Christmas 2009

This year Peter, Charlotte and I spent Christmas at my Mom's new home in Dripping Springs, TX. She has spent the past year or so building a "green" home and it was finally completed this winter. Her wish was to have her immediate family spend Christmas Day with her there, and we all were happy to oblige. My sister, Kati, her husband, Erich, their 15 month-old daughter, Arwen, and my grandmother (mom's mom) were all there, and it was a very peaceful day spent together.

Here are a few pictures of the afternoon festivities and Charlotte's first Christmas. It's amazing how next year this time Charlotte and Arwen will be playing together.

The annual ugly-cowboy-shirt tradition that began in 2004 when I spent my first Christmas with Peter and his family. On his Christmas list he said he wanted a flannel shirt, but specified that he wanted nothing "Texan" or "Cowboyish", so I went to the local Goodwill and found the most hideous cowboy type shirt I could find and made it a Christmas tradition. This year with the business of a new baby, I found myself two days before Christmas with no shirt purchased. I called up my sister in Austin and asked her, "Kati, are you by chance out and about today?". She said, "As a matter of fact, yes, why?...." I told her my predicament and she said she was just two blocks away from a Goodwill store. I told her to call me when she got there with a couple contenders in hand, and to describe them to me. She did one better and emailed me a picture from her phone. My shudder response to the picture told me "this is the one!". So, when we got to Austin she helped me wrap it and found herself smack dab in the middle of our tradition. What a wonderful sister I have!

My brother-in-law, Erich, and my mother opening their Christmas gifts from me and Pete.

Kati and Arwen opening their Christmas gifts and my Grandma meeting her great-grandchild for the first time.


Finally, Charlotte kicking back at my Aunt Ginny's house on the couch, where we stayed Christmas Eve.