Sleepy-time Girl

Catherine and Catalina

I guess she fell asleep reading 'Peter Pan' to Simba

Usually Truffles is under her head like a pillow. Not sure what happened this night.

A word from Mommy here. I just can't resist taking Catherine's photo when she is sleeping. She is just so darn sweet and sometimes she falls asleep in the funniest positions. She sleeps so soundly that even the camera flash doesn't wake her up. I just had to share these pictures of our little sleepy-time girl.

Riding on the Tagalong Bike

We have a really cool new bike for me that attaches to Daddy's bike. It's called a tagalong and it's awesome! I have my own pedals and handlebars and I can pedal along behind Daddy. We rode all over the neighborhood last weekend and yesterday we rode downtown to the farmer's market (and put our produce in Mommy's new basket) and then on to the playground. I love the tagalong!

New Year's Weekend in Morro Bay

Can you see the Monarch Butterflies?

We decided to take a little trip for the New Year's weekend and drove a couple of hours north to the town of Morro Bay. It was a beautiful place, with wonderful beaches and playgrounds and a huge monolith right off the shore. We played in the sand, flew the kite and took long walks on the beach.

Flying the kite

On the way back to Santa Barbara, we stopped in Pismo Beach at the Monarch Butterfly Grove. It was amazing! Every winter the Monarchs return to this part of California and everywhere you looked there were beautiful butterflies. They were flying overhead and were covering the Eucalyptus trees. Look hard at the pictures and you can see the bright orange of the Monarchs. It was so cool!

Thank you, Santa!

With Catalina

In my new outfit

Playing my new Candyland game with Catalina and Daddy

Now I'm an engineer just like Uncle Peter!

With Coconut

Santa remembered and he brought me my American Girl doll! She looks like me with brown hair, blue eyes and bangs. I named her Catalina, which is Spanish for Catherine. Papa and Nana gave me Coconut the dog and a vet set so I can give her check-ups and keep her healthy. I got so many neat presents - pajamas, nightgowns, cardigans, coloring books, my very own boom box with a Disney Princess CD to listen to, and lots of clothes. Christmas was a lot of fun this year. Thank you everyone!

Catherine's Christmas Program Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vsm12bvFgAQ

School Christmas Program

My entire school put on a Christmas program last week. The preschool and pre-K classes joined together to sing two songs: This Little Star of My Mine and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. We wore gold star costumes and sang in front of all the families. I had a great time.

With my friend Stella before the program

Breakfast with Santa

I did it! I actually did it! I sat on Santa's lap and Daddy took the pictures to prove it. Many of you may remember that for the past few years I have sat in front of Santa, not on his lap, and that last year I absolutely refused to sit in front, beside, or anywhere near him. Mommy and I talked a lot about it this year and I said I'd think about it.

Yesterday morning, all three of us had Breakfast with Santa at Nordstrom. He was sitting in his chair when we arrived and lots of kids were sitting with him and taking pictures but I wasn't ready yet. While we were eating our breakfast, he came around to talk to the kids and collect our letters, but I still wasn't ready and my letter wasn't finished - spelling American Girl Doll takes a long time. After breakfast, there was a neat puppet show with marionettes and I enjoyed that a lot.

As we were getting ready to leave, I remembered that I hadn't given Santa my letter yet. He was sitting in his chair again so I went over and before you know it, I was in his lap. He was very nice and he told me that he gets the American Girl catalog, too, and he knows exactly which doll I want. Then he gave me a candy cane and told me to be a good girl and he'd see me next year. It wasn't scary at all and I am so glad I did it.

The other great part about Breakfast with Santa was that I ran into my first friend in Santa Barbara again. The weekend after we arrived, we had gone to see a kids' version of The Pirates of Penzance. We sat behind a nice little girl named Madeline and got to talking with her parents. And Madeline was at the Breakast with Santa, too! We sat next to each other during the puppet show and we talked quite a bit. Madeline is only 3 and she won't sit on Santa's lap, she waved to him and said hello but that was all. I tried to tell her how nice he is and how easy it is to sit on his lap and not scary at all. But she's not 4 1/2 like me.

Madeline and Me

Now that I've sat on his lap, Santa will surely bring me my American Girl Doll!