MacPurdys

The House :)

2011-12-13T12:28:00.005+10:00

I was warned by my mother to get some pics of the house on the blog!

And the first pic that I post is super dark! Sorry but I didn't really look at the pictures until I downloaded them and now I'm too lazy to start again. So, it will have to do for now. Maybe it will hide some of the mess! :) (you can click on the pic Mama if you want to make it bigger)

We finally moved into the house...the weekend of Nov 26. Thanks to everyone that helped us out. We appreciate it very much!

We're still unpacking and need a few things (like a dining set and a bed for downstairs) but we're getting there.

I didn't want to buy much until we were moved in, so I could be sure about sizes/colors/etc. And because we are now poor! :) We plan to slowly start to pick up things here and there.

Breagha's room is a little bit of everything at the moment! But, again, we still haven't decided what we want to buy for her room so we'll take our time. Right now it doesn't matter because she isn't really using her room!

She's sleeping in the bunk beds! She is very used to sleeping with Shamus so now he's in the top bunk and she's in the bottom. Not sure how long it will take before she'll sleep on her own.

We desperately need curtains but I haven't find anything I like yet. I don't like too fancy and I don't like too busy....and we need to paint our room. Not sure when the room will be complete!

We did get our tree up on the weekend. Very excited about that.! We really like it. Darryl picked up some cute new ornaments!! And we put some decorations up - inside and outside. We don't have a lot of stuff since we've bounced around the last few years but again, slowly but surely!

We're doing well with visitors already!

Our first weekend in the house we had Steve, Cari, and Jesse stay with us. Had a great time!!!! And then we had Jolyne, Eric, Suzy, and Marc come for dinner this past Saturday. Thanks guys! And next weekend the kids are having their first playdates with friends.

And we have lots of visitors coming for the holidays! The Purdy's are coming from Nova Scotia, my cousin, Amanda, and her new hubby, Myles are coming for New Year's. And my bro and his gang are planning a trip in! So, loving the company!

Wedding Fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-10-08T09:19:00.006+10:00

It all began with a girl, Amanda, and a boy, Myles.

And they lived happily ever after!

And we all loved the wedding celebration!

While we were home, we got to enjoy some wedding fun.

Just what we all needed!

The wedding took place down the road from my parents, up on the hill, in Myles' parents field, in front of lots of family and friends, surrounded by love.

It was a great day.

The kids had a blast being in Nova Scotia.

So relaxing. But lots of wedding preparations!! I'm sure more than Harry and Kate!

My favorite part - shopping for Breagha's shoes! She had a dress already - as it matched the wedding color theme - but we HAD to buy new shoes! Love them!

The hall was amazing. I thought Amanda was crazy a few times but I was super impressed! She didn't forget one detail. Lots of decorating!

And to ride to the wedding on Harley's? Yeap, that was super cool too!

Amanda with her Dad, Neil, on his Harley.

Friends for 35years.

Yes, we're getting old! But, that's a long time of friendship.

It's was hot that day. We needed to keep cool.

Just thought this was cute.

Can't remember which of the kids took the pic...can only assume it was them from the angle it was taken. :)

Me with my loving little girl. She's quite the lady.

The wedding location was perfect. Such a beautiful view.

Jenn and Aaron - thanks for the beer Aaron!

Ah, I think we clean up pretty good!

The boys were so cute in their suits. Handsome!!!!!

The band at the reception was awesome! Everyone danced all night.

Cousin Aaron (who also sang a few tunes at the wedding. Well done) and little Violet.

The kids danced and danced. Shamus was so sweaty! And Breagha LOVED the square set.

Oh yeah, she loves music from home!

And no wedding at home is complete without the fiddle.

The best part!

Thank you Amanda and Myles for such a wonderful day.

The Summer of 2011!!

2011-09-28T11:27:00.006+10:00

Well, the summer is over, autumn is here (we're still enjoying beautiful weather so can't complain) and I haven't really posted any summer pics!

It's been very busy since May and sometimes it was hard to keep up let alone do a post! But, I want to keep our blog as a journal so I really need to get things updated. A couple of sad moments - We had the death of my Gramma Sadie and then my Gramma MacNeil 3 weeks later (I didn't even want to post about it as we've had a tough go with Grandparents. None left now which is very sad. But, my sister did a beautiful eulogy...it was perfect. Great memories). But we had some great times too. We went away with my brother and his family to "Logosland" and had the best time. A perfect family getaway if you want camping and water fun! We also had a family wedding which I was part of the wedding party....so lots and lots of fun. And a couple of weekends away for some much appreciated down time. :)

So, I'm going to post some pictures of Logosland and then in a few days hopefully I'll still be in full swing and post some pictures of the wedding/home.

The kids loved Logosland and I hope we can go again next year. The first night was all about the fire and roasting marshmallows! Yummy!!

Can't have a campground/waterpark without mini putt!

The water slides were a lot of fun but the red one definitely went the fastest! Shamus and Calli did great...flying down it...but Breagha was not ready for the challenge. Maybe next time!

She still loves to relax by the water and play in the sand. She is amazing at entertaining herself and happy with her own company. xoxo She rocks.

Breagha's other favorite part of the trip was the paddle boats! She loved them!!!

A little bit of everything at "Logosland".

Shamus' favorite part was the water trampoline. It was pretty cool.

My nephew, Alexander, was very good at bouncing off the trampoline.

We had a great set up: very close to everything. And great company.

My niece, Calli, is the perfect play mate for Shamus and Breagha. And very motherly to both although she is only a few months older than Shamus! Pretty cute.

And there was even a little farm!!

(and a golf course that the boys tried out one afternoon)

Miss B didn't want to leave the goats.

Shamus loves to be glued to HannaRose. I'm sure he must drive her crazy sometimes but she is very patient with him!

Shamus and Breagha adore their cousins and we are so thankful that we get to see them as much as we did. That was the big "bonus" to moving back to Montreal -having family in Ottawa!

Hmmm, that wasn't too long at all! Next time maybe even a couple of graduation pics (kindergarten and daycare:) and some soccer pics! They were pretty cute!

Hellooooo!

2011-09-19T09:29:00.003+10:00

Yes, we are still around! Living our lives and updating about it - seems to be impossible since we moved back. I don't know if it's because the kids are more busy now or work/play, but the days are rolling by!

I do have lots to post. While we had some sad moments (I lost both my grandmothers within 3 weeks of each other) we also had some wonderful moments (family weddings are the best!) so I don't know where to start! I did say that I wanted to keep up with the blog until Breagha started school. So, I can't quit until I at least post some school pictures! So, stay tuned, I plan to post sometime this week. Hmmmm, that's the plan anyway! We'll see if it happens! :)

Gramma Sadie

2011-08-13T00:24:00.002+10:00

The kids and I left for Montreal last Saturday and did the 14hour drive to Antigonish...Darryl's home town. We stayed the night with his parents and then headed to Mabou...my hometown...on Sunday morning. I was in a hurry to get home as my Gramma Sadie (turning 96 in September!)was going down hill quickly and I wanted see her. My Mom and I spent about 7hours with her on Sunday and she passed away Sunday night. I am so thankful that I had the chance to see her one more time. She was the glue that held my Mom's family together and she will be greatly missed by her 10 children, her 45 grandchildren, her 92 great grandchildren, and her 12 great great grandchildren. My sister wrote a little something that was posted at the wake and it was perfect:

Gramma Sadie

Thank you for our homemade mittens that all 45 grandchildren received each Christmas. You wrapped each pair with love and homemade tags. The day after Christmas you began the new mittens for the next years gifts.

Thanks for allowing us to play with your collection of buttons (and take some home) while you sewed on your fancy sewing machine that didn't need electricity. It was amazing to watch your fancy footwork keep that needle stitching.

Thanks for making each grandchild feel special by granting each of us a place of honour in your graduation "Hall of Fame". (once you graduated, your picture was put up on the wall. I couldn't wait to get on that wall!!)

Thank you for sharing your many talents with us. Many of us have mastered the "Scrabble" board and improved our playing skills simply from listening to you say, "Are you going to challenge me?" We all know that you secretly memorized the dictionary when nobody was around.

Thank you for the quilts you made. They will be treasured for years and generations to come.

Thank you for always being happy to see each and everyone of us when we frequented your doorway. You always made each of us feel welcomed!

Thank you for always being kind and open-minded. There was never any judgement.

Thank you for always making room for each of us at Christmas when everyone came to visit at the same time!

Thank you to you and Grampa Hughie for making all those blue eyes sparkle! We're all proud to carry on the blue eyes...those who didn't get them are probably just a little jealous! (which I am cause I didn't get them and they are beautiful!) :)

Having a family funeral and a family wedding a week a part isn't ideal but I think Gramma would want us all to have some fun. She was truly an amazing lady that loved life and loved everyone around her. She was always so happy and we will miss her so much. But, now she is at peace.

Love you.

2011-08-03T11:29:00.011+10:00

Well hello folks... it has been a while since our last post. There are no excuses really. We have just been quite busy with work, kids activities and looking for a home. Also it seems that Montreal is not quite as exotic as Australia (some might say... sorry Montreal) so we have let the posting slide a little.

The good news is we have a few videos instead of pictures. Both Shamus and Breagha had small graduation celebrations and part of the festivities was having a little concert with the kids. We thought it was pretty cute! They both did a mixture of french and english songs. Check them out!

Shamus' class was so cute doing all the actions to the song. They put a lot of practice in for this concert.

Below is Breagha's first highland dancing appearance. She was a little nervous but everything went really well.

I love Breagha's solo in this. Stacey laughed at me because I watched it like six times. I was so amazed that she was really on beat! Time to hit the pageant circuit (ok maybe not) :)

P.S. the video quality is a little crappy... Breagha is the one in the black and white polka dots with pink belt.

I hope you enjoyed these!

It's Just a Blur!!

2011-06-22T02:12:00.004+10:00

Hmmm, I started this post 2 weeks ago and can't seem to get it finished! So, I'll just have to give a brief update for now but we hope to post a video soon...Breagha was in her first concert! :)

Where did May go?? Where did June go? It truly feels like the days are flying by! And it is a blur!! We've been so busy that I don't know where to start! May had my birthday and Mothers Day - both wonderful. Especially my yummy lobster. And my Michael Kors. :) Thanks Baby. Darryl got to do his mountain biking at Mt. Bromont. Had his Fathers Day pampering. We also had trips into Ottawa for birthday fun. We went to the Eastern Townships with Mike, Mireille, and the boys. Love it there!!!!! It was so great to get away. I'd love to post some pics (our blog is my memory box:) someday soon!

And it's full swing of soccer season - Darryl and I are both coaching (assisting). Still have swimming lessons each week, karate class (taking July/Aug off), and Breagha is dancing in the Montreal Highland Games next month!! And between all this, Darryl has gone to Toronto twice and Vancouver for work, doing long days, and we've been squeezing in a new workout routine! I've also joined a hot yoga class with a friend so I rush out the door around 8pm to make the class. Plus, Breagha's preschool graduation, year end school parties (and you have to bake for everything), Breagha's daycare year end party, karate year end party, kid birthday parties (all the time!), and finalizing summer camp details (pay for pre/post camp, buy lunches?...)

This is why things are a blur at the moment! It can be overwhelming. I don't know how my brother and his family does this craziness for most of the year! I get up at 530am most days and our days are extremely busy...so going to bed late...not a lot of sleep.

I'm happy to say that I have a week off soon! I took next week off to celebrate Shamus finishing his first year of school! He's done very well and we're looking forward to the week off together. With Miss Breagha of course. We plan to have some fun outside the city and then we're going camping at a waterpark on the Thursday until Sunday. Darryl's coming along and my brother with his crew. It looks like lots of family fun. Thennnnn, on the way back from camping, we're dropping the kids off at my brothers for the week!! Eeeeeeek! I'm happy the kids will get a week with my brother and his family....and no summer camp...sleep in...but I'm a little freaked out too because we've never sent the kids off anywhere before. We've only been away from them when we went to NYC but Darryl's parents stayed with the kids at our house. Besides that, we've had a night to ourselves 2-3 times but never the kids off somewhere and we stay at home! I'm sure they'll be great and it will be nice for Darryl and I to be able to just go to work and not be rushed to drop off/pick up kids. Still a little freaky though!

So, we have lots of pictures to post but it's tough to get the time. Sitting at the computer at 9pm is the last thing I feel like doing! I'm sure most people understand that! ;) But, I will try to get pics posted because I do look at the blog as a "memory box" for us!

I hope everyone is enjoying the first day of summer! We've been getting wonderful weather so I hope it continues next week! Please be sunny on Canada Day weekend!

Get your motor running.....

2011-05-24T10:24:00.006+10:00

We are a little late posting this but oh well! We decided a couple weekends ago to take advantage of the beautiful weather and give Shamus a chance at learning to ride a two wheeler. That's right! No more training wheels!

