My London marathon 2011

With Emily successfully traversing her viva just a few short weeks... all eyes (in the family at least) turned to my marathon. After a few last minute fund raising events to push my sponsorship efforts over my intended goal (including a bake sale that afforded Emily the chance to wow all my office colleagues with her baking skills), the day of the race was on hand.

The day after the race I wrote down all my random thoughts from the race. Here they are below... remember that dehydration may still have been affecting my brain when these notes were made. Thanks again to all those that supported my efforts.

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The day itself was a climactic ending to months and months of training through a cold and wet British winter… often disrupting poor Emily and Brendan from a normal evening/morning/weekend. Their support throughout this past year, including following me out to races in the middle of no-where (not to mention the race itself), is undoubtedly why I was able to finish this race. They both deserve all the thanks and praise in the world (well, even more so now).

Here are just a few of my memories from the event:

- The night before was hectic as the nervous energy took hold. Once I finally had my equipment laid out and ready to go, I collapsed into bed (it probably wasn’t good that I was THAT tired before the race)

- The morning was a bit stressful, as we had to leave VERY early to get down to Greenwich in time. Getting Brendan into the car ahead of his normal routine morning time was tricky to say the least.

- Thankfully we hadn’t sold the push chair, because it proved to be valuable in carrying all of Bren’s food/toys/supplies, not to mention an occasionally sleeping toddler, all around London for the day. It’s debatable who had a bigger task ahead of them, Emily or I, on the day.

- We drove down and took the tube from Epping… which was both convenient and inexpensive, thanks to the London Underground offering free rides for all marathon runners.

- The pre-race jitters increased as I recognised the nervous energy I was feeling, on the faces of the 1000s of other runners on the trains.

- Once in Greenwich, while walking to the starting area with the countless runners and supporters, the good vibes were already evident, with hugs, kisses and tears before the race even began.

- Thanks to our long commute and late departure, I was late to the start of the race. Since I couldn’t start in the gate/area I was supposed to, I was shipped to the back with the crazy character runners. It was a bit frustrating but very entertaining.

- Some of the more inventive characters I saw:

o A group of six running as an 8 foot tall bus

o A pair of runners as a donkey, another pair as a camel

o An 8 foot Pingu (penguin)

o 3 rhinoceros… one of which I passed at about 17 miles (he either started way ahead, or took a short cut… unbelievable)

o A carrot who broke the 3 hour mark (saw him at the –approx- 14/21 overlap… yes, a “carrot” was at the 21 mile mark when I was at 14)

o A 7 foot penis

o A large walnut (with the sign: know your nuts on the back)

o A slew of people carrying things… including numerous military men dressed in camouflage wearing full packs.

o The one that still takes the cake is the guy who wore a washing machine on his back. I got close enough to see that it was real. I hope he didn’t die along the way (and hopefully he had the good sense to remove the drum from the machine)

o Will and Kate in their wedding attire (to which I heard “Thanks for the day off!” as I ran past them)

o I’d also like to thank the blind man dressed as a gorilla (and yes, he had a guide running with him) and the Pocahontas I ran with at different times, each of whom set a surprisingly good pace for me.

- Any hopes of running a fast time were dashed in the first 100m, when the masses formed more of a wall then I would have liked. Perhaps I should show up on time for my actual starting spot next time.

- As a result of being a bit frustrated with the running early on, I used way too much energy in the first half hopping kerbs and dodging people. Again, my hopes, and ultimately my care, for a fast time went out the window. I decided to focus on enjoying the experience.

- The supporters along the race were unbelievable. I swear… the entire length of the marathon had supporters along it. Perhaps I saw 1 stretch of 2 metres that didn’t have supporters and that was in an industrial area. Probably a slight exaggeration, but it definitely felt like that.

- The sheer number of supporters, and the resulting noise and support were overwhelming. It was some time after the race when the good vibes, and the hairs on the back of my neck, finally came down.

- I lost track of how many rock bands, jazz groups, rappers, DJs, dance crews, dance parties, choirs, chamber orchestras I ran past… all blasting some sort of motivational music. It was impossible not to get swept away with the enthusiasm of the supporters… and hence find myself running a few extra seconds quicker per km. As a result, I rarely had my ear phones in… as there was already a constant soundtrack along the route.

- Positive energy was in abundance. The positive vibes seemed endless, with supporters high fiving me the whole way, constantly calling out my name in support (I had it written on my bib above my number) and offering goodies… everything from water, oranges, Vaseline, sweets, chocolate, marshmallows, and even beer.

- One thing I did find overwhelming were the captivating memorials and tributes to loved ones. About half way through the race I tried to force myself to stop reading these tributes to lost or sick loved ones on the backs of runners’ bibs… usually with accompanying photos. With emotions running so high, I was quickly finding myself mentally drained. It was truly inspirational to see so many people partaking in such a huge event to raise support/awareness for others. It was impossible to not be affected by it.

