Hangin' in the Big Easy

Last week we trekked on down to New Orleans for our second family trip since making the transition from two to three. New Orleans is a city I've been lucky to enjoy many times growing up, and my Aunt, Uncle and "baby" cousin live just outside the city in Slidell. Adam had been on one of our trips there before, but rain had kept us indoors playing pool and watching movies. Not exactly the Louisiana experience. (Although we did enjoy crawfish; that counts for something, right?) Determined to do it right (and to survive) we packed up our car Thursday, napped while our babe slumbered and than piled in the car at about 1am.

**I am not driving eight and a half hours with an awake carseat-hating baby. No way.**

We spent all of a sunny Friday wandering around the French Quarter; darting in and out of booths full of little trinkets, admiring street artists and eating the best muffaletta in existence (from Central Grocer of course!) under a statue of Joan of Arc.

The warm Louisiana sun mixed with the wet of the Mississippi made it feel like summer was already here; and you have to relax if nature tells you it's practically summer. Maeve was a wonderful little travel buddy. We had her in her stroller for a time, but my mother arms ached to hold her after only a few hours. Is that sad?

Either way, by stroller and sling, she made friends left and right as we went walking. As a redhead people seem drawn to her, wanting to touch her hair as if they'll be able to feel its vibrant color. Since she's a social kiddo, she's pleased to flirt, smile and giggle with each new friend. I'm sure all mothers feel this way, but I will never tire of hearing "your baby is such a doll!" or "look at that smile!" and as if on cue, Maeve will give a gleeful shriek.

Friday night gave way to catching up with family, telling stories and playing with the family's newest member. At one point Maeve began feeble attempts at crawling, hoping to get closer to her Great-Aunt Rhonda! This was an exciting first, and in the week since she's continued to practice pushing up and launching herself forward! I think crawling is coming very, very soon!

Saturday we took to the streets on New Orleans again, bringing my sweet cousin Sarah with us. We found all sorts of goodies, ate way too much food and enjoyed a cool iced coffee at Cafe Du Monde before taking in a street performance in Jackson Square.

As it became dark we mustered up courage and went on one of my favorite tourist excursions, a ghost tour!! I LOVE taking walking tours through the creepy underbellies of worlds past in my favorite cities. My favorite was a tour of Edinburgh, Scotland; complete with catacombs, witches and bubonic plague! The worst, hands down, was in San Diego with a fellow who seemed more into costuming than creepy history. New Orleans is probably the second best I've been on. Founded with crooks and prostitutes, influenced by the French aristocracy and a part of the Civil War there is plenty of colorful history to share within the streets.

Maeve was a sport and fell asleep in the wrap not ten minutes in to our tour, sleeping until its finish two hours later.

In perhaps the best fashion to finish up a vacation, we relaxed around the house on Sunday playing games and telling tales before loading up the car at night for our long drive back. All weekend Maeve reaped the reward of loving family; being hand-fed bananas, playing on the floor and having plenty of people to say silly things to her in sing-song voices.

It always feels so good to be around family, and so sad to leave them. I really miss getting to see all of mine more often. Thank you Uncle Craig, Aunt Rhonda and Sarah!! We had a wonderful time and can't wait until we're able to host you here in good 'ole Texas!

XOXO The "O"s ❤

A Little Owens Time

This last weekend Adam's Dad, Maeve's Grandpa, was in town. We were able to see him for a picnic lunch on Sunday and had a family dinner with some of our Dallas/Fort Worth family Monday night.

Uncle Jacob and Miss Maeve

Full of giggles for Aunt Cynthia!

One of Maeve's newest things is touching faces. She feels around your cheeks and lips, and especially loves to stick her wet little hands in your mouth while you talk. If you make munching noises it's all the better.

After a few grabs and Grandpa's nose, he began explaining to her just what it was she was honking.

Maevey Bean and Grandpa in their blue jeans.

My favorite picture of the weekend; Maeve and her cousin Daniel. Hard to believe they're only two years apart! They were complete hams in front of the camera, and Daniel was keeping an eye out for Maeve. He pinned her down when she attempted to throw herself off the chair! That'a boy!

Botanical Gardens

The Friday before New Years found Maeve and me in the Ft Worth Botanical Gardens with Adam's sister and her two children. It was only 70* out, and most of the garden was in winter hybernation, though the roses were in bloom. A whole section if the grassey hills was covered in orange and red fallen leaves. Elizabeth ran around making "leaf angels" and Ethan was rolling cartwheels through the crunchy carpeting.

Maevey girl, the weekend of her 3mo birthday...

