An Abby Date (:

Abby asked me to go on a date.  We don't do that enough, and she is the cutest girl around, so how could I say no?  I couldn't!

We had already eaten dinner at home, so we headed to Cherry Berry for dessert.  YUM!

What does every girl want to do when she has her mom to herself?  Head to the mall, of course!  It doesn't happen very often that we have time to ourselves at the mall, so we really enjoyed going into whatever stores we wanted and spending time trying on clothes.  That girl looks cute in everything!

The mall closed and we weren't ready to go home so we headed to Walmart.  I hate that all dates end up at Walmart, but where do you go when everything closes at 9pm?  Walmart it is!  Abby and I had seen some really cute athletic shorts, so again, we took advantage of not having any boys with us and she tried on lots of clothes.  She was a happy girl!

I love every minute of hanging out with my baby girl!  I love that she asked me to go out on a date!  I LOVE that she wants to hang out with me!  I have to take advantage of it while I can!  I love that girl!  We had so much fun together!

He Is Risen!!

I couldn't be happier that Luke doesn't have any idea what or who an Easter bunny is.  I also couldn't be happier that Luke knew that not only was Easter coming, but he knew that what we were celebrating was Jesus' resurrection.  Nothing could be better!  He loves to talk about Jesus!

Quick story...The kids and I were driving around town one day recently and Luke said, "Can we talk about Jesus?"  This is very normal and exciting and I quickly said, "Absolutely!  What do you want to talk about?"  He wanted to talk about how sad it was that Jesus had to die on the cross.  He is always quick to add that he died for us because he loves us.  Ohhh...I melt when he gets so excited about Jesus loving him!  Luke also informed me, "Christ died on the cross for us too."  I told him, "Christ is Jesus.  They are the same person."  He said, "I know what Jesus' middle name is!"  I kind of chuckled and asked what Jesus' middle name is.  He said, "Christ!"  He was so serious!  I said, "Yep!  You are absolutely right!  His name is Jesus Christ!"  We all got a good laugh out of that one!  You just never know what kids are going to come up with!

Anyway, I am thankful that my kids know what Easter is all about. 

We all know that Easter isn't about bunnies, baskets and candy, however, we still like to have some fun.  I thoroughly enjoy making baskets for my kiddos!

And they thoroughly enjoy receiving them!  (:

Since we were all dressed nice, I demanded some pictures!  I love how they turned out!

We decided to stay home for Easter this year.  The previous two years we have gone to our friend's house and had a great time.  This year, however, we all just really wanted to be at home.  (I think it might have had something to do with just getting back from Ireland.)  Thankfully our friends, Heather and Andrew came over for a delicious cookout and some card games.  We had such a great day!  I was so happy to be at home with my family and some very dear friends!

What would Easter be without a good, old fashion Easter egg hunt?  Ben and Abby have, apparently, outgrown the hunt, but I knew Luke would love it.  And he did!  Kids make some things so much more fun!

We had such a fun day!  I am so thankful for my family, my friends and most of all that Jesus didn't just die on the cross for me, but that he rose again for me!

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  Galatians 2:20

The Big Trip ~ IRELAND!!

I can hardly believe that one month ago today I was standing on the streets of Dublin watching Ben march in the St. Patrick's Day parade.  How has the time gone by so fast?

Yes, we had an amazing time.

Yes, it was beautiful.

No, we weren't ready to come home.

I feel completely blessed that we were able to go on and be part of such an amazing trip.  I am thrilled that Jon and I were able to share this once in a lifetime trip with Ben.

Obviously I can't post all of the pictures on here, so if you want to see more, you can look here.

As soon as we left the airport we hopped on tour buses and began our tour.  Our first stop on the tour was a little fishing town called, Howth.  (Like "both" but with an "H".)

 Our tour guide raved about the fish and chips. and we were thee for lunch, so...fish and chips it was!  YUM!!

 Of course, after an entire day of travel, we were all exhausted!  Almost everybody slept on the bus.

I have to mention that Ben, having decided not to eat dinner or breakfast at the airport or on the plane, ended up getting sick on the bus.  What a way to start the trip!  Thankfully, we were able to get him to (finally) eat something and he slowly started to feel better.

 We visited the Trinity College library and saw the Book of Kells.

 As we were walking around Dublin we stumbled upon several street performers.  So neat!

 Aren't we adorable?  This was in front of our first hotel of the trip.

Ready for to head out to the parade!

The morning of St. Patrick's Day started out with snow, sleet and rain.  Nothing could dampen the spirits of the kids as they rehearsed and headed to the parade.  They worked so hard to be there!  The neat thing is, the rain managed to stop long enough for the parade, and then picked back up afterward.  Thank you, Lord for the little break!

This was such a proud moment!  To be standing on the streets of Dublin, hearing the Bruin Brigade playing "Oklahoma" and the school fight song...there are no words.  Only a feeling of extreme pride and awe.  I couldn't me more proud or feel more blessed to be there and be part of this experience.

This is mine and Jon's view from where we were standing!
AMAZING!

This is a really crummy video, but you get the picture.  Jon and I went up to our hotel room to relax for a little bit, turned on the tv and could heard "Oklahoma" playing.  It just so happened that the "float" that was in front of the Bruin Brigade" was on the screen!  We turned the tv on at just the right time!  Ben is in the front row on the right hand side and you can see him multiple times!  I couldn't believe we caught it!

