Christmas 2010

Christmas has come and gone so fast, I can't even believe it! It was once again another wonderful holiday, and here in Texas we got to do many things and enjoy time with family and friends.. Here are some pictures from our trip..


Cooper in his scarf!!




Chloe in her scarf!




Chloe wants to make sure she is not left when we go back home.. she hangs out here anytime we are gone!




Still a working...



Sister and I with our doggies!




The family!!




Grandparents with the family!





Drake and I before Christmas Eve Service!




Mom's Christmas tree.. one day I will be able to decorate like her! :)




Chloe on Christmas Day in her "Santa's Favorite" outfit!




Cooper in his "Santa's Helper" outfit!



Drake really liked his stocking!!!




Cooper was not sure about his present!




Easton got more presents than anyone.. it was crazy and he is not even here yet!! Julie is going to have to calm down when he really gets here! :) But he got some cute outfits !




Some of Easton's Presents!!



Chloe and her presents.. she was ready to go!




Easton got a diaper bag for mommy to carry, but Chloe thinks it is her bag!! She is in for a surprise come May!




Our cooks!!




My grandma and her drink ( which is never far) and the really cute hat she knit for Easton!!



Chloe was Santa!!!




Drake and I!!

Hope everyone had a great Christmas!!!!

Christmas Treats...

This Christmas season has been a very different season then in the past. For starters I actually had time to enjoy the season. With more free time, I took full advantage to take part in all Christmas traditions, which I regretful have to admit I have not done in the past. Christmas seasons tend to turn in to people running around with their heads cut off, and running from one event to another yet never getting a chance to stop and actually enjoy the time.

This year I can honestly say ( not sure this is a good thing) that I watched every FALALALA Lifetime Christmas movie they aired. Yep, I put them on Tivo and watched them when I had down time. It was so nice to sit in front of the Christmas tree, drink hot chocolate and watch good ole family Christmas movies!

I also went to see a few different Christmas light displays, not to mention made it to the city twice to see the Christmas decorations and festivities.. on one weekend I saw a Santacon ( aka pup crawl) but Santa's were everywhere!

Macy's might be my favorite building here in the city when it is lite up!!! So pretty, however inside their store is another story, always a mess, but my guess is because everyone thinks it is the last day to use their famous WOW coupon that is 1 day only.. however this 1 day only coupon is only to be followed by 25 more coupons. It cracks me up the number of Macy's mailings I have received this year..

To finish up my holiday season ( here in California) I spent a whole day baking for friends and Drake's coworkers.. It was so nice to spend a whole day in my PJ's cooking and well of course taste testing my creations.

Here are some pictures from the Season and my new wish is that I take time every year to really enjoy the season and not rush around no matter how busy the future years may be! :) .. Next year I will be adding Taking Easton to go see Santa to my list of things to do. :) Can't wait..



This was maybe a 100th of the number of Santa's I saw in one day! :) It was so funny, but I would have been so confused as a kid!!



Drake's mom and I in front of the Macy's building!!



Homemade Peanut Butter Cookies with little Kisses, Drake's favorite!




I called this operation Cinnamon Roll. Growing up one of my best friends Amber's Mom, made this Cinnamon roll in the shape of a candy cane, it was always my favorite. Making it from scratch scared me, but it turned out ok.. I still have room for improvement, but I will call it a success!!




Puppy Chao.. I think I ate half of this before I gave anyone any, oops I can account a few pounds to this for sure!

 Now we are off to Texas to finish up the Holiday Season and Enjoy some family time!!

                                                     Merry Christmas !!!

A little Rainy Weekend..

Well I have discovered that here in San Francisco, they consider the heart of winter to be Rainy.. and that is exactly what kind of weather we have had for days and days. However, Drake and I took full advantage of a nice rainy weekend to relax around the house during the day and attend Christmas Parties at night! :) It has been a great weekend.

Here are is a glimpse of our wonderful weekend:


Friday Night we attend the 49er chirtmas party!! I had plans of taking all these pictures however the battery in the camera was dead when we got there.. bummer.. so this is from drake's blackberry which explains why it is not a great picture, but thought Santa deserved to make the blog today! :) He did give us our christmas present early this year.. Finding out that we are haivng a boy!



Saturday we literally did not get off the couch and we watched 18 episodes of 24 on Net flicks.. yes, you read right 18... we are taking full advantage of days of laying around before they come to an end in May when our little boy arrives.



I was a bad girl and opened my present from mother in law early, I figured we leave in a few days and it is raining outside so it was a great day to play on my new sewing machine! ;) THANK YOU MAUREEN!!!



So I made Little Easton a new hat.. I am pretty proud at my first attempt of sewing!! I bought stuff to make a little outfit but the hat wiped me out, so I am taking a break! :)



To end this cold rainy day Drake and I are back at watching 24 and drinking hot chocolate!! I love this time of year!! Once again, I know this is a horrible pictures, however I will have you know that Drake REFUSED to get his picture taken while drinking hot chocolate because he stated he was not showered and his hair was a mess... I mean come on it is just my blog, so I am putting this here just to prove to him that it doesn't matter!! ( I might have to delete after he sees that I posted the picture, but he dosn't have to know that!! I just thought it was funny he cared so much! :) )

 I hope that everyone has a great week leading up to Christmas!!

It's a BOY!!!!

Today was a very exciting day for our growing little family. Words really don't describe how I felt when I finally got to know what we were having, and my feelings had nothing to do with being able to finally shop for the baby, but more that every little girl dreams of their family one day but you can never really know what the makeup of your family will consist of. Well today we got to know that we are starting with a boy, which is perfect for us, an older brother to any sibling is always great, and I finally can truly picture my growing family as we prepare for this journey.

God truly has blessed us with exactly what we need, and although I would be lying if I said that I won't miss cute little dresses and bows, I would be lying again if I didn't tell you that my little heart is already bursting at the seams with excitement to go to sporting events, to see boys playing in my yard and to have a little mama's boy running around.. being that I never grew up with boys around the house this will all be new for me, but I am ready... and beaming from ear to ear!!

Here are pictures from the day!!


Chloe could not wait to share the news!!




I held out for so long on buying stuff so I had to go out and buy something today!!




I for some reason can't get this pictures turned but this is him letting us know he is a BOY!!




I loved this picture because it had his spine in it!!

A good note to end the day.. he is healthy and everything looked great according to the doctor.. always comforting to hear! :) 

Will it be a boy or a girl???

Tomorrow is the day.. the day I have been waiting for since the moment I found out if I was pregnant. I keep picturing my little family with a baby, however it drives me nuts that sometimes this little baby has on a dress and a bow and sometimes this little baby does not..

I have looked a baby cloths this fall at least 100 times, however it always kills me that I can't buy anything since I didn't know weather to buy blue or pink.. well not to worry, after our appointment tomorrow, I will be heading to a store, just so I can buy a little dress or a little polo! :)

Either way Drake and I will be super happy and excited.. I think it is a boy, and will fall off the table if it is not, however Drake thinks it is a girl( but I think he thinks this just because he wants to challenge me and be right if I am wrong)..

I will be back tomorrow with the answer!!!!

Christmas Parties.. it is that time of the year!!

Christmas Party outfit 1 by cdrake10 featuring a chanel bag

This is the outfit I have put together that I would like to be wearing to the Christmas party next week.. however with the plumpness I have been sporting lately, I think not even these cute cloths can make me feel cute.. but please image this dress with a little baby that is hiding under it, yes I know not attractive!! I do love this time of year though when there are lots of Christmas parties to attend and fun and joy all around!!

Speaking of Fun, Drake's mom is coming in today and we are going to have such a fun weekend playing around town and in the city, visitors that come during the holiday season get an extra treat of seeing the city all light up and filled with Christmas decor.. it just makes you want to walk around with a Starbucks in your hand and sing Christmas carols!! I will keep you posted if I do see Maureen singing:)

A big day...

So for a short note, today was a great day mainly due to the fact that I got my first sub position in the Evergreen school district here in San Jose. I was so excited to get back into the classroom, and on top of that these students are a real treat, they actually call me Mrs. Drake instead of , " Hey Miss".. hearing please and thank you also almost made me fall out of my seat too! :) So needless to say, I have enjoyed today, however my pants want me to think otherwise.

So I got dressed at the gym today and just threw in my black work pants, which have not been worn since May, but I was not even thinking ( or I have been deceiving myself by wearing my stretchy jeans) but I thought that I could still fit in all my pants.. Well I was WRONG.. while at the gym with no back up pants, I discover that these pants are not going to button.. so what is a girl to do when she has to be at work in 20 mins.. well I have gone the whole day with my pants unbutton and hoping that nobody notice  under my luckily long shirt! So far I think the kids just think I am fat! :)

It's begining to look a lot like Christmas and a BABY!!!

Oh how I love this time of year, it is always a time where your schedules are jammed packed with parties, gatherings, family and friends.. I mean life can't get much better than that.. OH WAIT.. yes it can, we can also put up bright shinning lights and decorations that are sure to make you smile even on a bad day! :) And on top of all of this, we can all celebrate the real reason for the season, the birth of baby Jesus!

Here are some pictures from some of the decorating that I have done around the house, it has proven to be a bit challenging this year since I had to find new spots and outlets for everything, but with the helps of Micheal's I think things came together nicely.. ( Hobby Lobby would have been nice right about now! )

I will also note, that I went to a photography class last night to try to learn some more about my camera, so that also inspired my pictures for today, now I really do know that you will have no idea that I tried so hard for these pictures to look good while using all my new functions, but please just pretend you can tell I didn't shoot on AUTO! :)

So this part of the house is looking a lot like chrstimas, however some other things in the house are starting to look like a baby be coming! :)



Drake's sister Jenny gave me this shirt and I am in love with it for many reasons, one being that it is super comfortable! However the other reason is when I wear it out, people read it and smile at me, and I love that someone actually knows that I have a guy or gal inside me making me looking large! :)




This is my bump at this point, you can really only see it if I put my hand there, but when I have only cloths it gets hidden! But soon I think it will just pop!!




This is the stuff we have for the baby room so far..



Happy Thanksgiving!!!

If you were to ask me how I was feeling today, most of you might be asking in regards to my pregnancy, however I would simply respond with two words: Giddy and Thankful!!

My giddiness comes from Drake.. I normally get one week a year that Drake doesn't have to go to work and I get him all to my self, yes I know I am selfish.. but I mean one week out of 52 weeks, I think the NFL is a bit more selfish than I. Normally, I get just one week at Christmas, however I get two this year, now that we do not have to attend Cowboy games( which we are still cheering on) we get to have another week at Thanksgiving, so that means 2 weeks I get him all to myself, ghezz I am greedy! :) So this in itself is enough for me to be thankful this Thanksgiving, however we have been blessed with way more to just be thankful for that.. so here are some of the things that come to mind this Thanksgiving!! ( In no particular order)

1. GOD and the many blessings he continues to bless me with, even when I am undeserving
2. FAMILY for love and support and FRIENDS that are new and old
3. CHLOE.. she is my best little friend
4. Our growing little baby, now if the little one could just tell me if it is a boy or a girl
5. DRAKE!!! for so many reasons, but his Patience to handle me and for his love for our little family
6. New Adventures that are both scary and fun
7. Jobs that provide
8. Food, for the mere since that it gives me simple enjoyment! :)
9. The guy who is now leasing our Dallas house, a nice thing to unload off our backs before the holidays
10. Laughter.. it is just a joyous sound

I could go on and on, but I do realize that you don't have all day, it is time to go eat Turkey!! Love to you all and I hope that you have a very thankful Thanksgiving!!

Super Saturday...

In remembrance of the "Super Saturday Schools" I used to teach on Saturday's, I thought I would reflect on the things that I have learned or more less thought interesting  since I have moved!!

