Merry Christmas!

 Christmas Day finally arrived.  It seemed like we'd been waiting literally for months.  In the event, Grace and I woke up at a reasonable hour to open our presents.  

 We acted like humans and civilly unwrapped our gifts, giving each one its due.

 Well, I may have attacked a few of mine like a lion with an appetite. 

 It's the year of the truck, of course. 

 Grace did her best to avoid the camera; she hates it so.

And I did my best to get some wear out of all of my new trucks. We hope your day went as well as ours.

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

 SANTA IS COMING!

This is my favorite time of year -- besides Halloween, of course. I've been preparing for months.

This shot was from a couple of weeks ago. I picked this little piece of greenery out myself, and I was pretty confident it was going to be our best tree yet. (SPOILER ALERT: IT IS.)

Ben doesn't seem to realize this is a family show. Put it away, guy.

Now let's rock!

Around the Christmas tree!

Sing it if you know it!

(BEN: Hee-hee-hee! Just a peek!)

Who is that angel in red? Santa, you're going to want to take notes.

This is an "I've been good" face. Super-duper, amazingly good. Really.

Who are we kidding? We are wild! We cannot be contained! We can't even keep our shirts on!

Peace!

Bending It Like Beckham

 AYSO trading cards are out!  This one is extremely rare.

 I really psyched myself up for today's game, the last of the season.

 We took on the Pink Cheetahs in our final game.

 I handled the ball pretty well, but it was a low-scoring game.

 Here, the Green Elsas take control.

 Yum, donuts -- our reward for a game well-played.

 Ben attended the game, but he busied himself by climbing on top of his stroller and pretending to nap.

 Raise your trophies high!  Green Elsas rule!

Seasons Change

 Fall finally arrived over the weekend, along with the first significant rain in many months.  On Saturday, under a clear blue sky, I put on a sweater and tights and headed over to one of my favorite parks.

 I practically had the place to myself.

 I ran, climbed, spun, and surfed.

 And I posed for a few pictures, of course.

I could get used to this weather, but I hear summer's coming back this week.

Trick or Treat!

 Ben and I went with a sports theme, of sorts, this Halloween. I'm a cheerleading Kim Possible and Ben is a Red Sox player.

 We both had celebratory events at our respective schools.

 I showed off my moves.

 I'm my own choreographer, of course.

 Ben went to school as a dinosaur, repeating last year's costume, but it just didn't feel right.  

 So he changed into his Red Sox clothes, which worked out well because his friend Smith refused to put on the Olaf costume his parents wanted him to wear and dressed as Tom Brady instead.

 We all trick-or-treated with our friend Zoe in her neighborhood, along with the local one-eyed cat.

And Ben wrapped up the evening by gorging on chocolate and making a real mess of himself.  Do not follow his example.  And save some for me.

Dreams Do Come True

 Good things happened to me today.  Yes, I got to ride on a big yellow school bus on my first field trip with my new school.  I also rode on a tractor.  I love tractors.

We visited the Lombardi Ranch near Valencia and picked out our own pumpkins. 

Here, I'm on my descent from the top of the hay bale pyramid.  

I felt the need to rake up a bit, since there was dirt and straw all over the place.  Truth be told, I quite enjoy raking. 

By the time I broke out of this jail cell, it was time to get back on the bus.

Two Is a Pretty Good Number

 That's right.  When I woke up this morning, I was told I am now a two-year-old.  At first, I didn't want to believe it.  But I've since come around.

It may have been the meal of pizza and ice cream cake that changed my mind.

 My best bud, Zoey, stopped by to help me celebrate, so that was fun.

 Mmm, did I mention the ice cream cake?  Delicious!  

I also received a couple of trucks.  People know what I like.  Trucks!

I've heard there are other good things about being two.  I look forward to finding out what they are.

Keepin' It Clean

 Today was beautification day at Grace's school.

 I worked pretty hard, making sure every surface was spotless.

 I scrubbed and scrubbed.  And then I scrubbed some more.

I don't know where Grace was or what she was doing, but I certainly earned my pay, which was half a bagel with cream cheese and a pair of wet shoes.  I hope Grace appreciates my efforts.