Mommy and Dakota
Daddy and Dakota....(with a funny "Who are you?" face!)
Awww....I want to kiss her!
Grandma. Mommy and Baby....(Sue looks waaaay too young to be a Grandma!!) You're all gorgeous girls!!
Friday, April 29
Dakota Caitlyn Desjardine's Debut!!
My cousin Bobbi's baby girl looks absolutely adorable! I can't wait to meet her this summer!!
Mommy and Dakota
Daddy and Dakota....(with a funny "Who are you?" face!)
Awww....I want to kiss her!
Grandma. Mommy and Baby....(Sue looks waaaay too young to be a Grandma!!) You're all gorgeous girls!!
Mommy and Dakota
Daddy and Dakota....(with a funny "Who are you?" face!)
Awww....I want to kiss her!
Grandma. Mommy and Baby....(Sue looks waaaay too young to be a Grandma!!) You're all gorgeous girls!!
Thursday, April 28
Good news...
You won the lottery?
No, but I just saved a bundle on my car insurance!!
Being young means that up until now we have been paying about the same amount on car insurance as we do for our car payments...yeah seems crazy doesn't it? That's what I get for marrying a younger man ;) But now that our insurance is up for renewal and I am 25 - we did some shopping around and found a place for almost half of what we were paying before!! It always feels good to save money. We were starting to feel like we should just live in the car since our car payments were comparable with our mortgage payment!! Yeah we were pretty shocked too!
So yay! I think I'll go shopping!
xo J
No, but I just saved a bundle on my car insurance!!
Being young means that up until now we have been paying about the same amount on car insurance as we do for our car payments...yeah seems crazy doesn't it? That's what I get for marrying a younger man ;) But now that our insurance is up for renewal and I am 25 - we did some shopping around and found a place for almost half of what we were paying before!! It always feels good to save money. We were starting to feel like we should just live in the car since our car payments were comparable with our mortgage payment!! Yeah we were pretty shocked too!
So yay! I think I'll go shopping!
xo J
Wednesday, April 27
Poisonous People
The good thing about getting older is that you start to realize that you don't have to like everyone you meet - and not everyone is going to like you. This can be very hard to understand growing up - when it's more about how many friends you have versus how deep and meaningful your friendships are. I know I was more concerned with keeping friends than making sure my friends were always healthy for me. I gained a lot of great friends - but learned a lot of lessons also.
Something else you realize with experience is that some people in your life can be poisonous. Some relationships can be more harmful than we would like to admit, and the hardest thing is finding out how to rid ourselves from their poison. They may be well-meaning - we may even have enjoyed their company at one time but now we find ourselves feeling drained and saddened each time we talk to them.
Naturally, I like to help people but sometimes I find that it can get me into things that I really didn't see. I love counselling and trying to help a person through a hard time. But sometimes, once I'm in deep enough it's hard to assert myself and find a way out. I have found that some people who need help -- really aren't looking for a friend. Rather, they are looking for someone to bring down with them. Misery loves company. And they are so concerned with their own life and their own problems that they really don't care who they hurt on their road of destruction. Assertiveness can be a hard thing to learn and just because we are older and know how important it is to stand up and have a back bone -- doesn't always mean we can.
How do we know when a relationship is a true friendship and that even in hard times it's worth sticking it through and being there for them? And how do we know when someone truly loves us and needs us to help them stand or when they are just using us for an ear and a one sided conversation? You would think it's a lot easier to distinguish than it actually is. Unfortunately, it's something I'm still learning.
xo J
As I am writing my blog I am also writing a memoir of my life. Not to publish or anything - I probably won't even share it with many people. It's just for myself and to help understand me. It's been fun to remember different parts of my life, and it's also been very difficult at times. I have been able to look at how I deal with people and how different parts of my life have affected me. That's probably why I've been sharing the deep thoughts some days that may seem like they aren't really everyday thoughts. Somethings that I write about in my memoir can be shared in an anonymous way and help me to deal with some of the emotions that have surfaced while writing the memoir.
