Summer surprise

Now, I have to start off by apologizing for some lack of posting. I have some new software that I'm trying to get used to, and actually, I'm waiting on some other equipment to arrive :) So, in the mean time, I'm going to take some time to catch up on some over-due posts...

One evening a couple weeks ago, I was in charge of the kids, and to help bridge the gap to when Isaac was ready to go to bed (or perhaps the correct way to say that is that Isaac is past-ready to go to bed, but we just can't bring ourselves to put him down for the night at 4 in the afternoon. So days like that one when he boycotted his nap, much of the late afternoon is spent trying to help him bide his time...) I decided to just take the kids for a stroll up our road and kill some time. That's when our neighbor came rushing out of her house to ask if I'd seen the random patch of flowers that had popped up in the field next to hers. Since she's been there for many, many years, she knows for sure that it's been about 10 years since this particular patch of flowers had bloomed, and she was just overjoyed by it all. Amazing how the slightest event can bring us loads of pleasure, huh?

How to use a swing set...

So, at this moment, the girls are outside enjoying an absolutely gorgeous summer evening. A perfect mid-sixties evening with just a little hint of a breeze. I just finished putting Isaac to bed, and came out and heard delightful squeals...and then I saw why:

Creepy Pic of the day...

There's always something special about watching your kids sleep. (And no, it's not just because they're quiet and not moving, but we won't decide that it's not a slight bonus, ha ha) Ever since Hannah showed up, it's always been a moving thing for me to watch them. It gives me opportunity to reflect and pray over them, as well as just to think of all the things I enjoy about them. Isaac is no exception. But, each time I see him sleeping in his little Moses basket, all bundled up nicely, there's just something creepy about the way he looks. All nice and peaceful, but at the same time, a little like he's perhaps a little too peaceful.

New Playground!!!

Something VERY cool has happened in our village...they opened a brand-new playground! Just in time for spring! The other day, we all got out on a nice (yet cold) day and just played and laughed and enjoyed the glimpse of Spring coming right around the corner. The great thing is this ground is just a couple minutes' drive from the house adjacent to the local sports grounds. Already having been there a couple of times, we've run into loads of people that we know. It's going to be a great place!

Got a capture of Isaac's face when we put him in the swing for the first time. I'm not sure he was liking where this was headed...

But then, the smiles came out! He loved it!!!

Hannah showing off some hopscotch skills

First time all 3 kids in what we refer to as the "bubba-tub" swing

Now THIS is the main attraction. It's a zip line! You get up on a ramp on one end, and zoom down to the end where there's a spring mounted on the line which both softens the end of the line, but shoots you up in the air a bit too. This is a continuous motion capture of Hannah all stitched together...came out cool!

And, not to be outdone, Cailyn had a go. I'm no longer allowed to walk next to her on the ride after this, her first time. She's a pro now...

This is actually the first picture I took at the park that day. Jen just ran and jumped on it! The girls thought it was hilarious seeing mommy do it!

And of course, I wasn't to be left out!

Finally...

After a long break, we're finally putting a post up on the blog. YAY! Literally the day after the last post we had, Seth got a really awful case of bronchitis. Couple that with the adventure of not having water in our house for the week leading up to Christmas and him having to haul water in buckets up into the attic to fill the storage tanks, and the fact that Isaac is still just a newborn and hasn't totally figured out this whole concept of sleeping, it's been a long, long month. Seth was on some serious antibiotics and steroids to get rid of the bronchitis, and praise the Lord, they worked well, but the effects took a large toll on him. He just in the last week really feels back to somewhat normal after everything.

We have been quite busy as well, which is the best thing, and has taken up a lot of time. We've met with several friends, actually went out one night without kids (the first time since Isaac came along!!!) and celebrated a 6th Birthday (that's for another post...). It's been a busy time around here, and for those of you who are still following us, thanks for keeping us in mind!Here's some pictures of Isaac and what he's been up to lately...

Jen found him a very cute Santa suit for his first Christmas!!!

His new thing...he is a VERY smiley baby! Such a sweet smile! The laugh is just about to start, so hopefully soon we'll have that for you too!

I love this look he gets on his face. Kinda looks like he's about to ask a question, or spit up...we can't tell.

And the best picture of the night...my cute wife holding her boy.

A few random pics of the kids

Ok, so there's been several things happening the last couple weeks. Mostly, just trying to maintain life and adjusting to Isaac, so nothing too major. But, I have a few pics that I'd like to share...enjoy!

Isaac, when not screaming, is already turning into quite the little smiler! This is the best shot of him smiling we have so far...

