Christmas Roller Coaster

What a wonderful Christmas we had!



My brother came for Christmas! It was our first one together EVER!

He brought his son Peyton with him...so the cousins all got to play together for four days!



They played games like operation while Aaron played his guitar...



We all took time to relax by doing the things we like doing..like Mafia wars!



And playing games like Rumicub...



Christmas eve we had a great dinner and wore goofy hats!




Did I mention the great food?



Christmas eve also saw us opening a gift!



Christmas morning found us rooting through stockings...



And wearing our new hats...even Dexter got something in his stocking!



Santa is a smart man! He brought Paige and Ben Mario Cart for the Wii!



And Peyton did the dance of joy when he saw that Santa had brought him the texting pad for his Xbox 360!




Paige got a unicycle of her own!!


And Ben got a BB gun!




The best gift? Turns out it was the box! :)



You'll notice there is one person missing from all these pictures. Shelby. She was supposed to fly out on the 23rd. Her mother refused to put her on the plane. Absolutely REFUSED. This woman is going to find in time that all of her evil tricks and plans bite her in the ass. The people who are most damaged by her are Mark and Shelby. Mary thinks she's succeeded in stopping them from having a relationship. Stupid woman. What she doesn't know is that they WILL have one, maybe not for a few years, but they will. And when that happens, hearts will heal. But I can't blame Mary for trying...after all, her life is truly in the toilet. She is going through her third divorce and it is VERY messy...she has no friends in her life other than her mom and dad. This is not an exaggeration , she only has 'friends' when she is married and that is because they are her husbands friends...so she is alone..the only person she has is Shelby..and I guess she just couldn't face another Christmas alone and miserable. Oh well...she'll have to explain herself to a judge this time. But in spite of the evilness that resides in her that we have to put up with on a consistent basis, we had a LOVELY Christmas!!!

Hugs to all,

Jaye

Sorrow....

Yesterday, a guy I graduated high school with had a heart attack while cross country skiing with his 14 year old son. Doing what he loved most with one of the people he loved the most, Dominic died. At 43. With a whole lifetime of adventures ahead of him. Dominic was the kind of guy who would help you with anything....anytime. He was a HUGE guy...6 foot and then some all through high school...and wide too..not in a 'fat' way..he was just a big big guy..he played rugby with vigor...he was always smiling...always with a joke. And even in high school you caught glimpses of the man he was to become...and amazing for high school, he was never a jerk...just a nice guy. He belonged to the Cadets (Canadian version of ROTC). At that time in my life I was anti war, anti gun..ok..I was a tree hugging hippie...and I used to get into great debates with Dom about how I couldn't understand how he would WILLINGLY train to kill people! Imagine the chuckle he got when we were all grown up and I told him I had married a Nuclear Submarine Sailor! He got a real tickle out of that one...and although Dom never made the military his career..he did make a career out of serving people...he became a paramedic..and who knows how many lives he saved....He will always be remembered by the graduating class of 1984 a a big teddy bear of a guy...

An acquaintance of mine blogged today about the two year anniversary of her brothers death. He too was young...with young children and a wife and a whole lifetime ahead of him. From all she has written about her brother, he too was a wonderful man. An amazing father..a great husband..and a brother rivaled by no one..he was her hero..that comes through in her words loud and clear.

So todays blog is for Dom...a guy I knew briefly for five short years when we were teens...and whom I will always remember...and for Mike..a man I never met, but who I know touched many lives.

RIP Dom....you too Mike. Two men taken way too soon. You will always be remembered by your friends and families.

Hugs to all,
Jaye

Playmobil Advent Calendars......

I blogged before about the wonderful Advent calendars I purchased for Paige and Ben this year..instead of the annual 'chocolate' ones, I found these cool ones at Playmobil. Instead of a chocolate each day to Christmas, the kids get a piece of a 'set' until Christmas eve when the set is complete. Paiges is the 'forest animal' set with Santa being her toy on Christmas eve...Bens is the "Knights" set. I can't tell you how much fun they have every day with their sets. Each day when they get a new piece, they haul out all the other pieces and play. They've even come up with games where the forest animals and the knights play together. Right now, Bens knight is telling the forest animals that for a small fee he will keep them safe. So what if it sounds a little like the Sopranos...they are getting along..and as every mother knows, THAT is the whole point! ;)

Hugs to all,
Jaye

Tree and Wreath of '09

Our tree is up and decorated and I got our wreath made today. I love our tree as always! I went a little more 'natural' with the wreath this year and I really like it..simple but sweet! Now I just have a swag to make for the living room window!


We still have two bins of ornaments not on the tree...I guess we need a bigger house so we can have two trees! :)




I used three kinds of greenery from our property as well as pine cones from our property..it turned out rather nice I thought...heck..at least it didn't cost me $40 for a wreath at the Christmas tree farm! :)




Merry Christmas everyone!

Jaye

Thursdays ten happy thoughts

1.My brother is coming for Christmas
2.My brother is coming for Christmas
3.My brother is coming for Christmas
4.My brother is coming for Christmas
5.My brother is coming for Christmas
6.My brother is coming for Christmas
7.My brother is coming for Christmas
8.My brother is coming for Christmas
9.My brother is coming for Christmas
10.My brother is coming for Christmas

We grew up as Jehovah's Witnesses. We never had Christmas as kids. I moved to the States before had my first Christmas and life and jobs and life kept us apart over the Holidays. NOT THIS YEAR! He and my nephew will be here! WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOo

Hugs to all,
Jaye