Something else you realize with experience is that some people in your life can be poisonous. Some relationships can be more harmful than we would like to admit, and the hardest thing is finding out how to rid ourselves from their poison. They may be well-meaning - we may even have enjoyed their company at one time but now we find ourselves feeling drained and saddened each time we talk to them.
Naturally, I like to help people but sometimes I find that it can get me into things that I really didn't see. I love counselling and trying to help a person through a hard time. But sometimes, once I'm in deep enough it's hard to assert myself and find a way out. I have found that some people who need help -- really aren't looking for a friend. Rather, they are looking for someone to bring down with them. Misery loves company. And they are so concerned with their own life and their own problems that they really don't care who they hurt on their road of destruction. Assertiveness can be a hard thing to learn and just because we are older and know how important it is to stand up and have a back bone -- doesn't always mean we can.
How do we know when a relationship is a true friendship and that even in hard times it's worth sticking it through and being there for them? And how do we know when someone truly loves us and needs us to help them stand or when they are just using us for an ear and a one sided conversation? You would think it's a lot easier to distinguish than it actually is. Unfortunately, it's something I'm still learning.
xo J
As I am writing my blog I am also writing a memoir of my life. Not to publish or anything - I probably won't even share it with many people. It's just for myself and to help understand me. It's been fun to remember different parts of my life, and it's also been very difficult at times. I have been able to look at how I deal with people and how different parts of my life have affected me. That's probably why I've been sharing the deep thoughts some days that may seem like they aren't really everyday thoughts. Somethings that I write about in my memoir can be shared in an anonymous way and help me to deal with some of the emotions that have surfaced while writing the memoir.
Sunday, April 24
My Weekend Away
I went up to Bracebridge this weekend for a little weekend to myself to enjoy sometime with my best friend Emily. She is the most beautiful and sweet person in the world and I came back feeling amazing. It's awesome what a deep and loving friendship can do for a person. I enjoyed spending time with her family. She has a wonderful husband Cam and two boys, Zach and Ben. She also told me this weekend that she is expecting their third in October!! Zach her oldest will only be 2 1/2!! They are amazing people and absolutely awesome parents. If anyone can have 3 children under 3 and make it look easy -- it is Em and Cam!
I drove the 5 hours up on Friday night and LOVED the trip. I sang as loud as I could to every song I have and had absolutely no interruptions! Cruise is definitely invented for me because I tend to be more of the daydreamy type when I drive....start thinking about my life, and everything and depending on my mood and the song on the radio my speed can vary from 90 to 140 in a 2 minute period. Yeah, I'm a cheeseball.
It rained most of the weekend -- but it snowed, yes, SNOWED down here in Sarnia while I was gone! So, I was in for a rude awakening on my drive home. I took some pictures and documented my feelings about the snow on a video (on the album).....Well you have to keep yourself occupied somehow....and yes, cruise definitely comes in handy when you have a camera in your hand ;)
By the way, my boys survived just fine without me and the car....maybe I should leave more often!!! hehehe
xo J
Emily, Ben, Zach and new baby (in tummy!)
Ben checking himself out in the mirror
Zach showing off his spaghetti face!!
I drove the 5 hours up on Friday night and LOVED the trip. I sang as loud as I could to every song I have and had absolutely no interruptions! Cruise is definitely invented for me because I tend to be more of the daydreamy type when I drive....start thinking about my life, and everything and depending on my mood and the song on the radio my speed can vary from 90 to 140 in a 2 minute period. Yeah, I'm a cheeseball.
It rained most of the weekend -- but it snowed, yes, SNOWED down here in Sarnia while I was gone! So, I was in for a rude awakening on my drive home. I took some pictures and documented my feelings about the snow on a video (on the album).....Well you have to keep yourself occupied somehow....and yes, cruise definitely comes in handy when you have a camera in your hand ;)
By the way, my boys survived just fine without me and the car....maybe I should leave more often!!! hehehe
xo J
Emily, Ben, Zach and new baby (in tummy!)