I think it is safe to say that he surprised us and himself at how fast he caught on. He did it his first try. I ran with him for the first five meters, holding his seat. I let go and he was off. I pretended to hold on for his sake but he was riding solo. When I told him that I had let go "way back at the start" he was pretty pleased. I told him to try again and he did it all on his own. It was pretty exciting (for him and Stace and I). Check it out below:

Breagha saw how well Shamus did so she thought... "pfffft if he can do it... so can I". She asked to try without her training wheels. After supper we removed B's training wheels and tried her out in the parking lot at the back of our building. Let's just say that she needs a little more practice. She loved to look at her feet or her handle bar tassels or her shirt or the flowers passing by or her feet. Everywhere but straight ahead. I think we'll keep the training wheels on for at least the first part of the summer and see how it goes.

Ok, Mama, Here you go!

2011-05-02T10:54:00.010+10:00

It's been a while!! I know.
My mother has been bugging me for about 2 weeks now to get a post up!

Here you go Mama.

She specifically requested a pic of Breagha in her kilt (B loves her kilt for dance class) and pic of Shamus in his karate gear. She did also request a pic of our new car (new to us) but I haven't gotten to that yet. But, we are loving it! :)

Breagha sporting her fancy kilt. She's super cute dancing in it.

And Shamus getting his blue belt. Quite a big deal. He was in his first karate tournament yesterday so pics are coming up...

We really love his instructors. They're great with the kids.

And his buddies.

We celebrated Easter in April but we also celebrated Purdy's birthday!!! I booked a babysitter for the Saturday before his birthday so Darryl and I got to enjoy a nice evening out...great food too!! For his birthday, we had a nice evening at home. Darryl requested seafood chowder for his birthday dinner (we each get to pick our bday dinner) and then of course we enjoyed some cake and ice cream!!

We got him a couple of silly gifts (which the kids loved) but we also booked him a day of mountain biking at Mt. Bromont. It's a skihill outside Montreal that offers mountain biking in the spring/summer/fall. And the day pass includes a 90minute bike lesson, an awesome bike, all the gear, and transportation. It's a full day on the hill so hopefully Darryl will enjoy a day to himself and the beautiful hill.

Love you baby!!

April was busy for us!! (the reason for no posts...)
We also enjoyed an afternoon of bowling! It was the kids first time and they really liked it. Their friend, Matteo, turned 6 and the party was at a bowling alley.

The balls were super heavy for the kiddies so Breagha needed some assistance. :)

We also squeezed in a day at the Sucre D'erable. The sugar shack! We went with our friends Mike and Mireille, and I was really surprised with all the things to do. The kids kept busy with train rides, wagon rides, climbing structures, jumping structures, petting farm, etc.

The taffy was just a minor part of the day...

The 4 wheelers were the highlight of the day!!!

Shamus and Jason rippin' up the track!
Poor little Maddox was very upset that he was too little to have a turn. :(
Next year!

Breagha took her time, was very cautious, but still managed to drive into a bale of hay!

Annnnnnd, the biggest excitement for Shamus in the past week was...
losing his first tooth!

It's funny how such little things are such BIG things when it's the "first" time. Shamus was so proud and excited. And of course he made a few bucks from the tooth fairy! The best part!

And finally, the karate tournament!
Shamus did kata's for the tournament. No fighting but he said that he wants to do a fighting match next time. We'll see...not sure.

We were very proud. He got up in front of the judges and did his thing. And did very well.

He got 4th in his division which means he got a medal, but no trophy.
He really wanted a trophy (I think because they were so big) but it was his first time so he'll have to keep practicing and maybe next time!

Some of the boys in the club.

Ah, that's a quick summary of the last month.
I think one of the highlights for me was Easter weekend. And funny because we have no pics of it! We went to Ottawa and had such a wonderful time.

I'm really having a tough time keeping up with the blog lately. Darryl and I actually forget we have it some weeks! But, I want to keep it up, even just for myself, for another couple of more months. It will be a great journal down the road for the kids. The only problem is that it's difficult to keep up. We have so much going on but I don't drag the camera around with me everywhere I go, and I can't remember every little thing that happens each week. Like Shamus' report card! Just thought of it now...and that was a big deal! He did really well. And the kids in swimming they're doing great. Even Breagha is really enjoying it! So, I'll have to figure something out.

For now, this is good! :)

A Typical Evening...

2011-03-29T02:20:00.003+10:00

So, a typical evening at our place, if we aren't running off to karate or dance, is having the kids enjoy some play time or getting some homework done. They really are at a fun age right now and it's nice to have some quiet evenings at home!

Breagha lovvvves her accessories...especially if it means wearing my shoes!
My new boots go up to her hips and she can look quite stylish while cooking in her kitchen! And she walks better in heels than I do!

Shamus has really grown up the last few months. He just looked so cute sitting at the table doing homework. He doesn't love doing homework but he is enjoying school. And he is doing very well...a little sponge when he is learning something new.

It will be great to have the kids back at the same place. Breagha's very keen on getting to school and Shamus is excited to "show her around".

One more thing about our evenings...
...We get the best sunsets. I haven't been able to take a great shot but I will work on it. I'm surprised how often the sky is super red when the sun goes down. It's really impressive to see and so peaceful.

We're supposed to get some warm weather this week. We're all getting excited for it! Dug out the scooters and bikes so bring it on!

Loving the Family Time!

2011-03-18T11:48:00.004+10:00

We were so lucky to have spent time with our families last weekend!! It was wonderful! Everyone has such busy schedules but it all worked out great.

We headed into Ottawa on Saturday and spent the day at the Science Museum and Cosmic Adventures...with Darryl's sister, Kelly, her family (visiting from NovaScotia), Darryl's sister, Tracy, and her crew, and with my brothers crew! It was great to see everyone. We also squeezed in some birthday celebrations for Tracy on Saturday night. Even big brother Shawn joined us! ;) With his lady friend. It was great.

Sunday was more family time between Duane's and Tracy's. We arrived back in Montreal around 930pm on Sunday night but we were so happy to have seen everyone. We're very lucky to have Ottawa close by!

I've also registered Shamus for summer camps. I'm pretty happy. Out of 9 weeks of summer vacation Shamus will be at camp for 4 of them. I like that. Summer camp is great but I don't want his whole summer to be about waking up early! I have the last week of June off and we plan to do some camping/outdoor water parks. The next week he and little sister will go to Ottawa to hang with their cousins, then 4 weeks of camp (with swimming lessons everyday - his favorite part), and then the last 3 weeks will be in Nova Scotia. So, it's all figured out and it better not change! Takes a while to sort it all out. Especially with a new job.

Shamus and Breagha are also registered for summer soccer. They're both pretty excited about it. ...did I mention that kids are expensive...what we could do with all that extra money!! Good thing we love them so much!

Thanks to everyone for the feedback on my last post. It's great to get other ideas/views on things. Thanks!!!! Hope everyone enjoyed a green beer for St. Paddy's Day!

What to post, what to post...

2011-03-08T13:00:00.003+10:00

I've been wondering about this the last couple of days. We've had so much going on lately that I wonder what I should be posting about. It always seems to be the same kind of busy, just a new week!!

I did have a couple of questions I wanted to ask but I don't know if I'll get any replies!

1/ On my mind for a couple of weeks now - what does everyone do with their poinsettia after the holidays? I've already bought my Easter tulips, they're super cute. But, I still have my Christmas poinsettia. What do you do with it? I can't throw it out (that's too mean) so I've had it in our bedroom since Christmas! Still looks great and is growing...but what does everyone normally do with them? :)

2/ What does everyone do with their kids over the summer break? I've been looking at summer camps (Shamus just finished the YMCA March camp) and we need to decide. Do you send them to the same camp all summer...so the kids are nice and comfortable/familiar with that one. Or do you mix it up and give them some variety? We have 2 camps that we're keen on so I think I'll just split between the two. Who knew that there was so much to decide! Daycare is much easier and always opened!! Shamus has a day off school every month...it's crazy.

3/ Had my first fender bender this morning. I had just dropped Shamus off at school and was on the way to Breagha's daycare. There was a lot of snow and the roads were slippery. The guy 2 cars in front of me slowed down really quickly, which meant that we all had to slow down quickly. The guy behind me didn't and hit me. Not hard but he did scratch the back bumper and cracked the side of it. I've never been in an accident before (knocking on wood!) so I wasn't too prepared with getting his details. I just left with writing down his name and number. He actually works for a car dealership here so he said he will get the car fixed there. So, I was cool with that. Should I had been more "strict" with getting his insurance/etc? I thought of this after - am I too trusting? He could have told me any name and number then I'd be screwed. :( Luckily he was honest! I called him this afternoon to set things up.

4/ Kids in general - do we ever figure them out? Just when we think we have them figured out, they throw us a curve ball!! Will it be like this forever? If it's not one, it's the other. :) And how do 2 working parents keep things balanced? We work at this every week but every week it seems to be hectic. Is this forever too? Oh my!!!!!

Hmmm, these are the little things on my mind!!

First Karate Belt - Blue Belt

2011-02-16T02:19:00.002+10:00

Another busy week for the MacPurdys! Shamus has karate during the week and on the weekend. Breagha has dance during the week. And of course one of them either has a playdate or a birthday party on the weekend! So, the weeks do go by quickly. This past weekend was no exception!

Shamus had his first belt test in Karate. He had his blue belt test. He didn't seem too concerned about it, which concerned Darryl and I...but he did well. Sometimes he can get distracted in class but I suppose it's normal for a boy his age! He'll be given his belt this week so we're very proud of him.

Do I look nervous?

I love his face in this one...

The Master who comes to do the test has 6 levels of his blackbelt so we don't want to get him angry!
Lots of first belts...congrats to everyone.

It's really quite impressive to watch the higher belts. They usually have a class after Shamus' class. And it's amazing to watch them.
Way To Go Shamus!!!

We also went to the DDO Winter Carnival on Sunday. That's our suburb. And it was great. I took a couple of pics but they were really dark. It was very sunny that day so probably too much for the Iphone to handle! :) Anyway, we had a super time. There was a great hill for sledding and even Darryl and I were flying down the hill. We'll have to take Jolyne there next time she visits! There was ice skating, taffy on snow, outdoor play structures, hot chocolate, and even a horse drawn wagon ride around the park. It was really nice and the kids had a blast. They are enjoying the ice skating a lot so I have to see about getting them in skating lessons. I think we missed out for this season though. Next year!!

This weekend we're going to check out the Summer Camp Fair. See what there is for Shamus. It's so different from when I was a kid. My Mom was home with us so we truly had all the holidays off. Shamus has to spend all his time off in camps. It sucks but not much you can do but try to find the fun ones. He'll be going to the YMCA spring break camp in 2 weeks. I think he'll really enjoy it as he'll get to swim every day and they do "science" experiments. Hopefully he'll enjoy it and next year he and Breagha will be able to go together!

Our Mont Blanc adventure!

2011-02-08T02:17:00.005+10:00

Hooooooray!!

This past weekend was our first trip to the skihills!! We got some fresh snow last week and the weather was very mild. So, we packed up the car and took off!!

We had a great time. We were able to get the kids in a 90minute ski lesson so that gave Darryl and I a few runs on our own which we loved. I was feeling nervous on my first trip down as I've only gotten out twice since I was pregnant with Shamus! Rusty. But, after that I was feeling pretty good. It was so great to get out and we're very happy that the kids enjoyed it too. We hope to go again in the next couple of weekends.

Breagha was a little scared at first but was going on her own by the end of the lesson.
Shamus seemed to be in a hurry! He just wanted to go.
They loved the "magic carpet ride" on the bunny hill.
Ahhhhh. So good. Love snowboarding. It's definitely my favorite sport. I hope the kids get into it so we can all enjoy it together!
Purdy didn't seem to miss a beat. And loved it too!

The kids instructor was great. After the lesson, we took the kids up and down the bunny hill a few times. They were going on their own but doing the "snow plough" most of the way. They're eager to go again so I'm thankful for that!!!
One of the best parts of being at the skihills...the lodge. Warming up, drinking hot chocolate, and back out again!

We had a wonderful weekend. Jolyne left the city to visit us in the suburbs! We got to take her sledding on Saturday morning. Thanks for the visit Jo! Saturday was busy with playdates and then we had little friends over for a sleep over. Sunday was on the skihill. Good times!

Back to reality on Monday! I'm busy at work and enjoying it. Darryl is very busy at work so we're still trying to balance everything. Making it work for now! We have to decide what we want to do long term but going with the flow for now!!

Birthday Love!!!!!!!!!

2011-02-01T07:11:00.007+10:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHAMUS!
Big number 6!

Yes, our little boy is now 6 years old!

Ohhhh, it makes me sad! sniff

The time just goes too quickly! I still remember our sleepless nights with him, trying to teach him how to crawl, how to eat cheerios, how to pick up cheerios, and how to walk, talk, and run!
Did I mention that time is going by too quickly?
Well, we decided to have a little birthday celebration but only with a few close friends. Of course his buddy Matteo came, along with Mama Preetha, and little sister Mia. And a couple of buddies from school. We had a great time and the kids were wonderful.

