Lollipop!

Keelin loves lollis. Her favorite is orange. Ryker was very curious about what she was sucking on so he crawled over to her. She offered him a lick or two before reclaiming it. Now, every time she has one, he wants to take it.

Grass?

We put Ryker on the grass to crawl for the first time. Hmmm. Interesting. Then he grabbed a fistful and put it in his mouth.

Dublin Botanical Gardens

We've had lovely weather so we went to the Botanical Gardens. All of the daffodils were in bloom. Keelin was very good and didn't pick any of the flowers (except the dandilions) and what had fallen to the ground naturally. It is huge and we're sure to go back again to see the seasons change.

Pulling the Stopper Out

Ryker has discovered how to pull the stopper out of the tub. Since Keelin wants to stay in longer, she holds him back from crawling to the other end of the tub.

The Spinning Chair

Ikea had this VERY cool spinning chair. The orange material folds over and you have a little tent that spins very fast. The kids absolutely love this. Keelin will even hold Ryker on her lap so they can spin together.

1st Tent

We also got a little tent for the kids. I couldn't put it up fast enough for Ryker. He was trying to crawl into it before I finished. Since Keelin took a nap in his crib the next day, he slept in the tent in a sleeping bag.

Ikea in Belfast

We went to Ikea in Belfast. Andrew and Keelin had a tea party, then she discovered the rocking chair. The kids had so much fun that they didn't want to leave. That's okay - there isn't much else to do in Belfast on a rainy Wednesday...

Doing Laundry

Ryker helps me with the laundry by pulling the items out of the washer almost as fast as I put them in. The machine is a little finicky and you have to hit the door a few times to make sure it's closed. He loves to bang the door shut!

Learning to Stand

Ryker pulled himself to standing on the open dishwasher the other day. Since then, he has done it with the help of the vacuum cleaner, the underneath of the table. He even climbed over his little chair!

Hanging Wallpaper

Andrew and I wallpapered the hall stairway. There were quite a few difficult angles and even Ryker helped.

Easter in Dublin

Daddy spent lots of time goofing off with Keelin and Ryker. Their favorite thing to do have Daddy throw them on the big bean bag

The Cavan Burren & Ryker's Rock

After we returned Keelin to Omagh, we went to McNean's in Blacklion for dinner. Andrew and I ate while Ryker slept soundly upstairs. It was a delicious meal that focused on Irish products. This proves false the rumor that the food in Ireland is bad.

The next morning we went for a hike Cavan Burren. It was a beautiful spring day and there was no one else out there. We saw ancient Irish structures, most likely built during the ice age. In fact, we named one Ryker's Rock. Daddy carried him most of the way. At the end he fell asleep in my arms.

As we drove through one of the small towns near Cavan (named Virginia!) we saw the St. Patrick's Day parade. Well, it was a truck with some people in the back of it. One guy had his bicycle on a pedestal and peddled along. Then there were a few Massey Ferguson tractors following behind. There must have been more that was all we saw.

The Burren

After we returned Keelin to Omagh, we went to McNean's. Andrew and I had dinner while Ryker slept soundlupstairs.

St Patrick's Day weekend - Dublin

Ryker got to crawl around on the floor. He liked to play with her pink sequined slippers. He has a thing for shoes these days... At one point, he found her pacifier ("dodo"). He didn't know quite what to make of it, but did manage to get it into his mouth. He was so pleased with himself. The reaction was like "oh, so THIS is what that thing is all about!"

Keelin came down for the weekend. We went to see Thomas the Tank & Friends. Ryker actually watched a lot of the show - maybe it was the lights and music or maybe it was the ice cream he ate!

Keelin did lots of fun things like making a cake and dying Easter eggs.

Andrew took the kids to Mass on the Burley attached to his bike. They had a great time!

Dulles Airport

We left for Dublin from Dulles Airport. I let Ryker roll about for awhile trying to tire him out.

It didn't work. He was so excited he couldn't sleep (even though this was his third trip) and he was up for 14 HOURS STRAIGHT! Needless to say, he was very cranky...

Growing Boy

Ryker loves bath time. Afterwards I let him roll around naked for a bit. Here he is on the blanket that Lisa made for him. He has grown so much since he got it and was just a wee thing curled up on it. There is a photo of him on the blanket in some of the first photos on the blog.

Soccer Boy

Ryker still loves the gold soccer ball he got Christmas morning. When I put him in his jumpy seat, he likes to kick the ball.