Mothers Goose

Oh the weather outside is mild...

2012-01-31T21:55:00.000-05:00

and our girls are getting wild.
and since we've got no !#%!%^ snow,
put on a show, put on a show, put on a shoooow!

In all honesty, I have no idea what they are doing in this picture... but someone is wearing my clothes acting goofy (and this time, it ain't me). Ok, so here we are at the end of January and I can see the grass in my backyard. By this time last year our mountain luge was in full swing. This global warming is bonkers. We have been trying to make the most of it up North and and we have managed to get the girls on skis and skates and I even procured the appropriate outdoor equipment. Mama Mer took Luce snowshoeing which was lots of fun but Carmen, still prefers to eat the stuff.

In other January news, per the girls request we had a birthday party for "Dr. Luther King" as Lucia calls him complete with costumes and cake. When asked what she learned about Dr. King Lucia responds, "Well, I know he had a dream..." When played them the speech on YouTube, Carmen covered her ears and declared it "too loud" while Luce thought that the black and white video "looked boring." Nevertheless, they started a nice tradition and perhaps in a few Januarys they'll be able to appreciate more than just the cake...

Christmas 2011 Part II and 2012 Part I....

2012-01-18T21:32:00.000-05:00

Since opening a living room full of Christmas presents was not clearly not enough fun... what better way to close out our tremendous holiday season than to pack up our bags and head out West. Naturally, we did what we do best on our visits... hit the requisite carousel, ate ourselves silly, goofed around with friends and enjoyed the beautiful Seattle weather. Oh, and of course we got to open more presents. The girls loved spending time with the cousins on the slides and on the slopes and Vv was a most gracious host sharing both her space and parents... even though her dad is kind of a turkey. All in all, a most excellent visit with a most excellent family and if you asked Carmen her assessment of the trip she would tell you, "But Vv's brother didn't come out!"... which is true, as if this writing Auntie is still very much pregnant. Come on lil guy, we're waiiiittttting!

Christmas 2011 Part I....

2011-12-31T20:14:00.064-05:00

The Mothers Goose have been so full of the Christmas spirit it seems like the 12 days of Christmas were more like 21. Speaking of the 12 Days of Christmas, my girls love singing along to Christmas carols (Little Drummer Boy and Santa Claus is Coming to Town are big hits) but the best is hearing Luce sing the third verse of 12 Days... "On the 3rd day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: 3 henchmen..." I cannot convince her otherwise. I blame Disney. Of course who better to sing Christmas carols with than our own house pianist Nonne. She and the extended clan came down for a holiday hoedown that set the bar for all future family holiday parties. It included festive folks both little, slightly not little and some donning very gay apparel. We ate and sang the night away and it set the perfect tone for the ensuing Christmas mayhem.

The kids are at a great age for experiencing the wonder of Christmas morning and the looks on their faces when they came down the stairs was just priceless. One of the top gifts on Luce's wish list was a "sleigh and reindeer" and I must say, Santa really came through. I'm fairly certain we didn't get dressed all day, and only paused our playing to eat the 20 pound turkey Mimi prepared for the 5 of us. All that, and this post is only Part I...

Happy Everything...

2011-12-20T20:42:00.000-05:00

Thanks to a great photographer, we got another winning shot for our holiday card which is a darn good thing otherwise we'd have to choose from pictures like this or this or this. I just don't know where the girls got their goofy gene... I'm innocent. So we've had an eventful few weeks full of thanks, sweet treats and holiday cheer. Of course nothing gets us more in the Christmas spirit than our annual trip to the Pops with our Troutfriends. We have a very busy schedule ahead of us, but I'll be sure to document all of the frivolity on film, especially since I'm operating a few paces behind everyone due the fractured fibula and all (what, I didn't mention that?). That's ok, I get to take nice shots from back here.

Don't Worry Mama, You're Going to Love Five!

2011-11-29T12:15:00.001-05:00

Those were the exact words of comfort she told Mama Mer when Mer said, "I'm feeling a little sad that you're turning 5." One day we're fighting with her swaddle and the next we're organizing a snake party. Yes, you read that correctly. My princess and Dorothy loving daughter requested a snake party... a python party to be exact. Alas, we could only come up with a 5 foot long rat snake which suited the kids just fine. Lucia loved being "queen cobra" for the day and even shared candle blowing duties with her little sister. Thanks again to Auntie Cathy for providing the trick candles... who doesn't want to eat a cake covered in kid spit??

To the Victor(s) Go the Spoils...

2011-11-15T23:08:00.000-05:00

...and the lollipops, and Snickers and Twizzlers, etc. etc. The girls thoroughly enjoyed their first trick or treating tromp through the 'hood, but they especially enjoyed the aftermath. Tigger made it about a block before I had to carry her home and Ida (have I explained that one yet? No? Her costume was based on the main character of this book) would have danced all night if we had let her. Speaking of tromping, on our latest adventure Luce took her camera along and produced some interesting results... I think we may have a future Annie Leibovitz on our hands.

A Luce Tooth...

2011-10-30T21:32:00.000-05:00

On October 16th, we went to bed with a wiggly tooth and didn't think much of it. These things usually take a few days right? We should have known better...the very next day we received this picture from our awesome sitter, which sent the Tooth Fairy scrambling. Luce was very excited of course and Mamas were in no way emotionally prepared for this momentous occasion. Where's that pause button when you need it?
In addition to painted ponies going up and down, this month was also filled with fantastic fits of fall fun with friends, phew. From corn mazes to Blue Hills we tackled the great outdoors with gusto... and what's more fun than climbing a mountain? Running down the back of it of course. Finally, it's hard to believe that in two short weeks we went from swimming in the ocean, to snowpants. While I froze my tootsies off on the field, the girls enjoyed all the typical pre-Halloween activities. Let's hope it melts in time for our trick or treating adventure... these costumes won't quite look the same under winter coats.

So Long Summer, Thanks for Everything...

2011-10-16T20:35:00.001-05:00

So this picture was taken on October 9... on a beach... in Maine. Nah, there's no such thing as global warming. No matter, the Mothers Goose will take advantage of melting polar ice caps if it means long weekends spent like this. In addition to frolicking by the seashore, we also took a minute to celebrate my birthday. A word about the cake, the girls each had creative input. Luce thought I would really like a Patriots cake (she's right) and Carmen insisted that my cake have "GUMMY WORMS!!!" (she says it like that every time). So, Nonne took those demands to the bakery department... and came back with this. I'd like to know who this "Fram" person is.

Other random acts of cuteness:

Carmen has been very concerned about fire safety and is excited for Halloween.

Lucia has been practicing her oratory skills... perhaps leading up to her run for the Hawaiian state senate?

In addition to her impromptu speeches, Luce has also given us these gems:

"Everyone is lucky in their own way."

"It's ok mom, you just worry about yourself... I'm fine."

"Mom, is it ok if we just pop our heads in the gift store?" (said during a recent trip to the science museum)

Sometimes I find it hard to believe that we still have 8 years to go before she's officially a teenager.

Dialogue From the Backseat v.II and Other Trouble Tales...

2011-09-30T18:35:00.001-05:00

Lucia's Mimi taught her a fun new game to play in the car. It involves thinking of a number and the other passengers trying to guess it (we keep it simple, nothing over 10). Carmen decided she wanted to play, so when she said "My tuurrrrn!" Lucia agreed... it went something like this:

C: I got my numbah!

L: Is it 2?

C: No.

L: Is it 7?

C: Nope

L: Is it 9?

C: Nnnnnope!

L: (lists all the numbers 1- 10)

C: Noooooo!

L: What is it?!?

C: It's L!

L: THAT'S NOT A NUMBER!

Ah that Carmen... she sure loves a good game. She also has a new one that sorta resembles a magic trick. (or twick as she would say).

C: Cwose your eyes!

Me: (eyes closed)

C: Now open your eyes!

Me: (eyes open)

C: It's chocowaaaate!

Please note: 1) the "supwise" is always chocolate and 2) no actual chocolate (or anything for that matter) has ever been produced by the magician. She just likes saying it.

Finally, today during lunch whilst I was in the kitchen I heard Carmen say, "Here you go, you can have some." (mind you, it was just me and Carmen) I turn around to see Carmen feeding Pirate's Booty to one of the kittens - who was happily licking it. I exclaimed, "Carmen no!" So she looked at me, semi-guiltily, then popped the piece of Pirate's Booty in her mouth. Lovely.

For more classic Do-Dah moments, please observe here.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Please Give a Warm Welcome to: Cash and Dazzle

2011-09-16T18:38:00.001-05:00

Can you tell them apart? Neither can we.

We spent the long Labor Day weekend relaxing at home, preparing for the new school year and kitty shopping. Truth be told, we only went to one place and there they were -- two adorable sisters, just like ours. We hadn't intended to get all black kitties again, but the girls fell in love and then well, the rest is history. A note about the names: Lucia has always liked the name Cash (as in Johnny) and it seemed perfectly fitting given her coloring. The other name came out of left field. It was going to be Volcano for the longest time (Lava for short) then she thought that Scorpion would be a good name - - because, "like scorpions, cats walk with their tails up." Luckily, at the last minute, inspiration struck and Luce turned to Mama Mer and said, "I know, how about Dazzle?!?" Yes. Please. Anything but Volcano.
In case you're wondering, no Carmen did not get a say in the naming process. Though she has been asserting herself more and more. Case in point, today's sibling argument on the ride home from school:

C: "blah blah blah Mama Mer's towel dwess...."

