Merry 1st Christmas, Ben!

This year, we spent Christmas and New Years down in Palm Desert with the whole Bolger clan. Ben did surprisingly well on the 8 hour car ride down south and loved being with all the Bolgers. This was Ben's first Christmas and we can report back that Ben's favorite part of Christmas is unwrapping the gifts. Not necessarily the gifts themselves but the wrapping paper and bows... We know it won't be that way next Christmas for sure!

Our Little Eskimo

Yes, we know we're from California and this 'mummy' suit is a bit overkill but on our weekend walks, the wind from the ocean can get pretty cold. Our friends in Colorado, Chicago etc will laugh at us thinking 50 degrees is cold but we're soft here in Northern California.

Yes, Folks... He Still Sleeps Alot...

In 10 years, Ben will probably think its creepy that we took so many pictures of him sleeping but we think he's so cute and can't help it!

Ben's First Quesadilla

Don't worry... he didn't really eat it... he just gummed it a bit :)

Happy Hanukkah!

Ben celebrated his first Hanukkah this past weekend. Not sure he really 'got' what was going on but he loved the candles! And yes... that is Ben's Christmas stocking that Grandpa is holding up. It was a Hanukkah gift from Grandma. A little ironic but Ben is a equal opportunity holiday celebrator!

Sophie's 5th Birthday

Happy 5th Birthday, Sophie Lou! Its been 5 years since we rescued her and life has never been the same... in a good way, of course! Cheers to the best terrier in the world!

Happy 5 Month Birthday to Me!

Yes, its true, I am 5 months old! For my big day, Dad and Mom took me out to meet Santa & then to lunch. What a fun day. My 5 month update is this : 1. I like to hear myself squeel... its fun. 2. I can roll over. Problem is I am not an ambidextrious roller, I can only go to one side. Still working on my left. 3. I like sweet potatoes, I think. They go mostly all over my face rather than my belly but its fun to play with them!

Ben's 1st Holiday Party!

Ben was invited to his 1st holiday party last week! He passed on the candy canes and fruit cake and stuck to his favorite "2009 vintage" milk and he had fun playing with the other kids!

Gobble Gobble! Thanksgiving 2009

Thanksgiving 2009 was very busy yet fabulous and fun. Lots of family, lots of food and lots of giggles from the little man. Grandma & Grandpa Kriegel came from San Francisco and Jon, Kathy & the kids came from Sacramento. It was a full house for sure but that's what the holiday is about... family, friends and good times! The holiday weekend started out on Wednesday night with dinner out in Carmel with Grandma and Grandpa...

Then came Thanksgiving day... turkey, stuffing, pie and then more turkey. Ben loved his first turkey day with his grandparents, great grandparents, aunt, uncle and 3 cousins. Boy, this little man sure is loved!

The next day we celebrated Joel's birthday a few days early at the rock climbing wall. Jeff, Matthew and Joel had lots of fun climing for hours. The rest of us had fun watching and pointing. Ben had fun drinking his bottle from Grandma.

Saturday was the annual Peruzzi Olive Harvest Festival. Grandma Bolger was in town and did a mighty fine job of picking olives. The Peruzzi's made the most wonderful Tuscan feast, the sun was out and the 3 of us got to spend time with family on the Bolger side. It was a really great day!

Well... the Thanksgiving weekend is just about over... definitely a busy 4 days! Now we're off and running with decorating our house and tree for Christmas and Hanukkah and getting ready for a packed month of celebrating with family and friends. Lots of love to everyone, the Bolgers

Ben Eats Rice Cereal... Take 1...

Here's some live footage of Ben's first attempt at eating Rice Cereal, (and Dad's first time feeding him...)

Ben vs. Rice Cereal

Ben decided that he was getting a little tired of milk all the time... So we introduced him to rice cereal! After the first few rejections, I think he finally figured out that the pasty mess is supposed to stay IN his mouth, (at least a quarter of it...) And just like his father, he's already learning to take "Bolger bites"... Mmmm Good.

Ben Meets the Koontzes!

Jeff & I were supposed to have our first 'real' date since Ben's arrival this weekend... we were going to see Elton John & Billy Joel along with the Goines... but Elton has EColi... yep... EColi. Go figure. So no concert for us. Pretty Sad. But... the koontzes were in town this weekend so Ben got to meet his most favorite Koontzes over lunch in Carmel on Sunday. He napped through most of it but did have fun eyeing and drooling over his new girlfriend Shannon... Zach might have to keep a tight arm around Shannon if Ben has anything to say about it...
Here Ben is eagerly awaiting his first meeting with Zach & Shannon and fell asleep shortly after this pic was taken.

The Koontzes, Jeff & Ben gnawing on his hands... his latest discovery!

The 3 Men : Jeff, his good college buddy Zach and Benny just taking a stroll around Carmel talking about guy stuff... you know how that goes ;)

Happy Birthday to me!

Hey Ladies, its Ben here and I am four months old today. Its been a crazy weekend here in Monterey, we've done a whole lot of nothing. Mommy is taking care of Dad this weekend because he had tooth surgery on Friday. He's doing fine now so I had (another) photo shoot today to commemorate my big anniversary. Four months have flown by, pretty soon I hope to be able to eat real food and crawl. I've already mastered rolling over so watch out world, HERE I COME!

Lates,

B-Ride

Ben Loooves Costco!

Ben got super excited this morning when we told him we were all going to Costco. At nearly 4 months, he already knows Costco has the best frozen yogurt in town!

Happy Halloween

Happy 1st Halloween to Ben! We went to Pasadera this afternoon for the annual Halloween party... face painting, petting zoo (see pot belly pig pic below), trick or treating, bounce house, cookie decorating and a parade. Really, at nearly 4 months, the parade was the only part of the party that Ben could take part in. And in true Ben form, the little man decided it was nap time literally 5 minutes before the parade started. Oh well, there is always next year!

Ben Visits the Pumpkin Patch

Ben's search for the Great Pumpkin has officially begun! It was a windy, chilly day but we found his pumpkin and had a great afternoon.

Lunch Date

We had a fun lunch date with Ben the other weekend. We walked down the hill from our house to a local brew pub, Peter B's. As you can see from the progression of the pics, Ben loses interest very quickly. Prost!