The Tooth Fairy is Coming!

Annalise lost her first tooth tonight! It has been loose FOREVER, and the permanent tooth had already grown halfway in behind it, so it was time for it to come out. It took barely a tug and only a few minutes of crying due to the blood. I dug out my own tooth fairy pillow from my childhood to pass along to Annalise to use. Very exciting! After bath time I told Annalise to hurry up because the Tooth Fairy has to have all kids in bed by 8:30 or she won't put you on her schedule. I've never seen her get ready for bed so quickly (this was kind of genius on my part, if I do say so myself.)

Now, hopefully tonight won't be the first time the Tooth Fairy gets caught in the act. I'm kinda nervous about it!

Role Reversal

Today Ricky's best friend Alex was here watching football and the kids were happily playing. Alex looked at the kids and took further notice of what each one chose to play with. Check it out - gotta love that Ryan is playing on a Princess laptop while Annalise is playing Hot Wheels. Fine by me, I love a well rounded kid! It did make me laugh enough to grab the camera, though. Don't worry, Ryan, I think Santa may just bring you your own pretend laptop this year!

Fun with the Daisy Scouts

Annalise recently joined a Daisy Scout Troop in our neighborhood. Most of the kids go to the neighborhood school, so it's actually nice for Annalise and her friend Issa to spend time with some kids outside of Immaculate Heart of Mary School. And of course Annalise loves being with Emily, too. Today the troop leaders took them on a little hike at our neighborhood park and walking trails. The girls loved it and were excited to look at all the interesting things found in nature.

Getting my blog on again!

Guess what, everyone? After one year and eight months, I'm attempting to start blogging again. I blame Facebook for taking all of my attention and causing me to neglect my little blog. My friend Mandy, who neglected her blog as well, encouraged us to get back to it. So, as I type this, Mandy and I sit on my sofa watching Notting Hill, blogging away. Yay for us!

So how do you catch up on 20 MONTHS of no updates? There has been the usual - trips, holidays, birthdays, school, activities, etc. I can't cover everything (and don't have the energy for it), so I'll just put in some highlights. A picture is worth 1,000 words, right? So here goes:

After a great summer of 2009, we took a trip to Massachusetts for a family reunion. My parents and my brother Chris' family went as well. It was the first time the kids went on an airplane trip, and they did better than we could have hoped. This picture of the kids was taken at Lynch Park in Beverly, MA. My grandparents lived only a couple blocks from this park and we came here frequently as kids. It was so neat to take my own kids here to play, as I have many photos of myself as a toddler playing at the same spot on the beach.

In October 2009, Annalise turned five. We celebrated with a pottery party.

Halloween 2009 was a blast! The kids were superheroes, as were our dear friends Emily and Ryan Hoder. Our other favorite neighborhood friends, Issa and Mae Allbritton, were Ariel and Diego.

In November 2009, Ryan turned two on Thanksgiving Day. Part of our Thanksgiving dessert was a car cake that he LOVED.

Let's skip ahead to March 2010. Ricky and Jacob surprised Mandy and me with a trip to Vegas! We had about a week's notice. It was SO MUCH FUN! (Jacob & Mandy are our neighbors and dear friends. Their girls are Issa and Mae, in the Halloween post above.)

Annalise had her first ballet recital at Tucker First Baptist, where she is in a classical ballet class with Emily.

Annalise started kindergarten at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic School. My mom has taught at IHM for 20 years and Ricky's mom taught there in the 80s for eight years. Ricky and all of his siblings went to IHM, as well as my brother Andrew. It is a special place and we are grateful to be a part of it. Annalise LOVES her school, her friends, and her teachers. It has been a great year so far!

Annalise played a great season of soccer at Tucker Youth Soccer Association (TYSA). We were thrilled to have a WONDERFUL coach this season. Annalise and Emily were the only girls on their team and they did a good job!

In October, Annalise turned six. We had an "Almost Sleepover" at the house with some friends from school and in the neighborhood. It was so much fun! The girls decorated pillowcases, played a game, sang "Tootie-Ta" and "Hi My Name is Joe", they did a conga line through the house, painted nails, and watched a movie. Annalise's teacher made a surprise appearance and the girls LOVED it. It was adorable!

The kid had a GREAT Halloween this year. For her school Halloween parade, Annalise was a rock star. For trick-or-treating, she was a witch. Ryan is LOVING Clifford the Big Red Dog these days, so I made him a costume. He really got the hang of trick or treating and did a good job keeping up with the big kids. I even dressed up this year as the Cat in the Hat.

Well, that's our quick review. I'm making a promise to myself to keep up with this blog! Next post: funny things the kid have said and done lately (which are my favorite posts to look back on).