Happy Birthday Princess!!!

I am in the middle of a 4 day work stretch after our exhausting vacation but cannot let this day go by without saying Happy Birthday to LaNelle...I'm sorry there are no pictures...

Margaret LaNelle Sheridan is my second oldest child but firstborn and never was a birth so anticipated and celebrated...she was born 9 1/2 months after Pete and I married..17 months after we met...and about 20 people had walked the halls and waited for many hours and were crowded around the nursery window...Dr. Cohen did the newborn exam himself and as he grabbed her by her ankle and held her upside down to measure her he looked up to see if perhaps a grandparent was at the window...he was shocked to see faces pushed against ALL of the windows...he asked, "Who IS this child...is this a royal birth??" Pete answered, "She is my princess" and that was that. forevermore. Princess LaNelle weighed 9 pounds and 3 ounces and was 22 1/2 inches long (and was 2 weeks late..always a grand entrance!!!)

We learned on LaNelle...she never cried because we never gave her a chance. She never slept in her brand new 4 poster canopy crib...that made her cry and her Daddy just could not stand her crying...one night I threw a fit and demanded that she be left in the crib to "cry it out" and after 2 hours of screaming, she threw up. That is the only time in 25 years of marriage that Pete ever got seriously mad at me. He bathed her, changed her and rocked her to sleep and cried the whole time because he was so heartbroken that she had been that upset (are you coming to understand where the whole DIXIE DIVA attitude comes from??)

I was pregnant with Peter when she was 3 months old and had to return to my job for the insurance and so LaNelle spent 9 months in daycare...at Kindercare on Greystone Blvd less than 1/2 mile from Pete's work and 3 miles from mine...and since I worked 8-4 and we could take 2 twenty minute breaks or 1 long one (gotta love govt jobs), Pete decided to work 9-6 so this was her schedule...

7 am I nursed her and left for work

9 am Pete dropped her off at daycare

10 am I flew in, nursed her and flew back to work

12 Pete spent every single lunch hour with her for 9 months. He just played with her!!!!

1 pm I came on my lunch hour to nurse her and rock her to sleep. She would sleep till 4.

4 pm I picked her up. Yeah...they made fun of us at daycare but we did not care!!!

So she was incredibly spoiled...but she was also the sweetest little girl...we never moved anything breakable, we just told her "no, don't touch" and she wouldn't. We thought we were great parents but time would prove she was just very obedient. She had no hair forever and then gorgeous white blonde curls and big blue eyes and this perfect skin and she KNEW she was beautiful and loved every aspect of being a girl...especially the makeup and dressing up...she was petted and pampered by Heather and my two great aunts and my grandparents and Pete's mom flew down from NY 7 times to visit her before her 1st birthday...oh yeah, she didn't want for attention!

But here are the amazing character traits all that attention bred....she is self confident, outgoing, comfortable in any type of gathering, determined, unmovable in her faith, unshakable in her convictions, brilliant, creative, generous, and though she tries really hard to hide it from the world, she is compassionate and although she seldom cries in public, she is deeply moved by anyone "forgotten by the world"...she is always loved by and loves the elderly, the very young and has a special bond with handicapped children. She amazes me with all that she can accomplish. Give her a challenge and it is done. Her siblings all love her but Peter and Sarah Beth would hurt anyone who crosses her...seriously. And she mothers all of them...except Heather who mothers her!

So..a diva? a drama queen? high maintenance? ABSOLUTELY! and we wouldn't have her any other way...we love you BaNelle, MaNelle, LaLa, Lanniebell, princess...and wish we could be with you on your 24th birthday...

Disney at last...

On our way to Disney, we stopped for the night at St Augustine...Connor thought every fountain in the old city was THE Fountain of Youth!!!

I want to go back and stay there a few days...loved it!!

We ate Pizza and walked around St Augustine but it was late

and some shops were closed including this one...who knew the Whetstones were chocolatiers? We would have loved to have brought some of their chocolates home!!

We had planned a tram tour of St Augustine but since it was rainy, we switched to plan B...the OUTLET MALL!!!!!
and then we were off to Disney World and our first stop was Downtown Disney for dinner and Princess Sarah Beth's appointment at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique (see the next post)

Sarah Beth wanted to eat here because Mary Beth had told her all about it...and we LOVED it! Thanks for the tip Mary Beth!

