New Prop!

I got this tea cup for planting so I decided to plant me a Stella! My cool sister in law let me stuff her 3 and a half month old in, to see if she still fit. I plan to do a real shoot with her and the cup, but I just HAD to see if she was too big.

Liam...the newest nephew sweetness

Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

Spring has sprung and what can be more spring like than new life. My sister had her boy....finally! After a week overdue, he came. I had to go take pictures...so with out further adieu, I introduce you to Liam Henry Barrett. 8 Pounds 9.7 ounces and 21 inches of handsome baby goodness. he came at 1:15 am on the 6th of April.

Dublin Hat

Orissa modeling the hat we got in dublin. It really does look good on boys and girls, and was hand made in Ireland. Isn't she just so cute! I actually got her to sit still without bribing her with chocolate or goldfish crackers (two year olds have SO much energy...if only I could bottle it, I'd be a millionaire)! Woot woot!

Dublin Day 3...

Hosted by Cecily and Life With Kaishon

(OK, I know I wrote it on Tuesday, but that was when I knew I would have time! Enjoy!)


You might not believe me, but I really had planned to post these all rapid fire-like. If you are a long time reader, you might already be aware of how I hope things go, and how they really go. Here it is more than a week since the last Dublin post and I am finally getting to this.
I have been home long enough that when I look at the pictures, I say to myself, "Wow, was I really just in Ireland? Did I really have the wonderful opportunity to see my favorite country (besides these here Untied States) for a second time? Stang, I am a lucky girl!"
Yeah, that is pretty much how it goes, because that is just how awesome I am...and I know I am awesome cause my four year old son tells me that every couple of days!
Our day started out with a big yummy breakfast (not shown)

and a wonderful, and LONG walk to the Dublin Zoo! I admit, I love zoos. There are so many animals you just don't have many chances to see in the wild. I know a lot of people don't like them and that is fine, but I LOVE em! So, here are a couple of the critters we encountered!
Isn't this baby adorable?
"Make sure you get this side! Definitely my best!"
This hippo was very watchful of me as I snapped away at him. I think he had a cold...his eye was watering.
Love the elephants too!

I could put up over a hundred pictures...I had to get a lot, I promised one little boy oodles of animal pictures! However, it was a very full and busy day. After the zoo, we wandered all over Phoenix Park. And let me just say, it is HUGE, and beautiful and well loved and used by the Dubliners (the populace and who knows, maybe even the famous group too!)
So here are a couple of my favorite pictures. The Wellington Monument. I love it! It is to memorialize all the Irishmen who died fighting in wars for the British.
Aaron on the steps of the Wellington Monument.
For scale, you see that dark spot in the middle of the green that is a guy who is about 6 feet tall!

The huge cross that is a tribute to the visit from Pope John Paul, where he held mass for over a million people.
The plaque at the cross. In 1979 Pope John Paul II came to Dublin.
Really like the lens flare here.

And the herd of deer that were just hanging out in the middle of the park, totally unperturbed by the people all around them!

After the park, we walked all the way to the Kilmainham Gaol.
This cross represents the spot where James Connelly was put to death for his part in the revolution attempt. He wasn't killed where the others were, because he had to be brought in from the hospital, where he was already not doing too well. He couldn't stand on his own, so when he was brought into the stone yard, they closed the gates, put him on a chair, and a firing squad ended his life. The cross below this, represents where the other leaders of the revolution were put to death. The interesting part is, before the executions, the people of Ireland (as a whole) weren't extremely keen to gain independence. After the brutal deaths of these men, the resistance gained in popularity.

Aaron standing inside of one of the cells in the nicer, newer part of the gaol. It was added on in the 18th century! Very modern.
(Political graffiti that was done by one of the prisoners. I can't recall who the guide said it was an image of.)
This too, is one of my favorite places in Dublin. yes, I know you are probably thinking, "A jail? Really? One of your favorite places is a jail?" Sounds strange, maybe even a bit morbid, but it is steeped in history of the Irish Revolution. This history is so recent, and fresh in the minds of many of the Irish folks. Men spent their final hours here, knowing they were to die for fighting for freedom. I have to say, freedom was and is worth fighting for. This piece of Irish history lay empty and falling to ruins, and was nearly demolished before being turned into a national treasure. Men and women who spent time here, pled for it's salvation. Without it as a reminder history would have been dimmed.