L: "It is not a towel dress, it is called a robe."

C: "It's not a wobe, it's a towel dwess."

L: "ROBE!"

C (full lung capacity): "TOWEELLLL DRREEEESSSSS!!!"

I'm with Carmen on this one, I much prefer towel dress. In fact, I think I'll go trademark that now.

And August Goes Out with A Wooooosh...

2011-08-31T21:44:00.001-05:00

See what I did there? With the hurricane Irene reference? Anyway... hot off the heels of camp the Mothers Goose decided that they needed MORE FUN in their lives and headed down to Connecticut to attend a good old fashioned state fair with our long lost friend Schindler and her adorable family. Lucia wasted no time buddying up to Annie and the two of them had a blast "fairing it up." The road trip started off a bit shaky with Carmen projectile vomiting the contents of her lunch, but luckily that was just when we were picking Mama Mer up from the office, so we had time to hose everything down... Carmen recovered from the incident quite nicely, must be all that tiger blood. Upon returning to Boston, we had another treat waiting for us in the form of another Seattle cousin visit! Jackson had a blast hanging with the cousins and Carmen did her best to "use her words" with him. "No Jackson, I don't wike dat!" was heard on more than one occasion. Luckily, we had the beach with the pre-Irene waves to keep us all busy and tuckered out.

Show Us Your Camp Face!

2011-08-21T19:43:00.000-05:00

Show us your camp face VV!

Show us your camp face Carmen!

Show us your camp face Leary sisters and Uncle B!

Show us your camp face Mama Fran!

Whew, I think that covers it. In case you haven't figured it out, we had yet another wonderful week at camp experiencing age old traditions like floating on giant plastic creatures and solving some new mysteries, like why they call this Sneaker Rock. Even when the weather turned a little rainy for a day, our spirits were not dampened...not one bit. All in all, a great week, with great food and drink and the best family money can buy, er hope for.

Graduation is Really a Four Letter Word...

2011-07-31T21:25:00.000-05:00

In what will surely be the first a long string of emotional graduation ceremonies (well, emotional for the Mothers Goose anyway), we watched our eldest daughter graduate from her amazing family-based daycare after 4 short, yet monumental years. After getting over her bout of depression ("I don't wanna graduate!"), Luce glommed onto the concept that she was a "big girl" moving on to "big girl school." Meanwhile, I've been a veritable train wreck of emotion... sigh.
Not to be outdone on the big changes front, Carmen also reach a significant milestone... and decided to sing about it (incidentally, Luce thinks this video is HIGHlarious). Annnnd speaking of goofballs, we have certainly kept ourselves entertained with various ways to beat the heat this summer - some more traditional than others.

Where Have You Gone Sadie Tom Brady Tedy Bruschi??

2011-07-13T21:17:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I think I know where she's gone... gone, gone, gone. It has been a week since we last saw her and I've come to terms with her untimely departure. Not that anyone else has - the kids have yet to notice (and I fear when they finally do) and Mer claims to "have never slept better." Ok, fine. Well, I'll miss you lil kitty... it was a fun 9 years (we got her right after the first Pats Super Bowl, can you tell?). She really was a good sport, most of the time.
On a lighter note, the Mothers Goose enjoyed another fun 4th in Vacationland with the standard issue parade and birthday celebration. We even motivated to "walk the earth" and visited lots of fun fairy houses and built one of our own. Next time we'll bring blueprints.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

2011-06-30T20:57:00.044-05:00

You *know* it's a party when these things get dusted off and hauled up to Maine (the accordions, not the relatives). I had some uploading glitches with Google's Piccasa (ahem He and Ho), so sorry for the backdating... but family reunion was in June and I have a lot of catching up to do! Despite the dismal weather, it was a glorious week on the lake, and a little rain or 51 degree temps weren't going to dampen our spirits - - or swimming. We made the best of things by rocking out, drinking a lot, acting silly, and eating our faces off. Lucia also provided some entertainment with a puppet show - a full (well, pretty close) production of the Wizard of Oz... luckily she had some non-union crew there to lend a hand. All in all, a pretty great week - oh, and did I mention we also got to watch THE BRUINS WITH THE STANLEY CUP!?!? Woo to the hoo.
Although family reunion is a tough act to follow, we finished up the month with more good times including birthdays with old (now older) friends and strawberry eating, er, picking. Whew, can't wait to see what July has in store!

What a Quacktastic month!

2011-06-18T21:34:00.000-05:00

So much blog material, so little time! Our month started off with a little R and R for the newly minted partner and her very lucky spouse. The firm put all of the partners up in a seaside resort down on the cape, where Mama Mer spent the majority of her free time in meetings whilst I pursued other rigorous activities. Of course, we have Mimi to thank for allowing us the weekend getaway - she bravely took on both girls for 2.5 days and I believe she captured some of it on film. Apparently they spent all of Saturday at the Wizard of Oz exhibit at the Children's Museum... pictures to follow soon! As if seeing the Wizard of Oz exhibit wasn't enough, the girls recently had the chance to drive a WWII amphibious landing vehicle! Just another day in the life of the luckiest girls on the planet. Speaking of lucky... did you know that in June we also celebrated family reunion AND got to witness the Bruins winning the Stanley Cup??? It's all true, and I will discuss in the next post. In the meantime, watch this.

Makin' Memories on Memorial Day...

2011-05-31T21:43:00.000-05:00

The sun and heat finally decided to show up and for once they had perfect timing. The Mothers Goose got their flag on up north and partook in the typical Memorial Day traditions of cousin camera mugging and celebrating a birthday we could not refuse. After the parade the girls snuck in a quick dip in the balmy 52 degree ocean, not that it deterred them a bit. Aside from cheering 3 day weekends, veterans and BBQ gluttony, we recently had cause for another celebration - Mama Mer's promotion to grand high partner poobah. Our pal Dr. Martin generously organized a little party in Mer's honor, which was a veritable who's who of local dignitaries, rock stars and performance artists. In all seriousness, we're very proud of her achievement and you should buy her a drink next time you see her!

Rain, rain GO AWAY...

2011-05-21T19:49:00.000-05:00

Now that spring is here, we'd love to be able to go outside and ENJOY it. Of course, on Mother's Day, the 50 degree weather did not deter Carmen one bit. It has been rather gloomy and cold here, but as the saying goes when life hands you lemonade... you do this.

Also helping us stay on the sunny side of life, are our good friends the Caseys!

Luke, Harper and their folks paid us a visit which was a great excuse to hold babies, eat ice cream and look at old stuff. Come back soon now, ya hear!

Spring, Spring - it's a Wonderful Thing!

2011-04-30T21:56:00.001-05:00

Yes, now that the snow is finally, officially, undeniably GONE we can finally move on to Spring - oh wait, two last ski house pics first! Ok, now that's out of the way - we can make room for things like swingsets, swimming and Easter. The girls thoroughly enjoyed Easter at Mimi's and had more than their fill of tasty confections. As if that wasn't exciting enough, we recently got to witness a real live princess wedding (with nary a Disney logo in sight) and participate in the annual Ellen's House Egg Hunt. Oh, and tomorrow we're taking the girls to their first Red Sox game. Pray for us... no, actually pray for the Sox!

April Fools Day Indeed...

2011-04-16T08:58:00.000-05:00

So this is what April looks like in Maine. I'd say they got a good 6" of snowfall on the first... just enough for us to make the world's filthiest snowman. Spring snow is gross. In between snow play and bouncing around the room with cousins, April also brought us a fun visit from Auntie JoJo. Then of course it was back to ski country for our penultimate dip in the pool - with decorative accessories. Then it really warmed up and we were able to take the kids to the playground for outdoor fun in the sun. As I type, there is a surprise swing set being installed in the backyard (Spring!) because our girls, love to swing.

Assorted Talking Pictures...

2011-03-31T20:21:00.001-05:00

From this random collection you will learn that:

1) Top Pot Donuts are sweeeeeet.

2) Skiing is more fun with friends.

3) Even in her advanced age, Mama Mer is still smokin'.

Look Carmen, the Real Emerald City!

2011-03-23T21:08:00.000-05:00

Have Dorothy dresses will travel, right? The Mothers Goose decided to give family air travel another shot (yes, we're still scarred from Miami) so we packed up our gingham and headed west of Kansas. The timing was perfect because it allowed us to celebrate two birthdays (Uncle B! Mama Mer!) and brought the cousins together for a much needed visit. The first nights were spent at a downtown hotel that shall remain nameless due to a bedbug incident (it rhymes with Schhmeston)... but after my Silkwood moments, and several thousand Starwood points later, we all settled in and had a grand old time.
We enjoyed celebrating Uncle B's birthday out at his favorite burger joint where Lucia was so excited to see cousin Jackson, she promptly fell asleep at the table... but not before trying her hand at a little Picasso. While Lucia dozed, Carmen took the opportunity to share some girl talk with Veronica.
Of course we were all excited to celebrate the FNPP ritual together along with friends too. And when we weren't playing dress up or having dance parties, we could be found soaking up all the glorious Seattle weather... literally. In the end we had too much fun, ate far too much and left way too soon.

Oh the Two-Dah Day...