Face painting is quite popular here. A couple weeks ago we took the kids to the little community fair in Hannah's school where Santa made an appearance. One of our friends painted their faces up for them. Cailyn clearly a butterfly. Hannah...a flower. And not just a little flower on the cheek...a huge flower covering her whole face! (her idea!)

I went up one afternoon to get Cailyn up from her nap and found her at the top of the stairs...

Second tooth has made it's exodus...now Hannah really can sing, "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!"

And finally, Hannah was in her school play last week where they recounted the story of the Nativity. Hannah and the rest of her class were angels...(the garland she was asked to wear is nice, but our tree doesn't look so good anymore!! Ha!)

Isaac helping us Christmas shop...

With the way things are here, with us having the one car, the lack of time during the day due to the girls' school schedule, traffic always unbearable around Christmas time (that and because of the "snow" we've received making traffic move especially slow - but that's another story...) we weren't sure how we were going to accomplish Christmas shopping. Luckily, an opportunity came up for us yesterday where we had to be in the city. Jen had a follow up visit at the hospital for all the post-delivery "fun" she was having just after Isaac was born. Glad to report that she's doing great, and everything is still on track for her recovery wise, so we praise the Lord for that! Anyway, surprisingly the appointment actually didn't take 4 hours, and we had a brief window to get to the toy shop, get our stuff, and make it home to pick up the girls from school. Of course, this meant Isaac was with us. We'd left his stroller at home, so we just set him in the trolley. (Yes, I said trolley...shopping cart to most of you). See, Isaac has a wonderful trait about him. When it's about nap time, if he goes for a ride in the car, he's out. Like a light. We say this is wonderful, because he's the only one of the 3 to do this. Hannah would just stay awake. Anyone that knows Hannah now can see this; that's just a part of who she is - having to see what's going on around her, figuring stuff out, etc. Cailyn screamed. All the time. From the moment she was set in her seat, to the moment you rescued her from the torturous trap, she screamed. Isaac loves his seat. He sleeps. If he's really ready for a nap, he'll be asleep before we get past the gate leading to our house. Well, by the time we got to the shop after he'd been awake during Jen's appointment, he was asleep again, so we just left him. And so, he got to help us with our shopping! We got several strange looks, piling all the presents we had to buy around him like that, and more than a few double-takes from people inspecting our cart as we walked by. It was funny, Isaac was cute. He's the pic.

Isaac's Passport pic

Here's the picture I got for his passport...what a cute little guy!

Welcome to the US Isaac!!

*Long post, but hopefully worth the read...*

Well, he was a US citizen technically from the moment he was born, but this weekend we made a trip to Dublin so we could go to the Embassy and get him properly registered and apply for his passport (a very important item that will come in play later!) It was a neat trip and sort of exciting...in the combined 4 years we've lived in Ireland, we've never actually BEEN to the Embassy before!

Now, a little background on what's going on here lately: Ireland has come under the thumb of a massive Arctic blast that's actually terrorizing other parts of Europe. As well as Ireland can cope with cold, it comes to a stand-still when there's any kind of snow involved, especially the multiple inches they got over the last week or so. I've been diligently watching how much snow Dublin has received knowing we were going to have to head over, and thankfully, the last few days have seen some relief. I know what you're thinking: why didn't you wait? Good question, BUT, we had to go; the Embassy makes you schedule appointments and we'd made the appointment weeks ago. As I watched the snow reports, I tried to see when the next available date would be and cancel this appointment and reschedule but nothing was open until February, and we just couldn't go for that. That's just too late for some other things going on for us to get it...so we basically had to go. Thankfully, I grew up in snow, and though mishaps happen even to experienced drivers, it helps that I've driven in snow a lot before...we just figured that the trips across country would take some time. So carefully, we headed out.

We got to Dublin and popped in to see some friends we know there, and had a great afternoon (aside from me getting a migraine and having to take solace in a dark room for a while) and then headed to our hometel. Yes, I spelled that right. That's what the girls call it. All 5 of us in a room for the first time though...oh boy! We were waiting for disaster. Surprisingly though, things went well. Isaac actually slept really well, and Hannah and Cailyn did, well, alright. They just love staying in hotels so much that they're pretty wound up about it, so sleep doesn't come to them (or mom and dad) too quick.

