grr

This is the second and last attempt I will make at blogging today. My but blogspot is a fickle beast when one is 'borrowing' connectivity! We are all great. Maeve gorgeous as usual but now with a penchance for running. EVERYWHERE! The child doesn't know slow mo! We might have a line on a preschool for her starting in september. Finger's crossed! Madigan is growing chicklets like you wouldn't believe. You should see these monsters. Madigan also has a fondness for nursing standing up, upside down, sideways and any other position that is less than subtle shall we say!



A Big Birthday Hello to Ms Mhari Rhiverson who turned 1 yesterday! Congrats Rhiverson family!

Heartbeat

Hello everyone! Yes, we have a pulse! So sorry the Mussellam Clan has been MIA. Long story, not going to bore you... in short our computer crapped out on us briefly! One visit up to Birmingham Apple store an we are back in biznazz bitches!

Things here are good. We've heard murmurings that our belongings are going to be leaving Canada soon! Hooray.. Auntie Erin is going to race our stuff and see who gets here first. Auntie Erin is our first almost confirmed guest coming Oct 5-22 We are thrilled!

english pubs

Ok "you people" (as Gramma Suzie says), I fear you all need an education in english pubs. You see, it isn't a nightclub or a bar. A pub is more of a restaurant. Children are not allowed to be near the "bar" at all. Now, most of the pubs that we have been to have a children's play area. Like play areas in McDonalds , which is pronounced "Mac Donalds" here. The pub just up by our place has an outdoor children's play area. Slide, wiggly bridge, fort with ladders and a lookout! My favorite pub is called benjamin satchwells and it has 'club' nights. Curry Club is thursday night so we go and have our chicken tikka and a beer, the girls share a kids meal.. not a happy meal but it does come with a placemat, crayons milk and usually we get them cottage pie with peas! Not mushy peas either because that is gross! After curry night we walk 15mins to Newboly Comyn Leisure center and have a great swim. Last night we discovered an awesome way home. Cut through the park and it is a gorgeous walk through a nature preserve. During the weekends there are 4 or 5 footie games going on and its really busy, but at 10ish at night it is still pretty light but deserted yet beautiful! So, for all of you who think I am a deadbeat mommy for boozing it up at the pub should bring your children and come and visit me.

We just got a .....

Letter, we just got a letter, we just got a letter I wonder who it's from?




For those of you aquainted with Blue's Clues I hope that song/tune sticks in your head all day!@!!


OK, so this months winner for fastest letter sent goes toooooooo... GRAMMA MIMI!

Thanks Gramma, we love the 'colar' bears. Love Maeve and Madigan

IMG_0047

IMG_0047
Originally uploaded by Clan Mussellam.

see, they are in blue!!!!!!!!

finally, i got tgese pics up

painting

Here we go round 2. I've tried 3 times to upload the pics from yesterday. I have no idea why they aren't loading. I tried getting them on thru flickr too. No luck as you can see. Perhaps Michael and I are going to have to pay for some wireless connection instead of borrowing it from whoever it is that has it in our neighbourood!


Ok, so if they load this is my darling artista star Maeve! I picked up some watercolour paints yesterday and she is having a blast today. Its funny how in just 2 months she has changed. Before she would just muck up all the colours, mix and paint mostly with the water. Well now she is freaking out because the colour isn't the one she wanted or its not a true bright red because she has mucked them!! Trying to teach her to rinse them first is a treat let me tell you.. from one stubborn mule to another! Tonight is curry night at the pub! We are going to walk into town and meet daddy and have chicken tikka.. delish! Not only is it delish but it is cheap! 4.99 and comes with my choice of drink! Wahoo because beer is one of the choices!

believe it

Ok, call ripley's believ it or not... both girls are wearing BLUE!

