A Visit with Lake Blue

Ah, a visitor from home! We love it. I love getting visitors...but it does make me homesick.

So, Miss Michelle Lake Blue was here on the weekend. She flow in on Saturday morning and stayed with us until Sunday...then off to the big city and HRG in Montreal!

It was so great to see her. I had a wonderful time...catching up and just hanging out together. Jolyne, Karine, and Paul came out too so we had a wonderful BBQ. Michelle made a get veggie dish, we had steaks and corn, and a special desert for Paul. Of course we didn't forget about some drinks! Lots of wine and beer to be had!

Enjoying the end of summer outside...it's be very hot and muggy...about 31degrees today. I hope it lasts a bit longer!!!

Karine trying to get back on Breagha's "good" side. Breagha is still glued to me so this was impressive...that Breagha went with someone else! By Sunday Karine had Breagha laughing and smiling...I'm sure she would of forgotten about me by Monday!!

Paul and Darryl made the mistake of pulling out the laptop and showing some cartoon shots/scenes...of course Shamus was obsessed with it and didn't want Paul to turn it off. Poor Paul couldn't say NO...luckily he had his wine though!!

Kids are in bed...now the "grown ups" can relax outside for a while. Thanks for a great time guys!!

Shamus is getting used to our visits from the "city gang"...Jolyne, Paul, Jeff, Karine, Kris, Julie, Brian...that bunch. So, I was telling him on Saturday morning, "Mommy's friends are coming to visit today and we're going to have a BBQ. Jolyne is coming, and Karine..." And Shamus started, "and Paul too?" Yeah, and Paul. Shamus said, "And Kris too?" ....ah, no Kris this time. Sorry Kris!! Shamus was looking for you. I just told him that Kris was home with his family and couldn't come. You better visit us before we're gone from Montreal too!!!

A parcel from Brisbane!

A nice surprise package for Miss Breagha!

She got a wonderful gift from Steve and Cari last week. I'm sure Steve slaved at picking out a gift. heeheee...just kidding Steve...kind of... :)

Breagha "reading" her card. Then she tried to eat it. Sorry guys! I got it back on time!

The cutest outfit! Thanks so much. I love the hat! And a book for Breagha...

...And of course Shamus couldn't be forgotten...a book for him too.

Very cool because it does different languages. Thanks guys. Very thoughtful of you.

I love getting mail!!!

The Girls Dinner Night...

Another busy week.

Back to work this week. The kids weren't happy about going back to daycare but got back into the swing of things. It was a pretty busy week and weekend.

The daycare had a Corn Roast/BBQ on Thursday evening. It's a nice way to see the educators and other parents "out of the daycare". And Shamus got to hang out with Madison...I think it's he's first crush!!!

And I went out Friday. Time for another Girls Dinner Night. We all had a very busy summer so it was a great way to catch up.

Anabel, Ksenija, Preetha, and I. There was 8 of us. I asked the waiter to take a picture of the whole table...this is what I got??? Yeah. It was a beautiful Greek restaurant. In an old house, 2 floors, lots of history. The restaurant was beautiful, food was great, but the service...hmmm, not so great. He got my order wrong, Ksenija's order wrong, and mixed up 2 other dishes. So, maybe he was new?

Anyhow, it's more about the company and wine!!! heheeeeeeee

So, Preetha is a doctor, and expecting her 2nd baby. And that's my bottle of Rose wine?? Yeah, she did have a taste but we cut her off! Only a sip!

And the desert was soooo good! Of course I had to have the "choclate suicide". Liked the name and the dish was superb!

Another fun time with the "Mama's". Can't wait for the next one!

Our Vacation - Part Deux

Yeah, just too many pictures to post!!!

Sorry but I had a tough time to go thru all the pictures...took a while and I don't know if they're all in order!

So, we left Ray and Kendra's on Monday and started for Bangor, Maine. The kids did amazingly in the car. Shamus was so great. He's really turning into a little boy - entertained himself in the car...playing with his cars, "reading" his books, playing with his dinosaurs. And then he would entertain Breagha in between his playtime! She did quite well too but as the trip got longer, she got cranky. :(

We got to Bangor and checked out the campsite. Shamus looooved the tetherball. He didn't want to leave it...

Until he saw the tireswing!

We weren't all that impressed with Maine. I'm sure the coastline is very nice but Bangor wasn't too exciting. We were planning to stay 2 nights but only stayed the one. And then headed off to New Hampshire...

After a long drive, we arrived in Gorham, NH. It was only about 180Km from Bangor but took about 4hours. The secondary roads...very slow process! The campground we stayed at was perfect. Lots of woods, a pool, big playground for the kids, and there were lots of things to do around Gorham. It was a really cute town and the area was beautiful. It's right on the border of the white mountains so lots of rolling hills.

Shamus loves roasting marshmallows...but again, I had to eat them all!

Breakfast time!

We left NH as the weather wasn't great and Breagha's crankiness had started. We decided that she is a true Montrealer, not a camper! I don't think she liked the tents!

So, we arrived in Burlington, Vermont...and as you can see, Breagha is still pissed! I put her on this rock (in the street...cool city), and she just started crying! Oh, she was getting miserable!

