One year recap

June 28, 2013 we landed in Ireland on our 3yr adventure.  We were pretty excited and nervous about the move but had no idea how it would turn out.  I think Mike & I both had a feeling that it would go good because we enjoy challenges so much but I don't think we prepared our selves for all the ups and downs Ireland had in store for us.  The first couple of months we spent in the Montenatte  hotel near the city center of Cork.  It was a "nice" apartment but small.  Thankfully Shaun was only 3 months and Lino spent a month in NY with the grandparents.  I was able to explore most of Cork city during the first month of being here and Shaun just went along for the ride, mostly in his sling.  I must say, I quit enjoyed the first month because it was like being on vacation.  There were so many funny and different things about Ireland that I didn't realize so it made the days go by quickly.  Mike & I also enjoyed the time with just Shaun which was nice and we traveled a little while it wasn't such a task.  We only had one car and Mike used it to go to and from work everyday so I was left to walk pretty much everywhere.  And actually the weather was AMAZING so it didn't bother me.  Well actually it was a little warm in the apt but when you got outside it was very nice.  Everyone that I met kept telling me that the weather is never this nice and just be prepared for it to rain but it never did.  I was shocked myself!  So beautiful weather was one shock then doing laundry was another shock!  I absolutely hated doing laundry in the hotel.  Either I didn't know what I was doing or the washer/dryer unit that we had was just a complete piece of junk.  Or maybe it was a little bit of both?  Either way, it was a freaking nightmare and I hated it.  I just remember it taking 6hrs, at least, to wash and dry a small load.  And when it came out of the dryer the clothes would still be wet and after a few weeks all the clothes started to get this sour smell to them.  Finally, after about throwing up on myself over a dozen times, I got tired of it and decided to do it the Irish way and hang dry the cloths.  Thankfully the weather was great so this made it so much easier.  Clothes actually dried in a reasonable amount of time and the sour smell wasn't nearly as bad...still there, but 95% less!  Ugh I hated doing laundry...HATED it!!!  What else?  Shaun was loved by everyone who saw him...of course.  I probably walked about 10 miles a day.  I didn't drive once the first month.  I honestly didn't miss Lino that much, it was nice to get a break from him because he is just so intense and being in that small apt for 2 months would have been murder for all of us.  Oh, Shaun stop sleeping good the moment we got there.  I thought it was the time difference but even after a month he didn't sleep more than 2hrs at a time so we basically co-slept the whole time.  I actually enjoyed it even though I was tired.  Grocery shopping was like going on a treasure hunt which was interesting.  Oh and food is so expensive here too...I was in total shock about that.  Although the produce isn't that bad it doesn't last very long and the refrigerators are so small so you have to go shopping every 3 days or so which is totally different from what we use to do back home.  What else???  Oh, a week or so before we were scheduled to go back to the states to get Lino I met my first friend, who is still my friend, Martha!  I actually remember our meeting like it was yesterday.  I had decided to go to the café in Glanmire to "meet" some moms.  I heard that a lot of moms go to the cafe's for morning coffee and scones and since we would be living close to Glanmire, basically the village that we would be doing most of our shopping in, I wanted to meet the locals.  I had met a few people in the city but I knew that I wouldn't be there much.  Anyway, I'm there with Shaun having a tea, I hated coffee, and I see this mom come in with a young boy around 1.  She seems focused on what she was doing, eating and trying to feed her kid, but she seemed nice too.  I don't know how I could tell that she seemed nice.  Maybe it was just that she was there and I was there and had been there for a while and I was determined to talk to someone.  Either way I was going to talk to her but didn't want to interrupt her lunch so had to wait a little.  Finally I just put on my big girl panties and went over and talked to her.   Thankfully she was really nice and super friendly and helpful.  Gave me info for a bunch of groups that I should join in order to meet other moms in Cork which honestly changed my entire experience.  If it wasn't for Martha I don't think that I would have had as good of an experience as I have had so far.  I'm sure I would have eventually found some of these groups but it just came at the right time for me.  I will always be grateful to her for that.  So anyway, after only talking to her for 20min she invites me to come over to her house so that I could meet her other son...what??  She has 2 boys like me?  Another score!  So later that afternoon I went over and ended up hanging out at her place for a hour or so.  It was so crazy because I would never go to some strangers house that I had just met back in the states but I totally felt comfortable taking my 4mo old baby to this ladies house.  Just crazy how different you act when your surroundings change.  Anyway, a long story short, that was the real beginning of my life in Ireland.  Martha & Cuidiu are the 2 major pillers in my life in Ireland and my kids as well.  Actually my family, I have met so many great moms and couples and families from those 2 sources its unbelievable. 


