Declan Hercules & Keevah Nyx House: Declan Hercules: Thanksgiving and Getting ready for Christmas

While visions of sugarplums danced in their heads...

Well, it's time for the Covid Holidays! Despite all the craziness this year, we are still going to make this a memorable season! I'm continuing in a hybrid learning program: Mon-Wed at home on Zoom, and Thursday/Friday mornings in person at my new school. My old elementary school closed permanently, so I'm getting used to the new campus and new people...and so far I like it. But I'd like it a lot better if we got to go to school in person every day! Thankfully my best friend, Haines, gets to come over to my house twice a week since he's in our "pod". I'm still able to go to my fencing lessons twice a week...it's the perfectly socially distanced sport. If you get within 6 feet of another person, they stab you with a sword! I'm also still practicing piano. And every day at 1pm, I get to FaceTime Gran for "Gran reading"...I'm getting better and more confident in reading out loud.

On a hike with Haines

Teaching Keevah how to play piano

When I'm not fencing, studying, reading, or playing piano...I also have become a really good computer programmer. Dada calls me a "programming demon"! I'm really enjoying programming all kinds of games, including a version of pacman & frogger. I also love playing with Spirit, Chaos & watching our 13 chickens. Thankfully, they finally started laying a lot of eggs (up to 13 PER DAY!) ...cause Mama was threatening to get rid of them for being free-loaders for so long.

FeeFee la Benjo walked into the house one day..Spirit was not amused

The eggs are so pretty!

Sharing is caring

We celebrated a small Thanksgiving at home...and Mama made all the traditional fixings. My favorite is mashed potatoes and turkey legs! Mama finally learned the trick to making us all happy - this year she bought 6 turkey legs. We basically forgot to take any pictures of thanksgiving...except the family outside and one of the kids table!

With Gee & Grandpa

Kids table with Ian & Annika

We actually decorated the house for Christmas (except the tree) about 2 weeks before Thanksgiving this year. We just needed an early pick-me-up with all the Covid craziness. But we saved getting the Tree for the day after Thanksgiving. Gee & Grandpa came with us to pick out the perfect 10 foot tall tree. Keevah & I both agreed that it is the perfect tree! And it's our first Christmas in the new house!

Family jammies for decorating the tree

Mama, two kids and two dogs...

The tree is all done!

Dada hung up the lights outside - and it was the first year that Keevah was allowed to join us on the roof

On December 1st, the Elves returned as Harry Potter! We missed Pit, Twinkle & Sparkle!

They keep hiding with the Christmas decorations

We really missed our annual trip to San Francisco to see the Nutcracker live at the ballet. Every year, we get all fancy and drive to the city for the big performance. Then we go our to an awesome restaurant afterwards. I think Mama and Dada could tell we were missing our traditions...so they organized a really cool Nutcracker Night at home! We got all dressed up: makeup, shoes and all...and had front row tickets to our own couch to see the Hip Hop Nutcracker. We like the traditional Nutcracker also, but this hip hop version was so cool - done by a professional dance troupe in New Jersey via a live-stream. We had sparkling cider and snacks for the show, and the grown ups enjoyed a cocktail! Mama even bought us each a fancy nutcracker as a gift, since we usually get to pick one out each year at the San Francisco Ballet's shop.

All dressed up for the Nutcracker at home

Our new nutcrackers: Keevah got an Ice King, and I got Drosselmeyer

And, we also got to visit Santa Claus in Napa! It was a bit different than normal...no sitting on laps and a lot of masks. We have to make sure to keep Santa safe from all the germs so he can keep the Christmas Spirit alive! I'm hoping for a Nerf Gun (since Keevah broke mine from last year by replacing the foam pellets with ROCKS!), a fencing foil, and an Ant Farm. Keevah is asking for a Wild Kratts creature power suit and a new ipad. Mama and dada both seem pretty relieved we're not asking for any live animals this year!