Ah, my Irish lass!

Josh got out his Irish tin whistle last night & Aine decided that she wanted to play it. After she figured out that she how to get it to make noise, we couldn't get her to put the thing down. We had the best time with this!

I Support Barack Obama

I'm not writing this because I'm wanting to open up some forum for debate on the topic. I am just stating for the record that I support Obama. It is refreshing to listen to an intelligent person CORRECTLY use "big" words. You do what you want, but I'm voting for Barack Obama.

Thoughtful Expression

I just want to direct everyone to http://www.thoughtfulexpression.etsy.com/ -- Aine's sitter, Lisa Anderson, designs her jewerly and a portion of her sales goes toward the fight against cancer. Her designs are amazing & you can read all about the groups she supports on her site. Check it out!

I Miss Donna

Donna left for Dallas yesterday. I got a text from her around 4:30 p.m. eastern time that she'd made it to Texas. I'm so excited for her (and a bit jealous; I am so ready to be out of Atlanta), but I miss her! Hopefully I'll be able to go out to Dallas next spring & visit. This is an old picture of the 2 of us (from 2005, I think). We look GOOD! LOL!

Aine Catherine Marais

Aine is my daughter. Aine is not pronounced like "pain." It is "AWN-ya." Her name is Gaelic. I wouldn't name my daughter "ain" because that's just ugly. I mean, seriously?? I know it is unusual but you've adjusted to Sean being pronounced Shawn so I figure you will get used to it. Catherine is for my grandmother, as it is her middle name. Plus I think it is pretty. Marais is for Grand Marais, MN. See previous blog and how I feel about Grand Marais.

Spruce Point

Thankfully we were able to go up to Spruce Point again this summer. For those of you who don't know, our family cabin (dubbed Spruce Point) is located outside of Grand Marais, MN on the North Shore of Lake Superior. It is by far my favorite place on Earth. At least, of all the places I've been thus far. We spent a wonderful 7 days with my parents, my grandmother (G-G), my mom's cousin Jack, his girlfriend (Francesca) and her daughter, Guila. We had a fun day trip to have playdate with friends from Babyzone (or BZ), my mommy message board.

Inaugural Blog

Where oh where to begin? I decided today to start this blog since we have family & friends spread across this country and others. I figured if I'm interested in keeping up with what they are doing, maybe they are interested in what we are doing. Or, more importantly, what Aine is doing!! Right now, she is sleeping. She will be 16 months old and Saturday & the time has flown by. As of today she can identify her nose and her ears. The other day I caught her looking at her reflection in the trash can & sticking out her tongue. The giggling was contagious! She is a drama queen, just like her mama!