Most of the fun happened after dinner. The kids were messy from eating so a bath was necessary. Hailey and Casey got their first cousin bath. I think more are needed in the future because the kids loved it and everyone else had fun just watching them. After bath time they had play time with crazy uncle Denis and reading time with aunt Erica. They are doing well training for parenthood come February!

Their Scott(y):

Our Scott:

Their Haley:

Our Hailey:

Their Lauren:

Our Lauren:

Their Casey:

Our Casey:

Only little differences…right?

Casey Donovan was born on December 28, 2010, weighing a very healthy 7 pounds, 1 ounce.



Kisses from his cousin Hailey!

Oma and Opa


Erica getting one of Hailey’s famous hugs

1) My cheerleading team

Being a part of a cheerleading team basically means that you have 35 other people who you are with for 2 hours, 3 times a week, who you have to get along with.  You can’t really fight with them, because one of them may save a part of your body from being injured.  We try not to hurt them, and they try not to hurt us, but it happens sometimes, and we get over it.  We have to learn how to work together, and even though I’ve only known most of these people for 3 months now, being with them feels like being with family.  Over the past couple of weeks we’ve been getting stressed out and frustrated at things that aren’t going as planned, or people getting hurt, or school assignments, but as soon as someone sees one of their teammates start to well up and start crying, there is always someone there to help- I know from many experiences.  Someone is always there to lift your spirits, and say ‘why don’t we try it again, and maybe we’ll try something different this time?’, and it always helps.

Below: My team! This was taken last week after practice.  5 points if you can find me!

2) School

This is my last year at Carleton, and although there has been construction going on during all 4 of my years here, I’ve just been realizing that we have a beautiful campus, and I’m lucky to have gone here.  I’ve met all sorts of awesome people- most through the cheerleading team, who have made my time here even better.  I’ve had my fair share of stressful living conditions and ‘friend’ drama, but the library or the ‘couch room’ as I like to call it, have made a great getaway for me.

3) Food and Shelter

I’m pretty sure this is a given, but as I said before, I’ve had my fair share of stressful living conditions.  That being said, I’ve always had a place to go if I wanted to get away from it all, whether it be a family friends house, or one of my friends apartments.  As for food, when I was home this past weekend I made some banana chocolate chip muffins.  And since, well, I love them, I brought some home with me.  The other day I brought 2 to school. One to eat on the way to school, and one for the middle of my class when I’m feeling tired and want to sleep right there on the desk.  On my way to school I passed a couple of guys asking for food/money.  I learned somewhere not to give them money, because who knows how they will spend it- I know all people on the street asking for money aren’t looking to spend it on bad things, I’m just saying- if I’m giving my money to someone who is hungry, I expect them to spend it on food.  Since I had a muffin on the seat next to me, I decided to give them that.  Well, in the end I don’t think they ate it, because when I gave it to them they looked at it like it could have been poisoned.  But hey, I tried, right?

4) Family and Friends

And lastly, the most obvious one.  Something that mostly everyone is thankful for, and needs no explanation.

1.) ‘Loser’ is a swear word. My Dad would NOT permit use of this word in our house. He would look past a few eff bombs before he would let this one by. Maybe he was the original anti-bullying campaigner.

2.) Love is the most important possession. When us girls were just wee curly haired bleach blondes running around in our underwear, we lived in a trailer on our grandparents property. That means five rambunctious children and two adults living in a small trailer – can you say cramped? This was while my parents were preparing to buy our Farm, and I’m pretty sure we lived off of love at the time. To this day, my Dad says these were some of the best years of his life, and he would give anything to go back to then. We didn’t have much, but we had each other and that was the most important thing.

3.) If you can’t say anything nice then don’t say anything at all. I heard this so often during my childhood that I can actually hear my Dad’s voice saying this in my head when I write it down. I still try to live by this rule.