Ben checking himself out in the mirror
Zach showing off his spaghetti face!!
Thursday, April 21
Bobbi's Baby!!
My cousin Bobbi and her boyfriend Rich welcomed a new little girl into the world at 7:30 this morning!! All the details I know right now are that her name is Dakota...and she was 7 lbs 11oz. I can't wait to meet her this summer -- I already went shopping for her today!!(pictures below) I've been eyeing the little outfits and waiting for the word so I could go to the boys section or the girls section!! It's dangerous shopping for little girls - and since I only get to do boy shopping it was so much fun!
Congrats to both of you and I hope you won't see this before the package comes in the mail!! :)
xo J
Congrats to both of you and I hope you won't see this before the package comes in the mail!! :)
xo J
Wednesday, April 20
Summertime means...
A haircut and more shopping!! Since it was 29 degrees yesterday (85 Fahrenheit!) we found out that Tim had outgrown all of his summer clothes from last year. We also decided he needed a haircut seeing as the sand was imbedded in his hair after school...!! Dad always seems to go a little shorter each time -- he claims he can't remember the number of blade he normally uses. So now Garnet and Tim look even more like twins....my bald boys!
I'm very thankful that I don't' have a girl because I could go nuts shopping for little girls -- but boys aren't that difficult to go crazy shopping now too. They do it on purpose - it's a total conspiracy...make the cutest clothes possible and parents can't resist! So we've re-mortgaged our house and we'll be living on bread and water for the next month.....naaaa, I'm kidding there's no GST on kids clothes, so we're just laughin'!!!
He's such a clown - we made him try on all the clothes after we got home and he made sure to shake his little booty and do a little dance each new piece of clothing he put on!! (I have NO idea who taught him that!!)
Here's Tim modeling his Basketball outfit with the wristband and all. (He wanted to sleep in it last night)
Bald Basketball Player!
Thumbs up...of course ;)
I'm very thankful that I don't' have a girl because I could go nuts shopping for little girls -- but boys aren't that difficult to go crazy shopping now too. They do it on purpose - it's a total conspiracy...make the cutest clothes possible and parents can't resist! So we've re-mortgaged our house and we'll be living on bread and water for the next month.....naaaa, I'm kidding there's no GST on kids clothes, so we're just laughin'!!!
He's such a clown - we made him try on all the clothes after we got home and he made sure to shake his little booty and do a little dance each new piece of clothing he put on!! (I have NO idea who taught him that!!)
Here's Tim modeling his Basketball outfit with the wristband and all. (He wanted to sleep in it last night)
Bald Basketball Player!
Thumbs up...of course ;)
Monday, April 18
Soccer Star!!
Now that Skating is all over -- Soccer will be starting in a few weeks! Yay!! We went to pick out Tim's cleats today -- they are adorable! He loves them and claims that the make him run even faster...well, of course!!!
While we were out shopping today we decided to pick up a pair of sandals and new indoor shoes for school because he's grown out of one pair of shoes....it's amazing how fast they grow! But all the sports 'super' stores don't carry Tim's size!! Did you know that every single kid in Sarnia is size 11?? Yeah, pretty incredible huh? But it's true - every store would have a bunch of size 10's and a million size 12's....but like 1 in stock pair of size 11 in the ugliest pair of shoes. Arrrrggggg!! Garnet and I drove around to about 50 stores today looking for size 11 shoes and sandals-- they are completely impossible to find!! And you know Garnet -- once he's got it in his head to do something he'll obsess and is unable to think about anything else until the job is done. So yeah, he was ready to pick Tim up from school and drive to London tonight to find a pair of Sandals!! Thankfully we found a pair - sort of settling, (because they weren't as nice as some of the other's that we would have liked) but they met inspection...from both the boys ;)
We were also trying to avoid problems that we've had in the past which probably made for a smaller pool of choices too. The first year we bought him Nike sandals and had to get them re-stitched twice! Last year we got Columbia and they barely made it through the summer also! His Adidas indoor shoes at school had the zipper break off - and now they don't unzip! I realize boys are tough on their clothing and stuff -- but we have been a little dissappointed. So this year Garnet was very thorough in checking all the 'problem areas' out....yes, I walked away at a fw stores and gave the look like; "who's with him??"....but you gotta love him!
