Happy 40th Bjorn!

To celebrate Bjorn's 40th birthday, we traveled with our good friends Emily and Steve, across the "pond" to beautiful Ireland. Thanks to the generosity of my fabulous mother, who stayed with my three kids, we enjoyed 6 wonderful nights in a fantastic country. We got a fabulous deal on a total package that made this trip possible. Thank You Adare Manor! We loved your fabulous grounds and the home away from home that you provided us with. Here are a few pictures of the beauty of this country.

(Our first stop was Dingle. It's one of the last few places in Ireland that still speaks and teaches Gaelic in school. They have some signs in Gaelic too, but since it's a large tourist spot many have english translation under it. This area once had a population of about 40,000, but because of the potato famine they now have only about 10,000. It's a very sleepy little sheep village. We really enjoyed our time there. )

This is a common sight along the coast of Ireland. There are some cliffs that are even taller than these.

The "rock of Cashel", a beautiful spot that was taken by many over hundreds of years.

Is this road one lane or two?! Silly me, it's two! And don't forget that we drive on the left, from the right side of the car, and shifting with the left hand. Good job Steve!

The beautiful Manor that played host to us. It's a fabulous 800+ acre estate. We didn't stay in the manor itself, we had an entire villa to ourselves. We did tour the Manor and we also had a fantastic three course dinner in the main dining hall complete with candle light!

These are the Villas. They are a 2,000 Sq. Foot home with 4 bedrooms, 4 baths, kitchen, dining, living and sunroom. We all loved it.

This ruin is on the property. It sits on the Maigue River, a world class trout and Salmon river. We even saw two fly fishermen one morning.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! Our morning started earlier than Bjorn and I would have liked. Myles woke us up at 6:15. Not willing to come back to bed, we all went down stairs for the egg hunt. Then the babies awoke and were excited to see what the fuss was all about. Can you tell from the pictures of the girls that they were not quite awake yet.

With no church to get ready for we had a nice leisurely morning while getting ready to listen and watch conference. It was great, watching and eating while being in your PJ's. I think this is how church should be every week.

After conference we had some friends over to the house for traditional Easter dinner complete with another huge egg hunt outside. What a great day! I Love holidays now that Myles is getting older. It's fun to see the excitement on his face.

Ireland to come, stay tuned!

"Chompers"

So the girls both have two bottom teeth now. It's really been fun to stick your finger in there and have them chew away. Well, no more. It's now not safe to put your fingers into their mouths. They can and will bite you, HARD.

10 month check up

The girls had their official check up yesterday. It was the 9 month check up, but we couldn't get in till they were 10 months. So here are the stats. Audrey is 30 inches tall and weighs 19#15 oz. That puts her in the 50% for weight and 95% for height. Lydia is close behind at 29 1/2 inches tall and 19#2 oz. Which places her in the 50% for weight and 90% for height. The Doctor said we have beautiful slender girls. Not skinny, slender. I had to laugh that they are so tall. He keeps asking me where we get such tall kids from. I DON'T KNOW! Myles is still a giant at 39# and 40 inches tall. Off the charts for him.

On a more serious note the doctor detected a slight heart murmur on Lydia. He just wants to watch it for the next little while, but we may be going to visit a Cardiologist in the future. It isn't the kind of thing a parent likes to hear from the Pediatrician, but I'm trying not to get to worried about it and just wait till we have more information. Anyone an expert in this area is welcome to send any and all information my way.

The girls are doing great! Hitting all their Milestones and are just a general delight to have. They couldn't be more happy babies. Lydia is "soldier crawling" all over the house, while Audrey is content to sit still or roll to her destination. Most of the time she doesn't move at all. They both have two teeth on the bottom and are "talking" a lot. They love to be near each other but and are not so nice to each other when it comes to hitting and kicking.

A day at the Zoo

Sorry these pictures are in no particular order. I can't figure out how to use my Mac. I can't drag the pictures where I want them. Sometime soon I will sit and really figure this computer out!

In October we went to the Zoo. The line to buy tickets was incredibly long and I just didn't want to wait in it with three little kids. There was a kiosk in front of the entrance gate that read "Zoo Memberships". I stopped to inquire about it and found that not only did I not have to wait in the huge line, I could get a family pass for the price of two visits to the zoo. I was all over that. We got the pass and just like that we walked into the zoo as "members". That day was a great one, and we have had many others too. I took the kids to the zoo today because the weather was just beautiful. The weather was in the low 60's and the sky was filled with beautiful white fluffy clouds. We arrive early and leave as soon as the first signs of "melt down" occur. It's great having passes because I NEVER feel bad about leaving. If we paid to get in every time I would push to stay the whole day. In the winter you can get to the zoo in the A.M. and have the whole place to yourself. We didn't have a problem pulling right up to each of the exhibits, and if you have seen our stroller you know how much room we take up! It was wonderful. We got to see almost every animal out today. The kids were great, the weather was beautiful, and the animals were all cooperative. I also really love the ride home while everyone takes a nap as soon as they are buckled into their car seats! Pure quite time to myself. It almost makes me wish the zoo was farther away than just the short 20 min. drive. Take a look at our photos and see what you think

oops!

Living in a two story home has brought about many changes for me. I now run up and down the stairs about 20 times a day. I try and minimize the things in my hands by throwing things over the railing down into the hallway or living room below. Well today I learned what NOT to throw over the railing. Picture this: a VERY full night time diaper from the beans. I toss it over not thinking anything of it. I aim for the back sliding door as that is where the big black garbage cans are. I hit my mark but the diaper full from a nights use was no match. It blows a quarter size hole in the diaper, spilling MILLIONS of TINY gel beads filled with PEE all over my floor. CRAP! Let me tell you ladies and gentlemen, these things are nearly IMPOSSIBLE to pick up. They don't sweep, scoop, or lift up. It took FOREVER to clean up. So, I guess I will be walking all diapers down the stairs from now on!

I *HEART*

I *HEART* the Olympics. See you in 16 days! I will be parked in front of the T.V. until they are over.