- Another inspirational event that happened throughout the race, all around me, was when someone spotted a loved one running. The excitement and pride in the supporters, coupled with the smiles and emotional boost in the runner was lovely to witness and always provided a surge of inspiration.

- Running over Tower Bridge was definitely my personal sightseeing highlight of the race. I was just starting to feel tired for the first time, around 12 miles, in an area I had no idea where I was… when I ran around one tight turn and BAM, there was the bridge with the tower of London in the back ground. An instant pick-up… I felt like I glided across that bridge.

- Having missed Emily and Bren at the 5 mile point (probably because I started late with the cartoon characters), I assumed I wouldn’t see them the rest of the race… because our times were a bit out of synch, and because of the sheer volume of supporters (Emily may have had a tougher day pushing a chair through those crowds then I did running the race). Alas though, I spotted her wearing her Lupus UK bib at about 17 miles, perched at a good vantage above the action. It was very cool to see her and a sleeping Brendan (the perfect spot for an emotional lift).

- It was only a few miles later that my legs starting getting very grumpy with me. My knees were acting up over the last few months of training, as my runs got longer, and my shoes began to wear. Just before the 20 mile mark my right knee buckled and I half fell (if I hadn’t caught myself from tumbling with my hands, I may still be lying in the Docklands). Unfortunately I had to walk for a while after that… with my heartbeat pounding in my (very purple) knee, any hopes I had for a 4 hour finish time were completely gone. I tried running right away (one stride actually), but quickly realised I needed to rest if I wanted to finish the race on my feet. After walking for a while… and cooling the knee off… with everything from water to Lucozade and even Vaseline… I started running again. Well… sort of limp-waddling actually… I managed to finish the race without stopping again.

- The rest of the run is something I won’t soon forget. The sheer volume of supporters in the final 5 miles was inspirational. With banners and people draped across every over-pass, and supporters on each side, seemingly dozens deep, I couldn’t hear my own footsteps for the last hour of my race.

- Just before coming to the embankment stretch of the race, I was heading toward the last tunnel when I heard an overly enthusiastic “Kevin”. Looking to my right I saw Jonas Rooze (friend and ice hockey teammate) cheering me on from the side. I’m still blown away that he saw me in the midst of 10s of thousands of runners… and that I saw him in the midst of 100s of thousands of supporters. Thanks again Jonas for the boost before the finishing stretch!

- The stretch along embankment towards parliament/Westminster was truly amazing. It was obviously where fledgling runners were battling the demands of the huge distance. This is where the supporters of the charities, along with thousands of local supporters gathered (or tried to) to cheer people onto the finish. As I hobbled past them all, I was in awe of their efforts/enthusiasm.

- The last couple miles were gruelling, as my body was screaming at me to stop… but I persevered and thankfully finished in a relatively good time of 4:27.

- After finishing, I limped through the post-race stations, picked up my medal, my goodie bag and my personal items, hobbled over to the runners meet & greet area where I promptly collapsed in a heap at my meeting spot with Em & Bren. If it weren’t for texts and phone calls from loved ones, I probably would have fallen asleep lying there waiting for Emily and Bren. Thanks again to Emily for supporting me and helping make the event/the day something I will never forget! Running for a good cause and being able to see the face of the person I’m trying to help, made it worthwhile a whole lot more.

- Advice for people thinking of running a race like London:

o Arrive early, so you don’t start at the back. As enjoyable as it was watching the character runners, it was tough on my legs running at a pace I wasn’t accustomed to.

o There is no such thing as too much Vaseline!! Coat EVERYTHING.

o On the day, forget about mile markers and projected times… just enjoy the experience.

o Do it! I will never forget this race as long as I live.

- Towards the end, and when I was injured… so, when times got tough… I mentally thought of all the people that supported me, both financially and emotionally through this effort. To all of you… thank you! Your support of my efforts has hopefully brought awareness and financial assistance to a worthy cause that will assist the many sufferers of Lupus, but more directly, will assist the future happiness and comfort of my family. I get emotional even now thinking of the amount of support I received from all of you. You were all a big part of my race… and I will eternally be in your debt for your support. I love you all. Thank you!

well then... our year of the doctor

2011 to date has been a bit hectic so far. We started the year by saying goodbye to our beloved terraced house in Cambridge. With Emily no longer needing to be in the city, and the cost of central Cambridge living continuing to sky-rocket, we made the move to Great Shelford. We now live in a lovely thatched cottage in a quaint village just south of Cambridge. Please come visit.

Have a look here

As mentioned in the previous post, Emily did indeed submit her dissertation before Christmas (only just!), so that was a definite load off over the Christmas break. Soon after we moved into our new cottage, we found out that Emily's viva (a final meeting with examiners to discuss the pass or fail of Emily's dissertation) was going to be on April 8th. Sad that it was drawn out a few more months, but good that we had a bit of time to recover from the holidays and the move.

After that we stuck to a new routine of Emily slowly unpacking, relaxing from 4 years of insane stress and watching Brendan while she can. For myself, the routine was running 3 times a week, mixed in with lots of hockey and of course work. The running took a toll on our weekends, especially as my end of week long runs started getting longer and longer. Thanks again to both Emily and Brendan for supporting me through my marathon training!

