It was so fun to have my good friend, Jane, and her family come visit us here in Dublin! Jane and I have been friends since Kindergarten and went to school together all the way through elementary, middle, and high school. Now we each have two boys (and Isaac and Micah are only a month apart) so it’s very cool to see the next generation be friends. Isaac was so excited to have Micah and Jonah here, and he and Micah had a blast playing together!

The weather was beautiful most of the week our visitors were here, so we were able to get out and about and explore Dublin together. The Book of Kells, Christchurch Cathedral, National Museum of Archaeology, St. Stephens Green park, grabbing drinks in a Temple Bar pub, visiting the Jameson factory, and even making it up to the coastal villages of Howth and Malahide — we kept busy each day! The boys all loved riding the double decker buses together, as well as playing at parks, playing around our house, eating fish and chips, and generally having a good time! Jane, Jay, and the boys even made it over to Galway for a few days — they really saw so much of Dublin and Ireland in their time here!

It was just so wonderful to see familiar faces and to get to spend time with friends we’ve known for so long. On our adventure living here, it’s great to meet new people, but nothing compares to connecting with old and dear friends who know you so well. And it was really cool to see the boys connect especially since they hadn’t seen each other in almost 8 months (a long time in the lives of 4 year olds). We were sad when they had to leave, but we were so glad they chose to come to Ireland for vacation!

Playing around the house

Out and about in Dublin

On the pier in Howth (the boys loved the fishing boats and we even saw a seal with a huge fish in its mouth)

Visiting Malahide castle and gardens