We're here. We're settled...or something like that.

I don't love Manitoba. There, I said it. There are definitely things I do love about it, but overall, I'm not in love yet.

Some minor, petty things that bug:

1. You cannot get cans of apple juice in this province, or at least in this end of it. Cans of pineapple and tomato juice, yes, but no apple. Just tetrapaks or jugs. The stuff in the tetrapaks doesn't taste right and the stuff in jug costs an arm and a leg.

2. You can't get tri-paks of milk. No bags of milk. Bags of milk are a Canadian institution! It's an abomination that you can't get them here.

3. In order to get a driver's liscence, I have to go to the DMV and give them my N.S. liscence. Do they give me a photo ID then? Oh no, they have to call someone to see if I can actually get a liscence, issue me a little piece of paper that is a temporary lisence and then I have to wait God knows how long until I can actually come in and have them give me a photo liscence. This is all fine and dandy, but it effectively leaves me without any sort of official photo ID for this period of God Knows How Long. So, lets say I wanna go accross the border? SOL.

4. Friendly Manitoba is really not that friendly. I mean, they're not Nova Scotia friendly

5. The belief that the world ends after you leave Quebec.


Things I love about Manitoba so far

1. The praries are gorgeous. Sprawling wheat/flax/canola fields undulating in the breeze against a backdrop of broad blue sky and huge round sun is stunning.

2. There are animals everywhere. Wildlife explodes everywhere! Every day hundreds of geese migrate in V's over my house, honking away. Kieran stops whatever he is doing immediately to point up at the sky, excitedly yell "BRRR!" and then "Buh bye BRR!" and then run to me to tell me "BRR! UP! SKY! GEE! BRR!" in disjointed shouts.

3. Jacob is loving his school and making new friends. I love this.

4. My husband loves his job and is working with people he enjoys

5. I love my house.


So, I'm sure I will come to enjoy it more and more as time passes. I have found it difficult to meet people and this has been hard. I need comraderie. I love my children, but there are just so many conversations about poop and dirt one can have in the run of a day before one goes crosseyed.

So, that's it for now. I will leave you with a random Manitoba picture

Early morning, bus stop, cold, tired children.

We have a house!

This is exciting stuff! Dennis and I have never been homeowners. We did think that we would have a place of our own before we settled down and started a family, but since the family started itself without our express permission, that didn't happen.

Our financing has been approved, the owners have accepted our offer, the inspection went well and so if everything else goes to plan, this will be all ours as of June 29th.

Can you believe it? Now I just have to figure out how all of our crap is going to fit within 1000 square feet. I might need a crow bar. It's amazing how much STUFF one can accumulate, especially when you add children into the equation. We're not wealthy people by any means, but the sheer volume of our possessions is a bit astounding to me. It makes me feel a bit guilty. We don't need all of this stuff...

But now I'm rambling. I think there are many trips to Sally Ann in my future.

More Graduation

He did a fabulous job driving the car. How can he be almost 5? He's just a baby.

Graduation day

Jacob graduated from pre-school last night. I had a hard time keeping it together.

Another montage. C'mon, you knew it was coming.

So, I had to make one for Jacob too :)

http://www.onetruemedia.com/otm_site/view_shared?p=2a1852ea5f39eda16fa0ab

Kieran's a year old

I made him a photo montage...and made myself cry like a baby.

Check it out

http://www.onetruemedia.com/otm_site/view_shared?p=29cda44e010d71b4d994d5

Manitoba bound

So, it's official! Dennis is the new Caribou biologist for Manitoba Conservation and so come July, the boys and I are headed west. They are covering the entire move including flights, so that is just awesome :).

This is very bittersweet for me and for Jacob. He was not impressed to find that he would have to move to and live in a different home, but we have all come to regard it as an adventure and an opening of a new chapter in our lives. It does present some interesting challenges though. Since I am on contract until June 29 and the new job started March 19th, this means that Dennis is in Manitoba for 3 months without us. He has been gone just shy of 3 weeks and I can tell you with conviction that I really, really dislike being a single parent. Really.

I'm in better shape than Mr. Dennis tho. He has no kids to keep him busy (drive him crazy) on the weekends or evenings, so these are lonely times for him. I am doing everything I can (and I have help on the Mom and In Law Mom front) to keep my head above water. I also have a thesis that needs completing before I leave. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa splat.

So, that, in a nutshell, is all that is new.

OH! My baby is 1! How the hell did that happen? We had his party before Dennis left and he thoroughly enjoyed himself. Kieran looked adorable wearing his birthday cake and some of the icing may have even made its way into his tummy ;).