She's finally here!

Leah Shelly Walsh made her arrival 2 weeks early on December 17, 2015 at 12:48am….yup, I was just not meant to ever sleep a full night!  I had been in labor since Monday night at work and was just kinda "making it through" so I wouldn't go to the hospital and they would end up sending me home.  (We already played that game with 2 other children).

So Leah, we just liked the name and it sounded good with a sister named Maya.  And Shelly, my dear sweet Mom.  Its a constant reminder of how much she meant to us and she will be a part of Leah always, since this is the only child of mine that my Mom has not held.

She is an amazing little girl already, and thankfully, my other 3 feel the same way!

Beach 2015

This year we took our first Walsh family beach trip.  Although we enjoyed the years of going with my family, this year was special.  We typically don't do well all sleeping in 1 bedroom for an entire week so this year, we got a little cottage in Ocean City, NJ where the sleeping arrangements were a little more palatable.   Pop pop came down for most of the week and we had a great time fishing, playing in the sand, playing on the boardwalk, watching the World Cup, and going to the Lobster House in Cape May.

Dry nights = big girl earings!

Baby #4

Yes, that is correct.  Baby #4 is on HER way.  Oh that's right, I said HER.  After our heartbreaking miscarriage in January, we have been a little hesitant to share our news but since I am about 20 weeks and showing (no, seriously, I'm enormous) it's kind of hard to keep a secret and the support from our friends and family is nice to have.   We found out early that it was a girl via DNA blood test.   I totally didn't even realize they could do that but I went for my 16 week visit and low and behold, my doc spilled the beans.  Kevin and I were totally overjoyed and of course my Maya pants is over the moon and has this little girl's first five years already planned out.   Seamus is pretty happy too because he thinks he won't have to share his toys with his sister….Riiiiiiight.  And Kieran has no idea what is about to hit him.  

Ohio

We recently took a trip to Ohio to see my sister Lara after our Easter trip didn't happen due to Riley Jo having a little stomach bug.   Well, we had a wonderful time.  All the kids got along so well and there was plenty to keep us occupied.  We had dinner one night with my Aunt Mary, Uncle Tom and cousins as well as my Grandmom Massie.   It was great to see everyone since its probably been close to a year…maybe even over.  We had bonfires and s'mores and even visited a beach water park which the kids absolutely loved!   Although the drive is long, we had a wonderful time and it was totally worth it.  Can't wait for the next trip!   Although it will probably be with #4 in tote.

Seamus on Skis!

I have been skiing since before I can remember.  It's one of the things that I enjoy most and I am so thankful that my parent's started me out so young.  It's also one of the things that I want to make sure my children are exposed to as well.  So, Seamus turned 3 on December 30, and in the beginning of January, Maya, Seamus, and I headed up to Bear Creek for the day.  It was a mild day (by mild, I mean 40s) and a little overcast, so I figured it might not be that busy.  Turns out, I was right.  We basically had the mountains to ourselves!!!!  It was awesome!   Maya is coming along very well and loves every minute of it.  It's so fun to see her do well and be so proud of herself.   Seamus couldn't have been more excited and he did excellent for his first time.  No tears, not many falls, and he even went on the ski lift with me and got off with no problems!  All in all, it was a great day and I can't wait to take them back up again!

A visit with Santa

As you may notice, Kieran is nowhere to be found.  He was petrified of Santa but found the Christmas tree and ornaments oh so enchanting.  He's about 3 feet to the left dismantling the tree!   Seamus and Maya proceeded to tell Santa EVERYTHING on their lists!   Glad there was no line, because we were seriously there for 25 minutes!