Santa Who?!

While I was off at the AGU meeting socializing with the other nerds scientists, Jenn, Max and Charlotte were out on the town.  And Jenn took Max and Charlotte to visit Santa Claus for the very first time!  (I can't believe I missed it.  Though, in Jenn's defense, it sounds as though it was a very impromptu affair, born of a desperate effort to occupy two bored, fussy children.)

Now when you think about it, this tradition of putting our children into the laps of some stranger (often) sporting a fake beard and dressed in a red suit so that they can reveal their hearts' desires and so that we can take cute pictures is pretty bizarre.  The oddity of this strange ritual was probably best depicted in a Christmas Story, perhaps the funniest movie ever (not just the funniest Christmas movie, mind you).  It's also made pretty evident by the picture below:

5 December 2011

Looking at this picture, I can't avoid the thought that Charlotte and Max were both simultaneously asking themselves: 'Who in the hell is this guy?!'  It's actually the cutest picture from that photo session, in my opinion.  Max just looks confused in the other pictures.  And Charlotte looks eager to be anywhere else.  Perhaps next year they'll have bought into the hype and will be begging us to take them to see Santa.  Maybe not.

At least this Santa's beard appears to be genuine.

--- Shawn (for Jenn and Charlotte and Max and Lucy and Rufus)

Charlotte and Max Head North for the 2011 American Geophysical Union Conference

Last weekend Jenn, Charlotte and Max traveled with me to San Francisco, California, where I attended the American Geophysical Union's annual Fall Meeting.  It was a quick trip, as I only attended the planetary science session on Monday (including the poster session in which my poster was presented).  But we did fly up early so that we could visit with Jenn's aunt Judy in Oakland, California.


Max and Charlotte were enthralled by the singing of their cousin Meredith (a.k.a. Missy).  (Well, second cousin, but who -- aside from me, of course -- is picking nits?)  Jenn and Missy's mother, Stephie, were pretty amused, too.

3 December 2011

The day before the conference began we met up with my friends Jen and Adrian and their new baby, Alexis.  While I was busy getting a jump on the conference registration Jen and Alexis posed with Max and Charlotte.

4 December 2011

Alexis gets a piece of Max while we all stopped for a meal.

4 December 2011

Charlotte gets her first close look at an Australian (Adrian) and discovers that they're not so bad after all.

4 December 2011

Adrian poses with the young ladies.

4 December 2011

This isn't exactly my kind of picture, but I know this picture of Alexis and Charlotte "kissing" would provoke too many oohs and aws to forgo including it in this post.

4 December 2011

As seems so common with babies, Max and Charlotte really got a kick out of spending time with another baby.  And I was so happy to meet Alexis myself.  I'm just sorry that it took so long!


Following our breakfast at the wonderful Cafe de la Presse on Tuesday morning, Jenn posed for the babies in downtown San Francisco (please note the awesomeness that is Charlotte wearing her pink hat).

All in all, it was a great trip!  We got to see Aunt Lauren in Oakland, as well as Missy's brother Garrett and Missy and Garrett's dad, Mike.  And we also spent a lovely evening with Jenn's friends Chuck and Betsy.  The Fall AGU meeting is always held in San Francisco.  And it's such a fantastic time to visit the city.  I sincerely hope that we can make this an annual Christmastime tradition for us.  (A tradition which, I note on the off chance that there are any NASA program managers reading this, would be much easier to uphold if one my grant proposals were to be funded!)


--- Shawn (for Jenn and Charlotte and Max and Lucy and Rufus)

Thanksgiving

Though this was technically not Charlotte's and Max' first Thanksgiving, it was Jenn's and my first Thanksgiving with them that we'll be able to remember concretely.  While we know what we did last year, we were still within our first two weeks of parenting and desperately trying to sort out our new lives.

This year we had Thanksgiving dinner at the home of our cousins Paul and Janetta.  And Aunt Lauren came down to spend the long weekend with us!  As you can see below, we all had a blast.

Max and Charlotte enjoyed Thanksgiving turkey in their portable high chairs.

24 November 2011

The next day we went to Griffith Park where we rode the train,

25 November 2011

and Max and Charlotte took their first pony rides.

25 November 2011

Max was sad for the train ride to come to an end; Charlotte was fond of the ponies.

Max and Charlotte spent some quality time with Aunt Lauren.

26 November 2011

And, for at least a few days, Rufus (foreground) and Lucy (leaning against the wall) enjoyed having another member of the pack around: Bailey, Aunt Lauren's puppy.  Everyone, toddlers and terriers alike, got along together just great!

26 November 2011

So I've obviously got a backlog of posts to clear; it's been a busy few weeks since Thanksgiving.  Sorry about the delay.  And I promise that there will be more updates over the next few days!

--- Shawn (for Jenn and Charlotte and Max and Lucy and Rufus)