Ireland, this and that

Well this weekend I put the Marcs on a bus and watched them drive off on their way to Ireland!  They are there with the Birmingham Boys Choir tour and I have gotten pictures and see that it is BEAUTIFUL and AMAZING.

Rehearsing in the airport-

They stopped by this Cathedral on the ride to Galway- they sang and it was acoustically amazing.

Here is their hotel in Galway-

Clonmacnoise, a monastic ruin.  It was founded in 544 A.D. by St. Ciaran.  

Connemara-

Kylemore Abbey- founded in 1920 by Benedictine nuns fleeing Belgium in World War I.

Neo-Gothic church on the grounds- a "Cathedral in Miniature"- the boys had a concert here.

 BB came and stayed two nights to help with Anniebug- she saw Annie's new trick- dancing!

Yesterday was the feast of the Annuciation, when Gabriel came to Mary and announced that she was to bear the Christ child.  It's always March 25th- 9 months before December 25th.  We have a lovely image of this event in our home that I love.  

We read the story from A Book of Angels by Marigold Hunt (everyone of her books is a gem).  

 We decorated sugar cookies to celebrate-

Gabriel and Mary-

The Holy Spirit-

A few pictures from this week- soccer boys!

Here is my living Holly Hobby doll-

Julia went on an AMAZING trail ride for five hours on Saturday.  She rode a mule on a long, slow ride.  Then she got on a Tennessee walker horse and flew all over the place.  She and her friends climbed the mountain, splashed through the creeks, and had a ball.  

She spent the night with BB and Poppy Friday so they could take her.  They took her to dinner at the marina where they keep the boat-

Then they tried some evening fishing-

I don't have pictures from the trail ride, but here she is on Monday learning barrel racing-