Aside from a few steps, and hills too good not to run down, my neice's request was to guide the stroller throught the park, and I was happy for the break. It seems impossible to me that the girl who was just three when Adam and I began dating will be in college before our oldest is even in the third grade. For now, she adores her baby cousin, asking to hold her, begging her to smile. I'm sure in the coming years Maeve will hold her up with admiration while Elizabeth tries to sweetly shake free of her, and we'll smile and remind her of these days.

The afternoon sunlight through the trees by the pond. Sometimes I forget how good it feels to just be outside.

The Original "O"s

Our time in DC was talking and laughing punctuated with eating and a little adventure. Maeve was going through a fussy phase at this point and didn't seem to want to be held for long by anyone but mama.

My poor Mom trying to love Maeve through a "but it's naptime" moment.

During a day on the town we got stuck in quite a downpour and stuck it out in the car for awhile before venturing out to shop more.

Looking at this pictures as I post makes me realize just how much Maeve has grown in the last month! My goodness how a few weeks can mature such a sweet little face! It is also becoming painfully aware just how much of her hair has fallen out! The poor kiddo has some seriously dry scalp, and it seems where the dry scalp is, the hair is not.

Our adventures took us shopping, out to the National Harbor, and downtown to the Elipse to the National Christmas Tree. Our plans were to see Santa, but Obama's motorcade came through, and they evacuated the park. Boo.

The O'Connell Clan at the National Christmas Tree

The Ladies in Front of the White House

The "O" Girls

Maevey Bean and her Grandparents

Mom & Dad, we loved visiting you all, even if the reason for our visit wasn't the happiest. We're looking forward to seeing you at the end of January! It's rumored Maeve may even have a laugh or two for you when you come! ;)

Dinner Visits

Sheila Johnson has been my father's second mother since he was fourteen years old. I have memories of her, and her late husband Ross, spanning the last twenty-something years of my life. Ross helping me make everyone cards on their home pc when I was five or six, Sheila gentley reminding me to say "excuse me" when wanting to speak with my mom and dad during adult dinners, visits to their island in the Adirondacks while at our lake house. I've always enjoyed warm hugs and funny stories, especially of my dad's youth.

The first Friday of our visit there we all tromped over to Falls Church and were able to enjoy sweet company and introduce Miss Maeve and Sheila. Dinner was wonderful, and the company was even better. Sheila pulled out pictures and stories of the Johnson family and dad of the past. With so much sadness having woven its way through our family in the previous weeks it was good to laugh.

Sheila and Miss Maeve

Dad, Sheila, Maeve and Mama

Maeve and Mama

Grandad showcasing his baby sleeper skills.

Originally, with this post, I had hoped to share a picture of Sheila and myself when I was about six months old. BUT, I left my memory books (books Granio compiled for us kids with pictures, mementos, etc) at my parents for them to ship home. So, next time then.

A Very Maevey Christmas

This Christmas marked many a first for the "O" family. First Christmas with Miss Maeve, first Christmas meal cooked, first trip to Santa (who later swung by the house), first attempt at midnight mass with our little addition and the first time to build new traditions as a new family. This year was bittersweet for us; my family was in Hawaii (due to Adam's new job he couldn't take off just yet), and sadly my Granio is no longer here to call and send packages to. But Maeve brought us new life and excitement for the holidays and we were able to celebrate with Adam's siblings too. Friday afternoon marked the start of our merriment with Adam scurrying home from work at noon and our first trip to see Santa since our own childhoods.

I was a bit nervous about Maeve and Santa, but she slept until we placed her in his arms and was too confused to cry. Adam and I laughed at how her blue eyes and rosy cheeks match those of St.Nick, as if he could be her secret great-grandfather.

Saturday we lazed around the house and ate way too much pie. We put Maeve down at her bedtime and then scooped her up at 10:00 for midnight mass. A tradition in my family, midnight mass has always seemed peaceful and light...not so with a little one. We arrived to "The Carol of the Bells" and Maeve bolted awake, eyes wide and completely confused as to where her bed had gone.

I.felt.awful.

Mother's guilt my Christmas gift to myself. Luckily no crying she made, and instead she sat up and looked around; marveling at all the people, the greenery and song. It was hard to enjoy the service, I was so concerned about Maeve missing sleep, but I did love the end. Candles were passed out, and softly we sang. There is something so sweet and lovely about holding your not quite three month old babe and singing "Silent Night." It's a memory I will hold onto forever, Maeve's head finally resting, nuzzled in my neck.

