And the Munchkin Turns One...

Holy 'time slow down', Batman!!!!!!!

How is it that my BABY, the one I just brought home from the hospital, the one who's still so scrunchy and cuddly, turning ONE?!?!

The littlest munchkin did indeed turn 12 months old on March 6th.  She was surrounded by not only her intermediate family and NW Arkansas family, but her Nana and Aunt Anna!!  To say we were excited to have some O'Connell's back in Bentonville would be an understatement.  I was floored that my youngest sister was willing to spend the first half of her very last Spring Break with us, but we had SO MUCH FUN!  I mean, who WOULDN'T want to SB '16 with us?!  HA- totally kidding!

Regardless, it was so fun to have them here for a few days!

Enjoying the always-beautiful Crystal Bridges.  There brunch is amazing by the way!

Silly times with Nana....

...and Aunt Anna 

{why is it a must these days to pose for a picture with eyes closed?!?!}

...even Evelyn was in on the silliness.  She LOVED doing flips off Nana's lap.  Seriously, now when you sit in that chair with her, ALL she wants to do is flip over- ha!

...and Harper HAD to pose with Aunt Anna's Starbucks drink- no she didn't drink it, but pretty sure she felt kinda cool walking home from school with her brew in hand- oh dear!

Harper and Anna are cut from the same cloth.  Both LOVE anything medical.  Harper's favorite pages in her encyclopedia: the pictures of all the muscles, bones, veins, and arteries in the human body.  So, of course Aunt Anna showed her up on the 'coolness factor' and introduced her to an open heart surgery and taught her the difference between healthy organs and those that are sick.  She LOVED it.  Crazy girl, but maybe one day she'll be a fantastic nurse just like her Aunt?!?!  Ya... I can only hope.

{quick pause in the action to get a group pic.  Love having family in my neck of the woods...

...especially when it involves Krispy Kreme deliveries;)}

And then it came time to face the music: a one-year old birthday party fit for a birthday girl full of Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice....

She started her day receiving her first bouquet of flowers.  So beautiful and went to great use as we decorated for her birthday weekend.

Thank you so much Grandma and Grandpa Lee!!

Her theme: Sugar and Spice.

I blame it on my pregnancy craving of cinnamon bread, but Evelyn LOVES everything cinnamon.  So it just seemed fitting that she have a plethora of cinnamon and sugar goodies to ring in turning one.

 

I had fun decorating and making little cinnamon and sugar shakers for the attendees.  Pete had fun smoking enough pork to feed an army.  We enjoyed having our friends and family together to help us celebrate for sure.  THANK YOU, EVERYONE!!!

Mom and Anna: I could NOT have pulled off birthday weekend without you.  Or at least it wouldn't have involved nearly as many smiles.  You both are incredible.  Thank you for all the fun, all the help, the laughs, and even putting up with my OCD as I wore my 'party-planning hat'- ha!  I love you both so much and felt so lucky to have you here.  Thank you for making our girls feel so special- lucky ducks they are!

...and little miss seemed to LOVE her cinnamon and sugar cake.  Disregard that she looks like a hot mess, she was partying it up that evening- hehe, but she had so much fun with everyone.

 

I never had professional pictures taken of the older two on their first birthdays, but this time I thought I would give it a shot.  A week before her party, I asked our neighbor, and amazing photographer, to snap a couple pictures of the munchkin tearing into her smash cake....

I was so impressed with how they turned out, and had so much fun dressing up Little Miss for a few pictures... hehe.

{as Pete says, "we're totally showing off this picture at her wedding some day;)!} HA!

 

Still seems so surreal that my baby is one, but as I continue to say- I love it all.  There isn't one stage of being a mother that is my favorite.  I love it all... watching them become their own person is the best.  

Ms. Evelyn: you are one-of-a-kind my dear.  You are the loudest of the bunch, most curious, and always up for whatever the day holds- as long as you're a part of the group.  I say it all the time, but you are the perfect addition to our family.  There was a time when I wasn't sure I was strong enough to be a mom to more than two little ones, but you knew better.  Your happy, sassy self has proven to be everything our little family never knew we were missing.  Love every ounce of you and look forward to all the moments- watching you grow into your beautiful self.  Happy ONE, baby girl!

March Madness

The Month of March is off to a roaring start!  We've really had a nice start to the month full of friends, family, and fun together...

My friend, Loria, pitched her product, The Tot Tote during a Shark Tank style event here in Bentonville.  She was among 30+ participants, all pitching various products and she WON the People's Choice Award for best product.  I was thrilled to be there cheering her on and am pretty proud of all she's accomplished.  Check her out: http://thetottote.com/wp/!  I personally can't wait for these things to hit the shelves of local boutiques!

Back on the home front, Harper is still chugging away at school... gosh, she's already working on the songs she'll sing at preschool graduation.  How is this possible?!  She has gone to the same school almost her entire life- same friends, same routine, mostly same group of teachers... I think it'll be a teary day for this momma when the Pine Crest chapter closes ;(....

...but for now, I'll enjoy the goofy pictures I get like these throughout her school day;).

...and the goofiness continues at home as well.  She dumped all the toys out of these baskets, and played in her 'fort' for hours one evening!  In this picture, she's 'on the phone' with Papa- ha!

 

Big sister is also back in swimming lessons.  One of her past Pine Crest teachers, Mr. Alex, is the coach.  Safe to say she was pretty excited to have a teacher she knew- and she's improving on her skills each session.  Hoping this summer she'll be swimming on her own;)- here's hoping!!

