follow us everywhere (yes, that woman has a metal bra on)! Then there were the scantily clad Viking-esque folks who seemed to be in the wrong time, but wanted to get in on dressing up anyway! Ah, it was a grand time at ye-old-faire indeed...

Overall we had a really fun visit. Jack loved playing peek-a-boo with his Grandma Max and enjoyed stealing glances at Grandpa's big TV! Fun times in Redding!

Lazy Sunday

2008-09-29T08:33:00.000-07:00

With all of this runnin' around that our family has been doing we were a little out of sorts when we found ourselves with nothing to do yesterday. So we decided to jump in the car and head to the farmer's market at Jack London Square in Oakland. Jack was all smiles and we had a nice time strolling around and taking in the sights. Then, of course, it was time to get home for the Bears game and some BBQ ribs! Overall, I have to say it was pretty nice Sunday! :)

YUM!

2008-09-29T08:04:00.000-07:00

So our little guy has decided that he'd like a little something more than breastmilk everyday! Mom said no ice cream, so he chose the next best thing--brown rice cereal! Jack's initial reactions were priceless but he's really good at eating. In pretty short order he was opening up for the spoon and making less of a mess (but man those first few tastes were all over his face)! We figure these feedings are still 'extras', but for now it's fun teaching him how to eat.

Trekkin' Around

2008-09-28T18:18:00.000-07:00

Well, where to start! It's been a pretty full month and as usual I haven't been able to blog enough to keep up! I believe I need to rewind to the beginning of September when our little family got to celebrate with those lovely Moe ladies on their 1st birthday. We had a fun time playing with Taylor, Hayden, and Miss Catherine Drain.

Sarah and I literally had our hands full with those cute babies! While the boys found some time to discuss politics (yes, politics at a 1st birthday party) and have a few beers. We ended up staying all day and had a great time.

Since summer was coming to a close, we decided we needed to catch one more music in the park with Uncle Steve. It was short (since Jack's bedtime is earlier now) but fun!

Yet another open weekend and Pete and I were looking for something fun to do that was baby friendly. We quickly found the local Greek festival. We had a great time sampling Greek food and beverages, watching the dancers, listening to music, and even checkin' out the food roasting on a spit! We had a really nice time while broadening the wee Jack's cultural horizons! Opa!

Our little guy has become super social and gives us big laughs and smiles often. He seems to be so interested in everything around him that we can't help trekking out to find more stuff for him to see! During our down time Jack has gotten really strong and has started using his arms to hold his head and shoulders up. Here's a pretty classic picture that I got just as the drool dropped! (Did I mention that he's a big drooler lately?)

We also found time to have a little fun in Lafayette at our favorite art and wine festival. We packed up the stroller and met up with Mr. Matt Malone (Not pictured unfortunately...Mr. Malone is a wily one and always seems to escape my attempts to photograph him in his natural habitat!) and our friend Todd. We had a blast strolling around and sampling beverages while listening to music and checking out the booths. It was a great day finished with classical pops in the park while we had dinner at EJ Phair (the local pub).

What a month! I know I've missed some things, but I think this post is big enough for now! :)

4 months

2008-09-22T07:08:00.000-07:00

Our little monkey turned 4 months old this month! Jack is now 26 inches long/tall weighing 15 1/2 lbs. He's babbling and screeching (just for fun) a lot lately. He is MUCH more alert and seems to be taking everything in where ever we go. He's also found his feet, so much of his time is spent bent in half like a contortionist while he plays. He's able to grasp toys and responds to mommy's voice. How time flies! Mom is lagging a little with the pictures, but here are a few of the highlights.

As you can probably tell, Jack's pretty sleepy in these pictures (these were right before nap time)!

Our cat Dave wanted in on some of the attention so he jumped into Jack's spotlight! :)

Jack just chillin'.

Just Hangin' Out...

2008-09-04T06:55:00.000-07:00

Over Labor Day weekend we Hoversen's hopped in the car and headed up to Redding! We got to celebrate Grandpa Jones' 68th birthday by spending time with them and lucky for Jack, there was a Bears game on. :)

Here's the wee one tuckered out on the drive home (I'm told that's exactly how Pete used to suck on his fingers) .

Jack's getting so big so quickly and with solid foods right around the corner, we decided to get a jump on setting up the highchair. Here's Jack giving it a test drive (Mom thought that the ears sticking out were too cute to fix--he just looks like such a little boy)!

Times are good around our house. I love staying at home most of the week with Jack and have started working every Friday job-share teaching kindergarten in San Ramon. So far it's been great and Jack has liked playing with his Grandma and Grandpa Hoversen during that time.

