Friday night we headed to central Vermont to have pizza and beer with our pals Brian and Debbie and their two adorable children, Eva and Chester.  For some reason, Holden decided to scream in the car for the whole hour drive down there.  But once we got there, he was enamored with Eva and fascinated by Chester and his newfound mobility.

He held hands with Eva:

And because Eva is a well-practiced big sister, she was great with Holden.  She “read” him stories and played with him, even making sure to give him age-appropriate toys.  Eva is only 4 and half years old, so I must say I am mighty impressed with her consideration of others.  

Here are the kids all together:

 

This picture amazes me because Holden is six months old and Chester is 13 months old, but Holden is BIGGER!  He isn’t quite as tall as Chester, but he is way fatter.  Eva would lovingly comment that Holden has a big head, to which her mother would quickly interject and say that Eva is going through an “honest” stage.  Later in the evening, Rob overheard Eva say that “having a big head means that you will have a big smile.”  Too funny.

Chester tried to give Holden kisses:

We’ve been pals with this family for several years.  Rob used to work with Brian and they were carpool buddies for at least a year.  I remember meeting them when Debbie was just 5 months pregnant with Eva, so it is really incredible to see how beautifully their family has blossomed.  

Last year we visited them the day after Christmas to see Chester—he was just a few weeks old!

These pictures were taken during an impromptu visit in the fall of 2006.  Eva was still an only child!

I remember having a meal out on that deck and hearing Eva say one of her very first words:  trees!  She said this while gazing up at the canopy of leaves above our heads.

“Born to Breastfeed!”

I look forward to lots of future playdates, birthday parties, picnics, and hiking trips with these little guys.  They are too precious for words.