Celebrate times 2

 

 

We started a small "tradition" last year for Jillianne and Ireland's family birthday parties,

to be celebrated on the same day.

It turned out wonderful, so we did it again this year.

Their birthdays are less than a month apart so we have it right in the middle.

Two cakes, two birthday girls, lots of fun!

The girls chose to go green and blue for the joint celebration,

and also requested to decorate their own birthday cakes.

For sure!!!

 

Here is Jillianne's

Vanilla,

 

 

and Ireland's.

Chocolate.

 

 

They were delicious.

 

Matching gifts :)

 

 

 

Celebratory balloons.

Two sweet birthday girls.

 

One happy proud mama.

Happy Birthday to my now nine year old little red head and

 to my almost thirteen year old little blondie.

 

 

Until next time,

Joceline

 

 

 

 



Legacy

 

I couldn't allow this day in our lives to go unmarked.

We buried my grandmother today.

She was 83 years old.

What a beautiful and sad day all wrapped into one.

Beautiful to see so many lives who had been touched by one person and sad that all we now have are those memories.

My grandmother whom I called Memere had ten wonderful children, one who was already awaiting her in paradise, was so loved and cared for especially in her last days by these dedicated people.

Around the clock they took turns to be at her bedside, so she would never be alone. She was poured into with so much love and compassion it was absolutely beautiful to watch such love in action.

I commend her children and their wives/husbands for their unfailing tenderness.

It was a tribute to her.

"Her children shall rise and call her blessed..."

 

She also had 27 grand children, 38 great-grand children and 4 great-great- grand children, who too arose and called her blessed but mostly who just loved and kissed her because she loved kisses!

 

My dad who is the oldest son was able to share a few words at her funeral,

I want to remember those words.

Here is an excerpt of what he spoke about his mom.

 

"A woman with an iron hand when it came to difficulties and obstacles,

she would never give up and always said the Lord will help us and He did.

Yet when it came to loving and caring for us she had a velvet glove of love and compassion

and always had time for each of us.

All of us remember her nuggets of wisdom,

 Don't forget about the Lord Jesus.

Choose you friends carefully.

Tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who are.

She knew that bad company corrupts good character."

 

Other words of dedication and love were spoken of, only reaffirming what we all sitting there knew.

She was an amazing woman who will be deeply missed.

She has left us but her legacy of love will live on in each one us as we take care of each other.

 

P.S Memere we won't forget the pickles.

 

Until we meet again,

Your loving grand-daughter,

Joceline

 

 

 

 

 

 



Sports and Sweetness

 

We have had a great day today, Jillianne is back to her swimming lessons.
She is already in Swimmer 4, not bad for a little girl who just last summer still had to wear water wings.

She told me today

 "Oh thank you mommy for putting me in swimming I love swimming."

(Here she is on her first day of  Swimmer 1)

She was so excited she had told pretty much anyone who would listen that she had gone to a swimming "audition" and now she was in Swimmer 1.

 

 

We offered her, if she wanted to take a break and do some soccer in the spring she could, she quickly answered that she would much prefer to swim than play soccer.

She touched the ball three times last soccer season, so she really won't be missing much.

Put her in some water and she lights up.

 

Ireland on the other hand can't wait to get to soccer season.

She enjoys it very much.

We almost didn't allow her to play this coming season because she got injured last summer and her knee still some times bothers her.

She did some physio and there seems to be some improvement, so with a knee brace we are going ahead this year. I think this is her eighth year.

Freezing cold first game and scorching hot last game here we come!

 

Kerrington does not like sports. Period
She has many other interest!

 

 

We have been busy around the house lately because I am married to the sweetest man.

We have a family room.

Well it was more Mark's room that anything else, I blogged about it in April of 2011.
It is an awesome fire themed, manly room, with a big TV and loud sound.
Perfect for Mark.
He is giving it up and we are turning it into a bedroom for Ireland.
While he was telling me his plan I turned to him and reminded "but you love this room"
and he answered " I do, but I love her more."
Seriously. I love this man.
He went on to tell me what a great kid she is and how she deserves her own space and some privacy.
I knew he was an amazing man, but he made me teary eyed with this.
It will take some time for the transition, but it will be great.
Now... the big TV and loud sound are in our "formal" living room.
 I am learning how to be more like my husband and remember that I love them more.
I am a work in progress;)

Until next time,
Joceline
 

 



Really Long Time No Post!

