Mr. Potato Head

Hey everyone, do you remember my friend Captain Claude, fearless adventurer and pirate? (Side note: I almost ate him for lunch one day.)

Anyways, here's today as our special guest and will help me put together a Mr. Potato Head Pirate Spud!

AARRRR MATEY!!

Wow, there are quite a lot of pieces in this kit. I see ears, arms, a nose, a pirate sword...

Captain Claude and I started putting Mr. Potato Head together.

There was even a parrot to go on top of his hat.

AARRRRR!!

Have you played with a Mr. Potato Head toy before?

Hot Wheels car

Hey, do you want to see something really cool? Of course you do!

I've been beary good lately so my mom got me a red Hot Wheels car! It looks just like my real car.

It's basically a perfect replica, don't you think?

VROOM VROOM!!

Okay, so there are some differences here and there, but it's pretty close. The model car is a 4-seater, and my car is a 2-seater.

Here's a close-up!

This reminds me... I haven't driven my car in a while. Maybe I should get it winterized and checked out by my trusty mechanic.

Bear claw stone

Hi there, Bear Cub Scout Ajdin here! Today, I wanted to show you a rare bear claw stone. Have you seen one of these before?

My beary cool Aunt Joyce found one of these and gave it to me. There aren't that many remaining in the world now. Legend has it that these stones have magical powers of .... err... something magical? They were created by the bear gods a really long time ago and sent to Earth to complete their mission of .... something something something.... I forget how the story goes!

I guess we'll have to wait and see exactly what this stone can do. In the meantime, it'll be a good paperweight! Thanks Aunt Joyce!

Uncle Tibbs' new apron

I was hanging out with Uncle Tibbs when my mom came by with a little surprise for him.

"Something for me?" he asked. Indeed it was, and it was something fun!

"Oh, this is beary exciting!" he giggled.

Uncle Tibbs opened it to reveal a black apron that said "Bear Grills." This is a gift from Droopy and his human and we received it a long time ago but forgot to post about it.

"Put it on, Uncle Tibbs," I said.

"Okay, how does it look? It fits perfectly! This will definitely inspire me to do more grilling."

Thanks for the apron, Droopy! Grilled salmon, anyone?

Lost teddy bear's envy-inducing Hawaiian vacation

Check this out! Looks like he had a good time. Have you been to Hawaii? I haven't been there yet - hopefully soon!

https://www.cnn.com/travel/gallery/lost-teddy-bear-hawaii-vacation-photos/index.html?fbclid=IwAR3IJtE-eEy1LhIYE8q-WFOrQr972S3VeStJC8l6vWGW1wEqSArKUNt8Zv4

New hoodie

My mom got me a new hoodie a few days ago! It's a Super Mario hoodie from Build a Bear Workshop.

First, a big thank you to my friend Droopy who got me a gift card to Build a Bear for Christmas.

Now let's try it on.

Trying to fit clothes over my disproportionally sized head is always a challenge.

*POP!*

Okay, it's on! What do you think?

I love the hood. It's made with actual fleece so it's a bit thicker than any of my other tops and will keep me warm this winter!

What is your favorite winter clothing item?

Belated holiday cards

So, I have some belated holiday cards to share! They are belated not because they arrived late, but because I am posting them just now. Getting a new secretary will be one of the first things I do this year!

The first card is from Sandy. This card has some cute penguins on it! Thanks Sandy!

The other card is from Julie Jane Zebra. Julie and her human run an online shop called Studio Lumio. They make the cutest most wonderful things. This Chinese New Year card is one of them. It will be the year of the pig. Thanks Julie!

Cruise and Chichen Itza

Over the holiday, my mom and I went on a cruise. I have never been on a cruise before, have you? I saw some large ships in the dock where we were leaving from.

But soon, we left the safety of the harbor and went out into the great, big sea! I wonder how many salmon are swimming around right now.

For some reason, I was left in the stateroom a lot (*AHEM*) so I didn't get many pictures of the cruise ship itself. But I did tag along for one of the shore excursions. We stopped in Progreso in the Yucatan in Mexico and went to Chichen Itza.

Wow! This structure is called El Castillo. It is one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. There is a lot of symbolism going on here. You know how there are 365 days in a year? Well, here there are 91 steps on each side of this structure.

91 x 4 sides + one step for the temple at the top = 365

How interesting!

Hey... I think I see a familiar face over there. Could it be?

Yes, it's Droopy!

"Droopy! What are the chances of meeting you here at Chichen Itza?" I said.

"I heard there is a lot of Chicken Pizza here. That's why I came," he replied.

It really is a small world, isn't it?

They used to allow visitors to climb the stairs, but not anymore.

I'm standing in the ball court. Do you see those rings in the wall behind me? Ball players had to get a 10 pound rubber ball through it using only their elbows, knees, and hips. The team captain of the winning team would be sacrificed to the Gods! It was considered an honor to be sacrificed.

And with that, I think it's time to leave...

I enjoyed the cruise and the trip to Chichen Itza!