2011-02-27T22:13:00.001-05:00

So the girl with a thousand names reached a big milestone this past week, thus giving her yet another nickname - Two-Dah. Since her actual birthday fell in the middle of the week, she had lots of chances to perfect her candle blowing technique... which, if you recall, is much improved over last year. With our baby on the verge of losing "the baby" part of childhood, here are some things we're going to miss about the pre-two Trouble:

-Her asking for a "bauble" (aka bottle)
-Giving us the stink eye (perhaps that one will stick)
-"Morrre sybup pwease" (the kid loves pancakes)
-All of the incoherent Oz talk... "Dorsey Gale, wion, 'carecrow, ruby swippers, etc. etc."
-Dancing around in a circle when listening to her "jam!"

And a million other things that we've vowed not to forget, and now I can't remember... . Happy Birthday Trouble, thanks for keeping us on our toes.

Addendum: How could I have forgotten the best Carmenism yet!?! When asked a question such as, "Who wants to go sledding? or Who wants ice cream" Her reply, "I dooooooo."

New Year's Resolution Progress Report...

2011-02-21T21:52:00.000-05:00

Ok, so we haven't made that many successful ski trips down an actual slope; HOWEVER, we have enjoyed our winter retreats up to Loon Mountain and all of the fun that goes with it. Like swimming for instance... and endangering the lives of our children. The girls seem to need the break from "the city" as much as Moms do, so this long and snowy winter has been quite enjoyable. Of course, when we're not swimming, sledding or sort of skiing, we can always be found dancing around in costumes. That fact may never change... I hope.

We Sure Picked A Good Year to Take up Skiing...

2011-01-30T20:04:00.000-05:00

Take that Old Man Winter! I heard someone say that we've had snow each week since Christmas and that we're in line for another big storm on Wednesday. Well bring it on we say! Of course, looking out at the 10 ft high snow banks in my driveway, I'm not sure where we're going to put another single flake, but that's a problem for another day. In the meantime, all this white stuff has been keeping us rather busy from our backyard to the ski slopes – we are trying hard to take advantage of Mother Nature's abundant wintery gifts. So when we're not falling down the mountain (ok, that's just me on the snowboard) the girls have had ample opportunities to perfect their sledding techniques. Of course in between our outdoor play, we got the chance to celebrate birthdays with cousins and catch up with some dear, old friends. So far, this winter ain't half bad...

Let's Dive Right In...

2011-01-11T21:18:00.000-05:00

So this is what our house looked like, the morning after Santa's visit and moments before all holy hell broke loose. Interestingly enough, the girls woke up at their usual 6:30 hour, but we had to stall "the big reveal" for a bit and we were able to keep them upstairs watching Little Bear until Mimi's arrival. Then we coaxed them down the stairs and BOOM, Christmas was officially in full swing (or slide). Despite a run in with the norovirus (luckily just Fran and Mimi), it was a great day to spend with friends, family and as always, FOOD. Of course, I fear our house will never recover from Santa's generosity... but we've been talking about building a two-car garage anyway.

So Long First Decade... Hello New Adventures!

2010-12-31T14:24:00.000-05:00

New Year's Resolution #1: Be brave, be bold, try new things. Check. As you can see, Lucia is brimming with excitement headed to her first ski lesson. She did great, although at the end she said her feet hurt (which is understandable). Mama Fran survived her first snowboarding lesson (hello back muscles!) and Mama Mer is hitting the slopes tomorrow. The Mothers Goose is bound and determined to to make our first resolution work, and so far we're off to a great start (and for the record Carmen is a daredevil on the sled). Sorry you'll have to wait for more pictures, but trust me the Christmas ones are worth it. Best wishes to you and yours in the New Year, see you in 2011!

Deck The Halls With...

2010-12-19T23:17:00.000-05:00

Greeks and laughter.... ha ha ha ha haaaa ha ha ha ha. Our holiday season received a welcome jump start in the form of our good friend Eleni, who was in town to spread some Christmas cheer (and help put up our tree). In addition to a fantastic tree trimmer, Eleni also serves as "the Greek hub" when she's in the Hub, and we were able to connect with the youngest member of our friendship circle thanks to her. From rolling with with Greek to rocking out with our pal Steph, the Mothers Goose et. al. have been well entertained. The girls even had their first taste of winter, literally. Speaking of entertainment, what blog update would be complete without a little Wizard of Oz action? Here's Carmen's interpretation of the story which to her sounds something like "bizabizabizabiza Boz!" which we now know is her way of saying Wizard of Oz. Finally, you know the holiday season is in full swing when it's time for the Pops with the Troutmans!

Thanksgiving Day Is Coming...

2010-11-30T22:35:00.000-05:00

So Mister turkey said.
Very careful I must be
Or I will lose my head.

Yes, yes you will Mr. Turkey... and we thank you for your sacrifice. The Mothers Goose would also like to thank the "official turkey taster" for providing the most delicious Thanksgiving Day feast in recent memory. From pies to parades to assorted casseroles, it was truly a wonderful day (and extended visit from our Left Coast family). Of course, when the gourmet chef leaves town... this is what happens and this is what our children eat.

COME BACK UNCLE B!!!

Four More Years! Four More Years!

2010-11-25T18:04:00.000-05:00

Well, since I just finished stuffing my face with turkey I'm finding it hard to type... but wanted to upload some pictures from Lucia's 4th birthday bash (a.k.a. her raucous caucus). So here, enjoy these pics while I go explode.

We're Late, We're Late...

2010-10-31T20:49:00.013-05:00

For a very important post!

Yeah, I backdated... so sue me (inside SEC joke).

With Halloween falling on a weekend, the Mothersgoose is VERY glad to have the costume extravaganza behind us. Here are some fun shots of the girls in all their decked out glory. Alice and the White Rabbit had a nice lllllllong Halloween weekend, and we are more than happy to retire their costumes... until they want to wear them again... which will probably be next weekend.

Mer Tells Me The Blog is in Arrears...

2010-10-25T19:56:00.000-05:00

To which I reply, "Well how can she hear?!?"

*sigh*

Yeah, it's been another crazy few weeks... but we still managed to frolic in foliage, acknowledge my mortality and pick a pack of pumpkins. See here for details.

Ok, I promise more pith next update... will Lucia make it 3 years in a row in her Dorothy costume? Tune in next week to see!

Try to Remember the Kind of September...

2010-09-30T20:00:00.000-05:00

When life was slow and oh so mellow...
Really? When exactly was that? Ok, so what happened this month? Well, besides Lucia starting school (I believe this picture was taken before her first full day... hence her forlorn expression), Mamas finally, FINALLY had their weekend away and we have Mimi and Nonne/Papa to thank for it. Not sure who had more fun - Mamas with their leisurely days or the kids having their every whim catered to. Did I mention Luce even got to meet a princess?? Lucia also started her first dance class and not to be outdone, Carmen also showed off her, um, talents. We also celebrated two important birthdays this month - cousins Jackson and Veronica! We fully expect our share of the cake to arrive any day now.
And then there was this. What is that you ask? Well, according to Luce that is a chalk depiction of a "stank." She went on and told this elaborate tale of what a "stank" was. This is more or less what she said... "Stanks are logs with fire coming out of them every 8 minutes. Stanks are indigenous (my word) to Australia and are sometimes grouped together in forests. Stanks are dangerous and never go near them. Please do not go to Australia." I really can't make this stuff up. The stank story is reminiscent of the Barret, which I don't think I've told before. A few months back (maybe even last year?) Lucia made up a creature called a Barret. A Barret is a bird like creature with "one fierce eye and one nice eye." Barrets live in bushes and mostly eat berries. Only mommy Barrets have the fierce eye, because they have the babies. Once again folks, you cannot make this up! Well, I guess if you were a 3 year old you could... And speaking of chatty, Carmen finally decided she has something to say (probably to keep up with her sister) and happily jabbers away to anyone who will listen. Chances are you won't be able to make out a single word, but Carmen will earnestly look you in the eye and convey something deep and meaningful, like, "Gaabaa dooda maama baby gah." Of course, she can communicate all the important things like "mama", "mimi", "chichi" (Lucia), and "cake"... and just tonight "Gaga" (because yes, we were having a dance party).

Dear Old Golden Rule Days...

2010-09-16T21:11:00.000-05:00

New dress? Check. Princess camera? Check. Stuffed kitty? Check. Lunchbox? Check. Yes, your typically pre-schooler checklist is now complete. Luce faced her first day of pre-school like a champ (it was only a half day, but still). When I picked her up at noon, she told me, "I was a little nervous at first... but then I got used to it." That's my girl! Meanwhile, as Mama Mer and Lucia drove off to that milestone, Carmen was left in the dust. After her big first day, we decided to get back to basics and head down to the farm with our old pals. Best part of the farm? CORN MAZE! We all had a blast and managed to be in good spirits tromping through the corn. Speaking of getting back to basics... look who's back? One of these days we're going to go through an entire day WITHOUT discussing that chick from Kansas... that day, is not today.

But Wait - There's More!

2010-08-31T20:42:00.000-05:00

So yes, there are approximately 650 more photographs I could share from camp... and since I wouldn't do that to you, how about you enjoy another small sample? And as an added bonus, here are a few shots of our cute girls enjoying traditional beach food on the Cape. So long summer, it's been good to know 'ya.

And Indeed We Did...