From Martha I met my next 2 closes friends in Ireland, Michelle & Nicole.   Michelle is an undercover Irish woman who is really American....hahaha...actually she is Irish but grew up in America so some days she seems more American than Irish... and Nicole is 100% American and proud of it.  Between these 3 ladies our lives in Ireland have been shaped.   Nicole with her 2 boys, another score and Michelle with her one girl really just enhanced our lives.  They all know different people and some of the same ones that I knew too which was cool.  But they are all so cool and seemed to get a long with everyone so it was just great to become friends.  We didn't hang out a whole lot to begin with but eventually we did and now its like every day I'm seeing these girls and if I haven't texted them, seen them or talked to them I'm in the process of making plans to do one of the 3.  I feel like the boys have also benefited from them as well.  They have such a good relationship with their kids its great.  I remember one of the saddest points here was after Lino arrived and I was still trying to make friends...for him not me!  All this "work" I was doing trying to get out and meet people was so that Lino would have some kids to play with.  But after about 2 or 3 weeks of being here and going to the playground in Glounthaune about 2 dozen times Lino just wasn't getting the love that he wanted and he was actually a little sad.  He would try his best to make friends with the other kids at the playground but they didn't want anything to do with him.  It was so sad.  I couldn't tell if it was because he was just a strange looking mixed kid, or just a stranger or his accent or what but the kids just didn't talk to him or play with him so it was hard.  That was probably the lowest low that I had felt in a long time.  And it made me question our move to Ireland.  I mean, if our kids are not happy here what are we doing?  So I was determined to find him some "friends" so that when we go to the playground he would have some of his friends that knew him there to play with him.  Oh, I remember joining some sites that had chat boards for moms to meet up and I did meet up with a couple of moms but I only kept in touch with one mom, the only American mom I had met in the group, Denise.  So we met up a couple times because she has a daughter the same age as Lino.  And Lino and Patrick were like best buds from the moment that they met so we spent a lot of time with them as well.  Oh and I met a really nice German mom at the Glanmire health center during a breastfeeding group.  We are still good friends, although she is back to work now so we don't get to see her as much.  But basically Cuidiu is where I lived for the rest of the summer.  Every Tue & Thu I knew that Lino would have other kids to play with and I could relax a little.  He seemed to enjoy the play groups and after a while he would ask me in the morning "what are we going to do today?  where are you going to take me fun today?"  At first that was cute then it got to be a little more pressure because what if I didn't have anything planned for him and what if what I had planned wasn't what he considered fun?????  Oh the stress of it was just crazy.  I never in a million years that that I would be stressing about what play groups to take my 3yr old to so that he would have a fun day.




So after 2 months in the apt we moved into our house which was amazing!  Weather was still good, that was basically 2 months of no rain at all and beautiful days practically everyday.  Then Lino started to go to his playschool 3 days a week which was great!  It took so much pressure off of me trying to find something for him to do 5 days a week.  Now I only had to entertain him on Mon & Tue.  Even though the playschool was only 3hrs long by the time he got home, ate lunch and took a nap...oh the days of a nap., the day was basically over so I didn't have to do much to entertain him for 2hrs.  That was a nice feeling.  So the routine got to be pretty nice and very manageable.  Shaun was just going with the flow and Lino was sort of directing traffic which was actually OK.  At some point Lino did say that he liked being in Ireland...which was nice because it took almost 3 months for him to understand that we didn't live in America anymore...well actually that we didn't live in Texas anymore and that Texas was in America.  Talk about a hard concept to explain to a 3yr old.  But eventually he got it and he was OK with being in Ireland.  Unfortunately I messed his head up soon after that because we ended up going back to the states for a month to celebrate my dad's 60'th Bday.  We had a great time and we did miss Mike but it was nice to be with family and have a little bit of help with the boys.  The first few months in Ireland with 2 kids every day on my own was intense and crazy...I didn't know that was how it was going to be for me to be a SAHM.  I mean I love my boys but man is it intense...and messy!  Anyway, it was nice to have a break and to see the family.  We got to spend 2 weeks with Mike's parents and 2 weeks with mine which was nice.  The only not so nice part was the traveling to and from with the boys...by myself!  Even though I flew out of Dublin so that I would have a direct flight it was just hard work to manage both boys.  I mean when one would go to sleep the other would wake up looking to play or want to eat.  And as soon as I thought I might be able to close my eyes to get a quick nap in I had to pee or Lino had to pee or Shaun needed a diaper change or we were landing or food was being served or something.  Just not the most fun thing in the world but thankfully the boys were very good and even though they were demanding they were very well behaved and I didn't have to worry about being that mom with the screaming kids!




