Beauty in the Wild

Moving Along

2010-01-07T21:38:00.002Z

We are moving. Blogs that is.
http://wilburlife.wordpress.com is our new home. It seems to accept pictures. I think! It was time for some fresh blogging blood so please...join us over there for (hopefully) more regular updates from the Wilbur Show.

Boys and More Boys

2009-12-17T22:04:00.001Z

Our boys love to dress up. This is no secret. Any form of dress up is in order. Every day is something different.

NOah is not sure what to make of it all! He just hangs around..and eats! And sleeps. And smiles, laughs and talks. We have never had such a talker. Chatting up a storm the whole time. Needs to get his 10000 googoos and gaagaas out every day!

Our boy Luke loves order. He likes things to be a certain way. This is one of his favourite ways to play with toys. He has decided where all things 'live' and if he sees you putting them elsewhere....it is completely unacceptable.And he will give you a reaction as seen below!

We are looking forward to Christmas. Owen has his first 'Activity' Play on Christmas Eve. he is playing the starring role of a 'townsfolk' and is busy singing all the songs around the house. I love it. Hopefully some pictures will happen with him in yet another costume!

Pictures

2009-11-21T18:14:00.001Z

Pictures don't seem to be working.

You can check out http://picasaweb.google.com/elainewilbur for some recent pics.

Some Family Snaps....

2009-11-20T21:02:00.001Z

Here are some snaps of the boys...and a random female lurking with them! Yes, that's our family. Noah is 11 weeks already. I cannot believe it. The cliche of 'time flies' is certainly ringing true. But I must say we enjoy every single minute of him. He is a real smiler. He seems to really have a sense of humour at this young age! The boys continue to love him even if Noah finds the attention a little overwhelming at times. The boys ask me every day 'Do you like have three boys?' And of course the answer is always YES!

The country life is suiting them. We have gone for long walks in the 'big floods' which is any puddle that comes up to the middle of Lukes wellies! The boys are enjoying all the projects that Daddy is working on especially the latest cementing work. It will be nice when everything stops changing and gets a bit more settled. Luke seems pretty sensitive about everything changing all the time. Poor lad.

Our family is our family. We are truly blessed with our little soldiers. Days have their challenges because we are all so human. But God gives us all these little nuggets of memories in each day that make it all so worth while. Like Luke calling toe nails 'down nails' and mentioning that the dancers clothes on the TV were 'broken'. Owen learning how to read and write and perfecting his country accent. Telling us all the news from school (including what everyone had for lunch and what the teachers were talking about!) And Noah smiling right through to his eyes. We've got it good.

Some Before and Afters

2009-11-20T20:28:00.001Z

Fans of home shows will know the before and after features. This is a lame attempt at them. But you get a little flavour of the work that has been going on in this place. We are one month in our new home and it is changing every day. The major workload is behind us I think. The two big projects left are the stove installation and the kitchen installation. Pretty big ones, it must be said but we will get there. We had though that we would be eating our Thanksgiving dinner in our new kitchen but alas, this will not be the case.

We have had major, MAJOR flooding on the roads around here. So this has delayed people coming and doing some jobs and us getting out and about. But it's all part of country life. Maybe Ryan should turn his DIY hands to whittling us a raft!

We are enjoying our new home. It will become more and more like a home as time goes by but we are appreciating the progress made every day. Goodness knows with three Smallies and Ryan working a full time job, any little bit of work done is a huge milestone! Thankfully Ryan LOVES projects. Onwards and upwards!

Country Life!

2009-10-28T19:08:00.001Z

We have spent almost a week in our new house. Owen has been on a mid term break so we have had time to adjust without the routine of school. Work is still being done on the house so we are trying to stay out of the place as much as we can. We are loving it though.

There is little or no contact with the outside world! No phone and no internet yet. Mobiles can be touch and go! A few cars go by every now and again! It's just us and the cows.

It's our own little adventure. The house is not finished yet. Still need floors and a kitchen. The floors are being worked on. We have set up the downstairs bedroom as a makeshift kitchen. We are able to wash and dry clothes. Ryan has set up a sink in the utility. So what more do we need! We live mostly upstairs. It's camping! My style!

Noah is 7 weeks old now and showing us big smile every day. The boys STILL love him. Luke in particular just adores 'Noey'. Kisses upon kisses. Owen has started to sing him lullabies and play hide and seek. It is amazing to have 3 children. I feel very blessed and rewarded. Let's not kid ourselves that it is always sunny in the park but just the overall joy of it...well, I just feel privileged. Noah seems to be different than our other two 'brownies'. But we will have to see. He is placid but at the same time he doesn't like being left alone. It's amazing. Sometimes he jsut has the saddest cries. Cries that would break your heart. His lip goes down and big tears come out. He seems so young for that - to be so aware of his surroundings.

The boys loves 'the pink house'. It is really lovely to hear and see them playing with each other. Good times at the Wilbur household!

Updates

2009-10-22T20:46:00.000+01:00

As of tomorrow, this will be our new home. Hopefully for a long time. Our country residence. We are so blessed and privileged to be able to move into something like this and call it our own. I pinch myself many times a day, amazed that we get to do this! It has been hectic, going through this process with a newborn......the timing is certainly not perfect..but it will all be worth it in the end...

And here is our not so newborn! He is 6 weeks old and thriving. His 6 week appointment put him at 13lbs! A complete chunker! Lovely kissable cheeks.

Here are our 'mechanics'. Apparently the car was broken and needed to be fixed. So out came the gear! Pa will recognise the breathing apparatus from his machine! The goggles are from Grandads shed! Love it.

Week 4

2009-10-05T21:09:00.000+01:00

I am writing with one hand here. Noah is snoozing in the other. Here he is. Our Irish boy! We dont know if his eyes will change or if his skin will tan....but there seems to be no question that he is taking after my side!

He is a lovely boy.Really placid. loves to be hugged and held. His brothers love him. the novelty has not worn off yet. not even close.

Luke truly loves Noah. He protects him and kisses him. Owen is more of a big brother. wanting to comfort him and talking to him in a sing song voice. We are all adjusting to being a 5 family. It has its moments. Mummy and Daddy are tired! But it is all worth it!

Week 2

2009-09-17T21:13:00.000+01:00

We have made it through almost 2 weeks with our little Noah. Adjusting to being a family of 3 has had its tough moments. It is true that you really know you have children when you have 3. Someone always needs something! Combining this with the tiredness of not sleeping at night makes for some interesting times. We are just taking each day as it comes. Ryan has been trojan with his work around the house. My family have been ridiculously supportive in helping us with meals and school runs and watching the boys. I dont know how we would have made it without them, really. It is is allowing us to enjoy Noah and not just merely survive.

Noah is great. He is a lovely little boy. He sleeps and eats and cries very little. He is a hungry boy. Feeds constantly. I mean, constantly. This showed in his last check up where he had gained nearly 1.5lbs in a week! He had gone down to 7lbs 12oz after being born from 8lb 2oz. One week later he is up to 9lbs! Mr Eater. The nights are okay. They can vary. He is a newborn after all!

So why Noah? Where did the name come from? We had such trouble coming up with a name. My goodness. I thought once we knew what the little munchkin was that the name would be fairly easy. But right up until the last week we still had not come up with anything. We couldnt really agree or feel any sort of peace about any name. One morning I was lying awake at 530am and thinking and praying about names. I thought, what is it that we want this little boy to be. What do we see when we think of him. It struck me that throughout the pregnancy, whenever i felt a little pang of fear (was he alive? had I felt him move? was he okay in there) Noah would always kick me. Instantly. From very early on. He seemed to have this ability to reassure and bring peace even from in the womb. That might sound crazy. But it is true. So I thought right then of the name Noah, which means comforter or peacemaker. And it fit. It was right.

Funnily enough, when he was born we had just had 40 days of rain. Serious! And when he came home the sun shone and has done ever since! Can you believe that!

His middle name 'Ceallach' is the Irish version of my maiden name 'Kelly'. I wanted to keep my name going somehow!

So there you have it. Noah Ceallach Wilbur. Our peacemaking, comforting Eating machine! He still has all that spiky hair too!

Noah's Landing

2009-09-12T21:42:00.000+01:00

Noah will be a week old tomorrow morning. I cannot believe it has only been a week since he arrived. It has felt like a lot longer. Tiredness does that I suppose! So, the story. Skip on through if this is of no interest. But some of us like these things!

It all began. Last Saturday. I was having twinges all day. Monday was the due date but I was fast losing hope that this baby was coming anytime soon. Saturday evening the twinges started to get a little more regular but I still wasn't convinced anything was really happening. Could just be Braxton hicks etc etc. Still, they weren't going away. So we decided to send the boys over to their Nana and Grandads just in case. We watched a movie, ate popcorn and went to bed. At about 330am I woke up. Hmm, the pains were definitely there and they were regular enough. So, pottered around for awhile. Really wondered what to do. Should I go into hospital and risk being sent home. I just was not sure that this was really it.

To be on the safe side, I decided to wake Ryan and have him take a shower to wake up a little and rang the hospital to ask what I should do. Of course, they suggested coming in. So a little after 4am we headed across town and got ourselves settled in a very quiet labour ward. We were the only ones there! The midwives got me hooked up to machines but the contractions seemed to have died down and gotten a little less regular. Eventually she examined me a little after 5am and said that I was 3cm dilated. This wasn't major though because she said that most women who have had previous pregnancies are 2cm dilated anyway. She seemed to think we would be here a while and set up the bath and ball and suggested I take a walk.

So, I was lying there wishing we had just stayed at home and rested. I got up off the bed to get sorted for walking and bathing and rolling around on a ball! I wondered if this baby would take long enough to be born on the 7th and have a separate birthday from Luke. Little did we know. Once I got off the bed I had a contraction to beat all contractions. Three contractions in a row without a break. DUDE! That was sore. SORE! About 2 minutes later the same thing happened. RIGHT. I was in labour now. No question. The midwife changed her plan of action and we headed for the bath to try and get some relief. There was some relief. And it was a really nice bath! HUGE. Everyone should have one in their home! So I was sitting there getting incredibly sore contractions every minute or so.

The midwife was keen to get me out of the bath and up to the room for an examination to see where we stood. I was all for that. Except getting out of the bath seemed impossible. The contractions were coming fast and thick. I could not understand why they were so quick and so relentless and so sore. By the time I got out of the bath, well...it felt like it was time for him to come. But we had to get back to the room! Hmm. Tricky. Once the contractions stopped we shuffled quickly back and made it to the bed, barely! But the contractions were coming too quickly for them to examine. After a while she was finally able to check and it was time for me to push. About two to three pushes later and Noah was out!

