fishing

Over the years we have had many, many visitors to Florida and while we love to do the traditional things with them while they are in town it’s always fun to do something a little out of the ordinary and I am pretty sure Terra Ceia qualifies as out of the ordinary. So while my cousins were in town we packed up and headed down to treat them to a little tractor riding, castnetting, dock sitting and fresh caught fried fish. We enjoyed it and we hope they did too!

This was also Charlie’s first trip down to Terra Ceia; it’s sad to think that we don’t get down there as often as we would like to. There are only showers at Terra Ceia so we had to imporvise with a few sink baths.

Nighttime fishing and a few first catches- it was catfish but at least it was something ;)

a little tractor fun

dock fun

castnetting

throwing like a pro

checking out a crab that was caught

saying hello to the crab (affectionately named Herman the Hermit crab- Jay is really curious about people and things’ names these days so most days I just make it up)

watching Daddy throw the net

future photographer- it must run in the family ;)

Jay loved seeing anything Jamie brought up in the net. He also wanted to touch everything! Don’t worry we washed his hands after this.

Like I said, it was Charlie’s first trip down to Terra Ceia and he loved venturing around the property and checking things out but I think he enjoyed playing under the bar chairs the most.

more from Canada- our last day

Our last day in Canada was pretty quiet but very nice for that same reason.  We headed over to my Uncle Doug’s house so that Bradey and Jay could play together.  While the boys played I headed out with a small group to do some shopping before we left to come home (I wanted to hit the roots store and the grocery store- to pick up a few fruit snacks that we can’t get here), and then everyone came over for Chinese food at the end of the day.  It was a really nice way to end our trip- simple fun and quality time with family.  Honestly, we couldn’t have asked for a better trip.  We loved being there, really enjoyed the time that we were able to spend with my family and left regretting that we can’t do it more often.

Here are a few photos from the boys playing together.  Bradey has a ton of really cool toys that Jay loved playing with.  The highlights were probably the two John Deere tractors that he has in the backyard.  Jay rode with Bradey, was pulled by Bradey and also took the tractor for a spin on his own.  The tractor photo is one of my favorites of Jay right now- I love his proud smile in it!!

Bradey
more tractor rides

just a portion of Bradey's digger collection
an action shot of Jay driving the tractor by himself
love this one! so proud!
my second youngest cousin Amy

more from Canada- the zoo

I know that it’s probably a little late to still be posting photographs from our Cananda trip. Especially since we have been home now for over two months; but I still have a few that I really want to share so hang in there- ok?

One of my favorite things that we did while in Calgary was go to the zoo. It’s a wonderful zoo with all kinds of animals and Jay LOVED it! It has fun kid parks, really amazing animals and Jay got to take his first ever carousel ride (which he loved). Jamie and I really enjoyed it as well, it honestly makes me jealous of Jacksonville and their zoo… By the way my personal favorite animal was the giraffe. I seriously could have stood there all day long and been pleased as punch, it might have been the playful baby that was bouncing around their area chasing birds or just that they are so majestic looking- I am not really sure but I was like a kid in a candy store and even requested we stop one more time before leaving the zoo just to see them again.

Jay using the information station as a phone- I love his expression in this photo, it is just so him right now
the baby :)
isn't it cool how close we were able to get to them?!?
we were so close- I didn't have a huge zoom lens on to take this photo
Jay loved them too
the zoo crew aside from Jamie and Auntie Marilyn who were taking the photos
Jay and Bradey, fast friends- love this one :)

Jay playing with my Auntie Deb at the park
he loved these bouncy things at the park
big kitties
a rare photo of just the two of us

Jay playing on the hill outside the place where we had lunch. He loved playing on the hills and running down them, something that we don't get to do in Florida too often.
running down the hill

fun at the park
group shot by the giraffes

more from Canada- party day

The big event for our trip was the 85th birthday party celebrating my Grandma.  It was such a wonderful event that celebrated an equally wonderful lady; we ate, caught up with family I haven’t seen for a while , watched a video that had wedding footage from when my grandparents got married, looked through old photos and just enjoyed the afternoon.  It was such a nice afternoon and I am so thankful for my Aunts and Uncle who worked so hard to make it happen, they are great!

