6.3 Years Old
- Christmas break has started! During the break, we met at the school with the Springers and the Leders and played floor hockey. Lilly is really competitive and so are you, so it was fun to see you little girls get into the game. Afterwards, the Leders along with Lilly came over for hot cocoa and switch. It was nice to have a day of friends and running hard. The next day, we met Elaine at the swim pool and then you all had a sleep over at her house. Auntie Annie is so good to you all and spoils you. You are lucky to have great family in the area.
- Christmas Eve was just perfect. Dad had to work in the morning, so I took you all to see Zootopia 2 at the theaters. I thought it was great to have an outing to help break up the day. You kids are so excited and anxious all day. For dinner, we did lobster ravoli and salad. We ate by candle light. The neighborhood next to us put out all these milk jug lanterns, so we did a night walk through to see the lights. We ended the night with our Nativity play (you were Mary), We Three Kings (you got pink and black kitty pjs), and watched the Christ child. You all slept in your room that night.
- Christmas was great. You woke us up at 7am, though you had been up for an hour already. Santa brought you a panda Lego set, a cute water bottle, some pens and a notebook, a keychain for your back pack, and treats. Dad and I gave you a the Humble Pie book, lots of leggings, and a soccer ball and goals. Maggie gave you makeup, Millie gave you a new Ellie because you lost yours as a baby, and Sam gave you a hammock for your stuff animals. Afterwards, we headed over to the Prices for brunch, presents, and games. Grandma and Papa gave you a pink camera. It also does videos, so you have been recording yourself all day. I keep hear, "Hi, it's me, JoJo." We ended the day with naps, a walk, switch as a family, and Chinese food.
- That weekend, we drove to Utah. We got to be there for just over a week. We had a lot of cousin time and a sweets (both of which you were excited for). We had the family party on Sunday. Grandma and Papa gave you a Lego set and Max gave you a book and a bead set. We got to see Mark and Kami a lot, which meant a lot of Max time. You loved being with Max. We went to temple square and saw the lights and visited the church history museum. We celebrated New Years at Grandma's house where we all stayed up until midnight. We took Grandma to Crystal Hot Springs (that is going to be a repeat!). And we ended up staying an extra day to do a hike to Donut Falls in the snow. We were thoroughly exhausted when we came home.
- We came home for a week and then got ready to go to Mexico!! We have been looking forward to this trip for a while. It is your first time going to a different country. We went with our family, Grandma and Papa, Annie, Joe, and Elaine. It was a blast. We left on a Wednesday. We had to wake up so early to get to the airport. It was a whole day affair getting down to Mexico, with a four hour lay over in Atlanta. Thursday was a slow day. You kids got to stay at the hotel with Grandma and papa while we went to get the rental cars. We loaded up and drove south. We stopped and got some groceries and ate in Playa del Carmen. We made it to the condo and the play was amazing. We went snorkeling that afternoon. You were loving it until you saw a giant sting ray. That scared you and you wanted to come in. Friday, we went to Xel Ha. That was a favorite among everyone. The waterslide was awesome. Even papa went down it. We then headed over to zip lining. You were nervous about going on it, but ended up loving it and doing the course 3 times. We cliff jumped next. I was impressed because when it was your turn, you just went for it. The cliff was 15 feet. This last summer, you wouldn't even jump off a 3 feet ledge, and you handled that like a champion. The next stop was floating through the mangroves. We paused for lunch, ice cream and soda. Laying out in the sun on the chairs felt so good. We then walked over to the caves and snorkel. You loved just swimming in the cave and then finished the day rope swinging into a cenote. Papa bought you all matching shirts. It was so fun. Saturday was a colder day. While the weather was good in the morning, we hang out at the condo. You all just loved playing in the sand, flying kites, swimming in the ocean and pool. That afternoon, we visited Tulum. The ruins were just okay to you kids. What really fascinated you all was trying to open up a coconut. It took a lot of smacking, but you finally opened it and we all drank the juice and had fresh coconut. There were shops just outside the ruins, so we got some food and let you all shop. You had Christmas money, so that made it fun. You ended up buying a Akcumal shirt. Sunday, we drove to Chichen Itza. There was a huge storm on our drive there. But once we started our tour, the rain stopped. Having a tour guide was really helpful. That evening , we visited Valladolid. It was a beautiful city, with colorful buildings, music and dancing in the park, and big church center of town, and plenty of shops. You love shopping and it got exhausting trying to keep up with you. Monday, we stayed at the condo the whole day. It was so nice just to read, swim, play, and hang out and chill. That was another favorite day of everyone. Tuesday, we had another slow morning and then visited the cenote in the afternoon. That was beautiful. The first part was an open portion where you could see turtles. Then you swim through the cave with the stalactites and bats. After you cross that, you made it to another open part. We had lunch there and laid in the hammocks. Wednesday, you and Millie stayed back at the condo with Grandma and Papa while the rest of us went fishing (we didn't catch anything and three people were throwing up). Then, we had to make our way back to the airport and say goodbye to Mexico. It was an amazing trip.