2010-08-22T20:51:00.000-05:00

Hard to believe that another camp week has come and gone, but reflecting on the 700+ pictures I took it was one of the best. The weather was perfect and the mood was festive. They say pictures are worth a bunch of words (or something like that)... so take a look at this small sample, and try not to be too jealous.

Sugar and Spice and Vanilla Greek Yogurt...

2010-07-31T20:49:00.000-05:00

That's what this little girl is made of! So unlike her big sis, Carmen is somewhat of a picky eater. However, we stumbled upon one thing that she really likes. I mean, she loves this yogurt - probably because it is almost like frosting. It is up there with her favorite things to eat - avocados and cake. We think she's actually saying the word "cake." The word "Mama" comes and goes, but "cake" she seems to nail every time. Hm.

As I mentioned in the last post, I spent a few days in lovely Seattle where I was able to spend time with the littlest Leary and of course, Vv too. We had a great time rockin' out to a Beatles cover band in the park and of course, eating cupcakes. Thanks Uncle Phil! No sooner could you say cross country cousins, then we geared up for a visit from our kin up north. We had a blast at the zoo and science museum and general all around silliness. Hard to believe that August is right around the corner... but that also means we're getting closer to CAMP!

Sand, Sun and Sparklers...

2010-07-19T21:31:00.001-05:00

While it may seem like the 4th of July was weeks ago (yeah, I know, it was) it has taken me this long to upload the photos. In fairness, I was in Seattle last week (more pics on that later) so I'm more or less right on schedule... ok, less. Anyway, the Mothers Goose and goslings had a Vitamin D packed 4th of July weekend up in Maine. The girls enjoyed all of their favorite activities with all their favorite people. And in the middle of our 4th of July BBQ, a parade broke out! Thankfully, no one called the cops. Once I figure out how to upload the video, you can see for yourself what 4 kids + 6 adults + 1 accordion equates to... although, I think you can do the math on your own. If you said "= a bunch of yahoos marching around a parking lot?" then YOU ARE CORRECT! God bless America indeed.

Even MORE Birthdays and BBQs...

2010-06-30T12:57:00.021-05:00

Let's see where were we... oh yes, June birthdays! We got to squeeze in a couple more before the month's end. First up was a visit from Auntie Paige and Luke the Boy to celebrate P's 29th. We partied like Brooklynites with pizza, beer and cupcakes on the front steps. Needless to say the kiddos had a blast with Luke and the moms had a pretty excellent time too. Next up on the birthday calendar was Auntie Ashee who brought the grown up pah-tay to Chestnut Hill. Much fun was had by all the "adults" and the kids (how did they sneak in??) loved the attention and treats. Ok, time for a 30 day vegan cleanse... well, this weekend is the 4th of July... so maybe in August.

Birthdays, Bathtubs and Bu-byes...

2010-06-21T21:50:00.001-05:00

Ok, so it's not a real bu-bye but our neighborhood BFFs the Troutmans have pulled up stakes and moved out to the country. We decided to send them off in grand style with backyard fun, a BBQ for the birthday boy and of course a group tub (is it a wonder they're leaving us??). Oh, and while we're on the subject of moving - big round of applause for Mimi and her big move! We said bu-bye to Woburn and helllllloooo Lincoln. Woo! Special thanks to Auntie Alison for spending her birthday knee deep in packing tape. And finally, speaking of birthdays, the Mothers Goose had a lovely time at this monkey's surprise birthday party this weekend. So many June birthdays, so much cake!

A Deliciously Good Time...

2010-06-09T21:59:00.001-05:00

The Mothers Goose ate their way through Memorial Day weekend and are just now emerging from the food coma. Between Flatbread Pizza, Vietnamese cooking lessons, birthday cake and BBQs, it's a wonder we could walk. Luckily there were plenty of other recreational activities to keep us busy in between meals. When we finally rolled our way home, Carmen decided that a cleansing mud bath was in order. Whew, can we have another 3 day weekend please??

Sun, Sun, Sun Here it Comes...

2010-05-23T22:11:00.001-05:00

I should knock on something, because we have had a delightful stretch of beautiful pre-summer weather for the past 72 hours. This allowed us to attend an outdoor birthday party pal around with some old friends, and tend to the yard a bit. Quite the eventful weekend for the Mothers Goose. Oh, and overnight Lucia learned to draw this. Seriously folks, she was not doing this yesterday (and we draw every_day believe me, we would have noticed).

The Mother of All Sundays...

2010-05-09T20:12:00.000-05:00

First off, let me extend a very warm and heartfelt "happy mother's day" to all those amazing women in our lives who help make Mama Mer and I better mothers - either through exemplary parenting skills or to illustrate what not to do to your child. HA! I kid, I kid. But seriously, this is by far the toughest job not allowed on a resume and hats off to everyone out there getting it done day in, day out. Another mother has been very kind to us recently with a stretch of lovely weather. The girls took advantage of it for the annual Ellen's House Egg Hunt at the JP arboretum and some backyard fun. Speaking of tough jobs, I think all these doctor visits are giving Luce some good ideas... I just wish she had a bigger pool of test patients. Finally, the girls and I had a great Mother's Day that started with a trip to that beacon of culinary diversity (the INTERNATIONAL house of pancakes) and ended with a visit to the Dogwood, with our Mimi.

Our Miami Vacation: It Was the Best of Times... No Actually, It Sucked.

2010-04-24T21:00:00.000-05:00

Ok folks, no need to sugar coat it... our getaway to Miami was a unmitigated disaster. We booked this trip long ago as a much needed respite from our hectic runaround crazy everyday lives. However, little did we know that when we got down there both of our kids would get sick (Luce with her omnipresent croup) and Carmen with a double ear infection. As we witnessed the steady decline of our children (and any hopes of relaxation with it) I made the vow never to leave the house again. I am not kidding. I love you all dearly, but from now on - - you come to me. Perhaps I would feel differently if we did not have to visit 2 emergency rooms in Miami (the first one didn't take Blue Cross Blue Shield - WHHAAAT?) and then at the second hospital with Carmen burning up from a 104 degree fever being told, "oh, it's probably just her teeth" and then the "doctor" (I never did see any credentials) declaring her fine with a probable sore throat. GAH! Of course, when we got back to Boston we made a b-line for the pediatrician's office where they found she had 2 raging ear infections. Nice. Thanks Miami. Thanks for nothing! Aside from the sickly children and the broken down house we rented (perhaps a post for another day) we did manage to salvage a few good moments like these. So yes the house had a fun pool, and we got to see some cool stuff, and hang out with our pals (thank god we had them around) but all in all we were never so glad to come back to our house with a ripped open basement. Oh, and FEMA was here this morning. God I need a vacation...

Here Comes Peter Cottontail...

2010-04-04T20:27:00.000-05:00

Apologies for the delayed blogging fan(s). We're still recovering from the great flood of 2010... fortunately for us, the IRS extended our tax deadline (hooray federal disaster areas!). Now if only Obama would come do our laundry and clean our our basement. That's ok, when the going gets tough - the tough get dancing. The tough also retreat to Maine (yes, with our dirty laundry in tow - hello 19 again). The Easter Bunny kept our girls very busy this weekend with egg hunts at Nonne and Papas AND egg hunts at our house (thanks Auntie Ashee)... it's a wonder they are asleep right now. And what better way to wrap up a 74 degree Easter weekend then with a little opening day cheer. Let's Go Sox!

Up On The Watershed...

2010-03-17T21:37:00.000-05:00

Ok, so this picture is neither cute, nor funny but this is what we've been dealing with for the past 3 days. Thanks to the 11" of rainfall, our basement looks more like Jamaica Pond than a lovely, finished playroom. Luckily, we've had some distractions from the disaster such as this birthday and that birthday. Oh yeah, and Carmen was taken out by a clothes rack at J Crew. All in all, it's been a banner month... luck of the Irish my arse.

I'm Number One! or I'm #1!

2010-02-20T21:21:00.000-05:00

Ok, so Carmen doesn't officially turn 1 until the 23rd but, um, we won't be around for that so, um, yeah... Parents of the year Part I. Annnnyway, we had a lovely party with our framily to celebrate this giant milestone. The children (including us) were spoiled by Mimi, Papa and Nonne, Auntie Mia made a special guest appearance and of course the other usual suspects (Keyser Söze is the one in the yellow hat). Unlike her sister, Carmen wasn't so sure about those cupcake things - good thing this guy showed her how to get into it. Carmen could also use some lessons about blowing out candles, but we all enjoyed her method as well - - once we collectively exhaled. Parents of the year Part II. Happy Birthday Carmen, we love you... and are so glad you (and we) made it.

We've Been Talkin' 'bout Jackson...

2010-02-09T21:40:00.002-05:00

and he's cuter than a pepper sprout! Despite a pox having fallen on the house of Mothers Goose (3 out of 4 felled by some malady or other) we had a fantastic visit with Jackson and his mom and dad. Naturally, Lucia and Carmen took to Jackson right away and quickly initiated him in the world of Friday Night Pizza Parties, Dorothy Gale, and kabuki theater. The Seattleites were also on hand to help celebrate Mimi's birthday and cook up some mean Super Bowl grub. The visit was far too short and confirms yet again, that Seattle is too far for our cousins! Nevertheless, we love seeing them and it's our turn to get on a plane next. Ok, I'm off to tend to my daughter hacking up a lung in the next room. Is it Spring yet??

