Happy New Year!

Back at home after our long trip with family, even though she loved all the excitement and new experiences, Jadyn was super happy to get back into her usual routine. During her first day back at school, she told her teachers and classmates that she had been on an airplane as part of her vacation, and she reportedly grinned from ear to ear during outside play time.

The next day was a school and work holiday for everyone, so we hit our usual local coffeeshop. It was crisp but dry, and Jadyn couldn't wait to get in the backpack for the walk over, sporting her new monkey hat. Immediately, though, she looked a little sleepy. (Jet lag is hard on adults and kids alike!)



Once we arrived at our destination, she perked right up, as she had friends all around. She was content to hang out for more than an hour, probably close to a record for her. She now requests "scone" by name, because that's what she's been sharing with Mommy on these outings for more than a year now!

Dave and his iPhone are always huge hits!


Then on New Year's Eve, we hosted a small group of neighbors for New Year's fun. Jadyn and Cleo had their first impromptu sleepover, with Cleo bunking in a sleeping bag on the floor next to Jadyn's crib. Both little ladies got a pretty good night's sleep, and the New Year began with a waffle breakfast and artsy fun with colored pencils and stickers.




There were plenty of gifts back in Seattle, too, which we opened on New Year's Day.

Magnetic letters from MomMom and Granddaddy


MomMom and Granddaddy also gave Jadyn her own lotion, so she doesn't have to use Mommy's all the time anymore.

These pretty packages contained super fun presents that Jadyn never knew existed!


An ice cream play set!



A cookie play set, too! Thanks for these gifts, Uncle Jason, Aunt Crissy, and Bryanna!

She didn't waste a minute heading to the oven to put these in. (Rest assured that the oven is completely OFF here.)






Another much loved gift is a CD of the Jackson 5's greatest hits, another great gift from MomMom and Granddaddy. She requests it nearly nightly, and in general loves to dance. As you can tell, it's hard to catch her enthusiasm for grooving with a still photo.




Hope you are having a rocking new year so far! Jadyn surprises us nearly everyday with something she has never said before. For example, we heard her warn Cosmo just yesterday, after he jumped upon a bookshelf, "Cosmo, that's not safe!" There is little wonder where she learned that line, ha ha! Stay tuned for more events and adventures from the world according to Jadyn....

Photos from Christmas Vacation

In December, Jadyn spent 8 days in Ohio to celebrate Christmas with family. She got to enjoy two sets of grandparents along with many other relatives. She traveled pretty well, for a 22-month old especially, and kept her cool most of the time with less sleep than she's used to at home. Long naps and early bedtimes were competely out of the question -- there were way too many exciting things going on!

Dinner party at Aunt Julie's with Grandpa Jim and Granny Pat

Making muscles with Grandpa

Eating pie with Snowman (Jadyn and Snowman spent a LOT of time together on this visit)

Jadyn sporting a "ho ho hat"


There were several gift-exchange events this holiday season. Jadyn liked opening a present or two at a time, but then she wanted to engage with the new items and lost interest in opening more gifts.

New clothes meant new clothes to wear RIGHT NOW. These frog pajamas have been a huge hit ever since she opened them!


Kisses with Grandma Jeanne

Wearing a new shirt, opening a new toy

When someone else opened something interesting, Jadyn was right there to check it out or try it on. Here she is in Grandma Jeanne's new fleece pullover.

New snowman pajamas, too? Wow! Cool! Gotta try them on NOW!
Here Jadyn is making sure her new stuffed friend has enough milk to last the night.


We also spent time hanging out at Grandma Jeanne's, who had saved toys from Mommy's childhood to share with Jadyn, such as these fun connecting shapes.

Jadyn loved using the stairs at everyone's house on this vacation. Mom and Dad were grateful that she was so good at them that we didn't have to watch her like a hawk everytime she went near them. At Grandma Jeanne's, she liked going up a step or two to dance, and then jumping (well, sort of jumping) down.

Jadyn really enjoyed introducing Grandma Jeanne to YouTube music videos of Baby Beluga and Googly Eyes.

Drawing at Grandma's desk


Christmas Eve in the basement of Jenny's grandma's house is a very long-standing family tradition. All the people and presents were a little overwhelming to an overstimulated BabyJ, but she opened a few packages on her own, and she has definitely enjoyed all of her gifts.

I love my new baby!

These shades are super fun!


On Christmas Day, Jadyn and Mommy took Daddy to the airport so he could go visit his parents and grandmom. Christmas dinner in Ohio was super yummy, and Jadyn especially enjoyed the chocolate covered pretzels on the desssert tray. Like mother, like daughter!

I sure like my Auntie Julie ;-)


It was cold our entire visit in Ohio, with snow on the ground the whole time. It was a pretty big change not being outside much, like we are in Seattle. A couple times Jadyn did make the effort to visit the fish in Grandpa Frank's pond. They always came out from under the rocks to see her!


We are so grateful to our friends and family who made the trip so wonderful and memorable for us. Jadyn really soaked up all the attention from family and the stimulation that new settings provide, and her vocabulary grew immensely. Hope you had a great December holiday, too!

Haircut!

Just a quick post before things get really crazy heading into the Christmas holiday....

Jadyn helped Mommy, Jeannie, and Alexa make cookies a couple of weekends ago. Because she was at Alexa's house, exploring all of Alexa's toys was way more interesting than rolling sugar cookie dough and cutting shapes in the dough. But she did manage to press out a few cookies as part of the fun. Isn't she cute in an apron?


We finally decided it was time to give Jadyn's mullet a rest. So we spent a few minutes in a salon close to home to tidy things up. She did really well, and we have some keepsake locks to enclose in her baby journal. She still has curls, but they are closer to the nape of her neck now.




Our next post will include photos from Christmas visits with family. Stay tuned!

And We Gave Thanks

Our Thanksgiving trip to Denver was a smashing success! Jadyn was a pleasant airplane passenger and got along famously with her new friends, Enzo and Maxine. She played a little Nerf football with the Enzo and friends on Thanksgiving, shrieking with delight when she was able to scoop up a fumble and run it across the room for a touchdown. We even had her spiking the ball after a score! Maxine's room was a treasure trove of fun things to explore, and she was most interested in hitting play on Maxine's CD player, so she could dance to Jackson 5's Greatest Hits. A kitchen drawer of cups and straws was also worth checking out.

Who could resist riding the big stuffed animals? Not these girls!

The Thanksgiving feast was fantastic, as usual.

The next day we went for a hike at Bluff Lake.



We also visited with former neighbors who now live in Boulder. One room in their house was set up for various gymnastic like activities, which Jadyn enjoyed immensely.




Thanks to our hosts for a great vacation -- we escaped the freezing temperatures and snow in Seattle for bright sun and lots of love and friendship! Jadyn used the opportunity to expand her vocabulary each day, push her physical limits trying to keep up with the older kids, and explore her unique sense of style.

Hope your Thanksgiving was just as bright!