Wii Have Arrived!

I can't believe it, but Daddy gave in. "Santa Dave" brought the kids a Wii for Christmas. Steve has been teasing me with it for a couple of weeks now, but he decided to let the kids open it last night. They were so excited!

And since they were opening the Wii, they also had to open the MarioKart and wheels that Santa brought them! Santa comes and checks on the kids at our house and leaves presents so they know he is watching! They were right ready to get everything set up and try everything out.

And now, the race is on. The kids and us had so much fun racing against each other last night. The kids were very excited to know they had gotten just what they wanted. And it's all friendly competition of course:) My picture of Jasmine playing was really blurry, so I will have to get another one.

Christmas tree

Well we finally put the tree up last weekend. Nothing like waiting until the last minute. I think Justin and Jasmine thought that we were never going to put it up. When we were getting ready to put it up my neice and nephew came over and Jaison decided to help us put the tree together. Of course, please take notice of the bright sunshine and lack of ice and snow!

Justin was the navigator in the process, letting everyone know which color went where and making sure that he wrapped the in between pieces around the center pole. He was having so much fun with that. Steve and I strung the lights. Mommy isn't very smart though and almost had to restring the whole tree. Fortunately some strategically placed extension cords saved the day. Then after I strung the beads on the tree, I passed out the ornaments and Steve and the kids decorated the tree. We have to have Daddy's help or Jasmine just bunches all the ornaments in one place! Too funny.

Sorry folks, no real trees here. We are not in Maine anymore and the price for a real tree is outrageous! But hey, I don't think it turned out half bad. Now we are ready for Grandpa, Abuela and Uncle Dave. Merry Christmas everyone!

Ready for pictures

Here are some of the pictures that we took of Justin and Jasmine after they got ready, but before we went to the studio. They both looked so cute, but as you can see, getting the both to smile at the same time is always a feat. And there's that one where Justin looks, like he's not quite sure why Jasmine is touching him!

Getting Ready

Before we went to have the Christmas pictures taken, we were trying with all our might, hairspray and whatever else mommy could find to get some curls in that straight, fine hair of Jasmine's. She was unfortunately born with her mom's hair. She was having a lot of fun in the bathroom with her curlers in her hair and trying to get Justin to pay attention to her. In the end it wasn't too bad, but it fell very fast. There were really just some waves by picture time. Here are some before and after shots!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was really laid back this year. We ate a little later because Dad got in a little later than we originally expected. Thanksgiving for us has always been whenever everyone could be there. I only have a few pictures because my batteries ran out in my camera. But here is Trav carving the turkey, made by Seana of course! She is the turkey cook. The other picture is Dad mashing the potatoes. We had a nice meal together and then just hung out and watched TV. Later on Seana and I braved the shopping scene for some early present hunting!

Jasmine

These pictures of Jasmine are so cute. When her bed is made she will not sleep under the covers. She asks to make her bed "pretty" and then sleeps on top with other blankets on. Also she has to have Tarheel and other babies with her and lots of pillows!

Dad's Birthday

Here are some pictures from Papa's birthday. The kids were so excited to sing to Papa, but were disappointed that there weren't any goody bags. We had a nice dinner with everyone and my great uncle and aunt came over to celebrate with us. And of course we had Dad's favorite cake, German Chocolate with Coconut Pecan frosting! Love you Dad!

Christmas pics 2008

Here are some great pictures of the kids taken today at WalMart. Every year my mom and dad buy Christmas dresses and shirts so that they can have pictures of all four kids together. This year they all got to have a little fun as you seen in their Santa hats. They are all very entertaining and love making faces.

For those of you who do not know, there are mine and Steve's children, Justin who is 8 and Jasmine who is 4. The other two children belong to my brother Travis and his wife Seana. Jaison is 9 and Isabel is 7. Getting them to smile all at the same time is a challenge. The lady at WalMart took 46 pictures in order to get some really good ones. And I love the enhancements that they do now too!

I am so glad that we have had the opportunity to take these pictures every year. The kids are growing so fast and I love having these lasting memories. Enjoy the pictures and we hope to see and you all soon!

Cub Scout Overnighter

Here are some pictures from Justin's Cub Scout overnighter. He has so much fun just being with Dad and the other kids. He was excited to tell me about playing soccer, and shooting BB Guns, Archery, rock climbing and everything else that he got to do. Although he really doesn't like meetings, Justin has enjoyed his time in Cub Scouts.

Travis Birthday

Here are some pictures from Travis' birthday. Being a Carolina fan, of course there couldn't be anything else on the cake. The kids were all excited and dramatic about singing Happy Birthday to him. Big Trav turning 29! Just one away from the big 3-0!