Winter Travels & Family Visits

DECEMBER

Shortly after Christmas we went to visit Anita's Dad, Stepmom & Step-brothers. We are thrilled to have Mateo's Pap, Nana & Uncles close by, since they just moved to Paso Robles (3.5 hours south of San Francisco) in November. Sadly, this is the only photo we have from the trip- Mateo hanging out with the vacuum in the walk-in closet.

JANUARY

Right after New Year's, we headed to San Diego for a big celebration! Mateo's Great-Grandparents (Barbara & Chuck) celebrated their 50th Anniversary! The whole family made it and many of us stayed together at a condo on Imperial Beach. Here is a smattering of photos:

Mateo loves the beach, even in cold weather. Jesse had to keep him from going in the water beyond his toes.

Seeing all of his family, was fun, but one of the highlights was getting to meet his 2nd cousin, Lochlan, who is almost 2 years old. Although they had "met" twice while Mateo was in-utero, this was the first time on the "outside." Although there was some occasional conflict, the boys had a good time together. Here they are sharing toys.

They also shared time together listening to Anita's animated story-telling. It seems that Mateo is non-plussed by his mommy's reading style, while Lochlan is wondering what the antics are all about.

The boys got to go the World Famous San Diego Zoo! Here they are viewing some tigers. Apparently the rhinos were impressive. Mateo pointed to his nose when he saw them.

Here is Jesse, giving a shoulder ride to Lochlan so his mommy (Elizabeth, Anita's cousin) could have a break. She is, after all, carrying 6 months of baby in her belly!

Here is Mateo sharing a beach moment with his Auntie Sandra, before she headed back to frozen Wisconsin.Reading is one of the best ways to bond with Mateo, since it is one of the few things he'll sit still for. Here he is with his Gemma, sharing a favorite pasttime.Cousins! L-R Anita's Brother Alfonso, His wife Sandra, Anita, Mateo, Jesse, Anita's Cousin-in-law John, Lochlan, Anita's cousin Elizabeth, and Anita's cousin Rebekah. We will soon have a couple of more cousins to add: Rebekah is getting married in September and Elizabeth and John are expecting a little brother for Lochlan in March.