Have I mentioned that I might be a little bit proud???

 One of the really pretty things in Dublin was the colorful Doors of Dublin.  It was hard not to take a picture of every door!  (One of these doors isn't in Dublin...but I couldn't resist including it.)

 According to our bus driver/tour guide, this is the most photographed door in Dublin.  It really is beautiful.

Next stop:  St. Patrick's Cathedral

Oh...what beauty!

The choir had the opportunity to perform a concert inside St. Patrick's Cathedral.  What an amazing experience for them!  (And for those of us that got to listen!)

On our way to southern Ireland we stopped at The Rock of Cashel. 

The scaffolding is up, not for restoration purposes, but to, hopefully, slow down the deterioration process.

The Rock of Cashel was one of my favorite places that we visited. It was one (if not the only one) of the places that has not been restored or renovated over the years.  It is falling apart, but it is just absolutely gorgeous.  I also couldn't help but feel a slightly eery feeling, as well.  Perhaps it was the large ravens that were circling overhead.

On tap in Blarney:  A traditional Irish Ceili.  What is a ceili?  It is a traditional Gaelic social gathering, which usually involves playing Gaelic folk music and dancing.  A live band was brought in and a dance team that would demonstrate and teach the kids the dances.  FUN!!

Ben and Emily had the best time at the ceili!  If you ask Ben what his favorite part of the trip was, he will tell you it was the ceili.  It was so much fun to watch the kids dancing and having the time of their lives!  Just priceless!

We visited Charles Fort in Kinsale.  It is so hard to put words to all of these places and experiences. 

Charles Fort was one of Jon's favorite places.

The fort on the tip on the left is James Fort, located just across the harbour from Charles Fort.

Me and Ben with Kinsale Harbour in the background.

Of course, we had to visit Blarney Castle and kiss the famous Blarney Stone.

We all went to Blarney Castle, but we didn't all kiss the famous Blarney Stone.  Jon and I got in line with Ben, but when we found out that, once we made it inside the first door that we had another hour before we made it to the top, Jon and I decided that we would pass on that opportunity.  We had a limited amount of time in Blarney for the day and Jon and I wanted to do some shopping.  We were told that the shopping in Blarney was great and the prices were much better than in other areas we had visited.  How could we pass that up?

Thankfully, Ben seized the opportunity to kiss the Blarney Stone!  I am so glad he stayed in line and didn't miss out.

Off to Kilkenny!

While in Kilkenny we visited Kilkenny Castle.  It was pretty and all, but it has been partially destroyed once and renovated and remodeled several times that it kind of lost something for me.  Having recently watched Downton Abbey, I couldn't help but think about that as we were touring the castle.  (:

 Such a great group!

 We had quite a bit of free time in Kilkenny.  Since it was our last day in Ireland, Jon and I chose to forego the complimentary packed lunch and have lunch on our own.  We really wanted to take the opportunity to have fish and chips one last time.  We stopped at a "city info" office and asked for a recommendation for a place to eat lunch.  What better than a local's opinion?!

Our lunch was super!  When the waitress asked what I would like to drink, I told her that what I would really like was an iced tea, but I knew they didn't do that there.  (I was going through iced tea withdrawal!)  The other worker piped up and mentioned that she was a waitress "in the States" for 12 years and knew exactly what I wanted.  Let me just say...it was the best tea ever!  I'm not sure if it was, in fact, great tea, or just the fact that I hadn't had any in a week.  However, it was great!  Jon took the opportunity to try out a local brew.  (Neither one of us like the taste of alcohol, but how do you go to Ireland and not give it a try???)  We were both shocked that it, actually, wasn't terrible.  (I'm definitely not hooked.)

Also, while in Kilkenny, the choir and the orchestra performed a concert at St. Canice's Cathedral.

The amazing Bartlesville band directors!

We love these two!  Mr. Claussen and Ms. Benford have been excellent teachers and directors!  We just love them!

This is one of my favorite (non-people) pictures from the trip.

Kilkenny Castle in the background.

This is all of the marching band, color guard and directors, as well as, some of the parents that went on the trip.  I love it!

Some things I learned on the trip:

Irish people are some of the most friendly people.

St. Patrick's Day in Dublin is crazy!  (I'm pretty sure some kids got quite an education watching the locals celebrate their holiday!)

Irish people really do like to drink.  It's not just a myth.

If you tend to drink a lot of caffeine and then don't drink any at all, you will have massive headaches.

The shamrock is not really the symbol of Ireland, it is the harp.

A 7 hour flight on a full airplane is not enjoyable.  Plans to sleep are ridiculous.

Irish people know their history.  And their history goes back so far.  We, in the U.S. don't have a clue and our country doesn't have nearly the length of history.

Ireland looks just as you imagine!  Green, lush, cloudy and beautiful!

Would I do this trip again?  ABSOLUTELY!  In a heartbeat!  I would do it again a hundred times over!  I still can't believe that I got to go!  Even more, I can't believe that Jon and I were able to go and share this experience this with Ben.  We made memories that will last a lifetime!  I can't express how thankful I am!