The following is just a shameless display of the never-ending-cuteness that is Jack Hoversen! He's started really laughing and it keeps us pretty amused! :)

Professional Documentation

2008-08-31T19:23:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was our first experience with a 'professional' photographer and our first family portrait. After jumping around trying to entertain Jack to get a great smile they threw us in the picture and caught a family shot. Pete says that they would make a killing if they could somehow offer cocktails too! We were pretty pleased with the result but are glad we're not doing this every month!

3 Month Old Jack

2008-08-14T10:46:00.001-07:00

Our wee Hovertot is growing by leaps and bounds! He's 3 months old now and weighing in at 14lbs! He's been doing lots of babbling/talking and has been practicing holding his head up for longer amounts of time. He's also starting to try to bat at objects and loves holding onto mommy during feedings. I think it may be time for his first professional pictures (because if there's anything we need, it's more pictures), so be on the lookout for those!

Even though he loves playing with all his lady friends, he spent some time with the boys this past month. First he had fun with his friend Aiden who is 6 months his senior! Jess and Christy had a good walk while the little boys snoozed.

Then it was time to play with Miss Catherine and the brand new wee James Dixon. Despite his cries toward the end, Jack had a great time with the other members of the Class of 2008! It was fun to see the Dixons and get to hold such a tiny baby again.

HE DID IT!!!

2008-08-13T12:36:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy month so far, but this announcement deserves an article of it's own. Yes folks, Mr. Jack Hoversen slept through the night! After months of late night/early morning feedings with seemingly no end in sight, Jack gave his parents the best gift ever! The first night was on August 9th from 9-3:15 (sleeping through the night in the technical sense, but in no way the type of schedule we'd like to keep). The second was on the 11th when he went from 8pm to 7am!!! His parents couldn't be prouder and are LOVING catching some z's like the rest of the population!

Baby On Tour

2008-08-01T19:27:00.000-07:00

Wow, how the time flies! The last few weeks have been pretty eventful for our little family, so I figure it's time to do a little catching up!

First, We got to celebrate with Miss Catherine Drain at her baptism. We had a great time celebrating with her once she woke up! :) It was fun to visit with the Drains, the Moes, Mr. Malone, and the rest of Catherine's family!

One Thursday evening we decided to try and take Jack out to a concert at Todos Santos Plaza. We had a nutritious dinner of kettle corn (when packing up a baby, who can remember to pack a picnic) and enjoyed the great weather and fun music. We also got to meet up with Aaron and Micaela that night for a little bit and introduce them to our little guy.

Then it was on to Pete's company picnic. It was a hot afternoon, but we made the best of it in the shade with a few chilled beverages. Jack got to meet lots of his dad's coworkers and did a lot talking about the future of third party money management! ;)

After that we Hoversens decided to brave a trip to the Oakland Zoo! (Which at Jack's age, was really for mom and dad!) We packed him up and had a great time wandering around looking at the animals and relaxing in the shade. Can't wait to take him when he can actually realize what he's looking at!

Gotta admit...those elephants can be mighty smelly!

The tigers were sleeping, but we got a few snuggles in the shade!

A's representing at the Lion's den!

And finally we got a quick visit from Phil from New York over at Casa de Moe. As an added bonus we got to play with those super cute Moe girls!

After all of that, we ended July with a cold! (Jack's first one, poor thing!) All three of us came down with a pretty nasty bug and spent some time on the couch trying to recuperate. Luckily, we've pretty much kicked it and now we're ready for some more summer fun!

2 months old!

2008-07-22T08:20:00.001-07:00

Little Jack hit 2 months on July 12! (You must excuse my tardiness with this one!) He's growing so fast, it's hard to know where the time is going. At his 2 month appointment the little guy was 12lbs 8oz! The vaccinations at that appointment were no fun, but Jack did great (mom, on the other hand, shed a few tears).

At 2 months, Jack likes the A's (and he likes to rock).

Jack likes his swing and the mirror above it.

And he loves to smile while looking at his mobile of friends!

Baby's First Fourth

2008-07-07T08:56:00.001-07:00

What a success! Our little family had a fantastic Fourth of July! We started off going to Todos Santos Plaza to listen to a little jazz (a la The Classy Cats---and we're almost positive that their piano player was the same one we had play at our reception). Scott, Sarah, and Jack's friend Catherine Drain joined us on the grass and the afternoon couldn't have gone better. The kids were cute, the music was good, and the weather was gorgeous! Then it was back to the Drain's house for some delicious BBQ and general merriment and overall good times.

We're convinced that Jack and Catherine have 'synchronized their watches' and developed some sort of 'wonder twin powers' so that they both eat, cry, and need to be changed at the same time! Even their moms may be in on the plan, since both babies donned their "Little Firecracker" shirts!

Sarah and I have our hands full!!! :)

What A Year!