After our month long vacation we took a trip to London!  Our first trip in Europe as a family.  It was just a quick weekend trip but we had a good time and the boys again were super good.  They are very good travelers and I am so thankful for that. Sometime in here I met another good friend, American, of course named Cara!  She has 2 boys as well and they are basically the same age!  She was a great person to be friends with and I met her at Cuidiu which was cool.  Speaking of Cuidiu, at this point I have joined the group, well I did that a long time ago, but now I am on the committee which is crazy.  I guess I just needed something to call my own.  I have no specific jobs yet but just part of the decision making board which is kind of cool.  Anyway, Cara's 3yr old and Lino are like twins, they act so much a like its crazy.  They get a long very well too which is so nice...I'm just lucky to keep meeting people that actually pair well with us...and we are a crazy group so its not so easy to find people that can deal with the craziness :-)    Next we ended up having a Thanksgiving dinner at our house with all of our new friends.  It was such a great time!!  Food was great, company was great and drinks were even better!  I didn't even think we would celebrate Thanksgiving because we had only been in Ireland for about 5 months so I didn't think we would know enough people to have a big thing...but we did!  I think there were about 12 adults and 20 kids which was cool!  Mike's parents were going to come but were not able to make it.  See this is another one of those low moments and times when living in Ireland isn't so great....Nan was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in September and only given a few months to live so there was no way Nini & PopPop were going to be able to come to visit us...even though Nan told them to come.  So even though we had a great Thanksgiving celebration it was bitter sweet.  Sometime this month I got into my first accident...not major at all but still note worthy.




December our swing set fell over which was funny but not funny.  The winds at our house are just crazy.  And that beautiful weather that I was raving about was far far away at this point.  Now its the real irish weather...rain & cloudy every day.  There were even a bunch of floods in the city center which was crazy.  So another trip back to the states for us to celebrate Christmas with the family!  So this means at this point Shaun is 9 months and has ben back & forth from Ireland 5 times already.  No wonder the kid doesn't sleep!  While this was a sad trip because Nan lost her battle with cancer I felt so blessed to have been able to bring the boys to NY to spend those 2 weeks with her while she was strong in October.  And even more blessed that we got to see her before she passed away.  Christmas wasn't the same but it was good...Nan was at peace and at rest with her husband and had no more pain which is all that we wanted for her.  Shaun won't remember her because he is to young but I am pretty sure Lino will.  Even after she passed and a week later after we had come back from KC, Lino went into Nan's apt and asked where she was.  And we told him again about her going to heaven and he remembered and seemed to be OK with it.  And even to this day he sometimes asks me about Nan and her being in heaven and telling me he wants to go to heaven to see her.  Which I am a little freaked out about because I don't want him to go to heaven just yet but I am happy that he remembers she is in heaven and that he wants to see her.  We have a ton of pictures of her and the boys so even if he doesn't exactly remember her he won't ever forget her either.  She was one of a kind that Nan, andI truly loved, love her and miss her.


2014!!!
The new year in Ireland went so quickly.  We were so busy with all of our activities...Mike with work which he is really enjoying.  The people he work with are great and he loves being the boss!  He has seemed to get the team on his side super quick which is a very great skill that he has.  The team really trust him and looks to him for direction which is great.  I mean he is kind of a kid to some of them but he is so good at what he does they can't deny it.  And its great that we live so close because for a few months in the summer and up until around November Mike was able to jog home from work every night.  He only had to stop in November because it was just getting to dark to early...these are the dark days of Ireland between mid Oct-Mar where its pitch black by 4:30 and the sun doesn't come out until 8:30.  So the first few months of 2014 were honestly a nightmare!  I could have killed someone because there was nothing that I could do with the kids other than go to the stinky nasty dirty play centers that I did not like going to.  But I had to do something so it seemed like once a week we were there...or at Nicole's house!  At this point the honeymoon stage of the move was pretty much over.  We were in our routine and we pretty much felt like we were settled in.  One good thing that came out of the new year is my new friend Ha Eun! 


