The North

We headed up to Northern Ireland this weekend with Rob's dad and his wife Nancy to see the sites. We saw Giant's Causeway, which is a series of basalt columns that look really cool (that is the technical definition), and Dunluce Castle, a creepy-like castle ruin literally on the edge of a cliff. Here are the pics:

Rob and Owen on the walk to the causeway:


Richard and Nancy on the basalt columns...they look like wood or cork or something but it's rock...cool huh?


Dunluce Castle:


Me; in castle, cliff and angry sea; down below.


More castle:


We are off to Spain in a few days...pics of sun and all things Andaluz to come...

St. Patricks Day

We decided that this year we had to go into the city center for the parade. We knew it would be a madhouse but chalked it up to our Ireland experience. A madhouse it was. So mad in fact, that I didn't even get pictures of all the madness. Here are a few shots of the group though:

Owen and Grandpa...hooray for my dad visiting this week...even though he wore no green...not that it mattered here...I think pinching for no green is an American thing.


Easton with Michael, Annabelle, and Josh


Most of our crew on the parade route.


Now that we have recovered from St. Paddy's day we are just having fun with Grandpa. Riding on trains:



And throwing rocks into the ocean.


Can it get any better?

Stuff

Just thought I'd post a few pictures.

We bought some sand for our sand table and have been spending a lot of time searching for dinosaur bones and hidden treasure out there. Easton is practically rich with all of the pennies, sea shells, old key chains, and small golf pencils he is finding.


A few ladies from church and I headed out for a night of bowling this week. It was actually really fun even though one of us fell (I swear it wasn't me), and several of us lost the ball (backwards) mid-roll. Needless to say we are not professionals but it was a good time.

Me, Ruby, Beth, Tami, Anne, Stacey

And just a little reminder to all those moms out there...nobody has it together all the time (not like I have it together ANY time)...take a look at our house- toys sprawled all over, Easton in his sweater from church and his undies, t.v. on. Pure chaos. But even though it was a mess in here we did a lot of good things...went to Church, had family prayer and scripture study, played in the backyard together. And I'm happy with that for today.

Grandma's Visit

I totally missed blogging about my mom's visit out to Dublin in February. She came to help me out while Rob was gone on his two week work trip. It was great to have her here. The boys both got sick (which happened last time she was here...boo) so that was a bummer but it was also a blessing because it would have been a lot crazier if I were alone!
We did do some fun things before we were holed up in the sick house.

We went to the children's museum here in Dublin:


We ate ice-cream:

Mom and I ate lots and lots of these:


Easton helped Grandma with whatever task was at hand:


It was so nice not to be by myself for that time. And for the boys to see their Grandma who is wrapped around their tiny fingers.


And here is Owen shopping at the children's museum...doesn't he look like a miniature man walking with his shopping basket like that?



We are looking forward to visit's from more Grandparents when my dad comes next week and then Rob's dad and his wife the week after that!