Getting it together!

To all - promise we will be up and running properly soon - we still have quite a lot to organise but things are settling & we are now close to being back to something resembling normality.

We totally love the area we're living in right now & would definitely choose to buy here. It's on the more expensive side of Calgary but the pay off is great neighbourhoods & schools - worth every penny. It's close to good amenities, quiet(when our kids are asleep anyway) & clean.

The kids love their respective schools. The Elementary (Primary to us Brits) is really close & on top of a hill that gives the most wonderful views of Calgary & the mountains. It's a nice, bright, friendly place & Sophie & Lewis are finding it very comfortable indeed!! We can walk there in about 10 mins but I drive if it's wet, on account of Sophie's cast! Which reminds me, I will get a photo of said cast on here soon!!

The downside for the younger 2 is that, because of their birthdays, they are actually going to be in school one more year than their UK counterparts. They are in grades 3 & 5, both of which they had completed in England but if we pushed them up (which the school was not going to do anyhow) they would be by far the youngest in their classes so we chose to go with age & they're really happy, so we'll just keep quiet about that extra year!! :-) Alex, on the other hand, is laughing because he's ended up having a year less at school than his UK counterparts!! He's going into grade 11 & now just has 2 more years at school, instead of the 3 he had in the UK!! We've checked out the courses & he's totally up to speed, so he won't lose out. I've told him NOT to wind up the younger 2 - & so far he's not!

Talking about Alex, he's very excited about his school program. He's taking sports medicine as one of his options & part of the course includes attending sporting events - tough work but someone has to do it!! He's also taking Phys Ed where he will do everything from Kayaking to volleyball!! He has chosen to carry on with Chemistry & Biology for his other options, as he was doing so well at them in the UK. His other subjects are compulsory - Math, English, Social Studies & CALM (some citizenship type thing they have to do for 1 term of High School here)

Anyway, better get on with dinner!