Jim's retirement party

Leaving my very pregnant wife stranded at home with a toddler, I flew down to Austin for a couple of days to attend Jim Jones's retirement party.

No, not that Jim Jones. This Jim Jones.


The party was at Pearl Street Co-op, with music by the Jazz Pharoahs.


In addition to roasting Jim, the co-opers of my era got him this bobble head.

There at the bottom, it says, "Jim Jones, the Co-operator." Like the Decider, but better.

It was good to see old friends.




We got together for a group pic at the end of the party.


Our photographer told us we needed to squish together a bit more.


And many, many pictures were taken. By the end, as a group we seemed to lean strongly to the left. Which seems about right, I have to say.


(More pics here.)

Lemongrass g&t

Lemongrass gin & tonic, courtesy of the cool Tea Forte cocktail infusions we got from Niya and Kofi.

Boxing Day - Glen Canyon

Our last pregnancy hike was two and a half months ago. Boxing Day seemed like a fine day to pick up again with pregnancy hike #9.


We returned to the scene of our fifth and seventh pregnancy hikes—Glen Canyon.

Christmas

On Christmas morning, all of Anders's cousins were so happy to see him... because the opening of presents couldn't start until we got there.



The pictures really don't do justice to the frenzy of activity.





Just what Dylan was hoping for!




After the gift opening was completed, we did some work on Miran's couch. Anders decided to get in on the act with his new cordless drill.




Clara gave identical piggy banks to both Misah and Anders.


Miran (supported by her "meat team") made a fantastic dinner, but I sadly failed to take any pictures of it.

Christmas Eve

Anders got to open a few warm-up presents in the days leading up to Christmas, but Round 1 of the true unwrapping carnage was on the afternoon of Christmas Eve.

Mantel decorated? Check.


Roaring fire? Check.


Ok, time to move the presents from safe storage (i.e. beyond Anders's reach)...

...to under the tree.

And then.... we're off!




You can see he's having a good time.


We took occasional breaks to play with some of the gifts.






Oh, and it turns out that handing out gifts is almost as much fun as opening your own.

Gingerbread House

On Christmas Eve morning, Anders decided to taste the gingerbread house that he and Sigrid had decorated the day before.

Thomas Big Loader

Stephanie brought Anders an early Christmas present. It's a fantastic Thomas train set that . . . oh, well, maybe you should just watch and see.

Scandinavian Cherry Twist

Sigrid made the Swedish Scandinavian Cherry Twist that she grew up with. She was afraid something might go horribly wrong in the oven, so she snapped a picture before it went in.


But she needn't have worried. I came out lovely.

More holiday cheer

Why has this photo been banished to this corner of our bedroom?


To make room for the wreath!




(The wreath this year is a lot like our first wreath, in 2006)

Our other Christmas tree

Sigrid bought an Advent calendar for Anders this year. This Advent calendar has cardboard ornaments behind the flaps, and it also has a cardboard Christmas tree on which to hang the ornaments. So every morning, Anders opens up the flap for that day and takes the ornament out, and then Sigrid ties a loop to the ornament so that Anders can hang it up on the tree. The tree, of course, stays in Anders's room.

Tree trimmed.

The tree this year is, really, Anders's first tree. The last time Sigrid and I bought a Christmas tree, really, was 2006. In 2007, our last pre-Anders Christmas, we were in Victoria for Christmas. In 2008, we had a mini-tree that we kept outside, but Fear of Anders kept us from getting a tree for the house. In 2009, we were in Victoria again—where, though there was an indoor-tree, Fear of Anders limited it to one that fit on top of a table.

Well, it's 2010, and we think Anders is ready for a tree. We may be wrong. We'll let you know.

The first ornament on the tree.

It's a bulb of garlic, in honor of his Korean side.


Anders likes the tree.




We all like it.


We also have some lights outside.



Just our contribution to the neighborhood cheer. Our outdoors effort is dwarfed by the house two doors down.

...and by the house on the other side of the street that is in the left of this pic (you can see that display better in the picture I took in 2008).