I just have to say that I love my baby more than anything but I think that the part of him his dad contributed is finally starting to reveal itself. (Everyone knows that the mother only contributes good and beneficial traits and male is responsible for the rest.) Let's just say we might be entering the terrible (and terrific of course) two's a few months early. Dylan recently helped mama decorate the house walls with his creative artwork. Did I mention he prefers using black and impossibly permanent ink and will only draw directly on canvas (aka the actual wall), not the multiple color books or with the washable crayons purchased for him. He also has become such a helper in the kitchen. He is great with the cheese grater - the walnut hardwood floors require a little more effort to grind than cheese but don't worry - Dylan is strong enough to grind them right down. The can opener is also a great tool to add character to the floors - almost as good as a hammer which he always seems to find (Jeff only has a million of them). He is great with other tools as well, screw drivers are his favorite thing to poke - I mean stab - mom with when she isn't watching. I don't even want to think about the many utensils, kitchen accessories, sippy cups, etc.. lost due to Dylan's infatuation with the trash can. I can't help but love that little guy though, he is just too cute -even when he is gouging our leather couches with car keys. How can you deny love to that cute face? Here are some classic sweet and innocent pics.

Just catching up on some reading mom.

This is definitely an uh oh , I think I might be in trouble look.

How could you stay mad at something this sweet?

Happy New Year everyone! We are back home from our holiday vacation to Arizona where Dylan had the time of his life playing with his cousin Addie, Nana, and Papa. It was great to be able to spend some time with my side of the family. I think Addie (she is almost 3) taught Dylan a few things while we were there. Not only does he think he can talk now but he also thinks he can do whatever he wants (things he knows he is not suppose to do) and then give mama a hug and kiss to make up for it. OK, so most of the time it works. I can't help but give in when gives me all that love - I used to have to force kisses out of him. He tries to say everything now and if there is nothing to say then he just makes up noises. It's very cute. Enough bragging I guess, here are some pics :).

Here is one of Christmas card pictures ( don't know why it looks fuzzy):

Wedding Pictures!

I realize that I never posted any pics of Traci's wedding. I don't have very many but here are a few. All the kids loved dancing on the floor at the reception - you can see that in these pictures.

Dylan is so breaking it down in this one - he LOVES to dance!

Yes, this is Todd's new girl! She has to be the perfect match for Todd! Look at that hair - all natural! Maybe a wedding? :)

Jeff thinks he is way cooler than he really is :)

Christmas Time!

I love the holidays! We have put up the Christmas decorations and Dylan has already started to tear them down (those "balls" on the tree are too irresistible). We have even put up are first real - fake tree last week! I use the term "we" lightly - Jeff mostly watched football (the tree scratched his hands when he tried to fluff the branches) and Dylan, well, you can imagine the kind of help a 16 month old provides when colorful ornaments and beads are involved. I do have to give some credit to Jeff for putting up the outdoor lights. He was so excited to finally have our own house to decorate that the most the house lights were up - and individually clipped to ensure uniform distribution - the day after Halloween. They aren't exactly the white lights I requested but Dylan seems to enjoy all the colors so I guess I shouldn't complain - even if our neighbors might :). The Irish's are officially ready for Christmas!

Happy Halloween!

Traci is officially married!! That sounds crazy, I know. It was even weirder watching it happen. The marriage happened last weekend in AZ so most of the Driggs fam was there for Halloween. All the cousins had so much fun and I think most of us adults did to. It would definitely be an understatement to say that my mother got a little carried away with the decorations. All of us sisters and mom too of course (it was her idea), dressed in matching witch costumes and watched as the best decorated house in the neighborhood frightened small children to tears. Don't worry though, the older children got theirs when they reached the candy and mom explained that the head suspended in the glass ball belonged to her sister, whom she had murdered. It was a lot of fun and Dylan had the time of his life playing with all his cousins. I'll post wedding pics as soon as I get them.


This was a costume preveiw in Idaho. Yoda left his light Saber in Boise.


Addi and Ella dressed up in matching witch costumes too - so cute!!


You can already see candy drool on his costume if you look close enough - compliments of Nana.

This is Dylan at the Phoenix Zoo with all his cousins. He is petting the stingrays in this pic.

So I'm not so great at this blog thing. I guess I'm as on top of blogging as I am with returning phone calls and remembering birthdays :). We just celebrated Dylan's 1st birthday! I can't believe it! Dylan and a few of his friends got together at the neighborhood water park, ate some cupcakes, and opened some presents. As you can see by the 1st picture Dylan wasn't a big fan of the baseball cake I spent forever making! After lighting a candle in it and spooking him with the birthday song he did not even want to be close to the cake. Don't worry though, he helped himself to a cupcake (and a few more cupcakes left unattended be his unsuspecting guests :)).

Our little family also just returned from a much need vacation to the Caribbean. We cruised with most of the Driggs gang minus a pregnant sister and a brother in law school. Most of us (Jeff not included) came back with tans and a few extra pounds (o.k., Jeff might be included in the extra pounds part - just kidding honey!). I promptly lost those few extra pounds and a couple more once I got back to Idaho and that bite of hamburger I ate off the ship in Grand Cayman didn't exactly digest as planned. A couple days of vomiting got me right back to shape.

Jeff and I are getting ready to tour the Jamaican jungle via zip line in the pic below. Trisha and I enjoyed it more that Jeff who felt that there was a much more hiking and walking than the tour description illistrated ;).

Below are just some misc pictures of Dylan.

He pretty much thinks he is the coolest with his ipod chillin in his Go Diego ride.
Just helping dad put the yard in!
Dylan's Favorite (girl) cousins, I just had to put these baby girls in my blog somehow.