Colors of Ireland (Other than Green)

Ireland is such an enchanting place-- there are layers and layers of history, culture, beauty and nonsensical quirkiness to unfold and discovery every moment.  It is a passionate country, and you never quite know what will speak to you until you're standing on the soil, living the dream.  This time around the colors of the buildings captured my attention for some reason.  Who thinks of these color schemes (and meticulously maintains them)?...because so many of the townsfolk seem like elderly men (and women) dressed in tweed (or faded floral-print cotton dresses).  Not the type you would imagine to pick hot pink for their storefront.  But, who knows.  The Irish are a whimsical people.  So, if you ever need inspiration for a bold paint job, here it is: 

Even on deserted, wild islands you can find a bit of flair.  

We went to Ireland....

A few weeks ago we claimed a year and a half old present from Cody's parents and we went to Ireland.  The country...in Europe.  It was one of those trips that was so amazing and wonderful, its too overwhelming to wade through all the pictures and experiences, and you feel like if you actually do so, you might cheapen the real experience somehow.  I'll try to get over that feeling and document our trip.  It WAS amazing.  And wonderful.  And I was a ball of crying nerves before we left the kids with Cody's capable parents.  As soon as our trip started though I could feel how much we needed it.  Married seven years, five of them with kids, we had one or two nights away here and there, but never any really significant amount of time to just BE together.  To not only forgot schedules, but be so far removed from them that you stop feeling schedules. There was no 1:00 p.m. drop dead naptime (oh, there were plenty of naps, but they didn't have to be at 1:00 p.m.), we didn't have to be back from dinner by 7.  In fact, we didn't even have to be back from a kids-free dinner at any reasonable hour in order to get up with the kids at 6:30 the next morning.  Gasp.  We could.....stay....out.  Late.  There was no one but our B&B proprietors to demand our attention in the morning. And that was just to feed us breakfast.  And, in our seven years gone from Ireland (we went on our honeymoon), technology has changed so much that we skyped and FaceTimed with the kids about every other day.  And guess what-- they really did not seem to miss our presence in their house.  GG bought them chocolate milk.  They went to Chic-fil-a, they went to the park and got special snacks.  It was fun.

This post will definitely not have all of our pictures--I have to start small (in fact, reviewing the pictures I just chose, this is such a random smattering with no logical connections or coherence).  But I will leave this by encouraging any young married couple, laden with small children, who think watching Jeopardy together at night counts as enough alone time throughout the week--- GO.  Go and spend time with your spouse.  Go somewhere where there will be no squabbling about who is making dinner and who is doing the dishes.  There are no baths and stories and prayers to fit into an insanely short amount of time.  Go somewhere you can't turn on the TV and somewhere you can go to church and think.  Where you can eat ice cream before dinner and not worry about anyone seeing you, and buy gummy bears and eat them anytime you want without anyone begging for one.  Then have a beer or two and stay out late.  It is so worth it.

Kinsale

Old Head.  

Probably our favorite bar in the world, which was also featured on the cover of one of our favorite books, by the same name (McCarthy's Bar).  We visited on our honeymoon and came back to the very tiny town of Castletownbere this time around too.  

Inside the bar-- we played scrabble while the owner fed a large dog scraps from the grocery-store part of the bar.  The dog was not hers.  It belonged to a frazzled looking woman who's 4 year old son Oscar ran wild in the streets outside.  

There was a beautiful beach, and there were people in the water.  I was wearing a coat and long sleeves.  Several people told us this was their first real summer in a few years.  It did not get above 70 degrees (F) while we were there.  

Castletownbere at dusk.  Beautiful!

On the Aran Islands.

On Dursey Island after taking a cable car built 60 years ago over the sea.  More pics of that experience later.  

Our hostess on the Aran Island (actually, our hostess's mother whom we ran into) took this picture of us.  When we told her we have three kids (everyone was interested in their names and ages), she gasped and said "3!  Oh my, I thought you were a young couple a-courtin'!"   After a week alone-together in our favorite place, that's what we felt like too :).  

And for good measure, I saw selkies on the Great Blasket Island.  

Jamesie's First Day!

After Labor Day Jamesie conquered a huge milestone-- his first day of (pre) school!  Jamesie is going to the school Sean went to for the last two years-- the school with all the work and the playground Jamesie has silently coveted for the last two years.  Now it's all his.....mwha hahahahaha!

His first day went great.  Sean went off to school early (7:15), which left over an hour before it was time to take Jamesie to school.  He spent that hour with shoes and socks on, his lunch bag slung over his shoulder like a satchel to create his "back pack," walking around the house saying "I ready to go now!....I ready for mine...." I could only tell him "not yet, a little while longer" so many times, so I started stalling by changing the baby, looking for my keys, getting him some milk, etc etc.  We finally departed for school and arrived only 5 minutes before the doors opened, so it was a mild success. 

Jamesie did AMAZING upon separation.  Jamesie-No-Cry is his Indian name when he does something brave without crying, like going under the water, falling down or going to pre-school.  Was he ever Jamesie-No-Cry.  He was definitely shy and nervous, but I was so proud of him for pulling it together and choosing to go into the classroom and sit down with the other children.  When I picked him up three hours later, he was sweaty as can be (a good sign of vigorous playing) and reported "my head hot."  When I asked if he made any new friends he said yes, and listed his teacher.  I'm not too concerned since we know most of the families in the class. 

"I three!  I go to school!"

Jamesie and Tay-tee (his word for "Sissy," which she now responds to as much as her real name).

She was so tickled to be part of the boys' going-to-school pictures! And they are both the most loving, inclusive big brothers ever made.

"I have mine pack-pack, I ready to go now!"

School.  Moment of truth....should I stay or should I go?  Should I cry or should I play?  The Youngster chose wisely.  Horse bag gave good counsel, as usual.

 

Part of the Montessori method is to have kids of different ages (3-6) in the same classroom so the Bigs can teach the Littles.  I try to give our guys a lot of freedom in choosing their own activities around here, like in a Montessori classroom, and clearly some of the method has worn off.  Look how I found Mrs. Baby as soon as the big boys were out of the picture.....

I will sit at my desk....

and do a little drawing.  Just like those Big Boys who live here. 

Perhaps I'll write a sonnet while I'm at it.  An Ode to Brothers, whom I miss.