And we are finally satisfied!!
xo J
Big Kick
See the cleats??
Pretty cool -- they call for a thumbs up in Tim's book ;)
While we were out shopping today we decided to pick up a pair of sandals and new indoor shoes for school because he's grown out of one pair of shoes....it's amazing how fast they grow! But all the sports 'super' stores don't carry Tim's size!! Did you know that every single kid in Sarnia is size 11?? Yeah, pretty incredible huh? But it's true - every store would have a bunch of size 10's and a million size 12's....but like 1 in stock pair of size 11 in the ugliest pair of shoes. Arrrrggggg!! Garnet and I drove around to about 50 stores today looking for size 11 shoes and sandals-- they are completely impossible to find!! And you know Garnet -- once he's got it in his head to do something he'll obsess and is unable to think about anything else until the job is done. So yeah, he was ready to pick Tim up from school and drive to London tonight to find a pair of Sandals!! Thankfully we found a pair - sort of settling, (because they weren't as nice as some of the other's that we would have liked) but they met inspection...from both the boys ;)
We were also trying to avoid problems that we've had in the past which probably made for a smaller pool of choices too. The first year we bought him Nike sandals and had to get them re-stitched twice! Last year we got Columbia and they barely made it through the summer also! His Adidas indoor shoes at school had the zipper break off - and now they don't unzip! I realize boys are tough on their clothing and stuff -- but we have been a little dissappointed. So this year Garnet was very thorough in checking all the 'problem areas' out....yes, I walked away at a fw stores and gave the look like; "who's with him??"....but you gotta love him!
And we are finally satisfied!!
xo J
Big Kick
See the cleats??
Pretty cool -- they call for a thumbs up in Tim's book ;)
Sunday, April 17
I told you he was cute!
So we were in the park yesterday - enjoying the amazing weather we've been having!! I didn't bring my camera. (I figured that even I had enough pictures of Tim playing in the park...I mean there are only so many different angles on the swing and slide right??) He's having a great time on the rocking fish and laughing his head off - while I'm sitting on the edge of the park daydreaming and basking in the glow of the sun. To my right, a lady is approaching with a big smile. She introduces herself and says she's with the Sarnia paper and would love to take a picture of my son. "He's so cute, and his shades just make him that much more adorable!!"
....So she took a few poses of him (which he is always so eager to do!) on the fish with me looking on. Took our names and said if the editor uses it, it should be in within a week. If they use the photo it would be his second time in the paper. The first time he was on the front page for Strawberry picking (yes, that's how exciting Sarnia is...) He had a broken leg and just sat in the wagon eating all the strawberries -- but the photographer still thought he was cute.
So I don't even have to bring my camera and poor Tim still has to pose for pictures!!! (I don't think he minds too much though!)
xo J
First 15 minutes of Fame
....So she took a few poses of him (which he is always so eager to do!) on the fish with me looking on. Took our names and said if the editor uses it, it should be in within a week. If they use the photo it would be his second time in the paper. The first time he was on the front page for Strawberry picking (yes, that's how exciting Sarnia is...) He had a broken leg and just sat in the wagon eating all the strawberries -- but the photographer still thought he was cute.
So I don't even have to bring my camera and poor Tim still has to pose for pictures!!! (I don't think he minds too much though!)
xo J
First 15 minutes of Fame
Wednesday, April 13
For you, Dad.
