School Tomorrow!

Big day tomorrow! Shamus starts at the Wilder Penfield Elementary school tomorrow morning. (Remember - "I smell burnt toast Dr. Penfield!" That's the guy!) It's suppose to be an excellent school.

Yes, we did all this already! But he's actually going to do the whole year this time! :) And this time he won't have any daycare buddies joining him. And the day will be 85% French. So, a big step for him but we think he will do well. The only thing that Shamus isn't excited about with starting school - he has to get up early! No more sleeping in. He needs to be at school for 845am and it goes until 330pm. Tomorrow and Wednesday are only half days and then he does a full day on Thursday and Friday.

Hopefully he will like his new teacher and new school. And make some nice friends. Well, we'll know more tomorrow! Good luck Shamus.

We love you very much.

Village du Pere Noel..in August??

Yeap, yesterday we headed off to Santa's Village! Did you know that Santa vacations in Quebec each summer? Neither did I! But, my friend, Preetha, told me about this park outside the city and we decided to check it out yesterday. It was the perfect place and a very nice break from daycare and job hunting (stay tuned). The kids had the best time and it would be somewhere I'd love to go back to. We spent most of the day there and didn't get a chance to be bored. A great spot for Shamus and Breagha's age. :) Very happy day.

The kids tried out every single thing that was there. From these water bumper boats to rock climbing, to castle climbing...you name it, it was there...

The climb up was pretty easy but the climb down was much trickier. Breagha did quite well. She held her own with the boys...

The kids loved the pony ride...even Shamus! Breagha is definitely the big animal lover though. She has no fear of any creature.

Rudolph?

The little go-carts were the biggest highlight of the day. We did these 3 times. The kids loved the idea that they didn't need a grown up to drive them! Pretty cute to watch them go around the track.

The boys were much faster than Breagha. They flew around the track while she took her good old time. She went off the track a couple of times because she is so darn nosy...she doesn't keep her eyes on the road!

Preetha and her daughter, Mia, did about 10 trips down these slides. It was Mia's favorite part of the day.

Joe getting the kids ready for the zip line. They did really well standing. All the ones we've done before were sitting. Breagha was nervous the first time but great after that!

On your Mark, get Set...

GO!

Shamus and Matteo didn't see each other for about 2.5years but they never missed a beat!

Oh yeah, Santa's Village does mean that Santa is around...of course we had to stop in to see the big guy!

The pools were also great...

The girls were so cute together. Mia's a bit younger than Breagha but they get along really well.

Time to get ready for home. Boo hoo! We'll have to make another trip!

In regards to the job and daycare hunting - things have been grim with the job search. I haven't even applied for a job yet as every position wants French only or bilingual. And you can't really fake whether you can or can not speak a language. Right? So, I went to Services Canada this week to see if they would sponsor me to take some French courses. Normally they will only sponsor you if you are already on Unemployment. But, I filled out the fills and have an appointment in 4 weeks. Can't hurt to try. If the government will sponsor me then I can take some French classes and have Breagha in daycare. In the meantime, I'm just going to start applying and see if anything comes up.

With the daycare situation - most of the large daycares have wait lists so I've put Breagha's name on some already (including her old daycare). We did get at the same daycare that Matteo and Mia go to, but it's in the city. It's a great daycare but trying to get Breagha there and back would be tough (it's no where near Darryl's studio). A bummer as it is a $7.00/day daycare which is really hard to get into. We would like something near our house so that we can have Shamus and Breagha in the same area...as much as possible... I have no idea where I'll be working so I think having the kids close to home would be easiest. I can get Breagha into a preschool program through the school board but it is only half days. That's totally fine for now as I'm not working. And it's only $100.00 a month. And it is French. So, I think this is what we'll do for now. This way she will get some type of daycare, it's close to home, and it's not expensive. Now I just need a job!

Besides daycare and job hunting we've been doing the usually stuff. We head off to a park most days, go biking (great bike paths in our neighborhood), and have had some play dates with friends. Darryl is working on a deadline at work right now so we haven't seen much of him. :( He's gone before the kids are up and gets home after they are in bed. No fun! But, it's only for a few weeks and then hopefully back to normal. The long commute doesn't help either. So, this makes us realllllly wonder about where we want to buy a home.

Lots to figure out these days!

