Day 36 - Kickball

Four important things were accomplished on this Monday. 

1. The kids had fun swimming in the pool
2. We had a delicious lunch and dessert at The Creel (our favorite restaurant in Westport)
3. I was able to upload quite a few pictures and catch up a bit on blog posts (Thanks Creel!)
4. Kian learned how to play kickball

Spicy lamb naan pizza - It was scrumptious 

Spicy lamb naan pizza - It was scrumptious 

Little swimmers loving their delicious chocolate cake and milk

Little swimmers loving their delicious chocolate cake and milk

Hannah watching "Dora Saves the Mermaids" for the 10 billionth time :) as I type up a new post

Hannah watching "Dora Saves the Mermaids" for the 10 billionth time :) as I type up a new post

One of the things we really love about The Creel, aside from it's amazing variety of food with great quality, is the atmosphere.  It is very relaxed and airy.  They have some normal tables with chairs,  and they also have some couches with coffee tables, which makes it a really great spot to just hang out.  Check it out if you are ever in the Westport area.

After a while, the laptop battery was totally drained, and the kids were stuffed with chocolate cake, so we packed up our bags and headed home.  I started working on dinner while Kian and Daddy started playing kickball.  Hannah was just walking around saying she wants strawberries, and she refused to believe me when I repeatedly answered we don't have any! 

She did eventually compromise and took a strawberry yogurt instead.

I joined the kickball game while dinner was cooking in the oven.  Hannah also joined the game after a while, but was having a hard time grasping the rules.  Kian was great at holding her hand and running her from base to base, and then acting as her shield if we tried to throw the ball at her in between bases :)

We all had a great time outside, and it was a bit after 8 PM when we came back inside and ate our dinner. Time flies when you are having fun :)

Baked marinated chicken thighs, baked potato, and a side salad

Baked marinated chicken thighs, baked potato, and a side salad

After dinner, the kids decided to make us bead bracelets to match theirs. 

Working hard at making bead bracelets

Working hard at making bead bracelets

We are now all in possession of matching bead bracelets. Hurray!

Day 22 - Little Swimmers & Delicious Desserts

Unless you have a wet suit, swimming in the Atlantic Ocean, around Mayo, is not really feasible unless you plan on freezing. 

Fortunately the family we are staying with are incredibly sweet and gave us a few vouchers for a swimming pool for rainy days. 

Since we woke up to a rainy and windy day, we decided to head out to the pool. The kids were extremely excited. In Ireland, it is a requirement for everyone who goes into the swimming pool to wear a swim cap, even children. Hannah totally enjoyed this. 

Hannah posing in her swimming gear

Hannah posing in her swimming gear

After swimming, we went to the Westport Harbour for some food. We looked at a couple of restaurants and decided to eat at the Creel, mainly because of the airy and family oriented atmosphere.

We all enjoyed our food, the delicious desserts, and the fast Wi-Fi :) 

It was still very windy and rainy, but Hannah really really wanted to go to the playground.  Kian was too tired so he stayed home with Daddy.  Hannah lasted about 5 minutes on the playground before she asked to go home.  She had a great time for those 5 minutes.

After playing at home for a while, we made a quick dinner of carrot sticks, marinated sweet chili chicken wings (purchased marinated, baked in the oven at home), and home-made cheesy bread.

Chicken wings, cheesy bread, carrot sticks

Chicken wings, cheesy bread, carrot sticks

We sent the kids to bed fairly early, since tomorrow we are going on a 3 day road trip down the west coast. We are very excited to see some castles, caves, cliffs, and more. A good portion of our drive will be on the Wild Atlantic Way, so I am excited about the views!