Random kid shots

So, I've been getting some flak for not updating the blog more frequently. (How weird to be on this side of the fence! Sorry Anne & Andie for all of the grief I've given you!) Here are some pics of the kids in no particular order to get you people off my back. You know who you are!

Baby MJ, all sugar and spice.

Cool Finn at the pool, sporting his daddy's shades after a full day of swimming.

Finn tries to shot me with a water pistol, but I'm too quick for him. Course, he's not even 2 years old, so I guess that's not saying much.

Seamus playing in the backyard. Doesn't he look older than 3 1/2?

So, just a sampling of what I see everyday. I'll try to post more frequently, but no promises! Thanks for letting me know you care, Margo, and that you are checking religiously! Hope this will tide you over.

Happy Birthday, James!

I've been so lucky to be able to spend so much time with my family, and I was especially pleased to be able to help my brother celebrate his 31st birthday. During the time I have spent here in Minnesota, I have been able to see first hand what a great father he is, and how much his kids adore him. Here are some of my favorite shots.

James with Finn and baby MJ.
James after he finally convinced Finn to join him in the big pool. (The baby pool is usually much more his speed.)
A big hug from Seamus before bedtime.

And great presents from the in-laws, Dan and Mary Jeanne (the original MJ) Schneeman.

Happy Birthday, James. I hope we always get to celebrate our birthdays together. Love you!

Super Seamus!

Having a nephew that can talk is a lot of fun, especially with one as imaginative as this one. Seamus has been such a kick to get to know, and we have been having a lot of fun together.

Here he is working on his "project" in the backyard. I call it digging to China, but I think he's actually trying to build a tunnel to the house next door so he can play with Bridget whenever he wants.

Speaking of Bridget, here she is swimming with Seamus in the new pool. The water is absolutely freezing, but that didn't keep Seamus from hours of doing "cannonfalls" into the water.

When the kids finally decided they needed to warm up a little bit, we wrapped them in towels. When I called for a picture, only one kid was ready for his close-up.

Although not so ready for this one. Brr!

Not a great picture, lighting-wise, but still one of my favorites. What a great laugh this kid has! And I can't wait to hear what he's going to say next. Today, he told me that he was really glad that I had come to visit, and that he was having a lot of fun with me. Same for me, Seamus!

The Many Faces of Finn Dougherty

So, it has taken a little while for Finn to warm up to me. Much longer than Seamus, either because Seamus remembers me from previous visits, or is more open to bribery. In any case, I've seen many different sides to our boy, Finn, as displayed here.

Finn often acts as if his parents don't feed him. (I assure you, they do.) Here he is, caught in the act of eating dry oatmeal off the floor. This is his slightly guilty, but still unrepentent look.

This was a gleeful moment, made more memorable by the look that came immediately after.

This is the look of a boy not sure how he feels about being dressed as a cheerleader. Stay tuned, folks.
And finally, Finn as he really is: joyful, delighted at life, and finally willing to let me be the one to read him his bedtime story. It took about 5 days to earn the right, but he was worth the wait.

100th Anniversary of the Cathedral of St Paul (Minnesota, that is)

I'm back in St Paul, Minnesota, and just in time! The Cathedral of St Paul is celebrating its bricklaying 100 years ago, and to honor the event, they have the Cathedral lit at night. On my first night back, we went to check it out.



Apparently, the Cathedral isn't usually lit at night, but some local guy decided it should be, and paid for it himself for the two days leading up to the celebration.

Only the front, though, which I think is odd. Maybe they lit the back side on another night?

The kids seemed to enjoy it, but maybe as much for the late night ride in the pjs as anything else. And by late, I mean 9pm. How my life has changed!

We weren't the only ones to take a ride to check the Cathedral out. In fact, I think all of St Paul was there to see it.





In case you were wondering, this is NOT the Cathedral where James and Anne were married. That is very far away, in a land known as Minneapolis.

Carolina family

Well, my time in Charleston ended up being extended to two full weeks, and even that wasn't long enough. I had such a great time visiting with Andie and getting to know Connor. It was really hard to leave, but I am looking forward to seeing them again over Fourth of July weekend, when they come to St Paul!

Here are some random shots of our time together.

Andie and I had dinner at the Loop, the restraunt Tom was managing. Connor seemed to be fading in this picture.

But he got a little pep back for his picture with me!

Andies' other babies, Macy and Max. These dogs are so well behaved ( here they are waiting for a treat from mom), although they are very prompt with the wake-up call!

We got Connor some sunglasses. Here he's wearing them on one of our walks around the neighborhood, and his shirt says "Mommy's little firecracker."
My last night in Charleston, and we decided to go out to dinner. We were sitting out on the deck, and the weather was just perfect. Looking forward to seeing them again very soon!

Happy (actual) Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day! I celebrated with Andie and Connor in South Carolina. One of their neighbors had a barbeque, and were nice enough to allow me to tag along. We had great food, and fun watching the kids and dogs run around the yard. (not yet for Connor, but I think he's almost ready for it!) The evening ended with sparklers.



Andie's sister, Heather, and her son, Shaw, also stopped by. Heather will be moving back into town soon, so she was scouting out the place. It was also her birthday, so we made parfaits! Cause everyone loves parfaits!



Heather, Andie and Shaw. I don't know why we didn't think to include Connor in this one! Shaw is about 3 months older that Connor, and they are going to have some much fun running around together in a few years.

Andie and Connor, and a margarita. Yum!