Another American, well Korean American.  It was crazy how we met, the story goes a little like this...so when we were house hunting we saw a house that we really loved but it was a little far away from where Mike is working.  Then on the last day of our house hunting trip we saw the house that we are in now and we loved it.  Nice size, nice backyard, close to work and fairly new which was great.  So we ended up getting  the house.  So sometime in September, I think, I met a lady at a sling meeting and we started chatting about how we got to Ireland.  After I told her Mike worked for Pepsi she asked if we had looked at her house and come to find out we did.  So it was funny to run into the owners of the house that was almost our rental house.  Anyway, she was still moving away and told me about the people moving into the house, that were American's as well, and she wanted to know if it was ok to give them my number...which of course it was.  So 4 months later I get a random text message from the lady renting out the house.   We meet up at the Farmers Market, I didn't have Lino with me because he was at school.  But I could tell instantly that we would be good friends.  She was so like me, or my type of person it was crazy.  So after a couple more meetings and a finally meeting at a parenting talk I knew we clicked.  So every since we have been good friends.  So now I can add a 4th pillar to our Irish support system.  Although we don't see each other as much because our kids schedules are slightly different and we don't live as close to each other we all get along so well as couple friends its great.  This random meeting ended up sparking a great 4 person friendship.


Between Jan and Mar Mike and I stressed about the decision to put Lino into primary school in the fall or wait another year.  I should say that I was stressing more than him.  But it was one of the most major decisions that we have had to make here.  The issue is that I know a lot of moms, Americans that have kids turning 4 between May-Jul and they are sending their kids to school in the fall. Us on the other hand, I was planning to wait until next year because I thought that was when all the kids normally go...wrong!  Although I spent a good 2 months trying to figure out this "play school vs Jr Infants" thing apparently I got it wrong.  So basically play school is like pre-pre school and it's not at a school, usually at a creche/day care. Then there is Jr Infants which is like pre-school/ kindergartens (where they learn to read) and Sr Infants is like full on Kindergarten and a little 1st grade.  So I guess technically Lino is ready for Jr Infants but I just couldn't see myself sending him to school school yet.  Although I was worried and still am that he will be to far behind I think it is the better option.  I mean we are having so many issues with Lino just going pee in the toilet I couldn't imagine trying to get him to do homework every night.  I still worry that I made the wrong decision and even though I keep meeting moms that are sending their kids to school at 4 there are really only about a dozen moms like that and the rest are waiting until their kids are at least 4.5 and some even 5.25.  And the one thing one mom told me is that "you might regret sending you kid to school at 4 but there is little chance you will regret waiting to send them at 5".  So that's that...it is what it is...what will be will be...God help us!  I just don't want him to go back to the states and be behind but I don't think he will...if he is older and more mature then he should be able to catch up if he needs to.  Anyway, it's done!


March we went back over to the states for Shaun's 1st Bday!   We had a ball too!!!  Can't believe that little bugger is a yr old.  Love that little kid but at that point he was starting to really become a little terror.  He was walking for about 1.5months before his birthday and he was starting to get into everything.   The thing is, I couldn't be to mad at him because he was learning all these things from his big brother!  Lino loved to show Shaun the things he wasn't suppose to do and then come run and tell me that he was doing it!  I would just be like WTF???  I couldn't be mad at Shaun because he was just a baby and I couldn't exactly be mad at Lino because I didn't really know if he had shown him the bad thing to do or if Shaun had figured it out by his self.  Either way I was in trouble because these kids were getting into everything.  We had a great time visiting everyone and when we got back, we had another little bday party for Shaun in Ireland.  We love our parties!


