Water Joy

Marin loves water, what toddler doesn't? We discovered a little fountain on campus a while back and have been visiting it about once a week.
Trying to put a leaf into the water.
Getting so wet.
Drying off with mommy.
We also got to visit St. Augustine last week for a few days. Marin is a beach babe! She loves everything about the beach.

No Matter How Hard I Try

This is a story of Marin's hair and its starts with the lines; no matter how hard I try...

Before I finish that line let me explain something about Marin. She has red hair that everyone seems to love or at least make comments about. People we don't even know, in the grocery store, or bank, or while at the Farmers Market, or out for dinner, stop us to make comments about her hair. Now as someone who studied human development in college, I get a bit paranoid about how these comments are going to affect her as she gets older. Actually a few months ago she started pulling her hair when she was really frustrated... my first thought was "she's doing this because people always talk about her hair" not really a rational thought. Anyways we really appreciate everyone's love for redheaded babies, and our favorite comment is when an elderly person walks but and says, "now that's an Irish baby if I ever saw one!" OK aside from it being red, she has TWO cowlicks, and TWO of those swirly crowns in the back (all of which she had genetically inherited from Holli's mother, thanks mom!)... this is a combination for hair that never cooperates, EVER, you can ask grandma Cheri.
Just waking up from a nap... or just about any time of day really hahaha
Reading with daddy
Ok to finish that sentince, "No matter how hard I try, its still a mess!"

All Three

I wanted to add a picture of all of us. We never take pictures of all three of us, I think the last one was last Easter, this one was take on Easter day too.

Reviatalize the Blog

OK So I have not put anything on our blog since Christmas. And I took it off too. Sorry. I am going to put some updates on here today so that our blog is at least up to date. Our little family has had a great Winter here in Florida. I wish all of you in cold climates would have come for a visit because we had a very warm Winter, weirdly warm. Our water days began ohhhh about a month ago. Now this is not swimming in the pool (that didn't begin until this week), its playing in the sprinkler in the yard, but its still playing in the water, and anyone with toddlers knows that toddlers are always happier when they are wet... and/or naked.

She has pigtails, her hair is so long!
Marin has two accessories she wears almost everyday, her backpack and a pair of goggles. She has also fallen in love with a baby doll that she likes to haul around by the leg, or wrapped up in a blanket aka "bainty".


This is a little trip Marin and I took with our friend's Stephanie and Parker to Melbourne. We took the kids to the zoo and the beach. It was a lot of fun and we got to visit with our good friends who live just a few blocks away from the beach!


Marin loves to paint... her whole body, never the paper. She really is having a good time, this is just her "stop taking pictures of me" face. Todd, Marin and I got to take a little weekend trip to the Panhandle over Spring Break. Marin wore her first little bikini!

Having a toddler is so different than our little baby. Toddlers have opinions, and let you know what they are. I was writing down Marin's words the other day and realized that most of them are somehow related to what she wants (e.g. please, more, milk, yogurt) or animals (her current favorite is turtle) but of all her words her very favorite thing to talk or sing about is the MOON and STARS ("moony and tars"). I am not sure I'm ready for a kid who has a different opinion than me, who is not always along for the ride, but wanting to take the steering wheel herself. We are well into learning about discipline, and addressing her wild streak. We would like to believe that we can use what Dr. Sears calls gentle discipline, but is it really possible?

On Tuesday while Todd was trying to work from home, Marin was pulling just about every toy out of every basket she could and running around the house singing and dancing and yelling and throwing stuff everywhere. Finally Todd walked over to Marin picked her up and said "Marin you have a wild streak in you that you need to figure out what to do with" I was laughing from the bedroom as he said this because "wild streak" was an understatement at the time. Why are toddlers so loud and crazy? Its almost like she is saying "hey world I'm not a baby anymore! Here I come". Right now as I am typing this she is sitting on the floor under me putting a bucket on her head and yelling. Who ever thought wearing a bucket on your head could be so fun and joyous? She does, that's for sure. She's having the time of her life just wearing the bucket. Sometimes I think, adults have really boring lives, if we could all just sit under the table once in a while with a bucket on our heads yelling maybe we would enjoy life a bit more. Oh now she is trying to put a puzzle together with the bucket on her head, and sing, she's done yelling, now she's singing (I think about yogurt).