Christmas morning found us eating my nana's sausage squares, and our own cinnamon rolls and mimosas while we marveled at the gifts under the tree and listened to "A Celtic Christmas." We were happy to see Santa had come, bringing our girl some clothes for the coming year, a book and a toy or two. He must have taken into consideration how far away her first birthday is. :)

Maeve and her daddy open her very first Christmas present, which happens to be from Shannon, Kyle and her whirly girly cousins Meg and Alice Virginia

The only picture of us ladies on Christmas. As you can see, I'd already been a spit-up casualty and had to change my pajama top to an old t-shirt

All day I found myself thinking..."how different this will all be next year, when she's nearly fifteen months..." By the afternoon we were in Little Elm, celebrating Christmas with Maeve's aunts and uncles. She was happy to get some extra cuddles, and we were happy to eat without holding her.

Uncle Jacob and Aunt Leticia

With her Elliott cousins

Uncle Mark and Aunt Cynthia with their Christmasy neice and nephew

Tonight, Adam and I are enjoying the fire and wine by the tree, waiting for Maeve to settle to sleep before we can enjoy our own Christmas feast. Just the two of us.

Merry Christmas to you all!

Thanksgiving 2011

For Thanksgiving Adam, the bean and I headed over to Oklahoma as we have these past three years and celebrated with my cousin Shannon (read more and see more about our Thanksgiving on her BlogHer blog) and her family. The first Thanksgiving we spent together was at my parents in 2008, after Adam and I got married. By the next year my parents were back in DC and we've been headed to Oklahoma ever since! There's no telling what our plans will become next year, Shannon's family is moving on to Texas (WOOT!) so hopefully we're able to continue things here in the Lone Star State.

Our grandmother passed away the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, so it felt safe to be with another of Granio's girls the week of her passing. I've been avoiding thinking of her too much, though now that I'm here in DC it's a challenge. I find myself in tears after looking at my Dad for too long. Time in Oklahoma though was fun and surprisingly relaxing. Full of giggly excitement from 2yr old Meg and coos and cries from the two redheaded babes, just 12wks apart.

Our hands were full, but so were our tummies. Yummy food, storytelling, meandering walks, real time with our husbands and SO much pie! I love the holidays. As they develop and pass I find myself wondering what it will be like when the girls are older and running around together, when Maeve is helping me bake in the kitchen, when there is more than just one "O" baby.

Through everything, life is sweet.

My Granio

A week ago today, my Granio passed away.

She was passionate, opinionated, funny, beautiful, adventurous and devoted. A fiery red-head with the spunk you'd expect, she gave our little Maeve her fiery locks. Her home always smelled warm, like her, and was full of things she loved. There were so many pictures of her grandchildren, and recently her great-grandchildren, that she kept them on a rotation. The walls were decorated with pictures of times at the lake house and sprinkled throughout the house were childish gifts and trinkets we gave her each year.

Nearly every time you visited, the house was re-arranged. As she got older we would make surprise visits to try and keep her from going to too much trouble for us, it nearly always back-fired though. Adam and I took our first trip together to visit her in 2006. Following my Dad's advice we didn't tell her we were coming. She had a weak heart and we didn't want her re-arranging the house. After ringing the bell she opened the door in surprise, hugged us and swore if my Dad or Uncle Kevin had any kids do this again she would leave the house to the Salvation Army...and she probably meant it. She pushed us out the door with cash and her car keys and told us to come back in an hour so she could ready the house.

She always won.

She was funny.

I am pretty sure no other grandmother threatened to spank them with a fly swatter for disobedience. And I distinctly remember her teasing threats of a "knuckle sandwich" followed with a good laugh. Her laugh was light and always accented with a slight snort and a sigh.

I will miss her laugh.

She was adventurous.

I loved her tales of sneaking out of the nursing school dorms at night to go "out on the town." How they would have to take turns sneaking out the window for fear of being caught. Even the activities she planned with us weren't typical "grandma" trips. She planned outings to exotic petting zoos, the kind with camels and llamas, drives out to Maryland to explore the most beautiful park full of miniature ponies, paddle boats and playgrounds. I remember games of miniature golf, and her often winning.

She loved her animals.

Visits to her always meant visits to her sweet dogs and hearing of the strays she has taken to the vet and saved. In later years she began coaxing cats as well. She was always concerned for animals, and I remember how much she worried when she learned Adam's dad was a hunter. She never wanted animals to suffer, not for any reason. Not having a dog of our own, we always loved that visits to her meant visits to a dog. My brother would stand in the backyard throwing balls for her old Golden Retriever Jessie while Jessie just stared at him and lied back down. She taught us to never bother a sleeping dog, to always train them when they're young and that if you really love your dog you'll cook them chicken and rice for dinner.