I Will Tackle You With Love...

2010-01-31T20:24:00.003-05:00

That's how we do it in this house. As aforementioned in the last post, our little Carmen has been finding her feet this month. With the assistance of her trusty wagon, she has been a woman on the go go go. Speaking of women on the go, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the network of women who helped rescue Mama Mer this week while I was away and she was stranded with two sick kiddos and a boatload of work. Mimi, Nonne, Catherine, Nancy, holy Mary mother of god?? seriously I felt a little better knowing my girls were in such good hands. Which is more than I can say for poor Sadie, who when my back was turned was at the mercy of Lucia's accessorizing skills.

Trouble? It's in the Bag...

2010-01-22T21:07:00.003-05:00

Blanket apology for those missing thank you notes: sorry, we've been too distracted by cuteness. I feel like I'm behind in EVERYTHING which is not good because you know who is turning one next month... ONE!... and we have yet to plan a party. Gah. Where the flip did this year go? Despite our constant staring at the back of an 8-ball we have managed to squeeze in a few important milestones over the past few weeks. We recreated scenes from Ice Castles (sort of) and went to see Dr. Tooth. Speaking of teeth, Carmen is up to at least 6 of 'em and working on some more... and she's just about ready to take some independent steps. Perhaps she can walk to her own party (once we figure out what that will be)... sigh.

Fa la la la laaaaa la la la whew.

2009-12-31T21:28:00.001-05:00

The Mothers Goose is officially done with 2009. We sipped our last drink, ate our last app, "put our hands up" for the last time and bid adieu to a whirlwind of a year. Fortunately for us, we were able to celebrate the holidays and end of year with those that make us feel warm and fuzzy - the remarkable cast of characters that is our framily (friends + family). We kicked off our white Christmas with a wonderful visit from the Seattle based Leary Reevesssesss. Veronica had no trouble getting into the spirit of Christmas in New England - that is until mean Auntie Mer took away her hat and gloves and handed her over to Lucia. Good thing the week was filled with more cheers than jeers - I think a lot of smiles can be attributed to the constant matching of outfits. So Santa came and it was like the North Pole exploded in our living room. It's a darn good thing the kids enjoyed themselves (this just in: kids *love* Christmas, who knew??) because I fear our house will never be the same. Of course, December 25th was not the end of our festive fun... no sooner did we say goodbye to the Leary Reevessss than we packed up our car with dirty laundry and headed to Maine to celebrate birthdays and get more toys! So with 2009 drawing to a close, we knew we could squeeze in a few more drinks, a few more tasty morsels and a few more laughs with our BFFs from the mile square city. Carmen worked her charms on Luke, while Lucia worked to perfect her Jersey hair and attitude - quite frankly, I think she nailed it.
Oh, and one last thing happened in 2009 - Carmen started to talk. Well, we think she can anyway - she can say "mama"(usually when she's really, really mad... grrrreat), "see", "eyes" and I know I've heard some approximation of the word "cat." I'm sure it won't be long until she's chatting away like her older sister who according to Mimi, introduced herself to a waitress by saying, "Hello, my name is Lucia and I have two moms!" Love it.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year?

2009-12-12T21:15:00.003-05:00

Well, some of us think so anyway... With a mere 13 days until Christmas, the Mothers Goose has been very busy with flock festivities. Mama Mer and Mimi braved the mall crowds to take the girls to meet the man with the bag and some had more fun than others. While Carmen was busy screaming bloody murder, Lucia managed to squeeze in some very specific gift requests for Santa - "a pink backpack, a Dorothy doll and a suitcase with a handle." What can I say, the girl knows what she wants.
The festivities continued with our second annual trip to see the Boston Pops with Luce's BFF (she told him so today) Owen. We all had a wonderful time singing along with Santa and the symphony, and if any of you (Nonne) are interested in a fantastic arrangement of the 12 Days of Christmas, I highly suggest this download. Speaking of three French hens... here's Carmen eating some chicken. Enjoy.

It's the Magic Number...

2009-11-23T22:01:00.002-05:00

With the dawn of Lucia's third (3rd!!!!) birthday I have been singing Sunrise, Sunset all_week_long. Perhaps a little premature, but I don't remember growing older - when did she? So yes, Lucia turned 3 on the 19th and we've been on a birthday bender ever since. On her actual birthday, Ellen was kind enough to send home the rest of the cake she made so of course we recycled. And Lucia got to open some presents, including some really cool stuff from her Jersey boy Luke. This was all prep for the big birthday event - SUNDAY, SUNDAY, SUNDAY! Lucia had a loosely themed party ("her favorite things") which involved lots of costumes, the Wizard of Oz, Papa's sauce, eggrolls and pancakes. I believe a good time was had by all and once again we couldn't have pulled it off without the help of our family and friends (Nonne, Mimi, Auntie Ashlee - - thank you!!). This morning Lucia woke up and said, "I had a really fun party... now I want my 4 year old party." I told her she'd have to wait a bit for that one.

Don't Fall On Me...

2009-11-06T20:45:00.004-05:00

What is it up in the air for? Well Halloween came and went and to the amazement of *no one* our children went through a few costume changes. Despite the big lead up to being Tinkerbell for Halloween, when it came down to the actual Halloween day itself Lucia decided she couldn't leave her alter ego behind. It was such a nice weekend for trick or treating, even the Mothers Goose got in on the act. Now will someone please come and take our leftover candy? PLEASE??

Give Peas A Chance...

2009-10-27T21:39:00.002-05:00

As you can see, Carmen is fast following in her sister's foodie footsteps. Avacado, turkey, banana and rice are at the top of her list so far... we gave her one of Lucia's first foods, but she didn't devour quite the way Luce did back in the day. And speaking of treats, the girls got a visit from Nonne complete with fairs, face painting and my all time fall favorite. We all had a blast and Nonne, being the super trooper that she is, even came to watch my football game in the pouring rain/snow... I'm sure her feet will thaw sometime in the spring.

We Really, Really Love Fall...

2009-10-13T21:16:00.003-05:00

Let's see, where were we... oh right, updating the blog. Ok, so my time out on "baby bonding" leave has been a bit hectic so sue me (I double dog dare you). Well much has happened since last I wrote: Lucia and Carmen have a brand new cousin, Jackson McDevitt Leary [insert link to Jackson's blog here - hint, hint Uncle Sean], Carmen has sprouted 2 bottom teeth and I have officially entered my "late 30s" - blargh. Luckily my birthday blues were mitigated by a lovely weekend up in Maine with my family. Mama Mer continued her exploration of unique recreational activities, Lucia enjoyed sampling the wares at the farmer's market, and Carmen was along for the ride. Lucia and Carmen also enjoyed spending quality time with their cousins. That is until Lucia thew a diva sized fit and the Mothers Goose had to cut their trip short (I think Nonne and Papa are still recovering). Speaking of the diva, she has had *a lot* to say lately. Things like: "I used to be afraid of owls, but now I'm brave of them" (makes sense right?) and "Last day we went to the zoo" (I assume that's a mix of last night and yesterday?) or the name of her latest persona "Princess Semi-Circle" (????). Anyway, when she comes out with zingers like these it's hard to stay mad at her for cutting my weekend short - - but she'd better keep them coming. And as for Carmen, well now that the teeth are through she's back to her smiley, happy self again. She decided to pull herself up to a stand this weekend so now it's only a matter of time before all hell breaks loose...

Staycation All I Ever Wanted...

2009-09-21T20:38:00.005-05:00

Staycation no need to get away. So as we mentioned, the Mothers Goose decided to camp it at home during Labor Day weekend - literally. We took advantage of the great weather and embarked on various adventures in this city they call Boston. For one trip, we walked along the water to Castle Island where we enjoyed a picnic by the lovely scenery and partook in other recreational activities. This trip was also noteworthy for the fact that Lucia was asked to be in a music video. No joke. We happened to run into a friend of ours who was there with her work filming a music video. Just so happens they were also scouting the location for a young starlet to play a pivotal role (she handed the singer a love note). Needless to say Lucia adored the spotlight and nailed it take after take. I'll keep you posted if it winds up on MTV anytime soon!
The next day we took the ferry out to Georges Island where we got to do a lot of running around and reenact scenes from Taps (ok, so that was just me).
While we were sad to say goodbye to the last days of summer, the beginning of fall brought some significant firsts - solid foods, football and haircuts.

Hold On To Your Hats...

2009-09-04T20:10:00.006-05:00

Despite a slllllow start the Mothers Goose is winding the summer up with a bang. Last weekend our big haired friends from Jersey showed up to cure our summertime blues. Lucia, Luke and Carmen had a blast playing together and apparently so did we. Friends are fun. And speaking of fun - did someone say carousel?! We decided to park it at home for this three day weekend and ventured out into the city for some urban fun. Kennedy carousels, sea dogs and lunch at an Irish bar - sounds like a perfect Friday in Boston to me.

Happy Half Birthday Baby Carmen!