In March, ice hockey started dominating my limited free time. The regular task of organising matches and training seemed to double as our annual varsity match approached. Thankfully we beat Oxford in our annual match-up, so have retained the cup one more year. It's definitely a nice feeling to captain the side to victory. After that there were lots of club parties and celebratory drinks... namely the Varsity Dinner. A great way to culminate the season.

The hockey wasn't done though, as the end of March saw the Eskimos head off to Linz, Austria again for a great weekend of hockey action and partying. Check out the tournament link here to see how we did. Click on the "statisktik" link to see the results/stats.

While this was all going on, Emily was frantically preparing for her viva. As it approached, the nervous tension of 4 years of effort culminating in one Friday afternoon meeting, steadily grew on poor Emily's face. As we all knew though... she aced her viva, impressing both examiners with her breadth of knowledge in the area, and receiving unexpected praise from them in the middle of the viva... both examiners had opinions on how and where she should publish it and her external examiner loved it so much he wanted a personal copy (and made a point of telling Emily "he learned a lot" from her work). Amazing!

Bren and I are very proud of her and so are many others. The evening of the viva we had a drinks night that many people came out to show their support/love to Emily... including her mum whom drove down from Lancashire for the weekend. Well done to Emily! We're all super proud. Bren is still calling her "Dr. Mummy".

Catch-update for 2010

Again, a bit sad that this is being posted now, but at least it's months late, as opposed to the last one (2 years late).

I doubt any of you will enjoy reading this as much as we do (trips down memory lane et al.), but feel free to prove me wrong.
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The year gone by – 2010 for Kevin, Emily and Brendan

... and what a year it’s been. Lots of new adventures, lots of hard work, lots of hellos, a few goodbyes, and lots of fun family play time.

Our year started with stress over passports. The UK passport office took an extended amount of time to grant me “Indefinite Leave to Remain”, hanging onto my passport for over 3 months. It meant that I had to miss out on two important trips. First, I missed what was supposed to be a family adventure in the south of France to look after Emily’s god-mother’s house. Emily made the most of it, working hard on her Ph.D. in the solitude of the French countryside, and Brendan joined her for a few weeks.
I also wasn’t able to return to Canada to say goodbye to a wonderful friend, Patricia, and to be there for her family. It's hard to believe its been almost a year since she passed, and we all miss her.

My parents flew over in February to visit their grandson and to keep us company while Emily was in France. We had a wonderful visit sharing Brendan's passions (planes, swimming), enjoying English life (if you can in the winter) and generally catching up.

While they were here, my dad and I flew to Northern Ireland for a short 3 day trip to celebrate the return of my passport. One of the days we were there, amidst our meandering self-tour, we decided to enquire about family history. It was on a whim but we were in Donegal after all. What started with an innocent inquiry at a tourist information stop turned into a civil office record hunting, mad snowy dashing, family history adventure... that culminated in the two of us sitting in a pub over-looking the hill-side where my great-grandfather was raised sharing a pint with 4 local McGlynns. We went back to Cambridge in awe of our findings and soon shipped my folks home after a lovely visit.

The Spring and Summer were dominated with sport. Ice hockey dominated March, as has become tradition, with another successful Varsity match against Oxford, and a return visit to the Stahlpokal tournament in Austria. Brendan got back into swimming and riding is balance bike all over Cambridge (mind your feet!). And finally, Emily earned a spot on the college rowing team despite missing over a month while in France.

The sport theme continued over to the London 10K which I ran in April, as well as a few other runs over the summer. Running seems to be a personal theme this year, and I’ve now signed up to run the London Marathon in April 2011 in support of Lupus UK.
For those of you who don’t know, Emily suffers from Lupus, a disease of the immune system. For some, the disease can be life-threatening and there is no cure. Please sponsor my run for this important cause by visiting this website: http://www.justgiving.com/Kevin-McGlynn-Marathon. Your donations help many men and women, including Emily. Wish me luck!



As the weather started to warm, not surprisingly, the visitors started arriving. First Tara came in the middle of her whirlwind European adventure. It was lovely to catch up with her, and we got to take her to the Jesus College May Ball. May Balls are elaborate, extravagant parties that are an Oxford & Cambridge tradition. Tara has now been to a May Ball in both Oxford and Cambridge... well done sis! Tara also got a chance to watch Emily partake in the May bumps... the college rowing event of the year. Emily's boat did quite well, being bumped only once, and bumping back another day (check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_Bumps if you're wondering what the heck I'm talking about). Next, Emily's dad came with whom we had a wonderful visit and spent some wonderful times at the nearby Duxford war plane museum and our favourite Norfolk beach. Finally Rob Dietz arrived to put a cap on his Spring adventures in Europe. Rob and Bren were two peas in a pod.