Giving a thumbs up after her Kindergarten physical {but before the shots- ha}.  She's was so brave, but gosh... am I REALLY registering her for 'Big Kid School' next week?!?!  We celebrated being ready for Kindergarten with a new outfit and Mommy-Daughter Date Night.  I took Harper to her first play, and had a blast seeing Cinderella.  She was cracking me up, kept saying, "Gosh won't the prince just kiss her already!"  HA!  Although she was slightly bummed she couldn't give Cinderella a hug before we left, she loved it so much.  

We had so much fun together and I found myself thinking why hadn't we done this before?!  Needless to say, I think there will be more plays happening in this one's future. 

And a big thank you to Daddy for surprising his girls with the tickets- good times for sure.

 And speaking of winning in the Daddy department, these two went to the Princess Ball together last night.  Harper was BEAMING to be able to dress up and spend an evening having her Daddy all to herself.  She even came in and asked if he would be her prince.  Melt.  My.  Heart.

...and as much as I was pooped and not super excited to do the little ones dinner and bath routine by myself: who couldn't smile at these dirty yet happy faces.  We had a pretty good evening as well... hehe!

Thank you, Pete... for being so good to our little ones.  It's those little moments that I know mean the world to Harper... she ALWAYS remember how special her 'prince' made her feel- thank you.

And check out Maggie Lou getting stronger each day!!!  So proud of her.  She definitely is on Maggie's terms these days with just about everything, but she continues to progress her skills and impress us all with her feisty courage to do more and more every day.  When I got this picture while she was at therapy, I couldn't help but get a little teary-eyed.  I am up to my eyeballs in scrap booking- currently working on Maggie's NICU stay.  Looking at her tiny 1 pound self all hooked up to machines galore- than getting a picture like the one below from her therapists- just makes my heart happy.  She's come so so far these past two years.  Maggie Lou Magoo- you're amazing!

Sisters.  The two youngest are inseparable.  They remind me of twins these past few months.  Both mobile.  Both into each other's stuff.  Both entertained by the other and somehow talking each other into crazy shenanigans.  I LOVE it though... never a day they don't make me laugh.  How can I get too mad when they pull every spice out of the spice racks and use them as instruments when they're having SO much fun together?!

And then when big sister gets home, the shenanigans continue.  I began sister time during that crazy couple hours between snack and dinner time.  It was usually full of meltdowns, boredom, and being asked 28 times if they could have more snack.  Now, Harper entertains the littles while I clean up from the day and make dinner.  This particular day, she was teaching them the days of the week {insert laughing face}.  They had not one toy in front of them, but were totally content being students for a good 30 minutes- impressive, Ms. Harper- impressive.

The mister and I snuck in a date night too!  Double date that was, checking out a local restaurant's upgraded building and menu with friends.  So fun and great to eat a meal with just grown ups.  And who am I kidding, our girls were STOKED for time with Ms. Kaitlyn.  They love her like their older sister- so grateful for you, Kaitlyn.

Niki & Jared- thank you for a great night out- lets do it again soon?!

...and so it begins.  Another holiday is on the horizon.  So excited for spring time, St. Patrick's Day, and EASTER!  Easter is one of my favs: maybe its because the Hershey's Eggs (unwrapped kind) are back on the shelves (I may or may not be on my second bag- but who's counting?!?!) or that it signifies the start of warmer weather and the end of Maggie's 4-month-winter-runny-nose, but whatever the case- I'm ready... Happy ALMOST spring everyone!!

Gramma

On New Years Eve 2015, my family lost one of their own- and Heaven gained a beautiful angel.  My grandmother passed away, unexpectedly but after fighting for many years with Alzheimer's.  We celebrated her life on a beautiful February day in her hometown of Belpre, Ohio.  A place I had heard of many times, but only been a handful, was glistening that day as we joined together to celebrate the beautiful life of Gramma.

My mom's mom, Gramma was such a part of our life- never letting her retirement in sunny Sarasota, Florida get in the way of it.  There is not one childhood memory I have on the beach that doesn't include her, not one spritz cookie I eat without thinking of her, and not one bowl of chocolates passed that I don't think of her always welcoming us into her home with Hershey's.  My mom was always a rockstar in our lives growing up.  When listening to all the stories of my Gramma during her celebration of life, I quickly realized where she learned her rockstar qualities.  She was an amazing woman: strong, beautiful, intelligent, and grateful for all she had.  It was incredible to hear the stories of lives she had touched, friends she had made, and talents she shared.  Great day for sure.

Beyond that, my mom gave me a small tote, claiming it was from my Gramma.  Inside: every picture, note, and letter I had ever sent her or that she had saved from our visits.  Meant so much to me that she saved them... and as I've gone through them- I've realized just how special she was to me- even when I was little....

It was so great to see family from all over, many of whom I haven't seen in years, reminiscing about all the great times we've shared with Gramma.  The pictures, the stories, the memories- it was good stuff.

Mom and Aunt Karen~ thank you for celebrating Gramma in a beautiful way- I'm sure she was more than proud, living it up from Heaven.

The two sweet bonuses to the weekend: I got to travel in style thanks to a younger brother who is also a pilot- beautiful trip.  Thank you, Aaron....

...and a husband who was more than willing to watch all THREE munchkins while I spent time with my family.  He's amazing and it meant so much.  His first time flying solo at home with 3 littles ones- from the looks of this picture I received while away- he did pretty darn good.

May the road rise to meet you.  May the wind be always at your back.  May the sun shine warm upon your face, the rain fall soft upon your fields.  And until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand.  

Amen.

Love you, Gramma