We started at McDonald's...a little play time and bad food. Can't go wrong!

Then we took the kids to see "Tangled".
A great movie but I think the kids enjoyed the arcade games after the movie just as much as the movie itself!

So did Preetha and little Mia!

Darryl is the best Dad ever. He got the boys all set up with the games...I know nothing about these things and really suck at them! I'm also realizing that Darryl is an amazing teacher. He knows a little something about everything! I can't explain why the earth rotates around the sun! Thank God for Darryl! ...We're working with Shamus on his reading. Darryl is so great at explaining all the sounds of each letter. Again, a wonderful teacher. Thank you Darrylie.

Oh, back to the party...

Of course, you can't have a birthday party with cake and gifts!!
Shamus is so obsessed with bakugans...

And we did have to break down and buy some Montreal Canadiens clothes. Shamus has converted all on his own. No longer cheering for Toronto. (Go Leafs Go!)

After the gift opening means that it is time for Dad to put all the pieces together. Again, I'm so grateful for Darryl...

And while Dad is putting toys together, Shamus is trying out his new GameBoy. Gift from Uncle Duane, Aunt Cathy, and cousins...

No, Breagha doesn't have crazy eyes. It's called eye makeup. She's quite the artist, right?!

Hello beautiful Birthday Boy!

We had a wonderful weekend...besides the birthday celebrations, we squeezed in some outdoors skating and some sledding. The weather was perfect for it. If you can have about -8, with no wind, and the sun...the end of January...that's the perfect day for outdoors. We've been quite happy with the weather so far. Only a few chilly days. We'll see how February goes!

We have a great park near our place, right next to Shamus' school. And the hill there is the best for the kids. And the parents! We had a very special weekend.

A bit of our Canadian Winter...

2011-01-22T09:52:00.008+10:00

Yes, it's getting colder now! We can't complain, the winter has been great so far. But, the last 2 days have been cold and it will only get colder! But, we're enjoying the winter and are getting ourselves organized for a little day on the slopes. We hope!

We've had lots going on the past month.

From playdates with friends...

To ice skating outdoors...

To preparing for Christmas...

...loved our tree by the way...
To highland dancing for seniors...

To celebrating Christmas with family...

To enjoying cousin Alec's new friend...

To watching hockey games at the arena and on TV...

To ringing in the New Year with food, wine, and friends...
...with Darryl trying out some Italian moonshine.... :) Go Purdy!!!

To birthday celebrations...

And of course work...
It's been great!!!

Let's hope that 2011 is a wonderful year.

We're all doing really well. The kids are growing so much everyday. It's hard to do an update on all they do each week. Shamus is getting really big I find. We've started working with him on reading and he's doing great. Very keen and loves to learn. He's getting ready for his 6th birthday. I can't believe it. He's a real little man!

Breagha is still loving her highland dancing class which we're happy about. Highland dancing is very popular in Darryl's hometown so it would be great to have her involved in a Nova Scotia tradition! I also registered her this week for school so she's very pleased.

I'm really happy to be back at work. And I love my home office. It is a daily juggle with keeping up with everyone's schedule but we're managing. We had Shamus go to Jewish camp over the school holidays, last weekend he was at a Presbyterian church play date so who knows where he will be next week!! :) Yeap. Kind of funny.

Now, I feel like I am somewhat caught up. Let's see for how long!

We will be back....

2011-01-17T11:54:00.001+10:00

...just don't seem to have the time for computers these days. But, I will try to post something this week! I never even posted our Christmas tree! And I lovvved it! Smelled so wonderful!

So, stay tune. We will be back!

Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-25T01:54:00.002+10:00

It's Christmas Eve morning here and we wanted to wish everyone a very merry Christmas.
We're heading off to Ottawa for the next few days...splitting our time between my brothers place and Darryl's sisters place. It will be great to spend Christmas with family. Of course we'll miss all our family and friends that can't be with us!

We're very thankful for all we have this Christmas. Health and happiness, family and friends, food and drinks...we're are very fortunate. And thankful.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!
MERRY CHRISTMAS

Some Christmas Cheer!!

2010-12-17T11:48:00.005+10:00

Oh, yeah. Tis the Season to be Jolly!!!

I started work today so this has made the past week very busy! With Christmas around the corner, winter flus/colds in full swing, physio appointments, and preparation for work, there has been lots going on. I've been to the post office 3 times and still have one more trip to make! I know...why? Because I have NO boxes so I go to the post office to buy a box, then go home to wrap the gift, then back to the post office to mail the box!

A very sloooooow process!

:) Tomorrow will be my last trip.

But, we've squeezed in some fun stuff too!

We had the Ubisoft party on Saturday and had a super time with everyone. The kids enjoyed their sleepover and we enjoyed our night out. We met up at Jolyne and Karine's for pre-drinks and then to the party. It was crazy the amount of people there. We never did find Mike and Mireille!

It was really tough to get some decent pictures with the lighting...and I wasn't that dedicated to test out all the settings on the camera. Just wanted to have some fun with everyone!

Darryl did ridiculous Gob Bluth (Arrested Development) poses allllll night...
And Gob dance moves all night...
He was quite entertaining. :)

How do Karine and Suzy look so great in EVERY pic??! Damn you!

Yes, Jolyne joined in with the silly poses...I couldn't get proper pics from them most of the night! But, I'll blackmail Jolyne with pics later. Heeheheeeeee

We had a super time and thanks to everyone for coming out with us!

And it was really nice to see some Aussie faces. I knew about 10 people out of the 3000 there.
Not bad, right??

As we get further into the night...more drinks...

Ah, they're just too cute!

And a night out wouldn't be complete without someone getting hurt. I'm not sure what happened to this poor guy but I think he laid on the floor for 2hours before they finally got him out of there! It's was sad really. I could have diagnosed him, patched him up, and sent him on his way faster than the 4 paramedics that were there!!!!

Ah, Darryl does clean up well. Handsome man! We had a wonderful night and can't wait for Christmas next week. It's right around the corner!

After the party on Saturday, we got rolling Sunday morning, cleaned up, and went out to buy us a Christmas tree! It's all decorated and looking beautiful I think! The kids love the angel we bought. It lights up so they were super impressed.
Christmas tree pics to follow!!

Tomorrow is the day

2010-12-09T12:40:00.002+10:00

Quick update:

Breagha's dental surgery is tomorrow. She is finally getting her teeth done! We started the process in Australia but after being told that it was going to cost $5500.00 (with coverage!), we thought we would see if she could wait until we got back to Canada. We were told that she could wait but to keep an eye on the teeth and any pain.

It was nice to be told the exact same thing in Brisbane and Montreal. She needs to have crowns on all her back teeth and then the canine teeth will basically be covered with a white filling. She has no enamel on her teeth (preemie thing) so they are very weak and have already started to crack/chip. And she may have her back teeth until she is 11-12 years old so the procedure needs to be done.

After arriving in Montreal in May I took Breagha to our old dentist. They confirmed the need for surgery and set me up with the specialist. $240.00 is the total cost! :) Glad we decided to wait. I still hate the idea of Breagha needing an anesthetic but there isn't anything we can do about it. She doesn't know that she'll be asleep for the procedure. I just told her that she will be getting a needle for the pain. Hopefully she'll cope well with everything.

Good luck little B.

And thennnnnn, I start work next week! Yeap, I start on Dec16 and I'm pretty excited. It's with my old company and it's a 3 month contract. I passed up a contract in September as I had just started my French course. But, I didn't want to pass up another. The extra money will be awesooooooome! I'll be working in a different department so new stuff to learn. And I'll be working from home. So, super happy about that. Thank you to my friend Suzy for being so great to me! She's been wonderful. I'll still have a week off for the holidays so we'll be hanging out in Ottawa!

Ubisoft Family Christmas Party

2010-12-07T12:26:00.004+10:00

The holiday season is here!!!
Christmas parties, Christmas shopping, Christmas cards, Christmas baking, Christmas music (my favorite), and most important - Christmas Cheer!

Last Sunday was the Ubisoft Family Christmas party and the kids had a blast. It was really quite impressive. I didn't think about it until we arrived...and saw the hundreds of kids! A studio of 2000 employees will produce lots and lots and lots of children!

And everything went smoothly! :)

Breagha was very keen on the cupcake decorating...

Of course each child was given a gift from Santa...and an UbiKids tshirt. Very cute.

I tell ya...........kids were EvErYwHeRe!
This pic was taken at the end of the party. Previously the line up to get near the games/rides was very long.

It was great to see Mike, Mireille, and the boys there. Familiar faces. :)

Breagha still won't go near Santa so this was the dude who passed out the,
"I'm scared of Santa but still want a gift"
gift...

Darryl sporting his "movember stache".

Lots of entertainment for the kids. Nothing was missing so hats off to Ubi.

Not sure about this circus string juggling thingy but Shamus loved it and invested lots of time trying to master it!

The adult Christmas party is this Saturday. I hope my back can handle the high heel shoes!!
My physio has been going really well though. Apparently I have a bulging disc. But, things are improving quickly so I'm very very thankful for this. I can stand up straight now :) and the disc is almost back in the proper place. Good stuff.

With the holiday season in full swing here, it is also a reminder about how lucky we are. My school (where I'm taking French), Shamus' school, and Breagha's daycare are all sponsoring a family for Christmas. Families in need of food and gifts for Christmas. While our money is tight with me not working, we can still help other families and I'm so thankful for that. It reminds me that some things are not that important...as long as we have health and happiness.

So, help out this holiday season if you can!!!

Weekend away. Verrrry nice.

2010-12-03T04:24:00.004+10:00

Yes, we had a little weekend away. And it was soooo nice! 2 weekends ago we ventured up north and enjoyed cabin living for a couple of days. It was too short but wonderful! It was relaxing and that was just what I needed! A little chance to unwind and relax with family and friends.

And with food and wine. :)

Karine did most of the organizing so a big thanks to her! I didn't cook a meal the whole weekend and loved it! Some minor assisting and clean up. I can handle that!

The cabin was about 5 minutes outside Mont Tremblant village. Shamus and Breagha were very happy on Saturday morning as they woke up to snow! Breagha didn't wait for brekky. Outside!

The weekend was a lot of this...

And a lot of this...

I hurt my back the day we went to Mont Tremblant (old injury that won't stay away!!) so everyone was wonderful and helped out with the kids. Thanks guys!!

Suzy showing off the Znidarec muscles!!

There was also a lot of food!!

I was so glad we got a little bit of snow...Shamus and Breagha were so pleased!

Ahhh, snow angels.

The food was excellent...

God Bless Jeff in the kitchen!

Oh, and the weekend wasn't complete without some Twister action! Again, I couldn't play, due to my back ;) so the ladies took my place!!

Some pool before dinner...

And no cabin is complete without a fire place!!! So cozy.

It was so nice to get out of the city and just relax. I LOVE the fresh air!

Hopefully we'll be able to plan another weekend away in the new year. But, without the back pain!

Thanks guys for super weekend.

Catch up again...

2010-11-18T12:55:00.008+10:00

Yes, I'm doing catch up again. Never ending! But, this time I am a week behind due to a trip home. Of course I'm super thankful that I was able to go home as it was for my Grandfather's funeral. I went home on Sat/Nov 6 and came back on Fri/Nov 12 so I had lots of time to spend with family. It was wonderful. My father comes from a family of 14 kids, 55 grandkids, and 64 great grandkids. So, there was a lot of catching up to be done!! 46 of the grandkids made it home so I really enjoyed the time with all my cousins. And since I went home by myself (Darryl did an amazing job all by himself for a week!!!), I was really able to truly catch up with lots of my family. No chasing around the kiddies!

We did manage to get some family pics....

Dad and 11 of his siblings.
(He's the handsome lad in the middle. Yellow shirt.)

Not to go into anything too sad...but I thought it was very nice. Because my grandfather was a veteran from World War 2, the military was part of the funeral. My father, being the oldest boy, was given the folded Canadian flag in honor of my grandfather. It was really nice. Something my father can keep in memory of his father.

Some of the grandkids and great grandkids...

Can you find me?

We did manage to have a wonderful kitchen party before we all left Nova Scotia. My uncle, Archie and his wife, Margie, hosted the party. My Grandfather loved to play cards so Archie and Margie had 3 tables set up in the kitchen for card playing. Came close, but I never won a game!! And the living room was where all the guitar playing and singing went on. A very late night but it was awesome!! Lots of laughs.
A great last farewell to Grandpa.

The day I left to go home was Shamus' first karate test. I'm glad I was able to make it. He has to have a "tip test" before he can go for each belt. His first belt is the blue belt so this test was the "blue tip" for his blue belt. It's basically like a quiz before the exam. Tells you what you need to work on before going for the actual belt. Shamus did really well and Darryl and I were very proud.