1) Rain - (since it is raining today) Here in San Jose it can be what the weather man calls pouring and you would not even know it if you were in a building.. you can't hear the rain, it is so light! In Dallas, when it is pouring you defiantly know, in most cases you have to turn up the volume on your TV so you can hear the TV. .. it is kinda nice that the rain is so light, makes it easy to run through it when you are out and about!

2) Temperatures - 45 degrees here does not feel like what 45 degrees in Texas feels like.. which blows my mind, 45 degrees should be 45 degrees... not that I am complaining, because 45 degrees here is actually wonderful, and 45 degrees in Texas feels like below freezing and on the opposite end of the spectrum 100 degrees is no where what 100 degrees in Texas feels like.. now I really understand the effects of humidity! I used to just talk about humidity like I knew what I was talking about, but now I really do! :)

3) Bananas - I  know odd, but I have been baffled by the fact that I can buy bananas and they stay good, no brown gross spots for over a week and a half, maybe two weeks if I had left them that long.. This amazes me. I used to buy bananas and literally 3 days later they would all be bad.. so annoying!! So I could be making up this lesson, but the air is different here, so my bananas stay good longer, which is nice!

4) Air Conditioners - Well these don't exist in most houses here ( some do have them)! So at first I thought how in the world do you not function off artificially cool air.. well I have come to find that open windows at night are actually really peaceful, and it cools down really nice at night, so I get to snuggle in lots of blankets! ( I will add that there have been and will be a few nights in the whole year that I will be hating that we don't have an AC, but I can live with that)

5) Dust-  In Dallas, the sun is always beating down on you and on your lovely furniture in your house! I swear I would dust and a day later it would look like I had lost my pledge bottle for months.. Here however, I don't feel like the sun is ever just beating down on me, or in our house.. so there is a lot less dust! Which makes me happy since I am now the maid for the house!

All of these things in a big or small way relate to just different climates and physical locations of property in the US, which till the last few months, I never really understood how big of an effect the climates really make on your life and the things you feel. Now, I am not dumb I knew that weather was different and physical chartatrictics where different in parts of the world, but I didn't realize how it makes everyday life have simple changes.. such an interesting world we live in!


Nature is a crazy thing!!



Weekend with my Mom!!

My mom just left today, but was here for 4 days and we had a great time. We went to the city Friday Night and had a great dinner!! There are so many to pick from there, that it is hard to decide, but we defiantly found a winner!! It is called Louisa's Italian Restaurant, it was cute and quaint, and the 80 something year lady who is the owner still stops by each table to see how your food was.. how cute is that?

In the city were were able to hang out with great friends too, our friends Wes and Amanda from Drake's home were up visiting people, along with our  new friends Ethan and Lisa!! It was a fun night of friends and family. Saturday my mom and got up early and headed to Sausalito for brunch and then to Union Square to shop, but were got treated with the Christmas tree going up, which was neat to see how that all works and the trimming to make it look so perfect!! The ice skating rink was up as well too, so fun!! Can't wait till the Tree Lighting ceremony..oh how I love Christmas time!

Sunday we all went to the 49er game, which was a perfect day for a game at Candlestick it was beautiful weather.. plus they WON!! yea... Cowboys won too...which was a miracle for them this year!! :) lets not talk about Tech however... that is just sad!! :( I told my mom she was good luck for the 49ers, and she just needed to stay forever!! Drake's brother Joe and his two boys were there too, so that was fun!

Here are some pictures from the weekend.. Enjoy!!


The new 49er sales center.. AKA Drake's office.. must be nice to walk down this to your office everyday!!



View of half of the New Stadium and little model!



Model of New Stadium!



Top of the Mark Bar!! You can't see but below us is the view of the whole city!!




I just think she is so pretty, so I had to add this one!!:)




Sausalito, a view of the city from the water!!





The ice skating rink in Union Square!




Christmas Tree going up in Union Square!




49er game, we must be important or something to get on the field.. :)



Goldmine girls!!