She was generous and thoughtful.

She remembered things you told her. When my brother was younger and getting ready to get his first dog, books came in the mail about choosing the right breed and training your pup. The gifts came without warning and always with a simple note, "I thought of you and thought you could use this." I was in the third grade the first year I performed in the Nutcracker. She drove down from DC to see my performance and brought me "The Nutcracker" book. When I expressed interests in music, the Charlotte Church cd came in the mail and a note about her watching her on Oprah. Her latest love was Charice, though she was pretty devoted to American Idol too. Trips to visit her meant picking out sweets in the grocery store, trips to the bookstore and treats sprinkled throughout your stay. Every time we went into the city without her, or it was time to go to the airport we were handed soft coolers full of bananas, sandwiches and sweets. Oh, and an umbrella, gotta have an umbrella. She made gifts of her jewelry to us girls, wanting us to enjoy it as we grew older. Each piece accompanied with a story about our PopPop and when he had given it to her.

She was devoted.

When my Granio loved you, she really loved you. She had these photo albums she made for my brother, cousins and me full of every picture we ever sent or she ever took, ever picture we ever colored for her and every piece of correspondence. She loved us, and it was a tangible reminder seeing those albums grow year after year. She and I talked a lot on the phone, but we wrote each other constantly. I began writing Granio as a child and by the time I was in 8th grade I was writing her several times a month. I looked forward to her letters coming in the mail. She was full of concern, advice, love and excitement. The last letter I received from her was for my birthday in August. She wrote about worrying about my being pregnant in our record heat, excitement over the baby, happiness that my cousin Shannon and I were close friends as adults, her thoughts on the Republican candidates and admitted she didn't feel well, that she needed to slow down. Something I'd never heard from her before.

Things happened so quickly with Granio. She wasn't feeling well, and not quite two months later she's gone. I've tried not to think of her too much this past week because when I do I feel like I can't breathe. My parents had booked me a flight out, I go to DC tomorrow. I won't have made it in time. She'll have never met Maeve and I hadn't seen her since last year. This is the first time in my life she won't be a part of my DC visit. She won't be there to hug, to laugh with, or to talk to. There's no Christmas present to buy, no birthdays to remember the Christmas card I had already addressed will never be mailed.

It seems unbelievable that she could be gone, too painful to really consider.

I will always love her, I will always miss her, and as my fiery redhead grows I will tell her about her great-grandmother and all the things I know.

Back to Baking

Anyone who knows me, especially my mother, will tell you I don't enjoy cooking. At all. Never as a little girl did I volunteer to help prepare our holiday meals or ask my mother or grandmothers to pass on their recipe secrets. No, when it came to cooking I would try and distance myself from the task as much as possible which meant I was often given the worst jobs; peeling, shucking, slicing and dicing. Ick. My brother always jumped in to help and has had a real talent in the kitchen since he was very small. I also lucked out on the marital home front, one of Adam's hobbies is cooking. But there's a whole other side to the kitchen for me and that is baking.

Anytime my Nana was preparing cookies I was her girl, I can create any family cookie from memory. And pies! Cakes! I spent my childhood studying my mother's cherry pie, and at holidays pumpkin pie has always been mine to make. Every occasion called for a double chocolate cheesecake, and now on my own I bring the pumpkin cheesecake. When Adam and I got married the bread machine was one of my favorite gifts and I was almost giddy when we bought a cookie gun!

Now, with Maeve here, I have practically no time for myself and have been going a little nutty. So, the last two weeks, at about 1am,when she's asleep, I've baked. Cake, muffins, cookies, bread. Anything carb-loaded and delicious when made from scratch. :) There is something so relaxing about baking, something cathartic. It helps me feel like myself as I'm working to discover the new me now that I'm a mom. And it makes me happy to know people are enjoying my treats. (Oh yes, I've been sending every baked goodie to work with Adam) So, I thought since I'm diving back into this old hobby maybe I would record my successful recipes as I go. The ones I think you really MUST have! I am definitely no Christy Jordan, but I know what I love. Hopefully you'll find something you want to try! :)

Aunts and Uncles and Cousins-Oh my!

This weekend our lucky girl got to meet her Aunt Cynthia, Uncle Mark and cousins Elizabeth & Ethan. She was in cuddle heaven!

Aunt Cynthia and the sleepy girl.

Maeve fell instantly asleep on Uncle Mark.

These girls gotta stick together!