Got up today, and the adventure continued, though not for the best...one last task we had to do, of course, was to take a passport photo in for Isaac. Of course, it has to be a white background, and mom and dad's hands can't be visible holding his head up. Easy, right? WRONG. Infant passport photos are insane! I was able though to get a good photo of him and tried printing it at our pharmacy the other day...it worked, but the picture wouldn't qualify because of one little part in the background wasn't white. I didn't want to risk delaying the process anymore, so yesterday morning before we left, I staged another one and took it with us on my jump drive, thinking we could just get it printed in Dublin at the mall near our hotel. Wow...NOT. I go to the pharmacy to print it, and theirs don't print passport sizes prints. Of course! How silly of me to think a drugstore in a city of +1 million people could do something a pharmacy in our small neighboring village would do...ugh. They did have the option of using a little photo-booth, but since we'd already taken a road trip from the hotel to the mall lasting more than 30 seconds, Isaac was asleep, so that wasn't really an option. (Bear in mind the photos have to show his eyes...) Thankfully, there was a film processor in the mall, so I ran to see him with my jump drive. He immediately tells me he doesn't do infant passport photos. CRAP. Now...we're about 1.5 hours ahead of our appointment, and at this point, I'm starting to freak out. This SHOULDN'T be this hard!!! He begrudgingly decides to help me out by trying to use the pic I had on my jump-drive (which is what I asked him to do in the first place...not take a new photo) and he yanks the jump-drive out of my hand. Apparently he had to save all my photos to his hard drive, then to an sd card, and then into this little printer he has set up just for passport photos...like it's a holy grail or something. It wouldn't work. He tried opening the photo in photoshop and resizing it and resaving it on multiple sd cards and, still nothing happens. It's like the photography twilight zone...this one photo won't open. His special little machine wouldn't read it. He brilliantly (after I make the suggestion) crops the photo to a 2"x2" passport size photo and prints them on 4x6 paper. genius! Thankfully, this works, and we now only have just over an hour to make it through the city center and get to the Embassy on time for our appointment. (While we were waiting for all this, Jen ran and got us Starbucks...probably our saving grace emotionally...) Oh, by the way - Isaac now needs to eat before we leave the mall. AARGHH!!! Jen gives him a quick snack to try to tide him over, which works thankfully, but now we're down to 45 minutes. Somehow, we're able to get to the appointment on time. Actually, we showed up early which is something we learned that we're not allowed to do. We had to pace around in front of the gate in the freezing cold for 20 minutes until 1:00 on the nose before they took us through security, which is more serious than airports. Like seriously...they would be well suited to take all these body-scanners of the airports hands and make their lives easier...After that though, everything went smooth. The paper work got filled out, we paid our fees, and in a few weeks we should have his social security card, and passport!

We had decided to be as American as possible on the day, since technically, we were stepping into US soil while we were in the complex. So, with me wearing my American flag t-shirt under my jacket, I helped the girls say the Pledge of Allegiance in front of the building, then we headed to T.G.I. Fridays for an early dinner before beginning our snow-bound journey home tonight. The whole first half of the trip home was just a downfall of snow...the kind that when you switch on your high beams you blind yourself from the light bouncing back at you off the flakes. The trip was cool for me though; it reminded me a lot of when I was around 12 years old? playing for the Flagstaff All-Star soccer team. We played our tournaments in the winter, and we always played in Phoenix. Even though we knew storms were on the way before we left for the tournaments, they graciously drove me down to play only to make the long journeys home in blizzards just so I could play my soccer. Thanks Mom and Dad!!!

Overall, it was a fun trip with a little excitement just to keep it from being dull.

PS. While we were wandering around waiting for our time-slot I asked jokingly if Mr. Rooney was in (Pittsburgh Steelers owner and current US Ambassador to Ireland), and was politely was told that he wasn't. I thought it was just because he would have been up late the previous night since the Steelers were on Sunday Night Football, and he stays up to watch all their games if he's over here. Actually, he watches it via sling-box and apparently has to keep calling his family to tell them to quit changing the channel! LOL) Anyway, as I was writing this blog, I had the game on from last night (I'd recorded it to watch when we got home)...lo and behold, Dan Rooney was actually at the game. I thought it was funny anyway...

All of us in front of the Embassy with Old Glory waving behind us...

On to the American food!!!

This was hilarious to me: Everywhere in Dublin snow is all over the sidewalks; EXCEPT for all around the US Embassy. Yeah, that's right...we actually SHOVEL snow! LOL

We took a walk down the major shop street in Dublin after dinner before heading back to town...this old man playing the whistle was great!!! Now we know how Santa occupies his time before making his run! ;)

And of course, there's a Leprechaun in Dublin...

Proud dad and an experiment...

Our family went out for a quick meal tonight, which was great...really the first time all 5 of us went somewhere together (other than a quick trip to the doctor yesterday, but we're not counting that!) Well, tonight was just a gorgeous night...the full moon and the crisp clear air after all the rainfall we had today. I went out to take some shots of the moon with the help of the girls, and then I got an idea; I've seen many examples of a photo-technique called "light-painting" and I thought I'd give it a quick try. And what better thing to do than paint my new son's name in lights! It's not the best light painting I've ever seen, but not bad for my first go!