Once term time finally ended, I started a new job with Cambridge University doing web consulting. It's a fun project and extremely local (I cycle or even walk sometimes) and keeps me busy (not to mention the bills paid). Because of the new job, the inevitable had to happen. We finally moved Brendan into a nursery. Not surprisingly, he took to it like a duck to water. He loves the facility, gets on well with the other children, and usually has so much fun he can't even squeeze in a nap.



As the summer passed, we got into a good routine of working during the day, enjoying the sunshine and Cambridge green spaces during the evenings, and taking advantage of the weekends for family fun. Between beach trips, museum hunting in London, hiking trips to Wales and air shows throughout the UK, we enjoyed a truly great summer. Speaking of air shows, our little man has truly shown a love of all things relating to aviation. We quickly discovered that the occasional air show wasn't enough to whet his appetite for planes, so we invested in an annual family pass at the nearby Duxford war plane museum. It's easily been the best investment we've made all year, as we've already been at least a dozen times. Brendan can't get enough. If you find yourself in his company, and ask him about his favourite planes, be prepared to sit through a lengthy roll-call of all major British, German and even Japanese WWII fighter planes. Watching him become engrossed in something with such passion has been a joy.

Speaking of becoming engrossed, Brendan started up his swimming lessons again. By the time September rolled along, he was swimming without any flotation aids... all before the age of 3. He has always enjoyed swimming and he doesn't seem to be slowing at all.

As the autumn term (Michaelmas term) started up, the action kicked into high gear. I had my second inline skating marathon in Berlin at the end of September, Emily started back into rowing again... but most importantly, Emily really started ramping up to finish her Ph.D. As I write this, she is crossing the T's and dotting the I's to submit her dissertation before Christmas. It's been a long time coming and we're very proud of her. I can't wait to read it when she's finished... assuming I understand it all. Be sure to think of her as she submits during the holiday season and pass on your congrats when you can.

The last big event of our year was without question, our trip back to North America in late October. It started with a week in Florida at a beautiful house owned by a family friend, Lyn. The house was in a quiet neighbourhood, under the warm Florida sun, with its own swimming pool... of which we couldn't get Grandpa or Brendan out of. It was a wonderful time to catch up with my folks and Tara, and let them see how much Bren has grown... and of course, allow them to spoil him rotten and listen to countless stories about planes.

The second week of our trip was spent back in Toronto visiting friends and family, including Grandpa Chris and Auntie Chloe. Brendan had his 3rd birthday party (I can't believe he's 3 already) with lots of little ones from the rapidly growing families of our friends back in Canada. Sheesh... you go away for awhile and everyone multiplies! ;)
The other Canadian highlight for Brendan was definitely Halloween. It's not much of an event in England, so we were worried it might be a bit overwhelming for him. Our fears were unfounded, as he quickly got into it. If he had his way, he'd still be out there “trick or treating”.



Once back in Cambridge, we both started working hard... Emily insanely so... and will hopefully have a very large Christmas present (Emily submitting her Ph.D.) to celebrate. With lots of term time fun (hockey, rowing, college life), swimming heroics and ramping up for Christmas, our year is coming to an end with lots of happy memories, a few sad ones and many reasons to be thankful over the holiday season.

We love you all and hope that you've all had a wonderful year. We hope that we can share some laughs and love with each of you in the new year.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

With Love, from Kevin, Emily & Brendan

Catch-update for 2009

It's sad that this is getting added in 2011, but have a read (if you're keen) to a summary of our lives in 2009. This is our Christmas letter that we sent out in December 2009. Too old? Too many repeats of previous entries? I won't hold it against you if you skip this post.

Big love

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Another year in the life of Emily, Kevin & Brendan 2009

What a year it's been! Packed full of fun time, a lot of work, travel to amazing places and watching Brendan grow & grow & grow!

2009 started up in Lancashire (North West of England) visiting with Emily's mum, Kathryn, and nana, Kathleen and her 2 cheeky Chihuahua puppies. Brendan loved them – especially when they gave him kisses!

January also saw Brendan and Kevin go on their first adventure together without mummy. They went to Canada for 5 days to help Grandpa McGlynn celebrate his 60th birthday. Both Grandma and Grandpa were surprised to see their two British boys standing at their door step! During the trip, Brendan perfected his walking, so was strutting his stuff to over-joyed grandparents.

The rest of the winter went by in a bit of a blur of activity. During term time at Cambridge, Kevin kept busy with football (soccer) and ice hockey. The Emmanuel College football team successfully won their division and has been promoted to "top-flight" college football for the 2009-2010 season. The ice hockey team also had a successful year beating Oxford in the annual Varsity match (the oldest running rivalry in hockey history, and now recognized in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto). At the end of the season, the team took part in a tournament in Linz, Austria. The tournament involved top quality men's teams from all over Europe and was great fun, yet quite challenging.