Shamus did get his Blue Tip.
A nice pic of Shamus, his sensei, Denis, and buddy, Matteo.

The weekend before I went home was Halloween. We went to Ottawa and celebrated with Duane and his gang. We took in a Halloween party and I really enjoyed all the costumes. I guess I kind of forgot how big Halloween is here since you don't see much of it in Australia. It was really fun!

Purdy and I.
The plug and socket. :) You get the idea, right?

You'll notice that there will be a lot of firemen/women at the party. And burnt people, water costumes, people dressed as curtains...etc... The people hosting the party, Lou and Paula, hosted the party last year but ended up fighting a fire at the end of the night. One of the candles caught fire on their curtains. Not the best end to the night but I guess it didn't discourage them as they threw the party again this year!!

Duane and Cathy.

Yes, that is Duane's fire hose.
Pull the axe and out pops the fire hose. He enjoyed entertaining people with that little trick most of the night.

This is Paula's china cabinet.
Normally full of china but for Halloween she goes crazy with decorating. I only took a couple of pictures but she had Halloween stuff EVERYWHERE in the house. Very impressive. Same as my sister, Cheryl's house.

I really liked the mummy hanging from the curtain rod.

The host, Cowboy Lou.

Hostess, Paula with Cathy.

My favorite costume of the night.
"The Exorcist."
Amazing, right? Love the eyes.

As the night went on, it got more and more interesting!

We had a great time. And now I'm getting excited for Christmas! Even Darryl is and normally there is no Christmas music allowed until December 1. But, we're both excited about a white Christmas. It better be!

Thanks to everyone for the wonderful comments and emails from my last post. Very thoughtful and sweet.
K, I think I'm caught up again.

It was a sad day today

2010-11-05T10:44:00.003+10:00

It just was sad. My Grandfather passed away this morning and it is truly the end of an era. He was 91 years old. I understand that he wasn't 20 years old. He was old. But, for some reason, I thought he would live to be 120. The only nice part about it is that he wasn't sick for very long.

My Grandpa MacNeil was a World War 2 veteran and he told the best stories. Not usually about the war because they were horrible memories for him. But, sometimes, he would tell us about when he was young, or courting our grandmother (it only cost $0.25 to get into a dance back then but it was a lot because he had to pay for both of them). He would tell us about our home town and all the shops/general stores that used to be there. And about his training camp before war. And on the rare occasion he would tell us a war story. He was one of those people that when he spoke, you hung on each word. (My brother also has that gift.) I remember being in high school and the guys in my class would go visit my grandfather because he was so interesting to listen to. Even this summer when I was home, one of my old high school friends was "taking off" my grandfather and talking about how unique he was. It took Grampa forever to tell a story because he talked slow and would get side tracked with a different story!! But, that was all part of being Grampa. I think everyone in the family can "take off" how he talks! He was kind of like Sophia in the "Golden Girls" Remember how she would always say, "...Picture it. Sicily. 1943...."

That's similiar to Grampa. Except for Grampa it was, "Wellllll, you knowww (pause). Back thennn we had to do it this wayyy. (pause.) But, you knowwww, (pause) it worked better that wayyyy." Followed by a cough and then a little spit of tobacco. He was unique!!

Grampa was toughest on his own family as he was a heavy drinker and this caused them to go without many things. But, as he got older, I think he tried to be extra kind to the grandkids. He was never cross with us and always enjoyed playing crib with us. Even when we were painfully slow!! He called slow card players, "Pop bottles."

He lived with us one winter. I was about 12. Dad's family was trying to get him off the booze and I guess this was the best way to keep an eye on him. It was pretty funny because he shared a room with my brother and he used to keep Duane awake at night because he was playing crib in his sleep! He loved crib.

But, he never stopped drinking (they gave him 2 shots of rum each day at the hospital!!) and he never stopped smoking. He rolled his own cigarettes which meant there was no filter. He was a tough man. Worked in the woods until he was in his 70's. Just very healthy and strong. We figured that if he ever did stop drinking and smoking he wouldn't last a month! But, it did eventually catch up with him and his is gone today.

I am very lucky to have had him in my life for so long.

He's stories will be greatly missed. He's smile will be greatly missed. And I'll always remember his perfect army style brush cut that he forever had. (full head of hair to the end!) I always loved rubbing the top of his head. His hair was so soft.

Please think of him on Remembrance Day as we now have one less veteran.

You will be greatly missed. I will forever treasure your memories in my heart.

The joys of Autumn

2010-11-03T02:33:00.004+10:00

Ahh, we now have Breagha learning the ways of the camera!! She doesn't quite have it all figured out yet but she is enjoying it!

And we have definitely enjoyed our first autumn in a couple of years. There have been some chilly days but that is all part of living in Canada. And we did chose to come back so we can't complain!

A big reason why we decided to come back to Montreal was because we have family in Ottawa. We have been making a few trips to visit Darryl's sister and my brother. Thanks for always putting up with us guys!

...the kiddies enjoying some scooter time with cousin Calli...

Last month we went to Ottawa and I joined my sister-in-law, Cathy, and niece, Hanna Rose, in the "Run for the Cure". It was Hanna Rose that wanted to do it and hats off to her. She was 9 years old at the time (turned 10 last week!!) and I think it's wonderful that she wanted to do a race that supports such a great cause. And she did a terrific job!
Our Prime Minister's wife, Laureen Harper, was the spokesperson and there were also a cancer survivor who spoke. It was a really nice morning and a nice run along the Ottawa River.

...just getting ready at the Start line...
I was very proud to watch Hanna Rose run the race and I was so glad that I could be part of it.

Duane and Cathy have a trampoline at their place. And it isn't just fun for the kids! Darryl and I also enjoy it!

Another perk to being close to family is that we get to spend the holidays together!!
We went to Darryl's sisters for Thanksgiving and it was wonderful. Catching up with the family, lots of yummy food, and some tasty wine!

It's hard to believe that cousin Rory will be 3 soon! He was only a couple of weeks old when we left!! He's a cutie!

Again, it isn't just for the kids!! Darryl enjoyed jumping in the leaves too!

And poor cousin Justine is under the leaves somewhere. Shamus and Breagha enjoyed chasing everyone with the leaves but especially Justine!!

We've made a few trips to Ottawa since we settled in Montreal and last weekend was no exception. We headed out after Shamus' karate class and enjoyed Halloween at Duane's place. We had a super time dressing up but were very surprised to see the snow! And quite a bit of snow. Shamus and Breagha were super pumped and the cousins all enjoyed the first snowfall. The parents did not share the same excitement. It's too early! It won't last and it was nice to see Shamus and Breagha in "awww" as the snow fell from the sky.

Halloween pics are coming up!

Hello world...

2010-10-27T03:25:00.007+10:00

...we're back!

I have been wondering lately if I should even continue with the blog as I'm super behind. There are pictures from the summer that I wanted to post and never did! Now it's almost November and I don't know where to even start. But, I decided that I will keep with the blog until Breagha starts school next September. Then we will have a journal for when Shamus started and Miss Breagha. So, now I need to commit to keeping up with the blog!

I think it should be a bit easier now as we're pretty much settled and I feel more organized with things. We'll see how long it lasts!!

With being very behind on blogging, we have many things to post about! But, I'm going to try and keep things simple with a few pics and a quick note here and then. :) Should work, right?

...Shamus started karate in September and is really enjoying it so far. He goes most of the time with his buddy, Matteo, and they love "karate chopping" each other!

...Sensei Denis is great with the kids and keeps them positive.
...watch out Karate Kid!!! Shamus is on his way!!!!
...oh yeah, he was so fast with the kick that it was alllllll a bluurrrr.

...then we have little Breagha that has started highland dancing. She loves it and just smiles the whole time. Very cute.
...she has decided that her Nova Scotia tartan dance will be her permanent highland dancing dress. She is quite happy with the whole outfit but the shoes are her favorite. Already loves her accessories!!
...did I mention that she loves her class? :)

We've also kept busy with some outdoor fun. We ventured off to Mont Royal a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed the park. The trees were beautiful, the lake was relaxing, and of course the playground was the highlight for the kids!!

...this tree was my highlight! I had lots of fun seeing how far I could climb. But, I did notice that I'm not as brave as I used to be!
...Oh, we all had to try it out!

...the lake was beautiful with the many coloured trees surrounding it.

...the fish in the lake were quite cool.
...the park has a nice restaurant with a great view of the lake.
We have also made a couple of trips to Ottawa to visit the siblings. More pics to follow!

This week is quite busy as Halloween is on Sunday. We have Breagha's Halloween party on Thursday, Shamus' on Friday, Darryl and I are going to a costume party on Saturday, and then Trick or Treatin' on Sunday!!! Baking to get done and costumes to finalize!

It's all a walk in the park

2010-09-22T12:03:00.005+10:00

Yeap. Just a walk in the park! Some days!!
We've had a lot going on the last couple of weeks. Shamus is in full swing at school, Breagha started daycare, I started French class, Breagha started highland dancing, Shamus starting karate...and Darryl works. :) A lot.

But, it's all a walk in the park!

We've been doing pretty well with the busy schedule. Shamus is enjoying school a lot and even went to his first birthday party last weekend. It was a pool party at the YMCA so he had a blast. I guess since we've had a lot on our plates, I've been forgetting about the blog. Literally forgetting that we even have a blog! So, I'm struggling with keeping up with it. I'm trying though!

Shamus' first day taking the bus. sniff sniff. He really is a big kid now. Crazy.

With our busy schedule, I take Breagha to daycare first, then drop Shamus off at school, then to my class, then back to meet Shamus at the bus stop (he still gets to take the bus once a day so he is happy with this arrangement :), then to pick Breagha up at daycare, then back home. We get it done!

Breagha heading out the door for her first day of daycare.

Oh, she looks happy here. And she was. That was on the first day. BUT, then she realized that daycare was 5 days a week and the weekend was only 2 days a week. Hmmm, she was liking the time at home with Mom so daycare isn't so great anymore. She gets very upset at drop off. But, I'm sure she will get used to it....again!

Even with all the running around, Darryl and I mentioned to go out together on Saturday night! It was very exciting. The kids had their first sleepover at Joe and Preetha's and Darryl and I headed downtown for Jeff's birthday celebration. We had such a great time and hope to get out more often together! :) Right baby! It was so nice to see everyone...saw some Aussie friends and Montreal friends...very nice. Jeff's sister was also in town so he had family to celebrate with him too!

Not sure why but Jeff ended up cooking his own birthday dinner! Of course everyone was glad because he is the best cook! Thank you Jeff!
Karine did a wonderful job of the desert though!!

Dinner and drinks at Jeff's and then we headed out to a bar close to his apartment. Some of Jeff's other friends and coworkers met him at the bar...it was kind of funny to see some of the people there because they were people we met in Brisbane (Darryl's old coworkers). They all seem to be adjusting to life in Montreal quite well. We had a super time.

Breagha is loving her dance class and Shamus is loving his karate class. (Pics soon!) I hope to get them back into swimming too but one thing at a time.

I'm not sure what I'll do about my French classes. I'm taking one class in the morning and one in the afternoon. But, the afternoon class is super beginner. Reaaaaalllly beginner. So, I need to figure out what other options I may have/need to find! Hopefully everything will work out.

Darryl is almost at his deadline for his project so hopefully he's crazy hours will come to an end soon. We miss him at home!!!

...one last note...today was International Peace Day... PEACE.

2010-09-10T11:25:00.002+10:00

Just a quick update for now!

Shamus is taking the bus each day to school and it makes me sad every time I drop him off! He just seems too little for the bus. :( But, he LOVES it and is really loving school. He is singing songs in French already (short songs!) and is coming home with new words. He'll be teaching Darryl and I before we know it! So, we are very, very happy to see him enjoying school.
Shamus went to watch/participate in a karate class last week. All went well and I'm hoping to get him registered within the next week. If I get time!!
Breagha is not impressed that we have picked a daycare for her. Nope! She wants to stay home with me. We have been lucky and have been able to get her in 3 daycares and they are all $7.00/day. They all seem great so it was tough to decide. But, everything will be official tomorrow. Done deal!
Breagha went to a highland dancing class today...to see what we think. She wouldn't join the class and stuck to me like glue. Quite disappointing as she loves highland dancing but she was intimidated that the other girls "could dance" but she couldn't. Not sure if I'll push it or not. We didn't register her, only went to check it out. But, she has to pick one activity to join and now she has changed it to skating! So, we'll see.
Darryl is still super busy at work. Very long days and the commute just makes it that much longer. We realllllly have to think about where we want to live before we buy. We haven't figured that one out yet but we're not in a big hurry.
I have been really struggling the last 7-10 days on whether to be looking for work or take some French courses. I have hardly applied for any jobs (slacker, I know!!) but there isn't any positions that will take an English speaking girl! I have looked and looked and things are not looking great for me. Soooo, I have been thinking that this is probably the best time for me to take some courses. Daycare is cheap and Shamus is in school. I can take the class during the day. We'll be poor for a while but we'll manage! So, I plan to register for a class tomorrow and we'll see how it goes. Hopefully I'll learn lots! Wish me luck cause I'll need it! :)
Since Darryl is so busy at work during the week, the weekends are all about the 4 of us spending time together. Which has been really nice. We did a quick trip to Ottawa last weekend and have been catching up with old Montreal friends. We also have friends from Brisbane, Mike and Mireille, that just moved about 2 minutes away from us!! So, catching up with them too!! The days are flying by with all that is going on but hopefully things will slow down soon.
Sorry but I'm terribly behind with emails. Months behind! But, next week that will change!!!