4.) Bribery works. When we were teenagers, Mom and Dad told us they would pay us each $500 when we turned 18 if we didn’t smoke. Let’s just say they are $2500 poorer and our lungs have a clean bill of health. Dad says that it was a waste of money because none of us would have been smokers anyways, but I think he just doesn’t know how often I have used that excuse in my younger days while turning down a cigarette…

5.) If you have a plugged up nose, sleep on the opposite side. When you wake up your nose will be drained and fresh as a daisy. This one is slightly random, but whenever I fall asleep with a stuffed nose I think of this and make sure I follow Dad’s advice. It works, trust.

People always comment on how terrified our boyfriends must have been to pick us up for dates, etc. In reality, our Dad was a little bit starved for conversations about sports, farming, etc. so when the boys did come get us they were usually greeted  by Dad who would subject force encourage them to sit down and talk to him – maybe this was his pre-screening.. Really, he’s harmless – it was our mother, ‘The Dragon Lady’, who the boys were afraid of (there were threats of castration involved…). Then there was that time Micaela got picked up for a date on a motorcycle. Oooh, that was a funny night in the Blonde household.

So thanks Dad for many years of love and lessons, here’s to many, many more to come.

We love you very much.

Halfway through my second year of University, I started dating my boyfriend. We were that annoying couple that dropped everything else in their lives to spend everypossiblesecond together. We had a lot in common as we were both Dutch, Catholic pig farmers from Southwestern Ontario with big, Dutch families. Don’t worry, we had other things in common too, but for the purpose of this story the other stuff is not important.

As we were getting to know each other we started talking about our families. Somehow, a specific family came up in conversation – let’s call them the DeCalms. As he talked, I realized I knew the family he was elaborating on. I blurted out – “Wait, are you talking about the DeCalms as in M&J DeCalm?? Because I think they’re my second cousins or something.” Tim just stared at me with a face that was starting to get a little red and sweaty and informed me that the DeCalms were also his second cousins.

Insert awkward silence here as we put two and two together.

“Uhh, this is weird. Are we related?” I awkwardly asked him. You see, when you come from families like ours – big and Dutch and very friendly – you kind of just assume that if someone is also Dutch and they hang out with your family all the time and you’ve known them forever that they are somehow related to you. I’d known the DeCalms forever and they were Dutch (and awesome) and  they were close with many members of my family. Alas, I assumed they were some sort of cousins of my parents.

I quickly called my Dad to get this whole incestuous issue sorted out. To my relief, it turns out that the DeCalms used to work for my grandparents and had just remained close with our family AND WERE NOT AT ALL RELATED. “Why do you want to know?” my Dad asked. “NO REASON, no reason at all.” I hastily replied, not yet ready to announce this embarrassing misunderstanding to the world. Tim and I sighed big sighs of relief and laughed at each other and tried not to think about the possible genetically freaky babies we could have had someday.

(Props for the title idea given to the awesome Calgarian @Darlinglilred.)

We got lots of clothes, nice warm outfits and blankets, a cradle, an amazing quilt, diaper bag (that matches the stroller perfectly), and a MEC baby carrier!

We played a few fun games

• break the baby’s water – They froze little babies into ice cubes and the guests had to melt the baby out without touching the ice (it was in a plastic cup)
• Mingling Bingo- get signatures from someone who… went to university with Kate, knows Kate’s birth weight, knows Kate’s birthday… etc.
• Guess the size of Kate’s belly- my sisters thought I wouldn’t like this game but it was just fun to see what people guessed. Most guessed way too large! It turns out that my belly is 41inches around.
• Left-Right Story.  Mom read a story and 2 people held prizes, whenever she said left or right people would have to pass the gift left or right.

I took photos at the beginning and Lauren was nice enough to take photos during the gift opening.

Washcloth cupcake

Diaper cake filled with goodies- washcloths, baby toys, spoons, baby blanket, stuffed animal and the cutest baby mittens (my most favourite baby accessory)!

Frozen baby game

Mic gave Raspbaby and Raspberry themed gift! Raspberry tea (for me), 3 raspberry onsies and a raspberry pacifier.

