Summer 08

While Summer 08 seems forever away, made even more a distant memory because of our crappy weathered Summer 09(i'll get to that some day), I didn't want to move onto Fall 08 without posting some of my favorite pics.

Block Party

Playin' at the Park with the Kids from the Block

Neighbourhood Pajama Party/Movie Night

Spidey?

Science Center with the Lamontagne girls

Not sure what this picture was about but how could I not put it on here. It was taken during the Summer of 08 so it was a definite must to include (although perhaps I should save it for next year when he turns 40- it would be a great newspaper picture!) Enjoy.

It's a Boy

What's that saying... ask and you shall receive?

Trevor and Stephanie kindly accommodated the entire family's request and gave birth to Avery Samuel Jones right in the middle of the family reunion. Well....that sounded wrong. It wasn't like we were all on hand for the birth but instead Avery arrived on July 29, 2008 and made his first trip to the Beach only a few days later so he could be introduced to the whole crazy bunch of us.

We were so thrilled to meet him ( I had actually made the quick trip into the city earlier in the week to meet him - this Auntie wasn't waiting 3 days to see her 1st nephew!) We were so thankful that Stephanie and Trevor made the effort to drive out. I mean really, all you mom's reading this, is spending time with your in-laws and 30 of their relatives your idea of a fun time 3 days after giving birth to your 1st baby- not likely but Steph was a trooper and we love her for it. Sorry Trev- we were thankful to you too but you only get the extra special thank you if you hang out with Steph's relatives 3 days after hours & hours of hard labour.

The proudest Dad ever!!

Jones Family Reunion

Dad, Auntie Rayne & Auntie Karen

The end of July 2008 brought a whole gang of Jones' to Jonesville for one of the first Jones reunions that I can recall. While we awaited the arrival of baby Jones with fingers crossed that he/she would make an appearance sometime during the week we had fun fun fun. From tubing to bocci to just hangin out - the week was full of lots of laughter and love!

A highlight of the week for me was the Scavenger hunt I created. Who doesn't love a little scavenger hunt right? Well this one turned out to be more than I could have ever expected. The best way to describe it would have to be cutthroat - which is a strange descriptor for a friendly little hunt but friendly it wasn't. After drawing teams out of a hat the list was distributed with instructions that it needed to be completed by 8:00pm ( I think that gave them about an hour or so). Some of the items were simple like a colored toothpick, a golf scorecard, a diaper. Some were intended to be simple but turned more difficult like the orange smartie and a seashell. I figured the orange Smartie would be easy because all you had to do was go to the store and buy a box of Smarties. Well little did i know that my cousin Karen would buy ALL the boxes of Smarties so as to eliminate the other teams chances of getting any. As Trevor B walked in to buy a pack she quickly changed her order from one box to all leaving him stranded....until he regrouped and just ordered a scoop of Smartie ice cream. Smart Man.

The seashells was another story. My mom quickly scooped the big seashell that sits on the mantle for her team and then in true Judy style continued to do a little cleaning of the bathroom while she hunted. While in the bathroom she overheard my aunt on the other team mention that she knows there is a chain of seashells somewhere in the cabin. Well no sooner had Judy heard that then she darted from the bathroom ripped the chain of seashells from the wall they were hanging on and took off down the road so they couldn't get them. Seriously she ran.

Thehard boiled egg was another fun item that turned dirty (in more ways than one). As one team boiled their egg on the stove another team waited for an unattended moment to steal it. And as the first team to the finish line found out, the eggs were going to be tested for their hardness and lets just say theirs didn't pass the test.

One of the last items was a picture of their team, with the Jonesville sign. With digital cameras this task was easy until one team stole the sign leaving the rest of the teams out of luck!

In the end, I actually forget who won. But I do know this. If Karen G hadn't been the favorite aunt before, she and her 10 packs of Smarties rocketed her into that position pretty quickly with all the kids.

