Party at the Lake

The Kids had another great weekend at the lake! On Saturday, my cousin (and old roomate) Chas came to visit. Chas recently moved from Brussels to Dubai...so we don't get to hang out that often. So, the family threw a homecoming party for Chas...which means we all had the opportunity to hang out at the lake, drink a few beers, and catch up!

Most of the family was there for the festivities, which meant more helpers! Another reason to love big families. It was all Kit talked about for the week before! Everyday, she'd ask for Kathleen, Abby, and the Lake. Amazing what that girl retains.

One of the highlights of the weekend was watching Kathleen wakeboard. She had quite the captive audience. All three girls sat at the back of the pontoon waiting for Kathleen to go by. And she didn't disappoint...I think she flipped 2 or 3 times! I've decided Kit will be a great coach...she kept saying, "one more Kathleen, one more"! Poor Kathleen.
Later in the evening, Margie and Ray, took all the little girls on a ride around the lake. They had a great time waving at the boats going by, dancing to the tunes on the radio, and being silly with each other. As you can see, my daughter has got the moves.

Time in the Pen

One of the things I love about having my children close together is watching them play together. I mean really play together! Now that Fionn is mobile (SpeedRacer on all fours), there is nothing that he loves more than chasing his big sister. I'm pretty sure he thinks that she is the "coolest" person in our house!

And Kit doesn't mind one bit being the center of her little brother's universe (or anyone else's for that matter!). She loves to talk to him, make him giggle, chase him, and, of course, tell him "NO, NO Fionn" when she feels he's out of line.

Recently, they've decided that the place to be in our house is Kit's crib. The two of them get in (Fionn gets a bit of help from Mommy) and play for long stretches of time. We're talking 20-30 precious "hands free" minutes, folks (not even Shrek can do that)! I must say it's my favorite activity for my children.

Summer Traditions

As I get older, I am amazed at how the summer seems to fly by! When I was a kid the summer's went on forever. Now it seems like they've come and gone before I've had the chance to really enjoy them. Lucky for me my family is big on traditions and getting the extended family together at least twice a summer.

Every summer I have two family reunions to attend that remind me of what it was like when I was younger. Now I bring my family to those reunions and realize that I'm passing on history and tradition...which I think is pretty darn cool.

The first reunion of the summer is always held on Fathers Day weekend at my Aunt Margie and Uncle Ray's house on the lake! It's the smaller of the two reunions, just 50 - 75 family members, depending on the year. I have a good friend that swears that I make up family memebers. She doesn't believe that there are that many people related to me! Made up or not...we have a pretty good time when we get together!

There's lots of swimming, boating, eating, drinking and of course, reminiscing with family that we haven't seen since the year before. I seem to "get it" a bit better now that I'm bringing my own family to these reunions. As a kid, it seemed like more of a chore to go...but I always ended up having fun!
It's a lot of fun to watch my children play with their cousins, younger and older, and dazzle the adults with their cute (and sometimes annoying) antics. I love introducing the IrishKids to some of the things I grew up loving: swimming in the lake, boating and skiing, and most importantly spending time with my best friends...my cousins! And honestly, I think it's one of Alan's favorite weekends. He hangs out with the guys all day and night...I hardly see him!
I realize that as Kit and Fionn get older, they too may go through the "reunions are boring" phase. But ultimately, I hope that they'll look back at those times with lots of laughs and great memories, the way that I remember the reunions from my younger years!

Hangin' Out In Downtown TP

On Sunday, we invited the family (minus Uncle B) to our house for dinner. Alan made a roast on the grill, and we felt it was best to invite enough people so that the two of us wouldn't feel compelled to finish it! After dinner, the nine of us walked up to the local ice cream parlor for dessert. Fionn had his first taste of chocolate ice cream (that I'm aware of anyway). As you can see, he didn't mind it one bit!
Kit was loving her ice cream as well. Mostly, I think she was just glad to be out and about. As you can see, she didn't mind "hammin' it up" for the camera. How 'bout those shoes? Lily has a red pair. They're a souveneir from Florida from Lily, Uncle Jack and Auntie Michelle.

And there are the girls waiting for their train to come in. They love those "choo-choo's"! And finally, I think we were able to make Michelle very happy with our trip to the ice cream parlor. You see, my sister-in-law is a big fan of dessert. The poor girl rarely gets it with this crowd. But as you can see...she should take care of any and all cravings to satisfy that little bump that we get to meet in November! And I'm sure she's going to kill me for posting this picture (I think she's cute preggers). Love ya, Mic!

Making Cookies

Conversation overheard at the IrishKids house at 10:30pm on a Friday night:

Alan: "Shannon, do I have to mix these cookies by hand?"

Shannon: "Well, what does the package say?"

Alan: "Mix by hand..."

Shannon: "Then I guess you should mix them by hand."

Two minutes later, Shannon walks into the kitchen...

Shannon: "Alan...what are you doing?"

Alan: "I'm mixing by hand."

Summer Weekends Rock!

This weekend we spent more quality time with the Grandparents. It's a favorite thing to do anytime really, but especially in the summer! As you can see, the kids enjoyed a variety of activities during their visit. Saturday, Kit got to take a dip in the pool (cute swimsuit, eh?). This is something she absolutely LOVED last summer. This summer...not so much. She didn't scream or cry, thankfully, she just preferred to be out of the water as opposed to in it! I'm sure that will change as the summer heats up.

On Sunday, she took a bike ride (aka: great adventure) with her grandparents, Aunt Carol, Uncle Pat and his sons, Tyler and Kyle, and my cousin, Rhett, his wife, Caroline, and their little guy, Evan (who is 5 weeks older than Kit). Unfortunately, Alan and I were not able to join the group. Alan had to work and I am healing from an injury (I fell on my bum, HARD, about a week and a half ago, and the thought of my bike seat made me cringe). Fionn and I hung out at my parents house for the afternoon. He slept and I read...soooo nice.

I think the "bikers" rode about 10 miles in all! Now, the way we go for bike rides may be a bit different than what you'd expect. This 10 mile ride lasts about 3 hours...yes, 3 hours...and includes a few pit stops along the way. We have a trailer for the kids and my uncle has a trailer for his kids...Miller and Heine! Not the best workout, I realize...but we always have a great time. Alan and I were sorry we missed the great adventure!

And the little man...he was content to hang out with his mom and grandma! Until she sprayed him in the face with the hose...on accident of course! All in all, a great weekend.

The Little Man Talks

So, we're having a nice family lunch today after our walk up to the Farmers Market. As usual, Kit is kind of dominating the conversation while the rest of us finish our sandwiches. And as usual, Fionn is just kind of hanging out minding his own business as his big sister monopolizes Mom & Dad's attention. And then out of blue, Alan and I hear this husky, little voice say "Daadee".


I think my husband got a bit of a shock and was really pleased that Child #2's first word was Daddy (same as his sister)! Anyway, I picked up the digital camera and we immediately went to work to try and get a repeat performance (check him out)!


I'm amazed at how quickly the little guy is growing up!