This Christmas was the BEST ONE EVER!!! I got a Nintendo Switch!!! I almost screamed when I opened it (okay, maybe I did scream a little). It’s so cool! We already had some games, so I didn’t even have to wait. I’ve been playing a ton, and I’m gonna beat all the bosses!

This weekend we’re going to Red Lodge! There’s gonna be a HOT TUB!!! I’m totally going to stay in it until I look like a raisin. We’re also gonna make a fire and roast HOTDOGS! It’s gonna smell sooooo good. I love hotdogs. I might eat three. Or five.

I’m SUPER excited!! This is the best winter break ever! I don’t even wanna think about going back to school. School is fine, I guess, but it’s not hot tubs and video games, you know?

Anyway, this winter break rules!!!

We hiked up the hill and then dashed down through the obstacle course. We had to find matching ski poles hidden in a field, hop over hay bales, sink a shot in frisbee golf, and chug either Mountain Dew or water. The first person to finish all the challenges was the winner.

I ended up in 3rd place, but the best part was that every kid who raced got a season ski pass! It was such a fun and crazy experience.

I think that the gluten free diet has been not that bad…but there are definitely foods that I really like, and foods that I really don’t.  I’m kind of sad that I can’t have some of my favorite foods, like breakfast burritos bought from the store with a flour tortilla.  When I accidentally or on-purpose eat something with wheat then my stomach hurts for a whole day.  For example last weekend when mom forgot to bring gluten free graham crackers for the s’mores, and I ate the regular ones, that night and the whole next day my stomach was complaining about it!!

I did want to tell you about some yummy foods I have found that are gluten free:

Gluten Free Oreos

I like Double-Stuf Gluten free oreos.  They taste like normal Oreos!

Gluten Free Chips Ahoy!

I really like gluten-free Chips-Ahoy cookies. They also taste like the normal snack cookies!

Honey Grahams

 

I DON’T really care for gluten free Honey Grahams, unless I am eating them with s’mores.

Nut Butter Stuffed Sandwich Cookies

I also DON’T really care for gluten free nutter butter cookies, because they have a nutty flavor that I don’t really like.

Franz Gluten Free Bread

I DON’T really like gluten free bread in general.  Everything is too crumbly and too dry, especially hot dog and hamburger buns.  I am OK with the Franz White Bread for Nutella sandwiches because it tastes a bit like cinnamon toast.  There is also a gluten free bakery in town that makes decent bread.

Gluten Free Variety Snacks

My mom has been getting me some variety snack packs so I can try things out.

Do you have more ideas for delicious gluten free foods? We would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below!

To hear about my celiac diagnosis from my mom’s perspective, go to her blog at ColleenWoodMD.com

Last Thursday was my first practice of the season, and it was a big one for me. It was my first time back on the rig since I broke my arm. I was a little nervous, but mostly just super pumped to get back out there.

We rotated through a bunch of different stations, but my absolute favorite was working on laches! What’s a lache, you ask? It’s only the coolest move ever! You swing on a bar, let go completely, fly through the air like a superhero, and then grab the next bar. The further the bars are apart, the harder it is.

And guess what? I nailed a 4-foot lache! It felt amazing to fly through the air like that again. The best part? My arm felt totally fine! Not even a tiny ache. It feels so good to know it’s all healed up and ready for action.

It was the perfect first practice back. Now, I’ve got my eye on a new prize for this season: the fly-away. That’s where you swing off a bar, do a full backflip, and stick the landing. It’s a huge goal, but I’m ready to work for it.

Watch out, world, the ninja is back!

I’m not nervous at all—because I’m a ninja. I’ve been practicing on the pull-up bar at home and doing flips into the foam pit at the jump park. I think I’ll be back to my old self in no time!

“I love rock climbing too! I’m not just a ninja, okay? One time I was in a bouldering competition. (Bouldering means no ropes—just me, the wall, and my squishy crash pad if I fall. Scary but fun!)

They rank climbs with a V and a number, like V1, V2, V3. The bigger the number, the harder it is. (So basically V stands for Very Hard.)

Anyway, it was almost the end of the competition and I was in 4th place. Boo. Then I saw a V3 climb that could bump me up to 2nd. But the problem was—it had a GIANT jump. Like superhero-jump giant. I had already tried it five times, and my arms were like spaghetti noodles.

But I jumped, and grabbed the tiny ledge with just my fingers. AND I MADE IT!! Guess who got second place? This ninja.”

I fell in love with Ninja the same way many do: by watching American Ninja Warrior and thinking, ‘Looks easy enough.’ Spoiler alert: it’s not.

But my competitive spirit is a stubborn beast, and I quickly found out I was pretty good at it. So good, in fact, that I made it to Worlds! I even won both of my ‘Ninja vs. Ninja’ races, proving I was a top contender. But my journey had a little speed bump. A broken arm, to be exact. Let’s just say my hospital stay was not on the schedule, nor was the overnight stay or the souvenir surgery. Now I’m back, documenting my recovery journey and my eventual triumphant return to the ‘big stage.’ I might have a few more screws in me, but I’m ready to take on the world—and hopefully, not a hospital bed.

August 12, 2025

I made “Ninja Bread Men” with broken arms for fun after my injury.

This summer, my arm got a big booboo! I broke it in July and had to get a special operation on my elbow. They even put some giant pins in there! Then, I had to wear a long cast for a whole month.

Last Tuesday, I finally got my cast and the pins out. Woo-hoo! My arm is a little bit shy right now. I can’t bend it all the way to touch my shoulder or straighten it out completely.

To help it get strong again, I’m doing my own special exercises. Every day, I do 10 push-ups on my knees and a one-minute plank. My arm feels a little sore, but it’s okay.

My doctor says I’ll be all better by the time school starts. I can’t do my Ninja class or play dodgeball yet, but I can go swimming and ride my bike.

I’m hoping my arm heals super fast so I can be a ninja again! The new ninja season starts right after Labor Day. Wish me luck!

8/17/25

That doctor’s office felt a little bit like a superhero’s hideout. Not because it was secret or had cool gadgets, but because something big and life-changing was about to happen. My mom is a doctor who helps people with something called diabetes, so she knows all about how our bodies work.

One day, she had a super-duper special new test for both diabetes and something else called celiac disease. She asked if I could be her helper, her sidekick, for the test. I was so excited! I mean, how many kids get to help their doctor mom with a science project? So, I bravely let her poke my finger with a tiny little needle—just a quick pinch!

Then, we waited. It felt like forever, but my mom’s face told me the story before she even said the words. The good news came first: “You probably won’t get diabetes,” she said with a big smile. Phew! That was a relief. But then her face got a little bit serious, and she told me the other part.

The test said that I would probably get celiac disease. I had no idea what that was! My mom explained it to me like this: my tummy has little protectors inside that are supposed to fight off bad stuff. But with celiac, they get mixed up and start fighting a kind of food called gluten, which is in things like bread and pasta. She said this is why my tummy has been hurting sometimes and why I might have broken my arm a while ago. It was a big surprise!

So, for the next six weeks, I have a new mission: to become a gluten-free kid! I’ll have to say goodbye to some of my favorite foods, but I’m also going to try a bunch of new, yummy ones. I’m going to keep a special journal about all the new foods I eat and tell you all about how they taste. I’ll share all the fun and maybe even some of the tricky parts of my new adventure.

Wish me luck on my gluten-free journey!

To learn how to diagnose celiac for free, and to hear my mom’s perspective, go to her blog at ColleenWoodMD.com

8/12/26