OK, Bridget, I Get the Hint...

Bridget loves to read and goes through books quicker than we can keep up.  Here is what I found in my inbox today...

My Dearest Mum,

You must want me to get the most proper education I can receive. One of the most important ways I can get that, is to read. I would be delighted to get a proper education. So I would be delighted to read. But the problem is: I don't have any books. I would be delighted to get some books at the library, but it's simply too long to walk, and I certainly cannot drive any vehicle under any circumstances, unless it's a bumper car at Bay Beach. So I would be delighted if you would drive me to the library on Monday, the 12th of July, 2010, precisely anytime after 12:00 pm. This is the only way, my Dear Mum, that I can receive the most proper education. So I beg of you to take me to the wonderful place called the library. Until then, I shall weep to my heart's content, (whatever that means) and wait until my lovely books have arrived in my loving arms.


Thank you, my dearest, and only, Mum.


Yours until death, (which I feel may be coming very soon if I do not get my hands on a book),


~Bridget~

The Ten Commandments

I thought I'd post some of Teresa's hard work before filing it away for the year.

The Ten Commandments - By God

Retold  and Illustrated by Teresa

Finally....A Day Without Rain!

Not that it stopped them from playing outside....

Seamus at 13 Months

Saint Mary's Parish Picnic {Irish Dance}

The girls did a little Irish dance performance at a parish picnic in a charming little WI town, that I cannot remember the name of :)  It was the second year in a row at Saint Mary's.  Our four girls, cousin Colleen and another family with five Irish dancers, came together to do several dances. 
Here are Bridget, Moira and Eileen all waiting to begin their part of the dance.  Teresa began the dance with a little solo...

 Here's Teresa, wearing her long, old, frazzled wig for the last time (It was originally worn by Moira and it is time for her to get her own wig.  It actually doesn't look nearly as bad in this picture as it does in real life).  But she looks darling with or without the rat-nest wig LOL.

The whole gang.  From left: Keelin, Katilin, Colleen, Keona, Teresa, Bridget, Keira, Moira and Eileen

The after perfomance group shot with Seamus and Kaelisa

Happy Birthday Teresa!!!

Teresa turned 11 years old yesterday, June 25th.  Isn't it great that she has her birthday on Jesus' half birthday?!  We always remember on Teresa's birthday that we have exactly six months until Christmas.

Teresa, you are such a joy to our family!  We love how you always make us smile with your bright personality.  God has blessed you so much.  We love you dearly!  Happy Birthday!!!


Teresa wanted to make her own cake for her birthday...so she did!  Here is her strawberry cheesecake.  The two little candles that make her eleven are kind of pathetic, but it's all we had to work with.  I always forget to buy the candles we need!

Smile for the camera!

Erin just learned how to blow out candles and Teresa was so kind to let her give it a try.  Here she is waiting...

Birthday parties are so much fun!

Here's Teresa giving Erin a lesson on how to blow out candles...

And just because we need more cuteness in this post, here's little Seamus who thinks birthday parties are pretty awesome too...

Fun in the Sun!

I Have a Voice!

Beautiful photography.  Beautiful children.  Beautiful message.

A Mind of His Own

Dear Little Seamus,

I know you are very new to this world and all, and I don't expect you to know all the basic rules of life quite yet.  But seriously, why must you go against the grain in so many circumstances?

Take yesterday at the grocery store, for example.  While most one-year-olds do get a little fussy after sitting in a cart for a long while, most do not caw like a crow at the top of their lungs, gathering the glances of all who pass within three isles of them.

Then, when your determined mother breaks down from the cawing and gives you a Dum-Dum sucker, why do you take great pleasure in sucking on the stick rather than the sucker part?  Just strange.  But I'm not complaining.  I can certainly clean your sticky little paw when the stick wears down and the only thing left is the sticky sucker.  We'll just throw that part away.  I'm sure your future dentist won't mind.

Now let's talk about rain.  When we leave the grocery store in a downpour, and you get soaked to the bone in about 30 seconds, why must you then squeal with delight?  Perhaps I should spray you with water while I'm shopping rather than give you an upside down Dum-Dum? Also, most people do not look straight up into the sky with their eyes and mouths wide open during a downpour, hoping to get as wet as possible, laughing the whole time. And finally, most folks are usually happy to be safe in their cars after being caught in a downpour.  They do not arch their backs, screaming in displeasure, because they are taken out of the rain. 

Here you are after you dried off, still a little sticky from holding that Dum-Dum

Let's see....one more little item comes to mind.  Refrigerator magnets are for the refrigerator, not the toilet.  There is absolutely no use for a magnet in a toilet.  Got that?  That should be a rule of life.

Oh, but you sure are cute....even with all your idiosyncrasies (I had to look up how to spell that word...hope I got it right!); you still tend to melt our hearts :)

Moira's New Job

Being 17, we all thought it was a great idea for Moira to seek full-time employment this summer. Mike suggested a flower shop. I suggested Festival Foods. However, Moira had other ideas and requested to go straight to Lambeau Field to see if anyone there was hiring. If you know Moira, you also know her love for the Packers :). So, I dropped her off one afternoon and waited in the parking lot. She came out with three applications. The first, the ice cream shop, wanted to hire her on the spot. As it turned out, the manager for the ice cream shop didn't know that the very next day the decision was made to close the shop down. Then Curly's offered her a job, however, the hours were not great and besides, she preferred waiting to see about the third job, the Packer Pro Shop. After three interviews and a long two week wait, she received the exciting news that she got the job! I'm sure she will very much enjoy this summer job which has the option of some hours during the entire football season as well. We are very proud of her first experience in the interviewing/hiring process. We may just have to take advantage of the shopping discount too!



She loved seeing her name on the envelope that came in the mail :)