As the Spring drew near, we were all feeling the travel bug so we took off on an epic trip to Argentina, via Toronto (with a small side trip to Denver for Emily, who presented at a large child development conference). It was a wonderful trip to see Gurth, Muriel (Great-Grandpa & Great-Granny), Uncle Nicky and Aunty Sue in La Cumbre, Argentina. We spent 2 weeks exploring the countryside and playing in the vast grounds of Del Manantial (Granny & Grandpa's house in the hills). Brendan simply adored his time there and we were all very sad to leave when our trip was over. En route back to Toronto, we stopped in Buenos Aires for a few days. It is an incredible city – we’ll definitely be going back again.

Back in Canada we had lots of fun with family in London, Ontario (the McManus side of the family)... as well as Nana & Aunty Chloe in Barrie, Grandpa & Rocío in Toronto and Grandma, Grandpa and Aunty Tara in Mississauga, as well as all of our friends. The month of April most definitely made up for our long absence from everyone!

Once back in England, it took us a little while to get back into work after of fabulous time away. The end of the Lent term in Cambridge is famous for the May Ball season (even though the balls take place in June!). Emily and Kevin attended the gala event that was the Emmanuel May Ball. It was a night of decadence – drinking, dancing, eating, drinking, games, drinking, bumper cars – all night long! So much fun! Emily was definitely the "belle of the ball" in her stunning gown.

We tried to take advantage of the summer days as much as we could by visiting local parks, swimming at Emmanuel College, going to the zoo, or - our favourite - days away at the beach. Brendan's love of swimming definitely carries over to salt-water! Our biggest hassle is always trying to get him out of the water at the end of the day. We also went away for a few days to a quaint little cottage in the Yorkshire Dales for Kevin’s birthday. We visited much of the north, enjoyed lots of hiking (including along Hadrian's wall) and soaked up the ‘beautiful’ (i.e. rainy!!) British weather.

Summer fun is not without a few accidents. After a particularly lovely day in the back garden, Brendan slipped on the paving stones and fell into a patio chair, knocking out a front tooth! We rushed him to the A&E department, but the tooth couldn’t be saved. Despite the bump, Bren was fine, and we are just glad that his injuries weren’t worse. We’ll just have to get used to the ‘rough-and-tumble’ of having a little boy! The tooth fairy made an extremely early visit to our house! He’s still cute as ever... if not more-so, with his little gappy grin!

Before the Michaelmas term started in the autumn, Kevin took a quick weekend break to Berlin with some ice hockey teammates to take part in my first (hopefully of many) in-line skating marathon (a full length marathon completed on roller blades). It was an amazing experience rolling around the beautiful city and enjoying the experience with friends.

The very next weekend, the three of us went to France. We were house-sitting for Roger & Lindsay (Emily's god-mum). Kathryn came with us and we had a nice relaxing 5 days in the hills of Southern France. Their house really is heavenly, and we’re scheduled to visit there again in January 2010 for another French escape!

After 5 days in France, we then jumped on a train and a plane and ended up in Marbella visiting Eric and Aine. We had been dying to meet their little man Leo, and attended his naming ceremony. What a fantastic time away.

We spent the rest of the autumn in Cambridge, and filled our days with a hectic schedule of work and extra-curricular activities... both old and new. Kevin is now the captain of the ice hockey team, which has been engaging, fun and quite taxing at the same time. Emily, however, definitely takes the cake for most significant new activity (not including her first attempt at ice hockey in November!). Emily has joined the Emmanuel college boat club. She spent the Michaelmas term (autumn term) learning the ropes and developing into a star of the novice rowing boats. She helped lead her eight-woman boat to a top result at the end of term long distance race (called ‘Fairbairns’ against other Cambridge colleges. The woman's captain already has lofty goals in mind for Emily's rowing career. ;) Stay tuned...

The other big event of this autumn, was our beautiful little boy turning two. It's hard to believe he's officially a toddler and no longer a baby. His birthday was a wonderful day with lots of friends, family, toys and cake. We had a house full of little ones, and a running/jumping/screaming Brendan as a result. With so many toys and friends to play with, he had an extremely active day (which resulted in the longest sleep he's ever had).

After such a busy year (and no doubt a busy 2010!), we're planning on a quiet Christmas with just the three of us.

We hope this letter finds you and your loved ones happy and safe. For those that are going through difficult times, know that we think of you often and pray for your well-being. We wish we could see all of you more often... but just remember that you're always in our thoughts & prayers. Please have a happy and safe 2010 and we hope to see you very soon.

With lots of love,

Kevin, Emily & Brendan

Back from the dead!?

We hope so! This blog has been stale for quite some time, so now that Em's phd is finished (if this is news to you, be patient and read the impending catch-updates), and I apparently have more energy available to me now (having trained for and now finished my first marathon... again, wait for the catch-updates), we will endeavour to post updates as and when possible.

Love to all... and I hope these (catch-)updates find you all well! Please get in touch, or even better... come visit us, any time you can.

Hi everyone! As you can all see, my aim to blog every week is going really well - ha!

