Festive Fun!

We've been busy getting ready for Christmas and enjoying lots of holiday activities. 

Back on Tuesday, December 1st Gemma and I finished some Christmas shopping at the nearby shopping centre. 

And later that afternoon/evening, Paul met us at the Christmas market in the city centre. 

On Tuesday, December 8th, Gemma and I went to another shopping centre to get her hair cut- the last time she got it cut was right before last Christmas!

We had lunch and enjoyed the Christmas decorations!

Later that afternoon we met Paul nearby for ice skating! Gemma was a bit frustrated that she couldn't stay up on her own and declared the ice 'too slippy'. 

Paul made a quick trip to England last week for a night, and brought me back this special treat!

This past Sunday we put together a gingerbread house. I think Gemma had more fun eating some of the decorations! 

Yesterday we mixed up dough for sugar cookies. 

And, today we rolled out, decorated, and baked them! 

It has been so much fun making these holiday memories! 

Holiday Happenings

A couple of weeks ago, on Thursday 12th December, they had an event to turn on the Christmas lights on Henry Street, one of the main shopping areas in Dublin. As Gemma is SUPER excited about Christmas this year, we are trying to take in as many festive activities as possible, so we headed in to see it. It was a fun evening of music and entertainment!

Since we had our Thanksgiving dinner this past Sunday, we put up our Chrisrmas tree on Monday! Gemma was a great helper this year!

And on Tuesday, we completed the decorating! The stockings were the last things to go up, but Gemma had to try hers on first!

Thanksgiving!

This past Sunday we hosted an American Thanksgiving dinner for some friends. We had 9 adults and 5 children (Gemma being the oldest), so it was a full house! We had a great time! I did learn that the Irish aren't big fans of pumpkin pie- a lot of that came back on the dessert plates! You must have to grow up with it to appreciate it! 

Lots to be thankful for!

Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin carving last night!

Dr. Gemma and her patient

Ready to go to a Halloween party and trick or treating

Gemma LOVED trick or treating (this was the first year we did it). She would shout 'Trick or Treat' at the door before we even knocked or rang the bell! 

October Bank Holiday

This past Monday was a Bank Holiday, so we headed to Louisburgh for the long weekend last Friday afternoon. Gemma held a few 'classes' for all of her buddies at Granny and Grandad's house!

On Sunday there was a Halloween party fundraiser for Louisburgh Childcare. At first Gemma was a bit overwhelmed by the crowd and noise, but by the time it was wrapping up, she didn't want it to end!

On the way back to Dublin on Monday we stopped for a special treat!

Happy Birthday, Paul!

Paul celebrated his birthday this past Wednesday, October 14th. Gemma and I made a cake for him the day before. 

Then we gave Paul his presents, grilled steaks, and enjoyed birthday cake on the day! 

High heels!

One of the things we brought back for Gemma from our cruise was a pair of toy high heels. She loved Freya's when we were in Minnesota, and I found a pair for €2 in Spain! She has been wearing them A LOT! 

Iberian Cruise

Paul and I got to enjoy a one week Iberian cruise from October 2nd to 9th. Gemma went on her 'holidays' to Granny and Grandad's in Louisburgh, including going on the train for the first time, so that we could have a getaway. We had a wonderful week of relaxation and seeing some beautiful sites. 

We flew to London, then got a transfer to the port in Southampton, England, where we boarded the ship- Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas. Our first full day was a sea day, then we had four days of stops in Vigo, Spain; Lisbon, Portugal; Cadiz, Spain; and Gibraltar. The last full day was a sea day, then we arrived in Barcelona in the early morning of Friday, October 9th, and we flew back to Dublin from there. We had a great time, but we missed Gemma a lot- the last day we spent nearly the whole day looking at pictures and videos of her on our phones!

Enjoying a drink before we sailed out of Southhampton. 

On the first day of the cruise we went to a talk onboard about all the different ports of call. We won one of the prizes of a day excursion when we were in Vigo to Santiago de Compostela. The city is the capital of Galicia, in northwest Spain, and the destination of a major Catholic pilgrimage route. We had a guided tour around the city and some time to explore on our own. 

In Lisbon we explored on our own, including taking a tour of the city on an open top bus. It was a beautiful city with gorgeous tiles everywhere, but unfortunately it was extremely windy and poured rain at times!

Cadiz is a beautiful coastal town with an amazing cathedral. We spent the day wandering the narrow streets and walking along the seafront. 

Gibraltar was probably our favourite spot. We took a private taxi tour with 4 other people to the top of the rock, stopping at all the points of interest along the way and getting educated about Gibraltar by a local person. We enjoyed looking in the numerous shops as well- it's a tax free shopping destination! 

On the last sea day we relaxed, read, watched an ice skating show, and enjoyed a final drink in one of the bars onboard. 

We arrived back in Barcelona after a wonderful week, then went straight to the airport- very excited to get back to Gemma!