Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Happy Birthday Kitzer!

Believe it or not...Kitzer has turned TWO!!! Personally, I'm having a hard time believing that my first born is two, (and that my second born is not far behind...what am I nuts????) but look at how cute they are? Ahhhh...I just can't help myself! Hmmmm...I wonder about #3????
So, we threw Kit a birthday bash for the #2! Actually, it was more of a celebration for us, as her parents, surviving two years of parenthood. It's nice that we could disguise it as a 2nd birthday party.
No matter what the reason for the celebration, our children definitely got into the spirit. Cheers Fionn!
I've heard for soooo many years that the 2nd birthday is the onset of the "Terrible Two's". I don't mean to sound cocky...but I think I'm ready for this. Afterall...I think that the 'terrible' part started way before 8/25/2007....hellooooo, doesn't anyone remember the boat trip in Lake Geneva?????I'd like to think her party was a great time for all who attended. And for those of you who couldn't be there...we know you were there in spirit...and we're glad for it. No matter...terrible or NOT...Kit continues to amaze us with her antics, bold and daring. Bring it on Kit Frances...I daresay, we're ready!

Saturday, August 18, 2007

The Calvary Arrives

Today the Kids Irish Aunties arrive! Alan's two sisters and cousin are coming to visit us for the next two weeks. I always look forward to having them around for advice (Kathleen's a nanny and Denise managed a daycare for quite some time) and obviously another perk, they spend loads of time with their neice and nephew, which helps lighten the load for us! We're fortunate that even though they live across the Atlantic, they have been able to visit frequently.

What I really enjoy about their visits are: the initial reaction to the children and how they've changed since they saw them last (March to be exact), and the Kids reaction to their Aunties. I've happily discovered that the Kids aren't easy to forget these very special ladies! It might have something to do with the fact that they always have gifts and sweets!

We're looking forward to a great visit with the girls and lucky enough for Kit, they planned their trip to coincide with her 2nd birthday....which is ONE WEEK from today! I can't believe she'll be two!

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Bittersweet August

It occurred to me the other day that August is my 'bittersweet' month. I'm sure there are alot of people who feel the same way. The beginning of August still holds the promise of summer fun, but as the days go by you start realizing that Fall is quickly approaching, which signals the return of your everyday grind of Fall, Winter, and Spring. In the past week, four of my family members have headed back into the Fall, Winter, Spring routine.

Last Monday, my little brother, Brenden headed back to Brussels, where he will begin his first year teaching at the International School of Brussles (ISB). Of course, I'm thrilled for him and this amazing opportunity, but it was a heck of a lot of fun hangin' out with him while he was home this summer. So I guess you could say, when he left, a little of the summer went with him! Hope all is well B. We'll see you in December.
On Saturday, my cousin Chas returned to Dubai. His two week holiday home was over...time to get back to work. It was fun to have Chas home and hangin' out with the family. We decided to give him a proper send off and invited the 'Varsity' squad to the house for dinner and drinks on Friday night. From what I can remember, a good time was had by all! Hope your trip back to Dubai was painless, Chas (if you felt anything like I did on Saturday...I'm sure it was a LONG journey)...we'll see you soon!
And today, my Aunt Margie and #1 summertime babysitter, Marcy, left for Zurich. They're starting out in a new city this trip back. I hated to see them go, but definitely look forward to checking out their new home. And of course, we all converged on the Lake one last time with Margie and the whole crew! It was a great day spent floating in the water...I was fast asleep by 9:30pm! Thanks for another fantastic summer at the Lake, Margie. I hope that Zurich is everything you're expecting and more. And Marcy, thank you for being so great to the little ones! I'm sure Kathleen has some major competition in the "most frequently asked for" category.
The sweet part of August...I still have stuff to look forward to: my sister-in-laws are coming to visit, Kit will celebrate her 2nd birthday, and Labor Day always guarentees a long weekend! .
And even though I consider August bittersweet, it's nice knowing that my family will be there for many more magic summers and Augusts!





Our Little Waterbugs

As we near the end of summer, it has become quite apparent to Alan and I that our children LOVE the water. We were fortunate enough to spend the first weekend in August in Appleton, WI. with our extended family! The following pictures were taken in the HOTEL POOL!!!! Can you believe it?
This hotel pool was a bonafide water park...and the kids LOVED it (adults too!). It was equipped with two pools, a wading pool that was only 1and 1/2 feet at the deepest and had the coolest play area (picture a large jungle gym with water spouting intermittenly) and a larger pool equipped with three basketball hoops and lounging area! Not to mention the THREE different waterslides! Definitely exciting for the wee ones.
As you can see, the children enjoyed themselves immensely (big and small). We had a lot of laughs. I'm just so happy that both my kids enjoy the water. I think Kit made my cousin Danny take her up and down the slide at least 50 times! Lucky for her...Danny just couldn't say no! He tried...but I'm afraid she's the type of girl that gets what she wants. Fionn was happy to crawl in the shallow end and splash, splash, splash! One of the coolest aspects of this pool...the Tiki Bar. On the weekends, the pool is open until 11pm for children and 1am for adults! Like I said before it was lots of fun for everyone...and if playing hard in the pool all night doesn't guarentee sleep...a few cocktails may just do the trick!