This is a cobblestone stone in downtown. Burlington was amazing. We loved it and are definitely going back. It's on the water, very outdoorsy, reminded us of BC...

Ice cream break. Breagha stopped crying because she had the last few bites of my cone. She's starting to love food!
We stopped to listen to some music on the street. Burlington was really great. We're thinking that Darryl's needs to start a business there and that's where we'll move. Could we throw away our Montreal ways? Hmmmmm, I thought about it...and I think so!

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I love choclate milk. Well, delicious!!!!

The waterfront in downtown. Pretty cool. Everything is within walking distance. I think it's about the same size as Halifax. But, it feels like Vancouver...laid back, west coast, environmentally conscious, mountains nearby, water closeby....perfect.

Another pretty view.

We went to the Echo Lake Aquarium and Science Center...

Shamus is on a dinosaur kick right now...but these dinosaurs moved and "growled". So, he was quite scared and took off! Darryl enjoyed the exhibit though!

Very cool...there was a section where Shamus could "dig" for dinosaur bones.

And even Breagha loosened up and enjoyed herself!

So, we really wanted to stay in Burlington...we had a hotel...enough of camping with the kids for now! But, again, Breagha wasn't up for all this traveling and just wasn't herself. She's got a cold and more teeth coming in, so I'm not sure if it was a combo of everything, but she wasn't too happy.

Now that we're back home, she's been much happier. Like her usual self.

And that's our family vacation!!

Our Family Vacation!!!

We had a wonderful vacation. It was so great to see Ray, Kendra, and Tyler. We miss you guys!!! And it was just nice to be in the Maritimes. We have a lot of pictures so I think I may have to do 2 separate postings.

We left Montreal on Thursday night and drove to Riviere du Loup. We stayed at the Days Inn and it was quite nice. A big room with 2 queen beds and breakfast included. Then we went out on the little playground at the hotel in the morning. Burn off some of the kids energy before the long drive to Saint John!

We got to Saint John on Friday around 430pm. Ray and Kendra were both home and there was a yummy supper waiting for us!! They're great cooks so of course we had to steal a few recipes before we left!

This is Saturday at the park. Breagha and Dad.

The park was huge and all wooden structures.

I think everyone enjoyed it!

Here's Tyler and Ray.













And the Purdy Gang.














Shamus enjoyed the slide.

Kendra, Ray, Tyler, and Shamus.

And the Grants!! Darn cute aren't they?!

Back to the house to get ready for supper. While Ray and Darryl got the BBQ ready, Shamus and I enjoyed storytime on the front deck. The house is beautiful. Ray and Kendra did a lot of work to it and they did a super job. I loved all the colours.

And then a trip to the Zoo!! There were 2 lions and they started to "talk" to each other. But, I never heard lions actually make a noise before and it scared the crap out of me!!! Out of everyone! Shamus and Tyler got all freaked out and the lions got louder and louder! Kendra taped some of it. It was pretty cool. But, they don't "growl"....they kind of grunt. Hard to explain! But, now I do believe that lions can be heard for up to 5 miles because it was loud!

The Mama's!

The hot Daddy's!! They're pretty darn cute Dad's!!

Tyler and Breagha hangin'.
Ray and Kendra have a firepit in the backyard. It was pretty nice...we had a fire on Saturday night and enjoyed a few drinks.


Shamus loved this! Ray had him "drive" the lawnmower around the house which he thought was awesome.

And a trip to the Maritimes wouldn't be complete without a visit to Pizza Delight! Oh yeah!!! One of my favourite parts! :)

Tyler was teaching Kendra how to colour inside the lines while we waited for the yummy garlic fingers!

We had a visit to the beach. It was really nice. There was a playground there too so Shamus enjoyed that.

Breagha's favourite thing. Get a good grip on someone's fingers and start walking! She would do this alllllll day if you let her. Gets a bit tiring but she likes it!

And that's the trip to Saint John. It was so great and Ray and Kendra were wonderful hosts. We left Saint John and started off for Bangor, Maine.

Stay Tuned.....

Farewell to Kristjan!

Yeah, another Goodbye to another friend. Monday night Kris flew back to England. Back to his family and old friends! We'll miss you but wish you all the best!!!

So, we met up for dinner on Sunday night so we could say our Farewell.

Cool car that Shamus' dinner came in.

Everyone was great at entertaining Breagha and Shamus. It started with Paul taking the paper place mat and folding it until it became a ball. Shamus was very impressed! And then onto Jolyne and her paper hats and boats. And then Darryl and Kris making paper airplanes.

Everyone was going back to their childhood and it was quite funny!!

Thanks for the entertainment guys.

Doesn't she have the best pearly whites!

Not quite sure what Paul was laughing at???

Breagha sporting Shamus' hat.

We had a great time and it's always fun to get together with everyone. Not sure what Jolyne, Karine, and Paul are going to do to keep busy...the single friends group seems to be getting smaller and smaller!

Well, you can always hang out in the Burbs with the MacPurdys!!

Good luck Kris. Come back and visit. All the best with your new job.