The First Haircut...

Bet you thought this post would be for Fionn, right? Nope! Kit finally had her first real haircut about a week ago! Hard to believe that she went 28 months without seeing a stylist (especially since her mother doesn't go more than 5-6 weeks without seeing hers)! Here's her shaggy before picture.

And here are her after pictures. Sorry they're not better pictures...she wasn't feeling the photo shoot. Anyway, the new cut is darling and her hair looks so much thicker! There's just something about a pixie cut on little girls. I now understand why my mom always kept my hair short!

The 3 Mousekateers...

Hard to believe that these three rugrats are 2 going on 3! I remember wondering what they'd be like when Caroline, Michelle, and I were pregnant. It's better than I had imagined it! I'm so happy they have each other (along with their siblings, of course). It'll be fun to watch their friendship grow over the years.

And then there are my 3 rugrats (hi honey!). Don't they look cozy snuggled up on the couch watching one of the Jason Bourne movies! I couldn't help but capture the moment. And look at the sweet way Kit's rubbing Fionn's head. Had to make sure to get that on film! The weather in Chicago is complete crap tonight. It's nice to be home with my family.

November in a Nutshell

December 1st all ready????? What happened to November? Lately there have been more than a few passing comments about the lack of new entries posted in the past couple of weeks. It certainly wouldn't be because November's been uneventful. On the contrary...it's been my busiest month, we had a lot going on!

One of the coolest things we did in November was the "Ride the Toll" bike ride. This ride took place the very chilly Sunday before Veteran's Day to honor the new I-355 extension south to I-80. For those of you who are familiar with Chicago expressways...the 355 extension is pretty big deal. We've waited 40+ years for that stretch of highway! We had a group of 9 adults and 5 kids! At first the IrishKids weren't too keen on the idea...especially when there were thousands of other bikes/riders surrounding them. Once we got going though they were fine. I think they even slept for about 45 minutes.

All in all it was a 16.5 mile trip. Not too bad actually...but we were pretty happy to see the trucks when we finished (that might have something to do with the cooler full of "cold ones"). The children were happy to get out of their trailers and use the back of Jack's truck as a play yard! They had fun.
Two days after our bike ride, Jack and Michelle welcomed their second child, as you all know by now! And boy oh boy is he a cutie! I'm sure you've seen his pics too! If not, visit their blog for updates. And two days after little Jack Davidson arrived, I celebrated my 33rd birthday with family and friends! What a night that was...great dinner at Coopers Hawk (plenty of wine consumed) and then drinks and dancing at the Gormley pub (a.k.a. our basement)! It was crazy fun...and I learned that my cousin Drew is quite the dancer! Lucky for him the videos I took were way too dark to see anything!

After that, Thanksgiving! Margie, Debbie, Glenn, Kylie and David arrived and the party did not stop! I needed to go back to work to rest! We hosted a Black Wednesday party at the Gormley Pub for the JV squad (those family members under the age of 35 and over the age of 21). Lots of laughs and plenty of alcohol consumed...I think I'd better take the next couple of weeks to dry out!

Needless to say, November was a good month! And in just two weeks time, we'll be in Ireland for Christmas! Seasons Greetings!

The Little Songbird

As Kit's vocabulary and memory expands...she pretty much does something to amaze her parents on a daily basis (and of course it's not always good amazing)! A couple of weeks ago, on our way home from the airport, she surprised us by singing along to the chorus of "Hey There Delilah". This instantly put smiles on our faces...but we thought it was a fluke...I mean, she does love to sing, but how's a two year old gonna remember "Hey There Delilah"?! Well, apparently, repetitive radio programming is a pretty powerful tool, because the next morning on the way to daycare...she sang along with it once again! So, we made sure to capture the moment for all of you too! As you can see, her little brother wanted to be part of the show too. Enjoy their performance.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here's wishing you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! As the "kickoff" to the craziest time of the year...I hope we'll all continue to be thankful for the things that make us truly happy!

Who said boys were easier than girls?

I can distinctly remember hearing this throughout my second pregnancy. Now maybe as an infant Fionn was a bit easier than his sister...a bit quieter, not so many ear infections, pretty agreeable. But I've got to say as he's getting older...he's proving that this may not always be the case!


Example 1: We really need to work on his listening skills. Check him out...I was tyring to get a video of him saying "all gone" and desperately trying to get his attention to no avail! Alan seems to think that he gets this from me...can you imagine the nerve of my husband insinuating that I don't listen?



Example 2: While visiting Gramma & Papa yesterday, Kit, Fionn, myself and Gramma enjoyed a beautiful autumn afternoon in their backyard.


Sidebar: for those of you who have been to my parents house you know the set up, big backyard in an established neighborhood (since 1950). The neighborhood is situated very closely to a local forest preserve, which means from time to time (actually more frequently nowadays) my parents will spy a few deer in their yard...eating their trees, plants, flowers, etc. Sounds nice...but it's really quite annoying. And here's why...


So back to the IrishKids playing in Gramma & Papa's backyard. They're running around, playing with the "b-balls", and taking turns swinging on the tree swing.


After Fionn's turn is over, Kit wants to swing one more time. As I work to put her in the swing (not as easy as it sounds), Fionn crawls over toward the shed. Of course, I'm keeping my eyes on him...because he finds everything and anything (at this point in time...Gramma is on the phone in the house).


As I finish buckling Kit into the swing, I notice that Fionn has what looks like a clump of dirt clutched in his fist. Of course I say "no, no Fionn" but if you've watched the video in Example 1...you have a pretty good idea of how that works for me. So, I give Kit a quick push and run over to Fionn as he's putting the clump up to his lips.


And that's when I discover that the clump is NOT dirt, but deer droppings left by Bambi and friends! My response went something like this, "NOOOOOOOOOO, NOOOOOO, NOOOOOOO....AGHHHHHH, YUCK, YUCK, YUCK....DROP IT FIONN, PLEASE, PLEASE, DROP IT NOW!!!" And the whole time, I'm trying to shake the remaining droppings from his grubby little hand...remember when I said he was CLUTCHING it. Let's just say he's got a good grip. I'm grimacing even now.


I had to carry him by his wrists (by the wrists because he was still trying to eat whatever was left in his hand!!!!) to the house, where Gramma met me with a washcloth. First we scrubbed his mouth...because I'm not 100% sure that he didn't taste any of it, then both his hands, and then I had to clip his nails, to ensure no lasting remnants! YUCK.


That's something his sister NEVER did! Leave it to my son...he's keeping me on my toes.

Halloween Tricks & Treats

Here's hoping that everyone had a 'spooktacular' Halloween! What do you think of the little man as a monkey? This happens to be my favorite picture from the day. Doesn't it look like Fionn is channeling his inner monkey? Trust me, it's not hard for him to do!

Ah now, what do you think of our sweet little pumpkin? Too bad she wouldn't stand still for me to get any close up shots of her! She was super wound up about all her treats and wanted to gobble them up as soon as she got them. No big surprise there.We spent the afternoon & evening with Gramma and Poppa, trick or treating through their neighborhood. Lots of memories for my mom and I...she used to take us trick or treating in the same neighborhood (it's where she grew up). When my grandmother passed away, my mom and dad bought her house. I think it's one of the reasons I love hangin' out there with the kids...kind of like my grandparents can experience them too!
One of the funniest moments of the day? Gramma came home from work and was dressed just like her granddaughter. Talk about your Kodak moments!
And since they started out the day dressed alike, we thought it would be funny as a send off too! Aren't they a cute pair!
I must say that Halloween has never been my favorite holiday, but it was a lot of fun watching the kids, all dressed up, going from house to house collecting candy, and especially cute when they remembered their manners and said 'thank you'! I'm sure next year will be even more eventful!