They grow up so quickly....

It's official. 

Jonah has graduated from Toddler to Boy status and we have the official paperwork to prove it.

We are very proud of our growing boy 

Mom and Dad ;)

Django's First Ukulele

This shot was taken by Savta Ruth on the occasion of Jonah's acquisition of his first musical instrument. He choose the Fire Engine Red to match his shirt. I can't wait to see where he takes his inherent musical talent.

Let the good tunes roll!

Daddy Darcy

Saba and Savta safe in London

JD Blog's very own Union Duck reports Ruth and Harry have arrived safe back in London.

Our family wishes to take a moment to thank them again for the lovely visit. It was so nice to enjoy food, day trips in the car, brisk walks in the rain, playing in the park and hanging around the new house. Jonah especially wishes to thank Saba and Savta for the lovely gifts and especially his New Balance shoes!

We do hope you both keep well and can come back and visit us all real soon.

We love and miss you loads already!

xoxox

Darcy, Lucy and Jonah

Pics from Yasmine's visit

Hi folks,

As promised my cousin Yasmine just sent our office some pics from her trip. It's a mixed bag of candid shots, so I've attempted to post the one's that won't embarrass anyone. I love the shot of her above, relaxing and enjoying a big cup of tea. She fit nicely into the Toronto vibe and scene as if she had lived here her whole life. We really hope that she can come and visit again soon. Ok, let's get to those pics.

Here is a cute shot of Mom and I at Riverdale farm.

I was overwhelmed by something and Mom came to my rescue.

Here is a funny photo of us all trying on these crazy hats at one of the market stalls at the Harbourfront. Mom and I are cut out of the frame slightly but it's a funky pic none the less.

Here I am playing with a big Chinese fan.

Finally, here are the two ladies indulging in an afternoon foot spa treatment.

Thanks Yas for sending these. We miss you so much! Don't work too hard and best of luck with your studies this year.


Love Django :)

Welcome Saba & Savta aka Ruth and Harry

Hey people,

Regular readers to this blog will know that October has already been a very busy month for us. The good news is that our move to the new house on Condor went really well thanks to the heart and muscle of Uncles Marty, Tom and Stephen. Our new house is cozy and absolutely fabulous, it feels like a really good fit for us. It has some minor issues but we all love it! The fact that it's situated so close to my daycare means that I have more time each day to play and hang out. I also love the fact that I can ride my bike, scooter or walk to school. Being on such a quiet street is a great bonus and already we are all sleeping better.

With the move now behind us, I'm also posting a warm welcome to Ruth and Harry,  who arrived from jolly ole England on October 3rd. They are staying for a 3 week visit and lodging at a nice B&B around the corner from us. We have plans to lay low and do stuff around the city if the weather allows. We also have a trip planned to go see my Bapa Ken over Thanksgiving and also hang out with Nana Emily too! To quote the Baby Signing Time DVD, "So many moms, so many dads, there are many, many people who love me!"



I'll post pics hopefully ( although those two can be a little camera shy) but Ruth is a great photographer, although I haven't seen her get out her camera, yet.

Jonah :)

P.S. I'm still trying to connect with Yasmine to get her to e-mail me some pics. Will keep you posted.

Flight of the Condor

And now for the great news!

With a bit of hustle, some good luck and the planets aligning, my folks and I have been successful in finding a new house to rent. Some of you are aware that we got our feet wet in the Toronto housing market, got approved and then proceeded to bid on some sweet homes. In the end we found ourselves surrounded by piranhas and charlatans, involved in bidding wars for houses worth less than the asking price, and in some cases needing major renovations.

We mutually decided that it was not the right time to buy and didn't want to risk being mortgage poor. Most of what we saw was not suitable or overly hyped/priced. Considering too that Mom is going to school in Jan 2010 and Dad is trying to climb the career ladder and make more $$$, we have put the buying plan on hold. We'll keep our eyes on the market but as one Realtor put it, the housing market in Toronto is obscene.

So onward and upward....

Our new house is situated in an emerging 'hood called the Danforth 'pocket'. Minutes to my Daycare and the TTC

The house is a semi, with a partially finished basement for storage only, three bedrooms, bath, living and dining room. The house also has a modest fenced in yard with real grass, and an enclosed 'mud' room off the kitchen. It's really the same basic layout as the home we are in now.

The best part is that it's super quiet. After spending a year on the extremely busy Coxwell ave, Dad is looking forward to a good nights sleep with out a 24hr TTC bus to disturb him. The map image shows this huge TTC yard but it isn't a noise or visual distraction.

The other great news is that there is a nice park with b-ball nets and a playground just down from the house. Did I mention my Daycare is within walking distance give or take 5-8mins? These points alone make this house invaluable. It may be a tad more pricey and is lacking laundry facilities but the convenience factor is huge. Plus we get to stay near all our friends!

We move in October 3rd and are looking for volunteers to help out.

Anyway, I suppose I should get going and start packing. We'll post pics of the move and of the house as it starts to really happen.

Jonah :)

P.S. - Cousin Yasmine had burned us a disc of photos but the disc was empty. Sadly, we don't have pics to post of her visit yet. Hang tight.

First, the not so good news...

Hello Friends, Family and Followers of J : D Blog,

I'm sad to report that we recently got news that our landlady is moving back into her home. As of October 31st, we will be leaving the comforts of 638 Coxwell for a new dwelling, hopefully in East York where we currently reside. We have enjoyed our year in this lovely house and have no regrets. We are confident that we'll find an even better place for all our stuff. We'll keep you posted and look forward to having some better news to share with you soon.

Also, in October we will be welcoming Ruth and Harry back to Canada for three weeks and promise to share our adventures with you as they happen.

But due to the current nature of our hectic schedule, Dad or I will not be posting to the blog as much. However, we promise to get ready a bunch of pictures from Yasmine's visit in August which we'll post this coming week.

We do hope to have our situation resolved by October so that we can get packing.
Keep your fingers crossed and say a little prayer to the housing deities for us .

Take care,

Jonah :)