Cali 3 - Christmas!!

I get so lazy as I write catch-up posts that all I want to do is post pictures and short captions. But that makes me so torn because I just made my ENTIRE blog (minus 2014) into 2 books and I have found that it is 100 times easier and looks 100 times nicer when I write a lot and only put a few pictures. Also, turning your blog into a book is hard work!! Almost not worth it...almost. So we'll see how this post turns out.

Christmas Eve
We celebrated Christmas with my family on Christmas Eve since that was the day my brother and his family would be with us. My nephew, Henry, is in kindergarten now and he read and handed out all the presents. I was at the opposite end of the room as Bryan and Max so I didn't get very good pictures of Max opening his gifts. One thing we did for the first time in our Christmas career at that house was we opened gifts in the front room instead of the big living room! It may not sound like a big deal, but it felt so weird! The big room has HUGE windows and the sunlight was shining through like crazy and it was just way too hot to open presents in there.

 Max loves the piano and that laptop.

 Everyone knows by now what Max likes: trains and vehicles.

 Henry

 Apollo is adorable.

 My niece, Thea, put on the shirt she got, all by herself, over the shirt she was already wearing. So cute!

 Mamacita

 Best shot I could get of Max and his Uncle Kaleb.

 Max's self portraits. I thought this one was just so hilarious!

 My dad.

Christmas

Christmas Day was spent at the Jones'. This was the very last Christmas we will be spending with Grandma and Papa Jones in California since they are moving to Utah in the next month-ish. Since Bryan and I got married, 6 years ago, we have been so lucky to share each and every holiday with both of our families, often together. From now on we will have to split up our vacations and holidays and actually take turns with each family, since our parents will be living in different states. There are downsides and benefits to both. I won't dawdle on the negatives, but the best positive is that when we are with one family, we will BE with only that family and not have to split up our time with them. Anyway, we got there late Christmas morning (meaning, like, 9am) and Daniel's family, Bryan's brother, had already finished opening their gifts. Probably a good thing. Max was such a pro at opening gifts by that time that he was sure so help even Grandma open hers. We had dinner at Hometown Buffet and it was actually really delicious! We had almost a private room off to the side too, so it was nice and quiet and spacious for us.

 Woohoo for Clayton Kershaw and having a woman's jersey for once!

 Cousin Ethan had received this air rocket thing and all the boys had so much fun testing it out!

 Uncle Daniel, cousins Ethan and Carter.

 My niece Hannah was super sweet with me the whole time we were there. She never really talked to me because she was being shy, but she became pretty attached to my hip and would hold my hand and stuff. I don't know how it happened, but I am seriously a little girl magnet! Hannah had to be bribed into taking this picture with me :)

What a wonderful Christmas we had!

Cali Highights - 2

Disneyland!!
We were treated by the in-laws to a trip to Disneyland!! (2 actually. I'll save that one for later). We stayed in a super sweet hotel for two nights: Embassy Suites. Max did surprisingly well sleeping in the hotel; since we had a king bed, he slept with us (which I hate because I can't sleep with anyone touching me, but the bed was so huge, Max never touched me or Bryan!). It did have a coi pond/stream though and every chance he got, he tried to jump right into the water.

 First ride of the day: the tram!

 On the tractor ride.

Max basically hated every single ride EXCEPT for the same one he loved last year: Mater's Junkyard Jamboree at California Adventure. He rode it SEVEN TIMES total!!! He asked for it again and again and again. I think he rode it once in the morning and then six times at night while Bryan and I switched off to ride something else.

They have AWESOME toddler level drinking fountains that I would never have noticed before Max.

We ate lunch at Ariel's Grotto, where each of the princesses comes by your table to chat and take pictures. I took a picture with Belle and felt so embarrassed! I felt like a little kid and she was so sweet and treated me like any other fan. She asked me my name and showed me how to pose "just like a princess" and I was blushing so hard! We were seated right by the water and Max enjoyed feeding the ducks. The kid's dessert was so cute: a cookie, a cupcake and strawberry milk.

We headed over to Disneyland and took Max to Tom Sawyer's island, thinking he as going to fall asleep pretty quickly after. When we thought he had, Bryan and I headed over to ride the Matterhorn, which ended up closing down on us halfway through the line for 45 minutes so we decided to come back later. When we got back to Max, thinking he would be awake by then, it turned out he had JUST finally cried himself to sleep. At east he enjoyed the parade in the meantime. He tried watching the parade as we passed it later that evening too, but we didn't stop for him. Bryan and I are always very ride driven when we go to Disneyland and consider anything else to be a waste of time, but as I'm writing this blog, I'm thinking that seriously needs to change. Max hated most of the rides, but love the parade when he watched it with his grandparents. Okay, okay, lesson learned. So anyway, we ventured back to the Matterhorn. Max only slept for a half an hour and was crying and crying a very panicky cry because we weren't there, worrying his Grandma Jones so much! Poor baby.

 He loves ducks!

 Matterhorn!

Max being cuddly (and tearful) after we reunited.

We tried taking Max through Mickey's house to meet Mickey Mouse, which I hoped he would like, but basically knew he wouldn't so I don't know why I even tried. He enjoyed most of the house while we waited in line, but started freaking out when it got more claustrophobic, so we had to leave before seeing Mickey. Max loved running around Toontown though so I guess that's good! Oooooh, except, poor poor kid, we were with the Grandparents and Bryan's brother's family, and everyone got fastpasses for Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin. Well, not wanting to waste the fastpasses, we took Max on it and I KNEW he wouldn't like it, but thought maybe, possibly he could? HE HATED IT!!!! He hated it soooooo much!!! I felt so bad!! I have to start listening to my instincts more and not make him do things that I basically know he won't like, just because I wish he would.

Papa Jones got Max an awesome balloon inside a balloon that Bryan managed to put a whole in the next day. We slowed it down with some tape, but it didn't last much too long after that...At least he still had his other awesome Papa Jones present to keep him happy (train)! Also, Max never really knew who Mickey and his friends were before going down to California because we don't have cable and he doesn't like to watch movies. Thanks to his Papa though, always pointing Mickey out to him and asking Max where's Mickey, now he always asks us to pick him up so he can point to Mickey in a picture on the wall and he loves watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse!