Overheard....sister to Sister

Last week as I was getting ready for work, I overheard the following exchange from Kit to Maggie:

Kit (in a cute sing-songy voice): Good Morning Maggie!! It's your big sister, you big sister!!

Maggie happily gurgles back (probably with a smile, since she loves her big sis).

Kit (again with the girly sing-song): Ohhh Maggie, you're such a big girl, yes you're a big girl!!

More happy cooing and gurgling from Maggie.

Kit (with happy surprise): Oh look at you, Maggie...you're stretching like a rainbow!!!

I've got to tell you, the memory of that exchange between sisters continues to put a smile on my face. I do love to watch their sisterly bond develop. And hope that all the sweet moments between them now will stay fresh with me when they're teenagers.

I figure that there will be some point that I'll need to remind them that they liked each other...and that Maggie's big sister once compared her to a beautiful rainbow!

The First Day of School

Yep that's right...our first baby, Kit Frances, started pre-school today! And not a moment too soon...she's been asking everyday since last Wednesday (pre-school orientation), "is TODAY is the day I go to school?" I'm happy to report that she was super excited that today was finally the day!
Just look at that big cheesy grin. I can remember my mom taking "first day of school" pictures of us all the way through high school. I didn't get it as a kid...but I understand her reasoning now.

And even her brother was excited for her. I thought for sure he'd have a hard time with her doing her own thing, but he was good. Bouncing off the walls when we finally got Kit into her classroom, but surprisingly obliged when I told him to say goodbye to Kit and wish her good luck on her first day at school.

And even more exciting...one of her best buddies, Evan, is in her class! Here they are right before running through the doors to their classroom. I mean it...they ran to get INTO school...here's hoping that exuberance and excitement continues.

And finally in class. See her nametag? All the children have them and we've been asked to make sure they wear them for at least the first 3 weeks, so that everyone can learn names. When Alan and I decided on Kit's name, I can remember thinking that there wouldn't be very many Kit's out there (one of the reasons it appealed to me ). And funny enough, it does stand out...

On Sunday, my parents and I took the children to an art festival in town. Kit and Fionn had written their names on a large piece of art (actually, I think it was Grandma and Poppa), one of Kit's teachers happened to be at the same festival, saw the art piece and came over to us. She said that she saw Kit's name and wondered if it was "her Kit" - I've only met her teacher one other time! I was pretty happy to know that she remembered our Kit.

And they both were fine when Caroline and I said goodbye and headed out. They looked excited and happy and ready to learn. And they were still just as excited when we picked them up this afternoon. It's hard to believe that our first has started her educational adventure. We're so proud of her and definitely look forward to what she'll accomplish this year and in the years to come. Enjoy school Kitzer - it will take you far.

Goodbye to Summer, Goodbye to Kathleen

My summer officially ended...Sunday. On Sunday, my sister-in-law, dear friend, and our very own Mary Poppins went back home to Ireland. It was a wonderful summer filled with great times, fantastic memories and lots of laughs. I hope that she enjoyed her visit as much as we did! Kathleen was a tremendous help to us in so many different ways! Below is a snapshot of the fun we had this summer.

Hanging out with Denise and Fiona at the family reunion. Did I mention that the night before she was feverishly making beanbags for the annual tournament?

She also made sure that a trip to the city was on the agenda when the rest of the family visited in July. A day filled with sightseeing and tons of laughs...they were all very tired when they returned home that night.

And as one of the original members of the 'Classy Birds', we made sure there were plenty of opportunities for Auntie Kathleen to get dolled up and have a day/night out on the town! Ahh, the Girls Nights were definitely a good time (Teehans, CoopersHawk, Baily's, Concerts In the Park - you name it we were there!)

But for all of my great memories, I think I'm most appreciative of the memories these 3 will have of the summer Auntie Kathleen stayed with us! From making presents for Papa and Daddy for Father's Days to Saturday morning visits to the Farmer's Market or trips to the shops, to baking cakes and an impromptu trip to Ohio (all captured on Auntie K's camera)...those are the things Kit and Fionn will remember many years from now.

Kit and Fionn have asked me at least four times to explain to them once again why Auntie Kathleen had to go back to Ireland. It just doesn't make sense to them that she couldn't stay at our house - oh how it must feel to not worry about bills, etc.

We miss you Auntie Kathleen. But we're so grateful for the time we spent with you this summer. Thank you for being there for us...it was a blast! We'll see you soon.

The Birthday Adventure...

If you didn't know already, my first baby turned 4 on Tuesday! So, what did we do to celebrate her fourth birthday? We re-scheduled her birthday party, packed up the 4-Runner, and headed out onto the open highway to see her favorite guy (and her mommy's)...Daddy!

As many of you know, Alan's new job takes him away from his family pretty often. But it's a great excuse to take roadtrips and have great adventures! Kathleen and I decided at 9:00 pm on Sunday night that we would be leaving in the morning to go see Alan. I fired off a quick round of text messages and phone calls to those invited to Kit's birthday party and told them it had been rescheduled so the birthday girl could spend her day with her daddy.

And what a day she had! In true birthday style, she reminded us ALL DAY LONG that she was the birthday girl (sound familiar anyone?). We let Alan have a short rest after coming home from work while Kathleen and I packed a picnic lunch and the children before heading for the beach.

Kit and Fionn have both morphed into water babies this summer, so the beach and splashing in the lake was the perfect activity. After our picnic lunch, we sang 'Happy Birthday' over cupcakes that Kit picked out herself and watched as the birthday girl and her brother acted silly and enjoyed having their father all to themselves for the day! Kathleen and I were cast aside for the most part.

