Off I Go

Unfortunately, I ran out of space on my blog and didn't feel like purchasing more so decided to split my blog up instead. I am sure this won't be the last time that I do this, considering I love to put picture up :-) So, for a continuation of our Journey click here.

Wii Sports Maniacs

Erika and Chris came over and we all got crazy playing the Wii. We had tournaments in bowling and tennis and several rounds of boxing :-)

Brock and Chris got quite competitive and kept having rematch after rematch.

As you can see Erika and I were not quite so competitive. We laughed our way through most of it. I love the bottom left picture, Erika is really sockin' it to me and I am squirming in "virtual" pain. We couldn't help but get our whole bodies into the action, even if it wasn't necessary :-)

Time for some tennis

Even Isaac and Madison got into the boxing. Or should I say Isaac got into the boxing. As you can see Madison DID NOT want to do it. Yes, that is her pouting and saying, "Nnnnoooooo, I don't want to do it, dad" Isaac on the other hand went crazy boxing right from the get go. He kept inching closer and closer to the tv until we were sure he was going to bash it. He needs to do this more often to release his pent up energy :-)

Playing the Wii wasn't just a one time event, we got crazy with it day after day at both our house and Matt and Donna's :-) Wow, check out the bowling moves of these guys!! Such concentration to accomplish the perfect release!

Chris and Brock's turn to play tennis. They had some awesome games - tons of back and forth. Chris mastered the mega-fast serve but kept the technique from Brock until just before they left :-)

By the way, please ignore the messy basement. We were busy playing we can't be expected to pick up the toys too now can we?

Yes, another boxing match. We all played and played until we were SORE - either from the actual physical work or laughing!

Just to clarify

I have been teased for years about my competitive nature. Even when I am not being competitive I am accused of it. So . . . since getting the Wii I have realized that I have been unfairly targeted all these years. The true competitor has been revealed and now I can have some peace :-)

The eyes of pure, intense focus - waiting . . . . waiting . . . . for the serve. The crushing return followed by the look of satisfaction as his ball flies with bullet speed past his opponent

Christmas Eve 2008

We spent Christmas Eve with Brock's family at his mom and Matt's house. We had a delicious meal - swedish meatballs on home made lefse (which Brock's sister, his mom, Madison and I made) and then opened presents and hung out. We all had lots of fun.

What a handsome guy Isaac is in his cute little wool jacket!! He loves anything BibleMan so was thrilled to get his own characters!

Chris helping Finn open his present. It didn't take long before Finn decided he didn't need any help from dad!

Madison had seen this doll at the Bible Book Store several months ago so is quite happy that it is now HERS!!

Hannah was so funny opening her presents - she was neat and meticulous. She pulled off tiny piece by piece and handed each one to grandma before ripping another. We soon realized we would be there all night if we didn't intervene and show her how to really rip open presents :-)

Enjoying Time Together . . .

. . . is what makes the holidays so fun!
It was so nice to be close by family this year and spend the whole week enjoying each others company. Chris and Erika got to stay for nearly a week and grandpa and grandma are less than a mile away so we were all able to spend tons of time together. We created a lot of fun memories and were sad to see the week end!

"Okay - lets see how this thing works"

As you can see from Isaac's face he is thrilled with his race track. He of course isn't the only one - Brock and Chris could hardly wait to set it up. They also had a hard time relinquishing the controls to the kids. "Yeah just a second" "uuummm . . . hold on" "here let me just show you how to do this real quick" and the excuses flowed on and on :-) Isaac did eventually get a turn :-)

Isaac and Finn playing with their new toys and Madison admiring the new Noah's Ark they received. Finn was so cute with the race track - he was very interested but wanted to be safely on grandma's lap as he observed it.

More Christmas Eve Fun

Presents aren't the only entertainment on Christmas Eve - the kids do a pretty good job of it all on their own! Finn got a kick out of climbing onto the couch and jumping off. He thought it was so fun that no one could help laughing right along with him!

Hannah is a little acrobat - thanks to daddy! She doesn't mind being flipped every which direction - she even comes back for more! However, she doesn't just want to perform these acts she wants to mold and teach the next generation! She is doing a pretty good job too :-)

Now for the "thing" that brought the most entertainment to our evening . . . .

THE HAND!

Armed with THE HAND, Isaac can't help but reach out and touch someone! He even accompanies it with a little facial expression and grunt every once in a while :-)

No one is safe from THE HAND - not Finn (who was kind of freaked out by it), not Madison's hair (who is innocently watching a race between Chris and Brock), not me (who is trying to relax on the chair) and not Chris (who doesn't even know what is about to grab him - or at least he pretends well for Isaac's sake) Isaac thought it was a blast grabbing people and things with his new hand - it was so funny to watch him and of course some of us just couldn't resist trying it for ourselves!