An Irish Christmas...

The IrishKids have safely arrived in Ireland to celebrate the holidays with their Nana B, Auntie Kathleen, Auntie Neesie and an assortment of relatives and friends.  Apparently we had quite a bit of luck on our side, as our flight came very close to NOT taking off (we had to be de-iced twice and were on the runway for 3 hours) and Dublin airport closed shortly after we landed!

Ireland is quite the winter wonderland with all the snow and cold.  The children don't mind it one bit.  I think they're just thrilled to finally be here!   

With the crazy weather Ireland has been having, driving has become quite dodgy, so Auntie Kathleen and I took the children into town on the bus yesterday.  Even simple things become an adventure with the children.  While waiting for the bus wasn't their favorite way to pass time, once they saw the bus had an upstairs - they were delighted!

So, into town we ventured to check out Santa's workshop and make sure he was well aware that the IrishKids were in Ireland to receive any gifts he may have for them.  Can you see the relief on Kit and Fionn's faces?

Maggie wasn't too sure about the guy in the red suit...even if he did have toys for her.  However she (and her brother and sister) enjoyed checking out all the things Santa's workshop had to offer, the Elves Treehouse, the Bounce House, and the Toy Table.   

We are very lucky to be here with our family to celebrate the holidays, as we know that many others do not have the same fortune.  Here's wishing you and your loved ones a wonderful holiday, wherever you may be.  Merry Christmas!

IrishKids Halloween

Okay folks, I promised Halloween pics before Thanksgiving and the clock is ticking down. Here's some of the fun. 

Maggie waiting with Papa for Kit and Fionn's Halloween school program to begin.





 Fionn singing his songs with one of his favorite classmates.  Doesn't he make a handsome BatMan?





 Kit was more concerned about her classmate than the audience.  The only MotorCross Girl in a sea of princesses and Jesse's! 





All of the kiddos getting ready to go trick or treating at Uncle Jack & Aunt Michelle's house.

Just the girls for this one...so pretty!

Kit, Fionn, and Evan.  Thanks Evan for letting the IrishKids borrow your previous Halloween costumes this year.

Trick or treating at Grandma & Papa's...they ride in style!

I think this might have been one of their favorite parts on Halloween.  They giggled and laughed the whole way.



Hope you enjoyed Halloween too! 

Racing...

I recently started running again as a way to get in shape.  I used to run in my early 20's to stay fit -- but didn't really enjoy it.  However, I knew that it worked then, so I figured it would work now.  It's amazing what a decade and three small children can do for a person's viewpoint.  Now, I actually kind of LOVE it!  To give me something to work for, I started signing up for local 5K's.  Yesterday, I completed my 4th race since September and have improved my time by 4 minutes!  I'm proud to call myself a "runner" but I also know that I couldn't have done it without the help and support of some very special people.   

So, thank you Alan, for recognizing that running makes me feel strong, healthy, and beautiful and encouraging me to go for it!  Thank you Mom and Dad for your encouragement and time spent with the IrishKids so Mommy can "get a run in".  Thank you to Kathleen, Jack, Michelle, and Marcy for motivating me to push myself and strive to do better.  Thank you to my family and friends that think I'm a "nut" but continue to cheer me on from the sidelines.  And thank you to my IrishKids for being the most important reasons for me to be healthy and active...to keep up with the three of you and have a blast doing it!

Catching Up

You all know the story...busy blogger mommy takin' care of lil' ones, working, grad school, yadda, yadda, yadda! Yes, I know, it's not about me -- it's about the IrishKids. Let me catch ya up with what's been happening since the last post (there are pics - hang in there)....

The summer really did FLY BY! The children had a great time spending quality time (QT) with family, especially Uncle B and Auntie K during their summer visits. QT with these two consists of lots of sweets/slurpees, crazy antics (especially with Uncle B), arts, crafts, and photo opps (courtesy of Auntie K), not to mention, tons of laughs, hugs and kisses!!! Needless to say, the children miss Uncle B & Auntie K (among others) like crazy and cannot wait to see them again.

In addition to Uncle B & Auntie K's visits, we were excited to host some adopted family members, the Volz family! Amanda and Zak were 'adopted' into the family many years ago and it was finally time to introduce their 2 adorable girls to their crazy adopted family members 'up North'! The IrishKids were so excited to visit with their 'cousins' - Maddie and Brooke - and CANNOT wait to go visit them 'down South' SOON.

