New Year's in Austin

We spent the first week of the new year with Mina and James in their beautiful new house in Austin, Texas. Julie and Maureen were also staying with us in Austin, and we had several visits from Travis, who lives about an hour away in San Antonio.

Beatrice loved seeing her cousins and she was constantly hugging and kissing them. She was particularly flattered by the attentions of three-year-old Rosemary and even her speaking abilities seemed to improve a bit under her cousin's influence. Rosemary and Beatrice also invented a (very loud) game that involved shouting "HI!" and shrieking and laughing to each other over meals.

Beatrice also had a great time with Louis, who is only five months younger than she is; they were constantly "attacking" each other with affectionate bites and tackles, but they both seemed to enjoy it.

During the mornings we took the cousins all around town, to the park, the zoo, the Nature Center, and to eat Austin's famous breakfast tacos (similar to the Los Angeles breakfast burrito but in my opinion superior). We even went canoeing on Barton Creek, where Beatrice was absolutely delighted by the turtles, fish, ducks, and most of all, a swimming dog we passed on the way.

And then on two nights we had a babysitter so the adults could enjoy some of Austin's restaurants and bars, as well as a honky tonk/country dance bar. And Dev even consented to dance a two-step with me, though neither of us did a particularly good job.

We also took a day trip to San Antonio to visit the Alamo and eat yet more breakfast tacos. (Breakfast tacos are the things I'll miss most about Austin - besides, of course, our friends and family.)

We also spent a lot of time in Mina and James' backyard playing with Louis' beloved new Christmas gift, a tee ball set, while James and Dev worked on building a very impressive tree house.

Unfortunately we had to cancel our trip to Dallas to visit Beatrice's grandparents because Suzan got very sick (as did Dev's grandmother Mamo) - but Naresh made the three-hour drive to visit with us and take part in a group photo.

We'll be sure to see Suzan in the summer, though, when the new baby comes, if not before.