Happy Holidays!

This year we were blessed with particularly happy holiday season.






Elsa continued her tradition of attending the BART HR Holiday Party.  She enjoys sitting in her daddy's office.



 
Then on Thursday the 20th, Elsa joined her cousins Erika and Sonja for a day at the Oakland Zoo. It was a treat to watch the girls and their dads together.



Erika was particularly good with Elsa.





The next morning we headed to Stanford Hospital and at 8:28 we welcomed baby Liam to our family.



That afternoon my mom brought Elsa to visit her baby brother for the first time.  All Elsa wanted to do was hold her brother.



On Saturday, Arne's mom and brothers came by to welcome the baby boy to the family.



While we stayed at Stanford and hung out with baby Liam



and visited with our amazing doctor - Elizabeth Swenson,



Elsa joined her cousins in Berkeley for Christmas holiday fun.

 



They went to the Oakland Ballet's performance of the Nutcracker (which Elsa watched with rapt attention), the park, a holiday service, and enjoyed opening fun presents.



On Christmas Day it was time to go home.  



Our first Christmas together as a family of four!



Elsa was enamored with baby brother, even sharing her baby doll with him.







The day after Christmas, the Stokstads came to Palo Alto and the four cousins got to hang out together.



Elsa loves her baby brother.



We are all looking forward to an amazing 2013!

Liam Thomas Stokstad

We have a name - Liam Thomas Stokstad.

Introducing Baby Boy

At 8:28 this morning, we welcomed a Baby Boy Stokstad into our family.  His weight is 7 pounds and 15 ounces.  His length is 21.25 inches.  We are still working on a name.

When his sister Elsa first saw him, her first statement was that she wanted to hold the baby.  We think she is going to be a great big sister.

Baby Shower

On December 1st, I was blessed to have Julia, Laura, and Amanda put together a Holiday Baby Shower.







There was cookie decorating, which the boys loved.



Elsa really enjoyed eating the frosting!



Elsa also loved opening presents.




More Baby Shower Pictures from Bob Stokstad

With the Baby Shower, we started talking to Elsa more about Baby Boy.  She has her own ideas about where he is:

Halloween 2012

Elsa's Third Halloween was filled with a number of Halloween activities.  On the weekend, we went to the Menlo Park parade after Kinder Gym.  Elsa got to wear her Cal Cheerleader outfit to Kinder Gym and she got many complements on it.



After the parade, she got to trick or treat down Santa Cruz Ave.  She learned very early how to take candy from the people.



On Tuesday morning, Elsa had her first dentist appointment.  We were happy that her teeth are in good shape, nice and hard with no cavities. It helps that at pre-school she brushes her teeth after lunch every day.  That afternoon my office had a holiday party. Elsa loved going down the slide at the big bouncy house.



She also got to play with the other kids in the office.  She and Neve were very excited by the stars they got in the office gift bag.



At DCC, she enjoyed the pumpkin carving.



On Halloween morning, she dressed in her fairy outfit (the Cal Cheerleader one was in the wash).



I had fun seeing all the kids in costume.



Elsa then went on a parade to a local senior center, where her class sang songs and then got to trick or treat. 

On Halloween night, we put her in her doggy outfit and explored the neighborhood. Elsa kept asking for "one more" house.



Elsa loves all her loot!



It was a fun Halloween for all!

Sandy-Lego and Other October Fun

In early October, Elsa and I joined Arne in San Diego for a conference he was attending. We had a wonderful time. As the plane was taxiing down the runway after landing, the flight attendant welcomed everyone to San Diego. Elsa was thrilled and announce to everyone that we were in "Sandy Lego". 



Legoland was too expensive for a short Saturday afternoon visit so instead we went to the San Diego Botanical Gardens. It turned out to be a great place for kids. Elsa got to play with blocks, float toy boats down a stream, explore a tree house, and see a bunny.



Saturday night was warm and beautiful out and we went to Seaport village. The gardenias smelled wonderful. Elsa rode the Merry-go-round and we bought her a music box (Puff the Magic Dragon). The highlight was a short horse drawn carriage ride.





On Sunday, we went to the San Diego Zoo.  This was a great adventure with flamingos (fling-a-ming-gos), elephants (la-los) and even a polar bear (Elsa doesn't have a cute name for bears).


On Monday, Arne went to the National Association of Government Defined Contribution Administrators conference and Karna and Elsa went to the San Diego Children's Museum. Elsa got to climb old tires and play with blocks.

Every day there was time to go swimming in the hotel pool and now several weeks later Elsa calls all tall buildings hotels. She really liked the hotel room.

The rest of the month has been filled with other fun activities.  Arne went to Michigan to help his brother build a tree house for his nieces.  It turns out Arne is an expert at siding.





While Arne was in Michigan, Elsa and I went to a pumpkin patch.  She loves her pumpkins.





She also loves petting the bunnies and is very good at being gentle.



Elsa is growing to love her preschool (Downtown Children's Center or DCC) and this month they started doing Yoga.  It is quite fun to have her call out Namaste with her hands together in the carseat.  I am not as fond of the yoga on the stairs.





Elsa also went on her first big field trip with DCC to Happy Hollow.  For days she talked about riding the big yellow school bus.  She was so happy during the outing, running and playing and going on rides!





We went to a Stanford volleyball game and cheered on the home team.  Elsa is good at focusing on the game. She's wearing headphones because the band is too loud.



Then Arne and I went to the Big Game - sadly Cal lost, but the rebuilt stadium is nice and the team that won 30 years ago in the Play were honored at half-time. Elsa did not join us at the game, but she does have the right outfit for it - her Cal cheerleader dress.  



Now we are getting ready for Halloween, with lots of costumes and events.