I couldnt believe he was here! It was so quick. I almost felt unprepared for his arrival. We went from assuming we would be there for awhile to seeing him less than 2 hours later. I felt more present for this birth than the others, if that makes any sense. It was all so THERE! Ryan was his usual great self. He was an expert now and really helped with the pressing of the back and such things. I must say. The midwives were really relaxed. Just let things happen and run their course. That was nice. A lot of the time it just felt like Ryan and I were there by ourselves. Funnily, Ryan nearly missed the birth. It was so quick. He had been needing to use the bathroom for a long time and he took his opportunity. But while he was gone it was time for Noah to come out. Someone had to run down and bang on the door to tell him that the head was almost out. Ryan sprinted back and saw Noah being born! Everything was all so fast.

I am sure I am forgetting things. I am tired. Would you believe!! We have thoroughly enjoyed our first week with this little man. He is so good. He barely cries. He feeds like a trooper. He is stretching his feeds at night to 2 1/2 hours or so. Owen and Luke are besotted with him. We are completely blessed. And are completely in love with the newest male in our house!

More about his name and brothers reactions later......

Noah Ceallach Wilbur

2009-09-10T17:18:00.003+01:00

Noah is here! He decided to join us with a bang on Sunday morning, September 6th at 7:10am weighing in at 8lbs 2oz. A perfect birthday present for big 3 year old Luke!! Here are a few pictures surrounding his arrival. More to come later. And the labour story! Everyone loves a good labour story and mothers always like to share, don't they! For now, enjoy these snippets. We are so delighted to have him with us. He is a true blessing from God. Our little Noah....We all love him.....Like the above picture of me IN labour! Daddy was snap happy.....!

The Big Day

2009-08-31T20:59:00.002+01:00

Some pictures of our big boys first day of primary school. Owen started in Junior Infants today, him and 4 other little boys. The school is a small school. Only 35 children in total with two teachers! Owens class has about 15 in it from classes Junior Infants through to 2nd class (5-8 yr olds).
I thought there would be tears. The night before there was some gushing. How he was going to miss me and I was going to be so far away. But he woke up today so excited. Someone pushed the ON button and that was him all day. He got to school and was cool as a breeze. Took his shoes off, set up his school bag and lunch, sat at his table and smiled and took it all in his stride. Itwas so reassuring for us to watch him settle in. If he had been upset, I would have lost it altogether. His teacher is perfect. The perfect teacher for Owen. Chilled out, young, loads of fun, nothing too serious. He loves her already!
Look how handsome he is! He is the biggest lad in his class of 5, by far! He will have no trouble on the basketball court, getting some kudos. He asked me when he came back from school if he could go back every day, because, did I not know that it was open EVERY DAY! He was disappointed there was no writing and no homework but 'maybe tomorrow' he said. I reckon it will be more of a playing week. He did playdough and jigsaw puzzles and reading books.....

The first two weeks he will start at 9:20am and finish at 12:30pm. After that he finishes at 2pm. So that will be a long day for him. But he seems to be enjoying it so far!And here is Luke. His cowboy boots were reunited. He has been spending the summer just wearing one. Because the other was lost, or so we thought. Ryan found the other one at the weekend and Luke has not taken them off since. As is obvious from the above snap!

Haircuts

2009-08-29T11:42:00.002+01:00

Owen starts school on Monday morningat 9:20am! A big day in our house. He spotted this barber shop a while back and having never been to one (since we do home hatchet jobs on his hair!) I promised that he could go before he went to school.

So off he and Daddy traipsed this morning to get the 'professional' touch for that big first day at school picture! Even though his face does not show it, he was really excited. He gets really serious on things like this. Likes to really let it all sink in!
Chop, chop. All his lovely hair! Tinted blonde after the summer sun. At least this wasn't his first haircut of all time. That would be pretty dismal!

And look at the finished result! So cool eh?! Owen likes cool. He is very much INTO being cool. So here he is with the spiked look going on. Interesting. Daddy thought that they would go swimming afterwards but Owen didn't want to ruin his hair! And well, he got a lollipop for his troubles, so all was right with the world. He keeps touching it now! Mr Vain!

Early Birthdays...

2009-08-29T11:21:00.003+01:00

We celebrated Lukes birthday early this year. Because we don't know when the latest parcel is going to arrive! Luke will be 3 on September 6th but since I was still around yesterday we decided to go ahead with the bash. He had a few of his little neighbourhood friends in for some high sugar food and party games!
It was a Superman birthday! That was the request. Nana did the honours on the cake, much to Mama's relief and as per usual she did quite the fantastic job! Luke was literally speechless when he saw the cake! That is a nice reward!
We played Pass the Parcel and Bang the Pot and Blind Mans Bluff! Great fun. Pass the Parcel was interesting! Daddy had never played before and he was given the job of wrapping the parcels in layers for the children to rip off when the music stopped! And he did a stellar job! The parcels were wrapped SO well that adults had to get involved to undo the layers of duct tape he had wrapped around each layer! Funny.
All in all, it was a great afternoon. Luke got up this morning expecting another party! But he really enjoyed himself and thats the most important thing. I can understand why parents go somewhere to have parties catered. Having several sugared children hanging around your house when you are 9 months pregnant was a touch tiring.....but the memories and the sleep last night more than made up for it! Happy Birthday Mr Luke. We are so proud of you, even if you do want to stay 2 forever!

Changes are Afoot

2009-08-18T21:26:00.002+01:00

We are looking at a busy few weeks coming up. The bump lurking on the front of my torso is due to turn into another wonderful bundle in the next 3 weeks. It's a bump! And a big one at that. All are excited to welcome the new arrival. I am fooling myself into thinking that sleep will be easier when the baby gets here! Do I not remember those first few weeks at all?? All we need now is a name!
Owen starts school in 2 weeks. Attymon National School. Junior Infants. They will be the proud holder of a wonderful 5 year old boy called Owen. It is a very, very small school. 35 students in the entire school. 4 boys in Junior Infants. Doesnt Owen look handsome in his uniform?!
He just loves trying it on. Again and again and again. So we have all the gear and are all set for him to go. I think he will be fine. I am sure that it will be an adjustment for all of us, especially for him. A whole new world. He says he will miss me! That's nice...sort of. But it is time. He will thrive, I am sure.
Look at the tie! How long do you think he will keep this clean! So, a busy time. But exciting too. Constant change is here to stay! We love change!

England 2009

2009-07-21T21:19:00.004+01:00

Here are some photos of our England trip. The second week anyway. We spent the first week in the Peak District staying in a beautiful cottage in the middle of the northern countryside. Peaceful. The second week we travelled south to Somerset where we stayed on a farm through a website called featherdownfarms.co.uk. It was a fantastic experience. Back to nature, truly. We had no electricity but we did have running water, working toilet and real beds and duvets. Real plusses as far as I am concerned! The boys LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it. It was element living for them. Out for hours upon hours jumping on the haystacks and tending to the many chickens, goats and geese. By 'tending' I mean chasing and frightening. But they thought this was the life. Ryan and I completely relaxed and we all slept very well at night. Lantern living is certainly the way to go! I would highly recommend a few days without electricity every so often.

Underwater Adventures

2009-06-15T17:18:00.000+01:00

Altea_Pool from Elaine Wilbur on Vimeo.

Hola Senor

2009-06-10T21:12:00.003+01:00

We are back from Spain. Arrived in on Monday. All sunned out. We had a great week. The sun shone every day in all its fullness and we enjoyed the beach and the pools and visiting some neat little villages. Here is a slideshow of some of our adventures. Ryan used his new underwater camera a LOT so some of those postings should go up at some point.

The boys had a great time. Unfortunately the family we travelled with were struck down with with Bubonic Plague, almost! They spent the whole week bar the last day vomiting. We were blessed not to be infected but it scuppered their plans for enjoyment. So we had a lot more time on our own than we had thought. Which worked out fine really.

Owen loved the pool. Doing cannonballs and swimming. He wasn't so keen on the sea water as it was a little harder to guage your depth. He was content enough to play on the beach playgrounds that they have on all the beaches. Luke was happy enough to follow Owen. It got too hot for them at some points but the Spanish people were thinking of us foreigners when they planted some palm trees on the beach giving some beautiful shade for those of us more likely to crisp up.

Ryan was in his element. All sorts of swimming surfaces to indulge in and fun on the beach. People talked to Ryan in Spanish assuming he was one of their own! He is quite a darkie now.

We enjoyed Spain and we would definitely go back sometime.

Volvo Ocean Race Fever

2009-05-29T21:54:00.000+01:00

We have VOR fever. The world ocean race is stopping off in Galway for two weeks and it is the biggest deal ever! The whole city is transformed. Last Sunday the boats arrived in from their Boston stopover and there was great excitement. We did not make it into the Docks for the arrival at 3am (surprisingly!) but Ryan did take the boys in before 8am that day!

The day was not the warmest or most beautiful, but the boats were in and there was great excitement. Owens only comment was that there was a 'terrible mess everywhere'. People had not been picking up after themselves and there were rubbish picker uppers going along the streets. Owen was very disturbed by this! This surprises me as he sometimes has trouble picking up his own rubbish at home and one could describe it as a 'terrible mess' quite often.

Here are the three boyos! Ryan took them down again today (Friday) to see the latest in the fesitivities. The weather was a lot nicer. He has some pictures of that I am sure which I will share later.

The boys all got to climb up onto this boat, the one with the red stripe. Luke was really into the fact that it had a toilet inside it! Tomorrow we experience more fever as 250,000 people are supposed to descend on our beautiful city. We have puppet shows, fighter jets, circus acts, sandcastle building, green dragons......and the weather is glorious. Happy times!

Friday Night Lights

2009-05-29T21:44:00.000+01:00

Friday night is hurling training night. Owen has started to show an interest again now that it is outside and two of his friends are going along. He is one of the bigger boys now and that makes it easier to adjust to the wielding of pieces of ash wood!

Here he is 'pressing the flesh' with some of his fellow teammates. Good to network early, you know! Hard to get a group of 5 and 6 year old boys to focus....my goodness. This was one of their drills where they hit balls that were along a rope....

Then came the tough work. The 'match'. This involved a ball being thrown in random directions and the hunting pack clumping along to follow it. Then invariably someone would get hurt and the ball and the person would be plucked up and the ball tossed in another direction. More pack action after that! Owen followed the ball, for the most part, even hit it a couple of times. He ran up and down that field like a real trooper!