2009-08-23T20:14:00.002-05:00

To celebrate her 6 months on the planet, Carmen gave Mothers Goose the bestest present ever - she slept through the night 2 nights in a row! Of course, now I probably just jinxed it but whatever, I'm running on 7 straight hours of sleep... I don't know what to do with myself. Amazing what a full night of sleep can do for you really, we've had the most productive weekend ever. Which is doubly impressive considering the current heat wave. Of course, kids know exactly how to beat the heat where as moms just clean. I have pretty much cleared the master bedroom of the last vestige of babydom - - anyone in the market for a used baby glider?? Oh, speaking of kids I promised cuteness updates. First the half birthday girl: Carmen has been doing the funniest repetitive arm extension/pull toy into mouth thing that I've tried to capture on camera but keep failing. It's like a rapid motion arm curl to the head/mouth move that is occasionally painful depending on the toy she is holding. Head bonks aside, it is adorable and we love it. As for her big sister, her vocabulary continues to amaze us (she used the word "peculiar" to describe a sound the other day) as does her negotiation skills (must be the lawyer in her). For example the other day we drove by a public pool in the Boston College part of Brookline. She asked if she could go swimming there and I said no, that pool is for big kids. Now she knows that Carmen is a baby and we're always calling her a "big sister" so she said, "But I'm a big kid!" and we said, "No, that pool is for kids in college." To which she screamed, "I want to go to college! Please, mom can I go to college pleeeeeeeaaaaase??!?" Yeah, I'll remind her of this very conversation 16 years from now when she tells me she wants to take some time off to explore Europe.

Ayuh, That's a Wicked Good Vacation

2009-08-18T18:52:00.007-05:00

Another sandy beach, another naked baby. Life *is* good. So Mothers Goose has taken a chapter out of the European lifestyle manual and decided to take the summer off. Well, not really but a two week vacation plus company mandated furlough is a pretty sweet way to spend August. As usual we packed up the contents of our entire house and headed north "upta camp" as the Mainers say. What was different this year (besides the whole kids thing) was that the weather actually cooperated. Nothing beats spending time with family and friends, by the water, drink in hand and the sound of Yahtzee rattling in the background. After a waterlogged two weeks on the lake we then spent some R&R in Portland with my folks, ate cake for Maria's something or other (don't say birthday) and ventured out to the OOB. I'll post more on that later along with some of the latest kid cuteness - i.e. Carmen's stupid human tricks and Lucia wants to matriculate. Stay tuned.

Hello Summer, Nice of You to Show...

2009-07-21T18:17:00.004-05:00

I find it hard to believe that our first trip to the beach didn't happen until the middle of July. Furthermore, I find it REALLY hard to believe that our first trip to the beach was here. No matter, Lucia and Carmen had a great day despite the 90 degree heat. Lucia has (finally) had plenty of chances to break in her new bathing suit - from frolicking at birthday parties to visiting her BFF's summer home, the Mothers Goose summer is in full swing. Oh and in order to live up to her sister's larger than life persona, Carmen has been puuuurfecting her Jellicle cat routine. Broadway here we come!

Let the Sunshine In...

2009-07-10T18:36:00.003-05:00

The clouds finally parted in Boston, just in time for a visit from the cousins. It was a real treat since they decided to stay in a hotel (not that we mind housing them AT ALL) but the kids had great fun splashing in the lap pool. Not sure the other patrons doing actual laps appreciated the frolicking, but we certainly did. After peeling the kids out of the pool we managed to fit in visits to the children's museum and the zoo... and not a drop of rain in sight! The past week also ushered in a new milestone for Carmen - solid(ish) food! She has shown interest in whatever we're eating, so we thought she'd like to try some of her own. Turns out, she's definitely one of us - she loves food. First step rice cereal, next step eggrolls and meatballs.

See This? It's Mine Now.

2009-06-30T20:26:00.004-05:00

Ok, so technically she's ours now. Yesterday was Carmen's big adoption day and for any readers out there wondering why gay marriage is necessary - this is one big reason why. In order for me to become one of Carmen's "official" parents Meredith had to surrender her parental rights, process an ungodly amount of paperwork, let it work it's way through the system and then boom, 4 months later hooray I'm a mom. Please forgive my lack of elloquence here but, "NO DUH." The whole thing is ludicrous and waste of money and time for all. Seriously people, you're just delaying the inevitable. Get over it already. (Fran steps off of soap box and resumes lighthearted tone).
It was a lovely ceremony and Carmen really appreciated the attendance of her Mimi, Nonne and Papa (who woke up at the crack of dawn to drive down from Maine in the pouring rain). Lucia played a key role in the adoption, expertly wielding the judge's gavel (or hammer as she called it) and signing her name to the decree. Being the high rollers that we are, we then celebrated with breakfast at iHOP proving once again that my family of four females has just as bad taste as a family of four in any given red state.

Several Very Cute Reasons for the Delay...

2009-06-21T21:17:00.003-05:00

Carmen of course being one of the major reasons (4 months, still not sleeping through the night - COME ON KID). We keep reminding Carmen that it's a good thing she's so cute - even in the middle of the night when she has a death grip on Mama Mer's shirt. We really do need to find her a better pacifier. Another reason for the lack of blog updates - trying to keep up with this one. And then of course our various activities and engagements not the least of which included the semi-annual Maine lobster and beerfest - a.k.a. family reunion. Despite the deluge that has been June, we have had a very fun filled month. I know I have a lot of catching up to do, but right now my battery is dying - figuratively and literally. Good night kids, good night Mer, good night bloggers everywhere...

Happy Birthday Papa Stu - Luce Went Poo!

2009-05-26T20:45:00.003-05:00

That's almost how tonight's phone conversation went... almost. Since the girls came down with their 245th cold of the year, we did not go to Maine for the long weekend and so we missed out on BBQs and birthday cake but we made the most of our quarantine. We decided to kick Luce's diaper habit once and for all! Luce was really interested in the potty about 3 months ago, but the Mothers Goose was slightly distracted at the time. So we missed the window then, but decided to smash it back open this weekend and so far so good! Lucia was so excited about her potty usage tonight she had to call Nonne and Papa right away. In her haste to tell Papa Stu her news, she buried the headline which was supposed to be "Happy Birthday Papa Stu!" instead she just told him about her potty productivity. At least Lucia can be sure no one else wished him a happy birthday in quite the same way. Ok, enough with the scatological humor, it's beneath me (HA!)...
Despite being a little snotty, Luce and Carmen had a full calendar of activities including visits from gift bearing friends, receiving gentleman callers and taking a spin on some new wheels. It was a banner weekend to be sure.

Thank You Enablers, Really...

2009-05-24T19:26:00.005-05:00

In case any of you were wondering, the glow of the Emerald City (no Uncle B, not Seattle) is still shining over here in Brookline. Thanks in part to our extended family network who, much like crack dealers, continue to supply her with the goods. Exhibit A: this picture. Uncle B and Auntie Alison provided the authentic Dorothy dress and our dear friends Merrily and Don, grandparents to Hoboken's own Luke the Boy, were kind enough to think of Lucia whilst purging their attic library. They came across a book once owned by their daughter Paige (yes, that Paige) and thought Lucia would appreciate it. Well, needless to say Luce did... big time. Our other dear friends (?) Cathy and Kelby really kicked things off 3 months ago when they thought big sister Lucia would like a "hey your moms have a new baby and you may not see them for 5 days" gift. Not only was this an exact replica of her favorite character, but she sings too. Grrrrreat. And finally, last weekend we went up to Maine so Nonne could take Lucia and the crew to see a middle school production of Oz - or a "retelling" as it was billed. There were no musical numbers, Dorothy didn't wear a blue dress, Glinda was more of a hippie love child with a flowered mumu and the flying monkeys had black wings, but Lucia could not take her eyes off that stage. After the play, Mama Mer took her up to meet Glinda... and then Lucia's head exploded. The look on her face was priceless. It's moments like that, and like this that really makes it all worth it in the end (please excuse my Mama Rose-esque coaching in the background).
And just because I haven't mentioned her at all, Carmen was there too!

Happy Mother's Day Squared...

2009-05-10T19:26:00.002-05:00

Just a quick post tonight to say "Happy Mother's Day" to all the mothers out there - you know who you are (I hope). Our day started off a little shaky since Luce was up a bunch during the night. She has developed a fear of bees (don't look at me) and now wakes up thinking there are bees in her bed. We sent her to bed with a special bee banishing wand (a.k.a. flashlight) so we're hoping that works. So with not much sleep under her belt, Lucia was a bit of a crank this morning but after a nice long nap she turned things around this afternoon. Carmen on the other hand had a great day and is getting bigger by the minute. Both girls took a brief moment to send Mother's Day wishes to their Mimi and Nonne. And now, it's time for Mama Mer and I to enjoy our Mother's Day - she just handed me a beer. Ahhhh :-)

Yes, Veronica, There Really Is a Baby Carmen...

2009-05-03T19:08:00.003-05:00

Although you wouldn't know it from the dearth of photographic evidence seen here. Carmen, I swear we're trying but somehow your older sister and cousin grabbed most of the spotlight (I suppose by the time you can read this you'll be well used to it). So yes, the Seattle contingent of the Leary Reeves clan braved their way to Brookline to see if in fact this "baby Carmen" was the real deal. Well, it didn't take long for Carmen to christen their clothing before they were believers. In addition to surviving a torrent of baby vomit, our guests were also kind enough to cook and clean and launder for us. It was simply wonderful. Please come back.
While the visit from Auntie Alison, Uncle B and Baby Veronica was certainly the highlight of the past few weeks, we have enjoyed some other fun events as well. Such as co-ed bath time pajama parties, the annual Ellen's House Egg Hunt and of course, a true rite of Spring - - breaking out the sandbox.