2008-07-01T10:46:00.000-07:00

Woo hoo! Pete and I celebrated our first year of marriage yesterday! Although, I must admit that I use the word "celebrate" loosely. How did we ring in our first year? Well, our evening consisted of jammies, sushi take out, and our couch. :) We tucked Jack in his swing and we got a good hour uninterrupted to have some dinner, exchange some small gifts, and reminisce over the whirlwind of a year that it's been. Of course then it was back to baby duty, but I suppose we knew that's what kind of an anniversary it would be when we decided to start having children right away! It was really amazing to think of how much change has come in just one year, not only for us but for many of our friends and family. Who knows where this next year will take us!

1st Baseball Game

2008-06-30T09:56:00.001-07:00

Sunday (6/29/08) was Pete's official Father's Day present when we Hoversen's ventured away from our cave/home to take little Jack to his very first baseball game! We were joined by the Moes and the Yergovich families which made it extra fun! As you might expect taking an almost-7-week-old-baby wasn't the most relaxing way to enjoy a game, but somehow we made it and actually had fun doing it! The weather was beautiful and Jack exceeded our expectations by making it all the way to the bottom of the 6th inning!

Special thanks to the Drains and the Yergs for outfitting our son in his first official A's gear.

SMILES!

2008-06-28T12:38:00.000-07:00

That's right, little Jack Hoversen decided to start smiling at around 6 weeks. We were apprehensive to call them real smiles since he's been giving (what we're told are gas) smiles here and there for a little bit. But it's official, Jack is smiling at his parents, and we're sure that mocking and teasing isn't far behind!

Oldie But A Goodie

2008-06-27T06:24:00.000-07:00

Baby Jack enjoying his mobile at about 3 weeks old! (Excuse the tardiness of this, Mama just got the hang of loading video!)

1 Month, Already???

2008-06-15T14:56:00.000-07:00

My how time flies! The wee man is already 1 month old. Something tells me that this month has been harder on mom and dad than on him! So far Jack is doing great and gaining weight. He's now weighing in at a hefty 9lbs 14oz! He's following us with his eyes and my guess is that his social smiles aren't far off. Now if only he could get the whole sleeping through the night thing down!

Jack Has Arrived!

2008-05-29T15:38:00.001-07:00

Yes, he's finally here! Mother's Day brought labor pains for Jessica and after laboring all day at home, we were admitted at 6:30 pm. After laboring all night, little Jack Bennett Hoversen made his appearance at 9:15 am Monday May 12, 2008! We were overjoyed and exhausted! So far mom and baby are doing great. Here are a few of the zillions of pictures taken of the little guy. We really should invest in memory cards, something tells me we're gonna need them!

4 Days And Counting...

2008-05-08T08:48:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are at 39 weeks! I'm getting ever bigger and increasingly more and more uncomfortable. We are both so ready for this little guy to come out and meet us! Doesn't he know how much fun we're gonna have!? Here's a shot of me in my newest digs--a t-shirt from Tyler and Anna that says it all! We can't wait to meet our little 'geekling'! :)

Ah, The Joys Of Pregnancy!

2008-04-06T13:13:00.000-07:00

Well here I am 35 weeks pregnant and I am just getting around to posting some pregnant pictures. The first is around 27 weeks out in front of our house.

This next one is about 31 weeks, but our little guy must have had quite a growth spurt in between! (I have to admit that I'm still in disbelief about how big my belly can really get!)

Our Little Guy!

2008-01-05T13:13:00.000-08:00

Last Labor Day we found out that we're expecting a new addition to our family! So far things are going very well with only a little nausea and a few headaches. We had our big ultrasound on Dec. 20th (right in time for Christmas) and learned that everything looks good with our little one and that it's a boy! We are very excited to meet our son on (or sometime around) May 11, 2008!

That's Amore!

2008-01-05T11:54:00.000-08:00

After our wonderful wedding it was off to Rome for two weeks of

Mediterranean fun! We started in Rome where we stayed for a few days. It was a bit of a bumpy start since our luggage didn't arrive when we did, but we kept our spirits up and the wine flowin' until we were able to locate them! We loved exploring Rome for a few days and then took the train north to Savona where we boarded a Costa cruise ship. We were one of the few American couples onboard and enjoyed sipping cappucinos each morning on our private balcony and scoffing at the odd Italian entertainment in the evenings. The cruise gave us the 'sampler platter' of the Mediterranean--we visited Naples (Pompeii), Palermo Sicily, Tunisia Africa, Palma De Mallorca, Barcelona, and Marseille. After that whirlwind of culture, history, and panoramic views it was back on the train to, where else but, Venice! We took our obligatory gondola ride and wandered the tiny streets and canals of Venice. Then back to Rome for a few more days! It was an unforgettable trip and we can't wait to go back!

An Amazing Day!

2008-01-05T11:33:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, we were married last year on June 30, 2007 in Diablo, CA. We had perfect weather for our ceremony and then danced the night away! It was such a fantastic day and we felt so grateful to have such amazing friends and family to celebrate with!