Around our house today...

Sorry it's been a while since we've posted anything. To be honest, I just lost a little steam. Something cool though: we just sold our old camcorder and were able to get a Flip-type that hopefully will enable us to post videos easier. The old camera was a little tedious with a couple things, and this should go smoother, plus the video quality is much better.

With that in mind, I thought I'd post what's happening at our house today...in the field joining our house, our landlords are having a little work done - breaking up some rock so they can clear it. Not sure what is going to be built, but it takes a lot to break the rock up. They're using a pneumatic arm that is annoying...personally, I'd rather they just rigged up some dynamite and got it over with. You can hear the noise, but if you really want to experience this, you need the help of a friend (or other kind of volunteer). FIrst, play the video. Second, in time with the rock being pounded, have someone gently knock you in the head with the back of their fist...not hard like a punch, just a little pulse so you can feel it. Now, imagine that all day.

And oh yeah, some friends of ours just got here for a visit with their 2 month old son...and he's trying to nap. Good times.

Funny perceptions of law...

I had a conversation a couple weeks ago with a man that is sort of a park ranger/manager of a particular place I like to go - You've seen pictures of it here before, and probably will again; a 5,000 year old burial chamber. Around this burial chamber is a rope. Yep, a rope...security to the extreme! Anyway, the day I'm talking to this guy, he's explaining to me that this rope is there only for show basically, and that they really don't want to keep people away from the site necessarily. Just groups of people, like over 30 or so at a time, they don't want anyone crawling around the thing. But, if it's just one or two or so at a time, they don't care. He told me, "When it's just yourself, sure! Go ahead and hop over...take your photos. We really don't care!" He went on to explain to me, since he obviously knew I was American, that their laws aren't quite like our laws. Our laws are meant to be kept. The laws here, well...not so much. I mean, speeding, burglary, theft, arson, general traffic regulations...yeah, those aren't the ones I'm talking about. It's more like the public notices, the "don't litter here" or "no parking here" things that really turn more like suggestions. In this case, it's the single rope strung up around a 5,000 archeological treasure that's really not meant to signal "keep out," rather, "one at a time, please." At first, I thought this guy was joking, but then I realized that he got much of his information like the rest of the world does regarding American laws: from CSI and NCIS and any reality show that's shown cops, park rangers, and any other kind of law enforcement actually doing their jobs. He went on about how strict America is compared to Ireland, which I thought was just hilarious. But, there you go...there is a sense of the menial things being overlooked here. And some are sadder than others like minors in rural areas able to buy alcohol pretty easily. The authorities don't like it, but they don't do much about it either. In someways it can be sad. I've grown up thinking, "if it says don't do it, it means don't do it" mentality for the most part...but apparently here, not so much. But, there's a good feeling to it as well...there's a trust that people are actually doing things right, and authorities aren't clamoring to "bring justice" to every infraction they see either. Either way, it's kind of interesting.

All this to show you a great photo I got the other day. Jen and I were at the hospital getting the scan of our baby when I looked up and saw this sign:

The funny thing to me is what I read into it after the conversation I had with the man at the historical site; "No smoking. And this one we actually mean no smoking...no seriously...no smoking. Please...for real. Don't smoke. Sorry, but we really mean it this time..." and on and on.

Today's Cutie...

The girls have really enjoyed the weather lately. With the evenings really long right now, it's great for them to be able to enjoy being outside, sometimes right up until the go to bed. It's light now until past 10, which is great. Anyway, the other night the girls grabbed their bubbles after dinner and headed outside. I was able to sneak in a few shots of them having fun...here's one of Cailyn

Coming home!!!

Hey everyone - if you have been watching the news lately, you've seen the disruption that the volcano in Iceland has caused. Well, sure enough, we were effected by it; almost immediately after we returned home from Scotland, we got word that Jen's grandfather had passed away. (That's another post that I've been working on...sorry that it's so late!!) Anyway, we were able to put Jen on a plane so she could be with her family, which was very good. The kids and I really wanted to go, but we just couldn't swing it. We sent Mommy off to represent us and give our love to everyone. Well, that's when the volcano broke loose. She's been stuck in Arizona, and is FINALLY returning home tomorrow morning. The girls and I are sitting in a hotel room near the Dublin airport watching planes landing anxiously waiting for her to come home!!

