Sea World and The Zoo - San Diego

So, here is the first of our "San Diego posts." We had an amazing time on this vacation! We enjoyed the San Diego Zoo and Sea World. We didn't stop to take too many pictures at the zoo, we were busy checking out the animals and loving how close we could get to all of them. The girls posed for a few pictures post lunch and pre sprint to the rental car, cramming in as many last exhibits as possible, before two babies crashed for a two hour nap ; )! Love this cute as ever kissy face!Blowin' kisses to each other -- beyond adorable! Heartwarming! The Floppy Hat Brigade! -- Yep, we need to protect that pasty-white, Irish skin ; ). Anticipation, waiting for "the show" to start! The girls got to fling some fish to the seals, which they loved!FEED ME!!! She loved this!Okay, see this, I'm going to throw this fish......so long as this heron doesn't steal it from me. Daddy and his sweet babies, fishy fingers and all. Gettin' and givin' some love by the 'Tide Pools.' Reach... Got it ... and like it! ... if only my arms were a little longer. Lookin' pretty, despite the squinty eyes (thanks to that glorius sun), in front of the sea urchins.

So much fun, and we were only getting started. We look forward to sharing the rest of our trip .. stay tuned : )!

Allergic Reaction

We are beyond ready to say goodbye to cold and flu season around here. It's been brutal and we are completely bleary-eyed; sleep has been challenging to say the least. We are hoping to turn the corner in the next couple of weeks and enjoy a healthy spring and summer and weather things a little bit better next year with older kiddos.

The girls have both struggled on and off with colds and minor infections when they can't clear out the junk by themselves and it becomes "septic" -- two ear infections for Aine and a sinus infection for each girl.

When Aine was on antibiotics for the second time, about 7 days into treatment, she awoke to a right ear that was swollen to about 3 times its normal size. She was also starting to get large, angry-red hives. (I didn't get a picture of that because I was more concerned about getting the reaction under control and getting her to the doctor.) We got some benadryl in her and things seemed to come under control. The doctor gave us the all clear on the infection and thought it was safe to forgo further antibiotic treatment at the time given that penicillin is the main suspect (we'll order skin tests down the road).

It turned out that our roller-coaster ride with hives was only just beginning, the pictures below document some of experience with our little trooper.

She had larges blotches all over her torso, too. They caused severe swelling to the point that she didn't fit in any of her clothes and eventually we just put her in Aoife's. (She actually had hives and angioedema - severe swelling of the face and limbs.)
Swelling a little more evident. Those angry red marks gave off enough heat that she ran a fever of between 101-102 the entire time.
The facial swelling was a little scary.
Through it all she was our sweet, easy-going girl.

The large hives themselves became huge bruises that took about 2 weeks to heal completely. When they started to "break-up" and turn into more classical hives -- large red bumps -- the itching set it. We didn't sleep for about 24 hours for more than half an hour at a stretch. Three weeks later, she still has scratch marks all over her little legs and on the back of her neck that continue to heal. All we could do was keep the benadryl in her, give her baths in cornstarch and slather it all over her body, and snuggle-snuggle-snuggle her.

We now have a new understanding and appreciation for "severe allergies." Yikes!

Here's to hoping this can be avoided in the future.

St. Paddy's Day Festvities

We'll eat our corned-beef and cabbage on Sunday (Thursday was date night for Mommy and Daddy) but we've had some fun in the name of St. Paddy anyway!

We made some necklaces.Pull out the paint and we gotta paint our hands, right?
Oh, hello. Yes, gotta paint the hand.

"See?"
We're serious about getting messy!
Also serious about getting clean.
Oooh. I can paint with soap, too?!?

Enjoying our post painting snack!

Our finished project! Look out for them in coming posts ; )!

We also headed out for the big Shamrock Run over the weekend. I've (Maggie) been putting in some serious miles, training in a casual way, and really enjoying the time out on the pavement. To mark the accomplishment I participated in the 8k Shamrock Run this year -- aka the kick-off to the Portland Running Season.
Um, it's a little early Mommy. Pre-run indecision... Mommy's pumped, anyway.
Post run fun. Whose doesn't want to dance to Irish music and enjoy a post run beer at 9 am on a rainy Saturday morning ; )?!? (We did really have fun.)
Silly Mommy!

I intend to keep this up. Don't be surprised if you see something about a half marathon in my future. I'm feeling fit and I like it!

Un abrazo,

Los Stuhan

'Cause We're Cute

My shirt says it all.

Aine now climbs up into this seat, among others, by herself and straps herself in. She is such a physical kid! Busy, busy, busy.
Aaargh! Cute with my patch and crackers in my teeth and all!

Aoife wears a patch for half an hour or so a day. We have some super cute, 'girly' ones that she gets to sport these days. She's a trooper!

Staying Busy During the {Almost} Never Ending Darkness ; )

Have I mentioned that we're ready for spring?

In all seriousness, we are doing really well but we are also ready for some sunshine. Anyone who ever might consider moving to the Pacific Northwest really ought to consider the long, dark winter. However, on the flipside, there is the spring/summer season, which is AMAZING. As long as you keep busy, the winter doesn't have to be so terrible, here's a bit of what we've been up to and how we've been keeping dry ; ).

We spend a lot of time "camping" or playing in our tents (Thank you Uncle Richard, Aunt Brandy, Gabriel and Hudson) and tunnels snuggling, having tea parties, reading and rolling around.
We'll call this "Gorgeous and the Flying Fish."
Yes, this is a variety of cuddling.
Yeah...it's nice in here.
Hi!
They play this "peek-a-boo" game where they pop-up and down at each other, pump the side of the tent up and down and laugh, and laugh, and laugh. Too stinkin' cute!

We also spend a lot of time engaged in art and/or quasi-science projects. Below, Gak Attack:
Beginning with the end: Mommy, I am so done!
Waiting for it...

...ooh! There it is, that's cool! We've even got Aine's attention!

Here's how it worked.Our materials.Mix some food coloring in water. Add some cornstarch and eat it......er, squish it up.Play.Play....Wassup...?!?
Clean up.

Also, window markers have proved to be at least as big a hit with Little Sister as they were/are with Big Sister.
Serious business.
I'm working hard.
I'm playing hard ; ).

Also, in our art/science ventures, we decided to make our own finger paint one morning, just to change things up.

Easy, fun and different.

Along with reading and building blocks, which you already know all about, we manage to keep pretty busy. We also have a fantastic library system, great friends, and the odd sunshine break in which we get to head outside and play -- but more on that later.

Hope wherever you are you are starting to enjoy the wonders of spring. We'll be joining you soon -- stay tuned!

Love!