Luke is rearing to go of course. But the combination of Luke and piece of hard wood that he is free to swing wildly is a very dangerous one! So I think we will wait a while before we unleash the Luke on the general public!

Castle Storming

2009-05-10T22:22:00.003+01:00

Our knights in shining armour and their chaperones (us!) stormed Athenry castle yesterday. The weather was dry for the first time in a long time so we wanted to make the most of it.
The boys LOVED it. It was your bog standard castle! Stone, cat smell and touristy signs. It was hard to get the lads to leave! Luke spent the time walking around with his sword and 'spearit' and making angry faces and tiger noises! I was almost afraid! Almost!
Here they are defending their walls. Our protectors!
Here we were in the room built for school tours. Luke wasn't too interested in watching a history programme! Or having his picture taken actually!
Owen was enjoying it. And the irish music got him tapping his foot! A little cultural exposure for our two little boys! Followed by burgers and chips! You can't go wrong eh?!

Birthday boy

2009-05-10T21:32:00.003+01:00

Happy Birthday Owen. Five years old already. How time flies. The old cliche that every parent has every used. But really, how true it really is. It seems like only yesterday that a little tiny Owen burst into our worlds on a sunny Tuesday evening all wrinkled and screamy. I always wondered what he would be like when he was 5. Now here it is. Early childhood has ended - a whole new phase has begun.
Gramma brought a pinata from across the water. Owen still talks about it - the baseball he got to smash open and it rained sweeties! I wish you could have seen Lukes face when the thing burst open. He thought all his birthdays and Christmases had come together!!
This is a picture of Owen before he headed out the door to school. Isn't he so grown up!! My goodness.
This was his actual birthday. The present opening. Luke was a great helper. And in fairness to Owen, he was very kind. He told Luke that he could open one of his presents! I thought that was really nice. Luke got as much enjoyment out of watching what was coming out. I hope that lasts forever.
You can't go wrong with something for swimming with our little Michael Phelp! A new bathing suit was in order since the one he was wearing was for 2 year olds! Owen is narrow of hips!
The three pictures here show some of Owens most enjoyed presents! The Diego bag is a massive hit as was the gun! He has worn that on his belt for days. And the Italy jersey was the biggest hit until his uncle got him the dream of dreams - a real, live Arsenal jersey! A great birthday for our beautiful firstborn boy - Owen Tadhg!

Easter

2009-04-16T22:32:00.000+01:00

Here is Luke feasting on chocolate. He thought all his birthdays and Christmases came at once. Chocolate BEFORE breakfast. We had a little Easter Egg hunt inside. The problem was that we hid them the night before and Ryan couldn't remember where he had put them! So they were as much of a suprise to us as it was to them! So Luke really liked his 'Eees-Er Eggs'

Owen loved it too of course. A chocolate day. It was shocking how much junk they ate in one day! My word. We survived and they survived I think. They got out for a nice trot in the evening to get rid of the pent up sugar energy.

We tried some posed pictures. Sigh. They were not as successful as i had hoped. The boys looked so handsome in their little matching Easter outfits. Cooperation levels were not too high before dinner. Luke would nto let go of his gun and it even took him awhile to take his hand away from his face! A modelling career is not in the future here, me thinks!

Playground Fun

2009-04-14T14:37:00.000+01:00

The weather has been spring like every other day or so here, so we have been making use of our nearby super playground. As time goes by and the boys get a little older, what they like to do at the playground starts to change. This big swing and the big slide are favourites of Owen. But he only likes to go down the slide if he can ride on his jacket because it gives him more speed (that was my idea! Ryan thinks I'm a bad influence sometimes, encouraging our children in questionably dangerous pursuits, but seriously, how much more fun is it to whizz down a slide on a speedy jacket then to force yourself down with your legs sticking as you go! Okay, I know the whole whacking-your-head-on-the-side-of-the-slide business is a bit risky!! We're all about the fun here!!).

See - isn't he happy! The slides are high enough. I even feel a little daunted when I am about to head down for a spin. The trick is not to allow your (childbearing) hips to lodge anywhere in the middle of the slide. That would be termed 'embarrassing'!

Lukes favourite. The 'py-ert' ship. Unfortunately he is still learning about sharing this telescope. This photo marks the beginning of the struggle in which he is telling Owen that Owen needs to 'sss-ya-er' and he needs to do it NOW. Owen isn't too bothered as you can see.

And here is Luke in one of his most common faces. Scrunchynose.com. I think it's cute.

Springy-ness

2009-04-02T20:12:00.003+01:00

We are having a few days of extremely nice weather. Don't be deceived by Owen's shorts and tshirt look, it's not THAT warm but certainly warm enough for me to get a little sunburn and the boys to run around jacket free (and if you're Owen - trousers, socks, shoes and jumper free!) Luke has been really getting into being mobile outside - this car, his tricycle, his legs! He loves it.
Owen came back from school, ran straight upstairs, changed into this gear and came outside ready to jump into action. So exciting. Owen seems to be going through some changes in his personality! Or something. He is nearly 5 and all of a sudden has all this energy and constancy (?). Meaning that he is just going all the time, be it talking, moving, asking questions, etc etc. It's interesting. It feels like we are adjusting to another boy, sort of. I would like to say I was adjusting with a little bit more grace and patience.....eekkk...am.....
Luke is still his cheeky little self! Lovable rogue. He has very definite ideas about things are we are sort of working with him (?) to let him know that well, he isn't the boss! That's a hard one to learn really isn't it! We have a neighbour who allows her son to be the boss for 2 minutes every now and again! Owen really likes that idea! But when you're dealing with 2 year old rationality - well.....what can I say! For example this morning, he did not want to wear the shirt that I picked out for him to wear. And he persisted. Boy did he persist. On and on and on complete with dramatic teary/screamy overtones until finally he explained to me that he didn't want to wear the shirt because it was too 'cungry'. Which is his word for hungry!! Right.....so, you don't want to wear the shirt because it's too......hungry??!!!....Hmmmmm....
This is an example of Owen in his new mode. He came into the room the other day after me asking him to go and find some clothes to wear. He came in telling laughing proclaiming that he was wearing 10 tshirts. And as I had him take them off, yes, he was indeed actually wearing exactly 10 tshirts! Ah, we love it. Watching all these littles ins and outs of the developing. 10 tshirts and all!

Sligo Wooded Area

2009-03-21T20:48:00.000Z

We got some more energy out on our journey home with a stop off at some wooded place. There were swans and trees etc etc. Here is Owen looking handsome as usual. He is really growing. Suddenly we notice that his pants have all become 'flood waterish', as in, two inches too short! Yikes! And with all the swimming and running outside (the weather has been incredibly nice) he is a lean, mean, fighting machine.....we try to ignore the fighting bit..poor Luke!!

Here are mother and son...no, really. He is my son. Don't you think we look so alike??!! Ryan reckons we have the same wrinkles under our eyes, thanks husband!! Ah well, we have another shot coming up soon enough!! Number three due in August. Woohoo!!!

Father and son......twins, separated by 25+ years, glasses and baldness! Owen is concerned about Ryan's lack of hair...he asked yesterday what age Daddy was when he lost his hair!!....What a legacy!

Climbing trees is the funnest. Isn't it??!! Ryan is having 'belt issues'!!

Castle Hole-Tel

2009-03-21T20:40:00.000Z

We had a weekend break in Sligo this past weekend. The thrill factor came from the fact that it was a 'castle hotel'. Well actually, it was a former mental hospital but hey, selling it as a castle was much more of a winning line!! The hotel was really nice with a nice sized room and amazing facilities. We managed to survive our restaurant experiences! That's an achievement, people! I went down early to order for everyone but unforunately my waiter was foreign and had no idea why I was ordering for four people when there was just me!! So after much explaining he seemed to get it and we somehow muddled through with minimal crying and emptying of sugar packets!!

But was we know, all good things must come to an end. The weekend came and went. Owen crumbled. He just fell apart. He could not believe we had to go home. He cried for almost half an hour. The saddest sobs. You can almost see the tears in this picture as we departed our dear Castle!

On our drive home, we managed to find another castle for the boys to storm. So this took the pain away momentarily. It was locked and even the combined force of the Wilbur boys couldn't get the walls to crumble! It seems that we needed some trumpetary help!

Ryan got in on the act. He has a 'whip' if you can't see. Getting into the spirit of things. Overall, we had a really enjoyable break away. Everyone enjoyed the change of scenery and freedom of being somewhere different. Owen had the most fun at the pool. The water was deeper than he was used to so he was forced to get a bit more brave. By the end of our stay he was swimming in the deep end - front crawl!! We were obviously, through-the-roof proud of him. And he of himself! He alternated the swimming with cannon balls and belly flops dropping down to touch his bum on the bottom of the pool! Amazing fun! Luke decided that the pool was for pooping in and not once, but TWICE! Some of you may be eating, so we'll leave well enough alone on that one...

Faces

2009-03-07T20:35:00.002Z

Owen's latest thing he likes doing when a camera is pointed at him. Lovely eh!!
Luke, kicking this little tricycle to the kerb!! Not literally. A few minutes after this he finally got the whole idea of cycling his tricycle with pedals...for the first time!! And now this little ladybird scooter is a thing of the past. it has served us well!
Pancake faces. Saturday morning pancakes are a hoot eh!! Go on then, stuff yer faces!

John Hancock

2009-02-26T21:43:00.002Z

This is Owen's signature. He's been practicing for the future autographs. Isn't it great. You may think that this is a mirror image. It isn't. Owen is left handed and just cannot get the concept of writing from left to right! But I'm his mother and am still excessively proud of all those letters together to make his name. Amazing!
And here is Owen's portrait of Luke. Luke, as usual in a various state of undress. He generally likes to get natural before his nap. Sigh! It's all this European influence.

Brothers

2009-02-26T21:26:00.002Z

We have a saying in our house whenever a little 'altercation' emerges. "Brothers who are friends, friends who are brothers". I know, it's a bit magoo but I think it gets the message across that they are and can be, both. And well, after repeating this phrase quite a bit, it seems to be working itself out in reality. They really are friends.
That is, until they start to attack each other with fashioned weaponry from the kitchen drawers protecting their architecturally designed 'castle'.
Here is Owen with the latest in armoury. Beach Helmet and Spatula. Unique and effective.
We have also broadened our range to include Pudding Basins and Barbecue Implement taped to Lemon Zester! Brilliant.

Valentines Woods Day

2009-02-15T20:53:00.000Z

We spent the annual Love Day mucking it through some woods in Co. Clare. Picnicing in the February temperatures gave us some afternoon lasting chill but it was worth it. The children had a mucky blast.

