Harris Teeter

There is a new grocery store in the neighborhood (thank God!). I like taking Ryker there. They have small shopping carts for him to push and they give him free balloons and cookies!

River Poppa visits

"River Poppa" (my dad) came for lunch on Saturday. He brought lots of presents for Ryker. Charlotte couldn't make it.

Sunset Serenade at the Zoo

The Zoo has free concerts on Lion Hill. They are Thursday evenings in the summer. A whole bunch of us (20?) got together for Ryker's birthday. It was also Kelvin's birthday so they both blew out the candles. The cake was huge so Steve went around passing out slices to everyone.

Daddy in Albany

Daddy was sworn in to the NY Bar today in Albany. It is very impressive since it is one of the hardest exams in the country. Keelin wasn't allowed to come to the US with us to attend the ceremony. It would have been nice since we were all there for her graduation. We celebrated in Washington.

Stokke

Andrew bought Ryker a beautiful Stokke crib. He seems to like it as he's 3 hours into his first nap in it. He even likes it when he's awake. He started grabbing water bottles and putting them inside the box. What fun!

Keelin and Ryker

Ryker loves to imitate his big sister. She is very patient and showed him how to drink out of one of her princess cups. She also shared her cereal with him. They love to hang out in the kitchen in the morning while Daddy sleeps in. Sometimes we even make him pancakes.

Keelin loves her Daddy

Keelin adores her Daddy. She usually marries him once each weekend when she's down. As soon as she gets in the car she asks how many nights she's staying and when can she stay more. Keelin always wants to know if Ryker and I will be there for her next visit. She says I'm a "good cooker" and loves it when I make her favorite dish, chicken risotto. She says it's "gorgeous." I'll cook for her anytime! Keelin is always very upset when we tell her it is time for her to go back to her mummy's house. It is difficult and we have to promise her that she will see us soon.

Backyard Fun

We got a little wading pool for the backyard. I taught Keelin how to play hopscotch and, of course, Ryker wanted to do it too. Andrew pulled them around the yard in the Radio Flyer. Faster, Daddy! Faster!

Andrew and Anthony

Andrew's brother, Anthony, came down for the weekend. He was participating in an art event over the weekend. It was fun to have him around and he was quite good natured about them climbing all over him.

Ryker's Birthday - Act II

Keelin wanted to make a birthday cake for Ryker. I helped her make it and spread the frosting. She licked the bowls and put all of the sprinkles on by herself.

Circus Time!

We took Keelin and Ryker to Duffy's Circus. They had so much fun! Keelin got her face painted. She played with Ryker's light toy until the battery died. He didn't care because he was too busy watching the circus lights and animals and performers.

Siblings

I wasn't sure if Ryker would remember Keelin. He sure did! They held hands most of the way in the car to Dublin while they watched her princess dvds. She even let him hold her pink blankie.

Waiting in Omagh

We had to wait to pick Keelin up for the weekend so we went to the park. It was a lovely day with only passing showers. Ryker got to ride his Kettler and he was pretty happy about that. We took him to meet Andrew's Aunt Eileen. Ryker LOVED his great-aunt. He kept grabbing her pretty skirt and wanting her to pick him up.

Keelin Graduates

We surprised Keelin by going to her graduation. She didn't know we were going to be there and was very excited to see her daddy, then she saw her brother and me. Daddy! Ryker! Sarah! She showed Ryker off to all of her friends. She dressed up as Belle from Beauty and the Beast before she put her cap & gown on to get her diploma.

Little Man, the intrepid traveller

On Ryker's first birthday, I sat down and made a list of all the places he's been in his first year. It's pretty impressive. It amounts to about one trip every two weeks, since he was born.

Republic of Ireland - four times (Dublin, Waterford, Cavan, Galway)
London, UK - once
San Francisco, CA - once
Newport, RI - three times
Fire Island, NY - once
Williamsburg, Brooklyn - four times
Oakland, WV - twice
Lewes, DE - twice
Front Royal, VA - four times
Belfast, Northern Ireland - once
Omagh, Northern Ireland - four times

Fish Pie

Andrew is a great cook. The other night, he made a fish pie and put an "R" on it for Ryker. Ryker was already in bed so he didn't get any, but we really enjoyed it.

