Video Gamers

A long time ago, before there was xbox or Wii there was a little thing called Nintendo. Its where Mario brothers got its start. Both Trevor and I grew up with one in our homes. I believe ours eventually stopped working and got thrown out and Trevor's ended up in an attic and has now disappeared. I was never really any good at nintendo. My brother was the true expert and anytime I got into a level I couldn't pass he would take over for me.

Lots of good memories playing Nintendo for both Trevor and I. We have talked about getting a Wii, but just can't stand the thoughts of paying so much for something we really wouldn't use that often. Then we thought maybe we'd just try to find one of our old Nintendos, but alas....nothing could be found. I had looked into buying one off ebay but everytime I looked it was too expensive.

Flash forward to Christmas morning 2010 at my mom's house. Trevor got a card with a picture of a nintendo. My mom got him one for Christmas, but it got lost in shipping and wasn't here yet!!! Because of all the mix up they sent extra stuff so we ended up with 2 controllers, the gun, and 4 games(mario brothers was the only one Trev was interested in)!

Once we got it and set it up, wouldn't you know that Brody got hooked. The original Mario brothers game also has the duck hunting on it, and Brody loves it! Maybe it isn't the best game for him to be playing since he says , "Browie shoo-it (shoot it) duck all day." And he really would shoot ducks all day if I'd let him, but we limit the time. Anytime he misses a duck he shouts, "oh man!" It is so funny!

Old school nintendo! Thats what we're all about at our house these days!

Santa Came!

After waiting and waiting Santa Claus finally came! I guess that our boys must have been good because they each got a present from him and a stocking with a few little goodies. The only thing Brody would ask for was 'choc-it' but he got pretty excited when he saw the timber town railway train set!

Before making the rounds to each grandparents home we did our own little Christmas. When Trevor carried Brody into the room he threw a fit because he saw me with the camera and he is so anti-pictures these days, but his attitude soon changed when he saw his train. Ryder was pretty oblivious to all the excitement but he was happy to be seated in his new bumbo seat.

We weren't sure how fun the train would be, but soon Brody was saying, "choo-choo!" and "all aboarg (aboard)" as the train would pass by. He also liked to tell us he was making it go forwards or backwords. The most satisfying part of the day was when Brody looked at me and said, "Mom, Browie wuv a train!" Christmas success!!!

Getting Ready for Christmas

We prepared and prepared for the big day for weeks. Up went the Christmas tree at what some would consider too early. Most of the Christmas shopping was done prior to Thanksgiving. Presents were wrapped in coordinating paper and put under the tree. The stockings were hung....and then we had to wait.

What were we going to do to make the time pass quickly? Trevor and I were SO excited for this Christmas! Not because of anything we were getting (since we totally decided to forego the presents for each other this year) but because of how exciting it was for Brody. We ended up spending many nights watching Christmas movies and eating popcorn, reading Christmas stories, looking at Christmas lights, and talking a LOT about Santa Claus in order for Brody to not only understand who and what Santa was, but also just to make it ten times more exciting for him.

Once Brody started to get it, he noticed everything and was quick to point it out to us. Any lights outside he thought were awesome. Every snowman he sees is now 'fos-ee (frosty) no-man'. If you visited our house he would point out his stocking and tell you he wanted 'choc-it' (chocolate) in his 'docking'. Chocolate was the only thing he really wanted for Christmas!

Finally when Christmas eve arrived we just could hardly wait. We went to my family's annual party, then went and visited with Trevor's family for a while, and finally we came home. It was a big night and Trevor and I could NOT wait to see what Santa was going to bring Brody and Ryder. We couldn't wait for the reactions. It most definitely was more fun than any Christmas we have had in a while just because of the anticipation of our kids joy!