'And wuvv, twuhh wuvv'......awww...can you beat a picture like that for the wedding in 20 years or so! The best of friends. At the end of our day she stole a full lipped kiss which made Owen's eyes widen in alarm. Then it was announced 'That means we are going to get married'. Owen wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve and turned away. A typical male response I would say! Committ-o-phobe!! Owen doesn't even know what 'married' means!! You'll learn, dear lad, you'll learn!

Luke enjoyed the outdoorsy-ness of the day. His little legs gave way to some serious moaning after a while but then up on Daddy's shoulders he went and all was well with the world! All he wanted to do was to hang out with the older ones. Following Owen around like, well, like a little brother!! It was lovely to watch.

Our New Escape

2009-02-09T20:59:00.000Z

This is our new playground which we can walk to in about 15 minutes. It was last weeks discovery and we could hardly believe our eyes when we saw just how good it actually was.

Here are the boys playing 'Py-errtss' as Luke says. Translated as Pirates! This is Lukes favourite thing. He will stay for an age just looking through the telescope. And fighting any other child that dares encroach on 'his' space.

Here is Owen on one of the diggers. Isn't it great! They love this area. Sand. Diggers. Water. Buckets etc etc etc. Love it.

here is the water. It's great that it comes from a well! We will be spending a LOT of time here over the next few months! Three days in a row last week!

Busta Move

2009-01-26T21:55:00.000Z

This is how I found Luke last week when I came downstairs. He had raided the freezer and found some icecream that was lying in there. So he helped himself! Naturally! And polished off whatever was left in the box. Like father like son.

Here is Luke today. Doing some moving and shaking. He has seen Owen doing this kind of thing and it was so funny seeing him randomly copy Owen. So cute.

Look at his face! He is so into it! And the hat! He did this himself! You would think I encouraged it for cuteness but not at all!

Not a great picture of Owen but just to show he was doing his thing. This was his signature move!!

Happy 30th

2009-01-18T20:27:00.000Z

Happy birthday to Ryan. He is an old man now! The big 3-0 came and went last weekend. And surprisingly, our lives have not changed that much. Although Ryan did make a statement earlier which concerned me. He said 'If I were ten years younger, I could do that'. Such further old mannish statements were banned from our house! It's kind of nice to have some maturity around! We had a very simple affair of a fish dinner (Ryan's favourite) and Baked Alaska - another favourite as it involved meringue AND icecream. A real winner. Instead of a weekend for two in Edinburgh we opted for a pool/gym membership for the year. Which Ryan is thrilled with. Since he joined he has been every day at least once! The boy loves swimming and we all know that Irish waters are not so inviting! So Happy Birthday to the wonderfulest 30 year old husband and daddy we know! From all your youngsters!

Some Patriotic Photos

2009-01-18T20:18:00.000Z

The boys got matching sweaters for Christmas. Here are the posed photos which they were surprisingly willing to pose for!

catch ups

2009-01-03T21:08:00.000Z

Our New Year's Day walk out in Furbo. It was chilly. But we walked along an winding Irish road until the little legs could no longer take it. That was about 30 minutes! Luke did not like having his picture taken but I managed to sneak in a few pictures where he wasn't scowling.

Here are the two boys trying to get the cow's attention. Luke was hoping to find a purple one. Seriously. That request could not be fulfilled unfortunately.

The chocolate Santa from Nana made it's way into Lukes mouth. He denied all charges but the evidence was irrefutable! Actually this was all above board. The Santa was shared about and that was the dirty side effect!

Owen sporting his most favouritest Christmas present. My goodness. He loves this thing. The foam sword has not withstood all the pressures of the knighthood Wilbur-style but the costume is getting its use. Thankfully he takes it off before bed now!

Luke Fest

2008-12-19T23:35:00.000Z

Here is Luke. Our little Destruct-or. Or Cute little man. He's a busy little guy. Keeps us on our toes. He is at that stage where you just can't trust him. If it's quiet, it generally means that something is no longer intact. The toilet roll is probably in a pile on the ground or the fridge is being ravaged through or brushes are being used as spears. Literally.

But even when all of this is going on. You just melt when he gives you the little dimple or the 'I Lub You, Mammy' or leans in for a kiss, unprompted. At 3am when he toddles in and puts his cheek on your cheek and says 'Hi Mammy', it's so hard to have to lead him back into his own comforter.

He is starting to really talk now. Become a real person. His words are getting into longer and longer strings. Initially I thought he might have some mispronunciations because he didn't start talking until so late but no, he seems to be getting most everything bang on. Apart from the few cute things which are priceless. He is very into Christmas at the minute and even in the car earlier said 'Come on Mammy, come ON...Dingle bells, dingle bells!!' and he launched into his own version which comprises of those two words followed by a lot of repeating of 'ho, ho, ho'! The above picture is testement that it can get a bit violent at times with Luke! His boundaries are very blurred!

Here he is. Our Luke man. Growing up. A great brother for Owen. It's lovely to see them looking out for each other and form this little relationship. His 'O-O'. Lovely lad.

Owen

2008-12-17T22:03:00.000Z

Some recent snaps of the O-Master. He got a haircut at the hairdressers on Monday. He was brilliant. It is only his second time ever being to a hairdresser because I generally attempt to tame the mane myself. Which isn't always a success! So I wanted him to go and get a tidy up which would start another two year process of maintenance! When we were there the hairdresser asked him what 'Santy' was bringing him. He told her the usual..Soldier Costume, Knight Costume, but then came the left fielder.....a Chinese Lion Dance costume...HUH??!! I'm not sure those are readily available at the local toyshop!

He looks like he is about 7 with his new haircut. And he has grown an inch since October. He is towering over the other children in playschool. What is it going to be like when he gets to big school. He said today....'I really must be 5 now'. Which translated means that he should be 5. It's time! As far as he is concerned he will be 5 after Christmas. Which is what he is telling everyone. It's like history. As far as Owen is concerned there are two times. Before Christmas and After Christmas. That's it.

Here we are baking Christmas cookies. You always feel like this stellar mother when you break out the dough and rolling pin. What this isn't showing is my uptight, neurotic mothering desperately trying to relax and 'go with the flow' when it came to flour and dough and two little boys. Sigh. It was worth it. I have to ahve more lessons in chilling out. We do bake a bit. I think it's great for the lads to get a chance to learn. Might make someone very happy someday. So more chilling out is needed on my part. All messes can be cleaned eh!

Owen did great. He made some lovely cookies. And took great pains in the icing of all his little creations. Nice to see him love it. And take such pride in his work. He's a great boy. We love watching him grow up. Sort of! He asked me if I wanted him to be 5. I had to say yes. And of course I do. But no more baby. Sigh. Luke pics tomorrow.

Some More Pics

2008-12-13T20:59:00.000Z

Aren't they lovely?! Some attempts at 'Christmas Portraits'....well, not so much. Considering there was nakedness, towels and general boyishness. Before this we had 'flying' from the couch. Since Owen is wearing a cape, you know!

And here is a progression of the smiling. It dissolved after this!

Here is a better look at our tree! It looks sparsely decorated from this angle. Isn't Luke's hair getting long! Ryan got this tree on his annual trek to the Christmas Tree farm. It's a really nice one. 15 years old apparently.

You can't really see this very clearly but you get the idea. This is Luke asleep. Standing up! His sleep patterns continue to amaze and perturb me!

Crazy Days

2008-12-11T20:50:00.000Z

We're baa-ack! It's been a while since our last entry. Things haven't changed radically around here. We still have two boys who enjoy the crazier side of life! Here are some of the goings on from today and yesterday. Some of the normal, everyday occurences. This is why I can't really leave the boys alone for any significant length of time.

Owen was trying out being Chinese for a minute. He was wondering yesterday why all the children in Africa live in China??! I obviously had absolutely no answer for that one! He's come out with some good ones recently. He said the other day 'Mummy, I'm so hot......I'm like a pan!'

Luke decided it would be a good idea to colour marker onto his hands. I said 'Luke, stop, what are you doing' and he replied 'No...NO....I Supe-man'.

And this is from a few minutes ago. Luke had been put to bed over an hour ago and he made his way down to the sitting room dressed like this. Obviously feeling a little chilly in his sleepless state!

Bunking In

2008-11-12T20:59:00.000Z

The lads in their new 'book beds' as Luke calls them. I don't know how much reading goes on here! What with ladders and danger abounding!! Owen has officially told the world about his new bunks and him being on the 'tall bed'. Some random woman on our street heard the story today.

They are enjoying them. I wish there was more sleep being had by Luke in these things but maybe someday Ryan and I will get that elusive 8 hours a night sleep straight through...maybe...

Owen has been going retro with the fashion these days. Hard to believe but the item above and below are genuine early 80's gear. They were Ryan's. And in near perfect condition. They just aren't making clothes like they used to!! Owen is in his element. Not only does he get to wear and American football shirt and a baseball shirt, the fact that they were Daddy's brings a whole new thrill.

Here he is doing signing for baseball. Some member of baseball makes signs to someone else. Can't remember who but after a while of Owen doing these weird movements with his hands I figured out what was actually going on!!!

Dirty Digging

2008-11-03T20:05:00.000Z

Owen went and worked with his Daddy at our 'allotment' on Saturday. He had been awake since 5am and the day obviously took its toll. He had sunk knee deep into dodgy, sodden grass so hence the fact that he is pants-less. He was drinking hot chocolate and by the looks of it, very little liquid made it into his mouth. At 4, Owen still has trouble eating without making a food canvas out of his face!

Daddy says Owen did fantastic work. Digging and digging and digging. His work hands prove it below! Great that we have a little worker ant on our hands! Ryan is so proud of him!

Beauties

2008-11-03T20:00:00.000Z

Here are some pictures of the boys looking particularly handsome I must say! These two of Luke are the same picture. I love this hat on him. His little ears stick out the bottom and well.....it's cute!

Owen was hungry obviously! Or bored. Or not thinking at all about what he was doing. Most likely the last one.

Allotment

2008-10-12T20:45:00.000+01:00

We have an allotment now. Sort of. Friends of ours kindly offered us a large patch of their large garden to 'grow our own'. Ryan has started with great gusto. Three beds are dug and planted with all sorts of greenery. Yesterday we made it a family day. The boys absolutely loved it. Digging and moving and throwing and running. Here they are finding some worms.

Owen worked and worked and worked. He gets it from his Daddy. Phenomenal worker.

Here they are working on getting some composted material into the beds for better growing.

