Our little Jackson Pollack

We have been trying to think of new activities for Mairead to do at home, and this week we tried painting. These paints are actually finger paints, but she didn't like having them on her hands, so I gave her a brush. She loved it! These are Color Wonder paints and paper and they are awesome- they only color on the paper and won't stain furniture, clothes, or little hands and faces. They are a little 'goopy,' but definitely a good investment. Mairead must have painted for an hour!


This is the finished product-- not bad for a 2 year old!


She takes her work very seriously.

She is learning new things all the time and she is so much fun. Some of my favorites right now are when she says, "God bless you" after someone sneezes. She also says, "C'mon" when she wants someone to come with her.

She is obsessed with Blues Clues so we have been coloring pictures of the characters, reading books with Blue, and singing the songs from the show. Mairead even has her own 'handy dandy' notebook. When she is up in her crib at night, she often talks about all of the characters and seems to be 'acting out' the show by talking to Blue, Tickety Tock, Shovel and Pail, etc. At the end, she claps for herself and the characters. I love our video monitor because we can enjoy her little 'show'!

Katie's Baby Shower

My sister, Katie, and her husband, Steve, are expecting their first baby (a girl!) in December, and this past weekend, Steve's sister hosted a baby shower at their house to celebrate their baby to be! We are SO excited for this new little cousin- Mairead will have another girl to play with, so that will be so fun. A lot of people put so much work into making a special day for Katie, and we were all so happy to be celebrating with her.

Katie's friend, Jenny, and some friends made this amazing cake and cupcake display... complete with little sugar butterflies, of course!

As you can imagine, Mairead was very happy to partake. Who could blame her? Those cupcakes were delicious!

The top of the cake featured a little sleeping baby- so cute!

Katie looks great as a mom-to-be!

The chair Katie is sitting in is a gift from my mom, me, Jen, and Nana. The chair actually already belonged to Katie. A friend of the family had given to her when she was little. Over the years, it took some abuse and was looking pretty rough around the edges, but we never got rid of it because Katie loved it so much. So, we had it re-upholstered for her shower gift. It really looks beautiful and Katie loved it!

Of course, a Paul Frank diaper bag is a 'must have' for Katie!

The mom and daddy to be!

Mairead was all dressed up for the occasion. When I tried the hat on her, she said, "Choo, choo!" because it apparently looks like a conductor's cap.

We are so excited for Katie and Steve and we know they will be amazing parents. We can't wait to meet your little girl!