With back-to-back 4-day weekends, we had activities all lined up for the holidays. Last Saturday, we took Westley to the Global Winter Wonderland. We had sent my parents there some years ago, but thanks to tickets from my post-doc, it was our turn to be dazzled by the gaudy lanterns, foamy faux snow, and Chinese acrobats. Westley was too little for the fairground rides and too confused by the tribal dance, so we left early for creative vegetarian fare at Mother before calling it a night. On Sunday, we stocked up on beef noodle soup ingredients from 99 Ranch and lunched at Yum Buffet, where Westley stuffed himself on sesame balls and taro buns. Having purchased season passes for Six Flags, we had planned to go after his half-school-day on Monday. But winter rain kept us indoors, and we spent the afternoon assembling his Christmas present, which helped to alleviate a grumpy wake-up from nap time. On Christmas day, my sister-in-law and niece joined us for waffles and omelettes while Westley showed off his holiday act, followed by a round of Settlers of Catan during naptime. After a short week taking down disappointing beef noodle soup from a new Instant Pot recipe, we successfully made the trip to Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo. Westley had clear preferences for certain amusement rides (like the train and safari jeeps), but the wildlife exhibits were mostly empty. Without our coats, we warmed up with overpriced smores at the theme park, followed by hearty kalbi tang, soondubu, and KFC at Hot Stone Korean Kitchen. We spent the next two days doing more grocery shopping and home vegging, with Westley binge-watching Pete the Cat and us checking out the most recent Avengers before the ball dropped on New Year’s Eve. We rang in New Year’s Day with a visit to the Sac Zoo. Thanks to a gift membership from a thoughtful colleague, we enjoyed the hyperactive meerkats and hyperacoustic gibbons, followed by HK-style lunch at Macau Cafe. In the evening, we gave Westley a nice haircut as we prepare for another exciting year ahead.