The Burren

Saturday, Sept 25, Part 3 of 3
To get to the Cliffs, you drive through The Burren.  Hard to describe it.  These hills are covered in limestone rocks, it looks like silver dust covering the hills.  So different yet beautiful in it's own way.  Never seen anything like it before!  We also stopped at the Aillwee Cave, within The Burren.
My pictures are hazy and don't do justice.  This is a link for the national park.  http://www.burrennationalpark.ie/

A typical site at a junction in a rural area!

The boys wanted their picture taken, turned out fun!

Lisdoonvarna

Saturday, Sept 25, Part 2 of 3

We randomly stopped in the town of Lisdoonvarna for lunch.  It was a bit odd because they actually had a matchmaking festival going on!!!  It goes for 5 weeks, through all of September.  For a Saturday at noon, there were barely any children around, LOL!  We know for next time I guess!  At least lunch was good!  Here are some pictures while waiting for our food.

Cliffs of Moher

Saturday, Sept 25, Part 1 of 3
It was a big day, but a good day!  The Cliffs of Moher are really not that far away, but with the windy BUMPY roads, you take your time!  It took about 1.5 hr to get there, with a few photo stops along the way.
I was worried I would not be awed by the Cliffs, have to high of expectations because of all the hype over them.  But they are now considered one of the wonders of the world and yes, they are amazing.  It's beautiful.  Just obey the signs and not be one of the steady casualties of those who do not obey!

Thank-you Peggy, Thank-you Sara

This post should have happened a couple weeks ago.
On the day marking 2 years since we lost Esmee, our sweet friend Peggy took fresh pink baby roses to Esmee's grave.  A few days later, our sweet friend Sara and her boys took flowers to the grave.  THIS MEANT THE WORLD TO ME, and I thank you both from the bottom of my heart.  1 more month and I can do this myself.
Sara sent a couple of her pictures.

Sweet Simon - this picture made me tear up :)

A boy named Jake

Actually, his name is Owen.
I found it funny, that yesterday when I went to get the boys for supper from their friend Jake's house, a boy they've played with since we arrived, that when I said to help Jake pick up his toys, his mom tells me, "actually his name is Owen!"
Jake... Owen... hummm, not even alike!  Crazy and funny!

5 FiVe 5

We meant to post this earlier this week, then I had laptop issues.
The boys wanted to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to their buddy BENJAMIN!!
They can't wait to play with him again!
I can't believe Benjamin is now 5, because that means my boys will be 5 soon.  Where has time gone, and they are turning into such little men, my babies have disappeared!
Here's the boys before they were 1, in April 2006, and then this past July.  I borrowed your picture Andrea, hope you don't mind!

Mason, Benjamin, Chase - April 2006

Chase, Mason, Benjamin - July 2010

I love my brothers very very much

I love my brothers very very much
Just sometimes it can be a bit too much.
But no worries y'all
As it's payback time now that I can crawl!

Madelynne is 9 months old!

Another month, another milestone, as she is crawling now!  It's a whole new world to discover!  She doesn't go too far, at the moment, but I'm completely ok with that!  We don't have any safety gates, but every room has a door and that is going to be handy!
She is a busy little girl, discovering, content to sit and figure something out, then on to the next thing.
She likes to play with the boys trains too, they are not fans of that!  She bull dozes her way in on the tracks, and starts to play.  Then I hear the boys yelling, "MOMMY, CAN YOU COME AND MOVE MADELYNNE!"  Hee hee
Besides crawling, she has suddenly turned a fan of eating anything mommy eats, forget the baby food.  So her diet pretty much consists of (besides formula) mashed potatoes, toast, soft cheese, yogurt, cooked carrots, cooked apples, bananas and then the goodies daddy brought back from the USA just in time! Gerber Puffs, Yogurt Melts and L'il Crunchies, things you cannot buy here!  Now to ration them until we leave!  (More so to hide them from the boys...)
She has also started to be less clingy, yay!  She recognizes Auntie Laura and Auntie Julie immediately and will go to them and others now.  That gives me some tiny breaks that I haven't had since we left. :)

A Special Saturday

Saturday, September 18.

We had the privilege of having Julie and Laura, plus Stephen Landon who's Irish but has been laboring in Columbia, for lunch.  Ruben came home with 80 home made flour tortilla's from HEB, so Ruben got to make us fajitas, and it was good!  I didn't know I missed Mexican food so much, especially good ole breakfast tacos!
Food was great, but the fellowship was the best!  Lots of laughs too!

