Welcome to Canada, Maren!

Well, there isn't much snow to speak of, but at least we have moose!

The Toronto Airport is Awesome!

This was just what the littles needed: a place to get their wiggles out between flights.

Marshmallows bring Peace on Earth

Graydon’s gift to Mami

Graydon gave Mami a CD with eleven piano pieces he recorded over the last several months.

Special time with Tante N

We also had a super visit with Tante N. She arrived early and spent almost a week with us. Each kid got their special time with her: an art museum for Graydon, a natural history ("dinosaur") museum for Wiley, and a bike tour around Town Lake for Portia. They love her special time with her!

Fancy us

We don't get to use our fancy stuff very often, but Christmas is a good occasion! Note the pecan pie on the side board waiting, too. Yummm, thanks Nana!

We’re on our way!

One more testament of how awesome our Beluga is: six people with winter-clothes luggage plus a driver to take the car home and avoid parking fees for two weeks (thanks, Gramps!). We're off to do Christmas Part Deux!

Merry Christmas from Portia

Portia says Merry Christmas to all! (The boys just made silly faces so they won't make the blog this year.)

Merry Christmas from Texas!

We’re a little late with the Christmas mail this year...

Please excuse our tardiness! They are going out today.

Olympic Day

All three kids had their "Olympic Day" performances at the gym where they do gymnastics. It was fun to see how they are progressing. Needless to say our rather-larger-than-average children will never be competitive gymnasts, but they are learning so much about their own bodies and how to control them that this is a great foundation for any future sport they might choose... not to mention it's fun!

Christmas lights!

It's the time of year where we send our au pairs onto ladders in the dark to light up our trees! Actually, all of us enjoy hanging up the lights.

This nine-year-old means business!

The photographer at Graydon's soccer tournament this weekend had the boys do a "serious" pose.

Nikolaus was here!

In Maren's version of a very typical German tradition, Nikolaus comes on December 6 and puts nuts, oranges, and sweets in a shoe (rather than a sock or stocking). The kids were thrilled with their surprise!

Beautiful tree!

This is the first year our Red Oak has been healthy enough to turn colors. This not-so-little-anymore tree is right outside my bedroom window. I love the red and orange colors against the deep blue sky. This was taken a couple of weeks ago... all the leaves have turned brown now. Sniff.

Two peas...

... in a mermaid tail?!?

The knight in camo armor...

Plumbing is fun!

Of course there were projects while we spent a few days at Dripping Springs! Here is the new PVC connection from the rain catcher totes to the wildlife watering hole... along with a helper who is very happy the trench digging part is done!

Mami gets some selfie love

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

... but the fire is so delightful!

So much Au Pair love!!

Clearly the kids have taken to Maren. Not that there was ever a doubt.

One of the best parts of Dripping Springs

Is that you are allowed to be dirty!

New chair covers!

Nana and Mami worked on these over Thanksgiving break. They are sooo much nicer than the yucky old ones.

First bike ride

Wiley rode his own bike to school today for the first time. We're really looking forward to their school being closer again next year.

Light Show on Waller Creek

We left our usual chore- and project-filled weekend routine behind on Sunday evening and attended the last night of the "Creek Show" at Waller Creek, which flows through downtown Austin. The kids enjoyed looking at the light-based art installations and being able to interact with some of them.

Wiley’s First Piano Recital

Doesn't he look ready? He and his little friend Micah played together in the "Friendship Concert" put on by the kids' music school. See the video below.

Armageddon!!

Sigh... it's that time of year again when I realize Texans don't know what winter is. We had some rain last night and some freezing temps this morning, so of course, public schools are delayed by 2 hours and Portia's preschool is canceled. Heaven forbid there be any ice other than what comes out of the dispenser in the fridge...

Oh and that "light snow" they are showing in the screen shot below is fake news. Nary a flake in sight.

Another season in the books

Portia enjoyed her first season playing soccer on a real team! She had the most fun being silly with her teammates and celebrating team goals (regardless of who shot them). Optimum attention span is still only about 10 minutes... but her ball skills are definitely improving! And oh, is she ever proud of her medal. Ask her about it sometime!

Why, hello there!

This friendly neighbor greeted me on my bike ride to work this morning. He was hanging out in one of the more unkempt yards in the neighbourhood - which probably seemed more welcoming to him. We often see whole little herds of does and babies wandering the yards, but typically the bucks stay more out of sight. Not this morning!

A sign of the times

Paper encyclopedias are no longer "in." We found this pile on the curb outside our neighbours' house the other day. Portia can't believe people are throwing away books!

The Wall

We've been working on "the wall" since about the time Wiley was born, and it is finally "done".

Graydon's first deer hunt

Graydon and Daddy went on a youth-only TPWD hunt at the Chaparral Wildlife Management Area this past weekend.  We didn't come home with any meat, but we had a great time and got to watch several impressive bucks.

Happy Halloween 2019!

A scary witch!!

H’Owl!

The kids had fun at the Halloween carnival at their school. It's called the H'Owl (since their mascot is an owl).

Driving lessons

This is from a couple of weeks ago. Clearly Gramps is having fun ("don't drive to Marble Falls!"). And Portia is very concentrated!

Life is Good!

Happy Birthday, Ralf!

We even got to celebrate Ralf's 24th birthday yesterday... with pecan pie, of course.

Initiations and Throwbacks

Well, we haven't done a good job keeping up with the blog lately. But better late than never...?

Maren, our seventh (!) au pair joined us a little bit over a month ago. You may have noticed she 'snuck' into our blog anonymously in the photo of all the visiting au pairs! In any case, here she is (at left) celebrating the first fish she caught at the lake - welcome Maren!

Meanwhile, the string of au pair visitors has continued. We've had a great time over the last month with Maggi and Jessy, plus Claudia (who left for Germany last week - good luck!) and Maren's arrival. Now Ralf (at right, remembering what it's like to hold a fish) is back visiting, too! He just finished his education as a pediatric nurse, and is in the US joining his girlfriend for *her* post-au pair year travel month. So... count 'em... over the last month, our house (and the lake!) have been host to a total of no fewer than six au pairs!!

Au Pair Reunion

We had a bunch of former Au Pairs come visit - what fun!!

You know that feeling when it’s waaaaay too quiet...?

Turns out all three kids are - gasp! - reading! Graydon is hooked on his latest Rick Riordan book, and Wiley is reading "Corduroy" out loud to a rapt audience of one.