my cousin Riley
my Grandma and two of her siblings

the birthday girl :)
my Grandma and her four children- Doug, Trish, Deb and Trudy
duplo and a few cars to keep this little one entertained
my great Aunt and cousin- Auntie Florence and Barb

Scott and Frannie- my brother and sister-in-law

Jay's first juice box :)
letting the balloons free after the party

another of my Grandma and her kids
Auntie Trish and two of her three kiddos- Amy and Riley
my Grandma and her grandkids (by birth and marriage) and great grandson

These are a couple from my Auntie Deb’s camera, I rarely get photos with me in them…

me and the birthday girl

more Canada- picnic in the mountains

The day after my Mom, brother and sister-in-law flew in everyone headed to the mountains (well not really the mountains but the foothills rather) for a picnic and wiener roast.  It was a beautiful day outside- perfect for jeans and t-shirts :-)  We were able to grab a great spot next to the river with a beautiful view.  Jay loved tossing rocks into the river, something he doesn’t have much of a chance to do in Florida, so we spent lots of time down by the river.  We were also able to take a short hike, roast marshmallows and we stopped for ice cream on the way home.   This has always been one of my favorite things to do whenever we visit, I just wish that we were closer and could do it more often…

Bradey taking a turn tossing rocks
even Grandma tossed a few rocks in too

my cousin Riley enjoying the river water, he basically swam a little later in the afternoon while we were hiking
family photo- that is one happy boy!
Jake- one happy puppy... wish Piper could have joined us, she would have had a ball
wiener and marshmallow roasting
marshmallows!!
Amy, Auntie Deb and Auntie Trish at the beginning of our short hike

Auntie Trish and Jay
Frannie :)
sweet boy
some scenery
more rock tossing (can you see the splash?)

love these next two
LOVE this one!
the whole group
Jay and Bradey riding on a horse at our post picnic ice cream stop. The ride wasn't actually working but Jay loved it just the same.
racing some of the ice cream energy off
a dancing Bradey

Canada, finally…

I usually stray away from spliting up posts into multiple days, it’s not my style or preference; however, we have quite a few photos from our trip to Canada so bear with me for the next few days while I update you on our travels…

At the beginning of this month Jamie, Jay and I made the 8+ hour trek to visit my family in Canada and to celebrate my Grandma’s 85th birthday.  I can’t lie and say that the long flight, early departure time and 19 month old didn’t make me completely and utterly nervous- it did, BUT I think I handled it as best as I could (or as best as Jamie could have hoped for).  I prepared like crazy, brought a ton of entertainment for Jay- new toys, new books, pipe cleaners, bags of blocks, bags of cars, new and special snacks, an iPad stocked with childrens’ movies, and we left with a hope and lots of prayers.  He did surprisingly well for his age; this is not to say that we didn’t get a few dirty looks from fellow travelers and have a few difficulties but we made it and really enjoyed our trip.

Most of the trip was spent hanging out with my extended family, we didn’t plan any elaborate trips to the mountains or want to see anything in particular while we were there and that is exactly what happened.  It was perfect and just what we hoped for.

I don’t have any photos from when we were actually on the plane that weren’t taken on my phone (I had no desire to haul our mega camera down from the overhead bin to capture any of it).  So enjoy the phone photos and then a few from our first couple days hanging out at my Grandma’s house.

Our first flight left so early that we just grabbed Jay out of the crib, changed his diaper and took him to the airport in his jammies.  He was wide awake from the moment that we got him up until his short nap on the plane.  He loved looking at the airplanes and even more so the trucks from the terminal.

iPhone photo from the first two flights- watching a movie on the iPad.