This scene is only half captured. Some big dogs came into the next field. Barking and running. Owen ran over to me shouting 'Mama'. Luke ran towards the dogs with his shovel in the air shouting 'Charrrrrge'. Different boys!

Millinery

2008-10-12T20:36:00.000+01:00

Styling it up, Wilbur style. It's the new range. Pants hats. Luke is very into this style. He finds it much easier to put the nappy on top rather than down below.

Rent a Cat

2008-10-12T20:31:00.000+01:00

We recently 'invited' the neighbourhood cat into our house. Much to Luke's excitement. He calls it the 'Titty'. And he poured him some milk and enjoyed taking care of him. For 5 minutes or so.

The cat enjoyed her milk and took off. Luke was very upset about it. The cat drank and ran. How rude!?!

He was extremely gentle and kind with the feline. He tends to be so with cats and babies. Not with brothers though!

Circus

2008-10-05T21:28:00.000+01:00

Ryan recently took the boys to the circus. His work had organised a family day where the circus came and everyone could go for 5 euro. Which is a serious discount on circuses. This was one of the official photos taken of the day and was flashed up at work on a screen for a few days! My brown boys. Varying degrees of hair and height!

Diego Wilbur

2008-09-30T19:50:00.000+01:00

Owen has started to become interested in exploring and the animal world! Diego helps. He is a personal friend of Owen's who lives on a nature reserve and tends to injured animals, recording everything he sees in his Field Journal. Actually, he's a character from a DVD but that's neither here nor there! Owen decided that it was time to 'become Diego'. So he got all the paraphenalia together and there he was, Diego Owen.

Here is the 'telescope'. Necessary for seeing all those small creatures. That tend to lie around city estates!

Luke had to have his go at being 'Iago'. Somehow he just wasn't as committed to the whole exploring adventure. It must be a 2 thing.

Here is Owen recording all sorts of important info in his field journal. Its amazing how serious you can look when you are scratching various lines onto a pad! The awkward part of the whole thing was that I gave Owen an old cringeworthy notebook of mine from 10 years ago. Containing personal thoughts and poems etc. It was the only one that would fit in his pocket. Later on his little neighbourhood friend came running to his mummy showing her the pages that Owen had given him. Pure excitement. Pure embarrassment for me. So I had to create a diversion and quickly relieve him of said pages. And the notebook from Owen. I was fine when dealing with non-readers!

Autumn Beach

2008-09-24T21:59:00.001+01:00

We are having some glorious spells of weather and we have been making the most of it. When i say glorious I mean that it has not been raining, the sun has been shining and there has been some warmth in the air. There is still that lovely autumn crispness around but the dryness is such a bonus. So we hit the beach on Monday for some energy dispensing time.

The boys had a great time. We brought nothing except our hurls (sports things) with us and it is amazing what you can do with nothing.

They ran races. Formed castles with their hands. For ages! Then we went to the field next to the beach and Owen practiced his hurling and Luke played with the tiniest, cutest little puppy the world has ever seen. He loved Luke. The feeling was mutual. Oh how I wish the rain would never come back. Ever. Ryan would not be too happy though. With his precious gardening.

Go on the Green

2008-09-21T20:58:00.001+01:00

We went to Uncle Dave's almost comeback hurling match. The boys had a great time. Hurls were out and ash was clashed. Here is Luke. He really got into it.

Owen had the look down anyway. Waiting for the ball to come. It was a beautiful evening and lovely to see the lads running around and having fun outside. And Dave's team won. So lots of bonuses!

Luke loves babies. I know most people say that about their own child but it is really amazing to watch. He is fascinated. And so kind and gentle. Unlike his slightly rougher relationship with O-O. Here he is with a baby. He loves to touch and watch and take care of little ones. It is wonderful to watch.

Owen is here in Renville complete with stick in hand. Looking for something to climb on. He has gotten so good at climbing. At the playground the other day he made me completely nervous climbing up on top of these monkey bar things. I was desperately trying to stay calm and all cool while I watched him scale the heighest of heights. Ahhh....I wondered when that would come. I had been eyeing those bars for a few years wondering when he would actually get up there. Well this was the week. And so it begins...a life long journey of heart in mouth syndrome!

Camper Vanning

2008-09-19T22:32:00.000+01:00

My friend got a camper van. A 1970's flower power machine. It smells like the 1970's and sounds like the 1970's but we had a great night adventuring it in that van. Luke loved the 'bus'. He and the other two boys dropped me off for my night away. It was hard to get them out of it.

As you can see, both boys enjoyed it. I can't imagine staying in there with them long term. Or even for a night. It's close quarters. I think we would drive each other demented. But it was a nice treat.

We were rule breakers! This was our camping spot for the night. Highly illegal. And awfully Irish. This is where the guy at the tourist office suggest we park the beast. And we did. It was an experience. The whole peeing outdoors element of it was a little tricky especially since my bladder seemed to go into overdrive (TMI). But other than that and the clausterphobia,we had a great time. It was nice to do something different for a change. Pretend like we were 19 again. I love that game!

Fish, Rice and Krispies

2008-09-11T21:58:00.000+01:00

Luke was feeling peckish this morning after his breakfast. He is not and never has been a very big breakfast eater. However he challenged this label this morning. Found the box of leftover Rice Krispies and decided to help himself. Not out of the potty by the way. And although he is not wearing a nappy, he was not just using the potty. He refuses to. Point blank. Even with the bribe of chocolate. He much prefers weeing on the carpet. So much more freeing!

While we were away Owen went fishing with Nana and Grandad. They went to eat fish first and then went to catch some. Slightly backwards but we'll let them off! Owen seems to be enjoying his drink here! Or is he doing an impression of the food he is about to eat!

They were, apparently, less than successful at their fishing attempt. But the exciting part fo Owen seemed to be holding the rod! And someone else had caught something so at least they got to view from afar!

And in unrelated news. This is Luke and his new sword and shield. Both of which he refers to as his 'wide'. They are both wooden. Owen has the same ones. So for a moment there, when Luke started brandishing the weapons we thought there were going to be serious losses of limbs. Luke starting waving the sword around like...well..he just didn't care!.....And lopped Owen both on the hand and on the head.....eeek! Thankfully there were no accident reports to fill out!! And all is well in 'Wide' Land...

Birthday Luke

2008-09-08T20:51:00.000+01:00

Happy Birthday Luke. It was a largely uneventful second birthday for dear Luke. Oh well. He won't remember! Phew! I attempted to make a sand castle cake and well......I won't go into the details but let's just say that noone ooed and aahed at the obvious sand castle/cake sitting on the plate.

Luke liked how it tasted though! He was just after waking up when it was time to light the cake etc and well...he was less than happy to do that since it takes him years to adjust to real life after dreams.....So Owen blew out his candles and Luke sulked. Brilliant!

Here is a happier Luke contemplating a dip in the pool. We were at my brother's baptism. The blue things on his feet are these shoe guards we had to wear to be poolside. Thankfully neither boy ended up deep pool diving and all was well!

Owen looking deadly serious! He is so grown up all of a sudden. I think he grew again. At Luke's two year old check up thing he measured himself and he was 44 inches. I suppose thats probably tall. Not sure. Luke is 3 ft tall. You wouldnt think it with the little short legs he seems to have. Oh well....Happy Birthday to Luke. A two year old finally. Let the games begin.....

The Many Faces....

2008-08-28T22:20:00.000+01:00

We like dressing up in our house! Well, some of us do! Here are the boys playing the eternally popular and widely known 'Trousers on Heads Soldiers' game.

Owen doing a very good Trouser Head Soldier impression!

This is pirates of course! Swords, helmets, sticks, pajamas. It could not get any better than this! We only have one sword, one helmet, one pirate hat..and..well we ave more than one stick - but this makes for interesting sharing opportunities, shall we say!

Luke was doing another builder impression as Owen was getting all geared up for his builder portion of the day. Today, Owen was a soldier, then a pirate, then a builder, then a soldier, then a builder and finally a sports guy. Sigh.......it keeps the day going that's for sure!

Welcome to the Jungle, babies...

2008-08-28T22:12:00.000+01:00

We got back from America and our garden had exploded...the boys reaped the benefit and enjoyed picking as many peas and bean pods as they could.

Owen liked the picking more than the eating but who cares! The scarlet runner beans were pretty much inedible anyway....

THey enjoyed going in and out of their now covered tepee.

Luke has been taking up the builder mantle!

Cooking...in Mama's Kitchen!

2008-08-28T22:07:00.001+01:00

Endings

2008-08-19T23:22:00.001+01:00

Owen swimming by himself. So good. With flotation aids of course. He loved it. He will have to save his pennies for his own pool now!

My favourite and most hated ride at the funfair. The waltsers/teacups. Great fun. I think I enjoyed myself the most.

Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese!

Family Beach times! Lovely memories to treasure forever. We are back on chilly Irish soil again since this morning. Praise God for smooth plane rides and passages through and for sleeping boys (on the plane, car ride back until 1130am and now at 10pm). Blessings. Makes travel so much easier.

A Hasslehoff Moment

2008-08-12T19:57:00.000+01:00

While we were sitting all on the beach, all of a sudden, out of nowhere came a whole pack of lifeguards. A lot of red lycra and brown muscles. They were doing their morning training session....running down the beach and swimming back. Gruelling enough work out but comforting to know these people do what they say on the tin!

Then..out of nowhere comes Daddy Lifeguard. All the magazine cover types were lithing their way into the waves Baywatch style comparing tan lines and whistle-blowing-while-flexing skills. Then a little behind comes the above. Oldie McOldie....get this...limping...LIMPING his way into the water. Now all I know is that whatever beach he is manning...I don't want to be anywhere NEAR it! 'Oh, theres someone in trouble.....ooh...no...no can't make it....my hip replacement is a little tricky today! oh well...!!'

White On Black

2008-08-12T19:49:00.000+01:00

Some B&W snaps of the beach. Had to do something different! There are only so many sand, sea, sky and children you can photograph really.....

Owen had a good time playing with his cousins...you wouldn't know it from these alone photos....

Luke is looking so serious here. He seems to have a certain tolerance for the beach and it is not a long lasting one. If there is food and juice he can hang on a little longer.....

Rehoboth Beach

2008-08-11T13:33:00.000+01:00

We made it to Rehoboth. It is lovely here. Very beachy! The beach is one long golden stretch of sand and the water is not too cold. The local town is really nice although we have not had the chance to really explore yet. We had spectacular thunderstorms yesterday complete with pebble sized hailstones!! Kind of amazing to watch but not condusive to beaching!

