Ireland Part 1: We arrive!

Ok So honestly this is the most excited I have been to post a blog in a long time!

Ireland was ABOSLUTELY gorgeous!

Honestly, I think it’s a place that when you leave you can’t help but leave with a piece of it still with you. All the same, Ireland will forever and always have a big piece of  my heart!

I loved SO much about it’s culture, it’s food, the people, the countryside, the ocean, the mountains, the cliffs, the colors, the language, even the weather!

I heard something about it being one of the happiest countries so I looked and it says the UN actually named it the 8th happiest country:

http://www.thejournal.ie/ireland-is-happier-than-the-uk-2066213-Apr2015/

The week with out Daddy Lou was so hard for Lola (and mommy) I worried what she thought and if she understood why he was gone but honestly the SWEETEST moment happened when I woke her up from her nap and said “are you ready to go see daddy on the airplane!?”

She had the absolute big smile, shriek and wiggle instantly!!!

Best of all  our “help” had arrived (since we talked them into the trip and the use of their extra set of hands!)

We made it to the airport and through security which in my mind was 90% of the battle!     Hallalujah!

Lovie made it to thankfully We were off for a nice airport dinner to wait for our boarding time…. does the airport always seem like your in a rush to slow down or vice versa? It does to us! We took our time and then realized HOLY SHIT it’s last call for boarding!  Typical…     She is definelt her daddy’s daughter… we brought a 26 pound carry o full toys for her, snacks and a tablet with tons of movies and her faorite TV shows tha we never once even got out the overhead compartment… she played the entire time with a damn speaker headhoen cord and practiced plugging it n and  out…. for a 7 hour flight.

God help me with this Lou Jr….

She managed to sleep about 3 hours (which was SUPER SUPRINSING to me!) and before we knew it we had landed in Ireland and daddy Lo was an hour behind us coming from Belgium!I kept telling her if she flew in the airplane she would see daddy… she was starting to doubt me and then….. 

DADDY!!!!!

The longest he had ever been away from her was for one night  for a work trip (just recently) and one night when I was hospitalized in Switzerland so a week was just TOO much to bear for these two…  she had to touch him to make sure he was really Daddy Lou!Reunited and it feels so good!! He only missed her a little… 

We were SO tired from being up all night ( I was actually not too bad surprisingly but i new if  laid down with Lola it would be all over and it was!)   Even Lou was SO tired form working 12-13 hour days while he was in Belgium…. I think they get so excited to have  him over there they just try to suck every ounce of work out of  him when they can!

We had lunch and then it was nap time!

Yes, this was her after being up for 24 hours with only the 3 hour plane ride nap!   This is 5 minutes later walking to lunch….

At lunch….fading….

and she’s out!

Our food had not even come yet!   

We went back to the hotel for a BIG nap and then FORCED ourselves to get up and get out for dinner so we could get “adjusted”!

It was SO hard but I’m so glad we did it!

We were pretty tired and just stayed close to the hotel but Lola certainly livened the place up!

She had the giggles!

  We have issues…..  She is so proud of her muffin top…    Lou picked out our hotel, The Gresham and it was beautiful!

It was a perfect location and walking distance to everything!   

We got home to put our PJ’s on and Daddy Lou brought out all his goodies he had gotten us in Belgium!

Lola got a hat that says “Lou and Friends” (heart melted), a fairy bag and a princess crown which she decided to wear together with her hat naturally… then we had to run down to Gigi’s room to show her our presents! To be honest, she came up with an excuse every night to “run down there”(usually naked)  and show them something, anything… she loved that they were on the same floor as  us!

Belgium i also known for their CHOCOLATE and it was SO good! i say WAS because it’s all  gone! It didn’t even make it home….. My first bite actually looked like this…. Lola!

We all slept SO hard that night and the following morning I was absolutely terrified…. I thought Lola was sick and all i could do was pray, pray, beg and wish that it wasn’t the case…. We tried waking her up and she just was so clingy, fussy and tired still (and this was at about 11am)…

Then I tried forcing her to just get up and eat or drink and she refused but began to dry heave…. I nearly lost it!

She napped a bit longer on me and I was playing it cool because i knew Alex was a nervous wreck but I was pleading for her to not be sick!   I knew what Switzerland was like being sick and the only thing that kept me sane there was knowing “at least Lola isn’t sick”….. thankfully after about a 20 minute nap on me…. she perked up and was just fine!

Hallelujah (and proof of a good night rest!) 

Thankfully we got some breakfast in her and she was good to go!

Ireland Part II  and a day in Howth coming up!

