chinese new year

26 January 2009 marked the Chinese New Year celebrations... the beginning of the Year of the Ox! I was born in the year of the Pig... how about you?

We went into the city for the Chinese New Year Festival Carnival that Sunday and met up with our friends Christine, Steve, Matthew and Isaac. An outdoor festival in Dublin in January is a risky matter... the skies started out nice and blue... but the rain inevitably came...


Still, it's so nice to walk around Dublin city on a Sunday morning. Moore Street market, empty.

The Carnival was held in Wolfe Tone Park in the city centre and there were stalls and food and workshops and performers.

Malachy celebrating the OX!

Isaac and the Ox!

Another new year's reveller :)

I wonder what his chat-up line was....?

Sloppy, yummy buffet food for all, which we managed to eat outdoors in the January chill... before the crazy rain came ;)

Even the festival Ox got wet...!

So we retired to a nearby restaurant to dry off and get some hot refreshments. Here are Liam and Matthew tucking in!

Once the rain had stopped and the coast was clear, we all ventured back out into the festival square... we didn't want to miss the lion dance.

After the rain :)

The lion dance was so impressive. The kids just stood there in awe!

Afterwards we went to one of the craft workshops and were taught how to make these fish lanterns... so cool!

Liam and Matthew showing off their handiwork.

正月

reyes, a concert and some knits

This year for Reyes, we repeated our Tapas Party open house and had lots of friends over to sample Daddy's delicious savoury tapas, some of Mummy's sweet holiday goodies and basically eat, drink and be merry. Preferring to live in the moment for once, I decided not to grab my camera, so there are no pictures. Only memories. And that's just fine because they're good ones :)

The Three Kings did manage to visit our household again this year though. And, as family tradition would have it, they brought us lots of great books... to add to our already happy -sometimes chocolate-stained kids :)

Another of our outings over the Christmas season was to the Helix to see the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland play the score to the short movie Peter and the Wolf. Last year we saw the RTE Concert Orchestra play the score to The Wizard of Oz and we love the experience of watching cinema with a live orchestra playing. This time was even more special because it was the National Youth Orchestra... and the boys loved seeing how such young people can play together so wonderfully. They also played a series of other classic pieces... including the Vienna Waltz.

Something this Mummy Jamrobber associates with winter and cosy evenings at home is knitting. I took it up a couple of years ago and these are some of the things I made this year, having progressed on from the beginner's scarves and ponchos I made last year. This year I made three hats, three scarves and a pair of wrist-warmers! Also (not pictured here) I knitted a mohair cabled baby blanket, a tiny baby hat, a cabled tanktop for Lorcan and a stripey jumper for Malachy!! I wonder what I'll progress on to next year?!

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*Bonus photo of Locan looking cute in the lobby of the cinema the day we went to see Madagascar 2.

"Let's all go to the lobby, let's all go to the lobby... "
Sorry... Private joke.

devil's glen

On December 28th, we met up with Malachy (senior), Anita, Fiachra and Oscar to go walking in the woods at Devil's Glen, near Ashford in County Wicklow.

We wrapped up warm and brought some picnic snacks, which we munched on before we set out.

Apart from the two mummies, it's all all-boy thing!



Malachy, Anita, Fiachra and Oscar :)

The Devil's glen is a really beautiful place -any time of year.

There are sculptures to be found and enjoyed along the trail...

It was frosty cold... but we didn't mind.

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stephen's day theatre in town

After a long, playful Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at home, it was nice to go out into town on St. Stephen's Day (26 December) for a cold stroll, some lunch and a trip to the THEATRE!

Town looked really pretty with all the Christmas lights on!

And, as evening fell early, the ordinary street lights looked beautiful too.


We went to the National Concert Hall. It was our first time there and we loved it!

*You should check out their "Explore Music" website... it's got lots of fun musical stuff for you to play and learn.

We saw a really wonderful production of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol"

It was pure magic!

chrimbo '08

'Twas the night before Christmas... and all was quiet in the Jamrobber house...

The boys had sprinkled reindeer food (oats and sparkles) out in the back garden to make sure Rudolph would find our house and guide Santa's sleigh safely into our midst. They left out carrots and water for the reindeer and a glass of milk, the first slice of Christmas cake and some of our homemade biscotti for Santa (geezz, at that rate, it's not surprising his belly is bursting out of those red pants!)

Dressed in their new Christmas pyjamas, full of nervous excitement, they headed to bed.

[Yes, that's a miniature fake Christmas tree right there in the boys' bedroom... complete with fairy lights and a rudolph on top!]

They hung up their Christmas stockings....

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And waited for the MAGIC to happen...

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And happen it did!

The next morning was a flurry of excitement :)

... wild Jamrobber excitement!

And presents... lots of presents!!

These kids must have done something right because... WOW... Santa gave them the five star treatment ;)

We overlooked our "no toys on the table rule" and had breakfast whilst reading and playing with our new goodies!

Then we went back to the living room to continue unwrapping our treasures!

**That little thing that looks like a mobile phone in Daddy's hands? It's a cool new Flip video camera that Santa brought for him**

Malachy got a cool new scooter and Liam got a new bike!!

(Lorcan decided to take out his old bike too! Who says Christmas is all about new toys?!)

The entire cast of the Hundred Acre Wood made an appearance!

As well as the cast of Peter Pan (not pictured).

Liam is an avid reader now... so, needless to say, Santa knew that and brought him plenty of reading material :)

The majority of our gifts are for shaing -that's the way we like it :)

We got ourselves some new musical instruments too!

This talking Indiana Jones action doll (that somehow managed to work its way into someone's stocking) fell into Lorcan's hands and was promptly undressed...!

Granny and Granddad came to see all of our presents... and play with us for a while!

Soon it was time to get ready for our family Christmas dinner.

Everything was delicious!

And, yes, we all ate waaaay too much :)

The rest of the day was spent lounging, watching movies, playing, eating some more, unwrapping more gifts (and leaving some under the tree for the days to come)... a classic family Christmas.

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The Christmas spirit spilled over into the days following Christmas day... with more books, toys and presents filling the cold winter hours at home.