We managed to fit in an hour or so and enjoyed that time. There is also a pool here which we have been making the most of it. We got Owen this floating vest yesterday and he absolutely refused to put it on. But when we got there he acquiesced and lo and behold he swam!! He was so proud of himself because he was able to do it 'all by himself'. We were so proud of him!

The boys obviously enjoyed the beach! It is not supposed to be too warm here today.Low 20's celcius! That's chilly here..imagine! We'll enjoy it anyway...

Philly

2008-08-11T13:21:00.000+01:00

We arrived in Philadelphia after a LONG and GRUELLING journey there from MA. We left at 830am and arrived in Phila at 400pm. It was only supposed to take 4 hours. We got rightly stuck in NY city where we went 5 miles in one hour. It brought a new meaning to the word 'crawling' when it comes to traffic. We were not even crawling because that would imply movement. However we did arrive and the hotel we were staying in was incredible. Two separate rooms so we could all sleep well (well actually we didn't but that's another story...Luke is now a fan of escaping his cot....etcetc..) Owen's plasters above are from him accidentally turned around and running straight into a thick wire holding up the tennis net......bad grazes...poor lad.

The next day we made it to the Please Touch Museum in Phila. It was great. The lads had a blast being allowed to 'touch' everything....Here's Luke above on a tractor that mades sounds but was just like a real tractor.

Here's Owen sliding down a cream slide into a bowl of cereal! Owen hung out here a lot. There was an oven and this cream machine and pretend sacks of flour etc. He loved the baking and making.

This was Lukes favourite thing. A massive river of water with boats. He stayed here for ages. And got completeld 'drownded' as they would say in some parts of the world...you know where you are!! All in all a good morning...

I Scream You Scream

2008-08-11T13:06:00.000+01:00

Some adventures in icecreaming. The lads (all three of them) are really getting into the whole icecream culture. We have definitely had icecream every day since we have been here. Massachusetts seems to be famed for its consumption of this creamy goodness and we have been testing this theory quite successfully.....

Seems like more icecream goes onto Luke than in his mouth. His method is just putting your entire face into the cone and hoping for the best when you come up. Kind of like Icecream Bobbing! Owen seems a little more sophisticated although that does not keep his face stain free....

But they are lovely! It was getting late at this stage. We were talking with George and Marie and the lads were winding down, unsuccessfully I might add. This was a rare moment of 'sittage'!! Thanks for the ICE (thats what all the cool people are calling it these days!!).....George and Marie....was lovely to see you both...

The Trip Continues

2008-08-07T21:18:00.000+01:00

A family portrait with the Pileggis. Great to see you all. Especially for Owen and Enzo' sake, I hope it isn't too long before we meet again. Look at them with their arms around each other!! Lovely...

Owen in mid-throw....

Do I bore you??! We do have one without the yawn but really.....this is so much entertaining!

Our old connection group members including Mr. L...you know who you are..and at least you won't show up on Google....! Great to see those folks and to see the mansion finally.....thanks for exposing our children to the REAL america! The one with massive televisions and lazy chairs.......!

More Friendlieness...and Icecream

2008-08-06T04:24:00.000+01:00

Just to let everyone know that I do in fact exist! Here I am at Fire & Ice in Providence RI. Ryan and I took a trip there ALONE while the grandparents kindly gathered our brood and took them to the zoo. A good time was had by all!

Broadway Posing...all that was missing was a good showtune! Enzo seems to have captured it better than his counterpart.....

Luke enjoying his icecream! Is it ever any other way....

And the picture of the night...Luke got into kissing Julia...the parents were on the side encouraging this behaviour.....and he got right into it. Unfortunately the trend seems to have caught on as he now thinks this is what you do at playgrounds.....he was trying to kiss other girls. Julia will be upset when she hears!

Visting Friends

2008-08-03T01:38:00.000+01:00

A great time was had by everyone at the Pileggis. Owen in particular. He thought that he had reached the Ultimate playplace perfectly customised for him. There were tools, hats, baseballs, helmets, bikes, balls..everything a 4 year old can dream about. Enzo and Owen got on like a house on fire and it was lovely for the old Dads to watch a childhood friendship live on......through their children! (I am sure that is what they were thinking too!!.....more like, what's for dinner??!)

Here is Ryan and Luke playing more baseball. Baseball has featured heavily in this trip it seems....

Friends..! And little Luke looking on. Sometimes it's great to be a little brother...sometimes you just want to be older....

Julia and Luke...a match made in heaven..they say the Irish and the Italians make the best looking children..so hey.....let's start this dowry rolling!! Luke has a certain weakness for blondes with curls!

This American Life

2008-08-01T20:31:00.000+01:00

Owen munching on this hot dog watching the baseball game.

Owen and his cousin having mucho fun in the back seat of our massive vehicle...ah yes..I must post a picture of the Monster. We got upgrade upon upgrade and ended up with one of these typical American cars....7 seater Beast......so Owen was sitting here in the WayBack..as he called it...

Luke trying to better a steel ring......didn't have too much luck with that one! This was at 9 o clock in the morning and the heat was searing..completely unbearable....Ryan was running around the track and we went to the lovely playground next door. The lads just couldn't hack it......what a morning!...it's great....

The running continues! Ryan's inspiration.......

America Part Two

2008-08-01T03:47:00.000+01:00

I really love this picture. Just one of those that just happened. I don't know why I like it considering you can't see Luke's little face but just the light shining on his face and the shadows.

Here's the real deal. I got that little tshirt for him. It is red velour. It is so Italian Mafioso looking and I love it! Really suits him. We are in the market for some fake chest hair and a shiny gold medallion!

Owen here acting the maggot! Just back from watching his first baseball game. Ryan said he loved it. Sat there and watched the whole think eating his popcorn and hot dog. A true American experience.

Luke had an extreme amount of fun splashing in a little baby pool. The perfect activity for this weather. Amazing for us coming from Ireland to think of actually sitting in the shade because it's too hot. I can't get enough of the heat though....just so lovely. The lads seem to be handling it well also. Although strangely enough Owen keeps saying that he is cold??! I think it is strange for them to be constantly going from temperature to temperature. Most people have air conditioning so when you go inside it's cold and when you step outside it's baking hot.......

In My Father's Footsteps

2008-08-01T03:37:00.000+01:00

Owen is following in his daddy's footsteps......baseball all the way. I like this for showing the old and new generation of baseball lovers.....

America Part One

2008-08-01T03:34:00.000+01:00

We've arrived Stateside! Here are some snaps to keep you up to date on our goings on. As you can see the weather is phenomenal! And we are making the most of it. We have been here a week so far and it has rained twice. We have been doing American things such as eating ice cream, playing baseball, eating hot dogs, going to baseball games etc. Seems to be a theme there......eating and baseball..mmm......

Owen and Luke have finally adjusted time wise and are now settled into more of a routine. It is nice to see them playing with their cousins and having the freedom of enjoyment of hot weather etc.

Ryan likes to think he's still 9! But that's okay. His aching limbs remind him of his real age!

Luke has been doing a LOT of running! Yesterday he ran around a whole track - 400 meters....doesn't seem like loads but when you think of how short his little legs are!

Passing the Time

2008-07-17T21:49:00.000+01:00

Here are the boys snuggled watching a DVD. Luke loves touch and will always touch Owen when he is next to him. It is lovely to watch. Okay, more often than not these days there are almost guaranteed scrimmages on the couch when they are watching something - poking and pushing and general boyishness. Quite wearing...

Which is why we do things like this! The weather has not been good so we have been trying to find ways to dispel some of that nervous energy brewing around in these boys bodies. We started off with plain old running. That just lasted for about 10 mintes. Then I set up one of Owen's dearly loved blankies across the door with layers of masking tape and they had a great old time just running through it and running through......repeat, repeat, repeat.....

Simple things make the most fun I think! Here is Luke heading in for a swish.....Speaking of blankies...Luke takes on of them to bed now....just because they are Owe-O's. He wants to 'get toasty' under the blankie before he falls asleep. Generally giving Owen a little eye when he tucks it under himself. I think he does it partly because he now idolises Owen and partly just to annoy him.......

Here is Owen looking like he has whiplash....he didn't...just in case you think we did that to pass the time....a trip to Casualty is always fun!!..Luke is following him up for a dive....oh the things we do.....thankfully today was okay and we got out for a walk and a trot at the nearest green soccer field....this was good and necessary. Sanity prevailed at last....

Graduation 1

2008-07-11T13:55:00.000+01:00

Here is Owen graduating from playschool. He will be there again next year but it just works for them to be able to do everyone at the one time. The pictures aren't the clearest but you get the idea. Mr Handsome!

Kilkee2008

2008-07-05T20:18:00.001+01:00

We are just back from our week long trip to Summer Fire 2008!! A conference with a Kids club for Owen's age group and seminars and meetings for parents. It was a great time, especially for Owen. He learned loads of new songs and got to hang out with his best friends Elana and Kirsten for a whole week. Above is one of Owen's new 'looks' since coming back from camp - it is the 'Zach' look. Zach was one of Owen's leaders and this is exactly how he dressed. Owen came home and straight away changed into this 'disguise'!! Amazing....

This another one of his 'looks'...one of the more disturbing looks. He wears Daddy's high school ring and my necklace and starts to break dance...we do not know where he learned this or even saw it..but there you have it...he has learned some new moves from Kids Club so he is adding to his repertoire each day.

Here is Luke doing his favourite activity at the house where we stayed. There was a circle where you could run around and he just did this repeatedly for 10 or 15 minutes. Just kept running. At one point he put on a swimming hat...maybe to make himself more streamlined and beat his time??!!.....who knows! Below is Owen playing tennis! It was Wimbeldon week this week so Owen was out practicing as much as he could. He was brilliant!

2008-06-26T21:00:00.000+01:00

Dangling summer legs! All of these sunny pictures were taken on Monday. Our only day with sun this week. It has been raining and when I say raining I mean all day wetness, sometimes torrential. Nightmare summer. My poor boys are suffering from severe cabin fever. Thankfully there was a break this evening and yesterday evening where they could get out and tear around.

Luke. Good old Luke. It is amazing how much he is copying Owen now (Ow-O). They are becoming a right pair. Owen will mess and Luke will echo it and they will skit together. This is mostly at the dinner table unfortunately. But good to see them having a great time. Owen is still rough though. He gets a lot of pleasure from sitting on Luke, crushing him, pushing him, tackling him to the ground. Luke has a certain tolerance......but he has his limit.

Lunch today! Cheesy bread and yogurts. Owen just had his last day in playschool. Pictures to follow when we can scan. It was lovely. This is his playschool face! The year of playschool has produced this wonderful production....

