Tears and Tantrums ... oh and Sweat Too!

It's taken me a while to blog about this - I guess my disappointment is slowly wearing off!

Jermaine and I were so excited and looking forward to Javan's 2nd birthday photo shoot - too bad he didnt share the same enthusiasm we did. HIS photo shoot turned into a 'I'm two now so lets try one of those terrible two tantrums people talk about' type of evening; which then turned into a family photo shoot (totally fine since we did want some family pics too) and when that failed, a psuedo engagement type shoot!

Needless to say we didnt get ONE great photo of Javan. He was either permanently attached to my hip or screaming his head off. We have never been so embarrassed before. Yes, Javan has had his moments but never to this extent. His tantrums actually started that morning (June 8) before church and just escalated throughout the day. Mothers intuition said postpone the shoot, but we'd already done that. Add the extreme heat to this mix and it made for one extremely miserable two year old. So 3 days into being 2 and he picked the most inappropriate time to throw a tantrum.

I had two titles for this post: Tears and Tantrums or The Age of Rage. I chose Tears and Tantrums cos he threw his first full blown MAJOR tantrum and I cried (a lot!). I know it seems silly to cry over something like this cos kids will be kids right? But to know me is to know my love photography - something I got from my dad though take it up a million notches and thats me! J shares my love for photography too and he was equally disappointed in the session.

Please don't get me wrong - we were NOT disappointed in the photographer at all. On the contrary we love his work - we were disappointed in Javan's less than stellar behaviour which prevented Rich Smith from getting THE shot that really captured Javan's personality.

Rich blogged about the session about 2wks ago but of cos he didnt give all the dirty details! Here's his link:

http://www.richsmithphotography.net/103-meet-veryll-jermaine-and-javan.html

Here's a few photo's from that miserably HOT 100F Sunday evening at Coolidge Park and Clumpies Ice Cream:





Gosh we were sweating so bad, it wasnt even funny - we HAD to stop at Clumpies!



rare smiles




he was NOT having fun - Rich is a genius for even getting these






the ONLY smiley happy family shot - see a trend here!


we both love these







and those 'engagement type' pics!


Javan was actually sitting in the corner here but when J picked me up he was MAD so he came charging to 'rescue' his mummy!!



and this right here is so US! We even have one like this on our wedding day!



Rich we're so sorry you had to endure 2hrs of torture but you're a good person for putting up with Javan and making the best of a not so perfect situation. Thank you so much for taking the time to document Javan and our family.

So there's Javan's 2yr photo shoot that certainly didnt go as planned. I'm going to attempt to get some pictures of him this week when we go to the beach - wish me luck!!!

Oh and wouldn't you know it - not even 20mins after we said goodbye to Rich, Javan's mood did a total 360. He was so chirpy and chatty and just wanting to have this great conversation with me. I of cos didnt want to hear any of it! Jermaine told him 'son whatever you do right now is not going to help you get in your mummy's good graces!'

~Veryll

Mexican Train Starts Chugging Again!

Our friends Tom and Kuulei are missionaries in the Philippines and are currently on furlough. We've missed them so much and are so excited they're here for the next few months.

They made it back in time for Javan's party and this week we've been able to hang out more with them. J loves talking theology with Tom and Kuulei is the best host EVER! I love cooking with her. She's also the best at all things DIY so we've learnt so much from her. She helped us alot when we first got our house. Anyways we've had lots to catch up from the last 2.5yrs. We love hearing their stories from the Philippines and about their travels in the East. Javan is enjoying getting to know Unka Tom and Auny Kooway/Kooday! He loves that they have a pool at the house. He walks straight to the back door to get to the pool - he thinks we have to swim every time we go there (and i guess thats really whats going to happen!)







One thing they got us hooked on was Mexican Train Dominoes. It didnt take Tom long to challenge J to a game and last night we played for about 2hrs straight - if it wasnt after midnight and if J didnt have to work this morning we would have played much longer! We love this game!

We had dinner - mexican food (of cos!), including the best homemade salsa, put javan down for the night and enjoyed 5 games - J won most of them and I lost but it was still great fun.





~V

Summer is officially here!

It's officially summer and that means lots of pool time! Javan is loving it. Tonight he had a swim play date with his friend Nathan. Steph and I had fun splashing around with our boys.



~Veryll

Just My 'Luck'

So what is normally a five minute drive to the gym took more like 25mins tonight. I was just 2 streets out of our neighbourhood making my way down a slight hill while a truck was trekking up. I absent mindly noted that he was slowing down but paid no attention. That is until I saw what I thought was a lawn mower come flying across the road right in my path. NICE. I slammed right into it. EXTRA NICE. There was NO way for me to avoid it. He gets out the car and says he's so sorry, the chain came loose. I didnt see any chain on it. Looked more like he just had it sitting on the truck bed unsecured. Oh and it was a 4 wheeler not a lawn mower. If you've been reading you'll remember that on Javan's birthday someone rear ended me. I just got all that finalized yesterday and now I have to start all over again.

does my car have a magnet that says 'COME HIT ME?'

~Veryll

Still My Little Baby

I was laying on the sofa this afternoon and when Javan woke up from his nap he wanted to lay down with me, so he grabbed his 'banket' and cuddled up next to me. J snapped a pic of us and it reminded me of one that I had with him from his newborn session.

19 days old



today


he's not so little any more!
~Veryll

Brown Eyed Girl!

How cute is 5.5mth old Ana!

~V

Two Years

If there were two words I would pick to eliminate from our English language, it would be DEATH and GRIEF. I know this all part of life and we inevitably experience it at one time but I wish we didnt have to.

