Christmas Week... What We've Done!

Merry Christmas!!

We have had such a great time preparing for Christmas! Now that our wishes have been submitted to Santa

(AKA: Ho Ho,) the presents have been wrapped, and the stockings hung, we take a look back at the fun we have had so far...

Twins' Preschool Party

A Christmas Casualty:

Harrison got hungry and ate the fruit loop garland that Hailey had made for their tree...

A gift from a neighbor... pretzel snowmen-- really cute!!

~The family Christmas @ Wamplerworld~

Friday Night, December 19

Hailey got a beanbag from Nana and PawPaw;

her name is Charlene.

Harrison likes to play rough with his beanbag!
My "little" brother, Keith, leads in Christmas carols

Natalie and Alyson sharing a song with PawPaw
Monday night our sweet friend Carol came over for a pre-Christmas visit. She gave the twins a fireman outfit and a vet's uniform. What a fun friend to have!!! We love Carol!

And finally, we all know that the angels sang glory to God in the highest... well, we will have to teach Harrison that the angel didn't ride in a chunky truck led by a pig in a trailer. We are working on the details of the story!

Merry Christmas to All!

~Love~

Travis, Kerri, Hailey, & Harrison

Letters to Santa

Although Hailey and Harrison aren't speaking in full sentences all the time, they definately have a way of letting Santa know what they want for Christmas! However, they thought that writing a letter would help. I am sure that Santa understands green and red scribble, don't you? : )

P.S. Harrison did actually sit in Santa's lap last week... Hailey preferred to observe from afar.

One HOT Party!!

The twins had the great opportunity to attend a birthday party of a sweet friend at the fire station on Saturday. Boy, was that fun!! They got a tour of the firehouse, watched the firefighters dress in their fireproof suits, were allowed to climb on the big red truck, and learn some about fire safety. Then, there was a great firetruck cake that tasted so good! What a fun memory!!

Tupelo Christmas Parade... Plenty of COLD Fun!!

Saturday morning was a great time for a COLD parade. We enjoyed visiting with friends and sitting on Carley and Richard's curb! Hailey and Harrison, between shivers, enjoyed the parade... and the pigs in a blanket- Thanks Carley!!

*pictured are: red (Roll Tide) attire, Sarah and Will James; pink coat with mom, Lucy Helen and Carley Johnston

O Christmas Tree!!!!

Friday the twins and I took up an art adventure. We made a tree topper for their tree. The wings are made after we traced and cut out Hailey's hands. She is very proud of her angel. Harrison was more of an "art consultant." Just give him a pair of scissors and some scrap paper... no harm done, just a lot of paper chips!

Christmas Cheer!

I am like most people... I love this time of year!! We are only a week into the Christmas season, but we are enjoying every minute of it. I am posting some pictures from Saturday when we decorated the trees, plus a few extras of sweet moments around the house. The twins are enjoying looking (and swatting) the tree ornaments. Last year we had a barrier around the tree. So this year, it is a free for all! Also, it is also really sweet to watch them learn about the nativity. There is so much you can learn when looking through a child's eyes.

In our new jammies enjoying the Christmas scenery

We love handmade ornaments!

This train travels nonstop to the North Pole!

Trimming the tree!

This really needs explaining...

Harrison is hitting the Charlie Brown Nativity Scene with his hammer!

BWBB!!!

Thanksgiving Day

The Patrick Family Tree

(branches include Jadzinski, Wampler, Chapman, & Leach + a few nuts)

We got a picture with the WHOLE family yesterday!

(Back L-R:) Keith (brother,) Nicole ( SIL,) Frankie BIL,) Kristi ( sis,) Travis, Kerri, Drew (step BIL,)

Mary Allison (step sis,) Michelle (step SIL,) Buster (my step sis)

(Front L-R:) Alyson (niece,) Charles (Dad,) Hailey, Debbie (step mom,) Harrison, Natalie (niece)

Our Thanksgiving Memories...

We started our day at Keith and Nicole's house. They fixed us homemade pancakes and pigs in a blanket. We also got to watch the Macy's Day parade with them. It was a wonderful way to start the day! We also had a wonderful Thanksgiving at my Dad and Step moms. We ate, ate, & ate. We also rode on PawPaw's barrel bus, played kickball, and watched football. We loved spending time with the family!

Hailey and Harrison finally got moved to the BIG KIDS table!!

My dad made this table for us when we were kids!

Making Merry Memories

~Awesome Ornaments~

First Try!!!