We've been lucky to do some travelling this year, which is proving to be more challenging with a wriggling toddler in tow! In April, Brendan and I flew to Canada for a few days whereupon I left him to the care of my Mum and I flew to Denver Colarado to attend a Child Development conference where I was presenting a poster of the research I conducted in Oxford. For those of you unfamiliar with academic conferences and poster presentations, Kevin likens it to a big science fair!! After the conference, I flew back to Toronto to collect Brendan and to meet Kevin, who was in Austria playing ice hockey with the Cambridge University team "The Eskimos". From Toronto, we flew to Argentina to spend 2 weeks with my Grandparents, aunt, uncle, dad and step-mother.


What a fantastic time we had! It was the first time the Argentine side of the family had met Brendan and everyone got along so well!


It was great to be able to spend long sunny days, walking in the hills of Cordoba or riding into the sunset (or waddling as was the case with my almost-dead horse!) like a true Argentine gaucho (A.K.A. cowboy). We had some lovely barbecues, lots of ice cream and a few slide shows to bring back lots of family memories. Great times!

We were lucky to have a few days in Buenos Aires which we spent site seeing and soaking in the atmospher - what a city. Sadly, the city was too big to see it all in 2 days - we'll just have to go back!
We then flew back to Toronto and spent another week with friends and family there. Thanks to a terrible ear infection and flu, we extended the trip by an extra few days - we were so glad of the extra time with loved ones. During our time home we had the chance to indulge in sushi, dim sum (yum yum!) and also celebrate Chloe's birthday.
Sadly we had to return to the real world, and after being away from home for 5 weeks, Bren didn't quite know what to make of the house when we finally made it home. Since our return, we've stayed close to home (I think the 5 week trip tired us all out!). We've done a few day trips and explored the sites in Cambridgeshire.
Kevin's work is coming along really well, and despite the economic slowdown in the rest of the world, his company Phoria is still doing very well. His sporting efforts are somewhat on hiatus at the moment because the University almost closes down for the summer without the Undergrads around to keep it alive! He's signed on for a rollerblade marathon in Berlin in September - we'll keep you posted on that!
Brendan is growing so incredibly quickly... He's gone from a little, stumbly, walker to a runner - he runs everywhere! Its hard to keep up with him. He's growing so tall, he's nearly half my height (although that's not too difficult, as I'm somewhat vertically challenged!!). A few weeks ago, while we were enjoying what could be the only TRUE week of summer (warm, sunny, no rain!), Bren and Kev were playing in the back garden in the paddling pool. Bren slipped on the pavement and managed to knock out one of his front teeth! Despite the efforts in the A&E (emergency dept), the tooth couldn't be saved, so we now have a little "toothless wonder"! He was a bit shaken, but completely fine, and we have to console ourselves with the thought that the accident could have been so much worse.
I'm doing well, and it feels like I eat, live, sleep, breathe being a mummy and a PhD student at the moment. My project is coming along well, if slowly. I just keep taking it one step at a time! I've also been trying to keep going with my photography, and evidence of our adventures can be found at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/emimcglynn/

Kevin has also posted some more videos of our crazy life, and these can be found at:
http://www.youtube.com/user/toolagio

There are now 84 videos for your viewing pleasure - just select them from the right side of the screen under the heading "Uploads (84)". If you click on "see all" it will show you all of the options.

We hope you and yours are doing well, wherever you happen to be in the world! We also hope for your sake that the weather is better than it is here! I think Mother Nature missed the memo that its supposed to be summer!

Lots and lots of love to all,
Emily, Kevin & Brendan x

800 years and going strong...

On January 17th, Cambridge University entered its 800 year. To mark the beginning of the anniversary celebrations, there was a slideshow presentation shown on the side of Senate House marking the milestones (events, people, discoveries) across its history... Darwin and his turtles, Stephen Hawking and the black holes, Sir Isaac Newton and his apple, DNA, were the stars of the show. It was great to watch, and an honor to be part of.

Our little walker and the snow...

Brendan has discovered walking. After nearly 14 months without much interest in getting around on his own, he seems to be making up for lost time!
He took his first steps over the Christmas holidays, and then managed 5 steps across the kitchen in mid-January. When he and Kevin returned from their whirlwind journey to Canada, he returned a little walker. To show off his new-found skills to me when they arrived from the airport, Brendan got up in the midst of a nappy change with Daddy, and walked right into our bedroom! All I saw was this nudy little boy walking into our room, and right up to me. It was the cutest thing I've EVER seen!!

He loves walking. He toddles around with a HUGE grin on his face, so so proud of himself. And he's really great at it too - very few wobbles and he's very steady on his feet.

One of our favourite things to do together is go for a walk at the Botanic Gardens or to our local park. He loves walking between Kevin & I, being swung up into the air. Such fun!

Last week, the UK was blanketed in snow... We were so excited to wake up to a winter wonderland! I spent hours taking photos (soon to be posted on Flikr) - Cambridge is amazingly beatiful in the snow. We took a family "snow day" - We built a snowman in Midummer Common, followed by yummy hot chocolate with marshmallows.
Now that the novelty has worn off, the slush and ice are a little less magical. That said, all this cold, winter weather certainly reminds of us of home.

