California Dreamin'

***Warning*** VERY LONG POST WITH LOTS OF PICS.

The first swim of the year






This was Niamhs first encounter with the pool. She absolutely loved it. She was splashing like crazy and kept trying to get out of my arms to swim. I'm sure the fact that it was an indoor, heated pool had a lot to do with it. My kids are little water babies. We loved the hotel pool and swam there at least three times.

The San Diego Zoo

1. We went to the Zoo on Monday. Got there when it opened. Went straight to the Pandas. There were two chewing on Bamboo. They were beautiful.
2. Saw some Orangutans; they were funny to watch. We saw two wrestling like brothers, reminded me of Tyrone & Gavin.
3. Next came the Hippos, Bears, Monkeys Lions, Koala Bears & Flamingos. We saw lots of birds and deer. Needless to say, the Pandas were the favorite. The Elephant exhibit was closed,sadly.
4. We went up in the sky tram and looked out over the whole zoo. The view is spectacular, but I wouldn't know I was clinging for dear life to the boys incase we fell out.
5. We left after two hours, satisfied that we saw all the animals we wanted to. We also probably all walked 2 miles.







"The Happiest Place on Earth"

1. Our first day at Disneyland, we were there from 10am-10pm. We got on so many rides, I can't even remember the order. The second day we went for a few hours, ate churros, bread bowls and huddled together. It was a little chilly.
2. Buzz Lightyear, was the boys favorite.
3. They were terrified of Pirates of the Carribeann and The Haunted Mansion. Go figure :)
4. We waited 30 minutes for The Nemo Submarine ride. It was pretty entertaining.
5. We watched a parade celebrating all the birthdays. Lucas turned to me and said "So this is what its like to be in the middle of a musical." The boys & Niamh loved it.
6. The fireworks were fantastic, it was worth waiting until 9:30pm.
7. It's not very fun dealing with three, exhausted, grumpy kids leaving Disneyland at 10pm.
8. It was worth it all.













Last but not least, some things that we did not plan on doing on our trip to California.

I decided to cut my hair.

We drove by the San Diego Temple. What a magnificant sight.

We got in a little fender bender, the day before we left for Las Vegas. Nothing major, we nicked the back side of a Dodge Van. Luckily no damage to their vehicle but the right side of our bumper is smashed in. They make them cheap these days. I didn't get any pics of the bumper, its ugly.

We had a wonderful time in California and cannot wait until our next trip.

The latest

I can't believe it has been almost 2 weeks since we moved. We moved from one end of the city to the other and had seriously so much stuff. It was a little stressful trying to find a place for everything. We are very happy in our new home and are trying to get to know the new area. This house is a lot harder to keep clean with the whole downstairs being tile.


Gavin started at James Bilbray Elementary last Thursday and is already making new friends and loves his teacher. He is in the afternoon session, which is different but I get a lot done in the afternoon while Gavin is at school and Niamh is sleeping. It also gives me time to spend with my little Tyrone. He has been having a tough time lately and he needs this one on one.

(Gavin had Pajama Day today)


Niamh is finally ready for solid foods. She is so funny, anytime either Lucas and I are holding her and we are eating something like yogurt or icecream, she reaches out and tries to grab it. She is pretty quick too. She gets really mad when you pull the item away from her. I have to admit, we have given her a teeny bit of yogurt and icecream. We got her a new highchair and she likes being able to sit and look at everything thats going on. She is almost sitting up by herself, which I can't wait for.



Lucas is working hard and getting used to the commute to his station. His shifts have been busy and he even had to fight a guy last week who had possession of a stolen car, who resisted arrest. Needless to say my man won :) Lucas is such a hard worker and so good at his job. I am proud of him!

We are heading to California this next week for a well needed vacation. We are going to stay near San Diego and go to the San Diego Zoo and then head to Anaheim and go to Disneyland for a few days. We were there nearly a year ago and the boys still talk about the different rides and attractions. Needless to say they cannot talk about anything else. We got a new camera so we will have lots of pics of our little trip.

Give me Patience!!

I just finished mopping all the floors downstairs, which happen to be tile. My boys have a habit of waiting till the last minute to go to the bathroom and do their business. Well, Tyrone chose this particular time to run to the bathroom, pull down his pants and pee all over my floor and bathroom wall. It wasn't just a little sprinkle either, it was a flood. AGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!

St. Patricks Day

Happy St. Patricks Day

The Legend of St Patrick
Celebrated on 17th March
Patrick was born in Britain in the year 387. His real name is Maewyn Succat. The name St. Patrick was given to him later in life by Pope Celestine. His parents, Calphurnius and Conchessa belonged to a high ranking Roman family. St Patrick recorded most of the history of his life and his spiritual writings in the "Confessio" (Confession). Patrick also wrote letters to Coroticus. In this letter, he criticized a raid on Ireland conducted by Coroticus, a British chieftain. Several of Patrick's converts were killed during the raid. The letter also shows Patrick's resentment of the scornful attitude of British clergymen and nobility toward the Irish.

