Merry Christmas, etc.

It has been forever since I have posted.  I apologize.  I intended to post before we left California and then while we were in Washington, but it just didn't happen.  Soo, now I have a ridiculously long post to write and it's 9:30 pm, I feel like it's midnight and I don't have either my mom's or my sister's photos.  So I'll do the best I can for now and will update later as possible.

FIRST, I kept forgetting to share the Santa picture.  Some of you have seen it, but not everyone.  It's pretty fantastic:

Santa was very patient.  He kind of couldn't believe we were actually going to try to take a picture.  He thought we were just visiting.  Ha, Santa, you had no idea what was coming.

Last week was hectic, trying to get ready for Christmas, to get ready for flying to Seattle and for both Carmen and me to finish up the various things we needed to finish for work.  We somehow survived.  But we definitely didn't get a lot of pictures.

We had our Wallace/Ferrin family Christmas on Friday night, just the three of us.  It was fun except that of course Jayden didn't nap at all at daycare on Friday so he was a hot mess.  Carmen and I liked our gifts, though!

We bought him this super cute personalized chair.  And this was the reaction we got.  Not exactly reinforcing.  I'm hoping the reaction to the chair when he sees it tomorrow makes up for this one.  

We were lucky enough to be in first class on our flight on Saturday and the flight was just wonderful.  The flight attendant was extra friendly, Jayden was incredibly pleasant, everything went wonderfully.

Jayden fell asleep in my lap reading the Alaska airlines magazine.  And if you want to be specific about it, we were looking at  a Subaru ad with cars and a dog.  Suddenly I realized his hands had gone limp and he was out.  This was about halfway through the flight - he slept the rest of the way and only woke up when we were walking off.  It was great.  

Sunday we just hung around the house, relaxing and getting ready for the next couple of days of overeating.  Monday we went to the park to get Jayden out of the house and prepped some more.  And of course had our traditional Christmas eve meal of pizza and posole.  It is my absolute favorite meal, the primary thing I look forward to every year.  Wherever I am, I will always have to have pizza and posole for Christmas eve.  It makes me smile just thinking about it.  Jayden was asleep by the time we had this meal, but we tried it on him for lunch the next day.  He was not super excited, but he did eat a little bit of the pizza and he loved the homemade tortillas.  Thanks Lizzle!

Grandma had a wheelbarrow at her house.  While it was sort of fun for Jayden to push, it was much more enjoyable for him to make his Grandma bend over and push him all over the house.  He's so lucky he has a nice Grandma.

It did help with the cleaning up, though.  As Grandma pushed him around, she just piled the toys on top of him until they got back to the toy bins.  All of the toys on his lap are toys I played with when I was little.  My mom is the queen of recycling and now has a stash of "brand new" toys for Jayden at her house.  :)

We are NOT a fan of mittens when we are in the car.  Keep that in mind, please.

However, when it's 32 degrees outside and your family takes you to the park, you suddenly love your mittens AND your hat.   

Jayden even let Auntie Ellen push him down the slide.  Until, of course, he realized that he was alone with her at the top. He's never gone down the slide so fast!  (just kidding, he actually loved the slide so much that he was fine)

Grandma Barb is waaaay more fun than Mama or Daddy!

Turns out all Santas are scary, not just real-life ones.  Mechanical Santas with movement and a light-up candle in his hand are also kind of scary.  Although, within a couple of days Jayden was shaking Santas hand and asking for him to be turned out.  Maybe a clue for me next year - take Jayden to Santa to visit a couple of times before forcing him to take a picture.  We'll try.  Maybe.

Jayden walking.  His hands were usually either up in the air or down in front of him.  So hilarious.  He's so much better at walking now, it's just amazing.

Christmas morning!  A new Tonka dump truck and two little trucks to play with.  The rest of the toys are "old" toys from when I was little, or toys we brought from home.  Trucks are definitely a hit with this little boy.

A pensive moment.  In his Christmas pajamas.  I love Hanna Anderson, even if they run small and are a little expensive.  It's worth the splurge every once in a while.  Especially when they come from Grandma!

Loving on the Lion from Aunt Becky, Uncle Michael, Aunt Emily and Uncle Matthew.  Honestly, probably the softest lion ever.  And Jayden isn't usually a huge stuffed animal fan.  But this one was a clear hit.  

Kissing the corolle doll.  When he kisses the "baby" he even makes the kissing noise.  It's so cute.  This of course was after Grandma Barb taught him to "dump" the baby out of his dump truck.  Clearly no younger siblings are in his future any time soon.  They would quickly be dumped, squished, dropped, thrown, etc.  And maybe kissed.  But maybe not.  

The day after.  Playing with the keyboard from Great Aunt Terri, Aunt Emily, Aunt Molly and Aunt Taira.  And wearing the shirt from Gabby (slash Jackie - thank you!).  So many choices!  

We thought we'd lost Grandma and Jayden on the ferry.  Turns out Jayden was just walking in circles and Grandma Barb is still learning how to say "no."  :)

Jayden and Mama looking out the window of the ferry on the way home from a day of shopping/wandering in Seattle.  Watching the white caps on the waves is a pretty cool thing, even for a 15-month-old.

It may have taken five days, but Auntie Ellen gets some love!

And even a smile!!!!!  

There are definitely more pictures to be posted, and I know Ellen has even loaded hers onto her computer already.  But once Ellen and Mom get those pictures to me, I'll throw a few more up here.  I just wanted to give everyone a rundown of the last few days since it had been so long since I posted.

The important things to know are that we're now home in California, Jayden and I will go tomorrow to get Jasmine and we're going to take advantage of me having the next five days off.  I hope everyone is warm and happy, wherever they are.  If I don't post before New Years, have a wonderful New Years celebration and we all wish you the best in 2013.  And if anyone is in Southern California and is interested in watching the East Coast celebration and going to bed by 10 pm or so, hit me up.  If you've never partied with a one year old you've got to try it.