It is THE coolest restaurant and has very lifelike animals and sea creatures...

The kids loved their food and the atmosphere...so did the adults!

Did you notice SB's dress? Aunt Laurel found that and Troy Bolton's uniform for Connor at the Disney outlet...they were a steal and the kids loved them!!

After the boutique, Connor spent forever building and racing lego cars...a FREE activity at Downtown Disney...

Patti was uneasy under the dinasauer and reminded us that we forced her to ride the dinasauer ride at Animal Kingdom when she was 8 (she holds a grudge, huh???)

Then it was on to our LUXURIOUS condo at Westgate Town Center (1 mile from Disney). It had a bathtub fit for a princess...

and Pete further inflated her head by serving chocolate cookies on the lanai

This was Connor's favorite spot for watching Disney's nightly fireworks!!

And it was a glorious view...in the day, we could see the Castle in the distance...WOW!

There is nothing like a child's first glimpse of the Magic Kingdom...

and how about getting to ride with the driver on the Monorail and getting co-conductor licenses???? (all you have to do is ask)

Sarah Beth likes her independance and often gets frustrated with being a twin but when she is excited, very happy, sad, scared, or sick...she reaches for Connor's hand (LaNelle always did that with Peter and I love that reflex!!)

Pete was ready to be the tour guide (Do y'all really think I let that happen for long?)

The twins were excited to be given Mouse ears...and such cute ones too...

Patti was at Animal Kingdom with her friend from college so the twins stood in line to get her FAVORITE disney star's autograph...and like a good nanny, she straightened Connor's hat and said in her very british accent, "Shall we be good children and stand tall and smile for the photograph. Now, be well behaved for your mother today."

Immersed in the stage show at the castle...

and then off to Big Thunder Mountain...

and then Splash Mountain...poor Aunt Laurel was a good sport!!

Sarah Beth absolutely adores her aunt and uncle

Connor and Uncle Floyd loved the Haunted Mansion

Who doesn't know what this ride is???????

The twins wanted to ride in their own Peter Pan ship...

We did a lot of walking and the twins loved their Mickey Mouse crocs (yet another gift purchased at less than half the park cost...at the outlets in St Augustine!!)

This face was worth the money we all spent...

We have been singing, "There's a great big beautiful tomorrow shining at the end of everyday..." because we LOVED the Carousel of Progress and we thought this mom reminded us of Aunt Kim

There was an awesome parade and street party

and Connor was the star of the show with his dance moves

we were sooo tired we decided to leave before the park closed and watch the firworks from our lanai back at the condo....but we had a blast at the Magic Kingdom!!

Sarah Beth was still sleepy at the poolside breakfast the next morning...she was also getting a very bad cold but we didn't realize that yet...

We got in a quick game of miniature golf before heading to Epcot...

The butterfly garden was spectacular

The girls at Pixie Hollow

waiting for our mission to Mars...

Connor got to be the pilot and he LOVED it!!!

Sarah Beth was part of a Pixie Parade (Connor thought this was really lame)

Laurel and I tried to recreate the Princess makeover in the monorail from Epcot to the Grand Floridian for the Royal Ball (we should stick to the medical/legal world!!)

I HIGHLY reccommend the Royal Ball at 1900 Park Fare...fabulous food and the cast of Cinderella visits each table
After Prince Charming signed this, he kissed her hand...she said, "He's not my type, I don't like brown hair boys..."

I thought he was...well...charming!

Cinderella was so precious and she asked Connor to waltz with her after she danced with Prince Charming...and she complimented him on his dancing...it was a magical evening!!!

I can't find my cord to upload yesterday's pictures from Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM) but we had a blast there also...we ate at the fab Sci Fi theater, soared in the Land, and we LOVED The Tower of Terror

and when we got home, we had in our mail, a coupon for 2 adults and 2 children to stay in a disney value resort hotel with 5 day tickets and the dining plan for $1200 (TOTAL) from May-August...anyone want it????? THAT'S a STEAL!!!!!!