Here is the brother. Monkey! Has started to become all particular now about the way he plays. Lining things up and having them facing the right way and that kind of thing. He has very specific ideas now. Lovely to see him developing his own unique personality. Still not an abundance of words but enough to get him by! 'Bob' and 'Mammeeeeeeee' are the ones that get most use I would say!

Summer?

2008-06-24T20:52:00.000+01:00

Some of the range of flowers in our Summer Garden! Above is a lily. It is stunning to look at and I love the colour. Splashes of colour make even the most dreary of days brighter.

And here is 'Love in a Mist'. Ryan got me the seeds for Christmas and they have blossomed nicely. They are really intricate and understated but striking.

Luke and his 'Mowww'...that is 'cat' for all you non-Luke speaking people! He is extremely kind and gentle with her. It ALMOST makes you want to get him a cat.....am...well..okay, not really! They are CATS after all.......smell that pee.....no thanks...

Owen and his 'diva' ways! Outside enjoying our brief nice spell of weather. I say 'brief' because today it is FREEZING and LASHING rain.....Owen was wearing his 'tootle'. This is his name for a nose thing for swimming. He got it in a very nice package that came yesterday from the ever generous Pa and Gramma (thanks very much...packages make our days!). This was Owen's way of wearing the goggles and 'tootle'. He was actually waving hello here.

A Smashing Time

2008-06-23T20:29:00.001+01:00

Here is the culprit.....

Here is the 'vehicle'.....

And here is the damage........Can you figure out what happened?

FarmFest

2008-06-22T20:58:00.001+01:00

We went to a FarmFest on Friday. It was a beautiful day and the boys had a fantastic time. Especially since there was a real live 'na-na' truck there that they were allowed to play on. The stuff of dreams!

Fireman Owen. The helmet was huge but he didn't mind.

Daddy had to have a go of course!

The two boys. They were looking at the different animals. Luke was enjoying himself. He just looks remarkably serious here! As if to say...'what are you doing, crazy lady..can't you see I am enjoying looking at animals and making all the sounds....''

Rainy Days

2008-06-05T21:49:00.001+01:00

Some rain today so we were inside. A lot of messing going on. This is Owen's posed picture. He is so cute. He rarely takes this Bob hat off now. If it isn't the Bob hat it's the sports jersey and boots. He fell out of bed the other night. I went up and he was actually fast asleep sitting up against the edge of his bed. The reason he fell out was because he was literally 'pushed out' by the football, the hurl, the helmet and the rugby ball that he had brought to bed with him. Right now he is in bed with his boots!

Here is the chief messer! Anything that gets a laugh and he just repeats it over and over again, the next time sillier than the time before!

There were hammers and glass in close proximity so a few quick snaps and it was off to manage the madness!

Here is Luke looking, well, a little dishevelled! He loves these glasses. On and off and on and off. He has started this thing of skipping as he runs. I wish you could see it because it is so funny. And carefree! I wish I could skip along when I run and not be committed to a psychiatric unit for doing it!

Finally got them into the same frame. Pheww! Harder than you would imagine. Aren't they lovely!

Our impromtu camping trip!

2008-06-02T16:32:00.010+01:00

A strange aroma of madness descended on Galway on Sunday afternoon. We decided to join our friends for a camping trip to Co.Clare. It was a bank holiday weekend and the weather was amazing. So what better way to spend it than at the beach with friends and tents?! Sounds good. In theory! So we quickly threw a bunch of gear in the car and drove to the Clare coast.

Here we are. The merry band. We spent the afternoon at the beach trying to tire out the children. But being a little more successful in tiring out ourselves me thinks! We found our camping spot and pitched the tents.

The tents were pitched on top of a hill away from the road in the middle of Burren. We raced against the looming darkness that was creeping over the distant hills. Yikes. There had been forecasts for thundery showers. Surely no rain on our parade!

It was not to be. We spent about 2 hours in one of the tents, all 8 of us. We had already started a fire to cook our sausages and pasta. Ryan, being the trooper he is went out in the LASHING rain and cooked our dinner. What a guy. He fed the sausages and pasta in batches to us under the awning of the tent as we listened to the rain pelt down outside! Memories are made of this! Luke is digging for breakfast in the picture above! I hear BBQ'd caterpillars are all the rage now!

Here are the excited bunch! Owen got his wish and was allowed to sleep in the tent with his friends. Luke slept in the 2 man tent with Ryan and I. I use the word 'sleep' very loosely here! It must have been 1130 before the three older munchkins actually settled. Luke did very well. He was exhausted. I (Elaine) suffered from extreme clausterphobia!! Got into our little tent and just listened to Ryan snoring and Lukes occasional stirrings for about 2 hours. At around 230am Owen woke up screaming in the neighbouring tent. So I got my belongings and joined him and the girls over there. Eventually falling asleep and waking up four hours later!
Here is Luke and Berry, his little friends special bear. He looks so tired! This was probably around 8am. We had nothing for breakfast and resorted to marshmallows and tortilla chips!
Some of the flora and fauna of the Burren. A lot of flowers (not these) that grow in this region of Ireland are indigineous and protected species. It is a beautiful, rugged place.

Owen found use for the sticks etc that were around. Why, guns of course! What better way to pass the time. All were into it. Owen was a little nervous with the whole scenario I think. Even though he was through the roof excited about camping, I think the newness of it unnerved him a bit. He wasn't his usual wild self. Much more cautious and careful and afraid of things.

Luke. He was quiet. A dream camping child. Actually they both were so easy. It really didn't put us off the idea of every going camping again. It was an interesting experience. We are all wrecked tired today. But it was worth it for memories and for a practice run to see if it is something that we will continue to do as a family. The answer is a yes. Only I think that next time it would be nice to be in a little bit of civilisation when we camp and to have a tent where we can stand actually breathe in!
All were exhausted when we stopped for icecream in Ballyvaughn! A good end to a good mini holiday. Where to next??!

Various States of Dress

2008-05-29T22:06:00.000+01:00

Here is Luke. He was having a big brother day. Wanted to try on Owen! Owen's 'sports socks', cycling helmet and shoes. Just shows that they are catching up. They don't look ridiculous on him! We have noticed Luke becoming much more of a joker. He just loves getting a laugh out of you for something silly. He is not a serious child whatsoever and it's lovely to have around. Good for all of us.

Nice pose eh?! This is his new 'smile'. Ah well! He still looks lovely. Off to school with the bag. The latest obession! He is like a woman. He worries about getting his bag ready for school at night. And when I talk about getting the bag ready, I mean, putting baseball cards in there, football boots or footballs. Nothing that school actually requires! it's great to see him starting to take responsibility for things. He really thinks about things and almost worries. I don't want him to spend his life as a frowning worrier but it is nice to see him starting to think about things. I really notice him helping me out and being very willing to assist on almost everything - tidying the toys is the toughie! I think that's just a mindset though! What a blessing he is.

Here is Owen in full attire! Ready for battle. Sword, shield and...err..Bucket?!!

Nice! What else can you say about this picture. I have to be truthful though and tell you that I told Owen to put his hand on Luke's shoulder. He did do it though and left it there for awhile and Luke was okay with it. It's so lovely. The two brothers. Becoming more like brothers every day.

BBQ Time

2008-05-24T22:11:00.000+01:00

Had some BBQ fun at friends house this evening. There was an amazing amount of delicious food. Lots of sports fun. Owen brought his sports gear in his bag because Uncle Dave the hurler was there.

Luke wanted to get a look in with the football boots. But he figured it was too much work and collapsed in a sand hole instead!

Owen looking lovely. He got dressed today and looked at me 'I look cute Mummy, don't I?!' He does. Nice to have such amazing self awareness.

The Pro...beaten again by his brother in law. He is still analysing the loss.....Croquet - the sport of the people??!!

Arty Farty!

2008-05-21T22:16:00.001+01:00

Here is a nice shot. Boys colouring quietly at the table! What a perfect family. Not surprising of course! Since it's ours. Owen loves his colouring and Luke certainly loves colouring more than Owen did at this age but then he has Owen to watch. Luke scribbles like a crazed maniac while Owen is starting to really care about staying within the lines and colouring things the colours they should be. He's also started to show an interest in writing things like his name and his number. So this is good!

Ah yes. Luke not only likes to colour but have the odd attempt at devouring the markers. Thank God for non-toxic pens! He did a pretty good job of staying in the mouth though! He looks all buff in his Bob the Builder vest! Loves Bob. He calls every builder he sees 'Bob!' I turned Bob the DVD on for him today. I think it was the first time I had done that. He went crazy! All red in the face and excited. Ah, the boys, the boys......I love them. And last but not least, Happy Birthday Gramma. Owen was very interested in how old you are now. He had trouble getting his tongue around 42...but after a bit of practice he managed it! Hope you have a great day.....

Ongoings

2008-05-20T21:41:00.000+01:00

Here is Owen 'camping!' Out our back. Unfortunately it did not end so well for the little man. He hopped out onto the pavement with no shoes on and landed on a sharp stone. Bruised his heel quite badly, poor lad and has been on his tippy toes ever since. It seems to be getting better and less swollen so he should be back to proper walking tomorrow!

Luke wasn't too concerned! Here he is enjoying is MOSTEST favouritest activity. Reading. Grandad is a very exciting reader and Luke laps it up.

I heard a thud last night. Being a good mother I did not rush upstairs straight away as I heard no crying. I figured Owen had gotten back into bed again. This was how I found him when I did make it upstairs. Fast asleep. As if he were on his mattress. Just like his father was apparently. Ryan was proud of him for his 'falling out of bed unto hard ground and remaining asleep' gene!

Couldn't resist a picture of Luke all toasty, unmoving and quiet in his leaba. Perfect. The picture of contentment. This is the time of night when your heart bursts with love for the little lads. All the whining, crying, accidents, frustrations, wildness and concerns fade nicely away. I just marvel at their perfection. I am so glad we have these moments.

Sports!

2008-05-17T22:06:00.000+01:00

Owen got some new 'gear' today. Football boots (cleats) and shinpads. He went along to his first hurling training session last night - under 6's. Just watched. But getting used to it. All the little ones there were all kitted out so we said we would get him the necessary paraphernalia for next week's session! He is so excited about his gear. On and off went the shin pads and boots all day. Really. He is gone to bed with them. Although this isn't unusual. Along with his blankie these days he has been sleeping next to his 'sports shoes.' He is so protective of the new boots. Anytime he came to the edge of the grass to go onto pavement he took of the boots and carried them because we had explained that the concrete wasn't good for the studs! It's so lovely to see him so interested in something....

