Meet the Irwins...

For kicks, and for those of you who are new to our blog, here's a little peak into the Irwin crew:

C....

Current Nicknames: "Sunshine", "Peanut"

This newest member to the Irwin clan, has brought immense joy and lightens up our house with her contagious, constant smiles! She is now 8 months old, and is priming her legs and sense of balance for taking her first steps (no steps quite yet- but she's just started to try standing without help these past couple days). Her daily entertainment? What else: M and L , who can make her laugh without much effort at all! She has been blessed with her Papa's bright blue eyes, and her big sister likes to call her "Mama's dark-skinned daughter", because she got the olive complexion from Mama's side, rather than the fair Irish skin from Papa!

L...

The Nickname that's stuck: "Crazy Man"

Our 100% total quintessential boy! He is at the same time our total snuggler and our total bruiser! He gives THE all-time best hugs ever, and somehow he can hang with 11 and 12 year olds one minute (completely holding his own, and I daresay sometimes even leading around the older boys!), and then love on his baby sister the next. This is the all-time cool brother that any kid would want to have! He does have the trademark Irish temper, coupled with being very sensitive, and can turn the faucet of big, plump tears on like no one else! He has mastered the very special art of making a stick appear anytime, anywhere, no matter where we are! His two favorite books are "I Stink" (about garbage trucks), and "Not a Stick".

M...

Her Consistent Nickname: "M-Bear"

Our quintessential girl, and the best first-born we could have asked for! She's a fantastic helper to Mama and also a very sensitive child, with a bit of the Irish temper, too. But this girl is our little philosopher and deep thinker! She is a glutton for stories, and has such a vivid imagination. She is a perfectionist, for better and worse, and she goes back and forth in contemplating whether she is going to be a nun, a doctor, a singer, a crocodile hunter, or a mama! She is our little prayer warrior, always praying for someone or something, and quite the prolife champion, praying daily 'for the babies, and that Obama would have a change of heart about abortion.' When not pondering the profound questions of life, she loves dressing up, dancing, drawing, pretending, and having tea time!

Papa...

His Nickname: For this blog, we'll give him the nickname "NC Ireland", being the proud Irishman and TarHeel fan he is! (and since he doesn't really have any nicknames to claim as his own!!)

A very proud Papa, a prosthetist and orthotist, a TarHeels basketball fan, a Boston Red Sox fan, a Catholic who loves his faith, a Buffalo NY native, someone who loves to kick back with a bag of chips and salsa in one hand and a Blue Moon or Guinness in the other and discuss/debate politics or the Church with friends, would love to work for the Church someday or as a missionary overseas...!

Mama...

Her Nickname: Amongst others, Papa calls her "Belle"

A stayhome, homeschoolin' Mama who adores her job, looks for opportunities to sing whenever she can, loves going to Mass and learning about the Faith and reading about the Saints, misses MN but loves the new friends she has made over the last few years in both Florida and Illinois along with the long-distance friendships in MN that have deepened over these past few years, loves midwives and homebirth, would love to live on a nice piece of land with huge magnificent trees and grow her own food, raise a few animals like chicken, goats, bees, etc and live off the land as much as possible....ah! Someday!, loves reading and writing and 'rithmatic (well, maybe not math so much !); wishes she could manage her time better to write more music, and loves kickin' back with a frappucino in hand and a good friend to talk with (or a Little One to snuggle with!)...!