Rainy Weekend = Family Fun

It's been rainy and cool the last 2 days so that means we've been staying inside for the most part. We did pick up Shamus' school supplies yesterday. Walmart (Big W) was a crazy place!!!! EVERYONE on the West Island was there. So, we bought what we needed and got out of there! After we got home I started up some yummy stew. Can't go wrong with stew on a cool day! Darryl and I played some crib while the stew cooked and the kiddies watched a show. Then we all played cards - Pass The Ace. It was hilarious! Shamus and Breagha were really into it and did quite well. Shamus has an excellent poker face! Darryl and I enjoyed some wine and a movie once the kids went to bed so a great evening for everyone!

We got up this morning, to another rainy day, so we all sat at the table and did some puzzles, mazes, and sketching. And more board games. It was very very nice. :) It reminded me of how lucky I am.

This afternoon we met up with Jolyne, Jeff, and Karine for some lunch and now the weekend is coming to an end! Already. No fun. Darryl has had very long days since we got to Montreal so the weekend is our real family time. Bummer that it goes so quickly!

This is Shamus' last week before school so we're hoping to have a couple of fun days before he hits the books! But, the weather isn't looking too good. I'm sure we'll come up with something!

We're around!

Hi all,

We are here. Just got our internet hooked up this afternoon! So, now we can start getting more things done! I tried to do an update on my iphone but didn't have any luck. So, I will look to get a post done soon! We are all doing well and enjoying some time with Shamus before he goes off to school. We have a long "To Do" list and are trying to get through it.

Will do a proper post soon!

Time to pack it up

Time to hit the road!

I can't believe the kids and I have been home for almost 2 and a half months. The time really went by quickly! Shamus will be in school before I know it!

We had a great time a home but it will also be nice to get back into a routine. We did alot while we were home. Everything from weddings, making hay (my arms were a mess), letting the kids drive the car (steering only but you can't do that in the city!!), lots of parades, visiting family, hanging on the beach, horse racing, camping with cousins, go-carts/bumper boats/bumper cars with cousins, soccer practices and games, play groups, and lots of playing outside!! We're very lucky to have been able to spend the summer at home and a big thank you to my parents for putting up with us. :)

We leave for Montreal on Wednesday and hopefully the drive will go well. Can't wait to see you Darrylie! We'll have a couple of weeks before Shamus starts school and then it will be time for me to get back to work!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer. And I hope our friends Down Under are surviving an Australian "winter"!! :)

Ceilidhs and Weddings!!

Yes, lots of Ceilidhs and weddings in the summertime! Ceilidh is Gaelic for party or gathering. The Mabou summer festival is called the "Mabou Ceilidh". And it's a great chance to see everyone. I saw lots of family and had a wonderful time.

Cousins Aaron, Scott, John, Me, and Adam. Not a good pic of John! Sorry John...we know you have beautiful blue eyes!

Cousins - Me, Francine, and Alistair.

Alistair came to see us in Brisbane back in March.

The kids all waiting for the parade to start. More candy!!!!!!

The Halifax Biomedical has brought some new jobs to Mabou. And had a great float!

After the parade is all the games, concerts, and beer gardens...

the kids were very pleased with the prizes.

We also enjoyed my cousin, Justin's wedding last weekend. The rehearsal party was lots of fun too! More family time. Lots of laughs and lots of music!!

Cousin Jason and Uncle Neil.

Aunt Margie was the mother of the groom. And she is lotsssssss of fun!

Amanda - you made it on the blog!!! :)

No pictures of us together thought. :(

I wasn't too on the ball with the pics. I don't have any of me and my bestest friends!

Justin and Kelly on the big day. The kids were so excited. Their first wedding and they really loved it. Lots of dancing was done that night!

Hayden is 9months old and was so cute in his tux!

Picture of the groom with his family. And my Grandpa MacNeil.

Shamus and Breagha were waiting patiently for the music to start.

The wedding party. The girls traded in the high heels for comfy flipflops. Probably a good idea!! The dresses were really nice. And the boys were very handsome in their tuxes.

Oh, Breagha was very happy when the bride came over and asked her to dance. It was really cute. She had a pretty big smile on her face!

Duane's kiddies and my kiddies...I don't think they stopped dancing.

And that was the big night!!!! The first MacNeil wedding was enjoyed by Shamus and Breagha.

While I was on the dance floor with the kids...doing some serious dancing...Shamus whispered in my ear, "Wouldn't it be nice if Dad was with us?" Yes, it would have been perfect had Dad been with us. We sure miss you Babe!!!

Can't wait to see you.