That's it. Time to head to bed! Weekend starts tomorrow!! Wheeee-hooo!

First Day of School Pics

2010-09-02T11:26:00.004+10:00

Shamus' first day of school went very well. It was from 9am-12pm and I was there until 1030am getting LOADS of information from the teacher. When 1030 rolled around, Breagha and I said bye to Shamus and left. And he was totally fine. Most of the kids did really well.

Today he was there from 9am-12pm again and had a great day. They already had gym class so he was quite pleased. He is very excited for tomorrow because he's taking the bus!! Yeap. He didn't even want me to take him on his first day. He wanted to go on the bus! So, we agreed that I would take him the first 2 days and tomorrow he can start on the bus. I'm sad that he doesn't want me to drop him off and pick him up but it is nice to see his independence. And once I start working he will have to do before school care/after school care and won't get to take the bus anymore. So, we figured that we'll let him do it while he has the chance. Should be cute.

We decided to take the scooters yesterday for the first day. Not sure if it was the best idea because it's been super hot lately and I almost melted walking back home. :)

Almost there!!

Apparently we are about 0.8km from the school because we just make the cut for getting to ride the bus. :)

Waiting for the teacher to meet us outside. Shamus was not shy about trying out the playground equipment. And neither was Miss Breagha.

K, time to go inside and check it out!

The teacher, Madame Constantin seems great. She will start off speaking English and French but after the first month it will be more and more French. Shamus is very keen about learning French so hopefully he'll stay that way!

And they're all done!

Tomorrow is the long day so we'll see how it goes. Gym and Music class tomorrow so should be good. I'm sure we'll hear all about it!!

...one final note...we may have found a daycare for Breagha. I went to see it today and really liked it. And it's $7.00/day. Very nice. And includes all meals. And it has a pool...which I have not seen at a daycare yet. Everything about it/everything I've heard seems great. But, the location is not ideal. :( I was hoping that our old daycare would somehow find us a spot but no word yet. So, we may go with the one I saw today. We have to decide by tomorrow so not much time to think about it. It's tough because I have NO IDEA where I'll be working! If it's downtown than dropping off/picking up Breagha will take longer. If it's in the general area of our apartment than no big deal.

(Shamus took this pic of Breagha and I. I really liked it.)

I'll think we'll go for it!!

School Tomorrow!

2010-08-31T11:16:00.003+10:00

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??

2010-08-27T09:59:00.010+10:00

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

2010-08-23T09:00:00.005+10:00

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!

2010-08-22T04:32:00.002+10:00

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

2010-08-09T23:41:00.003+10:00

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!!

2010-08-04T08:20:00.009+10:00

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.

Where does the time go?

2010-07-27T11:48:00.007+10:00

Can you believe the kids and I have been in Nova Scotia for almost 2 months? Really. Where does the time go? It's going by extremely quickly! The only great thing about the time going so quickly is that we'll be seeing Darrylie soon!!!!

We've been very busy the past couple of weeks so of course I'm horribly behind on the blog! I keep telling Darryl that I'll get some pics posted but it doesn't seem to happen!

I was very happy to get to spend some wonderful time with Debra. She came home from Korea and I really enjoyed having her around. We enjoyed some drinks at the Red Shoe and did some dancing in Brook Village (square dancing!!!). And she was great with all the kiddies!

Mabou is a small village in Nova Scotia. But, it's very busy during the summer months. The tourists seem to love the area. And there is lots going on.

The West Mabou beach...

The kids and I have enjoyed some trips to the beach. Either during the days with some of our cousins. Or in the evening, after some ice cream!!

We also headed to Antigonish for the Highland Games. The 147th year!! Antigonish has the longest going Highland Games outside Scotland. We really enjoyed our trip! I love the marching bands.

Breagha wore her "highland dancing dress" to the Games. It's the Nova Scotia tartan and she was very pleased with it. Cute!
The kids really enjoyed the weekend. They liked watching the heavy events and loved the highland dancing. It was a very nice time. Wished Dad was with us!!!

We also got to enjoy camping at Whiddens with Aunt Kelly and the cousins!! The kids loved it. Thanks Kelly!!

We've also enjoyed relaxing in downtown Mabou!!! :) More ice cream fun...

This is the big town of Mabou...

The kids are enjoying their time in Nova Scotia. It's very relaxing at home and they have lots of playmates. The time really is going by quickly though and we'll be heading back to Montreal before we know it! It's great to have so much family around. Darryl's sister and her gang arrived from Ottawa. Duane and his gang arrived from Ottawa.

So, more updates to follow!!! Just not sure when. :)

Since we've been home...

2010-07-15T00:40:00.002+10:00

I've been asked a lot of questions since arriving back in Canada. "Am I glad to be back?" "Do I miss Australia?" "Did I enjoy my time there?" "How do I feel about being in Nova Scotia for the summer?" "How do I feel about moving back to Montreal?" etc...

So, I thought I should do a quick post with my thought/feelings!!

I absolutely LOVVVVED Australia. It is a wonderful country. We had the best time while we were there. What's not to love?!! But, I am very much a true Canadian because I am so happy to be back. I love being in Nova Scotia. It's so relaxing, laid back, and just a wonderful place to be for the summer. I love that I go to the grocery store (we only have one!) and I can chat with half the people working there or shopping there! I love that I can go to the Red Shoe for a drink (thanks Debra and Aunt Margie for taking me out!!!) and chat with the locals and tourists. The traditional music is wonderful - lots of fiddles, piano, bagpipes, and guitars since I've been home! I've been to 2 square dances and going again on Monday night! Oh yeah! And it's been wonderful for the kids too. I have a huge family so lots of cousins for Shamus and Breagha.

I dropped the kids off this morning for a summer playgroup. It's 3 days a week for 2.5hours each time. And it's $20.00 for the whole summer! Gotta love the summer grants the government offers! So, great for the kids and it will give me some of my own time. And most of my cousins have their kids in it also.

I do hate that you have to add the tax on everything here!! But, I do love how things are cheaper. I had my hair done a few weeks ago - colour, highlights, and a cut. $85.00. That would never happen in Brissie or Montreal! And I liked it!!

I love that it doesn't get dark until 930pm each night. But, then it will start to get dark around 4pm in the winter!

It will be interesting to see how things go once we settle in Montreal because Darryl and I are not fans of large cities (love to visit but not live!). But, we'll be living outside the city and have great friends close by. A big bonus.

It is great to be back in Canada. Now we just have to get our Aussie friends to come visit!!! Right guys?!! :)

10 Years!!! Happy Anniversary Baby!

2010-07-08T22:53:00.003+10:00

Yeap, 10 years!!

10 years ago today, Darryl and I said, "I do" in my parents backyard.

Unfortunately Darryl and I are about 1500km away from each other but we'll be celebrating when I get to Montreal!!!! :)

Over the past 14 and a half years, Darryl and I have had some great times together. Our 20's were a blast! Loved it. Then we moved on and became parents. Loved that too. I am so lucky to have found Darryl and I hope he knows how grateful I am.

When we first met, besides thinking that Darryl was too young :), I thought he had the best personality. He was always in great cheer, always fun to hang out with, and cute too! We spent a lot of time together before dating and I loved being around him. As we grow older, we all change. Lucky for us, Darryl and I are changing together. We still love to laugh, we enjoy each others company, and love to be around friends and family. We have the same hopes and dreams for our children and hope we grow old together.

Love you babe. Can't wait to see you. Happy Anniversary.

Our Weekend with Darrylie

2010-07-07T10:19:00.008+10:00

Very nice.

We had the best weekend in Halifax!!!! Thanks to everyone for coming to visit or having us over. We really enjoyed ourselves.

The kids and I spent Wednesday night with Darryl's parents in Antigonish. Then headed off to Halifax on Thursday to pick Darryl up. It was VERY exciting to see him arrive at the airport! We sure missed him! We spent the rest of Canada Day in the city. Enjoyed some Maritime seafood and fresh air. We stayed at the Delta and I still love seeing the guys in their kilts!

Wheee-hooo!

We haven't been in Halifax much since we left in 2002 but I still love it there.

And the "Split Crow" is still rockin'!! Good times were had at the Crow. :)

The waterfront had lots going on. It was nice to just stroll along the water and do some shopping.

We also went to the Public Gardens...

I see that Canada also has beautiful flowers in the trees! They just don't bloom more than once a year - unlike in Brissie!!

Shamus is still enjoying the camera...

Of course Darryl arrived with gifts for the kiddies. Shamus got IronMan goodies and Breagha got a new princess dress. She enjoyed strolling through Halifax in her new dress. Very cute.

We also enjoyed some time with Darcy, Erin, and Ayla. And we had Pizza Delight for dinner! Yummmmmmy! The best garlic fingers.

Ayla also enjoyed her dinner...

We spent Saturday and Sunday at Bill and Melissa's and had a wonderful time!!! The kids loved the pool and we loved the pool, food, drinks, and company! Thanks so much guys for always putting up with us. We appreciate it! :)

Our wonderful hosts...

Shamus not only loved the pool but also Bill's huge "Star Wars" collection.

And Breagha LOVVVVVED this chair. She was quite comfortable in it!

Some of my old HRG coworkers came out to visit on Saturday. I'm sure the heated pool was a bonus! Thanks guys. It was great to see everyone!

A very relaxing day.

Bill also loved this chair.

Sunday was Breagha's birthday!!!!

She is finally 4 years old!

She didn't think it would ever arrive. The countdown has been on since May!!

Breagha and Megan got dressed up for the occasion. Very beautiful!

Melissa picked up a pinata for the kids to whack around. Quite entertaining!!

They finally got the goodies to fall out!

A birthday BBQ by the pool.

And of course the cake!

Gifts and cuddles with Dad.

Breagha was quite pleased with her "pool party birthday". She said it was the best birthday ever!! So, we were glad she had a wonderful day. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETIE!

We were sad to say goodbye to Darryl on Sunday night. It was tough but we're so glad we were able to enjoy the long weekend with him.

The kids and I are back home but we're hoping to make a trip to Antigonish this week to enjoy some of the Highland Games. Stay Tuned.

Time at Home

2010-06-27T22:46:00.006+10:00

I thought it was time for the kids and I to post some pics of home!! The kids and I left Montreal on June 1 and headed for Nova Scotia. It is about a 13-14hour drive and I planned to do it in 2 days. Well, we were about 15minutes outside Moncton, NB where there was lots of road construction going on...we hit a huge hole in the road and got a flat tire! It was 10 at night and raining. Not a great situation to be in with the kids. I had Mom and Dad's car and didn't know if there was even a spare in the trunk! I had my mountain bike on the back and a very full trunk! Did I want to start unpacking it all in the rain?? Called my Dad (the iphone did come in handy on the trip!) and they did have a spare.

Lucky for us, a mini-van went by shortly after I hit the hole, and they hit the same one and also got a flat tire. Not good for them but great for me! The husband helped me out and I was so thankful for them. We finally got the spare tire on the car and then I had to get everything back in the trunk and the bike back on the bike rack. It was damn dark and our suitcases were all soaked! It can always be worse though and I think I handled it quite well. Sure wished Darryl was with us at that moment!!! We drove to Moncton, got a hotel, carried the kids to bed (they were asleep as soon as we got the tire fixed), and was in bed myself around 1230am. We then had to wait around the next day to get the car fixed. I had to get a new rim put on but the tire was fine. And the construction company is going to pay for it. :)

We made it home to Mom and Dad's where we've been keeping very busy. Dad is great at letting the kids follow him around...

We love having the horses in the backyard.

Breagha has no fear at all. Loves the horses and the dog. Shamus was very nervous at first but now loves Molly (the dog). And asked if we could take Molly back to Montreal with us!

Grampy Sandy keeps very busy outside...always something to do.

Breagha taking her own picture of the horses while being a princess. :) Very cute.

Grampy is very good to take the kids on all the "toys"

Out jogging the horses. Breagha LOVED it. She was hollering, "Wheee-hoo!" as they went down the road! Shamus went on but didn't stay for long. I think it was too close to the horse for him.

And tractor rides with Grampy...

I do stick close to the house most days but the kids and I have made a trip to Antigonish to see Darryl's family. And we had a day at the beach which was wonderful. I also signed Shamus up for soccer and he completely lovvvves it! He has a smile on his face the whole practice.