April & May were basically spent counting down the days until our vacation to Italy!  Mike & I had said we were going to go to Italy for our 5yr anniversary but instead we had Shaun so we had to put it off until 6yrs.  But it worked out anyway because it was so much cheaper for us to go while in Ireland vs going from Texas.  Plus my mom ended up going with us to help watch the boys and to get a little vacation in too.  The trip was amazing!!!!  I'm so lucky and blessed to have such a great husband who really made sure we had a good time.  We spent 4 days in Rome, the airline lost our bags in the Netherlands which was fun.  The weather was great and were in a nice location to get onto the bus or train which was great.  The sights were amazing and everything that I could have dreamed of.  The boys seemed to enjoy it as well.  I think it was all the cool looking buildings.  Mom of course had a great time.  The first 4 days were intense sight seeing which was good and bad because I think it stressed me out a bit which meant it stressed Mike out.  But after the first 4 days we got the hang of things and actually utilized our babysitter and were able to enjoy time together as a couple.  We took the train from Rome to Lake Garda...missed our stop in Lake Garda because the train stop was literally 1min long.  Mike almost blew a gasket but we managed to lug all of our crap off of the train at the next stop...actually we almost didn't make that stop either.  Although we were at the door ready this time unlike the last time, the door for some reason didn't want to open and didn't want to stay open.  Thankfully there were some nice young Italian men that kept prying the door open so that we could throw off our 6 pieces of luggage off of the train.  Oh and mom was throwing the boys around like rag dolls trying to make sure that we got them off the train quickly before the doors closed again.  This was some crazy intense stress that lasted for about 2min but seemed like it was hours.  Anyway we made it off and we were lucky because we only had to wait about 20min and there was another train going back to Lake Garda so we got onto that one. Our stay in Lake Garda was quick but nice and relaxing.  It was different for us to be in an apt and not a hotel room but we actually liked it.  The resort we were at was really cool and the boys loved the pool...even though it was ice cold!  Oh, Lino ended up getting sun burn after the first day because I totally forgot to put sun screen on him...even though I packed it in the bag.  Poor kid.  His little shoulders were on fire the 3rd day and we just felt bad for him.   We did get him some spray so that helped.  Mike & I took a day trip to Venice which was nice, and expensive.  It was a fun adventure and I'm glad we did it but at the end we missed our train which did not make daddy Mike happy.  But again we were lucky and there was another train about a hour after the one we were suppose to take so we weren't stuck.  We were getting a little worried because when we realized we had missed the train, because we were looking for Italian cookies at an authentic Italian bakery, we ended up getting a ticket a the service desk of the train station but the line of people waiting to be helped was crazy long.  So we just knew that we wouldn't make the next train if we had to wait for them to change our tickets.  But, my smart husband, sometimes he's smart, found a kiosk and was able to change the tickets there.  That saved us so much time and probably money too.  Ahhh, just another story to tell the grandkids.  After our stay in Lake Garde we took a quick 2 day trip to Switzerland which was amazing!  I would definitely go back but only after winning the lottery or planning it better because that place is super expensive but beautiful where we were in Interlaken.  We took a trip up to the "Top of Europe" and the whole family just was amazed by the beauty of being up there.  The whole trip was amazing and great and I just wish it didn't have to end.  We actually spent 11 days on vacation which is the longest vacation that we've taken ever!  That's including our honeymoon!  And even though my mother stresses me out and we were at each others throat every other minute I'm so glad she was able to go to enjoy this with us and to help us out...it made all the difference in the world.


June...first month of summer with Lino!  All I can say is what a stressfull summer. I had a few camps planed for Lino but not until July so I was stretching to find things for him to do during the month. We took our first trip to the beach which was crazy for me because it was only about 70F but everyone was out on the beach in their 2 piece bathing suits and SPF 45 and everything.  There were a lot of people there in their wet suits too so I guess they do kind of realize that the water isn't really warm but the kids didn't seem to mind the cold...but I sure did!  The sun helped a little but not much.  Its crazy how easy these people burn.  We were at the beach one day with Michelle & Dee and Dee must have missed a little spot on her ankle and the next day it was raw!!!!  She had like a 2nd degree burn from missing a little smear of sun screen on her ankle.  I couldn't believe it...and it took about 2.5 weeks to actually heal.  I felt so bad for her but she said she is use to it...just crazy.  So a little beach time, a lot of time at Fota because the weather was actually nice then just hanging out with the friends. Somehow we survived but man was it tough. I guess I need to chill out some about what to do with him because most days he entertains his self and so does Shaun but I'm so worried that he won't be happy or that he will be board so I plan a million things then have a super cranky kid on my hands at 5pm...hopefully one day I'll learn.


Overall this year has really flown by.  I can say for certain that I have enjoyed my time in Ireland and I know for sure that my kids have enjoyed themselves too.  I feel like I can call this place home which is great.  We all have good friends now and a semi routine which helps so its all just starting to become normal.  While I do enjoy it here I will be happy to move on to the next place whenever that may be.  I know that Mike has been enjoying his work too...its been stressful but he enjoys...I mean LOVES the challenge so it is great for him. 


