Christmas Preparation

Dave was able to take three weeks off work. Lucky guy! This is a picture of him at 11a.m.. When do mommies get a vacation? :o)

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Dave and I alternate which family we celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas with each year. This year we were scheduled to spend Christmas with Dave's family. So the Draman family Christmas was scheduled for December 20th.

This year the Draman family Christmas was going to be at Dave and my house. We were really excited!

In preparation for the Christmas feast, I kidnapped my grandmas for the three or so days before to help in making Christmas goodies, appetizers, and parts of the meal. I had such a good time. I think my kitchen was used more in those three days than in the entire time we have lived here. Now after two trys at divinity I think a know what the "hard ball" stage is. My grandmas are troopers. They had to have been exhausted, I know I was, but they kept coming back for more. Here are some shots of my Grandma Draman, my mom, and my Taste Testers.

I also took some shots of the goodies we made. Don't they look yummy!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

Persimin Cookies (not sure on the spelling)

First and second trys at Divinity

Mexican Wedding Cookies

And More...

After sampling all of the different cookies, fudge, peppermint bark, etc. my favorite had to be the Mexican Wedding Cookies. Num Yummy! :o)

The Christmas celebrations have begun!

Every other year Dave and I alternate spending Thanksgiving and Christmas with each others family. This year we are spending Christmas with Dave's family. Because my mom still wanted to celebrate Christmas with us we decided to have the Draman Family Christmas on the 20th.

So the plan was for my family to go up to Dave's family's cabin in truckee to celebrate the Draman Family Christmas on December 20th. I thought it would be so much fun to go up and decorate a Christmas tree, play games, watch Christmas movies, bake cookies...you know all the Christmasy stuff. Unfortunately, Jen and Anthony couldn't go because of a couple of cake orders. Darn it!

Anyway, Mom thought that just because we were not going up to the cabin didn't mean that we couldn't still do some of those Christmasy things here at home. So this week starts all of our Christmasy activities. Last night was the start. Mom, Dad, Grandma Draman, Jen, Anthony, and Caeden came over for dinner. Mexican Food! After dinner we watched Elf while eating popcorn and sipping on hot chocolate. It was lots of fun!

We took this picture of Payton while we were making dinner. We gave her an orange to play with while we were getting dinner ready. She is so cute!

The Park

I have been trying to think of new and stimulating things for Payton and I to do. This week while on a walk with my friend Jessica we decided to go hang out at the park for a little while. To my suprise Payton loved it. I thought she wouldn't be big enough to do anything but that wasn't the case at all.

The first time we went to the park (El Roble) she loved the swing. I should have thought ahead and given her a little more rest time between nursing and swinging...Fortunately she threw up on the back swing so the throw up hit the ground instead of going down her front. :o)

She also enjoyed the slide.

The second time we went to the park (Oak Commons) she loved playing with the colored wheels. She stood and turned them round and round for about 15 minutes. It is so much fun watching her learn and explore.

I want to try and get outside with Payton more. I will just have to find fun things to do in the rain.

Baby Food

I am making baby food!

I have been reading the book Super Baby Food, it talks all about introducing new foods to your wee one and gives you a instructions on how to make your own baby food. I have only made three things squash, pears, and peaches. So far so good. Payton seems to like everything to this point.

Next up carrots!

Payton has a tooth!

A tooth has finally broke the surface! Payton's bottom front left tooth showed its face Sunday, November 2, 2008. Yeah and Uh-Oh at the same time. She loves chewing on fingers, which we may need to stop soon. :o) Fortunately, she hasn't bitten me while nursing...yet.

I also wanted to include this way cute picture of Payton, she has such an adorable smile in it.

Recipe - Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies

Very Yummy!

Bring to a good boil
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
pinch of salt

Add
2 cups quick oatmeal

Leave on heat for 1 minute.
Remove from heat.

Add
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla

Stir

Place spoonfuls of mixture on wax paper.

EAT! :o)

Halloween

I have never really been a Halloween person. Because of this, I went back and forth about whether or not I was going to dress Payton up in a Halloween costume. I figured Payton would just dress her in the Halloween shirt my mom and I found in the dollar racks at Target. I envisioned taking her to one of the pumpkin patches and taking a picture with a pumpkin and that was about it.