Hard to believe that my little Kitzer is four years old, most days. She'll be starting pre-school in just a couple weeks. She's grown into a spunky, independent, bossy, loving, funny, smart little girl and I'm so proud of her (even when she's making me pull my hair out)! Happy Birthday Kit! I hope when you're 18 you'll be able to remember how special your 4th birthday was.

Watching Kit with her daddy had me smiling and counting my blessings for the amazing man I married and the wonderful father he is to our three children. He may not see them as often as some....but he makes every minute count when he does! And I know that the best birthday gift we could have given Kit (and her brother and sister) was time with him.

It's August...Are You Serious????

Where does the time go...it's mid-August already??? Good lord, it really does fly when you're having fun! So, let me catch you up on the fun we've been having this summer (not in the order that we've been having it, btw).

We helped Auntie Mic celebrate her 30th birthday! She'll never look a day over 29 and I have a feeling she's going to really enjoy this decade...
We introduced the IrishKids and the rest of the gang to their cousins from the East Coast, Andin, Peyton, and Connor...needless to say lasting friendships were born.

Took advantage of the annual family reunion to catch up with my girl, Kylie! Good times - as always when Kylie is involved! Isn't she the sweetest Auntie to her little Peyton?

Enjoyed catchin' up with and introducing Maggie to her Nana B, Auntie Nisey, Fiona, Mark, and Sinead. It was good to have the family here during the summer. Thank you Mother Nature for the beautiful weather. Here's Alan and his sisters hanging out for a concert in the park.

We had the opportunity to stay local while the gang visited from Ireland. A concert in the park one night, the Caribbean block party on another. We told our visiting relatives that it was all orchestrated on their behalf. The children weren't going to miss a minute of the fun.

You can't beat the fun of the neighborhood block party...drinking (legally) on the street with your family and friends...it's no problem that they don't live in the neighborhood! And I'd say that my neighbors were ready for the relatives to go back to Ireland...

Of course the children were excited beyond words to see their Nana B. They know a visit from Nana B means lots of sweets, hugs, kisses, treats, laughs, and more sweets! Apparently they could hardly wait to get into her bags!

Alan's cousin, Mark made his first trip overseas. He was a big hit with the children...they're still asking when Mark Bell is coming back to visit them again!

And before the Irish relatives visited - we got A LOT done around the house! All the little things that we kept meaning to get done...finally did get done. Visitors are the best incentive! Fionn enjoyed watching us work.

Evan celebrated his 4th birthday with a party at our local pool. The IrishKids had a blast splashing with their cousins and showing off their water skills.

And Maggie had her first major celebration...her Christening. A very intimate affair on July 26 at St. George. We had the whole church to ourselves and Maggie did wonderfully...only crying once...and not even when the holy water was poured on her head. Her godparents, Uncle Jack and Auntie Meier did a great job too!

Okay, after giving you the synopsis of events in the last few weeks...I guess I can understand how quickly the time has gone. And we've enjoyed every minute of it!!

One Month with Maggie

Maggie Joan has been part of our family for a little over a month now and with a face like that, we're definitely keeping her! I must say she's a fantastic baby...she doesn't really need much, just feed her, change her, cuddle her and let her sleep and she's happy!

We've kept her pretty busy in the first month...no surprise there really. She attended her first parade at less than one week, has frequented the local farmers market on two different occasions, and was even part of our first 'ladies lunch' with Grandma, Auntie Michelle, Lily, Auntie Kathleen, her big sister, Kit and Mommy (an excuse to get dolled up and drink wine).

And she's been introduced to her big brother, Fionn. He's quite happy to be her big brother and insists that we call her by her proper name. You'll often hear him say, "her name's Maggie" when we call her "Mags". And he likes to call her by her full name, Maggie Joan. Just the other day I heard him chatting her up saying, "hi Maggie Joan, how are you Maggie Joan, I love you Maggie Joanie!" I didn't realize that he even knew her full name...that one's full of surprises.

And of course it didn't take long for Maggie to become one of 'daddy's girls'!

And Kit is delighted to be a big sister! She asks for Maggie pretty much every hour on the hour and is very helpful when it comes time to find Maggie's pacifier (she has a favorite one - already), retrieving burpclothes, and Maggie's nappies at changing time.

This One's for You Aunt Marge...

It's safe to say that in my family the summer months = fun times! One of our family's summer constants is the annual family reunions, which give us the time to catch up with family that we haven't seen in weeks, months, days, or hours - sometimes since the last reunion.

The first of our annual family reunion takes place every year on Father's Day weekend at my Aunt Margie's house in Coal City! It's the ideal setting and allows for all the things that remind me of summertime from my childhood, like camping under the stars...

and frolicking in the water...

hangin' with my cousins...both young and old - oh the memories that were made. and of course, showing off our stuff, as we all do from time to time!

And inevitably, showing everyone else at the reunion and on the lake what you're made of...the roof may not look that high off the water in the pictures...but take my word for it, it's HIGH!

But once you get the first jump in - it becomes addicting. I'm told that my cousins pictured here (Patrick, Sean, Bobby, Kim, Kelsey, & Nicole) jumped off the roof at least 100 times!

And the IrishKids made sure they were right up front to see their big cousins take the leap. I can just hear the little voices in their heads..."just a few more years and it's my turn!"

The reunion is a great time and the whole family gets the chance to catch up, have a few laughs, share lots of memories and make new ones. Unfortunately, this reunion happens before Margie arrives for the summer. Thanks Aunt Margie and Uncle Ray for the use of the house. We had a great time and wish you could have been there celebrating the family with us!