On Sunday, the 19th, we had another privilege, going up to Clifden in time for tea at the sisters very cute batch in the heart of Clidfen, and then to the gospel meeting there.

Daddy is back!! Bunratty Castle

Friday, September 18.

A MUCH looked forward to day!  The morning started out with bath time for Madelynne.  A bit more chatting with Adele.  And then we drove to the Shannon Airport to pick up Ruben at 11:30.  After that we decided to look at the Bunratty Castle between Shannon and Limmerick. We had no idea that there was a Folk Park attached to it, for the Albertans reading this blog, it's like Heritage Park in Calgary.  The castle had more to see in it that any other castle we had been too.  We didn't have enough time, I didn't have the stroller, the camera battery even died, so we really need to go back, if we have a chance!  It was a cute interesting place, highly recommend! We have a few more pictures that will be on webshots soon.

At the entrance.

  

Adele

Thursday, September 17.
There is a very sweet girl from Donegal that goes to University here in Galway.  Her name is Adele!  She stayed with us Thursday night.  The boys loved her and it was nice getting to know her a little bit.  Most of all, it had been a VERY long day with the boys, I was ready to go crazy, so when she showed up at the door, it was instant relief because I knew the boys would latch unto her!!  Come stay with us or see us anytime Adele!

Athlone and Lecarrow

Wednesday, September 15.
We met Nicola and Abby in Athlone for a bit of shopping (I needed/wanted some FitFlops which I love) and then we went to our 3rd indoor playground of the week!
After we went back out to Auchmuty's to play and ended up spending the night at Robert and Susan's.  Their youngest son Wayne has a drum set in his room, and boy were there 2 excited little boys that spent a long time in there making noise!

Abby cute and covered in sand.

Playing on the deck at Nicola and Mervin's.

Beautiful rainbow, beautiful view, Lough Ree in their backyard.

View from our bedroom at Robert and Susan's.  (Lake on other side of house)
Sorry the exposure doesn't match up!

Elephant Do Nutters

Tuesday, September 14
As we look for things to pass the time as Daddy is away, we decided to play the elephant Do Nutters game.  It was more fun just being silly with the elephant masks on!  And then just being silly and taking pictures.  Laura and Julie stayed Sunday night, so that helped!  Yesterday we went to an indoor play area for the first time.  Usually we are okay just being outside, at the park, on the shooters.  But it has been raining alot and very windy, so now we search for places like "Hoppin Hippo"!

Madelynne liked just playing with the donuts.

Scooter time

The boys were getting a bit restless with just balls to play with outside, so we got them some two wheeled scooters and they love them!  We have temporarily forgotten about the park and take many a walk down the streets so they can go "super fast!"  Mason pushes with his left foot, Chase with his right.

Standing

Madelynne has yet to officially crawl, but she gets places in her own way!  One thing she loves, is standing.  Anytime you set her in front of her walker, she is standing within seconds!

Mashed Potatoes

I love my mashed potatoes now!  I prefer to eat them on my own without mommy's help, so I make quite a mess. :)

A walk to Rinn Duin Castle

Thursday, September 9.
We went to visit Nicola and Abby in LeCarrow, Co. Roscommon.  The Laura and Julie were there too, and we all headed out for a walk through a field to a near by castle.  It was a bit of an adventure!  I'm still cleaning manure off the wheels of the stroller!  An umbrella stroller did not cut it for this walk!  Nicola let me trade half way with her 3 wheeled "pushchair" and what a difference.  From plowing to gliding.  I so want to get one here now, but not sure how much of a pain it would be at the airport.  If anyone has advice on this, please comment!  In the photos below you will see our hour jaunt!

Here we are starting out, with the property owner chatting with Nicola.

Hummm... cows blocking the gate that we needed to go through.

A helping hand with a thick Irish accent kindly shewed the cows and opened the gate!  There were some on the other side wanting to cross, we didn't want to mix them up!

Julie took over plowing through the field with the umbrella stroller!

The castle ruins.

Rinn Duin Castle

Nicola has traded strollers by now, poor girl, and this is before it POURS and drenches all of us!  We walked 20 min back in the pouring rain!  Hence manure and mud!

Didn't notice this sign until after.  I thought the owner was joking when he said to watch out for the bull!  I'm just 100% grateful we did not meet him.... shudder.

Madelynne and sweet Abby.