...and I haven't posted since before Thanksgiving! Turns out we've amassed a lot of photos in the interim.
The one-week countdown to our Newark departure began with a visit from Josh the Godfather and his far saner fiancee April. No sooner had they arrived than Josh bestowed this little gem on Tor (but mercifully removed the "Batteries Included!"):
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| Dendro earning his epithet "the Noseless" |
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| Sure to be the most popular kid in the UK |
Though they stayed less than 48 hours, it was great to connect. And now we know that we can carry on our chainsaws instead of checking them.
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| Baby Whisperer |
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| We expect playmates soon, guys |
Lars's last week at work flew by and before we knew it the movers had come, packed, and shipped. Then it was off to Orinda for Thanksgiving dinner with my family, assorted Karpluses, and Mormor.
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| Gave the turkey a run for its money |
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| Cuddles with Great-Uncle Richard... |
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| ...and Mormor |
After dinner, we headed to a vacation rental in Discovery Bay with just Opa, Oma, Caleb, Christina, Caitlin, and Tim. It was excellent to sit back and come to terms with the fact that all our possessions were on a boat and we didn't need to have anything more to do with them until mid-January. The house was huge yet cozy and also located immediately above the inlet to the bay, with its own dock and kayaks. We played games, caught up, cooked together, decorated a gingerbread village, and enjoyed our last California sunshine for who knows how long.
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| "Beats the hell out of that infant life preserver" |
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| Tor and his kayak chaperone |
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| "NO SUN WILL TOUCH THIS BABY" |
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| Stalking that elusive imp, the ideal family photo |
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| Impending sugar rush: now in Technicolor! |
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| Toddler-go-round |
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| The most and least hirsute family members |
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| Played "Scrabble" (i.e., identified letters and built "words" with them) with Aunt Caitlin for hours |
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| About to punch through his sleeper feet |
Finally, on December 1, we drove up to Ah-Bee and Pakka's NEW HOME in Genoa, NV, and here we remain until the 30th. We'd never seen the interior before and It. Is. Awesome. Tor sleeps on a chaise lounge in the office and Lars, Col, and I share the guest bedroom. We've been walking around town, getting some snow play in, attending local events (in a town of 225, everyone shows up to everything), preparing for Christmas by making cards and ornaments, and enjoying the town church, which has the tiniest Sunday school ever and Tor loves all the attention he gets there.
Oh, and Lars has been working his tail off. Because, you know, we're about to move to England so he can plunge into a new job. At least he got a shout-out in the
Tahoe Daily Tribune.
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| Loves his grandmas in equal measure |
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| And then he pooped in the bubble |
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| Photogenic again post-diaper change |
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| A stroll with the boys before the snow hit |
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| A revelation: pockets keep your hands warm! |
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| But pockets just don't cut it for snow play. |
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| "Ah-Bee! Look at the cake I made ALL BY MYSELF!" |
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| Rocking his hottest holiday look, "The Rudolph" |
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| "Spiderman" photo bomb |
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| Best. Haircut. Ever. |
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| Debuting the new 'do at Ah-Bee's favorite Chinese place |
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"I'm going to lie with my little bruzzer because I LOVE him.
Col is the BEST." |
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| You don't stomp bubble wrap after your bath? |
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| Hasn't licked a frozen pole yet |
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| Gnome home outside Ah-Bee and Pakka's |
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Watching The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition
with the eponymous elf, whom Tor dubbed "Chippy" |
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| Col is not yet much involved in cunning nightly elf placement... |
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...but Pakka has taken to it with a vengeance.
(And yes, that's Santa in the pink convertible) |
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| The cast of the next Christmas misfit special |
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| Breakfast with Santa (as syrup kicks in) |
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| Col's first photo with Santa...fast asleep |
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| Tor refused to mount the stage to see Santa, so Santa came to him |
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| Toting the Christmas tree from the local lot |
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| Heading home to set it up |
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| Putting together a few Christmas cards |
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| Train table at the Carson City Children's Museum |
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| More Christmas crafts, this time with the smock on |
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| Auntie Em and Auntie Mandy came to visit, to everyone's delight |
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| Another day in paradise |
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| Cuddly chunk |
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| Backgammon shark |
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| Bubble wrap again |
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| Placing the first ornament |
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| The piece de resistance |
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| Finally starting to get some good smiles here and there |
Happy last Sunday of Advent tomorrow! We'll aim to post a Christmas photo here in just a few days.
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