Jeanine picked up a couple of live lobsters for dinner. Maya and I did some claw strength testing and can highly recommend keeping digits you favor out of range.

A close up of Shivers.

Nicolai coaches Kyle on the finer points of using the release mechanism. Maya is eyeing the bow as well. It won’t be too long before she gets into the act. Nicolai has been given permission to shoot chipmunks (they make for a tough target, and we would be happily rid of them).

Nicolai was able to put several arrows in the center circle from 20 yards. From 30 yards, he kept every arrow on the target. He ruined one of his new arrows when he shot the feathers off it with a second arrow (Robin Hood style).

Rather than spending $80 on a target, Nicolai and I built this one in less than an hour with scraps. We made a sandwich of styrofoam insulation, 2-layers of old floatation cushion, and 2-layers of carpeting on a plywood base with hinged legs. It works perfectly.

Nicolai gave his new bow a workout this morning. His Uncle Mark must have provided some incredible training because his accuracy and consistency is unbelievable.

Maya models the night gown and matching slippers that her Aunt Lauren made for her. Maya and the rest of the family can feel the love that went into this present every time she wears it.

And then there were two. Due to concerns over loneliness of the first pig we now have a second pig which belongs to Nicolai. Maya has named her pig “Shivers” (white one), and Nicolai has named his “Wood Chip”. Both are boys, so I am fairly confident the family has reached terminal size.

Kyle received an iPod nano and a large selection of Indianapolis Colts fan wear.

Nicolai’s big present was a compound bow that was carefully selected by his Uncle Mark. I am seriously concerned for the safety of all squirrels in the neighborhood.

Nicolai does his best tough guy impression to go with a toy he has converted into a helmet.

Maya’s big present this year was a baby guinea pig. Other than a horse (which is never going to happen) nothing could have made this child happier. Maya is a little nature girl just like her mother, and she loves all sorts of critters.

Christmas service at First Parish. Wishing you all love, peace, and joy.

Maya is taking our neighbor’s dog, Daisy, for a walk on Mattison field.

Sophia (a distant cousin from Sweden) has joined us for Christmas. After playing some of her concert pieces for Sophia, Maya has begun giving her lessons.

It did not take long for Aunt Susan to get pulled into a craft activity with the kids.

Kyle with Aunt Susan and Rose getting ready to head out on a last minute shopping excursion. Meanwhile, Maya waits patiently in the car. Susan and Rose drove down from Burlington and will be staying with us for the holidays.

A very big day for Maya. This morning, she lost her first tooth. After discussing various techniques, she opted for the “twist and wiggle” method and proceeded with her own extraction.

This is one of several gifts I received from my boss at the Christmas party he hosts for his staff. He likes to poke fun at me whenever I wear my Stanford sweatshirt and asked if I would wear it today. Everyone else received equally humorous gifts, and the party was a very welcome break from the recent intensity of the new job.

Nicolai takes a little break from drumming practice. He is really starting to sound quite good. He uses his left foot to operate the bass pedal and has positioned the hi-hat pedal underneath his chair (proper drum term is the “throne”) which he operates by leaning forward and back. I have a day trip to Madison, WI tomorrow (leave at 5am, back by midnight) and probably will not post again until later in the week.

While at the basketball game, Maya borrowed my camera and snapped this shot. Normally I wear this hat to keep warm. I have now taken to wearing it indoors at the games to muffle the sound of the referees. I think these guys must get paid by how loudly they can blow the whistle.

Kyle driving hard to the net helping his team to another win. Kyle is extremely strong defensively but has been somewhat tentative on offense. His determination to improve is something to admire, however. After missing a lay-up in yesterday’s game, he stayed after and practiced until he made 50 lay-ups at game speed. Observing that he was now thoroughly exhausted, I thought it an opportune time to challenge him to a little one-on-one. Let’s just say that I got the spanking I deserved (although for the record I was wearing my climbing boots).

Maya modeling the hat I bought for her in Munich.

Today Maya and Jeanine played “Silent Night” together in the Christmas Recital. Because I was at Kyle’s basketball game (a win by one point, scored in the final seconds) I was treated to an encore performance at home.

One of the little shops handled only percussion instruments. I came very close to buying another drum, but the thought of hauling it back to the states got the better of me.

My trip to Germany was rather exhausting. After working in Tewksbury for the day on Wednesday, I flew through the night and went straight to the Munich office for another full day, all without sleep. On the way to my hotel, I passed this Weinachtenmart (outdoor Christmas Mart featuring scores of small shops, food of all types, music, dancing, and of course beer). I am still not clear where I found the energy, but I had a great time finishing my Christmas shopping while sampling food from grilled Brats to the finest local cheese.

Maya posing with the gingerbread house she constructed. Please note the circular frozen pond on the right and the snow fort in front. I am off to Germany on business and doubt I will be able to post again until the weekend.

Tonight was my family night and I chose “food processor creations” for my theme. We started with fresh squeezed orange juice.

Next we moved on to ice cream smoothies. We prepared strawberry, raspberry, and banana puree to combine with blueberries, ice cream and coconut milk. Each family member then combined ingredients to create their own customized blend. Kyle, Maya, and I opted for a strawberry-banana blend with a hint of raspberry and blueberry over a vanilla base. Nicolai went for chocolate ice cream and raspberry (delicious). Jeanine made a coconut milk based concoction which was not very popular with the group.

Kyle, sporting a fine haircut administered by his father, scored 7 points in his game today, including a very sweet buzzer-beater to end the game.

Jeanine hosted a cookie-baking party today. Neighbor Gabriella is pictured here with daughter Julia and Maya looking on. I was in charge of quality control and was very thorough in my testing.

The day started with a little snow removal. We got about a foot of snow with some drifts almost double that. I called Nicolai on my cell phone and requested he take this photo. I actually enjoy snow throwing and realized that if not for my request there would likely never be a photo documenting this part of my home life.