Maeve is very donald duck in that she rarely wears pants! So here are the two sisters who love each other so much. Sorry for the extreme closeup on Madigan there. I was trying to get a shot of her chicklets! I'm sure you've all seen her bottom two at some point. The real menacing beasts are up top.... not the front top two nooo the ones beside those. She is going to look really funny as those big buggers come down further.... pray for the fast arrival of the top front two teeth for her! I'm trying to gather all these pictures to prove that they love each other because when they are teens I'm sure they are going to be at each other's throats! So, today is an in day. It is gorgeous... but gorgeous here means laundry! Boo! The dryer situation here leaves alot to be desired! So, Maeve is outside playing with her "friends". She told me she has pretend friends. Yay and boo... poor Maeve gets uprooted from all her friends but yay, she just invents new ones! So here is a play by play of what is going on outside, she is having a tea party with a stuffed kitten and puppy:
"Hi, Gramma Luvvy is here. Look gramma, a spider web."
"Oh, Daddy is home, daddy do you want a drink? I'm drinking mine because I have to go"
"we need another blanket. i need one for my puppy, i'll set it up"
"set 4, set 5. Oh, we need another one"
"there is one there if y0ou want it. this is a great party. party, party, party party party"

Maeve also made a rather astute comment the other day. She said to me, "Mommy, there are no mountains in England." Right she is! You can take the Canadian out of Canada but you can't take the Canada out of a Canadian!

oh bugger... blogger ownt let me upload the pics.. you'll have to wait until blogger is a little less tempermental

monday

Hi! sorry no pics from yesterday. It was really n ot exciting so you didn't miss anything! We went to ARGOS and ordered a dining room set and a carpet. Then onto BOOTS to pick up baby essentials and the much needed baby gate. I'll try to grab a pic of madigan in baby jail later! Today is cleanup day. fun fun fun! here are a couple of pictures of maeve on her boat. she is fishing. Notice henry in the background? He is our vacuum that came with the house. Totally cute and no one is afraid of him... well, the girls aren't but I don't particularily care for him! Haha I keed I keed! So, we are all doing well. all this walking is hurting my poor old body. Seems the more we do the more walking I have to do! My poor fat old body is rebelling! Plus, the other day I was trying to race michael and I ran... good lord... who runs at my age... haha oh, ok Auntie Barbie does and the bitch looks fantastic! Well, I'm sure she hurt the first couple of times after she ran too!@!! Well, enough rambling.. .love to you all! Oh and I think I need to adjust our mailing ammend our mailing address


20 Packwood Close
Sydenham, Leamington Spa
CV31 1FL
Warwickshire, UK

see if that works! Ps any of you can call us (44)7726 868 405

saturday

Hi gang. Today we headed out bright and early to Birmingham. We were on an adventure with Auntie Neil. We got on the train and were off in search of chinatown! What a surprise when we found it. China town birmingham consists of 3 or 4 chinese restaurants and a rather small gate!!!! We had fun tho, had awesome chinese buffet. We then went to warwick to get neil to a camera shop taht so awesomely closed at 3.... an hour before we got there. So, lots and lots and lots of walking today! Thanks again mom for the stroller. it really is making life easier! So a little about the pics. Erin, the shoe one is for you! The fierce picture of me and my 'gaunt' face is for Danica. One pic is Maeve chillin with Auntie Neil and one is Madigan laughing her ass off as she pulls my hair while riding in the backpack! The reason I explained the pics like this is because whenever I upload them in one order they wind up in another.. so, match the pic with the description! Cheers and happy weekend!

friday hooray

hi gang we are well. sort of rained in again. here are the girls from this am. Maeve has a stunning accomplishment, se is the queen of the forward roll! I'll try to document her in action later today or tomorrow!

love
v

feels like vancouver

Hi gang! Today was a little wetter than usual! So here is a brief update.

