This weekend some of our favourite people came to Montreal to visit. I've mentioned them in previous posts (Billy Elliott and Wonderful friends). We always have such a great time together and this time was no different.

They arrived on Friday night and we were able to enjoy some of the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremonies together. I found them quite enjoyable, especially the Queen and James Bond part! Their 16-month-old girl LJ got acquainted with Taco. She was nervous and cautious at first, but they became good friends by the end of the visit.

On Saturday, we left the men in charge of the young toddler while we went out shopping. We got good teaching clothes and were able to catch up on much needed girl talk! In the afternoon, we went for a walk along the Lachine canal towards Atwater market. We then had veggie burritos for dinner and my sister came over, which made it special.

Oh I have to mention our weekend was interspersed with a LOT of Olympic watching. All four of us enjoy it tremendously, so it was always on in the background. We were able to watch Canada's first win live (synchronized diving)!

On Sunday, we took LJ to the park in front of our house and then to the wading pool. She loved both! In the afternoon, we went to the Old Port where my sister joined us once more. We walked around for a bit and then had drinks (delicious rose sangria and beer) on a terrace right on the Old Port quay. We then had dinner at Giorgio's and enjoyed the Italian food.

On Monday, we went to the Biodome, and LJ loved watching the penguins swim and waddle. We had a pretty relaxed afternoon and ordered Chinese for dinner.

Memories from this trip that we cannot forget:
- LJ getting into Taco's cage and finding it hilarious (my nephew really liked the cage too, I wonder what it is with toddlers and dog cages?)
- LJ's vocabulary: daddy = all adults she trusts, including (much to her dismay) her mom!; bus = almost any form of transportation from cars to trucks to bicycles to trains and even the metro (she experienced for the first time this weekend!)
- LJ greeting Taco with 'There he is!' in the morning = soooo cute!

Wonderful friends & nature & Help

Today's blog will be divided in three (or more) segments:

We love our 'Ontario friends' as we often refer to them. Shared McGill memories, shared values and similar dreams makes us grow closer each time we see each other. We enjoyed spending time with them around the pool in the backyard, playing Monopoly (though the baby didn't quite approve), eating Mexican food, getting a parking ticket and planning how to get out of it, walking around McGill and the Old Port and going shopping. Can't wait to see you again!

Aren't her sandals the cutest?

Nature: I think I've mentioned we have been going on bike rides, hiking, etc. This week we had a new outdoorsy adventure. We went canoeing around the Boucherville Islands (see it here on the map). My parents rented a kayak, and since Paul & I had once fought in a kayak during our honeymoon, we decided to go for the canoe. A beautiful hour and a half of singing, paddling, and looking at different kinds of birds and fish later and we were done. It was a very fun afternoon. Oh and in other news, on a bike ride the other day, we discovered a vineyard in St. Bruno and it's actually good! If you live in or around Montreal you should try it. Here is the website. 

Please ignore my over-sized bum and enjoy the view.

The Help: My good friend lent me the book the other day and I started reading it. I enjoyed hearing the words spring to life, so much so that on a rainy, dreary Sunday like today, I decided to go see the movie. It was my dad's suggestion, and though I know I should have read the book first, I couldn't help myself. I must say the critics aren't lying. It is seriously amazing. One of the best movies of the year, if I dare say so myself. Now I just have to finish reading the book. I don't think it will be too hard, because I'm expecting the book to have more details anyway. 

Now I am getting ready for the first day back to school. I won't have any students in my classroom yet, but I'm getting that nervous/excited feeling about starting a new school year. I don't even have my outfit picked out yet! I should probably get going on that!