Last recap for the year are the phrases/sayings or words that you have to use if you want to fit-in in Ireland:
half 3 instead of 3:30
add "so" at the end of all sentences
things are "nice" not good...example: this hamburger is nice!
tire is spelled tyre
there are no ..."ze" at the end of words its "se" instead...like realize
and z is pronounced "zed"
dinner = lunch
Film is pronounced Fil-a-min
no AC or Ice!!
backyard is a back garden
grocery store is the "shop"
garage is the gas station
petrol instead of gas
pay at the pump is a luxury and most people are nervous about doing this
the only drive thru places are KFC & McD's (only 4 in Cork that I know of)
call over means to come by
its not "how old are you" its "what age are ya"
trash is rubbish and if you call it trash they know right away you are American....so funny
trunk of the car is the "boot"


I'm sure there are a few dozen more but those are the big ones that I just don't want to forget.  I love it!  Here's to another year in the land of the Irish

Quick June summary post vacation...

Week after vacation and the last week of school for Lino.  What to do with him during tr summer I have no idea.  I have a few camps lined up for him but otherwise I guess we will wing it...and when I say a few I mean 2 and a possible.

Week of June 16:

Monday we got invited to go to the beach with Michelle.  I was planning on going to Hokey Kokey which I wasn't 100% committed too so going to the beach was a great alternative.  I had never been to the beach here and the boys have never really "been" to the beach either so this should be interesting.  I had plenty of notice but it still took me all of 2hrs to get my crap together.  I actually had no idea what to bring...boots or water shoes?? Snacks or lunch?  Beach towel or towel?  How many & what kind of toys for the sand???  I was a mess but got it together eventually.  We ended up having a great time and Michelle was really great to take Lino out into the water because I refused to go more than 4 toes deep into the  water.  I had brought my boots because I just knew the water would be icy and Michelle threatened to make fun of me so I left them in the car.  I was very leery about the water but actually it wasn't very cold, it was actually warmer than the pool in Italy so I guess I shouldn't wine too much.  The boys loves it, of course, and Shaun was so fascinated by the waves...he was almost mesmerized by it.  Lino was excited but a little cautious of going really into the ocean so that made me happy.  At least I don't have to worry about him drowning...today.  All in all a great day!!!  And it was super warm, like 75F which is a major heat wave in Ireland.  It wasn't exactly suppose to be that hot so the beach wasn't very crowded which was nice.  

Shaun & Lino's first time at the beach & loving it!!!

Tuesday we actually went back to the beach with Michelle & Dee and spent even more time out in the sun.  I had sun screen this time and a shirt for Lino because I was worried he would burn again. All in all another great day at the beach.  Although today the beach was much more crowded because everyone knew it was suppose to be warm and it was.  It was possibly the hottest day so far, around 78F!!!

Wednesday was school for Lino & clean up one for me.  While I was being super productive with my house work I decided to take a poll on Facebook on Shaun's hair.  I usually have his hair a mess and that's because I comb it at night after bed and after a nights rest it's a complete matted mess.  Some days I give him another quick comb in the morning that usually only last for about a hr but I kind of like the look.  So I wanted to see what everyone though about his hair options...wild & crazy or tame & boring?

Wild (of course)

Tame

It was pretty clear that everyone loves Shaun's hair the way it is...wild & crazy but a vote of 52 to 5 confirmed that.  So crazy it is...that is until we cut it.  Which if it was up to me it would be a while. It daddy is starting to get a little tired of it so we will see. I mean at this point Shaun is 14 months and with Lino we didn't cut his hair until he was almost 16 mo so I think I have a couple of months to hold on to it before daddy completely overrules me.  Just thinking about cutting his hair makes me think about how big he is getting and how far away from a baby he is.  He is feeding his self, running with the big kids, staring to tell us no (but usually means yes), understands when I say "go put your shoes on", loves pasta/rice/bread, new addiction is pretzel sticks, favorite snack is popcorn (he devours it), loves to watch TV and even says movie (more like moo-e), he will even pick up the remote to try and turn the TV on and if you don't respond to him appropriately (turning on the TV) a tantrum will follow, loves to watch Frozen with his big brother, knows how to turn the iPad on and get to the main screen (almost able to find the movie app), says words like dog, night night, bird, bathy & diapie (kind of), can sign for milk, more please, all done & sometimes thank you, drinks from a big cup because most days he refuses the sippy cup, no fear of anything that I can think of and I mean nothing (dogs, water, tigers, nothing), loves to be onry so if you say don't do something he gives you the biggest smile and does it, has the cutest underbite smile ever with this 4.5 teeth (2 top & bottom with the bottoms 2 side teeth working their way in), he is so popular with strangers they just love him, he doesn't sleep through the night but is getting there (I'm not to worried about it since he might be our last) he also still breatfeeds which I'm excited about. Lino made it to 14mo so that was my minimum goal with him.  We love that little bugger to pieces and even though everyone is "mommy" you know he loves his dad because when daddy gets home from work it's all about daddy. Just can't believe he's getting so stinking big.  