2008... What a year!

Merry Christmas and Happy 2009 to everyone (sorry this post is appearing a bit late! Its been on my "To Do" list for weeks!)

As Kevin & I look back upon 2008, we are astounded at the year we had. When I think of 2008, I come up with some key adjectives: wonderful, exciting, chaotic, loving, amazing, busy, lively, exhausting... and the list continues.

2008 was Brendan's first full year and we managed to pack a lot into that year. January 2008 was when we sadly said goodbye to the last of our "Baby Brendan" visitors. We were so glad to have so many friends and family come and see Bren in his early newborn days.

Much of the early part of 2008 was spent in Cambridge, enjoying time with each other and getting to know life in Cambridge with a baby. I met some great mums through my "1st time mum's group"and they proved to be a great support through some of the unfamiliar baby territory.

In April, we stretched our wings and took a trip to Spain. It was Bren's 1st flight, and he was a natural. We had a terrific time with Eric and Aine - they were terrific hosts and we enjoyed spending time with them. While we were there, Bren was teething very badly - his top front teeth were coming through and caused him some major pain. Eric proved to be a natural Dad with his magic pram skills, and Aine proved her patience as Bren cried almost non-stop for our entire stay. Sorry guys, but we did have a great time!




May and June was quite a busy time for Kevin and I. For Kev, his consultancy business was going from strength to strength and was gaining new contracts all the time. Combined with his full-time job with the UK company he was working with, Kev was a very busy guy! At this time, I was also in the process of getting back into my PhD studies. It has taken quite a lot of time to sweep out the cobwebs that seemed to have formed in my ol' brain during the pregnancy and early days of motherhood. I'm sure the sleepless nights also had something to do with it!

It was during this time that we were introducing Bren to the wonderful world of solids. We decided to follow the "Baby Led Weaning" method, and it proved to be great fun. Rather than pureeing everything, we gave Bren food in its whole form. He had a great time munching his way through pears, biscuits, cheese, pasta, grapes. We now have quite the little gourmet... He loves his food and is quite adventurous. He now eats just about everything we do - curry, chinese spring rolls, and of course fish & chips!

In August, we headed home for a Canadian holiday. We had a very busy but great time seeing everyone. Our first week was spent at a cottage up in Muskoka. It was great to be outdoors, with my boys enjoying the lake and the wilderness. Back down in Mississauga, we enjoyed seeing our friends and family at the parties and gatherings. While it wasn't quite the same as before Bren was born, we still had a great time. Bren didn't really settle into "Ontario Time" and was awake for A LOT of the time we were home. I dont' think that we slept for more than 2 hours at a time! I don't think I've ever been so exhausted in all my life. But that said, it was still nice being around those that we love. It made us realise how much we miss everyone from home.

Once we got back to Cambridge, we enrolled Bren with a childminder so that I could spend a bit more time focussing on my PhD. Bren & Lyn get along really well, and he has a great time with her. They attend a play group and a music group, both of which he loves. Its so reassuring having him looked after by someon you trust and feel totally comfortable with. We're really lucky.
In early October, we decided to visit with my godmother and her husband in the South of France. They live in a lovely stone house in the middle of the Languedoc region, surrounded by rolling hills and vineyards. We had an amazing time eating amazing food, hiking, and enjoying wonderful company. I'll be honest - the thought of escaping to France crossed my mind a few times while we were there!

On the 24th of October, Bren turned 1. I feel like I blinked and 12 months had passed. So hard to believe! We had a lovely party with some friends and celebrated. See the post below for all the juicy details.

For Bren's birthday, Kev surprised us with a mid-week getaway to Belton Woods, a country hotel for families. We had a lovely time together, especially the swimming pool where our little "fish" splashed the days away.

Before I knew it, the holiday season was upon us. We decided to have a quiet family Christmas at home. We would have liked to travel to be with family and friends, but the thought of travelling with Bren and a million others was too much to bear! We had a great time at home, just the 3 of us. Santa was very good to us and spoiled us rotten. The Chrismas tree glowed while Raffi's Christmas album played. It was great to have the soundtrack from Christmases past become part of new memories. Boxing day was a lazy day for us. Bren helped Kevin try out the new bicycle seat that they got from Santa. On the 27th, we headed up to my Nana's house to visit with her and my mum. We spent the week with them and had a great time. It was nice to be out of Cambridge for a little while. Nana had recently gotten 2 new chihuahua puppies - Bren LOVED them! They had great times chasing each other around the sitting room! Too fun! Kev & I went up to the Farmer's Arms pub to ring in the New Year with a few fireworks and a few drinks. A quiet celebration, but a great way to ring in the new year.

We thought we'd keep the holiday spirit alive with a few more days away in East Anglia. It was rather a spur of the moment decision to go - We woke up and saw the sun shining and decided to go exploring. We ended up in an amazing little village called Levanham. The whole village seems to have been frozen in time from the 15th Century. It was so wonderfully wonky. We liked it so much that we decided to stay at one of the country hotels. The Swan is now one of my FAVOURITE hotels. The room was unbelievably beautiful and the food was fantastic! I'm trying to convince Kevin that we should go back!