Madigan can say: Mama, Dada, banana, more, uh oh hen she drops something "mmmmwah"for kisses and she also blows kisses. So far she has managed to climb up one stair and just hang out there until either Michael or myself clues in that the child is up that high. She is a bit more selectve than Maeve was as far as food goes. She walk/crawls (hands on the floor body in a crawl, legs in a walk) its a real treat to watch! She is fast too. Michael adn I thought we would just teach her a few signs like we did for Maeve. Apparently it is easier for her to say more than to sign it! She is a clever little brat and is so mischievious. The little bugger smiles right at you just as/while she is doing something naughty. Like pulling the phone jack! She is so bad but so bloody cute it is hard to discipline her!
Maeve says just about anything that comes to her head. She would like to say, "Gramma luvie, I love you and thank you for all the kisses." To Gramma Suzie, "Thank you very much for all the kisses and love." Right now she is big on love. She says, "I love my family" and it just about makes me cry. Maeve loves blueberries, strawberries and her new handy dandy notebooks! Maeve just got a brand new pair of kicks that are pink and orange. They make her run faster and jump higher! The were 3 quid!

Here are some pics from today@!

Welcome baby Lincoln

Congratulations to Lanny, Mel, Coral and Neikao! Baby Smith was born on Canada day at 9:22 and weighed 9lbs. Mel had the baby at home with no pain meds... good on you! I personally swear by epidurals! Since this is her third I guess she knows what is best for her and her family!! Ok, like Auntie Robyn I tease. Her name may not be Lincoln Jane Smith because she is a surprise bundle of pink instead of blue! So far this is the 5th pink bundle in the F'n'Geesmith family! Maybe Brodie and Linds will have our first bouncing bundle of blue!

Sunday

Well, last night Michael and I actually came up with a plan of action in advance!! Yes yes, I can hardly believe it myself!! After an excrutiating hot day here with NO beach/lake/water in sight we decided to find us a pool! Yes, we found one at the Newbold Comyn Leisure center. So today we started off with lunch at the pub, on to marks and spencer for swim trunks then onward and upward to the pool! It was great. Only cost 6 pounds and there was an adult pool and a kids pool with a huge water slide! It was great. We got Maeve a pair of water wings and Madigan a water diaper! We had a blast! Michael took Maeve up on the big water slide a bunch of times. We tried Sara's jaker's trick by blowing in Madigan's face to get her to hold her breath and then to dunk her but we didn't have the heart! She was almost drowned enough with all the mad sploshers about! I took Maeve down the waterslide too after Michael forced me. ... I was to scared that I'd drown Maeve at the end where it drops off into the pool. I had every right to be scared, Maeve and I went so frigging fast I almost panicked. The worry for drowning Maeve was unfounded of course because I held her up and out of the water as I sank like a stone!!! My feet went out from under me and I went under... I held poor Maeve up and out as I drank the damn pool. Maeve was completely unscathed and wanted to go again. Once was enough for me tho! So, pictures.. here we all are at 4:57... then at 5:03!! As you can see I look fabulous in my far east attire! Big shout out to grampa and Maggie who brought me back that wrap from their far flung adventures! As for the pub picture I thought it was funny with the pram/stroller parked out front! Classic English pubs are filled with children! They just aren't allowed at the bar!! hahah no sending the children to get mummy and datty a pint! The girls were knackered!! The picture of us walking away from the camera is in our cul de sac. That isn't our house but ours looks exactly like it! Everyone please ooh and ahh over the fantastic stroller my mom got us. It really is a life saver! Those half hour walks in 32 degree heat are a breeze now that I'm not packing my extra pounds, plus Madigan's while pushing Maeves!

