Sunday was Isaac’s 4th birthday!! I can’t believe he’s 4 already! He’s turning into such a little boy with such a little sense of humor, a great imagination, and loves to help with everything. When we found out we were coming to Dublin, my parents were really bummed they would miss his birthday, so they decided to plan their first trip to coincide with his birthday. They helped make it so special — they brought cute plates and cups with some of his favorite characters from “How to train your Dragon” movie so we could have a little birthday party of sorts. They brought lots of fun little gifts, and most of all, they brought themselves! It turned out to be a beautiful sunny day and was just great to spend the time together.

In the morning, we all just relaxed around the house and played. Isaac got to open a few presents, and then we decided to take a little trip up to Howth for the afternoon. Howth is a beautiful fishing village that sticks out on a peninsula (Howth Head) to the north of Dublin. It’s got a vibrant harbor where fisherman bring their boats in with fresh catch. Lots of nice restaurants, pubs, and fish shops line the main street of the harbor, so when you’re eating fish in one of the restaurants, it’s often fresh off the boat right outside. It was beautiful to walk along the pier and see all the boats, the views back toward the village and the peninsula, and out into the Irish Sea. We had heard there were also seals to see there, but we didn’t see them this time — maybe next time.

Every Sunday (and I think they’ve recently added Saturdays too), there is a farmers market in Howth, so we checked that out. We got a few snacks there and also picked up some ingredients for dinner the next night. Then we checked out the playground, and then walked along the pier before going to find some fish and chips for dinner. Because it was a sunny day when we were there, the town was pretty crowded. Lots of people sitting outside at restaurants, or just getting take out fish and chips and eating it in the park or on the pier. We decided to go eat in a restaurant called Crabby Jo’s, but just as we got there, Isaac fell asleep — oops! So he slept through his birthday dinner, but we brought home some leftovers for him to eat later. Once we got home, we had cake and ice cream and played with a few presents. We missed celebrating with more family and friends, but were so glad my parents were here to help our 4 year old celebrate!