Christmas in Louisburgh

Well, our long Christmas break is nearly over. We had a wonderful, relaxing holiday. On Sunday, December 22nd, we headed to Louisburgh to spend nearly two weeks there with Paul's family. I came back to Dublin this past Thursday to get unpacked, laundry done, Christmas stuff put away, etc, and Paul and Gemma came back yesterday.

On Christmas Eve, nearly everyone went to mass (except Gemma and me- she was in bed for the night), then the adults opened presents after that. On Christmas Day, Gemma opened her gifts, and we enjoyed the delicious turkey and ham dinner.



Opening gifts!


A book based on one of mommy's favourite tv shows!


The doll stroller was definitely the favourite gift! Gemma and granny took it for a test drive right away!


Gemma in her crown from the Christmas cracker


Everyone enjoying dinner

In the evening, we took a few photos with the Christmas tree.



Gemma, me, and Paul


Gemma with her Auntie Marie and Uncle Brian


Gemma with Granny and Grandad

Most of the time the weather was pretty stormy and wet, so we spent most of the time staying warm by the fire! We did get out for a couple of walks, trips to Westport, and visits to friends and family. Gemma was very busy and kept everyone entertained!



Exploring the laundry cupboard


Looking at the birds with Grandad


Picking out some tools from Grandad's catalogue


Playing with a box of chocolates- see how she took them into the corner to try to hide?!?!


Working on a crossword puzzle

One of the highlights of the break was the wedding of two of our good friends in Westport on December 30th. Paul has been friends with the groom pretty much since birth, and the bride has become one of my good friends since I moved over. Paul was a groomsman, and it was a fantastic day!



The bride and groom


Paul doing his groomsman duties


Me and Paul- he got a pocket watch as his thank you gift and was very excited about it!


The happy couple and me at the end of the night

It was a wonderful break, and I'm so thankful that we were able to have as much time off work as we did. Nearly everyone has the time between Christmas and New Year off here, and it is wonderful. It is such a relaxing time after the hustle and bustle in the lead up to Christmas. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

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Gemma's Christmas Card

She brought this home from creche yesterday. Merry Christmas from Gemma!






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16 Months!

On December 10th, Gemma turned 16 months old! It's so hard to believe that another 1/3 of a year has gone by already. Gemma loves to imitate, and I'm amazed at how much she picks up just by watching others. At 16 months, Gemma:

-Is constantly on the go! She loves to walk and run around, and she does not like to be in the stroller very much. In the airports on our recent trip, she wanted to push the stroller instead of ride in it. She is also a climber and a bit of a daredevil. She climbs from our chairs onto the couch and back, tries to climb up the back of the tub when having a bath, and wants to stand on the changing table all of the time.

-Loves giving hugs and kisses. In the airport, she reached out to all the little kids she saw to share her hugs. She also has to hug and kiss the other kids and staff at creche before we leave in the afternoon and even kisses the Christmas tree goodnight!

-Enjoys playing with imitation toys- when we were in MN, she LOVED cousin Freya's kitchen and doll stroller. She also likes to play with her purse and talk on her phone.

-Has a new favourite word, 'uh oh'.
When we were in MN, she said something that sounded an awful lot like 'Grandma', and when we look at pictures of Freya, she says 'yaya'. On the planes, she said 'hiya' to everyone that passed and said it a lot in MN also, but she hasn't said it as much lately. 'Daddy' continues to be a favourite as well!

-Got 4 more teeth (I'm pretty sure they're the first molars), so now has a total of 10! 6 on top and 4 on the bottom.

-Really likes listening to music and dancing. She loves the song 'Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer', and I sing it countless times a day. She also loves 'The Muppet Christmas Carol'. When we were all getting over jet lag, I put it on, and now we watch a little bit pretty much every day. She dances along when the songs come on, and when she wants to watch it, she goes over by the tv and marches in place and waves her arms!