Canada Day

Happy Canada day everyone! It isn't a long weekend here but I sure wish it was! Sorry no pic today because we forgot to bring our camera with us. Pretty uneventful anyways. We went to the bank to get me a bank card and then to the park. Ho hum.... it was of course 32 degrees and muggy! Well I guess I could have gotten a snapshot of us talking to Mr. Bank Dude while Maeve very helpfully and kindly picked Madigan's nose. Thats awesome, hope I never lose that mental pic! Tomorrow we are hoping to hit some sort of pool! Its friggin hot here and we are so not near any large water body. Well, except my large body in the water that is our tub! Today was great for me because I got to talk to some of you! I talked to Auntie Erin who was busy out picking things up for the girls... I got to talk to my great friend Cookie Doucette... love her, miss her... I got to talk to my brother Jaycie.. very amusing and then I had the funniest chat with Crappa (Big Robin). Turns out Uncle Lanny's baby has yet to make its debut. When I phoned Lanny was up at the shop with Crappa making a potato gun. So I of course ask if Mel's labour had stalled out or something... nope nope, things have slowed down a bit but are still happening... not quite believing that Lanny was up at the shop while Mel laboured to bring forth his child.. but then really, its not like Lanny can really make anything happen faster or smoother. Maybe Mel will be able to focus without worrying about him! I told Robin I'd have killed Michael with said potato gun if he elected to make one instead of be one with my pain! Well, guess we are all different aren't we! So, my positive thoughts go out to Mel, bringer of Lanny's unborn. Hopefully s/he will be born on Canada Day and has a headfull of hair! hahah sorry Makadoodlenut! So if any of you beotches want to give me a call, our country code is 44 and my number is 7726 868 405 prank call me if you want its your dime!!! haha just do me a huge fave and make sure you know we are 8 hours ahead of you! So, hopefully I'll be back on here tomorrow with fresh pics! love to all!

June 29

Well boys and girls. Last night we got our first child free sleep since June 1! Yes, almost a month and it sure was nice to not have to share the bed with a child! Ok, Michael still counts as a child but that is only because he is whiney! So, bringing you up to speed. We ordered beds for the girls from Mothercare on Michael's new mastercard! How exciting... a 10 plus day wait to have the items delivered. Every day I dutifully checked on the order status because there were some concerns about using the new credit card. 4 days into the wait I thought we were doing pretty well and so I figured, hey, lets just check and see if they are going to give us a narrower delivery date other than the "10 days". Well low and behold I look at our order and it is all cancelled. For what reason? I have no idea. Did they mention it in the form of email or anything? NOPE!! So, I didn't panic, but went to the mothercare site and saw that there is a store about 1 mile from us. No car, no idea how to get to it I went over to our neighbours Chris and Phil. They had offered to help us pick up a bed for Michael and myself knowing our things were still in Canada. So, I went over to ask Phil if he wouldn't mind driving me there whenever was convenient. I was hoping that he'd be able to give us a lift sometime this weekend so that we all wouldn't ahve to sleep on the floor. Phil, we will now refer to him as "godsend" said, let me finish my dinner and I'll take you there straight away. So, because nothing goes easy I thought. I better phone the store and put stuff aside so that a)Phil doesn't have to stand around waiting for some nutty canuck to shop and b)to make sure they have what I need in stock. So, I phoned up and a lovely girl said that they had all of my major needs and collected them up and held them for me. Not half an hour later Michael and I were setting up the girls beds! Phil and Chris and their daughter Tarnyia have been so helpful and kind to us. The downside to helping us find beds for the girls was that they both screamed for at least an hour each. Yes, Maeve cried and cried and cried but finally passed out after I laid with her and then Michael as well. Madigan is a little more stubborn and she screamed for what seemed like eternity. Seems like someone has gotten quite use to snuggling with her mother all night! This just in people, I need some sleep! So, in the pics you can see our stubborn little Madigan sleeping almost nudie because her pjs were enraging her further! Tonight I stayed in the room and talked her down to sleep. I'm expecting to do a little less each night until she is going to bed solo! Hopefully it happens tonight will be less traumatic for everytone!! I remember when Maeve was the same way and we were getting her out of our bed and into her own. Eventually we did get Madigan to lay down and sleep in a more comfortable position! Maeve too fell asleep sitting up, refusing to lay down in her crib. My girls are such strong, stubborn, beautiful individuals.

tuesday

For some strange reason my last post didn't get posted here. I even had it twice. Maybe I'm going slowly mad!! Anyway, Mom I am so sorry that I forgot your birthday. Why don't you fly on over and I can make it up to you! Aunti Barbie, I'm sorry I missed your birthday too. I am such a cad. I have no excuse. I'm just really very sorry.