First Holiday As Sisters - Success!

2009-04-24T20:07:00.002-05:00

One of these days, I'll catch up on all my blogging. Not to mention the giant pile of "thank you" notes we still have to send out. And, oh yeah, Carmen's birth announcements. Ah well, such is parenthood... always behind the 8 ball (shake, shake, - reply hazy, try again). So back to Easter. We were on the fence as to weather or not to head up to Maine due to Carmen's super pukeyness and lack of sleepitude. But as our wise daycare provider once said, "Sometimes the only way out is through" so up we went. As it turns out, Carmen was a rock star and had a great time hanging out with all the Mainers. Not that you'd know it from the pictures, but there were other people at Easter I swear. Next up, I'll tell you about the great visit we just had from Uncle B, Auntie Alison and Baby V. Look for that sometime in June.

I'm Dorothy Gale From Kansas...

2009-04-14T07:58:00.002-05:00

Ok, so at long last here is a sneak peak at the Wizard of Oz madness that has consumed our household. We have Ellen to thank (blame?) for all of this. The kids at daycare LOVE to dress up as the different characters and act out scenes from the movie (they've only seen snippets - no flying monkeys thank you very much). Of course, Lucia's favorite character is Glinda (pink! pink! frilly pink!), but here you see her sporting the Dorothy dress and showing off her ruby slippers. We have more photos somewhere, and once I find them I promise to post. Lucia has assigned roles for every member of the family as well - I'm usually the Wicked Witch (trying not to read into that one much), Nonne is always Auntie Em, Mimi is Toto, sometimes Mama Mer gets to be Glinda too, and Carmen of course is a Munchkin. Lucia knows all of the words to all of the songs (Judy G. would be so proud) and she also knows a bunch of the dialog. Our favorites are when she says, "I'm Dorothy Gale from Kansas!" (she's never just Dorothy) or when in the Wicked Witch voice she says, "Who killed my sister?!? Was it youuuu?" that one gets me every time.
Speaking of Carmen, we realize she's been getting short shifted so we're trying to make up for it... I just need to be better about blogging it. These days, Carmen seems to be doing better with her reflux (oh yeah, did I mention we got another spitter?? Thanks a lot God.) now if we can just get her sleeping through the night. We have such low expectations since Luce didn't do that until 6 months out, but we're holding out hope that Carmen can get there soon. Our family could use the rest. Luckily, we've been keeping busy with fun activities so maybe sleep is overrated. Well no. No it's not.

That's A Cute Concept

2009-03-26T20:48:00.004-05:00

In Carmen's first four weeks of life, she has been blessed with many, many visitors. Auntie Jo Jo paid us a visit all the way from San Francisco and did a great job of caring for all four of us. Since last I blogged, we celebrated Meredith's birthday, had a quick visit from Auntie Mia and even managed to go out to dinner. Sorry for the lapse in posts, but between the newborn, trips to the hospital for various members of the family and doctors visits for every member of the family for various ailments, we have had our hands FULL. Luckily, Lucia is diving headlong into her big sister role, and has started helping us with chores around the house. Jury is still out as to whether this is helping or creating more work. We are sitting for our first family photo shoot tomorrow, so keep your fingers crossed for good moods and good hair for all. P.S., the title is a quote from a sales lady at a children's clothing store today. Upon check-out, she looked at both of us with baby Carmen and said "Oh, you are both the mothers? That's a cute concept."

2 Weeks Down, 1300 To Go...

2009-03-10T20:41:00.004-05:00

As I type this, I am holding baby Carmen who is delightfully asleep. I say this not because she is happy to be asleep (although I'm sure she is), but because I AM happy she is asleep. You may recall that Lucia was not a sleeper. Ever. In fact we had a battle royale tonight with her at bedtime - 2 year olds with new siblings... testing limits anyone? (Don't worry, we won). Anyway, so far Carmen seems to be the opposite of Lucia as an infant so Mer and I are having a great time watching our baby sleep. It is amazing. And speaking of baby Carmen, Mama Mer wanted to be sure I capture her birth story before we forget it... so here it is from 2 weeks ago (picture it Sicily, 1942):
Monday, February 23 - 3:00am
Mer gently shakes me awake and says, "I think I'm having some cramping." My first reaction is, well honestly I don't think I had one - I was pretty out of it. So she gets up and waddles off to walk around, drink water, etc. I am half awake, half asleep when Mer suggests I get "the book" (What to Expect of course). Being the helpful wife I am, I retrieve the book and set it at her feet. The cramps are increasing by this point and with a touch of pain/annoyance in her voice Meredith suggests I look up "labor signs." I flip to the page and we check off each sign as it's happening to Mer. Crap. We did not prepare for this. What's the point of a scheduled c-section after all?? sheesh. (FYI, Mer was induced with Lucia so we never went through this before). By this point it's around 4am and Mer tells me to call Mimi and have her come down to be there for Luce. Now Mimi lives about 20 minutes away and the frequency of the winces coming from Mer tell us we can't wait that long. We call for back up. I ring our good friend Cathy (who we can never repay for this) at 4:10am and she is here in a flash. Oh, did I mention we had an ice storm and we all had to spend precious minutes scraping our cars?? Talk about llama drama. So we get to the hospital at 4:30am and away we go...
B&W Hospital - 4:30am
I pull up into the valet parking area and no one is there to do the key hand off. I'm in full on panic mode (helpful I know) so I just grab our bags and leave the car running. The 16 year old security guard at the front desk says he'll watch it. Um, not feeling confident about that but no time to argue with Skippy. We make our way up to labor and delivery where we meet our on call doctor (very nice woman in the practice, but a complete stranger to us). Meredith discusses her need to have the "highest ranking anesthesiologist in the hospital" perform her spinal because last time there was a leak and blood patches and repeat visits and pain and it was BAD. Of course then in walks the unsuspecting anesthesiologist Resident... Mer takes one look at him and says, "Are you a Resident? I'm sorry but you're not doing my spinal. No." It was classic Meredith... in full on labor no less. We finally got a Fellow paged and on the job but by now Mer was at 9cm and time for a c-section was running out.
OR Waiting Area - 6:05am
I'm sitting around in my scrubs trying to process everything that's happened and is about to. I'm failing miserably. Instead I focus my attention on an ant crawling around on the floor. An ant? In the OR? That can't be good can it?
OR - 6:18am
If any of you have witnessed a c-section you know it is a hectic affair. There were a ton of people in there (including the dejected Resident) milling around and then all of a sudden we hear... "you have another girl!" Wait! I wasn't ready! You didn't tell me to get my camera ready! Arrrrrgh! Meredith and I were both stunned. We really thought we were having a boy. Really, really, really.

So there you have it Carmen - there's your birth story. You were so excited to meet us you just had to wake us up (and Mimi and Cathy) and make an early appearance. That's ok, we won't hold it against you (but we will remind you of it every chance we get).

Let the Sibling Rivalry Commence!

2009-03-02T20:57:00.003-05:00

In case any of you are wondering where we've been this week, the short answer is in the hospital - all of us. Not content to let Carmen steal the spotlight for even a second, Lucia decided to come down with a nasty case of the croup on Tuesday night (yes, a mere 24 hours after the birth of her sister) that landed her in the hospital (a different one) for an overnight stay. Awesome. So poor Mama Mer and brand spankin new Carmen had to go it alone sans sister and Mama Fran while we enjoyed an all night bender of Thomas the Train hospital videos and sampled their breakfast fare. Lucia was a trooper through the whole ordeal and I was a Thomas the Trainwreck. Luce and I left her hospital around 1ish on Wednesday and luckily Nonne arrived shortly thereafter to cheer her up. Meanwhile back at the other hospital, Mimi was taking care of Mama Mer and Carmen (we were quarantined of course) and holding down the fort until we could all be reunited on Friday. Whew.
Back at home the sisters seemed to get along just fine - of course, the exchanging of presents always helps. I have a million other things to blog about - remind me to tell you about Lucia's Wizard of Oz obsession - but right now, I have to go nab some sleep. We'll all be up very, very soon.

Heeeeeeeeeeeeere's Carmen!

2009-02-24T14:43:00.003-05:00

Bowing to popular demand, here are a few shots of our newest little bundle of joy joy joy. Thanks for all the nice notes of love and support - we are very lucky there's WiFi here in the hospital. Meredith and Carmen are doing great and Lucia and I are holding down the fort at home (all night pizza parties!). I promise to continue taking photos, but in the meantime enjoy these.

The answers are: 63, 45, 17

2009-02-08T20:50:00.004-05:00

Questions:
How many rings are there on a Mimi tree?
How many years have my folks been hitched?
How many days before we hatch spawn #2?
Another busy weekend here in Mothers Goose land. On Saturday we celebrated Mimi's birthday Lucia style - with cake, food and dancing (in that order). Lucia had a grand old time entertaining everyone and cutting a rug with Mimi's BFF Cheryl. If Luce's enthusiasm for parties now is any indication of years yet to come, we're in trouble with a capital T and that rhymes with B and that stands for bail. Speaking of delinquents - big shout out to my folks for celebrating 45 years of marriage this weekend. Lucia is expecting a piece of your anniversary cake in the mail.
Also, that pesky global warming trend allowed us to build a snowman in warm weather today - a most enjoyable task when you're not frozen.
Finally, since we have done ZERO pregnancy documenting this time around, and since Mer is too exhausted to protest... do you think she is ready to be done with this whole thing or what? I really do owe her one.. or as she says, "No, you owe me TWO."