Rockin' His Irish

Javin is become quite my little model. Picking his props and his poses. HE did several different poses and had lots of different props that he went and found. But this was my favorite picture, he just looks so sweet! The hat I actually bought in Dublin for Orissa, but it can be worn by either a boy or a girl. And of course, you have to have green on St. Patrick's Day.

I just had to share this picture of my sweet boy!

Days One and Two in Dublin.

Hosted by Cecily

If you missed it, and want to hear about the first of the vacation, then you can go back and read the previous post too...no pressure though!
Irish doors are so wonderful. I know I have said it once before, and I will probably say it again. Every color of the rainbow with knobs and knockers from the plain to ornate. LOVE IT!

I figure I can make this last a few post if I cover only a couple of days at a time! With the return of the rental car, we had to hoof it. I admit I love seeing cities on foot. You miss so much when you are driving in a car, plus I was informed by Aaron that I stress out way too much while driving (I really thought I was doing pretty good the second say behind the wheel, but apparently not!).
We had the great pleasure to stay in a guest house in Dublin rather than a hostel, for the same price! Yay! It was a lovely place to stay, and most of the evening we were there. I mean, sauna, jetted tub and even television...crazy I know (I even got to watch Manchester Unites wipe the floor with AC Milan...woot!).
But during the day we were out and about exploring the city. There is just something about Dublin that captured my heart the first time I was there, and calls me to it. It is a big bustling city, full of people, shops, pubs and history. On one block there is a 400+ year old church next to a new modern building. I really can't explain it, for a city that has never been my home, it feels as homey to me as Spokane.
I am, again going to let the pictures do most of the talking, words seem to be failing me on this one.
We went to this thing that gives you a view of what life would have been like in Dublin, or Dublina (the Viking name for Dublin, which in Irish means Dark Pools) centuries upon centuries ago. It took us through the history of Dublin from when it was founded by Viking warriors through to the black plague era. We were encourage to try on the costumes provided, but we were kind of spoil sports and only did the chain mail and helmet. The above picture is the view from the tower of the Dublina Viking Experience building (formally part of Christ Chruch Cathedral...the youngest part that is.)
Aaron in the Helmet...looks pretty rockin' awesome, eh?
You might be, at least I was, shocked at how heavy this one piece of armor was! Glad I don't have to wear it everyday!
This is a fountain out side of St. Patrick Cathedral. I love the grounds there. So beautiful.
Aaron by the same fountain. You will have to wait for another post to see the inside of this magnificent edifice though, it was closed to tourist this day.
This is Christ Church Cathedral. A truly splendid house of worship (being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, it was very strange to take pictures of the interior. Seemed wrong. I said hard for me, not impossible.) I really wanted to be able to remember the ancient stone work and stained glass.
Aaron had the super wide angle lens on, and is responsible for the picture of the outside of the cathedral. I just had to capture him capturing the ceiling. Truly beautiful.
This stand holds the Holy Bible...so cannot remember what it is called (and I wouldn't even be offended if someone out there knew what it was and wanted to share it with us.)
After we had wondered for hours through the exhibit and the the cathedral, we went to a small grocery type store, bought some food, and headed to the boardwalk on the River Liffey to eat. We were lucky enough to be there at the right time to witness our first regatta! Two of the colleges in Dublin were having their rival races that day. WE stuck around only long enough to see the novice teams (men and women's both) race. I was surprised to learn that they had only been rowing since October.
The men at the staring line.
The women as they rowed past my location. And the lower one is the shot before this one...uploaded them in the wrong order. Oh well, they are both here!
We went to The Irish National Gallery too, but I wasn't sure they would be all that happy with me if I took pictures of Picasso and all those other fancy named painters, so I kept the camera capped.
Can you believe that was just our first day in Dublin? Are you ready for day two? I know, this is a long post, but I think we can handle a few more pictures. What do you say? I hear ya!
Since we don't shop and all that on Sunday we didn't go into any of the historical buildings or any thing that cost money, or made people work, but we did walk...a lot. Here they are! These came from our LONG walk searching for the LDS chapel. I was right on course until one turn, that ended up being only two blocks away from the church, but because I didn't follow my instincts, and I forgot the directions in the guest house, we ended up walking about three miles out of our way. crazy huh. I turned an 8 mile round trip walk into a 12 mile walk. Lets just say, I our feel were less than happy with me!
The start of our morning. We headed out two hours before church was to start. Two hours, four miles...plenty of time, right? Umm, yeah, not for us I guess!
This entryway, was one of my FAVORITE things. I mean, look. IT has gorgeous masonry. And there, look up, there is a steeple suspended about ten feet above it. I think, although, I am not sure (because I didn't go through the door) that there is a church tucked back behind the front building.
As we walked on we came across SO many people out in there horse and buggies. I am not talking about people who drove the handsome cabs and charged money, just regular citizens of Dublin out on the city streets either riding their horses or in buggies. I thought it was SO STINKIN' COOL.
And finally, we came to the chapel. Nearly an hour late, tired and embarrassed to be entering so late. I was sure we had missed the whole of Sacrament Meeting. We almost didn't go in, almost. Once inside we notice that it was PACKED. Yeah, turned out it was stake conference sunday. We were both glad we didn't chicken out!
Well, you are just going to have to check back later on to hear more...if I haven't bored you to death. Just a hint of what is to come...a gaol (jail), Phoenix Park, the Dublin Zoo, St. Patrick's, Molly Malone and more!