Quilt made by my aunts! I love it so much.

After opening gifts they handed out these pages for the guests to fill out with Wishes for Raspberry. They were all so cute, and being the pregnant woman that I am I even teared up while reading these at home.  This baby is going to be and already is so loved.

Here’s a few (okay a lot) of the wishes:

I hope you learn

• patience
• how to sing (fittingly from Michelle “the piano player” )
• the difference between good and bad
• to play baseball
• to ride a bike
• that you are loved
• to dance
• to play an instrument
• quickly
• to quilt or weld

I hope you aren’t afraid

• of pigs
• to try new things
• to be wrong
• to dream big
• of me!
• to speak your mind
• , ever.

I hope you love

• life
• your mommy and daddy lots
• to sing
• farming!!
• life, sunshine and rain
• everybody

I hope you get

• lots of love
• not as much as you want
• good schooling
• lots of birthdays
• a hug everyday
• a sibling
• lots of hugs from Lauren

I hope you laugh

• every second you get
• every day
• a lot
• easily and every day

I hope you never forget

• to smile
• how much you are loved
• your roots
• how excited we were for you to come
• the joy you brought to your family
• to believe in yourself
• those who love you
• to call your mother
  

I hope you ignore

• jealousy
• insults
• drugs
• everything Louie says
• people who ever doubt you
• jerks around you

I hope you become

• musically inclined
• all you want to be
• a world traveler
• a good person
• a father or mother
• a ski racer (from Lau)
• successful at whatever you love
• the best you can be

I hope you respect

• your mommy
• your grandmother (from who else??)
• yourself
• your heritage
• life
• the earth

I hope you inherit

• kindness
• your parents’ kind nature
• good health
• your mommy’s good looks
• your grandmothers work ethic
• your mom’s blonde hair
• your family’s zest for life!
• Kate’s smile

I hope you grow

• big and strong
• only as much as you need to
• older and wiser than me!
• up happy and healthy
• 10 feet tall
• big and strong like your auntie Lauren
• in faith and trust of what you can do
• up surrounded by family
• up to be just like your parents
• and grow and grow
• raspberries in your garden
• slowly so we can all watch and enjoy

We blondes party in style!

We’ve had a few year in review posts and posts about the last decade, but the new year is finally here! And a snowy one at that!  I usually don’t think about making a resolution, but this year I’m resolving to work harder in school.

Here’s to hoping everyone had an AMAZING new years, and that your 2010 is the best yet!

What are your new years resolutions?

A certain person, my mother, hadn’t been out to see me at all and was feeling kind of bad about it. I assured her not to worry, she had a lot going on in her own life and that there would never, ever be hard feelings for not coming out to see me. And I truly, honestly meant it.

As many of you know, it was my birthday this past week.  My aunt had asked if she could take me to lunch and of course I wanted to. I got there first, and when she got there she sat down, we made a small talk and she just so happened to see someone she knew, who she ran over and gave a big hug to. “Funny,” I thought to myself. “The restaurant is dead, what a small world that she would see someone she knew.” The hug finished, and as my aunt turned around, there stood …

MY MOM!!!!

“Mom?” I sputtered as I stared at her, not sure if it was real or not. “What are you doing here?” Well, she came to crash my birthday party! That is the most dedicated party guest I had ever seen. We had an amazing visit, although I spent the day in Canmore after my birthday party in a fairly crapulous state.

We had an amazing, relaxing visit and I am SO GLAD she came!

Me & Mom

I had an amazing birthday party that was everything I wanted it to be and more. Thanks to the help of these girls!

Cousin Em, Nat, Me & Mich

My cousin Em is just kind of awesome, Nat is the one who wrote this post and Mich blogs here. She organized a meet-up in July and we have stayed friends because she is so wonderful. True story. Nat is even trying to steal her away from me. (I can’t blame her, I’d probably do the same.)

For those of you who asked about my birthday shoes, they came, and were too big for me I’ll still post a picture soon.

And my top is from H&M, since I know at least one person will be asking!