Thursday was fun, went to coffee morning quickly then back home to get prepared for dinner & stuff.  I finally tackled that mound of Swallows poop that the birds had left at my door step but I know it will be back in a couple of days so I have to keep on it now.  I had asked our landlord about the next and he was like "I can take it down but they will come back for sure".  I didn't want him to waste his time if they where just going to come back plus I know there are babies in there so I just have to deal with the poop...literally.   That afternoon Cara & Nicole ended up coming over and we had a ball hanging out chatting. I did feel bad for Cara at one point because I was seriously telling her my whole life story but she seemed interested so I kept going. It was nice & relaxing and I can't wait to so it again.  The kids had fun too of course...I even pulled out the little sandpit/pool for them to splash in.  It wasn't nearly as clear & warm as it had been but the boys didn't seem to mind one bit...fun day!

Shaun & Senan being little raskles in crime. 

Good night kisses for the brothers.  They love each other so much.

Thursday evening I was finally able to finish my blog from our vacation and posted it on Facebook for the first time in a few months.  My biggest supporter and   follower was excited to see and read the blog...Mike. 

Mike reading the blog early in the morning waiting on the rest of us to get ready to go. 

Today is Lino's last day of playschool. It's kind of exciting because that means he's been at school for a full year here but it is also scary because that means he will be at home with me pretty much every day all day!!!  What the heck am I going to do with him to keep him busy through the summer… I guess we will find out.  So I decided to play with Shaun's hair again to see if I could find another way to manage beast.  This time of friend suggested that I use some argon oil to help moisturize is dry hair. I think I put a little bit too much and but I think I like this idea a little bit better and my come over look. Needs a little bit more practice but this could be Shaun's new do. 

Before

After

Boys chill-axing on a Friday evening watching movies. 

Saturday we decided to get up and go on our normal Saturday walk.  Instead of going to the city we decided to go to the park and meet up with Michelle.  So we played there for a while while Mike and Shaun walked back to the house.  They were going to come back to get us with the car so that Lino could play & Mike could get his excersise in. We hung out at the park for a while then decided to go to Rumbly's farm that afternoon with Michelle.  

Daddy & Shaun having a little quality time & fun together while Lino napped & I got ready to go. 

Up close & personal!

Cool dude

At Rumbly's farm...the boys spent about 30min in this freaking sand pit...but all I could think about was cat litter. 

Daddy & Shaun...love this pic. 

Feeding the goats

Shaun trying to give Freya a hung but it turned into more of a tackle. They love each other but sometimes it can be a little rough love. 

Michelle & Freya...and the ostrich. I think Michelle  might be a little scared...just a little. 

Enjoying the karts!  This was a blast. We had the whole track to ourself so it was like a real race. There were no real winners but we tried to pass & crash into everyone which made it even more fun. 

Daddy & Lino sharing a kart while Shaun & I rode together. 

I think Mike was having more fun than the boys...he's such a big kid at heart...love that about him. 

Shaun wanted a turn by his self. 

Brothers! Love this!!!!

Feeding the cows. Shaun absolutely loves this.  He thought it was the best thing in the world. He just kept going back over to them trying to give them more and more hay. Lino of course enjoyed every minute of it too.  Michelle was a little nervous but I can't blame her. 

Shaun on his 5 or 10th handful of hay. 

The girls finally getting into it. 

Look at that tongue!!!!!!  It's amazing how massive these gental giants are. 

Back for more...hahaha. 

Holding the baby chicks.  Lino was a little rough to begin with but finally got the idea behind being gental. At first the chicks just kept running away from him (for good reason) but finally he wasn't so rough and I was able to get a picture. 

Very proud that the chick is staying put for a few seconds at a time. 

Daddy was proud too...he loves this farm stuff. Coming from the city he just gets a kick out of it everytime we go to the farm. 

I tried to get a picture of Shaun but be just wanted to squeeze the poor chicks so it didn't happen.  I hope he figures out quickly that he is too rough...not today at least.  Well we had a great time at the farm...must do it again sometime soon. 

Sunday we went to Mahon Pt for Leap Frogs and saw our good friends too.  Hami was a little hesitant to go in but after a little convincing her dad was able to leave her to play and come have a coffee with Mike & I.  Mike and him had a good chat...while I chased after Shaun.  Ha Eun was at home with her sister and the smaller babies so I didn't really miss out on any major conversation...since my friend wasn't there.  Anyway by the time the kids were done with their class we had plans to go over to their house on Thursday to watch the Germany vs USA match.  We were actually pretty pumped about it...this is like our first real World Cup that we are actively watching and keeping up with.  Should be a fun game to watch with the friends.

