Our house, in the middle of the street

We're in our home with all our stuff and man, does it feel great! Just so tired and physically sore from the moving and unpacking process. We got movers this time which was wonderful.. and, well, really our only option since we don't really have any friends here!! (Yet.) And now me being me, I just want everything unpacked and organized by the end of this weekend. Totally impossible of course. So I will try to just go with the flow and enjoy a glass of red wine and my first soak in our jacuzzi tub in our new home that is literally, in the middle of the street (see the photo with the black CRV in the driveway). Photos of the inside to come once I'm feeling a bit more settled.

P.S. Lucy is so excited for halloween tomorrow night... she's dressing up as a witch and Ainsley's going as a monkey (a big sis hand-me-down - I love that she doesn't care about that, yet). It doesn't get dark here until 6:30ish, so I have no idea when we're supposed to go! Halloween weather is supposed to be great - sunny and 12 degrees. Happy Halloween!!!

Dinosaurs, Bears, Hippos & More

We spent last Saturday exploring the Calgary Zoo, and had a lot of fun - the zoo was awesome and we will definitely go back when we have visitors stay with children (hint hint!). See pics at the bottom of the post.

As far as updates go... Jose's job is going well. A bit overwhelming with everything being so new, but he feels good about the people and the company and as a career. It's only been a week and a half, and I think it'll take a couple of months for him to really know if he's going to like it. So far so good :-) In other job news, I've applied for a Research Assistant job with Dept of Psychology at the University of Calgary. This is a similar position I was doing before I had Lucy and in between mat leaves. I plan to take on doula clients too, but would also like a job that takes me out of the house 2-3 days a week.

In very delayed news, the offer on our home was accepted and we are excited to be moving in on Friday, Oct.29th!!! I can't wait to unpack our stuff and get settled in. I love the community - it's called Tuscany, and it feels like a little suburb. We're walking distance to the shopping area and the Tuscany Club, which is a clubhouse for Tuscany residents only, and offers lots of programs such as Zumba (woohoo!!), outdoor ice-skating, drop-in sports, and loads of children's activities. I am hoping this will offer lots of opportunities to meet other young families. There are also lots of paved bike/walk paths through Tuscany which we look forward to exploring. I am so excited about our master bedroom... it has an ensuite with a jacuzzi tub (I love baths!) and a balcony with views of the Canadian Olympic Park and the Rockies!! The mountains in the distance are a lovely reminder of home. Until we have some photos of our home to post, please enjoy a few zoo pics.

Hugs to you all. xoxo

Hungry hippos!

The prehistoric area of the zoo was amazing, with life-size dinosaurs that moved and roared!! Ainsley was a little skeptical, and kept saying "I don't like them, I'm scared." But funniest of all, she was convinced they were going to eat her rice cakes, LOL!! She spent most of this part of the visit in Daddy's safe, strong arms.

Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving dinner at my sister Claire's home, where we're staying (still!). Really feel like I have so much to be thankful for.

In these pics: Gerald (Ashley's fiance), Ashley, Jessica, Gerry, Claire & of course, us.

I think it was the first Thanksgiving I've ever had without my parents, so that was a little strange. It was weird not to be with Jose's family too. We did talk to both parents on Skype though - yay for Skype!!

So Jose starts his job on Wednesday - finally!! He's looking forward to it and we're hoping his impressions were right and that we made this move for a great job. I'm pretty sure it will be.

The weather here has been so amazing - warm (21 degrees) and sunny. Unusual for October apparently. It is supposed to be cooler tomorrow (13 degrees) but then warm up a bit later on in the week (17 degrees). Why do I keep writing about the weather??? Because so many people made such a big deal about it, that I just gotta tell it like it is. I know it's going to be cold, but so far it really has been lovely. I've been walking around in a t-shirt & jeans all week, and I wasn't wearing that in September in BC!

As far as the home goes, the inspection is tomorrow afternoon, and the financing should be through by Wednesday. Subjects get lifted on Wednesday at 9pm (extended from last Friday as the bank wasn't ready), so hopefully everything goes smoothly. We really want to get into our own home, unpack, and get settled. And give my sister and her family their home back. They've been so accommodating and easy-going, but I know it must be hard for them, especially with our "lively" little girls!

That's all for now. We missed seeing our BC family and friends this Thanksgiving, and send you all big hugs - hope you all had a lovely long weekend.

First week

It's been a great week! Lots and lots of sunshine, and today is shorts & t-shirt weather. It really is beautiful here. Cools down in the evenings for sure, but not cold (yet).

In housing news... our Ladner home has renters and we have bought a home in Calgary! As long as the inspection goes well and subjects are lifted, we'll be moving at the end of the month. It's a newish home (1999) in a great community called Tuscany, less than a 10 minute drive from my sister's. That's right, we'll be living in Tuscany :) And it has a great basement / 4th bedroom for all our house guests!!

Lucy started gymnastics on Friday. She was a bit nervous to start (new gym club, new kids, new teacher), but gave it a try and had a lot of fun!! I've got her registered for preschool in January, and I'm looking for some drop-in programs between now and then for both the girls. Calgary has lots of great kids programs, and it's fun checking them out. Next to find... a Zumba fitness class for me!

Jose hasn't started his job yet as the security clearance is taking longer than expected. Hopefully Monday or Tuesday of this week. It's really for the best though, as it gave us lots of time to house shop. That's all for now... time to start dinner. xo