Wii Party!

When I was dating my husband, I fell in love with him because he was kind, handsome and funny, but most of all because he had a mean competitive streak.

The two of us would battle against each other each day to see who would be the first to finish the crossword puzzle from our local paper.  It drove him crazy when I beat him.  Often.

Our kids have, naturally, inherited our love of games and the good-natured competition that goes with them.  This was never more evident than when we purchased our Ninendo Wii Video Game Console.

You just haven't seen a real game until you've seen your 76 year old mother bowling against your 11 year old daughter.  Grandma can get a little crazy.

The best part is that we have taken our games off of the dining room table and put them right in the middle of our living room.  We ski, play tennis, fly airplanes, fish and drive race cars and we do it together as a family. 

The kids love the Wii, because it provides constant entertainment.  My husband loves the Wii, because he can occasionally beat our eight year old son at Mario Kart.  I love the Wii, because it keeps everyone moving.

Our latest acquisition is Wii Party.  I love a good party and I wanted to live up to the game's name, so that's exactly what we had.  A Wii party!  We invited a few friends and their kids over on Saturday afternoon for some family fun.

First, we needed sustenance.  The pizza went a lot faster than the fruit and veggies though!

We had a TON of laughs creating our Mii characters.  Here, my friend tries to imitate the eyes we gave her before she arrived.



The kids got the party started!



A disco ball and balloons make all parties better!

My son listens for animal sounds during Hide and Hunt.  The Wii Party version of Hide and Seek!  So fun!



The adults enjoy a game of Time Bomb.  They need to work on their skills.  Just sayin'.



Then we handed out trophies!

I can honestly say that we have not had that much fun in a long while!  We had such a great time that our friend sent us an e-mail the next day and said he's planning a Wii party at his house.  I'm already looking forward to it.  After all, I love a good party.

And, a little, friendly competition.

Sparkling Memories

This is a sponsored post from BlogHer and Welch's.

My daughter was born premature on December 29, 1998.  She weighed just 2.5 pounds and because she was so fragile, I wasn't able to hold her in my arms until she was off her respirator two days later.  It was New Year's Eve.  When I held her that afternoon, I knew the holiday would forever be linked with an amazing memory of cradling my baby for the first time.

Later that night, as the clock approached midnight in the pediatric intensive care unit, my husband and I stood next to our tiny daughter.  We were the only parents on the floor.  As the nurses quietly rang in the New Year at the nurse's station, my husband and I each reached in and put one hand on our newborn child.  In the other hand, each of us held a glass of sparkling grape juice.  When the countdown to 1999 was complete, we toasted to our little girl.

Every year since then, New Year's Eve has been a very special celebration for our family.  We make dinner together, then sit down at a candlelit table.  There are usually a couple of lobsters, some steak, veggies, homemade rolls...and there is always a bottle of Welch's Sparkling Grape Juice. 

In 2002, we had a son who was also premature.  So now, on New Year's Eve, while the adults are sipping champagne, the two kids have fun drinking bubbly juice from Welch's in fancy glasses.  We toast to both of them, always remembering the first time we shared this holiday as a family.


That's my preemie.  She's not so little any more!

They love the taste!  And, the bubbles!  I love the memories.

Welch's Sparkling Grape Juice has been helping us celebrate our good fortune for a long time and now BlogHer wants to help you celebrate the holidays by giving one lucky commenter a $100 Visa giftcard!

For a chance to win, simply check out the following drink recipes, leave a comment on this post and tell me which one you would like your family to try (if you don't sign in with an account, please make sure to leave me a valid e-mail address).

Personally, I like the Sparkling Cranberry Spritzer, because bubbles and cherries!  Oh my! 

Holiday Toasting Cup

Spiced Grape Punch

Sparkling Cranberry Spritzer

After you leave your comment, be sure to check out the eleven other bloggers' holiday stories for more chances to win!

Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

d) Click this link and provide your email address and your response to the sweepstakes prompt

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.  Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.  You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

For Official Rules click here.  Sweepstakes ends 5 PM PST on December 31, 2010.

Good luck and happy holidays from BlogHer, Welch's and me!