I have come to the realization that you make time for the things that are important.
Looking back on my previous posts, I now see that I truly enjoy keeping a journal of our                     family events.
I watched as Mark read some of our earlier entries and I loved how much he was smiling, that's why I write.
I don't want to sit and write what I think others will enjoy reading, but our lives real and "possibly" un-edited. I want us all to be able to look back years from now and read about what we did during our daily routines, as well as the special times. So if my dialogue is directed toward us,
don't be offended as I want this for us, my family.
These are few of the things that have happened in 2012.

Some one got a haircut that made her absolutely cuter, if that was even possible!

We had a family wedding and Ireland had the privilege of standing in it. She was positively radiant!

 

 

This sweet girl also got a hair cut and then another hair cut,

her inhibition to try new things is one of the qualities that makes her so special.

 

 

 

We tried to enjoy more time as a family, we love to play games together.

Pictionary is one of our favorites.

I can always amaze us by how bad I draw, Kerrington has inherited this skill, but Mark, Ireland and Jillianne can all draw sooo well.

Funny things is though, Kerrington and I win just as often because we "understand" each others scratchings, where as Daddy and the girls like the details.

Great drawing, but in this game just get it out there and done.

We always laugh so hard,  how can we even guess at some of the drawing we do?

Love this time:)

 

 

 

I hope to post more often as this is a pretty sad review of 2012. I want this year to be different in my blogging journey.

 

I am looking forward to 2013 to post much more regularly with or without pictures, because I want our stories to remembered.

Some of them are really funny!

 

Until next time,

Joceline

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Special Time

Quite some time ago Mark and I started something special with our girls,

hence the name "Special time."

We wanted to make sure that each girl was not overlooked or ever left out.

At first I thought they would not be interested in it, but it seems to have picked up in popularity.

So it goes like this.

We have a six week schedule.

 The first week I have special time with Jillianne, a few hours on a week night,

then the second week it's with Ireland, followed by Kerrington.

Then we switch and it's daddy's special time with each of the girls.

        Now, we are not rigid in this schedule, we genuinely try to protect this time,                                       

  but sometimes it takes us 8-9 weeks to go through our rotation,

because life happens.

We let them have a choice as to what they would like to do with us.

We give them sort of an outline for the six weeks, so each special time will be similar, again making it "fair."

This year we have already done "it has to cost nothing,"

which the girls were very good at coming up with ideas.

A movie at home with dad, pool at the fire hall, games with mom or snuggling in bed while watching the Precious girls club.

They actually impressed us with their creativity.

This time around it was a dinner or something fun to do while going out, completely their choice.

Jillianne jumped at the chance to go with daddy to see the Lorax.

"I want to go to you know the place with the big screen and they sell popcorn there."

Ireland has requested a hockey game.

I think Kerrington is leaning toward a dinner out with dad.

We never use this time to grill the girls or talk discipline or about school.

It is just a time for focusing on getting to know them more and laughing, lots of laughing

making a special connection with them.

We try to end each time by thanking them for spending time with us,

because we really do cherish the time we have with them.

I am amazed at how often I hear Jillianne asking when her next special time is.

Her excitement is contagious, I love that she loves this time.

The other two may not be as verbal with their excitement toward special time,

 but I know they enjoy it very much.

We are so honored that God has given us the awesome privilege of raising part of the next generation, we take this wonderful responsibility very seriously, so we want to make sure we pour into these sweet girls

everything we have.

"Special time" is a small, but very important part of that.

Until next time,

Joceline

February 14th

Happy Valentine's Day.

We have been celebrating since last Friday when the girls each had a few

friends over to celebrate friendship.

It was a great time.

The girls and I made these sweet sugar cookies to share for dessert.

They turned out so pretty, probably because they are decorated in pink!

I am quite predictable when it comes to holidays, the stores must know it, because

shortly after Christmas is over I get the urge to buy anything pink or red.

Now that Valentine's is over I am looking into those soft spring colours,

baby yellow, spring green, robin's egg blue.

It's a sickness!

My Sweetie bought me this lovely card with one of my favorite scripture verses.

I have been wanting to incorporate this verse into our bedroom decor.

He's been listening;)

My mom stopped by before supper to drop us off a special valentine's

message and dessert.

The girls have also gotten feathers in their hair.

Kerrington's is double drop feather, Ireland has a single blue one and Jillianne's is a black and white polka dotted one.

This is one of those trends that we didn't mind saying yes to, that way when a weird one comes out,

 I'll have no problem saying No!

Some yes, some no.

