The Three Amigos!!!

Last night Steve and Leeana brought over dinner, and their twins Luke and Lane, to hang out with Annika.

We put the three of them together like this for about 3 minutes and surprisingly they were all happy and content being that close.

They all had their own space and gave the four of us some peace and quiet to eat dinner... for about 5 minutes.

Luke decided to taste Annika's hair..................And immediately regretted the decision!

Uncle Tank and Aunt Lee with AJ (Lee's nickname for Annika)


"Let's be friends"

Dad felt a little neglected from the photos

Mom loves to put Annika in her Polka Dot night gown because she is sooo cute in it.
That's all folks!

Week 3

Kara started night shifts last week, so that means I get to play Mr. Mom at nights. Annika was in need for a bath, and she seemed to like being wrapped in the blanket more than she did being in the water, even though she loves to try to drink the water.


Annika often sleeps with her face resting on her hands, she loves to throw her arms around too.

I am so relaxed...

So our week three picture was not a great success, partly because Kara was sick for the day and Annika seemed to not feel that great as well (she was our little vomit comet that day) There were pictures of her not being ticked off, but let's be honest, this was the most accurate representation of the day.
Until next week, love to you all,
Eric, Kara and Annika

Week of Firsts!

Hello World!!!

It's week 2, and she is hitting a growth spurt, but still smaller than her rabbit.

A week ago Annika didn't even come close to fitting this outfit, now... it fits perfectly.

Hanging out with the ladies... Wanida and Ang were a huge help for us when we were finishing our move... oh yes, I forgot to mention, we decided to move to another unit in our complex to actually have rooms (we were in a two story loft). As much as we loved the place it was a bit noisy and for all three of us to be there together throughout the day, we needed some walls. Luckily our friends are awesome and we had a bunch of help getting us in our new place. Thanks everyone, we couldn't have done it without you!

Annika is beginning to enjoy the animals 0n her chair more, she is especially fond of the monkey, I am convinced it reminds her of me.

Ok, on to the firsts, our first trip to church was yesterday. KJ looked beautiful with the baby, they were both in white and everyone wanted a peek at the baby. She made it through the church service great and then was ready to eat but people were not ready to stop holding her. All in all, it was a great day.

Her first bath, she cried for about 1.3 seconds and then loved it.

We will keep you posted...

She's kind of a big deal!

You asked for more pics, you got them!


Our baby girl is changing her looks quite often. Kara and I agree when she is asleep she still looks like me, but when she is awake she is looking more like her mom, especially with her expressions. (Yes, she definitely has the Van Essen look and is not afraid to use it!)

Annika is getting used to traveling and is liking her car seat more and more... as long as she is well fed.

Kara took Annika to see our good friends Steve and Leeana and their new twins. It was Annika's first interaction with another kid, but it looks like her and Lane will get along just fine. (I know what you are all thinking, yes, Annika is one month younger than Lane and she has a bigger head, thanks for noticing!)


We will take a picture every Wednesday with the bunny so we can watch Annika grow for the first year. Pretty soon she will be towering over the bunny (but we won't tell mommy that, it just makes her sad).


If you can't read the shirt, it says "I'm kind of a big deal." Kara and I agree this is an outfit she will wear more when hanging out with dad. My cousin Nicole got it for her and it is a line out of the movie "Anchorman."

Just in case you hadn't had enough...

Ok, I know we are obsessed, 3 postings in the first week. But, for those of you who haven't had the chance to officially meet our little bundle of joy, these are for you.


Kara's sister Lyndsay got us this chair, we put her in it everyday and she is getting more used to it. We are realizing we need to not hold her 24/7, because we sometimes want to.




This is our first day of trying to work and study with the baby at home. It takes some creativity but we are all adjusting.