As a caveat, I do have to put my own spin on her being "stuck" - now granted, she was away from her kids and myself, BUT, she was so fortunate to be with her parents unlike many of the people that were in airports bathing in sinks. She was home enjoying family, eating at American restaurants, going to Diamondbacks games...well, ok, maybe just one Diamondbacks game, but still...all that to say, we're really thankful for the extra time she got at home with her parents. What a gift it was! But alas, "stuck" time is over...time to come home!!!

Here's a picture of Jen when we were in Scotland

Spring time traditions

What comes to mind when you think of spring? The April flowers bring May flowers rhyme we all learned in school? Baseball season starting in April? I don't know...for all of us, it's different. Even if Spring isn't necessarily your favorite season, there's always something special about it. Winter is over, warmer weather is coming. It's just a great time of year. Here, the signs are the same as home; flowers are blooming, everything is turning green(er) and there's new life around every corner like the lambs and calfs that dot the country-side. Well, another tradition here that I think is awesome is the ice-cream. Yep - ice-cream. All the gas stations have soft-serve ice-cream machines that make their way out every year in the spring. After talking to some friends of ours, they equated this happening to mark the official sign of winter being over. The weather would begin to warm slowly, and the anticipation every time they would pass the station to see if may that was the day that the machines would be put into action. It's funny to see how many people get a cone; when you make a trip to the shop, on the way back to work; just going for a stroll; men enjoying their cones while driving to the job site in their trucks - it's everywhere. Makes me think of a new slogan: Ice Cream - the official sponsor of Spring

Here's the "sign" - a giant ice cream to state that the ice cream is available

Pic of the day

After the parade last week as we were walking back to our car, there was some commotion going on in the river. I saw quickly that 2 male ducks were fighting for the affections of a female, so I quickly began shooting some pictures. I got some of them actually fighting in the river that I may post here soon, but there's one in particular I wanted to share; I got one of those "I got the shot I was hoping for, I just can't believe I actually got it" pictures...

The 4 year-olds said what?!?

Ok, so I know we're still adjusting to life here in Ireland, but something happened yesterday that just struck Jen and I so funny...I thought I needed to share with you all.

Today we had the privilege to be asked to attend the christening of some of our friends' new baby boy, an honor we were very happy to be a part of. It was a great time, a nice service, and everything went according to plan. After the service, everyone was talking to the mom and dad as you do at an event like this, and just having a good time before leaving the church. Well, the plan was for everyone to go from the church to one of the local pubs to hang out and eat. Now, before I go on, I must explain that our family has been to the pub several times. Here they're like restaurants, so going there with children is perfectly normal. As we're milling around, everyone is asking each other if they were going to the pub, and see-you-there's were said all around. Fast forward to the parking lot...we're walking to our car, Hannah and Cailyn in tow, and we hear Hannah's 4 year old friend call out to her, "Hey Hannah! I'll see you at the pub!" To which Hannah immediately replied, "OK! The pub sounds good!" Then another 4 year old calls out from across the parking lot, "Hey! I'm going to the pub too! I'll see you there!" At this point, We look at the parents of the two other culprits and we're all just standing there sort of dumb-founded. Seriously, what do you say to that?

All we could do was laugh ... something about a bunch of 4 year olds talking about meeting at the pub just sounded a bit odd!

Stranger still, once at the pub, seeing the three of them (oh ... and Cailyn too ... ) belly-up to the bar and get their juices. Great stuff!

Random Amusement

Yesterday, my friend W and I went to the city on some business.  It was a gorgeous afternoon, and we really had a good time and got some of the work done that we needed to.  As most people would know, the more time you spend going to a city center or a place where people gather, odds are there are going to be moments where you see something that just strikes you as funny.  Well, yesterday was one of those days:

W and I had finished some of the business near the city center, and were walking to the car to go to another part of the city.  Walking along shop street, there were the usual suspects; artists selling freshly painted canvases, henna tattoo artists, and of course, many people singing or playing instruments with the hopes that people will appreciate their efforts and drop some change in their guitar case.  Well, there was one such lad, that actually resembled the son of someone we know, so our attention was a little drawn to him.  As we passed him by, he was singing, and I noticed that indeed some people had in fact given him some money.  Well, I noticed that I wasn't the only one to see the money.  There was a group of young teenage girls that were also trying to collect money in buckets for a heart drive or something of that nature - a good cause to be sure.  Well, when the guitar playing lad stopped his song, I saw one girl kind of think to herself, and you could almost hear her think, "yeah, why not!" So, she heads over the the panhandling lad and asks, "would you like to make a donation?"  The guy looked at her like, "are you serious?!?" We were laughing at what we saw ... a veritable battle of the beggars right there on the shop street!