That is small philosophy of mine ;)

Until next time,   Joceline



Magnified Fun

There are really no words needed for this post.

Aren't they lovely?

Love these girls, they make me laugh so much.

Until next time,

one proud mama!



Remembering

So in the busy month of December a very special girl

in our family turned 14.

Where has the time gone.

Mark and I sometimes laugh at this, we are parents to a teenager, well actually for over a year now.

I am going to pause and let that sink in.

Nope still can't believe it!

Well in any case believing it or not, it is a reality and we are loving it.

Kerrington is a sweetheart.

We have been blessed by God with her.

Remembering back to two days after she was born,

I was released from the hospital and she was not,

Mark and I were driving home and we were so overwhelmed

by how much we loved our little girl.

It just came on so naturally.

She had turned us into parents.

At 20 and 22 years old we in some ways were babies ourselves, but we rose to the awesome responsibility

of taking care of another human being and we haven't looked back since.

We have so loved being her parents.

Kerrington is a beautiful girl with a tender heart.

She is always looking for ways to help or bless anyone she comes in contact with.

She is very loyal and very dependable.

She loves to make lists.

She is very crafty, the stuff she creates is so wonderful.

She is quite organized.

She is fourteen, but she is still my little girl.

Even though her face looks fourteen, there are some days when she makes a certain expression and I am transported back to when she is only two and a half.

It all goes by so fast.

So Happy 14th Birthday, Honey.

Thanks for being patient with us as we grow right along with you.

We love you more than you'll ever know.

Until next time,   mom

Back to Life

I have been so wonderfully busy making the sweetest memories with my family

 and was actually excited for December because I'd have so many things to post.

As you can tell I never did.

For the sake of our own memories, this will be small

 re-cap post for the girls.

If I posted any more pictures I'd have to do a Christmas one through ten!

December 2011

I am usually part of a cookie exchange but this year

I wanted to do all my baking with the girls and I let them choose.

That was a lot of fun.

We made sugar cookies, ginger bread cookies, snowman cake balls...

all the girls favorites.

The ginger bread house was Mark's and the girl's creation.

We almost didn't do one this year, but I stumbled upon a pre-built one for $6.99.

It turned out so cute.

We added the Christmas tree sugar cones, they were left over from the

fire hall kid's Christmas party we organized.

That too turned out great!

Mark and I celebrated sixteen years on the sixteenth!

I really doesn't feel like we have been married for that many years already,

I love him more today than the day I married him.

He is my best friend.

I can't get enough of him!

I'll post more on that another day.

We made our annual homemade donuts with mema.

She is pretty sure this was her grandfather's family recipe.

Christmas eve is spent opening presents at my mom and dad's house but not until Grandpa has

read the Christmas story.

He has been doing this for quite a few years.

I love it.

This year it was from a book I picked up a the dollar store, and it is the best children's version of the Christmas story I've ever heard.

We enjoyed the fire place up at Mark's mom and dad's house while the power was out,

because of all of this.

We didn't have a white Christmas this year, but a white December 28th, we'll take it!

Every year I say to myself this was the best Christmas ever.

This year it really was!

 ( til next Christmas ;)

Until next time,  Joceline

It's Beginning to Look Alot Like Christmas

I have been overtaken by Christmas spirit, I was trying to hold off and actually this is alot

later than last year. So I guess I'm doing okay.

Our house is all decorated for Christmas.

It actually started a few weeks ago when I sat my sweet little family down for a Christmas meeting.

I had a survey to go over with them to see if what we were doing at Christmas was being enjoyed by all.

Our "meeting" lasted all of 5 minutes, apparently I've got this Christmas thing right, because there were no complaints or request.

I am on the right Christmas track.

I enjoy having all my decorating done before the season really kicks in because we get very busy, quite quickly this time of year and I love it.

Christmas is by far my most favorite time of year.

Decorating, baking, shopping...

but my most favourite is sitting by the tree snuggling with any one of my family members.

My decoration colours have always been gold and burgundy, but his year I thought I'd spice it up

a little and throw in some turquoise.

I think I like it.

         

Jillianne got a pre-Christmas, Christmas gift from my mom.

Right from the time she could walk, she has loved playing with my mom's glass nativity,

now she has her own version.

She loves it.

     

Our Nativity.

 

                                              The girls have definitely inherited my love for Christmas,
                                                                   just as I did from my mom.
                                    They have a tree of their own in their rooms, which they decorate all
                                                                           by themselves.
                                                         Here is Kerrington's tree in her room.

and of course Ireland and Jillianne's tree.