Here is Lukes interest. Food! This is the new modern way of eating. Just taking off. We are trendsetters. Carpet Foraging! No plates required. Just a Dyson and a good anti bacterial stomach! Just so we won't be judged, we are not in the habit of feeding our children from the floor. Somehow this happened. They had tortilla chips and were divvying them up and well, one thing led to another and......Poor Luke, dinner didn't come at 5 so he was wasted! Can't handle dinner delays very well still!

Beaching

2008-05-17T21:57:00.000+01:00

Looks like we are somewere foreign here! Just Galway...Salthill to be specific...Nice day. Boys went to beach three days last week. We had to make the most of the rarity of sunshine! It hasn't gone away though..it continues to last and last! Nice swing from Owen eh?!

Luke had no fear of the water really. He knew enough not to go out too deep though. The iciness probably helped...

Owen brought the bike, helmet and shades...ultra cool! Forgot his pants though! Ah well....He had a great time flying along the wet sand..

Luke.....crouching tiger!

Happenings

2008-05-16T22:15:00.000+01:00

Luke was on a mission. To retrieve Owen's hot chocolate! Especially the little marshmallows! He managed it alright! You can just make out his lip in the below photo. Whacked in the face last weekend by the follow through to one of Owen's fantastic forehands down the line! There was blood and a lot of it. Even the traditional post-injury icepop didn't calm it down. I wouldn't mind but it was right on top of the bump he still has from the bath incident a few months ago. Sigh. Then....just to add injury to injury, he fell against the handle of his wheelbarrow and cut the outside of his lip in the same place...again....and he shall be called Puffy Lipped Child.....

Here is Owen before school. Nick needing some exercise so Owen donned his FANTASTIC sailor hat, fashioned from extremely expensive and rare materials and put Nick through his paces!

See...told you the hat was a once off! Newspaper and tape.......hard to replicate!!

WetSuit

2008-05-15T21:26:00.001+01:00

Can you figure out what happened here? I barely can! That is Luke, in the bath. In his pajamas. He had been in his cot. When Ryan went back upstairs this is where he found Luke. Incredible. Not only out of his cot but INTO the bath, fully clothed. Sigh....never a dull moment. Owen was in the middle of deep sea dives at this point. He is enjoying the fact that he can now go under the water with his new 'scuba gear!'

Duck Tales

2008-05-11T22:15:00.000+01:00

We fed the ducks after the park. Whew - what a day!! Ultra fun family! The lads really enjoyed this. We fed these birds to overfill I would say. I wouldn't be surprised to see some floating ducks hanging around next week!

More Saturday Times

2008-05-11T21:59:00.000+01:00

Ryan got a new 'hair piece.' Trying to stretch out his hairline synthetically! Sorry Ry, the sunglasses are fooling noone!

Here is our local market! It is really nice. We should make more use of it really. It's so chic and European!

Here are a couple of playground snaps. Owen looking super serious on the swing. And Luke relishing the fun of the ''choo choo'' that was there...

Market Day

2008-05-10T22:09:00.001+01:00

Here is a 'now you see it, now you don't' moment with the doughnuts that we get from the Market every so often. Owen refers to them as 'trailer food' because they are served from a trailer! The boys absolutely love their warm, fresh, sugary goodness! As you can see clearly here!

Owen gets the doughnuts himself. I love watching him go to the trailer with his fist clenched tightly around the money. His head barely reaching the counter. So excited to be getting something. Gives over the cash and rushes off with the goods, not understanding the concept of change yet!

Daddy and sons alike, digging into their doughnuts. We also got some boerwors there! I hope that people will say 'huh?' to this because well, you know, it makes us seem all cultured! They are these wonderful handmade South African sausages that you can only buy at the market. I am not a big sausage person but these are so different - kind of sweet and aromatic...mmm...

Sugary Owen......and cool out Ryan! And Owen and his Mammy. We don't even look related, sure we don't. It's amazing. I mean, I was there - honest! I was involved!

Fine Days

2008-05-09T23:42:00.000+01:00

Luke - Post Water Fight. We had a pretty warm week. One evening I gave Luke the hose and Owen and I had fun trying to dodge his firing power! He loved being in control and inflicting allowed 'pain' on his family members! Owen was more of a self protecting fighter! And also a caring one - he watered Daddy's seeds with some of his water! It was fun to get completely soaked - for all involved I think!

Our best purchase! We got a cheap tent in our local grocery store and the neighbourhood got hours of fun out of it. The boys absolutely love getting in and out of the thing. And tackling each other and doing forward roll after forward roll. I am not sure that it is about the tent that instantly sends them into forward rolling mode - but hey.....Don't question the amusement!

Look at the Lovelies

2008-05-07T22:34:00.000+01:00

Now, really - is this a cute picture or what?! The two little munchkin heads....getting loads of fun out of one of Owen's expensive birthday presents - actually, no.....that'd be a cardboard box from the push mower. Or the mode of transport that morning that was taking the boys to imaginationVille somewhere....

The lads' sallow skin is starting to kick in. Daddy's strong genes are paying off. We have been having a spell of pretty lovely weather for Ireland and we have been making the most of it. Lovely to see those brown necks and arms again! Also lovely to see them starting to share fun together finally!

Third and Final Party - Phee-ww

2008-05-06T22:28:00.001+01:00

Owen's birthday has seemed to never end. Like some sort of foreign wedding, the parties have just gone on and on....four year old style of course! This was the family birthday celebration complete with Ben, Dara and John.....Above you see Owen posing rather properly (!) for a portrait of him and Uncle Dec!

Here are Luke and John - the three week apart friends! It's amazing...Luke has always been taller than John, from day one and it holds true even 1 and half years on......This picture was taken before Luke tried to beat John with some sort of metal implement that had to be extracated from his paw! Lovely! He seems to get feisty when other children come around - breaks into 'defend my corner' mode....

This is a meagre attempt at a birthday cake. Not as meagre as the one on Sunday! Which was a jam doughnut with a candle shoved in (line up the insults there Niall...)But in fairness, we were on the beach that day. And this excuse..well....he got the lovely train cake so.....let's not spoil the kid, right??! Ah well...the cinnamon buns went down a treat and all Owen was interested in was blowing out the candles anyway! Well done Owen, you are now officially 4. I know you don't want to get bigger but I am glad that we have gotten to watch you grow into the little man that you are at 4....you bring so much joy to Mammy and Daddy's life. Enjoy 4-dom.....it will be good! And as you were telling me.....you can do kicks with the ball right uip into the air now because you are 4....so 4 is a good thing!

And some more...

2008-05-04T21:41:00.000+01:00

More Beach

2008-05-04T21:38:00.000+01:00

Beach Times

2008-05-04T21:36:00.000+01:00

Roundstone in Connemara. Our first summer beach trip for Owen's birthday. We had such a great time. Sandy, tired, hungry and happy! Good times....

Beach Times

2008-05-04T21:34:00.001+01:00

Our birthday trip out to Connemara for Owen's birthday. We had an amazingly sunny day and enjoyed many, many hours on the beach. The boys came home exhausted, filthy and happy!

The New Patio

2008-05-04T21:30:00.000+01:00

Ryan's latest work......completed yesterday. He did good eh?!

The famous tepee. Just missing it's creepers. So the garden is coming together nicely. Just in time for the nice weather....here's hoping!

Birthday Shenanigans

2008-05-04T21:26:00.000+01:00

Owen and Luke with their lovely friends Elana and Kirsten enjoyed an icecream. Very good soft serve from the van that goes around. Owen was so nice. He used his money that his uncle John pressed into his hand during a birthday handshake. So king.

Owen's birthday today. Enjoying some present opening. We actually had to wake him up this morning to come downstairs for presents before we headed to the beach at 8:30am.

This is Lukes latest silly pose........cute

Street Partay

2008-05-01T21:25:00.000+01:00

Owen turns four on Sunday. Today was his first party of the weekend! He had some friends over for a 'street party.' I wanted to have a little party with a cake outside for his few friends and all the neighbourhood children that hang around. So the weather graciously cooperated and we ploughed ahead. Owen's friend Adam from school came as well as his South African friend Andrich - they are here below. It was a nice time. You can see my lovely cake above! A bit of a disaster but Owen barely noticed - he was just excited about there being a cake.

Here are the friends. It was interesting to watch the whole friendship thing unfold. They all just sort of did their own thing. There was no clinging on or holding hands or doing things together necessarily. If we had been inside it might have been a little different. The girl in me just wanted to force them together and watch them be all 'best friendish!' Ah well. I think a good time was had by all. Owen found the whole thing a little overwhelming I think, the poor lad. He was so excited about the idea of a party but for whatever reason he found the whole event a little hard to deal with. He was fairly quiet for the whole afternoon. By the time the evening came he was completley wiped out. Ah well - he is still only 4 - or almost at least.

Good action shot I think. That's some leaping run isn't it! Lovely to see the lads teaming up for a kick around. Luke has really gotten interested in sports and loves kicking a ball in particular. He watches the big lads playing and waits for their ball to come his way and then he gets up and runs himself ragged to get to the ball and 'kick it back' to the lads. It is hilarious to watch. His little short legs going as fast they can...

Dirt boy. If you look closely you can probably see all the dirt magnetising to Lukes face. I am convinced this is what happens.

Rainy Days and Mondays!

2008-04-29T21:31:00.000+01:00

Owen has started to use his imagination more. Yesterday he made a 'bed' for him and Luke in the sitting room during one of our rainstorms. He got so much fun out of it and it was lovely to watch the two of them playing together. There tends to be quite a bit of rivalry between the two of them these days. Luke is getting much more assertive and Owen is still the big brother. So the tension over toys is starting to rise. Much testosterone flowing. The sweet smell of masculine pride creeping its way in even at this age....

Here is Owen and his 'street friends!' These are little ones that hang around our neighbourhood when their mother is visiting one of our neighbourhoods. Owen adores the company. As you can see here, he is having so much fun waiting for yet another rain storm to come on top of us. We have been having very sunny and very wet weather all at once! Welcome to the Land of Green.

This weather is certainly good for making the most of so out we went with the wellie boots on and jumped in puddles to our hearts content. Owen loved it. Children love the freedom of getting dirty I think. Sometimes it is a bit of leap for me as I see them get dirtier and dirtier but I just keep reminding myself that that is what washing machines are made of and boys were meant to be filthy.

See, look how much he enjoys the whole dirty business! These all-in-one wetsuits are just the best. Completely dry on the inside and mucky as you like on the outside! Brilliant.