What a wonderful Christmas Season! Right after the last post, Mama celebrated her birthday...shortly before I had my FIFTH birthday! I am such a big girl now that I'm FIVE years old! I know my alphabet and can write (most) of my letters. I'm still going to Connolly Ranch every day in the afternoons, except for a few weeks right now for the holidays. I'm still climbing everything that I'm not supposed to, enjoy "making my own recipes"- but haven't lit the kitchen on fire yet! I love my dress up box, playing with my doggies, and playing with my big brother.
A little dessert to celebrate Mama's birthday...
I have never had an official birthday party before, but since Declan got to go to Disneyland for his fifth birthday...and since we can't go anywhere now because of the evil Coronavirus...Mama decided I could have an awesome party at home. I have a group of 4 girls that are in my "pod" from Connolly Ranch, and they all came to my house for my "Rainbow Wild Kratts" party. I love the Wild Kratts, and all the animals that they teach me about. Mama created a Wild Kratts scavenger hunt...complete with our own homemade Creature Power Vests, with velcro Creature Power disks. We got an awesome reward at each station and gained new Creature Powers. She also made an amazing Rainbow Wild Kratts cake that was so yummy!
I'm FIVE!
With my pod: Me, Thalia, Toni, Emerson & Mia
On our Wild Kratts scavenger hunt
The super cool cake Mama made - check out all the animals and figures, and a waterfall!
And, the inside was rainbow!
All my wishes are going to come true!
A wild kratts pinata!
Yummy!
Just a few days after my birthday, it was Christmas Eve! We created a new tradition by making homemade tamales as a family during the day. We then went on a drive around Napa to look at the Christmas lights, just like every year. But instead of going out to a fancy dinner, we had fondue at home while the Santa Tracker was on in the background. We followed Santa around the globe until he was getting pretty close to Napa. Then we settled by the fireplace to read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas - and Declan read it all by himself for the first time! Right as he finished, I heard a noise outside, and I bolted straight to my bed and hid under the covers so Santa wouldn't find me awake!
Working on the tamales!
Green Chile cheese & red chile pork tamales
We had the Santa Tracker up all day...
Checking out the Christmas lights
All ready for Santa
Cheers! Fondue dinner!
All ready for reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas
Me and Dada
Declan read the book for the first time this year
On Christmas morning, we weren't allowed to wake up Mama & Dada until 8...so we counted down the minutes until it was time to see if Santa came! And he DID! Our stockings were full and the tree had so many presents! Declan was so excited to get fencing gear, and ant farm, and a really cool race car set. I got a new iPad and a BIKE! I can't wait to learn how to ride it!
We always open stockings first...even the dogs and chickens got stockings!
Spirit and Chaos are ready for Santa too...
I got a t-rex from Declan
...a bike from Santa...
and a new ipad from Mama and Dada
The boys...
Declan's cool race track thing...
and his long awaited Ant Farm!
Dada had a cool t-shirt made for Declan...
and one for me too!!!
Reminder: when I solve the Reiman hypothesis, Dada's gonna buy me a Lamborghini...
Declan made Dada a chip bowl and a salsa bowl
Christmas greetings!
a little Christmas Dance show...
The day after Christmas, we went to Elk Grove to see Gee & Grandpa. We had a really nice Christmas with them, and Gee made me the best homemade embroidered bunny pillowcase in the world! She also made albums of all Declan and my schoolwork. Declan got fishing stuff too! We had fun going on walks and swimming in their pool - Grandpa had it all warm for us!
My special homemade bunny pillow from Gee
We love Gee & Grandpa
The standard very strange Colton family treasure hunt tradition...
The whole gang
Prime rib dinner at Gee & Grandpa's house
Back at home, Mama and Dada took off the week between Christmas and New Years. We didn't do anything too exciting, but it was a nice relaxing week and we got to play with all our Christmas presents! We celebrated New Years Eve by going to bed early, since 2020 wasn't really anything to celebrate! We did stay up late on New Years Day though!
Sound asleep early on New Years Eve
All dressed up to celebrate New Years DAY
Cheers to a New Year!
Best buddies Haines & Declan
And the biggest thing to celebrate for the end of the year!!!! Mama got her vaccines to get her Covid superpowers!
And hopefully she won't have to dress like this for surgeries anymore!
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!
All dressed up for Santa
So fun to meet Santa! We asked all kinds of questions!
My Christmas list
Come back in a few weeks to learn about our holiday season! Mama's birthday is tomorrow, so I have to get going!