As crazy as that week was with all the kids, all the missed naps, all the late nights, all the mouths to feed it was one of the highlights of the year for me. Catching up with each others lives, meeting each others kids, and getting reaquaintted with one another after being not seeing one another for a long time is worth more than words can say. Here's to the memories of Jones Reunion 2008 and let's hope we don't wait another 20 years for another one!

Elyse and Megan enjoying some ice cream cones

the Garnsey's - minus Brad and Susan who we missed!!

Karen (a.k.a- the Smartie Lady) Kristen and Ethan -snuggle buds

& Abby ( A.k.a- Bee)

Let's get this tubing started!!!!!

I think it works better in the tube Sarah (although I shouldn't talk.. Karen G and I tried the tubing and although I haven't laughed like that for years we couldn't stay on for longer than 1 minute and getting back in to the tube was near impossible... good thing there were no cameras around for our attempts

Chris and the girls

Are we seeing double - looks like 2 Karen's to me

Hold on Brod.. that hammock is a dangerous thing- it can flip you out before you know what happened.

Father, Son and Fish

Stephanie Auntie Joan

Cousins- Jack and Maggie

Can anyone say ZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Our Little B is 2

Well I'm writing this months behind so our Little B is almost 2 and a half but on July 19, 2008 she did turn 2 and "B" Party we did have!

I'm not sure how many years I will be able to keep up this theme idea for birthdays but I have so much fun planning them I don't for see myself giving that up. With Megan the idea came one night when Trevor suggested a Belly Button party because Megan is obsessed with her belly button- always has to have a finger in it or be putting a toy in it. I am sure the day will come when we have to attend to an ER to have something removed from it. Not sure how to actually do a Belly Button party I expanded on the idea and made it a party about all things "B". When Meg was a baby she had a shirt that said Lil B on it and it was my favorite since she will always be the littlest B in the Black family. So after sending invitations out inviting anyone with a belly button to attend and encouraging them to bring a Baby, Balloon, or favorite Bear I got to work planning the rest.

When the kids arrived we congregated in the back for a fun game of Pin the Belly Button on the Baby. On a picture that can barely be classified as just above a stick figure, the kids were blindfolded and had to stick a button on the girl. Lily did particularly well as she lifted up the blindfold first and then stuck it on a second later after recovering her eyes!

BACKYARD BINGO was next. On a piece of paper I had drawn really bad pictures of 12 things in the yard the kids had to find- mostly all starting with B. We split the teams into boys vs girls and off they went. The girls had fun but the BOYS ... they loved it. One team member who shall remain nameless was told to find a ball which he proceeded to find in the girls pile and move to his own pile. It was hilarious. He was too little to realize he had just thwarted the girls team and helped his own! After the Bingo game came the rain thus leading to a mad dash indoors. We all descended to the Basement (couldn't' go upstairs it didn't start with B). Downstairs we played find the button over and over as it was a big hit. Megan enjoyed watching the kids run around ad find the button while she just sat back and watched. Before snacks we read the Belly Button book that Megan got from us for her birthday.

Team Girls: Presley, Sarah, Annika, Lily & Drew

Team Boys: Josh, Andrew, Evan & Ethan

To end the party we dined on berries, a Bee cake and little butterfly cupcakes. All in all I think the party was a BIG success.

EXTRAS:

Here are a few of the things to remember about Megan at 2.

• She loves Dora the Explorer
• When we can't find her she is one of two places- off somewhere reading books or she has snuck out the back door and is playing in the toy shed.
• She is usually happy happy happy but has lately taken to the word NO!
• Likes bubbles, baths, baby's, jumping on the trampoline, wagon rides, playing hide and seek with Ethan, climbing up the ladder of the bunk bed(had to remove it)
• Is in a big girl bed and shares a room with Sarah
• Is about 25 pounds -still feels light as a feather, pants don't stay up on her- skinny skinny

Favorite expressions

• This a mine mommy?
• Peas open a me
• Nope, Noope, Nooope
• That yo's mommy, that yo's?
• I need it , I need it ... I need a Barney, I need a dodurt(yogurt)
• I doed it, I doed it
• Seeyah and Dethan
• Come a me mommy
• I'm Bayden