-Likes to help around the house by carrying the clothes from the washing machine to the dryer and putting them into the dryer. She also helps put groceries away by taking them out of the bag and handing them to me.

-Is still taking two naps a day on days that she is at home and one on creche days. She goes to bed around 7:30 (7:00 on creche days), and usually sleeps around 12 hours straight, knock on wood! We had some hiccups with jet lag, but overall Gemma is a great sleeper in a crib or pack and play. She still rarely sleeps in her car seat or stroller. I'm not complaining though!

-Tried pancakes and pizza in MN and liked them both. She also had her first taste of ice cream in the Chicago airport. Cheese, bananas, and pears are her favourites.

-Is a sweet, funny, independent little girl, and she brings us so much joy!

Most of the pictures from the month were taken in MN, but here's a few more:



Carrying mommy's coffee cup after work and creche


Bath time!


On the way back from Mayo with Daddy in his van


Just up from a nap


Playing with the baby gate
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Fun Times!

The rest of our time in Minnesota we spent hanging out with family, seeing some friends, eating a couple of meals out (very interesting with two toddlers!), and doing some shopping. Paul and I were a bit crazy and went to the outlet mall in Albertville in the middle of a snowstorm. The drive there and back was a bit scary, and we both fell on the ice in the parking lot, but there was hardly anyone else there and we got great bargains!

It was so fun to watch Gemma and Freya together. It was pretty much, 'monkey see, monkey do' the entire time! They played and chased, and Gemma wanted to give Freya hugs and kisses all of the time. Freya was a little hesitant! They were so cute together, yet it was difficult to get photos, as they rarely sit still!

Here's a photo recap of the rest of our trip:



Freya trying on some heels at DSW!




Reading with Grandma




Gemma attempting to give Freya a hug




Matching shirts- they say 'Grandma's Little Helper'




Enjoying pancakes at IHOP!




One morning, Mom and I took the girls to an indoor play place at the Hopkins Pavillion. They loved it! Here's Gemma and Grandma with the slide.




Bouncy castle!




Building with blocks




Later that evening, the girls watched some kids playing in the snow outside.




Our visit to Santa at the Ridgedale mall. Gemma has hat hair and wasn't too happy to sit with Santa. Freya did great!



This was after our visit to Santa. The mall was pretty quiet, so they loved running around after the visit!



Gemma liked Auntie Margo's Christmas tree!


Me and Freya


Playing on the bed


Freya with one of her Christmas gifts from us- a leotard for when she starts gymnastics in January!


Gemma getting a lift on the suitcase



Another meal out- this was something else! Gemma ended up eating mostly applesauce, and Freya ate mostly ketchup and pickles!


Watching an app on the iPad with Paul


Kisses for auntie!


Gemma and Grandpa

The time went WAY too quickly, and on Saturday, December 7th, we headed back to Dublin. Gemma did really well with the travelling. She drifted off to sleep while watching a video on the iPad while we were sitting on the plane in Chicago waiting for a crew to take us to the gate. She slept around 40 minutes. We then got a snack and headed to the international terminal. Once we got through security again, we let Gemma run around and play for awhile. We had dinner, then got Gemma into her pj's for the flight. We departed Chicago around 7:30pm local time, and Gemma fell asleep shortly after takeoff. She slept 5 hours of the 6 hour and 15 minute flight (we had good tail winds, so made great time). We arrived back in Dublin, got through immigration and baggage claim, then headed to the car. We were back in our place a little after 9am local time, but it felt like 3am to us. After some breakfast for Gemma we all went down for a nap!



Helping in the Minneapolis airport


Gemma got a 'Junior TSA Agent' badge in Minneapolis


Asleep on the plane at the gate in Chicago


Eating pizza in the Chicago airport


A little more playtime before getting on the flight to Dublin


Fast asleep!


Back in Dublin, waiting for Daddy to get the car

We had such a wonderful time, and thank you to everyone who hosted us and travelled to see us. We can't wait to come back to Minnesota soon!
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