just another day in paradise

wow.. another year done. where does the time go? seriously!
time for my 2nd annual year in review. i've been thinking about this post all week. taking a look through old pictures, thinking of everything that has happened over the past year. we sure did manage to squeeze quite a few things into 2011.. here are some of the highs (and, unfortunately, a low, but we'll get to that)

first off we celebrated our 1st anniversary on Feb 4, 2011. no big trips for us.. we sure did miss travelling south and we're hoping to go again once the kidlets are a bit older and can be dropped off without much fuss to gramma's for a week:)

since we didn't have the top of our wedding cake saved (no freezers in our room in cuba to keep that baby cold for a week) i had a lady make on for us to have on our anniversary. mom took caleb for the night and we had some much needed quality time together (and supper out!!)

the next HUGE life-changer came also in February. i'm secretly hoping that feb 2012 isn't nearly as exciting! ha!

and for those of you thinking, so gramma has C for the night eh?........cha-ching! sorry. i was probably already pregnant on our anniversary! :)

in 2011, our family (meaning 2 cousins, my brother as well as myself) would welcome FOUR new babies!!
the first little bundle arrived on April 14, 2011. Annie Jane Copp.

in between all the babies, J and i were invited to 3 weddings, all within 4 weeks of each other the first part of June. the first one, J's cousin Melanie, i was unable to attend, so i don't have any pics of that one. sick as a dog.

the second one, thought, i was able to attend. Friends since Grade One. she still visits me weekly and brings me coffee (lifesaver!) Gill.

here's us, i think around grade 5 or 6

and the beautiful bride on her most gorgeous day. love you Gill!

in between all our weddings, we found out we were expecting a.......

uncooperative kid. oh great!! baby decided to keep mama on pins and needles for another 2 weeks! we definately found out at the next appointment that we were having another BOY!! this time there was no shyness for the ultrasound, as he proudly displayed all his belongings for everyone to see.

back to weddings. our friends, kate and matt, got married on a beautiful day mid june :)

june ended on a rather sad note as I lost someone very special and important to me. Grandpa Copp passed away peacefully on June 27, 2011, just about 2 weeks shy of his 90th birthday. He was my last living grandparent, and I was very lucky to have him in my life for so long. My brother, G, spoke these words at his funeral, and it sums up very nicely how we all felt about him.

"Good afternoon friends and family,
When I heard the news of Grandpa's passing on Monday morning, I was on my way to work down in Saint John. After getting off the phone with mom, I immediately started reminiscing on the times we had shared over the last 26 years. I realized a lot of the little things in my life we infuenced by him. so i thought i would share some of them with you here today. i eventually got to work, and sat there, not working, but thinking. i wondered what advice the Bible had to offer me in this situation.
A google search lead me to John 14: 1-3
'Let not your heart be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in me. in my Father's house there are many mansions, if it were not so, I would not have told you. I go prepare a place for you. And if i go prepare a place, I will come again and recieve you unto myself; that where I am you may also be'
After reading this passage, I kind of chuckled to myself of the thoughts of Grandpa strolling through the gates of heaven to claim his mansion.
he'd have his church hat on.. maybe his false teeth stuck out if anyone tried to take his picture. then he'd easily find his mansion. it would be the only one painted CPR red on those streets of gold and surely Nana would have a pot of her famous beans all ready to celebrate his arrival.
Now if i could, i'd like to share some of my memories of Grandpa that immediately came to mind that i'll carry with me forever.
He's been a great influence on me in many ways...but the one that I thought of right off was my taste in music and the volume at which i listen to it at.
I can't count how many times I've gone into nana and grandpa's house and him been sitting on the couch with the headphones on and the country music just blaring in this ears.
i remember building the raft at the camp along with several other construction projects thoughout the years. including a few electrical tasks out in the workshop... but i think it's safe to say that i'll run any of my electrical chores past Neven first, as i can recall there were sparks flying on more than one occasion.
Regardless what the work was, there was always a stop for a diet 7-up on those red Adirondack chairs on the deck to avoid breaking too big of a sweat.
when a job ran into lunch hour, there was always and extended lunch break which included Grandpa's signature dish, and really showed off his culinary skills.

Burnt hotdogs and onions.

i could stand up here and tell stories all day about our adventures. including the time we got lost looking for the nature trail, but i'll save that for another time.
instead, i'd like to end by getting each of you to reflect on the time you spent with him. we are here to celebrate his life and be thankful for having such a great man in our lives for so many years.
thank you grandpa for all the lessons and memories. we love you and you'll forever be in each of our hearts.
thank you."

thank you G for saying those words about our grandfather, and i'm sorry i couldn't hold it together enough to stand up there with you. i am, after all, the family crier :)

July brought birthdays. lots and lots of birthdays! the most important, however, was our little man's. TWO!!

summer flew by, and before we knew it, October was here. more specifically, October 6, 2011, 7:52pm was here, and little Ayden Thomas made us a family of four.

So, Ayden was the 2nd baby born to our family. According to ultrasounds and whatnot, there was supposed to be a girl and 3 boys. the girl being Annie Jane, who was born in the spring. 3 weeks after Ayden was born, my cousin Rebecca and her husband welcomed their little girl Mayah to the world. the thing is, they were told all along that they were having a boy. they were all prepared for a boy. they had even named him Luke. but Luke turned out to be a Mayah and shocked us all!!

3 weeks after Mayah's shocking arrival, we were prepared for anything when my sister in law went into labour. they were expecting a boy, and a little boy they had. Riley David weighed 4lbs 15 oz fresh out of the oven.. what a little peanut.

that brings us around to Christmas 2011. we spent the day at home with family. did a little travelling after Christmas day and have been lounging and relaxing ever since. i love having time off!!

wow, we sure packed alot of stuff into 2011.
the hope for 2012: Family beside you.
Close and caring friends.
Health inside you.
Love that never ends.
happy new year!