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).

Ryan's Look-alike!

My parents were looking through some old photos this weekend and my mom brought over some baby pictures of my dad. Holy Cow! Ryan looks so much like him! If Ryan grows up to look like his Papa, it will be fine by me, as I think my dad is quite handsome if I do say so myself. : )

A New Angel in Heaven

Many of you know the story of my friend Corinne's beautiful daughter, Chloe. (See my most recent post.) Today Chloe passed away peacefully while sleeping. She was 19 months old. It has been a long, terrible struggle. Spinal Muscular Atrophy is an absolutely horrific disease, and Chloe fought such a brave battle against it, as did her wonderful parents. I only got to meet Chloe in person once, but she has changed my outlook on life forever. And my friend Corinne has taught me so much about motherhood, selfless love, and what truly matters in life. I hope that up in Heaven, Chloe is finally able to do all the things her earthly body wouldn't allow her to do -- running, skipping, dancing, twirling, singing...

I love you, Chloe!

Two Worthy Causes

Hi All,

There are so many causes that are in need of support, but today I'm posting about two of them. I'm asking that you keep the following people in your thoughts and prayers, and for those who are willing and able, perhaps you may feel compelled to make a financial contribution. I know a lot of those who read my blog are women and mothers, which make both of these close to our hearts.

First, many of you know about my dear friend Corinne's daughter Chloe. You can read about her here in a blog post from October. Corinne and her family are raising money as part of the Jacob's Run, Walk, and Roll to help cure SMA. For those able to contribute even the smallest amount, here is Corinne's fundraising page. I'm also asking you all to keep Chloe in your prayers. Right now Chloe is extremely weak and experiencing severe breathing difficulty. Corinne and Matt are keeping Chloe calm and comfortable with morphine and nearly full-time oxygen. They all need your prayers.

I'm also attaching a "guest blog" from my friend Heather, who some of you may know. Heather's mom is a proud and inspiring breast cancer survivor, and Heather's family will be taking part in the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk. The attachment is Heather's mom's story & testimony in her own words. Heather is hoping that the readers of my blog are willing to support her family through prayer, and for those who are able, through a contribution -- no matter how small. To view Heather's blog, please click here and then click Download and select Open.

Thanks, friends & family!
Laura

Another Round of Annalise-isms

Annalise has been obsessed with the movie "The Sound of Music" lately. It's on the DVR and she asks to watch it daily. While watching, she asked if Leisl was looking for "Old Man Maria." I said, "What?" and then realized that she meant Fraulein Maria!

Today she said, "Mommy, we really need to get a new TV. Ours is scratchy, and we need to get a new one with no commercials." I agree!

Annalise has been very into clothes lately. I often call her a "fashionista." The other day she put something on and said, "Look, I'm fashional."

The other day I had been watching the movie "Waitress" while Annalise napped. When she got up, I'd gone into the kitchen to make dinner and didn't turn the movie off. I realized that the childbirth scene was on, and although it's not graphic, there is a lot of yelling and screaming. I glanced in the living room and sure enough, Annalise was mesmerized, staring at the TV with huge eyes. She ran into the kitchen and said, "Mommy! I don't want to go to the hostible (hospital)! I don't want to grow a baby in my tummy! I'm scared!"

I was changing Ryan's diaper the other day and she said, "Mommy, Ryan's pee-pee parts are different from mine." I said, "Yes, boys and girls have different parts." She said, "Yes, and an octopus has TEN pee-pee parts!"

Yet Another Ryan Trick

Well, here comes another trick! Ryan started this yesterday and it cracks us up every time. Pardon my hiccups in this video clip!

Ryan's New Trick

The other day while Ryan was eating, he kept tilting his head to the side. I was saying, "Are you being cute?" He kept on doing it, and soon it turned into a game. Now, when we say, "Ryan, be cute!" he does it. So funny!

Skating with Annalise

Last weekend I took Annalise skating for the second time. It was sort of a reunion with many of my old skating teammates who were in town for Christmas (most of you know I was a figure skater for 12 years growing up). Those of us who have kids brought them along; it was their first or second time skating and it was fun to see the "next generation" on ice! Annalise did a great job and I was so proud of her! Here are a couple of pics & video clips of the event:

Such a Merry Christmas!

We had a wonderful Christmas in the O'Connell house. Annalise really enjoyed the season, having a couple celebrations with her groups of buddies, and her school program at school was adorable. And as usual, she loved all of the Christmas lights. Ryan was rather oblivious, and thankfully paid little attention to our Christmas tree, only swatting at the ornaments a few times.

Looking at the Christmas lights at our favorite house - this is only a tiny view of the
thousands of lights and decorations at this house. We love it!

Above: Annalise's school program.

This year we also had a visit from our Elf on the Shelf. Annalise named him Rudolph Elf, and he kept a watchful eye on Annalise's behavior. He left notes for Annalise each morning, and unfortunately he had to give her a few warnings about her behavior and poor eating. Luckily she worked on it and Santa didn't have to put her on the Naughty List, as he'd threatened.

Christmas morning, Annalise was thrilled that Santa granted her request for a new bike. She got a 16" Huffy Princess bike, and she's taken to it so well! Ryan's favorite gift was a V-Tech Move and Crawl ball. After a morning at home, we went to my parent's house for Christmas lunch with my three brothers, their wives, and my two nieces. It was a lot of fun!

My dad with Annalise and my niece Caitlin.

Ryan's First Birthday!

I'm over a month late in posting about this, how pathetic! Ryan turned one on November 26th, the day before Thanksgiving. Because we were leaving for Charlotte to visit family on his actual birthday, we kept his birthday celebrations rather low-key. The night before his "real" birthday we went to our favorite Mexican restaurant with my parents, where Ryan had his first cupcake. He ate the ENTIRE thing!

The night of his birthday, we celebrated with Ricky's family who were all in town for Thanksgiving. My sister-in-law ordered him an adorable Elmo cake and he made a nice big mess with it. It was a lot of fun!

We can't believe our little guy is already a year old. This year has FLOWN by. It is hard to imagine life before our Ryan. He is so fun, always smiling, and such a cuddle-bug. He's brought so much joy to all of us, and we love him so much. Happy Birthday, Ryan!

A Late Halloween Update

This update is very overdue, but nevertheless, here are some pics of the kiddos on Halloween. As you can see, Annalise was dressed as Little Orphan Annie and Ryan was a pumpkin. We started the fun with a neighborhood parade, and then Annalise and her best friend Emily went trick-or-treating. Ryan stayed home to help Ricky hand out candy to our whopping one trick-or-treater - how sad!

Happy 4th Birthday, Annalise!!!

Annalise turned four years old on October 13 - I can't believe it! How time flies. It seems like only yesterday that she was born, yet I can hardly remember life without her. She has brought so much to our lives. She's filled this house with laughter, singing, dancing, hugs, tickles, and sillyness. She is a great big sister & a wonderful daughter. She's a true joy, and we are so proud of her.

For Annalise's birthday, we had a small party at Two Crafty Chicks, a local craft studio. She had her seven closest buddies there, and the girls made jewelry boxes and the boys made treasure chests. So cute! My sister-in-law Michele made an absolutely beautiful Ariel cake for the event that was the hit of the party. The kids had a great time!

Annalise and her beautiful Ariel cake

Annalise, Ricky, and Me

Annalise, Nee, and Papa

Issa and Annalise painting

Miss DeDe reading the kids a story

Today at school Annalise had a little birthday celebration during snack time. Her class is so cute! This is Annalise & her beloved teacher, Mrs. Walker.