After a fun visit with the Volz family, it was time to head up to the great state of Wisconsin to visit Auntie Meier and attend the annual family reunion in Eau Claire...a VERY LONG RIDE...but a good time was had by all!

And then, August brought Kit's 5th birthday! Grandma Susie promised a special birthday cake per Kit's request...a SCHOOL BUS! Pretty impressive, right?

And check out what her crazy parents got her for her birthday present! Yeah I know...what were we thinking?

Shortly after Kit's birthday...Kit and Fionn started school. Both are in the same pre-school program this year and I'm happy to report that they are doing great and LOVE being there.

Mommy really enjoys M, W, F from 12:30-2:55pm...but I think Maggie misses those rascals!

At the end of September, the IrishKids participated in their first 5K with the family (Mom, Grandma, Papa, Uncle Jack & Auntie Michelle). Mom ran ahead and then doubled back to meet up with the kiddos - and that's when she learned it's best if the IrishKids watch from the sidelines! Grandma decided that she and Fionn had to cheat when it was apparent that a 5K was too much of a challenge for his attention span. And Papa put up a valiant effort pushing Maggie AND Kit across the finish line in the double stroller. Looks like Mommy will be racing ALONE in the near future!

And then it was time for the first field trip to the Children's Farm...happy aren't they?

Good thing Uncle Jack and Lily were there too!

And October brought Fionn's 4th birthday (which he celebrated for a week straight...sound like someone else you know???) And of course he had a special request birthday cake for Grandma Susie...

That's right folks - a submarine! She's really outdone herself - btw, I'd like to go on record saying I don't remember any special birthday cake requests as a kid! Jack, B...can you?

And as we wrap up the month...Kit lost her first tooth! Hard to believe she's old enough for losing teeth!!!

Halloween's just around the corner...hopefully, I'll get pics up before Christmas, but knowing me, I wouldn't hold your breath (LOL)! Happy Halloween - hope to see you again before Turkey Day!

Maggie Meets the #1!

Happy Birthday Maggie! It's hard to believe a whole year has gone by...it certainly doesn't take long to go from this (isn't she sweet?)...

To this...YUM chocolate cake! She was tentative to start...but once she she realized she could have at it...she had at it, with gusto (that's my girl!).

Oh what a year we've had! You've enriched our lives in so many ways and we're looking forward to the many adventures ahead.

Happy Birthday Mags! We love you - Mommy, Daddy, Kit & Fionn

A Really Good Friday

As I look out the window at the pouring rain, I'm grateful for the beautiful day we had yesterday! Lovely warm, spring weather and lots of opportunity to be outside enjoying Good Friday! We were busy all day at Grandma's house making jambalaya, cleaning the kitchen, baking bread, cleaning the kitchen, making bacon buns, cleaning the kitchen...wish the Easter Bunny offered a cleaning service to all those hard working grandma's, mom's, aunts, etc. who are busy preparing for the family dinner.

After all the baking was done, it was time for the IrishKids to experience dying Easter Eggs. This was a first for both Kit and Fionn and they had a blast.

They loved seeing the egg change from plain ol' white to a vibrant color of their choice. And of course, they insisted on showing off their eggs to anyone who happened to stop in.

Doesn't he look happy with himself?

What a silly gir!

It was a great day and a special thanks to Grandma for letting us hang out and help on Good Friday!

To cap it all off the children took their baths and for the first time in 91/2 months - Lil' Miss Maggie actually enjoyed her bath! She didn't scream at us once! Ahhh -- success!

Happy Easter to you all!

Paddy's Day Fun!

Okay, I confess - this picture was taken before Paddy's day (and it's been used in another blog already), but it's the only picture I have of Maggie with her sibs in their Irish gear...and *gasp* Maggie's not in green! No matter, it's still a darned cute pic.

And the reason I don't have Maggie in her green on Paddy's day...she was napping when I took these photos and no photo opp is worth waking my sleeping baby! But look at my first baby...she even wore her Irish barrettes to school...quite the feat.

And the second Irish baby...I swear I hear "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" everytime this little charmer grins!

They couldn't wait to take pictures for Paddy's day to send over to Nana B, Auntie K, and Neesie! I thought I was doing pretty good taking the photos - until I realized that Baby Number 3 hadn't been included...OOPS.

Needless to say, it's been a gorgeous Paddy's Day here and we enjoyed every sun filled moment of it! I only hope that my mother in law and sisters in law had the same kind of day!

Happy Paddy's Day to All, from the Gormley Clan!