While still too young to appreciate the finer points of Easter – the egg hunting, the Geebus resurrecting, etc. – we still took the opportunity to celebrate Easter Sunday with Alex. The lucky duck got all kinds of goodies from the Easter Bunny like bubbles, a stuffed baby pig, and one of those stacking colored ring things that every kid who’s every lived has played with.

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After the morning festivities, we went up to visit and have dinner with the Casebolts. He played with Ryan and Rachel and we all watched the Red Sox game together. He got some great little stuffed Peeps that he summarily tried to eat, which I suppose is only fitting. All in all, a great holiday.

This year marked our first Christmas as a family. While it’s obvious that Alex is a little young to truly enjoy the holiday season, we did everything we could to include him in the festivities. We spent Christmas Eve at home with the Tarves clan. They brought over dinner and presents, and Grandy had a CD of old photos that we all watched on the big screen. They were the real entertainment of the night since all of us could take the opportunity to poke fun at each other.

Mom (and Alex) got the Phil & Ted’s stroller they really wanted and dad got a new iPod. Alex got a bunch of fun toys, and some great books that daddy can read to him when he’s a little bit older.

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The next morning, mom, dad, and Alex woke up and opened presents together. Actually, mom and dad opened presents and Alex fell back asleep. We did get a chance to read him on of his new stories and play with the Whoozit that Santa brought him before he took his early morning nap. We took a few short video clips from Christmas morning and put them on YouTube. I’ve inserted one below but you can see more videos here.

Mom and dad exchanged their Christmas gifts while Alex was napping. Dad got mom the UGG boots that she’s been talking about all year and mom tricked dad by wrapping his AppleTV in a series of smaller and smaller boxes (and then making him bring all the empty boxes back downstairs). We were even surprised to get a gift from Alex – a gift certificate to Ruth’s Chris Steak House to go have a nice dinner together without him.

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After Christmas festivities at home, we visited Grandma Christine, Grandpa John, Uncle Ryan, and Aunty Rachel. They got lots of cool toys – Ryan got a giant Lego set and a remote control helicopter, and Rachel got an ant farm and lots of Disney Princess-related things. They both also got some really cool sleds. We got Grandma and Grandpa the best gift anyone can receive…Arrested Development on DVD. Hands down, best TV show ever. Grandma Christine fell asleep from all the excitement, so we have to show that to everyone.

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When we left there, we went over to have Christmas dinner with the Moineaus. Pepe cooked prime rib and Grammy overloaded everyone with gifts. It was crazy. That’s where Alex opened his gifts from Grammy Jane (the Lamaze Spin and Explore Garden Gym) and Danielle (a little Red Sox fitted hat that was a smidgen too small). By the end of the day, Alex was more than exhausted and started to get a little fussy, but all in all, he was very awesome…as per usual.

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Alex told us to say thanks to everyone for all of his wonderful gifts and for making this a Christmas worth remembering…even though he won’t.

Today was Stephanie’s 26th birthday. Daddy and Alex took her out to breakfast at her favorite place…J&R Diner in Framingham. It was a little crazy getting Alex to sit there while we ate breakfast, but all turned out well. When we got home from breakfast, we gave her our gift – three big photos of Alex that we’re going to frame and hang on our wall.

Here they are if anyone’s interested.

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We took the high-res versions (here) to Ritz Camera and had them cropped and blown up to 12″x12″. Then we designed custom frames here.

That afternoon, we had a big party with family and friends (and watched the Patriots game as an added bonus). Here are some pictures from the day.

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Thanksgiving is always about spending time with your family, and Alex got to celebrate his with a special trip from his great-great grandmother. We had a full five generations of Tarveses in one house – ranging from 2 months to 82 years – plus a few Casebolts.

The day went off mostly without any hitches…no burnt buns, no turkey falling on the floor, not even a fistfight. Of course, that was (mostly) due to the fact that everyone helped out by bringing a few dishes, leaving us to only cook the turkey and potatoes. So, thanks again to all of our family who made this such a great day. Without further ado, pictures…

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As always, you can find all the pictures you see here and more (in high-resolution for printing, backgrounds, etc.) by checking out our Flickr Photo Gallery.

Yesterday was Alex’s first Halloween. We had a “Baby’s First Halloween” t-shirt from Great-Grammy and a cute-ass ghost hat from Grammy Jane that he wore during the day to visit with people. Knowing he was too little to justify going out to Trick or Treat in the traditional sense Alex decided to provide us his own version of Trick or Treating before the sun even went down.

Here’s the trick…

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