Last Sop Milan, Round 4

We were so happy to arrive and honestly, I was so exhausted from all the traveling and trains! I was excited that was the last one!

  The apartment in Milan was my favorite and so “homey”!

Lola took hr pants off, found a spatula and a candy jar and made herself right at home!

Mean while we were scowering for lunch! Apparently most things are closed during the day for lunch on Sunday….after waking and walking we ended up right back next to the apartment at a yummy restaurant where we loaded up on pizza and strawberries just a Lola woke up!

Then I noticed everyone’s order and had to take a picture… we all got pizza, Tara- no red sauce, Bily- no cheese and Alex and I- normal cheeses pizza please!

  I couldn’t believe he actually got all the orders right!

  Lola was so excited to wake up and find out mommy had ordered her a huge bowl of strawberries!

Then we moved on to the Duomo, I pinned it on pinterest as a must see and oh was it gorgeous!!!   

It was so sunny and poor Lola could barely see! 

The best part is you get to go to the top (and by get to- their is an elevator option- thank god)

Don’t you just love this smile?

We all made it!

The first thing I did at the top…. fall! Yes, literally!

The baby-less ids hiked the whole way up and we rode the elevator 90% of the way leaving us about 50 steps to do ourselves with Lola… would you believe they still beat us up and down…

Water break! 

The views were amazing at the top! Eventually we headed back down to do some shopping ad as we call it in life with Lola, snack time!

  AKA gelato time!   We also got slushies and then walked about 10 minutes ad bought another at a similar stand! It was actually hot that day!

Lola oved waking around and was hardly in her stroer at all that day! They had lots of random people on the streets singing and performing so she loved going right in the middle of everyone to watch or sing and dance with them….

Lola do you have any idea how lucky you are?  

We decided to get an early luch to make our way back and get packed for our flight home tomorrow so we dined front and center (after walking ten miles to a restaurant we found on pinterest that was booked-again- yes this happens a lot) of the Duomo, it was gorgeous!

Lou is such the trooper, he always let diner to entertain Lola so we could take our time and actually digest our food- something that isn’t easy in Lola world!

Angela and I were so excited about our drinks (it was pretty much my first for the whole trip since Alex was terrified for me to drink thinking it would “stress my body” and the hives may come back), I was craving  a Mojito so bad ad they were TERRIBLE! Now i know why everyone drinks wine only in Italy- they suck at mixed drinks! Lola’s fruit bowl was a success again! 

Tara had enough “pizza and pasta” by our last (few) nights so she decided for a Espresso and dessert! why didn’t I think of that (sub the espresso for the mimosa)! I couldn’t believe we were dining out front the most beautiful church i had ever seen… it was literally gorgeous!   

Last night all together pic!

It’s my favorite- yes because Lola is crying for me with her arms out…. Ok just kidding….maybe.

I absolutely loved this trip with these people.

I always knew i had joined a pretty special group getting these two as my siblings, to top it off i get Lola and Lou and I’m blessed that Billy has super good taste in women.  They literally made this trip the trip of a lifetime! We made memories we will cherish forever.

“Motorcycle, motorcycle, motorcycle bus!”

Selfie?

“Do you guys have wifi?”

“Is this something we’re supposed to know?”

“oh look Pizza and Pasta!”

There are so many siblings who grow up and find out- wow we are so different and come to find out we don’t actually get along that well, that or financial problems, other obligations etc that keep them from doing things like this.

Since as long as i can remember friends have always told us- “are ya’ll really related”- it’s true, we could not be any more different and we look nothing alike. I think that all may just may be art of our “magic”.

We had some rough bumps in the road getting started with a bug going around and my hives but it really only showed each of us that much more how we are all really ONE. Every time i looked around there was someone carrying my bags, lugging my stroller, suit case, child or diaper bag from here to there. Lola was constantly being watched over, fed and cared for even before i would think of certain things for the most part. There was constant sharing, helping, paying for and looking out for one another.

Typically they say traveling with a couple makes you or breaks you… I think Lou and I have mastered that but you can imagine traveling with a larger group – it’s bound to be a catastrophe… well there was not one ounce of that. In fact never have i had a more “easy” travel experience! “Easy” may not sound like much but coming from a mama, traveling with a baby, on a very minimally pre-planned trip to Europe… it’s a HUGE deal!

Thank you guys for caring for me, spoiling my baby girl, giving me first dibs on EVERY apartment, mapping my every day tourist attraction needs, and so very much more!

#ciscokidstakeitalia was a success!

Where next?