Some pics of the girls today. Playing in the curtains. Crawling like little demons. I love my daughters. I don't want to think about when they will forget my birthday! Today we are patiently awaiting an ARGOS delivery. We are also awaiting delivery of one cot and one cot bed for our big girl. Hopefully they arrive soon so we aren't stuck home all week waiting for them! Anyhoo, have a great day everyone!

British spelling of @sshole

VASHTI


Oh my god Mom, I am so sorry that I forgot your birthday. What a giant Ass. Sorry also to Auntie Barbie as I've also forgotten hers. I hope you two girls had a nice day and I'm so sorry I didn't call or send a card. What a jerk. Why don't you two jump on a plane and come have a bday celebration with us? I can give a thousand excuses but there really isn't a good one for forgetting your own mother's birthday. I love you Mom. I love you too Auntie Barbie!

So, how do the brits spell Asshole?

VASHTI


Oh my god Mom, I am so sorry that I forgot your birthday. What a giant Ass. Sorry also to Auntie Barbie as I've also forgotten hers. I hope you two girls had a nice day and I'm so sorry I didn't call or send a card. What a jerk. Why don't you two jump on a plane and come have a bday celebration with us? I can give a thousand excuses but there really isn't a good one for forgetting your own mother's birthday. I love you Mom. I love you too Auntie Barbie!

Official

Grab your pens because we have an official address for you! For those of you that know someone we love without internet access please feel free to pass it on. As added incentive, any mail received may get a response! hahahahhaah Happy weekending to you all!



20 Packwood Close
Leamington Spa,
Warwickshire, CV31 1FL
United Kingdom

Eagle has landed

Hi kids! Well we've done it. We have successfully manage to enter our new home. Yes, a daunting challenge it was. I'll start out slow because as we have found out. Nothing that comes easy is worth having. So, our letting agent phones us and lets us know that our new home is ready to be moved into! Yay, so we go and pay 2 months deposit plus first month's rent (YIKES basically double it for canadian funds). We figure, hey.. lets move in tonight. When we came to view there was a double bed, 2 wardrobes and couches tv, basically everything. So, they had asked us if there was anything we'd like removed and we said no. If we decide later to take stuff out we'll put it in the garage. So great, we check out of the hotel with no hassle... grab a taxi and load it up with 2 kids, 2 carseats, 4 pieces of luggage, 2 adults and one giant stroller and away we go! We get to our fantastic new castle, put the keys in... hold our breaths in anticipation and hear.....nothing... for whatever reason our brand new keys don't work. So, here we are 8pm standing outside of our gorgeous new home tired, cranky and with all our possessions and locked out. Soooo awesome! Quick thinking Michael opens the garage and gets us all in and out of the howling wind so we can put our heads together. Aha! He sees that going through the garage brings us to the backyard... through the backyard is the sliding glass doors to the living room! Eureka, now if only someone forgot to lock it! haha fat chance sucker! But wait, there is a key hole.. wait more, we have a key that fits it! Lucky for us the english are weird! You can lock your sliding glass door from the inside and the outside! How clever! So we go around to the front door and see that someone has engaged the deadbolt thumb lock and that is why our key didn't work. Oh the joy, the joy! So, cranky mommies, daddies and babies all arrived in their new home safe and sound! Ahh we get all ready to head to bed... YOINKS.. the bed is gone. WEll, the mattress is anyways! I had mentioned to the letting agent that we wont really need it once our things get here.... well lets hope to heaven that it gets here soon... we are currently all sleeping downstairs in the lounge on 1)airmattress 2) patio lounge chair cushion 3) seat cushions from the couch. Seriously... we can never do anything just the 'easy' way can we! We are very happy to be in our new home even if it doesn't have creature comforts! Maeve and I did a little gardening and a lot of rearranging! The woman who lived here strikes me as a bit of a bachelor. Everything is in the most unusual places and she didn't seem to care much for maximizing one's space! So... positive thoughts for our things arriving sooooooon! Well,t he girls will be allright because we are getting them set up this weekend! Poor Michael and I will have aching b acks for weeks!