Their tree is full of ornaments, but not as much as last year.

I was afraid it would tip over,  I reminded myself it was their tree, so I stood back and appreciated their

artistic flair.

I so love being a mom but this time of year takes the cake, all the sweet wonderful memories.

So in keeping up with Christmas spirit,

Let me be the first to wish you,

Merry Christmas

Until next time,  Joceline



Our Trip Part Four

While at our hotel in Sackville,

I happened to pick up yet another magazine or brochure of things to do while in New Brunswick,

 and there was an ad for the world's longest covered bridge.

We thought that would be fun and it was right off the highway we were traveling on back to Ontario.

We all found it pretty cool, since it is not something we see everyday.

We also stopped off on the boarder of New Brunswick and Quebec to see some thundering falls.

You could feel them a whole lot.

They were gorgeous.

We then decide to go to Ottawa and see the Parliament.

We would have taken a tour but we had a luggage rack or a hamburger as my girls call it, on the roof of the van, so we didn't fit in the parking garage.

We found a parking spot two blocks away from Parliament and only had 45 minutes.

That is as long as the metre would allow.

So we scampered right to the door way, said a prayer for our government, took a few pictures and made it back before time ran out.

What a busy area!

We ended our wonderful trip with a stop off and Grandma and Grandpa's house.

This is a place of sweet relaxation.

No hustle and bustle here.

Lots of room to run and play.

A perfect place to end our wonderful vacation.

I will forever cherish the time we spent together.

  Until next time,  Joceline



Halloween Night

We had a wonderful Halloween night.

We took the kids to church for a party.

Boy oh boy, was it a par-tey

There was pony rides.



A giant slide.

A  super bouncy, bouncy castle

Sumo suits

Sweet cotton candy

Jousting fights. 

 This is were Ireland spent most of the night.

She was a little spitfire.

Face painting

and of course lots and lots of candy!

For days before all I heard the girls say was  "I can't wait for Monday."

It seriously did not disappoint.

Until next time,  Joceline

Our Trip Part Three

A little trick I am so glad I learned before our trip from Becky Higgins was to first thing each morning take a picture of your (or your daughter's in my case) electronic device with the date, so you can remember exactly what day was what on your trip

Complete Genius!

Tuesday September 8th

After partying it up at the wedding we packed our belongings and set off for a big breakfast gathering.

There was quite a large group of us from out of town,

Mark's mom and dad treated us all to breakfast.

We were already packed up so right after we ate we took a drive down the coast to catch the ferry to

Prince Edward Island.

There was a nervous excitement as soon as we pulled up the ramp onto the boat.

Jillianne was feeling a bit woosie so we prepared ourselves with a little white bag generously provided by the ferry boat company.

Once she got used to the see-saw motion of the boat she was fine, but it was really rockin!

We ventured out onto the deck as we approached the island.

It was drizzling a little and it was windy and cold, but we didn't let that stop us

from enjoying something we had looked forward to for a very long time.

The first thing the girls noticed as we were docking was the dirt, it was a rich red,

just like the movies.

What a beautiful island, so peaceful and serene.

After the busyness of the past 4 days this was exactly what we needed.

We had decided ahead of time that we were going to go to the Village of Avonlea.

The girls and I have watched this series so many times.

It is by far one of our most favorite TV series.

The girls knew ahead of time that it wasn't "thee" avonlea, but it was sweet little village to visit.

We leisurely walked the boardwalk around the village.

It was wonderful time.

I was helping the girls pick out there outfits to try on, when I turned and looked at Mark,

he had joined in on the dressing up fun.

I couldn't stop laughing.

He is so much fun to be around!

  

We bought some delicious raspberry cordial.

We had to try some because it was in Anne of Green Gables.

Another favorite around here, that was by far the best movie series for me as a young girl.

After the village we drove to Cavendish Beach and North Rustico, we went along the shore to get our feet wet in the

Gulf of St Lawrence.

We continued to drive around and this popped up from behind the trees.

The White Sands Hotel from Road to Avonlea.

It is actually called The Dalvay in real life,  the girls and I were pretty excited to see something we had seen so often on TV.

We got out of the car and Mark took our picture in front of it.

Apparently Prince William and Kate stayed here during their visit to Canada.

We left the island using the Confederation Bridge.

Holy molly it is long.

It is 10 km.

It took us 12 minutes to cross.

Stay tuned for the conclusion of our trip.

Until next time,  Joceline