Anna Lee Merced is here!

Guess what?!?! Anna Lee Merced is here all the way from Michigan. I met Anna Lee two years ago when I visited her house while traveling, and she loves to travel just as much as me! Guess what else? She loves the Merced river in Yosemite just as much as me! We've both been there and we've both played in it. We call ourselves the Yosemite sisters because we both really love Yosemite.

Anyway, Anna Lee came here to visit me for my birthday, which of course is in two days!! Yippee yipee yippeee! She said she had a very special birthday present to deliver, but her Mama's sewing machine broke right before she left. Poop. Anyway, she is very very excited for my party on Tuesday.

Right now I'm at the farmhouse with Anna Lee and it is COLD cold cold. Brrrr... We played outside with our animals a little earlier (she brought a bison that she bought in Yellowstone!) and I played with North. We soon got too cold, and now we are sitting near Old Betsy in the kitchen. Anna Lee asked why we named the coal stove Old Betsy, and I didn't know! I asked Daddy and he didn't know either, he said it has always been named Old Betsy, always.

Tonight we are going to stay up really really late and talk about our favorite National Parks. Anna Lee is just as crazy about National Parks as Inky and I! She's been to lots! Maybe more than me!

Here are some of my favorite photos we took today before our hands got too numb.

I showed Anna Lee the deer tracks in the yard. The deer love our yard and always sleep here!
And I showed Anna Lee where I always make forts under the trees. She agreed it was a very good fort location, and we decided to play with our toys here. (Anna Lee loves forts as much as I do!)
Isn't my hat neat? Auntie Jen made it for me last year, for my birthday. I love it and wear it almost all winter!
Buffy and North get to know each other. Buffy was more interested in munching on the tree than playing with North.
And guess who is coming down to the farmhouse later? Jasmine, Suzy and Abygale! Yea!

Oh, and before I forget, Anna Lee has a blog too, here is the link.

Late Christmas post

I'm late, I'm late for a very important date! I didn't update my blog on Christmas, or the day after, or the day after that. Mama says one reason I have my own laptop is to practice typing, and I'd rather practice on a blog than in an boring Word document. Yuck.

Anyway, Christmas was A.W.E.S.O.M.E. I got so many neat toys and clothes. I got an entire puppet set, and now I really want to put on a puppet show. Plus, I got the puppet show set from Playmobil! And guess what else? My birthday is in only eight days! I rock.

So Suzy's second cousin (or something) moved to Utah! She was here in time for Christmas, and she is so funny. Her name is Jasmine (Yas-meen), but Sophia calls her Meina. She can hip hop even better than Suzy!

This is Jasmine, doesn't she look nice? She speaks Portuguese, and was born in Brazil!
Here is one of my puppets. Daddy hates him because he's a gnome. Heehee!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas is almost here!

And Hanukkah has arrived too!

Mama said that Santa is probably already delivering in Japan, because it is night there. That means they get Christmas day earlier, which is really really not fair.

Here are some of the things I asked for this year for Christmas:
1. New cute outfit. I asked for a new sweater, long sleeved tee, and maybe a skirt.
2. Playmobil puppet show set. It is so cute, and my favorite new set
3. Surprises from Inky and my cousins
4. World Peace.

Love Violet

I'm earning money for Christmas shopping

Mama and Daddy made a deal with me that when I turned 10 I would have to earn half of all the money for buying Christmas presents. They said they would match what I earn, and from that I could buy gifts. I took this responsibility very seriously, and has been babysitting for the neighbor family since October! I rock!

Amanda Kate is a very good baby. She is elven months old and likes to be held and played with on the floor.
She has the cutest little feet.
And if I hold her up she even likes to pretend she is walking!
The best part about babysitting is earning money! I am saving my money to buy my friends and family Christmas presents.
Afterwords, I buy presents, head home and shut my bedroom door so I can wrap all of the presents I bought. Merry Christmas!

My Christmas ballet was today!

Merry Christmas! Today was the big day, the day of our ballet. Remember I said we were practicing extra hard for the Christmas show? Well it went perfectly, I'm so glad I practiced as mush as I did.

Our dance was to Carol of the Bells and our new red and white costumes were so pretty. My cousin Mia played the piano for the performance, and it was perfect! As we spun around on stage I was imagining that we looked like candy canes. Also, all my cousins came to support Abygale, Sadie May and me. I was so happy.

It finally snowed!

It finally snowed! I've been waiting and waiting for Christmas snow, and it finally happened! Yipppeee!!

Suzie and I watched the snow start to fall yesterday in our jammies. I'm glad we had a blanket to wrap around us.
And look at today! Snow and a blue sky!

Hip hop with Suzie

As I was telling Suzie all about my ballet show coming up, I asked her why she doesn't got to ballet lessons with us. She says she used to take ballet, but girls from Brooklyn don't take ballet, they take hip hop! Hip hop is the kind of dance all the kids on The Disney Channel do. I asked Suzie to teach me. It was lucky I asked, because Suzie is pretty much a pro hip hopper.

And look at the awesome style Mama put in our hair for the hip hop show!
I love having my cousins visit.
Oh wait, I almost forgot! We helped with the Christmas lights yesterday, we even climbed up the ladder onto the roof, but we weren't scared.

The view really is better on the roof.

All done!

Suzie decided to spend the weekend

Yesterday was St. Nickolas Day, which means Aunt Chelsea hosted a tea party! She does this every year, but this year was extra fun because afterwards, Suzie asked Chelsea if she could spend the weekend with me, and Aunt Chelsea said yes! This is big news, because the last time a cousin stayed with me was two years ago.

Suzie and I had such a fun time last night, we played with Lyra and Santa and pretended there was a Christmas disaster and Lyra and Iorek Byrnison needed to help Santa save the day.
And then we talked about Santa Claus. Both Suzie and I still believe, of course. We can't wait for Christmas day. Also, Suzie promised she'd come to my Christmas ballet show!
Today we've got a big job, help Daddy set up the Christmas lights outside. We are going to Home Depot now to pick some out.

I finished Inky's album

Now that Inky's home and she's shown her Mama all of her presents, I think I'd like to post the album of her adventors here in Utah.

Inky visits Utah again!

And, the Christmas tree is set up. I was feeling so Christmasy I got dressed in my Christmas recital dress for the ballet and have been practicing.

Goodbye Inky

Inky just left. I feel very sad and lonely. She was my roommate for a month, and now it is quiet. At least it is December 1st, which means Christmas is right around the corner. Nobody can stay sad for long in December!!!!

Inky and I had a great time over the last week. Even though we new she was leaving today, we didn't let that stop us from having a blast.

On Thursday (Thanksgiving) while we were getting ready for the feast, I noticed Inky was sad and quiet. I asked her why and she looked at me and said that Thanksgiving is not a time in her family to "give thanks" because it celebrates the time when white people came to the new world and took the land away from the Native Americans. And also when they brought disease and most Native Americans died. We talked a lot, and afterwards had a little feast to celebrate that Colette survived.
Then on Saturday we went to the farmhouse again. We explored all around and took a Utah Architecture tour with Mama (she is crazy about this stuff). I had so much fun with Inky, I'll miss her!
Daddy noticed I was feeling bummed out about Inky leaving, so tonight he said we could set up the Christmas tree, he said he's sure that will lift my spirits!