Happy Halloween from the MacNeill's

Click on the link to see our special Halloween greeting or scroll down to the bottom of the page to see our animated ecard. Enjoy!

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Fairy Sid meets the Ladybugs

Last week went by so quickly after all the Thanksgiving festivities. We decided to try and lay low this week so I could get some work done around the house and maybe do a bit of purging. We finished up Sid's last lapbook on Thanksgiving last Saturday and have been starting to accumulate material for the Halloween lapbook but have found ourselves submerged in crafts more than work sheets. Sid took a real shine to Paper Mache pumpkins. They are dry now and we just need to get them painted.

Oh so messy and oh so fun!

We got Groovy and Maggie groomed yesterday with the exception of completing the furnishings and we were going to finish that up this afternoon but got swept up in the moment instead. Fairy Sid dawned her wings and wand and we went out on a backyard adventure with our cameras in tow. It was 17 out today with two days of rain ahead of us so we didn't waste another moment in the house.

Here are some of the pictures Sid took with the Kodak Easy Share:

The ladybugs were out in droves today. We got a bottle and went to work collecting as many as possible. This kept us busy for a good hour and a half and we were able to watch them and compare the colours and number of spots.

Here are a few of Mom's favorite pictures from the day:

I can fly!

Ladybug Rancher Sid

Dad took Sid to a little friends birthday party on the weekend and retold me the funniest little kid story. Picture this, a dozen three and four year old kids are sitting around eating their supper when one little kids shouts out "SH*T!" The host of the party quickly pipes up and firmly says "Hey, we don't use that kind of language around here please!" The little guy sitting right near Sid and Ken looks over at his dad and shouts out. "I know what that means! It means you forgot something. Right Daddy?" Out of the mouth of babes!!!! Ken and I are still chuckling about it.

Another funny story this week was when Grandmama came by yesterday for a quick visit and asked Sid what she wanted for her birthday. Without even thinking about it, Sid replied in a very affirmative voice "Well a unicycle of course." Where does she get these things???

Thankful for Great Friends and Family

The Thanksgiving weekend started with a splash! Friday was raining and cold but that didn't keep us inside. A fuzzy wetsuit and a pair of rubber boots was all we needed for some fun.
We had ballet Saturday morning and then an afternoon visit and stay for supper from Granny and Grandpa. Sid was so excited when she found out they were coming. We haven't seen each other since July so Sid was literally bouncing off the walls and Grandpa! And big kudos to Grandpa for withstanding the worlds wettest zerbert fight. You couldn't even see the lenses in his glasses by the time he and Sid were finished giggling.

It was such a wonderful visit, so relaxed and fun. Thanks for coming over for dinner and staying to play. We miss seeing you guys!

Sunday we had our big Thanksgiving dinner but before things got going we had Toby over for a playdate in the morning. It was cold enough for hats and mitts but the kids still had fun on the climber and playing with the jeep in the yard. Then it was inside for some fun that ended up with a skeleton and dragon chasing each other around the house.

Later in the afternoon Nan Nan came by to help us enjoy our turkey dinner. Everything turned out perfectly and we were all hungry after a short walk in the woods with the dogs. Thanksgiving dinner was filling and wonderful to share with family. Thanks for making it so special Nan Nan and we missed you Uncle Rick, hope you are feeling better (but thanks for not sharing your cooties LOL)

Although Monday was a holiday, we still had gymnastics and we were able to take Charlotte so her mom could spend some much needed one on one time with her older sister Emily. After gymnastics the girls had lunch here and spent the afternoon playing. Needless to say, the girls were exhausted by the end of the day.
We had more rain on Tuesday and then SNOW Wednesday. That didn't keep us from walking the dogs but we needed hats and mitts and Sid decided to bring her two babies along in a sling. It was very cute and she managed the entire walk while talking to her girls and making sure they were warm.

Tasha, our foster dog, is still here and a real gem. She fits right in and was a perfect guest during all the chaos of people coming and going this past weekend. Her only downfall is her determination to get out cats. In the video below Sid is lecturing Tasha about how owning cats is a privilege and that she should not "die" the cats because they catch the mice who eat holes in our shed floor. What a riot!

Studio Workshop at the National Art Gallery

Our morning started with a beautiful fall drive along the parkway and up past Prime Minister Harper's house. It re-opened our conversation about what the P.M. does and why he has a plane. Once at the gallery we spotted the Parliament buildings and that just about covered everything with where the P.M. lives, works and commutes LOL.

We met up with a group of fellow homeschoolers for a workshop on painting and it was AWESOME! I don't have any pictures of the first hour because we toured through the Gallery looking at abstract paintings and the use of shape, colour and texture to create the feeling of the work. We weren't allowed to take pictures in the areas with paintings. Then it was back to the studio to further explore colour and paint.

One of the main focuses was on primary and secondary colours so all the kids were encouraged to mix colours on their palettes to discover warm and cold shades. After 20 minutes they had more instruction regarding brush stroke and contrast then they were sent to create their own pictures. Sid really took it all in . I was thrilled with the experience and would do it again in a second. I even learnt a few things about mixing colours and painting that we will incorporate in our home art.

We go back in November for a workshop on sculpting. I can't wait!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

A Day with the 412 Squadron

What a day!!! I have helped out our good friends a few times by providing some childcare when they were in a bind and they have been trying to find a way to repay us which was totally unnecessary, however, they hit the jackpot this weekend. Jeff is posted here with the 412 squadron flying the Prime Minister and VIP's around the country in our Challenger Jets. He works really hard and has to spend a lot of time away from his family so as a way to thank family and friends they have an annual family day where everyone comes to the squadron and gets a big tour plus a BBQ and games for the kids. This year Jeff and Sharon invited Ken, Sid and I to join them. The bonus was that Jeff arranged to take us up for a flight in the Challenger. Ken was intoxicated with joy. They couldn't have found a more exciting and amazing way to say thanks and Jeff let Ken do the shutdown checklist in the cockpit so I think Ken was almost vibrating by the time we left the plane LOL.

Sid's face on take off - PRICELESS!

Returning from our flight

Sid and Charlotte are really happy to see each after Charlotte and family were away for two weeks at Disney.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

On top of all the generosity the Andrew's showed us, they also went to Disney and brought Sidney back a very special gift. A postcard signed by the Tinkerbell, Rosetta and Irredessa (fairies) and a soft tinkerbell doll. Sid is just in love with this doll.

On Sunday it was Grandpa Bill's birthday so we congregated at his house with the cousins and had a little brunch party. After lots of good food and cake plus some major play time with the cousins we headed to the pumpkin patch to meet up with Sid's friend Toby and his mom Kim. It was threatening rain all morning but became warm and sunny just in time!

The kids didn't miss sloshing through a single mud puddle

Too Much FUN!

The kids had a great time and loved the bouncy climbing wall the most. They loved crashing into each other and flipping down the slides. We can't wait to see Toby and Kim again soon.

We have a new foster dog named Tasha, hopefully she won't be here too long. She is a nice girl although I think her personal mission in life is to rid the world of cats starting with ours!

Tasha on the left, Groovy in the back and Maggie on the right.