Week of June 23rd

Slow first week of summer. Play group Monday & Tiesday morning. Play date Monday & Tueaday afternoon. 

Oh this was my mega major big salad that I made for lunch because there was nothing else in the fridge to eat.  It was tasty but I did miss a bit of protein...oh well. 

Play center on Wednesday and play group on Thursday.    Thursday evening we got to watch the Germany vs USA match at our friends house and we had a blast!!!!  Which we had a babysitter because we would have stayed over there all night hanging out and drinking.  It seems like Mike & Gernot are becoming good friends which is cool.  I finally got to meet Ha Eun's sister and she is just a crazy as Ha Eun...I love them both!!!  This is such a cool crazy fun family, so lucky to have met them and become good friends.  Lino and Hami get along really great too so its a total win win for me.  The match was actually really good and even though we were in the house of a major Germany fan he was totally ok with us rooting for the US team.  And I was totally shocked that the US was able to hold Germany for so long without a goal.  End the end the US lost but it was a very very good game and either way both teams were pretty much guaranteed to move on to the next round so it didn't really matter that much if they won or not.  Even though we all really wanted the US to win just to bring more support to the World Cup from the US side.  But a great game and great time with great people!   Friday we ended up going into the city to see a little play for the kids called Cloud.  I met up with Cara & Margaret too, not planned, which was nice. The play was nice & calming but I felt like my kids were trying to destroy the place the whole time.  It was also torrential down pour outside and we had took the train to the city and walked to the play so I wasn't looking forward to the walk to where ever we were going to go after the play.  We were going to do something with Cara & Margeret but decided not to at the last minute because the weather was so bad.  I still needed to go to the English market so I braved the rain by myself.  The funny part is that I had picked up the umbrella before I left the house but put it back because it looked so clear out...what a mistake that was.  So after getting soaked for 10min I finally decided to just buy another umbrella.  I didn't even use it on myself, I gave it to the boys so that they didn't get soaked.  So we walked to the English market and I scoped out some meat for daddy. He had made a pork shoulder last week but it didn't come out the way he wanted it too and he wanted to try another one before the big 5th of July party so I picked up a shoulder for him.  I also found some other meats that he might want...love the English market.    

After the English market took Lino to get his hair cut then went over to Martha's for a few before heading home.  The week actually went by quickly thank goodness.  I did finally start working about again which was nice. Got to go to Zumba a couple of times which felt good to be being active. Saturday we took a walk to the train and into the city for some shopping.  Got a few useless gadgets that Mike had to have...now lets see how often they get used.

He has been wanting something to poach his eggs in for his eggs benedict for the past 6 months.  Everything that he has seen so far has been overly priced, like e20-40 which is crazy so when he saw this cheap thing he had to have it.

He also got an egg white separator that he said was going to change his life because he hates separating the egg whites with his hand.  I can just see that thing being used as a kids toy within a month but lets see how it works out.  Forgot to take a picture but believe me it was nothing to brag about.  So we spend the rest of the afternoon at home as usual.

Lazy day pictures...Lino & the football.  I was actually trying to get a picture of Shaun but Lino wanted a picture too so I couldn't deny him.

Trying out another new look for Shaun.  I actually like this one.  It keeps him looking like a baby but just a little more under control...not tame because obviously that is boring and no one like him tamed!

I finally decided to flat iron my hair...after it being washed for over a week with nothing really done to it.  Mike was nice enough to help me...but as you can see by his expression it wasn't as easy as it may have sounded.  It is hard warking keeping this hair in check and I must say I am doing a horrible job of it.  That has to be one of my least favorite things about living in Ireland, no one to do my hair...that I trust.  So I end up TRYING to do it myself and messing it up completely or trying to let some Irish girl at the salon just flat iron it and she being so nervous because I am the first black person that she has done their hair.  Its just not a good situation.  I was trying to avoid the whole braids 24/7 thing but I think I am not going to win this battle...might have to resort back to braids like I did when I was getting married and when I was in collage and broke!  But for now...my husband is better than yours!  He makes the dough and does his wifes do too...multitalented I must say.  Love him!

I must say June went by quickly.  Time to get ready for our 5th of July BBQ and see what the rest of the summer has in store for us.