Happy One Year Little Irish

Happy Birthday Marin! Marin's Grandma Cheri and Uncle Willy came flew into Jacksonville on the 4th and we went to St. Augustine Beach. We got to spend the night in a hotel on the beach and then spend all day the 5th, Marin's birthday, at the ocean. This was a fun treat for us all, especially Grandma and Uncle Willy.
Holli made cupcakes and we took them with us to the beach. Marin loved them, yum!

Marin's new wagon!
On Saturday Olivia had a birthday party for Marin and Aurilia who are only 6 days apart. Marin is older... :)
Marin and Olivia had fun with her new wagon.

Summer Fun

Daddy I'm ready to go swimming.
Marin gets ready for Kids Camp, The Incredible Week
See my new red shoes
I love reading with daddy.
Almost 11months old!
Marin and Daddy at the Beach in St. Augustine, FL.
Our friend Jeremy visits from Missouri, he and Todd took a trip down the river.


HI! Sorry we have been so bad at keeping this blog updated. Our summer was quick and busy. Holli was one of the directors of our church's summer children's programs as well as a co-leader at Kids Camp (VBS). It was a lot of fun and hard work. Her favorite part was getting to wear a cape through out the week. Todd has had a busy summer and has spend a lot of time reading and preparing for the Fall and Spring semesters at the Study Center. Both he and Marin also got a virus, Marin's was roseola and who knows what Todd had but we are glad he is back to himself. Marin has learned a lot this summer, how to drink out of a straw, wear shoes, take shoes off, walk around the house using all the furniture, clap, wave, bounce to music, blow raspberries, blow kisses and various other baby tricks that remind us that our infant is getting close to a whole year.

We hope you all have been having a great summer and your Fall is getting off to a good start.
Enjoy the new pictures.

A day at the beach

First Suit

Marin's first bathing suit from Grandma C and Great grandma B. She just can't wait till swimming time.

Seeing Family

My Aunt Sandy took care of Marin, Wil and I while we were in Texas. We got to have dinner one night with our cousins, this is Sarah who is almost 8!!!!

Taking a Trip to Texas

My Grandma P. who lives in Texas was hospitalized this past week so Marin and I jumped [her first] a flight to Texas on Saturday. Marin got to meet her Greatgrandma P.














Marin has 3 Great Grandmas, this is the first one she has been able to meet. This was a very precious time together with my grandma who spent much of my childhood taking care of my family; cooking us lots of good Italian food, taking us to piano lessons and girl scouts, helping with homework, and wonderful nap time back scratches.

Visit From Missouri and to Disney

We went to Orlando with Grandma Cheri and Grandpa Tim. We got to go to Epcot and Magic Kingdom. It was a fun trip and great to see family of course.
Daddy, Grandpa Tim, and Marin taking the ferry over to the Magic Kingdom.
We enjoyed a 3D movie, with smells, splashing water, wind and more.
Daddy and Marin take a rest break.
Grandma Cheri and Grandpa Tim
Mommy, Grandma, Maline (Grandma's foreign exchange student from Germany) and Marin watching a show in front of the Magical Castle, "where all your dreams come true" :)

New Games

Marin is starting to play with toys. She gets very serious (notice the tongue) about moving her arms around and kicking her feet. She is starting to hold, reach, and grasp. Very exciting, our little baby is growing up so fast.

Play Time

Playing on a blanket. You can't tell me this girl doesn't know how to have a good time.

Low Rider

Our little trip to St. Augustine and the beach. Marin wore her little sun glasses to protect her eyes from the sun. We think she looke like a motorcycle rider, with a pacifier!

Shade-bathing on a warm Fall day.

Life with Marin O'Connor - Week 1

Irish middle name, Irish red hair, Irish temper (note red cheeks),
hopeful Notre Dame Fighting Irish fan.

Yellow is soothing.

Marin and Todd going nowhere.

Marin the sloth-child.