The Breastfeeding Support Group and the Las Madres Group that I go to were both having costume parades for the little kids. I thought that it sounded fun to see the babies all dressed up in costumes but just didn't want to go out and spend the money on a costume for Payton. But then my friend Jessica and I were talking on one of our walks and she mentioned that her mother had a bunch of baby Halloween costumes. I asked her if she thought her mother might let me borrow one for Payton to wear and she said of course. Boy was I suprised when I came over the Jessica's house to take a look at the costumes and found about twenty of them to choose from. Payton ended up being a pirate. I have to say I think she was the cutest pirate I have ever seen. I didn't end up making it to either of the costume parades but Dave and I did take her trick or treating to my parent's house, Dave's parents house and to my sister's kitchen in Willow Glen.

Take a look at the pictures we took of Payton at the Pumpkin Patch and then of her Trick or Treating! Enjoy.

Week in Review 10/19/08 - 10/25/08

Dave lost his wedding band! He thinks he must have lost it during his soccer game Monday night. He went back to the field the next morning and walked back and forth trying to find it for more than an hour. Unfortunately, the search was unsucessful. I am still hopeful that it will pop up somewhere. :o)

We are in Truckee! Dave and his friend John planned a trip for this weekend to celebrate John's 30th Birthday.

Dave, Payton, and I came up on Wednesday night. Thursday and Friday we mostly hung out at the cabin but we also went hiking on the trails behind the cabin. We haven't been able to venture too far because of Payton but we ave been able to get out enough to just enjoy the great outdoors. Although the trails run behind the other homes in the neighborhood it still feels like you are out in the wilderness far away from civilization. It is so pretty.



Payton loves it outside. She is so curious about everything and it is fun to watch her take it all in. On one of the hikes Dave taught her that you could eat the needles of a Douglas Fir. Dave handed her a small branch to examine and she stuck it straight into her mouth. Good Times!

Week in Review 10/12/08 - 10/18/08

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEN!

Thursday was a very busy day for Payton and I. We started off by going to visit my friends and ex-coworkers at Palo Alto Medical Foundation. It was so nice to see everyone. I miss them so much, I even miss working if you can believe it. However, I wouldn't trade the time I have been able to spend with Payton for anything.

Kerry and I went to lunch at the Olive Garden. Bread Sticks = Yummy! It was nice being able to visit and catch up. Payton seemed to have a good time too. She chewed on the crayons, child's menu, and Mommy's spoon.

After lunch Payton and I went to visit Daddy's work. We stayed long enough for Payton to projectile vomit all over the floor then took off. :o) It is so fun to see how excited people get when they see a baby, especially in an office.

Payton and I then ventured to Babies R Us to look for a diaper bag. Dave's sister Jen bought a Carters diaper bag that was baby blue suade type material on top and different kind of brown material on the bottom. I thought it was so cute and wanted to get the pink and brown version for myself. I was so excited to find that they had it, the Carters Outlet didn't carry it. Anyone would have laughed if they would have seen my going back and forth after finally finding it trying to figure out if I should spend the $40 on it. I did get it and love it! Well worth the $40 bucks.

Thursday night we had dinner with Dave's family. Jen's husband Preston came into town, it was good to visit with them. Payton and Ethan had fun playing and we ended the night with Sweet Retreat. I just love this picture of Ethan, slobber and all.

Friday, we went to San Jose to have dinner with my sister Jen for her 29th birthday. We ate at the Cheesecake Factory. I was sad that I wasn't going to be able to eat my favorite dish from there, the Four Cheese Pasta, but I ended up having the Chicken and Avacado Sandwhich which ended up being very good too.

Saturday, Payton and I went to Dave's Soccer game and then on to his parent's house for dinner. When we got to Dave's parent's house we noticed some writing on their Vote Yes for Prop 8 sign. It said if you are close enough to read this you are trespassing. P.S. You are being video taped. I guess their sign had been stolen before. I thought it was really funny.

Jen and Ethan are here!

Dave's sister Jen and her son Ethan are here in San Jose to visit family for a little over a week. Yeah!

Payton and Ethan are only about a month apart and it is so fun watching them interact. They are both so cute! I just love watching babies play.

Wednesday, Jen and Ethan are going to come with me and Payton to our Breastfeeding Support Group and the Las Madres Play Date. It should be lots of fun!

Payton's First Meal

Yesterday was an exciting day for Payton. She had her first "solids" meal...very soupy rice cereal.

Mommy and Daddy both got a turn to feed her. At first I don't think she knew what was going on but she figured it out pretty quickly and was waiting with an open mouth for more.

It is amazing how fast she learns things. It is amazing how fast Daddy learns things too. He learned not to set a glass of water next to Payton. :o)

She is so much fun. Isn't she cute!