Getting ready and pumped!

There are tons of kids in soccer so it's a very social thing for me. Tons of cousins to catch up with!! The poor kids can't keep up with all of them.

Shamus and cousin Lily kicking the ball during practice.

The beach day was very relaxing. My Mom grew up in the next village from Mabou. In Port Hood. This is one of the Port Hood beaches. It's all along the ocean and very pretty. Miss Molly had a great time too!

Breagha loves her ice cream.

Shamus took this pic and I think he did a great job. I really need to see about getting him a camera I think.

Busy day for us...and the dog. So, Molly went straight to bed when we got home. She loves her pillow too!!! :)

We are very excited because we're going to see Darryl soon!!! He is flying to Halifax on July 1 (Canada Day) so we are going to spend the long weekend with him in the city. Can't wait. The kids really miss him...especially Shamus. We plan to just relax in the city and visit some friends. Can't wait!!!!!!!! Thanks to Bill and Missy for always putting up with us!

Mom is coming along quite well so we're very happy about that. She gets better/stronger each day so I'm not so worried about leaving for a couple of days. I think she'll enjoy the quiet house! Thanks to everyone for all your caring emails. We appreciate it very much. Things are looking much better lately so we're thankful for that. :) I'm looking forward to July...I hope to make more trips to Antigonish to see Darryl's family and maybe even squeeze in a night of camping with the kids. We'll see how it all rolls out!

Hope everyone is well and more updates to come.

Wisdom

2010-06-22T07:45:00.003+10:00

I was looking through some previous posts on our blog today. The best way I can describe my experience was enlightening. As I looked through them I felt a strong desire to get something off my chest.

If you don't care for nonsensical dribble than stop reading now.

As most of you know we have just moved back to Montreal from Australia. What you may not know is that I was not a very happy person in the last few years before moving to Australia. Let's call that my "Montreal Darryl" phase. Looking back on that time now, I'd say it had a lot to do with my job and where I was in relationship to where I figured I should be in my career. The sad thing is that I brought the bulk of my frustrations and anger home and used Stacey as my shrink. I probably sacrificed moments with the kids because I was too preoccupied with work. I was being self centered. Stacey was always supportive but my behavior was selfish and completely unfair to her and the kids.

After leaving Montreal I improved. I think Stacey will agree that I got a piece of my old self back when we lived in Australia. By all accounts my career in Australia was as challenging as previous years but I didn't let it affect my personal life as much. When we decided to move back, I was really worried that I would become "Montreal Darryl" again.

Why am I tell you this? Because I saw "Montreal Darryl" today. The project I am currently on is, for lack of a better term, flawed (do I know how to pick 'em or what?). I talked with Stacey today and unloaded my concerns on her. Once again she was very supportive (Thanks Babe!) but she doesn't need my extra baggage (even though I know she can handle it... she is one tough cookie!).

I'm not writing this post to get sympathy. It's quite the contrary. I am writing this post as a personal reminder (as personal as an open post on a public blog can be) to shut up and stop dwelling on things that matter very little in life. Is my job important to me? Of course? Will I work hard? Absolutely. Does it need to affect my family life the way it has in the past? No.

I also need to remember that I am the only one who can control if "Montreal Darryl" comes back. At the end of the day I still have a fun job. A lot of people can't say that (which is too bad). I have a wonderful and supportive family (even more sad is that there are people who can't say that either).

Stacey once said to me "It must be nice to work at something you love" My reply to that is "Yeah it's the best. Except when things go bad it's hard to let go". The job I do is also a passion of mine so when it goes bad I take it personal. In Australia I worked hard not to let my job get to me. This post also serves as a reminder for me to keep working on that.

That's it. That's my "Jerry Maguire" moment. I hope I didn't bore you too much. That being said maybe the wonderful deep sleep your currently enjoying is a direct result of reading this post. If so... You're very welcome.

Sweet Dreams!

P.S. Thanks Stacey, Shamus and Breagha for giving me perspective.

P.P.S I think I'm reading Cari and Steve's blog too much. That mixed with Oprah has me all emotional.

NZ Part 4: Last of NZ

2010-06-21T02:14:00.010+10:00

Well this will be a long one. I could of spread the last of our New Zealand trip over two more posts but we need to move on :P

From Fanz Josef we drove up the west coast of NZ to Nelson, which is in the heart of wine country. It is a pretty nice little town but we were really there to explore Abel Tasman National park. Had we known the amount of accommodations that were available in Abel we would have stayed there.

The drive up the west coast was gorgeous. Unlike the rest of New Zealand which, until this point, had been merely beautiful.

Luckily the rain had stopped when we arrived in Abel Tasman. There was a great playground for the kids with a mini "flying fox" (as it is called in Australia and NZ),

Shamus is always a good big brother and helps B up on the flying fox. I don't think Shamus came off this the whole time we were at the playground.

After lunch though we realized that there was another (true) flying fox. It was pretty awesome and the kids were very excited. It was about 25 meters long and went quite fast. Breagha was getting a lot of respect from the other parents there. She was, by far, the smallest riding the flying fox but that wasn't going to stop her.

The other parents kept commenting on how brave she was.

After the playground and the "fox" we went for a little hike. Once again New Zealand astounded us with its beauty. The Abel coastline was a nice change from the mountainous west coast drive but every bit as beautiful.

There was a time when Stace and I thought that Breagha was going to be a bit of a "city girl". She just didn't seem to have an out door gene. Well that is not the case now. Breagha could not wait to get her shoes off and get dirty.

If I knew what we were looking at I still wouldn't tell you. Somethings are just private... ok?

Shamus has become a little photographer. He loves having the camera in his hands. I must say he has a pretty good eye too. I don't know what "gang sign" Breagha is throwing down here. She must have missed the memo about it being a "peace" picture.

Nothing compares to the feeling of sand between your toes. Except maybe peanut butter.

The beach was covered with these tiny shells in a couple of areas. I would say there had to be millions of them.

I believe this is another one of Shamus' pictures. Not bad for a 5 year old.

Shamus again!

Taking a bit of a breather at one of the lookouts on the trail.

As I said before I really wished we had booked accommodations in the park because we could have easily spent another day exploring.

Shamus probably shot a quarter of the pictures that day. He loves using the SLR as well. He handles it really well.

Soaking in the last rays of the evening.

As I mentioned earlier, Nelson is at the heart of wine country. Before we pushed on to Kaikoura we visited a few of the local wineries. We went quite conservative with the tasting because we had the kids with us but it was still good. It is always fun to find a new wine!

On the road out of Nelson and through Marlborough. There are some massive vineyards. We were making our way across the country to the east coast.

We continued down to Kaikoura which, in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful places I have every had the pleasure to lay eyes upon. The town itself is nothing outstanding but its location and the surrounding country side is breath taking. The town is positioned on a small peninsula adjacent to a phenomenal range of mountains that pretty much drop into the ocean. There is a constant mist created by the pounding surf that lingers all day at the foot of the mountains.

I would definitely think about being sheep farmer if this was the location of my farm.

How beautiful is that view?... and the mountains are ok too!

The view from our cabin. Not too shabby.

This camping park was awesome. Great room. Pretty cheap and it had a jumping pillow for the kids.

A little stone throwing while waiting to leave for a whale watching tour.

I don't know what to think about the whale watching tour. The most common whale is a Sperm Whale (think Moby Dick). It was cool but the best parts where not the whales. Above is the view you get of the whales 90% of the time. Once they decide to dive you get a view of their tail. For the most part it just looks like a log.

Where the tour shines is in the other aquatic life you see. These dolphins were fantastic. The pod was probably 120 strong and very eager to entertain. We also saw some albatross that amazed me with how large the are.

This is what most people pay for but I still don't think it compares to the dolphins and the view of the mountains.

Another one of the wonderful tour sights was the seal colony. They have to be a contender for the cutest animal in the world.

More dolphins. These are Hector Dolphins. Their most defining feature is their rudder-like dorsal fin. If I recall they are considered endangered which is sad.

Ok so the bouncy pillow was not only for the kids.

YAAAYYYYY!!!.....NEW ZEALAND!!

P.S. As I am writing this... New Zealand "All Whites" have just completed a 1:1 draw with Italy (defending world cup champions). It was a huge game for NZ. Way to go!!

NZ Part 3: Long Time Coming

2010-06-06T06:42:00.013+10:00

Hello cyber viewers. This post has been a long time coming. I know you're only in this for the pictures so I won't bore you with a bunch of writing. No matter how clever or mind altering it might be. You could very well be missing out on a level of literature that is so masterfully written that you no longer need reality.

Alas, the pictures is what you have come to see. But that's OK. I understand. I won't take any more of your time except only to set the scene for the visual voyage you are about to embark upon.

It was a bright, cool morning. Darryl was nearly done wrestling with the last of the luggage. "How could one family have so much stuff " he thought. Having lost round one to the suite cases, Darryl decided a change of tactic was in order. He repeatedly slammed down the hatchback door over and over again. With each impact the luggage compressed slightly until the door latch finally engaged with a small 'click'. He was pretty sure the kids were in there too. Comfortably wedged between a Dora the Explorer suit case and a mound of half eaten take out.

" There's nothing like the open road" thought Darryl...

Oh wait... that's right ... I said "very little writing". Sorry! Stacey you're free to roll your eyes and comment on how much of a dork your husband is :)

The kids enjoying a brisk morning stroll in Arrowtown.

It is a cute little spot. It has that "lost in time" sort of feel.

We decided to take a less direct route to Wanaka and we were very thankful we did. The mountain road that wound its way to Wanaka was peppered with beautiful views.

For some reason when we were exploring Wanaka we failed to take many pictures. But for all you brain teaser fans... we managed to get a picture of Puzzle World. We took the kids here and they had a blast in the giant labyrinth.

Gravity is for suckers! This is how we role! DIAGONAL!

I don't know if you've noticed in the previous NZ posts but Shamus really went on a growing spurt on this trip.

Run Forrest. Run!

Lake Wanaka... I think.

Along the way we stopped to see some water falls. At this particular one there were hundreds of little stone towers. Later in the trip we saw more. I don't know what the significance of them is. Maybe it is similar to an Inukshuk but ... when in Rome...

I just thought this was cute.

On to the Franz Josef glacier. This was a deceiving hike. The valley leading up to the glacier was long. It was hard to judge the distance from the tree line to the glacier but as always our little explorers did fantastic.

No trouble keeping your drinks cold hear... lot's of ice. Badump bump

It was massive and very cool to see.

GEEK WARNING: This reminded me of Mordor from the Lord of the Rings.

Someone was kind enough to take snap of the family.

I had to take this pic as we were leaving the town of Franz Josef. What beautiful backdrop.

Ciao for now.

Yes, we're here! Just busy!

2010-05-20T01:20:00.010+10:00

We've been super busy so the blog has been neglected lately. Well, and we can't find our NZ pictures at the moment. Hopefully we didn't lose them in the move! I do want to post more on our NZ trip as I do look at the blog as our journal. A great way to keep our memories.

Since we don't have the NZ pics I've decided to jump ahead to our last couple of weeks in Brisbane! I need to get myself caught up so this may be a looooooooong post! :) Sorry!

We had a lot of playdates and get togethers before we left...

BBQ's and playdates at New Farm Park. With daycare buddies.

Shamus and his friend, Bhavya. Bhavya's family may come to Canada next year so exciting for Shamus and Breagha.

I also got to have a girls night out before we left. Which is always fun! Thanks to the wonderful ladies for coming out!! We went to Cloudland which is reallllllly nice.

Felis and I getting ready to head out. Love her shiny/sparkling pants!

A close up so you can see the cool hat that Felicity made. And she made her necklace and top!

Doesn't everyone look great! And Clo looked amazing - 7 week old baby at home!

It's doesn't really matter where you are or go, as long as it's with great friends!

We squeezed in one last BBQ at Felicity and Nigels too! (did I mention that we were super busy before we left???) Thanks guys!

Felicity surprised me with a hat that she made for me! A warmer hat so I can wear it in Montreal! Thank you. I love it!!!!

Tycho and Shamus also squeezed in one last wrestling match that night. Pretty funny!

We miss you guys!

I also had a night out with my coworkers before leaving (Darryl did have a guys night out and a night out with his coworkers. But, he doesn't take any pictures! He didn't miss out! :)

We had a great time and I miss them too! I really enjoyed my team in Brisbane and wish them all the best!

The Stacey's

Ahhh, and the last day of school and daycare.

Shamus and his Aussie mates!

Shamus' teacher, Mrs Maslen was amazing. We loved her. She put together a book for Shamus with pictures from all the kids and she did a CD for us with tons of pictures. And she gave us his school scrapbook of all his work since January.

The kids daycare director, Andrea, gave the kids a beautiful scrapbook of all the wonderful things they did while at the ABC Daycare. It was such a wonderful gift. Thank you Andrea!!! We love it! I know it took a long time to put it together and we really appreciate it. They also gave Breagha a koala teddy and Shamus an Aussie hat. Very thoughtful. And of course we got all of Breagha's beautiful art work!!