Terrrrific Tuesday

Hi Gang, sorry I missed you all yesterday. Can't remember why I didn't post. Must have been a really good reason! Hahaha ok I know why, it is because the girls and I were out all day. WAnt the reason why? Well here it is wanted or not. Michael the awesome driver he is, popped a hole in the tire of our stroller whilst strolling/slaloming with Maeve in it! Maeve of course had the time of her life but monday morning rolls around and I have 2 children NO stroller! Well, first we thought it just needed some air! Well after our hotel staff located an air pump and gave us a boost of air we were off. Well, we were off for like a block. So, with Maeve on my back in the backpack and Madigan in the stroller because she was lightest we were off in search of a b ike shop. What luck, we found one on bedford street. (Neil tipped us off earlier) but fortunately for me bedford street is only about a 10 minute walk from here. So, I ask how much it will be and how long it will be. 10 quid and 30 minutes. I say great and take the girls to the pub for lunch (another long story to be updated later) so we had lunch and I went to pick up the stroller but wait.... where is the money? Oh Vashti you silly girl. You thought you had 20 pounds but really you only had 10! so, with back pack, madigan in the carrier and Maeve we had to do the 10 min hike back to the hotel to get money and then back to the bike shop to get the stroller. The whole time Maeve is crying asking me to carry her. I have never felt like such a pack horse in my life! I feel like a cow because I nurse Madigan all day and all night, I feel like a packhorse... wonder which barnyard animal I'll feel like tomorrow!!! hahaha I'm just goofing around, I am really have a great time here so far. Maeve is working on her "Mummy" in perfect british. I guess she hears the other children on the playground and is trying to imitate. I can't believe we've been here less than 2 weeks and she is already polishing up her british! Now I have to pick it up a bit too otherwise people here have no clue what I am talking about. For instance, if I would like a Mocha... I have to very politely ask for a Mawkka. I now refer to our stroller as a push chair and we always call the elevator the lift now. Its not like I'm trying to be british or anything, its just that if you want someone to comprehend what you are talking about you must do your best to speak it the way they hear it! Ok, I've reread and it sounds like I'm off on a tangent! Here are some pictures for you from this weekend. Auntie Neil and Maeve.. and princess Maeve. She was so good getting her face painted for the first time. She chose the pattern herself because she thought it was very princess! I think so too@!!

Happy Father's Day

Hello everyone! We are doing very well here in Leamington. This weekend we took part in the annual Leamington Peace Festival. There was tie dye as far as the eye could see! It was smokin' hot let me tell you! We had a really nice day on saturday and for fathers' day sunday we took a trip to Warwick Castle. Madigan and Maeve got Daddy a suhweet pair of kicks (sneakers) and we headed out this am to the bus stop to meet up with Neil. We will now refer to Neil as Auntie Neil! That is what Maeve calls him. I'm very sorry to say that Maeve is fickle in her love and Auntie Neil is filling in some rather big shoes! So, the castle was great fun. There was an archery display, a falconer and a totally wickid trebuchet! We took quite a few hours wandering around the grounds, climbing up stairs and just basically hanging out at the Castle! We met a lovely peasant girl from Calgary and had an awesome dinner at the Tilted Wig. Well, Michael and Neil were absolutely in LOVE with our waitress who gave us all a fantastic view of her.... assets! Fortunately for me the barman looked alot like Orlando Bloom so all was fair today! Michael heads back to work tomorrow (boo) and I am on my own with the girls and a flat tire on the stroller. Ok, how much does that suck? hahah oh well, hopefully we get the news tomorrow if we get to move in on wednesday or not! fingers crossed and lots of positive thoughts for us please! Hopefully soon I wont be fighting to get two of these little buggers to nap at the same time on the same day in the same room. Not to mention getting them to bed simultaneously in ONE room! I like to think I'm getting better at not being crabby about things. I mentioned earlier that I was trying to adopt a more Zen attitude and it seems to be working! I only need the strength to change the things that I am capable of changing. If its not in my power I have to let it go! So far so good!