Cork Ireland. (Vacation Installment One)

Ok, first I have to say, I missed Orissa and Javin so much. Yes, I knew that I would miss them...what kind of Mum would I be if I didn't miss them! But I missed them before I even hit Chicago. Ten days without them was really hard. The first few hours were heaven! I didn't have to hear the whining or the fighting.
I did have fun, and I did love being there. I only wish I could have had them with me in theory that is. I know it would have made the whole trip harder and they would have grumped and complained, but in theory it would have been so wonderful to have the whole family there together! I am thinking in 5 or 6 years we will go again and the kids will be old enough to go too. And hopefully by the Orissa will like the outdoors better.
I took so many pictures, like 700 or so! This post is going to cover Cashel and Cork. I don't want to overwhelm the server with the tons of pictures I could put up if I tried to cover it all in one post. I am thinking three or four will do it!
We started out our time in Ireland with a rental car and a trip to Cork. We stopped a few times in a few small towns to see some of the countryside. Cashel has a gorgeous castle there, our bad luck though, it wasn't open, they are trying to restore it. We did get some pictures of the out side of it though.
(Cashel Castle, notice the scaffolding.)
( the wide angle view of the castle...really wish it had been open)
There are also some really cool old ruins out in the middle of a pasture...we were not sure about going in it, so I just snapped a few shots from the stone wall.


In Cork we walked all over. We had planned to drive a bit more, but the city owns all the parking in town and charges for all of it. So we found an all day lot and walked A LOT!
Mostly we went into the old cathedrals and churches. The largest one in Cork, St. Fin Carre's Cathedral was by far my favorite of the whole trip. Not only was it beautiful and rich in history (as all of them are), we were given a wonderful impromptu tour by one of the workers there. He had such a love of the building and the life of Christ. The stained glass throughout the building depicted scripture stories both from the the old testament and the new. The windows nearest the alter depicted the crucifixion, the resurrection, and Christ going to heaven. So beautiful. I was so grateful for the stories the guide told and the true joy that he had in sharing them with us.
(stained glass window depicting the Savior.)
(Aaron and I, in one of the few pictures of us together!)
(St. Fin Carre's Cathedral)
(a cityscape picture of Cork...and Aaron peeking over a fence to get a shot!)
(more of Cork's cityscape. really it is in such a beautiful setting.)
Well, that was Cashel and Cork...from our perspective. I wish that I could have spend days and days there. I found that the people of Ireland are as diverse as any big city. I adore this nation, and feel a kindred spirit to it. I hope you come back for the next installment. We headed to Dublin, and spent the rest of our vacation in that great city.