Felicity and I got together on our last Friday morning in Brisbane. She has a few of her hats for sell in a couple of shops so we checked it out! Very excited as the shops are SUPER fancy!
Then for lunch we met up with Rej, Clo and Gabriel. Did I manage how cute Gabriel is!!! And growing so fast! Rej and Clo are so wonderful with Shamus and Breagha. We're really going to miss that!! Gabriel is a very lucky little boy.
Hopefully we'll see Rej, Clo and baby Gabriel next summer. Please come visit!
And last by not least (I told you this would be long!), we headed off to Kate and Morgan's for a yummy dinner on Friday night. Thanks guys! It was great to have a little get together for heading back home.

Kate and Morgan are amazing in the kitchen. :)

Darryl and Amy hooked up in the kitchen to do a "Bean Dip 101" class. Have you tried the dip yet Amy?

Cheers!!!

Thank you to everyone for making our time in Brisbane the BEST. We appreciate all the friendships we made. And all the wonderful experiences we got to enjoy with Shamus and Breagha. We're so happy we had the chance to see Australia and thanks to everyone who was a part of it. Hope you can make a trip to Canada to see us.

Now, we're back home and loving that too. It's great to see family and old friends. We're very lucky and thankful.

Next post is our trip to Sydney!! Steve and Cari met up with us and we had a wonderful time!

Stay tuned.

A post that is not about NZ :)

2010-05-09T12:52:00.003+10:00

Hi All!

I thought I would do a quick post that is not about our New Zealand trip. But, just to let you know, it was a great trip. :) We've really been enjoying our time back home. Some things never change and then there is always something new to discover. We're loving the time with family and it's been really nice to see the kids warm up to all the grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins! And I was very pleased to have a feed of lobster on the first day of fishing! Thank you to my nephew Mitch. Very yummy.

We do miss Australia though! Especially our great friends. And the weather! Damn, it is chilly here! I didn't bring much for warm clothes because everyone kept talking about the great spring...hmmmm, it's been cold since we got here. There was 1 or 2 warm days but chilly overall. We need time to adjust! :)

We did arrive at a great time of year though. Spring is here which is always nice. And the hockey play offs are on! I missed Ron MacLean!

We arrived in Montreal this afternoon and got settled into our temporary apartment. It's right downtown so it will be very busy I'm sure. I plan to look into school for Shamus this week and daycare for Breagha. And then look for our new home!

We will post some pictures of Antigonish (And Mabou!! Thanks for asking Clo! Mabou rocks too!) but I haven't taken the camera out much since we got home. We have soooo much luggage that I haven't dug for anything in a suitcase unless necessary.

Hope everyone is well. And we'll post again soon!!

NZ Part 2: Mostly Milford

2010-05-06T04:24:00.011+10:00

Hey everyone,

Welcome to part two of our New Zealand posts. This will be mostly a picture post. For the main reason that the pictures gave me a lot of grief while uploading them and I don't really feel like writing much of anything. Most of the pics you will see are from Milford Sound. Milford Sound may, quite possibly, be one of the most beautiful places on earth. Sadly, our day there was one of the only rainy days we had on our trip but that didn't diminish the splendor of Milford. However our pictures truly do not do it justice. If you are ever in NZ please treat yourself to this little spot of heaven.

Family snap in Queenstown.
The start of our boat tour in Milford Sound. If my memory serves me correct that waterfall in the distance is over 100 meters tall. It will give you a sense of the scale of these cliffs that surrounded us. It is one of four permanent waterfalls in the sound. After a decent rainfall there can be thousands of water falls. It really is amazing.
Wow! ... look a waterfall. It's not everyday you see one of those in Milford Sound. Oh. Wait... yes it is everyday you see one of those in in Milford Sound.
Is that an island with a freakin tree on it. Why yes it is.
Full steam ahead!
OMG! another water fall!
ok ... enough with the waterfalls already.

This is the road in and out of Milford Sound. I can't describe how amazing it was. Not even sarcastically!
This guy decided to entertain us while we were waiting to go through the tunnel to leave Milford Sound. You should have heard his Whoopi Goldberg impression. He nailed it!

Are you kidding me? Really? Another waterfall? C'mon!

The drive back to Queenstown was wonderful. The sun was beginning to set which created some stunning views.

Stacey noted that the drive felt like "driving the Cabot Trail in Banff". The road snaked along the lake with the Remarkables off to our left.

I would comment "beautiful" or "amazing" or "wondrous" but I think you get the point.
Yup. Nice.

Until next post. Be well.

NZ Part 1

2010-04-30T10:15:00.000+10:00

Well finally we get back to the blog. Sorry for how long this has taken but with the move home the blog was not our top priority. What?!! You may say. In the days of facebooking, tweeting, blogging and buzzing... Social networking was not your priority. Shame on you MacPurdys... Shame!

Yes us shameful MacPurdys have crawled out from under our stone of social disconnect to enlighten you in the beauty of New Zealand (not that these pictures do it justice). I must say NZ is quite simply breathtaking. Because of our limited time we only explored the south island. It had more than enough to offer. Below is the first few days of our trip. Hope you enjoy!

This is the little seaside town on the peninsula east of Christchurch called Akaroa. It was settled by the French and has maintained a french influence up to today.
A windy day out on the pier.

For those of you who don't know. That white building is what the New Zealanders call a light house. It has a large light at the top that spins around in a circular fashion in order to warn approaching ships that land is close. This invention is quite ingenious. If only we had something similar in Nova Scotia. You know... because we have a lot of ocean around us.
And this... this is a small boy throwing rocks under a "light house" I tell you. New Zealand is amazing. The things you see there are wondrous.
Moving on from Akaroa we drove inland to Mount Cook. There really isn't much in the area other than a campsite, a hotel and some phenomenal hiking. This was one of the hikes towards the base of Mt. Cook. I swear I saw Frodo and Sam just ahead of us.
The kids did really well on this trek. The suspension bridges were pretty fun. I thought we may get blown off the second one. It felt like we were in a wind tunnel.
The little explorers
Taking a little break. I told Shamus that real men do this trek in there hairy bare feet.
The second of the suspension bridges with the face of Mt. Cook in the back.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

From Mt. Cook we continued on to Queenstown. Queenstown was easily one of our favorite spots. This town is beautiful. It is surrounded by lake Wanaka with the Remarkables (the local mountain range) as the back drop.

Soooo lovely.

This was the view from our apartment in Queenstown. Not to bad. I could have stayed here for the entire 15 days. No offense family but I was trying to think of a way to live here forever :P

Next post ... more of Queenstown and onward up the west coast.

Oh Canada

2010-04-29T08:30:00.002+10:00

Well after 27 hours of flying, 2 "random" searches, 1 yelling match at baggage claim in LA we have stepped onto Canadian soil for the first time in almost two and a half years.

Oh Canada... How cold you are to me. After a wonderful March, Nova Scotia is receiving a bit of a cold snap. It was eight degrees Celsius yesterday. A bit of a change from Brisbane temperatures. Thank god for the warm welcome. Stacey's parents (Sandy and Rosie) were at the airport with a giant welcome home sign and some balloons and smarties for the kids. Thanks Grammy Rosie and Grampy Sandy!

We already miss all our wonderful friends in Australia. Thank you all for a wonderful send off. It truly was bitter sweet.

That is it for now. We will do some catching up in the next few days on the blog and post our New Zealand trip.

Take Care

We'rrrrrre Baaaaack!

2010-04-12T19:12:00.003+10:00

Oh, what a great time we had! We LOVE New Zealand. Darryl and I kept thinking about what Nick and Mariana said when they got back - we moved to the wrong country! :) We do love Australia but, wow. New Zealand is amazing. There's just no disappointment. It felt like we were driving the Cabot Trail around Banff most of the time. Yeap. That is the best way I can describe it.

We arrived back in Brissie this morning and back to work tomorrow. Only 7 working days to go. The time has really flown by. It's hard to believe that we will be in Canada on April 27 (to our family - I got the date wrong...we're back on April 27!)

We do plan to be in Antigonish that weekend so let us know if you'll be around!

Ok, I really don't want to ramble on here for too long. I'm pretty beat and want to get a good night's sleep. We will definite post some trip pics soon...Nick/Mariana - I did think about stealing some of yours. heehee :)

Updates to come soon!

Kiwi Time

2010-03-27T20:49:00.003+10:00

Just a quick post to let you know that we are taking off to New Zealand tomorrow morning. We had a very busy day as the kids had swimming in the morning then we met a few friends/kiddies at New Market pool for a last "kid" get together. Then we rushed off to pick up the last odds and ends that we need for our trip.

We're getting organized with the move home but we have other things that also need to get done so my brain is feeling pretty exhausted right now. The holiday will be very nice but I'm sure I'll be worrying about all the things that need to be taken care of when we return! :) Oh well, it will have to wait!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter. Enjoy the turkey dinners! Yummmmmmy!!

I don't think we'll be doing any posting while we're away so see you in a couple of weeks!!

The plans are in motion

2010-03-24T10:26:00.007+10:00

Ohhh, the last couple of weeks have been VERY busy for us! No time for posting so this could be the last one for a while (although I will need to post some NZ pics, won't I? hmm). We've been trying to get the house ready, organize the details for going home, organize our trip to NZ, makes plans for our stop in Sydney, do some last minute sightseeing with the kids, say Good bye to friends thru BBQ's, drinks, dinners,etc, and still work!! This doesn't leave any free time for blogging so I'm not sure what posting I'll get to do before we go.

I do want to post a couple of pics of Rej and Clo's baby, Gabriel because he is too darn cute to forget! The below pics are just a few days after getting home from the hospital. Things seems to be going well in the Poirier/Belanger household! I think Rej and Clo are a bit tired but that is all part of the package and something that most new parents are aware will happen. :)

Shamus loves little babies so he was pretty excited to see Gabriel. Clo looks great!

I love a good cuddle with a new baby!! They are soooo darn cute!

Shamus was pretty happy when Clo asked if he wanted to hold Gabriel. He doesn't quite understand that babies can't hold their own head so I was a bit concerned about little Gabriel's! Shamus did well though. He had no interest in Breagha at all when she came home from the hospital but he loves all the new babies our friends are having. Very nice to see.

I hope to pop over to Rej and Clo's tomorrow and will get in some more quality time with the baby! I told Rej and Clo...it's not about them anymore!

We've been really busy on the weekends...sorting through our stuff and getting out with the kids. We asked them both what they would like to do before we leave Australia. Breagha said that she would like to see a kangaroo. Great answer! We went to Daisy Hill and saw some wallabies. And then we went to Lone Pine and even got to feed the kangaroo's!

Shamus said that he would like to go ice skating at Ice World. I don't think so! I explained that we'll get to do that in Canada for $5.00 instead of $65.00 and we can do it all the time. But, he still really wanted to go to Ice World. That isn't going to happen. :)

Love our camelpacks from Debra and Raul. They're great! Water and room for snacks!

We really enjoyed our hike at Daisy Hill. We thought it would be a good way to get the kids out before our trip to NZ. They'll be doing a lot of walking there!! They did really well - both keen as they had on new hiking shoes.

Breagha just looked too cute in her hiking gear.

Shamus putting his camera skills to work. We don't let him use the camera too much but sometimes...and he is getting better.

Brisbane is such a great city. We really love it. The family life is perfect here. But, I still love to get out of the city and enjoy the outdoors!! Just walking through the woods with Darryl and the kids was wonderful. I enjoyed it so much.

Aren't the trees here crazy?!! Look at the small bench on the left side (under the tree). It gives you an idea of the size.

Last Saturday we went to Byron Bay...one last trip to our favorite little surf town. I just love it there. We hung out on the beach, then did a bit of shopping, had dinner at the little fish n'chip shop by the water, and then we went up to the lighthouse to watch the sunset. A perfect trip.

So, we're squeezing in a lot before we go. We're getting pretty organized with our packing. This weekend we're hooking up with some of the families and teachers from the daycare. A last playgroup for the kids. And then we fly to Christchurch on Sunday morning...back Mon/Apr 12.

No idea when I'll get to post next!!! :)

I need to make it official

2010-03-15T10:57:00.003+10:00

Hi all,

I just want to do a quick post to get everyone up to date with all that has been going on with us. I'm behind again with my posting but I'm blaming it on my cousin, Allister! He is a naughty influence on us. Keeping us up late and bringing beer and wine to the house! Poor Darryl did 3 nights in a row this week...out with coworkers and then with Allister and Sean. He's pretty tired today and so am I! But, we really enjoyed having family with us and taking him around the city. It worked out nicely as we showed Allister some of Brisbane - he's first time seeing it and probably our last! Which is the reason for the post. We're going home!!

