January 18, 2015: Oh! How can the babies be turning 4 already?

Serena, one of Jade's classmates, had her fourth birthday party.  Alauna had hers on January 1st; our March babies River and Jade aren't far behind!

Visiting Mom and Dad

Mom was hospitalized on December 23 and was moved to progressive patient care a little over a week ago.  She's doing better and anxious to get home as soon as she is ambulatory again.  Papa Tom and I had a short visit with Mom, Dad, and Sista Martha on Saturday, January 17.

Saturday, January 17: in case 64 ounces of soda isn't enough . . .

It is now possible to get a 100-ounce "to go" cup!

And we want to see the drink holder that goes with it.

Discovered the 100-ouncer on our way to Shreveport on January 17, 2015.  I left with a 20-ounce coffee refill.

Great-uncle Tom and Jim

Papa Tom took care of grand-nephew Jim while Kirk and Sarah went for a sonogram of the twins.  Genders will be known in about four weeks.

Tearing around the kitchen on the trike

Fox zoomed around the kitchen on the trike during Amon's party.

Here she comes!

Waiting on birthday cake

Make a wish!

Kristoff and Pretend Anna were at the birthday party too!

The "2" and "8" candles can be used again when Amon is 82.

Birthday dinner at the Flying Saucer: January 5, 2015

Anjanette, Jade, and Amon

Anjanette

Birthday Boy

Midnight:01, January 5, 2015

Amon's 28th birthday celebration began at 12:01 a.m. January 5 when we popped a bottle of pink champagne.  Amon did the uncorking because opening champagne bottles terrifies me!  I usually do it on the back deck with the bottle pointed away from me, like a weapon.

Bubbly!  Amon's new favorite, as discovered New Year's Eve: Heart and Soul moscato champagne.

Jade and I hung balloons before Amon got home from work, to surprise him

Happy 2015!

New Year's Day visitors!  Sarah and Jim

Beka, Scott, and Sadie have moved to Austin from Manhattan.  They're moving into our neighborhood, yea!

Roy stopped by to say "hi" to everyone

Tom and Evelyn

Sadie with Great-grandma Evelyn

Happy 2015!

Emma, Al, and Joyce celebrated New Year's Eve with Austin friends, including Hannah.

Emma, Lilly, and Hannah, all 14, have been friends for years.  Lilly's little sisters, age 9, celebrated too.

Happy 2015!

Ronnie Spector took us back to the early '60s with "Be My Baby," "Baby I Love You," and more

The rain waited until the end of the show

Temps dropped into the low 40s, high 30s.  Tom told me I looked ready to face Mecca and pray.

We stood on a bench at the back for a better view

Jimmy and Sharon.  Sharon and I have been friends since we worked at the Williamson County Sun in 1986-87.

Twenty seconds until 2015!

New Year's Eve part one: Spiderhouse Ballroom, Austin, Texas

Sharon Reed and me at the Spiderhouse Ballroom to catch the opening acts before Ronnie Spector (formerly of the '60s girl group the Ronettes) performed outside on the patio

Tom with the disco ball.  Remember disco?

The Pesos, from Orange County, California, opened the show

Tom and me bundled up in preparation for the outdoor show

An angel and lasers await the Cosmonauts, the second act.  Their drummer looked like Vladimir Putin, no joke.

One of the Cosmonauts. 

Emma visited December 29-31, 2014

We picked Emma up in Waco on Monday, December 29, and caught the very intense Disney film "Into the Woods" at the Alamo Drafthouse after checking out the anime at Dragon's Lair, of course

On Tuesday, we had lunch at the neighborhood Italian restaurant Mandola's.  I could eat an entire tub of that air flavor gelato!

Emma and Jade aka Anna with their gelati: chocolate and raspberry (we looked it up: gelati is the plural of gelato).

Amon

Emma introduced us to J Pop (Japanese pop music) and vocaloids via YouTube

So we had to stop at World Market on our way to the improv show at the Hideout Theater.  So much have I to learn!  I did not know a popular KitKat flavor in Japan is "green tea." 

After the Hideout performance, we took Emma to Epoch, one of our two favorite coffee houses, for Japanese tea and hot chocolate.  Emma decided Epoch epitomizes Austin.

Luci and Einar and cold weather

Luci and Einar cuddle up in their box with a heating pad for a long winter's night

The Whaleys: Christmas Eve 2014

Jackson Whaley at the piano, with Daddy Luke's help while Mommy Kelly and I got photos of Jackson and each other!

Camille, Jackson, Kelly, Roy, Luke, and, uh, I don't know the name of the toy.

Urban sunset: December 22, 2014

Red sky at night, sailor's delight.  We must have had a beautiful day on December 23.