Jay loved playing with an old Barn that my Grandma had, he used it like a parking garage for all of his cars.  He also loved the wind-up toys that she had.  Especially the zebra that he called a Z-B :)

While my Auntie Deb was grilling we played outside on the back porch (where I had spent tons of time during the summer as a kid) with some bubbles.  It was so much fun to see Jay run and play in the yard.

a new favorite of my two guys

part of the garden that my Aunt and Grandma have... I can't count the number of things I have eaten out of there over the years

the return plane trip via iPhone…

crashing after watching part of the Cars movie
poor Jamie sat like this for the hour plus that Jay slept- both of us worried that if he moved an inch Jay would wake up...
fun with cars and painter's tape roads
Jay fell asleep on the very last flight as we were landing. He stayed that way while everyone deplaned, as Jamie moved him to be able to pick up a bag and all of the way through the airport until we got to baggage claim. We can only think of one other time he has crashed this hard- I guess the trip really wore him out!

one last photo of Jay sleeping on Jamie in the airport- taken with the big camera

a little bragging

I just wanted to take a minute and say how proud I am of my little cousin, Devon.  First of all let me clarify “little” with “younger”; Devon is by no means little anymore, in fact he towers over me standing at over 6 feet tall now.  Regardless, this post is not to discuss height, mine or his, but rather the fact that he was just signed with Prince George Cougars!!!!  For those of you non-hockey fans (ie- non Canadians) the Cougars are a WHL (Western Hockey League) team which is one step down from the NHL (the NFL equivalent again for those of you that are still clueless).  He is 16 years old and has just signed with a semi-pro team- yup, he’s a stud! Congrats Devon; we are super proud of you!!!

Here’s a few photographs from a recent Cougars pre-season game, courtesy of my Mom’s boyfriend.  Unfortunately, although the game was played while we were in Canada, it was a little to far for a day trip with Jay so we didn’t get to see him play.  However, if he signs with the NHL you can bet that I will be at the next game within driving distance to see him play!

not a super great photo, especially because of the plexiglass, but you can see his name on his jersey and you get the general point
a view without the helmet

celebrating

Jamie, Jay and I had the pleasure of celebrating this wonderful lady, my maternal Grandma, while on our trip last week to Canada.  Being able to celebrate her 85th birthday, a little early, was the reason for the our trip last week and boy, oh boy was it worth it!  We had a wonderful visit, enjoyed the cooler weather that the mountains had to offer and celebrated with this amazing lady. Love you Grandma and wouldn’t have missed it for the world; we only wish we could do it more often…

p.s. for my regular readers, I promise we have not fallen off the face of the earth and that I hope to begin posting regularly again soon :)

eh?

Did you think I could let it pass without mention of Canada day??  Seriously folks- I was born and raised there!  Here’s hoping that my Canadian family is enjoying the day; I hate that I am missing out on popcorn and fireworks from the brow of the hill…

And since I haven’t taken or uploaded any photos of us in our Canada gear today I will leave you with a few from last year- it’s amazing how much can change in a year isn’t it??

2010 in pictures

2010 has been a blessed and wonderful year for us.  However, I am super excited to see all that 2011 has in store for us!  Happy New Year Everyone!

January- We waited around, finished up last minute baby preparations and welcomed James Vickers Perreault Jr to our family.

February- We celebrated Valentines Day with our little love bug, enjoyed the Olympics, cuddled a lot and didn’t get much sleep.

March- We had visitors from Cananda (Great Grandma and Great Auntie Deb) and Asheville (Aunt Nicole), we spent a lot of time outside enjoying the weather and Daddy went back to work part time.

April- We celebrated Jay’s first Easter and Earth Day and we started sleeping through the night frequently.

May- We celebrated our first Mother’s Day, Jay laughed and rolled over for the first time, he met some more of his cousins (Mary Beth and Sean) and we took our first swim.

June- We celebrated our first Father’s Day, Jay started sitting up on his own and eating solid foods and we had another visit from Aunt Nicole.

July- We celebrated Canada Day, the Fourth of July, Jay’s baptism and Mom’s 28th birthday.

August- We sat in grass for the first time without a blanket, we enjoyed some really nice afternoons outside and we started scooting around on our belly.

September- We started going to the Library Storytime, planted our first garden, played at the park in the swings a lot, began crawling and we took our first trip to Terra Ceia.

October- Our little Jay Bird got his first set of wings, we ate our fill for Canadian Thanksgiving and we celebrated Daddy’s 30th birthday.

November- We (Jamie and I) celebrated 5 years of knowing each other, we hung out in the hammock a whole lot and we cruised to the Bahamas and Key West.

December- We decorated our house for the holidays, we (Kristen) baked a ton and we celebrated the holidays with tons of family.