When he was 16, he was captured by pagan Irish raiders and sold into slavery to a chieftain named Meliuc in Antrim , Ireland. He spent his teen years and time alone as a shepard to tend to his master's sheep. During this time, his spirituality awakened and his belief in God became strong. He would pray many times in a day. After 6 years being in slavery, he had a dream that he would find a ship to take him to freedom. He escaped to follow his dream. He had to travel about 200 miles before he found a ship ready to set sail.

He managed to return to his family and home. Although Patrick was born a British, he considered himself an Irish because it was in Ireland that he discovered God. He had another vision. This vision would take him back to Ireland to preach the Gospel later. After his escape, he visited the St. Martin's monastry at Tours. He also visited the island sanctuary of Lerins. He placed himself under the guidance of a bishop named, St. Germain (Germanus). Patrick was promoted to priesthood later. He stayed in Britain for eighteen years. During those years, he was still haunted by memories of Ireland and would often speak of his experiences in Ireland with St. Germain. The Bishop, St. Germain recommended Patrick to the pope. Patrick requested to be sent to Ireland but was denied. Palladius was chosen instead. When Palladius died, Patrick was chosen to be sent to Ireland. He was called to Rome and made a Bishop by Pope Celestine in 432 before he went on his mission to Ireland. It was during that occasion that the name "Patercius" or "Patritius" was given to him. The name comes from two Latin words, "pater civium" meaning "the father of his people".

He suffered many trials as a missionary in Ireland. Patrick was imprisoned by the Druids but managed to escape. There are also many legends which talks about the miracles and magical fights between him and the Druids. One of which is when he was confronted by a chieftain named Dichu. Dichu drew his sword to kill Patrick but could not do so because his arm became rigid until he declared himself obedient to Patrick. Dichu was overwhelmed by the miracle that he made a gift of a large sabhall (barn). This was the first sanctuary dedicated by St. Patrick.

Another legend Patrick is most known for is driving the snakes from Ireland. Some tales tell that he stood on a hill and used a wooden staff to drive the snakes into the sea and banished them forever from Ireland. Another legend says that the snake resisted. Patrick then tricked it into entering a small box and cast it into the sea. It is true that Ireland has no snakes.

However, he managed to win favor with the local kings later. He spent the next 28 years traveling across the countryside to spread the word of God. He could do this easily as he was fluent with the Celtic language. He succeeded in converting almost the entire population of the island.

Legend has it that St. Patrick would use the shamrock to explain the Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The word "shamrock" comes from the Gaelic word "seamrog" (In irish, it means "summer plant") meaning "trefoil" (three leafed) or "little clover". In Arabia, it is called shamrakh. It was a sacred emblem in Iran and to the Persian triads. It is also a sacred plant among the Druids. Shamrock is the national flower of Ireland. Many Irish people wear a shamrock on St. Patrick's Day. It is not the Irish national emblem. The harp has that honor. This explains the color green and shamrocks on St. Patrick's Day. Today, if you do not wear green on St. Patrick's Day, you will get pinched !!

St. Patrick died at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland, on the 17 March, 461 A.D at the age of 76. He is believed to be buried in Downpatrick, County Down. This is why we celebrate St. Patrick's Day on the seventeenth of March. St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland.

The first St. Patrick's Day celebration in the United States was held in Boston in 1737. The largest St. Patrick's Day parade is in New York City.

Happy Birthday Tyrone!

~Tyrone's 1st Birthday~

~Tyrone's 2nd Birthday~

~Tyrone's 3rd Birthday~

Tyrone turned 3 years old on Monday, March 9th. All of us, but Ty woke up about 7am. We all snook into his room and broke into "Happy Birthday to you." He didn't stir, not even when we sang at the top of our lungs. I guess he wasn't ready to wake up yet. He finally woke up about a half hour later and opened his presents. This year, Tyrone pretty much gave us a list of what he would like for his birthday. Needless to say, shopping for his birthday was a breeze. Lucas and I took Tyrone out during the day for a little alone time with him. We had visions of getting icecream or lunch, but most of the time was spent dealing with a melt down from Tyrone. We tried to be patient because he was the birthday boy, otherwise the trip would have ended very abruptly. We had a little family birthday party for Tyrone in the evening. He couldn't wait to have everyone sing happy birthday to him and he even sang along, it was so cute. He got a lot of great presents which will keep him entertained for the next few months, hopefully.

Tyrone is my "middle child," for sure. He is dramatic and emotional. He is very smart and picks up on things really fast. Its hard for me to remember him as a baby because it seemed like the first year of his life flew by in a flash. I sometimes forget that he just turned 3 because he already looks like he is old enough to be 3 or 4. He has a very tender heart and will not easily forget when someone does him wrong. He makes us laugh daily with his imaginative characters and phrases he picks up from movies. He loves to cuddle up next to me whenever we watch a movie. He is a great helper and is very independant. Tyrone is such an asset to our family, he keeps us on our toes and makes us smile. We love you Tyrone!