Dingle!

The amazing view from our patio at the bed and breakfast we stayed at. The channel where the boat is entering is known for Fungie, a super friendly dolphin who lives in the harbor. Our room even came with binoculars to watch for dolphins! The Dingle Peninsula has a 44 km scenic drive that we did, in addition to checking out the beaches and exploring some old forts such as Dunbeg Fort (built in the Bronze Age!!).

Allison playing at a beach near the B&B.

Dingle harbor.

This is what breakfast is like in Dingle!

Allison taking a break from playing on a deserted beach. We had a great time here: beautiful beach and absolutely no one else there except for the four of us.

Ethan hanging out with his new buddy, "Rio"- assistant groundskeeper at the B&B.

Great looking couple.

Pretty awesome.

Kids running to what remains of Dunbeg Fort. The sheep seem unfazed by the screaming kids.

Day 1

On the first morning we headed out to Kinsale in County Cork. The kids made Charles Fort their playground while we strolled around.

A view of the fort.

Next up was the Muckross House located just outside of Killarney. The house itself is a large mansion overlooking lush gardens near a lake - very picturesque. However, the main attraction seemed to be the working farm with animals, old fashioned workshops, and farmers making fresh soda bread over open fires.


After packing all of that in, off we went to Dingle on its namesake peninsula. The drive took us along soaring cliffs overlooking long beaches.

Ireland

Last week we took an incredible trip to the west coast of Ireland. After flying into Cork we spent a couple of nights in Dingle, two nights in Doolin, and finally, two nights in Dublin. As you'll see from our pictures we had a blast.

Happy Birthday Allison!

Allison was so excited to celebrate her 5th birthday yesterday! To celebrate she had a dress-up party with some friends from school. Everyone had a blast and Allison loved being the birthday princess. We can't believe how big our girl has gotten- time flies so quickly! It seems like just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital and now she's getting ready for kindergarten!

Making crowns.

Pizza and apples!

Allison's princess cake.

Happy birthday sweet girl!

Guy's Ski Vacation in the Alps!!

For the long holiday weekend, Dan and a few good buds went to Kitzbuhel, Austria - the best ski resort in the Austrian Alps and considered to be one of the world's great ski areas.

Kitzbuhel proved to be a pretty town with incredible food and ritzy shops. The surrounding mountains contained some amazing scenery and over 150 km of ski trails (not to mention many more kilometers of ungroomed terrain). Unlike many ski areas in the U.S., the tops of the mountains contained a wide selection of trails - from easy to very difficult. It was amazing skiing while looking out at snow capped peaks with thick clouds surrounding the mountains so that you couldn't see the towns below.

We had to be careful towards the end of the day since you could easily find yourself stuck several towns away from Kitzbuhel. The mountain complex was so large that you could ski to several other towns - up to 12 miles away from Kitzbuhel - and even take a large gondola across a valley to another set of mountains. The cross mountain gondola, called the 3S, travels over 1300 feet above the ground.

Overall it was a once in a lifetime trip with awesome skiing, amazing food, and great friends.

Happy Birthday Ethan!

Last weekend we had a small birthday party for Ethan. The theme was "dump truck party" and Ethan spent weeks beforehand talking about it and telling anyone who'd listen about his party. He was so excited!! We had 4 families over and the kids and parents had a great time...Ethan loved the party and all the fun gifts he got! We can't believe he's 3 years old!

the kids decorated hard hats to wear at the party.


Daddy and Ethan.


Ethan with his dump truck cake.


Opening presents.


Ethan in January 2007, with Allison... how time flies!

kingpin

Sunday, we went with a few friends and their kids to the on-base bowling alley for a little change from our usual afternoons at the playground. The kids had a blast! Of course, there was no turn-taking or keeping score. We had 2 lanes and at times, there were 3 balls going down at once. The dads had to take turns going down the lanes to retrieve balls that got stuck, or better yet, were going too slow to make it to the pins. We ended the afternoon with some pizza and all in all, it was a great day.


waiting to roll the ball.

Ethan had a blast!

Dads on ball patrol.

Wesley and Ethan waiting for the ball to come out....this was their favorite part!

photos courtesy Scott Pugh.

Zugspitze!!

Before heading back to Naples we took a gondola to the top of the Zugspitze - Germany's tallest mountain. The view was absolutely amazing (you can see into Italy, Switzerland, and Austria) and the kids made the mountain into their playground, playing in the snow.

Kids making snow angels. We had to lure them out of the snow with the promise of hot chocolate and brezels (pretzels).

Some of the ski slopes at the top.

Click on the picture to make it larger. Then look on the right slope...do you see the gondola line?

Christkindlmarkt experience

Christkindlmarkts, or Christmas Markets, are street markets selling traditional Christmas-related items. Originating in Germany and Austria, they are now all over the world. They are so much fun! The ambiance is great, with music, hot wine and delicious food, beautiful crafts, attractions for the kids.... just a wonderful way to celebrate the holiday season. We got to visit the markets in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Munich, and Salzburg on this trip. Here are some pics:

Papa and Ethan enjoying a brezel (pretzel) in Salzburg.

Stacks of homemade gingerbread in Munich.

hand-painted egg ornaments in Salzburg.

Cuckoo clocks and nutcrackers in Munich.