Jo-Lynn, Will, Sarah, Natalie, & Kristi

Alyson

Harrison and mom

Hailey and mom

We had such a fun time making Christmas ornaments! My sister, Kristi, and my neices, Natalie and Alyson, spent the week with us and we had such a sweet visit. Tuesday we went over to Jo-Lynn's to make the ornaments. The first go round was a trial... you can see the first attempt at the top. It was snowmen with severe cellulite issues. The second batch came out better! This is a fun a easy activity to do with your kiddos. Here is the recipe:

1 2/3+ cups of warm water

1 cup of salt

4 cups of all purpose flour

Disolve the salt in the warm water. Then continue mixing and stir in your flour. It will get firm. You will need to knead it to get it good and mixed. We found that there is a good bit of dry mix at the bottom after all the mixing. Just keep kneading until it is all mixed. Roll dough to thickness of about 1/4 inch. Cut with cookie cutters. Cook at 350 degrees. Your time may vary... we try 10-15 minutes on each side.

The next step is to...

PAINT!!

The results are cute!

A Pleasant Surprise!

Monday morning my dad and stepmom came by for a short visit. We really enjoyed their company. We talked about our Christmas plans, and they read books to Hailey and Harrison. Debbie, my stepmom, is a third grade teacher in Columbus, so having a story read by Nana is extra special.

Pawpaw is pretty cool too, because he can make his ears wiggle!!

Partying Pilgrims

Hailey and Harrison had their preschool Thanksgiving party yesterday... yes, we Baptist love to party! They enjoyed turkey, pringles, and cupcakes... just like the Pilgrims ate at the first Thanksgiving!!

A Turkey Treasure

This isn't just a turkey, as anyone can see.

It is made with my hand, which is part of me.

It comes with lots of love, especially to say,

I hope you have a very happy Thanksgiving Day!

Harrison (top picture,) & Hailey

Our Trip to Aunt Kristi's House

Natalie and her Junie B. Jones storyboard

The twins and I had a great time visiting with my sister, brother-in-law, and nieces this past weekend. They have recently moved to Meridain, so we loaded up after Mother's Day Out Thursday and headed south. The twins had a great time playing with their cousins, Natalie and Alyson. While we were there, I was able to eat lunch at school with Natalie on Friday, then we did a little shopping. Saturday we watched MSU play football on TV. After going to church Sunday, we headed home. I was also able to help Natalie with her storyboard for school. That was a lot of fun. We are looking forward to a visit from them next week, just prior to Thanksgiving. I can't wait to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with a house full of family!!

My sister would never admit to this, but she is a wonderful cook. She cooked a couple of my favorite dishes for me while we were there... I have listed one of them below.

Chicken Spaghetti

1 package of thin spaghetti (7 to 16 oz depending on the size dish you want to make, I think I used 12 or 16 oz this time), cook as directed.
1 Rostisserie chicken (or 2 cans of chicken if you are in a hurry), pulled
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can rotel (I use mild)
1 lb velveeta cheese, cubed
1 small can english peas
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Mix all ingredients together except for shredded cheese. If I am fixing a small dish, I usually leave off the cream of chicken soup unless you want it a little soupy.
Pour into a casserole dish and top with cheddar cheese. Cook at 350 degrees until cheese is melted and bubbly (usually about 30-40 minutes).

Our Beloved Biscuit... A Tribute

Biscuit Roosevelt Wampler
November 5, 1998- November 4, 2008

It has been just shy of a week since we lost our sweet Biscuit. We had ten wonderful years to spend with him. He was a joy in every aspect, and our hearts are broken.
As part of saying good-bye, it is only fitting that we share some of Biscuit's finest moments...

~Baby Biscuit ~

We bought Biscuit our first Christmas that we were married.

~El-Bis... ~

Biscuit dressed as Elvis
We took every opportunity to show Biscuit off.

Here, he was dressed for a pet parade at the Elvis Presley Festival.

~A Tradition~
This is one of my favorite pictures we took of him for our Christmas card.

~Biscuit's first snow~

A puppy in the powder!

~A Bucket of Biscuit~

Fall 2008

The crew taking a tractor ride...

this will always make me laugh!!

I wish I had these photos dated... however, we know that over the past ten years, we have created many cherishable memories. Whether it was Biscuit meeting us at the door, sleeping in our bed, being chased by Harrison, or his renowned vocals, he will be terribly missed. Thanks for sharing in his life!

He was truly a man (and woman's) best friend.

It's the Great Pumpkin...

Saturday we ventured to the great city of Tremont, MS. We were visiting a pumpkin farm that is owned by one of Travis' co-workers. This was so much fun!!! I highly recommend this as a family activity if you live in the area. It is worth the drive. Even though it was after Halloween, we still snagged a few pumpkins to nestle on our front porch for the fall season. Hailey and Harrison got to ride in the barrel train, posed for a scarecrow picture, and we took a wagon ride "over the river and through the woods." The weather was PERFECT!! We can't believe it is November already. We are excited about the wonderful Thanksgiving season. We have so much to be thankful for...