While I've been busy ripping out the cupboards and painting and getting extremely dirty I've been thinking about how much I like doing all this. 'Farm Girls aren't afraid to get dirty' is my caption under the picture in my Album. And for that I'll thank my Dad.
Like the true Tomboy that I was - I was always Daddy's little helper. When I watch Tim so eager to help - it melts my heart. I imagine myself as the same eager helper that he is. I remember painting the deck with my Dad - and it's still one of my favorite pictures of the 2 of us. I had one of his big shirts on, paint all over me and the biggest smile on my face. I remember our fishing trips, and catching the worms before we went! (I know you ate that worm, Dad!) I remember building shelves and stacking wood, Maple syrop and walks in the bush. I remember the one hunting trip that I talked too much on -- .....hmmmmmm funny how there was never another one?? I remember our trip over to the cottage in the dead of winter to find something in the bush, property line or something? Dad knew what he was looking for - I just liked the time with him.
So now, while I'm up to my eyeballs in paint, I have to think of Dad. Who raised me to be the tough girl that I am!
And even though I'm a 'city girl' now....I'm still not afraid to get dirty!!
Love Ya Dad,
xo J
p.s. enjoy the pics of my early days ;)
Like the true Tomboy that I was - I was always Daddy's little helper. When I watch Tim so eager to help - it melts my heart. I imagine myself as the same eager helper that he is. I remember painting the deck with my Dad - and it's still one of my favorite pictures of the 2 of us. I had one of his big shirts on, paint all over me and the biggest smile on my face. I remember our fishing trips, and catching the worms before we went! (I know you ate that worm, Dad!) I remember building shelves and stacking wood, Maple syrop and walks in the bush. I remember the one hunting trip that I talked too much on -- .....hmmmmmm funny how there was never another one?? I remember our trip over to the cottage in the dead of winter to find something in the bush, property line or something? Dad knew what he was looking for - I just liked the time with him.
So now, while I'm up to my eyeballs in paint, I have to think of Dad. Who raised me to be the tough girl that I am!
And even though I'm a 'city girl' now....I'm still not afraid to get dirty!!
Love Ya Dad,
xo J
p.s. enjoy the pics of my early days ;)
Monday, April 11
The Best Help
Our Foreman!
Sometimes it just helps our sanity....;)
Guess all the hard work wore him out!! (this was in the afternoon while watching the incredibles for the 4th time ;)
Sometimes it just helps our sanity....;)
Guess all the hard work wore him out!! (this was in the afternoon while watching the incredibles for the 4th time ;)
Sunday, April 10
Things I've learned...
while renovating my kitchen.
In an effort to block out the atrocious mess that my house is in right now I have been focusing on all of the positive or interesting things that I can take away from this experience.
I have learned;
- that you can have a much deeper sleep when you are doing physical labour from 8 am until 10 pm
- that sometimes when you're at the end of your rope a four year old can step in and finish a paint job perfectly.
- that you can have some of the deepest conversations with your spouse while you're both quietly painting and thinking.
- that you can learn a lot of new things about your spouse after 5 years of marriage and after hours of working side by side....I didn't say all great things - just new things ;)
- that the saying 'opposites attract' was invented describing us.
- that even after days of eating out you still manage to have a LOT of dishes!...and when your sink is non-existant there are still ways of doing the dishes.
- I REALLY want a dishwasher!
- that I...yes, me, Jessica....really miss cooking!
- that you can start to enjoy and even welcome the smell of paint and varsol with your morning coffee.
- that you can make a pot of coffee anywhere in the house.
- that dust can travel though sheets and show up in places you didn't even know existed.
- that paint can show up in places you didn't even know existed.
- varsol hurts the skin....but after 14 uses you barely notice the pain.
- that renovations should be a part of Marriage Bootcamp....cause if you can survive this - you can survive anything!!!
And the most important thing that I have learned in the past few days of this horrible mess and chaos.....
