Christmas in the Philippines (and other goofy pics)

This outside tree in Cebu City was at least 5 stories tall.

Cebu City Capitol building decorated

The boys decorate our tree right after Thanksgiving!

Jesse participates also. I had a hard time getting them to do this, they were too occupied with their ps2!

For the first time in 14 years of marriage, I got to decorate our stairway with garland and lights. I was super-pumped to get to do this.

This was all the decorating we did outside, but at least it's a start. Most the time we just forgot to turn the lights on, but once we remembered, it put everyone in the mood for Christmas. Ok, so maybe it was just me that got in the mood, haha!

My three favorite men....Jamin was in a 'mood' at the time of pic taking.
Aren't they growing up?

I always get griped at for not taking pics, so I allowed this one to be shot. We had just opened up Christmas gifts and eaten chocolate birthday cake (our breakfast) for Jesus. That's alittle tradition we started when the boys came along. We had a great Christmas! And most of all, the boys seem content with what they got and didn't ask 'is that all?'

Jamin loves to collect bugs, and I get tired of glass jars all over the house that he forgets about. Poor little bugs always die, so he got this bug habitat (bug house) for him (from his MeeMaw).

Both Jess and Jamin are Pokemon fanatics, so both received 2 new Pokemon gameboy games plus strategy books to go along.

Jesse's most recent fascination has been with Star Wars. He watches all 6 of the movies over and over, plus has a ps2 game. So we upgraded to a Lego Star Wars 2 ps2 game, and also he got the light saber (from Meemaw) for Christmas. By the way, the boys got money from their other grandparents that they are going to spend at Disneyworld next year. They found out about the trip Christmas eve! I think I am more excited to go than they are!

Jamin tried out his new African Adventure Zoo Tycoon pc game.

Jess is playing the new Lego Star Wars 2 ps2 game. They all (including their friends) played this all day long Christmas day....well, except for the 20 min break that ps2's have to have every 2 hours:)

It's nothing unusual to have 4-6 kids, not including our boys, in our house during holidays and weekends. Every once in awhile, i have to shoo them all outside to go play. It's a shame that they are stuck inside all day especially when it's so beautiful outside. We are going to have to set limits, otherwise they will never get any exercise!

Peter and Jamin-Peter is our adopted child. No, not really! But he's at our house every single day. He is Korean and is learning to like American food. We let him eat with us every once in awhile, especially when I fix spaghetti, or we make pizza. Peter had his first slice of pizza ever at our house. It was cute to watch him eat it upside and backwards.

Our birthday cake for Jesus!

This poster was at one of our malls. We all cracked up laughing, and so I captured Jess doing that very thing! Doesn't it look real?

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Other pics.....

This was taken the beginning of December, when he pulled a loose tooth. Jess is not afraid to yank his own teeth, thank goodness!!!

Jess, before he got his hair all buzzed off again! He is such a ham, and never gets tired of me snapping shots. This is also the latest pic of him right after he pulled out his 2nd tooth in December alone. (both teeth up top on either side of his 2 front teeth are now gone). The 2nd tooth, he twisted and jerked around....I had to walk out of the room. It was literally making me ill. He was enjoying that fact!

Jamin was having fun with different hats the other day.




It scares me every time the boys get on the motorcycle with Dad, but I know they really enjoy it! Robert has had a motorcycle ever since he was Jamin's age. Having a motorcycle has been a lifesaver here, because of the awful traffic. These bikes can whiz in and out of traffic like a van can't.