The Edison Home 2009

The night after Christmas we made a visit to the historical Edison Home with Peyton's Nana and Grumps.  Each year both Thomas Edison and Henry Ford's homes are decorated with thousands of lights for the holidays.  I have been many times throughout the years but it was a first for the rest of the crew.  It was a little chilly, which made it a perfect night to stroll around the grounds of both houses.  Hopefully this visit will be come a family tradition.

Play Time with Nana

The day after Christmas the weather was beautiful, so we enjoyed time outdoors.  Peyton was busy playing with her Nana and new toys. 

As you can see Peyton is starting to learn what she is suppose to do for the camera.

"My foot or my toy.  Which to choose?"

"Hmmmm"

"Nana's lap is perfect for play time."

Ready to walk.

"Nana taught me how to make it spin!"

Too cute for words...

"Let's go Nana.  I've got things to do."

Christmas Morning

So it's offical...when you have a new baby you take way too many pictures to ever post them all.  So here are a select few from Christmas morning.  We spent the first part of the day with my family (the Lovelace's).   Peyton got more gifts than she knows what to do with and even more hugs and kisses.

"Aunt Amanda hates me."

"Who needs toys when you have a Grandpa to play with."

"Me and Daddy, relaxin after the Christmas feast."

"Great Granny has pretty beads.  Yummy!"

"Just teaching the elders a thing or two."

Jumperoo!!!

Aunt Amanda got Peyton a Jumperoo for Christmas.  Here she is trying it out for the first time.

Santa Came...

...and brought a pony!  Well not really Santa but Grandpa and Grandma.  For Peyton's first Christmas she got what every kid dreams of, a miniature pony.  His name is Rusty and he is adorable!  What more could a girl ask for.  I have tons more Christmas pictures to post, so stay tuned.

"My first ride."

"Whoa Rusty!"

"I can do it Dad."

"I'm one lucky girl."

"Mommy, Grandpa and me, taking a spin."

"Giddy up!"

"I can't wait to drive."

"My pony...Rusty"

Santa's Little Helper is Six Months

Today our sweet little Peyton is six months old. I say this every month, but I really do not know where the time goes. As Christmas approaches, I think back to a year ago and being pregnant. Mike and I had so many conversations about "how different" our life would be Christmas 2009. And here we are, with a beautiful baby girl, waiting for December 25th and all the family and traditions that go along with it. It has been a magical year and we couldn't be happier. Merry Christmas to you all! We hope you enjoy your holiday and all the joys that it brings! :)

The M&M Exchange

Relaxing...oh so nice!

After all of the Christmas festivities yesterday we decided to take it easy today.  Here we all are lounging on the couches.

"Even doing nothing I am cute."

"Hello."

"When do we start nappin?"

"National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, so funny!"

"Hi Daddy."

"Mom has a good nappin spot too."

Brrr.....it's cold outside!

Here is a delicious chili recipe that I adpated slighty from my Mom's chili recipe. Enjoy and stay warm!!!

Lovelace Chili
1 lb ground beef
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium white onion chopped
2 celery stalks chopped
1 tbsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
1 can peeled whole tomatoes with juice (chop the tomatoes)
1 can diced Rotel tomatoes with green chilies and juice
2 cans regular v-8 juice
1 can spicy v-8 juice
½ can of beer
1 can of dark kidney beans
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat olive oil in large stock pot, add ground beef and brown. Add celery, onion and garlic and sauté until soft. Add chili powder and cayenne pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Deglaze the bottom of pot with the beer; scrape little bits off the bottom with a wooden spoon. Add remaining ingredients and let simmer until you are ready to serve.
***Top chili with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Santa!!!

Have you ever planned something, imagine how great it will be and then when you get to the day it isn't what you expected it to be at all?  Well that is exactly how I thought tonight's visit to see Santa was going to go.  To start we arrived too early and Santa wasn't even on site yet.  So we had to walk around with a 6 month old who could care less about Christmas lights and decorations.  Even we were ready to go home, deciding that waiting to put Peyton on Santa's lap just wasn't worth the effort.  But I just couldn't let her first Christmas escape without a picture of our girl with the Jolly Old St. Nick. 

I decided we would wait for just a few minutes and see if he showed up. A sweet young girl working the area assured us he would "be here soon".  We were not convinced.  However, just then he entered.  An ecstatic little blond boy alereted the room by shouting "SANTA!", and running to hug him.  It was adorable.  The boy chatted with Santa for a few minutes and when he walked past us to leave he made the cutest little guesture with his arm and said "AWESOME!".  I guess Santa told him exactly what he wanted to hear.

So here it was...the moment of truth.  I was so afraid Peyton would scream and cry as soon as we handed her over to Mr. Claus.  But the exact opposite happened.  She laughed, smiled and stared.  She was so happy.  It was like she knew exactly who she was sitting with and how important this tradition was to me.  It was perfect!  Afterward she posed for pictures with us and hammed it up for the little old ladies who were eating her up.  I couldn't have planned a more perfect way for our girl to spend her Saturday evening.  Merry Christmas to you all.  We hope Santa brings you everything you asked for. 

Enjoy the pictures!

"Can you see me?"

"OOO eeee, it's chilly!"

"Me and Daddy, waiting for Santa."

"He's alomost here."

"What's the hold up?"

"Mom, Dad, it's Santa!"

"A pony...I asked for a pony."

"I like you."