That renovations can't possibly continue forever!!!!....or can they?
xo J
In an effort to block out the atrocious mess that my house is in right now I have been focusing on all of the positive or interesting things that I can take away from this experience.
I have learned;
- that you can have a much deeper sleep when you are doing physical labour from 8 am until 10 pm
- that sometimes when you're at the end of your rope a four year old can step in and finish a paint job perfectly.
- that you can have some of the deepest conversations with your spouse while you're both quietly painting and thinking.
- that you can learn a lot of new things about your spouse after 5 years of marriage and after hours of working side by side....I didn't say all great things - just new things ;)
- that the saying 'opposites attract' was invented describing us.
- that even after days of eating out you still manage to have a LOT of dishes!...and when your sink is non-existant there are still ways of doing the dishes.
- I REALLY want a dishwasher!
- that I...yes, me, Jessica....really miss cooking!
- that you can start to enjoy and even welcome the smell of paint and varsol with your morning coffee.
- that you can make a pot of coffee anywhere in the house.
- that dust can travel though sheets and show up in places you didn't even know existed.
- that paint can show up in places you didn't even know existed.
- varsol hurts the skin....but after 14 uses you barely notice the pain.
- that renovations should be a part of Marriage Bootcamp....cause if you can survive this - you can survive anything!!!
And the most important thing that I have learned in the past few days of this horrible mess and chaos.....
That renovations can't possibly continue forever!!!!....or can they?
xo J
Thursday, April 7
Springtime!!!
It's finally spring around here and we've been enjoying the sunshine....I LOVE IT!
Makes you want to laugh!
Just hanging around...
Cruisin' the park
Makes you want to laugh!
Just hanging around...
Cruisin' the park
Sunday, April 3
Tim's Fan Club!
(L-R) Matt, Gary, Jenni, Tim, Shannon, Garnet (Crusty and Grouchy off midnights) and Anne all came out to watch Tim in his big skating show!!!
Tim loved being the centre of attention...as always!
He especially liked it when Shannon (Matt's Girlfriend) told him that she loves Tim more than Matti!!! (I think he's got a little crush on the older woman!)
We had a great time and even got to see Courtney perform. She is a helper in his class and is a special buddy to Tim. She did a beautiful job - video of her on the Album.
Tim loved being the centre of attention...as always!
He especially liked it when Shannon (Matt's Girlfriend) told him that she loves Tim more than Matti!!! (I think he's got a little crush on the older woman!)
We had a great time and even got to see Courtney perform. She is a helper in his class and is a special buddy to Tim. She did a beautiful job - video of her on the Album.
Saturday, April 2
Baby Julia
is Engrafted!!
Which means that her body has begun to accept the donor's Bone Marrow!! YAY FOR JULIA! She still has a long road ahead of her but this is the news that we have been waiting for since the transplant 23 days ago!
Please continue to keep her in your thoughts - she's a tough girl....but it's far from over!
xo J
Which means that her body has begun to accept the donor's Bone Marrow!! YAY FOR JULIA! She still has a long road ahead of her but this is the news that we have been waiting for since the transplant 23 days ago!
Please continue to keep her in your thoughts - she's a tough girl....but it's far from over!
xo J
Friday, April 1
Hula
The Hula Boy
Tim had a Hawaiian Sundae Party at school for reaching their goal for reading "Book in the Bag"...the kids were so cute!!! I bought him a lei and everything -- but all he wanted was the grass skirt!!
Garnet had a hard time accepting his little boy in a skirt -- but Tim's masculinity wasn't threatened at all!! Good job buddy!
Tim had a Hawaiian Sundae Party at school for reaching their goal for reading "Book in the Bag"...the kids were so cute!!! I bought him a lei and everything -- but all he wanted was the grass skirt!!
Garnet had a hard time accepting his little boy in a skirt -- but Tim's masculinity wasn't threatened at all!! Good job buddy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)