First post of 2009!

(We've got on our antlers and Roxy's got her festive nappy cover)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

We brought in the new year with a pizza and beer and a Cirque de Soleil special on tv. Wouldn't you know it - tv is really bad on New Year's Eve. We listened to the fireworks go off around 9:00 and then again at midnight. I guess the early fireworks were for folks with young kids.

It's been warm the past few days. Our high temps (Celsius) are the same as the high temps (Farenheit) in West Chester, Pennsylvania - about 31 degrees. We skyped with families on both coasts and heard all about the Christmas Eve tamales and Christmas Day hams. We had a delicious arroz con pollo for our Christmas feast and our daughter gave us a wonderful Christmas gift - her umbilical stump finally fell off! It was getting really, really gross and it was the best gift we could have gotten.

Here we are skype-ing and Roxy is sans stump.

We've managed to stay away from all of the Boxing Day and End of Year shopping that's been going on. Nate and Doreen trekked to IKEA a few days ago to pick up the final pieces of furniture for our casa (dining table and chairs, bookcases and bed frame) and reported that it was pretty jam-packed.

Nate and Doreen have also been making daily trips to the local swimming pool. It's a 50-meter 8-lane pool that's just up the street. Both come home smelling like chlorine and looking refreshed. I can't wait until The Rox is old enough for us all to go together!

Looking forward to the next couple of days before Nate has to go back to work. He went in today (Jan. 2), but was the only entomologist around. Doreen is here for another week before she flies home. We're on our own for a few weeks before Davis friends Eddie and Lisa stopover on their way to start a new life in Papua New Guinea. We will be in the middle of summer when they arrive, although I hope we'll be through the worst of it by the end of the month.

On a sad note...
For those of you who knew her, my prairie dog Maggie died in early December. She was such a sweet girl who was friendly to everyone and I'm afraid that the news has got me pretty down. She and her brother Oscar have been living with my parents for the past few years and my mom wrote this little tribute to our sweet Maggie girl.

Magellan P. Dog

“Maggie”

Magellan P. Dog passed away peacefully at her home on December 5, 2008. Her twin brother and life-long companion Oscar was at her side.

Maggie, as she was affectionately known to her family and friends, was born in Texas in the early spring of 2002. After a brief stay in New Mexico, she relocated permanently to California in the fall of that year. She was a dedicated home maker and took great pride in the appearance of the home she shared with her brother and, in particular, the placement of her furnishings. On more than one occasion, she stayed up late into the night to redesign the interior of her cozy home and rearrange her belongings.

The garden was a special place for Maggie, who especially enjoyed getting her hands dirty and sampling the fresh greens growing there. She spent many hours on the back lawn, soaking up the sunshine while playing with her family, entertaining visitors, and sometimes running full-tilt just for the sheer joy of it.

Maggie will be remembered for her cheerful smile and luminous brown eyes, her unassuming ways, her industrious and inquisitive nature, and her abiding love of the outdoors. She leaves behind her brother Oscar, her extended family, and the many friends she made along the way. We will miss her.

Private services were held December 6. Maggie was laid to rest in a sheltered place where soft breezes blow and the grass is green.