Last week was a pretty rough week for me - I felt like a lot of wounds that have never healed were opened once again when I heard of the tragic death of Tyler Carver. I know Tyler's dad through work and knowing what his family were going through made me think of my aunt and uncle (Jessie and Mason) and my cousin Dene.

Today is two years since my cousin Jarren aka Jimmy was tragically killed in a car accident. The reason why Tyler's death hit hard was cos both Tyler and Jimmy's lives seemed to parallel each other SO much. They were both teens (Jimmy 17 and Tyler 16), excellent athletes, doting sons and brothers but most importantly both were amazing ambassadors of Christ. They loved Jesus and lived lives that exemplified their commitment to Christ. They had such promise for successful futures but sadly their lives were tragically cut short.

I try not to question God as to why these things happen - I just know I hate that it does.

Jimmy - I love and miss you dearly.

Dene - this ones for you. I know how proud you are of your baby brother.

~Veryll

My Perfect Saturday Afternoon

Jermaine

Limo Ride at Chang's

One of my clients invited Veryll, Javan, and I to his restaurant tonight. All i can tell you is once you eat there you will never look at a Chinese buffet again! This is real Chinese food. Our sever, Stephen made the night most memorable. How memorable you ask ... let's just say we got there shortly after 6:30pm and did not leave until after 9pm.





they were having a little too much fun



The food was absolutely delicious and we had great conversations with our server and the owner. We allowed Stephen to pick our meal for us (something they call the limo ride at PF Changs) where we sit back and enjoy the evening while he selects entrees that compliment one another. As many times as we've been there, this is the first time we had heard of it and he did an excellent job ordering for us.



We started with the Lettuce wraps, follow by a vegetable entree (coconut curry vegetables), kung pao seafood entree and a chang's spicy chicken. For dessert we had banana spring rolls and ice cream.



What a wonderful experience and i'm thankful to Jason for the invitation.
Jermaine

Multi tasking

I was uploading pics from our little camera and saw this one that J snapped. This was the day of Javan's party and he was so ready for a nap but we were trying to get him to wait - it wasnt working! So I put him in his sling on my back and he chilled for a while until we were ready to leave:0

and yea he was pretty ticked off cos he wanted to sleep!
~Veryll

"Not In My Tummy ... But In Our Hearts"

About a year ago our friends Sheri and Brian drove out to Oklahoma to bring home their baby. After months of paperwork, the time had finally come. The nursery was ready just waiting on the little occupant and family eagerly awaited his arrival. Now a year later Nickolas has filled their lives with more joy than you can ever imagine. I know without a doubt Tuesday, June 17, 2008 is a day they will never forget! This is the day Nickolas became an official member of their family - the adoption is now complete! Praise God!!!



So a big hearty congrats to the W and L families as you celebrate your newest official family member! You are amazing parents. We are thrilled and so thankful that everything is finally complete. We love you guys!
~Veryll

Current Faves:-)

my new fave site to browse around - restoration hardware baby and child
http://www.rhbabyandchild.com/rhbc/index.jsp

my new fave indulgence
Breyers Heath English Toffee Ice Cream!


SOOOOO yummy!
~Veryll

My Dad's The Big Kahuna!

Javan's shirt says it all:) It's really no secret that he is totally a mama's boy but his Dada is everything to him. Their relationship cracks me up - sometimes I like to think of it as a love-hate one (J loves to aggravate Javan and he keeps going back for more!!!), other times they're best friends and then there are times when they are up to no good and total pranksters! I know the years ahead are going to be nothing but fun.

From the day Javan took his place in our family J stepped into the role of father with such ease. I loved hearing 'will you get a diaper bag ready for me so I can take him out!' Watching him with Javan every day makes me love him even more. He is an amazing father, a very present one and I truly cannot imagine being a parent without him.
I will never forget his first fathers day in 2006:

My mum had taken us out to eat at Shogun and someone had asked how old Javan was and J quickly and proudly said 'He's 13 days old'. He was so proud and excited about his son then and he is even more so today:)
I have so many photos that I love of the two of them but this one has to be one of my top faves taken in Nov 2007:

J - I love you and am so blessed to be on this journey with you. Thank you for being the best father imaginable to Javan. He just adores you and its easy to see why. You deserve to be celebrated and I'm glad you had a great Fathers Day!
~V

What more could I ask for

My fathers day weekend was special. I am VERY thankful to be a father to Javan. He is a joy. I look forward to my time with him every day, the highlight being when I come home in the evening. He hears the door open and says "dadda" and grabs onto me. I love it. Veryll is an incredible mum and wife and I am blessed to have them.

We went swimming on Friday night. Javan is a water baby and has NO fear in the water. what a fun time we had.



Saturday after work, I just wanted to be home and spend time with my family. We went to the park and had a picnic. I enjoy these little moments.





Today we had a great service at church and then my wife and son treated me to lunch at a Thai restaruant called "Rain". It was a good meal even though Javan thought the place was a playground and was running everywhere.





We came home and called our families in South Africa and the Bahamas, then headed out to dinner at David and Tammy's house. They are friends from church. We wonderful time there. Daniel cooked a fried potatoes and salmon.

Javan had fun playing with Sara Beth, Brooklynn and Patrick and the adults enjoyed a leisurely evening. What a nice treat for Fathers Day.

pics from the evening





I think I need to convince my wife that we need a playstation in our house:)


It was a day well spent. Veryll and Javan are reason I feel so blessed.

What more could I ask for ...

Jermaine