I am so blessed to have a wonderful husband and an amazing little boy. They make me smile everyday and make me feel like the luckiest wife/mummy in the world. Its been a challenging year, but I can honestly say that its been a great year... After all, "the harder the climb, the better the view"!

Blink... Happy 1st Birthday Brendan!

Both Kevin and I feel like we've blinked and Brendan has turned 1!!


It has been an incredible year on so many levels.

After a marathon labour, Brendan was born - and I can honestly say that we were both amazed at what a wonderful little creature he was (and still is!). We've had the most incredible time learning how to be parents - figuring how to change nappies and bathe him, feeding him solid foods for the first time, how to exist on stretches of sleep lasting no longer than 4 hours at a time (on a very good night!!), etc.
But most of all, we have been overwhelmed by the emotion and the love that we feel for our little boy. We have so much fun with him every day and can't wait for the years ahead!


To celebrate his special day, we invited a few little friends over for a party and had lots of fun throwing food around, playing with toys, and eating cupcakes... Lots of fun!!


Happy Birthday Brendan!!

Adventures in Baby Led Weaning

After 6 glorious months of solely breastfeeding my little Brendan (who knew that breastfeeding was so easy?!! THE original fast food!), we have been introducing him to the world of solid foods. As an avid "foodie", what Brendan eats is REALLy important to me (and Kevin). We've been trying to buy locally grown, organic produce when we can and have adopted a vegetarian diet for him.
(I suspect that a lot of my entries will focus around Bren's food! )

After we slowly introduced Bren to the joys (or not as the case may be!) of baby rice, I found some info about a new "philosophy" of feeding babies. Baby led weaning is the idea that you can feed babies whole, solid foods without pureeing everything. It teaches them a lot about foods, flavours as well as hand-eye coordination, and how wonderfully bite-sized foods can be launched across the room!!!
Seriously though - I love it!
To begin with, it was a bit scary - is he going to choke? can his tummy digest this stuff? is he going to develop allergies? Ack!! After refering to a number of sites (really like www.babyledweaning.co.uk), we've adopted a bit of both worlds... We mostly start each meal with solids (like some toast and jam, some pieces of fruit, some cheese and crackers, roasted veg) followed by some fun things that Bren can eat with a spoon (yogurt, risotto, pasta shapes and tomatoe sauce, etc). Did I mention he's a little whiz with his cup - no sippy cups here, the real thing!
So much fun for all of us - Brendan gets to explore his food while eating, and we get the joys of watching his meal-time adventures! It also makes food prep a lot easier - he just eats a lot of what we're having!
One thing I have had difficulty finding are recipes that are a little simpler for us all to eat - not too spicy, flavours not too complex, etc. I'll keep searching... I'm bound to find more!

Not a natural blogger...

After Kevin "gave" the responsibility of the blog to me, I thought I would take on the challenge with gusto... (see previous posting in January making promises to post every week! ha!)
And I've realised, and can now admit it openly without shame - I'm not a natural blogger. I think I'm more the type of person to look to the person next to me and say "hey, guess what?!" rather than sitting down and typing out the details. But sadly, most of the people who I want to share the "guess what" moments with are not close enough to me to tell them things in person.
With Brendan now along for our adventures in the UK, I think I'm going to have to try harder to make the time to override my non-blogging tendencies. Watch this space! (I think!)

Lil' wriggler

This morning we woke up to a little wriggler in our midst!
As usual, Brendan woke with a lovely smile on his face. He looked up, gave a BIG grin, and then buried his head into the bed once again. Instead of repeating this series of cute flirtings, his bum scooched up in the air, his knees tucked underneath and he propped himself up on his elbows. By wriggling around a little, he managed to move forward a bit in bed. It wasn't a full-blown "crawl" but it certainly looked like a very good attempt! Once he figures out that his arms need to be in on the action, look out world!!

Saying good bye to an old friend...

We've reached a point in time that I thought would never come. After 15 wonderful years, sadly Billy is no longer with us. Over the last few days, his health and well-being deteriorated considerably and got to the point today where we knew that his time had come.


A few weeks ago we noticed that Billy had a number of lumps in his throat and, after investigation, the vet determined that his kidneys and liver were failing. He also suspected cancer of the lymph system. We knew at that point that we didn't have long with our old friend.

During the last few weeks we've tried to make him as happy and comfortable as we could, not to mention spoiling him rotten with cuddles, kisses, and LOTS of treats.

As I sit here typing this entry, I truly cannot believe that he's gone, and that he won't be plodding into my office to sit down on his mat next to my desk, won't come over to me in the living room and sit on my feet to "join" in the conversation, won't snuggle into me on the sofa, won't come for long walks in the woods, won't give me "kisses" on the nose when I'm sad... like right now when I could use it the most.

Never in my life have a known a dog like Billy, and I know I never will again.
Billy, my old pal, you are going to be truly missed.