We will be extremely sad to say good bye to our wonderful friends here and we love the way of life in Australia. But, I'm very excited to get home and see family and old friends. We were hoping to move home by July-ish so this is a bit earlier than we thought. But, we can't complain! Darryl started looking about a month ago and things moved very quicky after that. We'll be flying home the end of April and Darryl will start work with Ubisoft in Montreal the 10th of May. We are still getting to do our trip to New Zealand and we hope to stop in Sydney for a couple of days before we fly out.

And that is the MacPurdy update! I've been meaning to do an update for over a week now and can't seem to get the time on the computer. Sorry to everyone that has emailed in the last week or so....I promise, I always reply, I'm just behind! We have had a lot of things to sort out before we go and we also want to do a few things with the kids before we go....so not much computer time!

Farewell BBQ's and Birthday Dinners! :)

2010-03-07T21:19:00.007+10:00

So, I am a bit behind with blogging as I took a couple of weeks off. And I was already behind before then! But, I do need to live my life and not just write about it! Right?! :) I do enjoy my little breaks as I really am not that into computers. I do what I need to on them and that is it. I don't "surf the web", read other blogs (unless it's friends/family), I don't chat on Facebook or Twitter, and I don't even know what else is out there these days! But, I do enjoy the computer for blogging as it keeps family and friends up to date on what we've been up to. I am still old fashion and enjoy a good phone call!! (that's right Steve, the phone!)

I also like to write emails to friends as it is a great way to keep in touch. Evelyne and Cheryl Benoit are amazing at emailing me. Thanks ladies! I always enjoy your updates! And Jolyne writes the best emails because I can totally hear her talking to me in every letter. And they are letters!! Thanks Jo. :) I know everyone is busy so I do appreciate the emails.

Ok, where was I before I got off track. Oh yeah, my blog! So, we had a BBQ for Nick and Mariana before they headed back to California. Great time was had and lots of wonderful food.

I'm not sure what the boys were chatting about...maybe Darryl didn't want to carry Nicks' beer? Nick does not look impressed!!

We enjoyed some outside time before the BBQ.

Time to eat!

Our BIG farewell card to Nick and Mariana...

So, after the BBQ, Kate found out that Nick had not tried Vegemite since he arrived in Australia. The Aussies are not that into peanut butter and jam sandwiches. They're all about their vegemite. But, vegemite is VERY MUCH an aquired taste. Most foreigners don't enjoy a vegemite sandwich but most Aussies love them! (not a fan myself) Kate felt that Mariana just didn't get the proper Vegemite sandwich - it needs to be on toasted bread with just a bit of vegemite...not too much.

Hmmm, let's see if Mariana loved it the second time around!!

Yeah, I don't think so!!

And now onto Nick...

Oh, not lookin' good!

Nick was determined to enjoy his vegemite and after a couple of bites he was getting there!

Maybe not.

We had a great time and hope Nick and Mariana are glad to be back home. We wish them all the best of luck and hope to see them...maybe in Mexico? Oh yeah!!!!!!

** Moving along! Onto our next topic **

Sorry this is getting long but it's been awhile!

We also enjoyed a lovely dinner 2 Friday's ago with friends - to celebrate Amy's 30 birthday! She looked lovely!

She and Dan picked a great spot. A Japanese restaurant along the water. We had a really great time...it was our first time using our babysitter in about a year! So, I didn't give Darryl any choice - I wanted him sitting right next to me! Yeap. I was strict about this too. :) Just like being close to you Babe!

Kate was trying to teach me how to do this SAUCY look for a pic. Hmmm, I don't think I got the hang of it. She does it very well!

Rej enjoyed cooking up his meal on the little grill in front of him. Very cool I thought.

Ok, here is the look! Kate - 1 / Stacey - 0

Mom to be, Clo, enjoying the desert! (Gabriel has finally arrived and is supppppper cute!)

And the ladies getting ready to head out.

We had a wonderful time and thanks to Dan and Amy for inviting us along.

Happy Birthday Amy!

That's it for now. I need to give myself a day or two before I post the next update!

That Time Again...

2010-03-04T08:23:00.003+10:00

...time to do a post!

It was nice having the last 2 weeks off. We really enjoyed the Olympics but the Aussie stations didn't show much ice hockey. We did get to see a couple of the Canada games. And we did see part of the final game - I watched it at work!! Some of my team had the chance to hear some nasty curse words leave my mouth during the game...which they never hear from me...good times! :) One of the girls in my team really got into the Olympics this year and mentioned how surprised she was with how rough most sports were. I never really thought about it until then but she raised a good point. The hockey is rough, the snowboarding and skiing is dangerous, the luge/skeleton/bobsleigh is CRAZY dangerous, the speed skating is with super long sharp crazy skates....the list goes on! So, point taken. She asked, "Have you ever seen a person fall out of a pool?" Nope, I haven't. I guess the winter Olympics are a bit more dangerous than the summer. BRING IT!

Even Shamus and Breagha got into all the sports. It was cute watching them cheer for Canada. Although Shamus did decide part way through the speed skating last weekend that he was going to cheer for the USA guy. He "just wanted to". But, when the gold medal hockey game was on he was back to cheering for Canada! He better! And the kids were sporting their new hockey jerseys so very cute!

Now, the holidays are over and back to blogging! I will do a proper post this weekend. Just wanted to let everyone know that we're still kickin' around!

On holidays...

2010-02-18T20:41:00.004+10:00

I've decided that I'm taking a short holiday from the blog. :) Yeap. The Olympics are on!!! So, between family, work, activities, friends, and now the Olympics...there is no time for computers! I'm going to do a quick catch up on my emails and then take a little holiday from the computer.

To make time even tighter, I started a new book the weekend the Olympics started. Not very smart! Now I'm hooked up the book and can't find enough time for that either!

A quick update before my holiday from the computer:
- Shamus is doing really well at school and had his first play date, without parents! He went to a friends after school on Tuesday and Darryl picked him up after supper. He did really well.
- Breagha is enjoying daycare but still not too happy about Shamus going to school...she wants to go too!
- We've been able to have some days on the beach with friends but will be glad when the humidity goes away!! Ccccraaazy!
- Darryl and I are busy with work but squeezing in time together to watch the Olympics!! Love IT!
- We are sad to see Nick and Mariana back in California but hope everything is going well for them...I will post pics of our last BBQ together after my holidays!
- And now we're just waiting for Rej and Clo's bundle of joy to arrive. Any hour now! We had the chance to meet Rej's Mom and I think she's very excited for her first grandchild to arrive. :) Love the quilt she made for baby Gabriel.
- And we have another busy weekend planned so no time for computers!!
- Lastly, I'm super excited for my cousin, Allister to arrive!!!! He and his friend, Shawn are arriving in a couple of days and I can't wait! Oh yeah!

Ok, I have to go now! Time to read a few emails, write a few emails, watch the Olympics, and read my book! Damn, I don't think I'll get it all done tonight!!!!!

Eh, Oh, Canada Go!!!!

If you want to have a real catch up, you'll have to call or write! :)

Mabou in Kraft Hockeyville 2010!!

2010-02-10T20:34:00.009+10:00

Hmm, did you know that it was 2 years on January 29 since we left Canada for the land down under? It's true! I don't know where the time has gone but it has been a wonderful experience.

I am starting to get excited to see home again though!!!!

And then my brother, Duane, sent me this YouTube clip on Mabou...and it realllllllllllllllllllly made me homesick!

I can't wait to play ringette and hockey again. I can't wait to see family and friends!

I can't wait to eat Pizza Delight garlic fingers and a Tim Horton's chocolate chip muffin!

I have come to the conclusion over the last month - I will forever be a true Canadian. I can't substitute anything for my love for home.

Until I get home again, I'll have to keep watching this clip on my hometown, Mabou. Population of about 1000 people and I wouldn't have it any other way! Seeing the video, with my old teachers, and old school mates, and Aunt Margie (Hockey Mom for 26years!!!), has just reminded me of how wonderful Nova Scotia is!

If you're not familiar with "Kraft Hockeyville", check it out.

And check out the short video on

"Orange Pucks in Mabou".

(the little boy they are talking about (Alec Angus) is my cousin's little boy. He was born blind but has slowly started to see....a happy ending!

Some of you that read our blog were able to visit Mabou when you came to our wedding (The Halifax crew trying to square dance will always be a fond memory! :) but the rest of you will have to plan a visit some day!

Happy 5th Birthday Shamus!!

2010-02-02T16:25:00.006+10:00

It was Shamus' birthday on Friday so we had a nice family dinner.

Shamus' choice - tacos!!

And then we had a small cake and let Shamus open a couple of gifts. It was a really nice night and a great way to finish off his first few days of school!

We had planned a birthday party at New Market Pool but had to cancel on Sunday morning due to bad weather. A total bummer but Shamus didn't seem too concerned. I think I was more bummed out because Darryl had done up the cake (great job Babe!) and we had lots of food and the loot bags all ready! We did decide to ask a couple of Shamus' close friends to come over to our place and have a play date instead which was a great idea. We did some quick decorating and 3 of Shamus' friends arrived around 10am. It was the first time Shamus had any friends over without their parents. The boys had lots of fun together as they hadn't seen each other since they started school. And we still got to do the big cake/ice cream and gifts! Shamus was very pleased with the day and we were all exhausted by 230pm...when the last boy left! :)

The boys were really cute when they saw each other - very hyper!!! They are all in different schools around Brisbane so I guess there will be more play dates to come!

Luke, Bhayva (Shamus' best buddy), Shamus, and Alexander

I'm not sure why Shamus wanted an alien...but that was his pick for the cake. I think Darryl did a great job! The responsibility of the cake will forever lay in Darryl's capable hands - not I!

Breagha is starting to become a typical "girly girl". But, I think she'll always have a tomboy side (like her Mama) as she still enjoys all the boy stuff! She was pretty impressed with Shamus' new Optimus Prime.

Some tattoos for the boys. :) They love them for some reason!

And I think the best gift was a SpiderMan and IronMan Transformer. I didn't even know they existed!! But, the boys were pumped!

And pool Darryl is the Transformer King so it was up to him to figure out how they transform and to show the boys...

"And then you flip SpiderMan's arm down like this guys"...

Happy Birthday Shamus!

I took Monday off work so Breagha and I had the day together. Shamus was not impressed that he had to go to school while Breagha stayed home with me. But, he did well at drop off. He had his first swimming class at school today (it's mandatory to participate in the swimming class which I think is great) and really liked it. He also made a new friend so that was pretty cute - he showed me the new friend yesterday at pick up. And then next week he starts after school care. We swung by today to see how many kids were there and there were 2 from Shamus' class. So, it's nice that he'll know someone there.

Now, I think I've covered it all. - Starting school and the birthday!!!

Now, I may need at least a week off from the blog! :)

And so it begins...

2010-01-27T22:09:00.004+10:00

Last day of daycare and first day of school.

It's been hectic! But great.

Miss Andrea is the director at the ABC Daycare. She loves the kids and they love her. Shamus spent most of his last day close to her side. She was great and took some pics for us with the camera.

The kids had a wonderful last day. Lots of games and junk food!! There was a birthday party, the cupcakes I brought in, and Miss Andrea picked up tons of treats and games. I thought I would top the cupcakes with a few different things - you can never go wrong with Smarties. And I crumbled some Mint Slices...so yummy (Mint Slices are our favorite Aussie cookie!), crumbled some Aero Cookies...yes, they have them here too, and then a few with good ol' traditional sprinkles. Well, Shamus only ate the ones with sprinkles! He loves them for some reason.

Simple, yet good.

Friday was Breagha's last day in the Junior Kindy room as she moved up today to the Senior Kindy room! Did you know that this means she is almost going to school?!!! Well, that is what it means to Miss B! She isn't happy that she can't start school yet but she likes that she is one of the "big kids" at daycare now. She has actually been moved up a bit early but she holds her own with the older kids and we think she is ready. :)

Mr Tane is Breagha's new teacher.

Miss Vanessa hanging with B and Shamus.

And so we have it...

The big day has arrived...

And I didn't shed a tear!!

Shamus getting ready this morning for New Farm State School. The hat down to the black shoes. He was looking very cute!

And we can't forget little Breagha!!!!

She couldn't wait to drop Shamus off as she loves to see the school.

School starts at 845am and we got there a bit early...didn't want to be late the first day! Shamus wasn't nervous at all and seemed quite content about the whole thing. It's really nice as there are 4 other kids from daycare that are at the same school.

Elyse is the girl that Shamus plans to marry. He told me this about 2 months ago. :) Cute. She's very sweet and coming to Shamus' party on Sunday.

Syd also went to daycare with Shamus and is a good buddy. So, I think it made a very big difference that he already knows a couple of the kids.

You know, I was making Shamus' lunch last night and getting his backpack ready, and said to Darryl, "This is it. I am officially a Mom. Everything else was a warm up. It's the real thing now. Make lunches, sending the kids off to school, driving them to practice and lessons. This is it."

I'm sending them out into the real world. It was sort of strange but that is how it felt. I hope we teach them well! And I hope they love it.