Ice Cream

Ryker and I go to the park everyday. He loves the swings, slide and anything that lets him "walk." Yesterday, when we left the park, I got him an ice cream. He ate the WHOLE thing all by himself. Ice cream in the summer is the best!

Walkabout

Ryker loves to walk. Unfortunately, he can't quite do it by himself. In one of these videos, he's pushing the ride at the park. In the other, Andrew is helping him walk by having him hold two long pieces of wood while shopping at Woodie's home improvement store.

Killiney Hill

For Ryker's first birthday and Father's Day we hiked Killiney Hill outside Dalkey, near Dublin. Andrew carried Ryker in a backpack. When we got to the top, he crawled all over - even up the rocks! I think we have a hiker/mountain climber in the making.

5th Haircut

Marilu and I took Ryker to Golden Scissors in Mt. Pleasant for his first "official" haircut. I've cut it four times so far, but it was really too long. He cut 2 inches off!

Happy Birthday Ryker!

Ryker celebrated his first birthday today. We got him a cake and he loved it when we sang Happy Birthday. He wanted to eat the candle but we got him to eat the cake instead. Yummy!

Howth Harbour

It was lovely weather on Saturday and we went to the town of Howth, just north of Dublin for the day. We played in the park (they have wonderful parks here!!!) and had oysters and Guinness, which Andrew has been promising me for ten years now.

A (German?) TV crew stopped and asked if they could take pictures of Ryker because he was so gorgeous. Andrew and I, being the very proud parents, said "of course!" So, if you happen to watch a German TV program about Ireland, look for a photo of Ryker drinking Guinness.

5th Haircut

Marilu and I took Ryker to Golden Scissors in Mt. Pleasant for his first "official" haircut. I've cut it four times so far, but it was really too long. He cut 2 inches off!

Zoe's Birthday

Today we went to a picnic in Rock Creek Park to celebrate Zoe's birthday. It was SO SO hot. I brought Ryker's walking toy so he could be more mobile. Of course, he crawled too. By the time we left, he was very tired and started to get cranky (see the photo with Felipe!). He ate hummous, watermelon and of course, a cupcake.

Sleeping Beauty

Ryker is a great sleeper - thank God! Sometimes I sneak into the room just to take a look at him. During the day when he is trying to walk and talk, he seems like a little boy, a toddler. But at night, he is still a little baby. Time moves so fast now.

Ring Ring

Ryker LOVES the telephone. I'm not sure how he knows that they're phones, but be it a cell phone, blackberry, cordless, play phone but he immediately puts it to his ear to talk.

Dog Earred

We stopped at Bruce and Keith's house to say hello on the way back from the doctor's, but Ryker was really only interested in their dog, Brielle. He thought it was a lot of fun to pull Brielle's ear.

Ah-choo!

It seems Ryker has allergies which is a bit unusual for a child his age. However, if anyone knows DC in the Spring, it is not surprising. I took him to see Dr. Sepe and Ryker pushed the chair around while we waited.

We walked to the doctor's and unfortunately on the way there, a HUGE rainstorm, I mean tornado, hit. I had the rain cover so Ryker was fine. In fact, he thought it was pretty interesting and kept trying to poke his head out. Me on the other hand, I was soaking wet. I had to wring my dress out in the trash can when we got there.

Feeding Himself

Ryker is getting better at feeding himself, but it's still pretty messy. Can't wait until this stage is over so I don't have to wash the floor several times per week...

Golden Gate Park

The weather was beautiful in San Francisco - even in Golden Gate Park which is normally chilly with a breeze. Andrew was exhausted so he took a nap in the sun. He didn't even notice Ryker climbing all over him. Ryker also wanted to crawl into the back of the stroller. We let him ride like that for just a little bit as a special treat. Another little boy was flying a kite and Ryker really wanted to do that. He also spent a bit of time playing in the dirt. Fun.