Big Round of Applause for Nonne!

2009-01-27T18:28:00.002-05:00

She was the first to respond with the correct answer to:

"Who was Jesus' grandmother?"

Here is her reply:

Jesus' grandmother was the mother of Mary - Ann was her name. Do I win? Being as how they were Jewish I guess she was the Bubbe.

50 points to Nonne and another 5 for being funny. She must get that from me.

Random Musings of A Two Year Old...

2009-01-26T19:47:00.005-05:00

Thanks to Uncle B for the Obama-themed Luce picture. I think she looks quite presidential, don't you? Speaking of nonsensical things... We were just putting Luce down for bed and she turned to me and said, "I want to tell you a question" then proceed to construct an elaborate tale involving a boat, a fish and Dorothy (from the Wizard of Oz). There is so much stuff filling her little brain right now, it's just spilling over into cuteness right and left. What is not so cute are the 4:30 wake up calls, "MOMMMMYYYY I NEED MY BLANKKKKIEEE." Not cute at all. Don't worry, we're getting her back with pictures like this: In case you're wondering, Luce is sporting football covered pajamas that say "Daddy's Team" and an invention called the Turbi Twist (thanks Nonne) and yes, it is as awesome as the Sham-wow, or the Snuggie. We're hoping for those in our stocking next year. One last funny Luce story, then I'm off to the couch: so we have an ashtray with the picture of Jesus on it that says, "Jesus Hates It When You Smoke" (thanks Laura and Erin). Being the classy ladies that we are, it's sitting on our desk and Luce came across it the other day and pointed to Jesus and said, "He's crying. He's sad..." (he does look rather mournful) and she continued, "He's sad because he misses his grandmother." A bonus 50 points for you theologians out there who can name Jesus' grandmother. GO!

Look Kids, A Real President!

2009-01-20T21:26:00.004-05:00

Ok so Lucia will most likely NOT remember this day, but her parents sure will. Against her protestations, we did dress her in red, white and blue (she wanted pink... of course). And I am happy to report that Lucia can identify our 44th President on the TV - "Look, it's Baaak Omama!" Besides spending time to savor this moment in history, we've been quite busy with some important events of our own, namely:

Anthony's 4th birthday party where Lucia literally jumped for joy. We had to drag her out of there. Perhaps we should invest some gymnastics equipment?

A fun visit from the Caseys and Rosellas. Lucia bonded with Luke, read with Paul and fell in love with Paige and all her girly accessories. I think the highlight of Luce's weekend was digging through Paige's purse and trying on her lip gloss. She really didn't want them to leave, and cried a bunch saying "it's hard to leave children." So true dear, so true.

Buying Lucia a big girl bed. In fact, she's sleeping in it for the first time tonight. Keep your fingers crossed! Update: she's already fallen out once, but don't worry, the mattress is on the floor so it didn't even wake her up!

Happy hack New sneeze Year cough

2009-01-04T20:49:00.003-05:00

So the holidays absolutely knocked us on our collective butts. We all had the plague - - cough, fever, congestion, apathy (ok, maybe that last one was just me). Poor Luce, we spent all of Christmas day debating weather or not to take her to the emergency room. We didn't, but had to cut our trip short and bring her to the doctor just to be sure she didn't have TB (I mean her cough sounded like she had a 2-pack a day habit). Of course, despite her illness, Luce still managed to enjoy herself (adoring family, sugar and gifts will do that to a kid). Now that we're just about 100%, we have to adjust back to our work schedules and the daily grind. This break has been so nice and relaxing (Luce is even sleeping for us!), I'm not looking forward to Monday. Not one bit.

It's Beginning to Taste A Lot Like Christmas...

2008-12-21T11:04:00.003-05:00

Old man winter socked us good this weekend, which was fine by me since I'm officially on vacation. Woo! Luckily we were able to venture out on Saturday morning with our pals Cathy, Kelby and Owen to see the Pops Holiday concert. It was a very merry affair and Luce was super excited to have another occasion to wear her fancy dress. The concert was just the thing to kick start our holiday vacation - with yuletide imagery, Christmas carol sing alongs and even an appearance by St. Nick himself. My cup of good cheer runneth over.
With more snow on the way, we decided to put Lucia's new snow suit to the test early this morning. Like a true intrepid New Englander, she took to the snow with gusto. I even showed her how to make a snow angel... but since I am neither two nor outfitted with giant snowsuit, I had to retreat to the study to warm up. Brrrrrr.

Deck the Halls With Eee-commerce...

2008-12-17T21:19:00.004-05:00

Sorry for the lag in posts, but Mama Mer has been hogging the computer for the past few weeks furiously Christmas shopping the 21st century way. Amazon.com and our UPS guy must hate us. I think we place an order there at least once a day. Heaven forbid we get organized and place one big order... oh no, better to have multiple visits from UPS and fill up my garage with cardboard. Good news is I think we're almost done. I think.
And now, the current random acts of Luce cuteness:
- She pronounces the word remote (as in, the remote for her train) like "tr'mote." It is the oddest thing. "Where's my tr'mote? Have you seen my tr'mote?"
- She's going through a slight Nemo obsession phase. We watched part of it on our trip to Seattle and whip it out on very special occasions (like when Mama Fran had to pump water out of the basement last week and keep Luce distracted). It puts her in a trance. Now, she runs around the house saying that she's Dory, Mama Mer is Nemo and Mama Fran is the shark. Why does Mama Mer get top billing?!?
- She is more insistent on picking out her own outfits. This was the best one yet (with thanks to Aunties Laura and Erin for the rockin' dress).

Turkey for me. Turkey for you.

2008-12-06T14:17:00.004-05:00

Let's eat turkey in a big brown shoe (first and last Sandler reference, I promise).
So here is the adorable baby Veronica - one of the four reasons for enduring two cross country red eye flights with Lucia. The other three reasons are adult related, but they're not nearly as noteworthy as baby V. Mothers Goose and Goose had a turkey terrific time out in Seattle. Lucia was spoiled rotten by her Auntie Alison and Uncle B and was even willing to share the attentions of Uncle Sean. Even though the visit was far too short, Lucia was able to squeeze in some cupcake decorating, a ride on a carousel and much coveted train ride. Sorry for the short post, but I have to go back to Lowes for more tree lights, Kleenex and chicken wire (that's for you PP).

So Many Thanks, So Little Time...

2008-11-30T19:48:00.003-05:00

Mothers Goose has so much for which to be thankful, we have to split our Thanksgiving update into two posts. Our cups runneth over with thanks...a bountiful harvest of blessings...a veritable cornucopia of gratefulness... ok, you get the idea.
Before we even laid tine to turkey, we were treated to a visit from our dear friend Schindler and her adorable daughter Annie. This visit went much better for Lucia (you may recall during their last visit, Luce was perfecting her "MINES!" line on Annie). The kids had a great time running laps around the house, jumping on randomly placed pieces of inflatable furniture and of course after dinner treats. All this was a great segue into our trip to Seattle - Luce really threw herself into packing for the trip. We had a fantastic voyage to the Emerald City, but we're still recovering from the red-eye so you'll just have to wait to hear about it!

Happy Birthday TWO you...

2008-11-19T19:39:00.003-05:00

I really can't remember what life was like two years ago BL (before Lucia), but I'm pretty sure it didn't involve a tutu cake. Yes, that was the theme of Luce's second birthday -- tutus (Mama Mer is a slave to puns). Somewhere along the line of planning this party, I guess we thought it would be a good idea to host 11 children and their parents at our place. What exactly were we thinking?! While it was a grand affair, we couldn't have possibly pulled it off without the help of Uncle Tony and Aunt Tammie (entertain Luce while we make a tutu cake!), Mimi (we forgot the cups!), Nonne (crockpot of meatballs and eggrolls!), Auntie Cathy (who has frosting equipment?!?) and anyone else I'm forgetting... thanks for keeping us somewhat sane. It's going to take awhile for Mamas to recover from this one... of course until we fly to Seattle next week!

Oh. My. Goodness.*

2008-11-07T14:29:00.003-05:00

So thanks to our unofficial team photographer (thanks Amy!) Luce was captured in all her muddy glory the other day at my football game. I wish you all could have seen her, she was as happy as a pig in... mud. Besides splashing around in filth, Luce also enjoys one of the art world's best media - - playdoh. Mama Mer is an expert playdoh maker (ask her for the recipe!) and the family spends hours (literally) of fun attempting to make all sorts of things.
Current random acts of Lucia cuteness:
- Daylight savings is wreaking havoc on our household. Luce has been getting up between 5-5:30 every morning. That is NOT time to wake up. The other morning I went in to get her and thought bringing her back into our bed would be relaxing. Boy was I wrong. The second I put her on my pillow she thew a royal hissy fit, shoving poor Meredith screaming, "Nooooo! Mama Mer out of bed! Nooo Mama Mer!" Finally I said, Lucia do you want Mama Mer to go sleep in Mimi's bed (our guest room)? She replied with an emphatic, "YESSSS!" So off went dejected, pregnant, sleepless Mama Mer. Lucia was then silent as a mouse. Not a pleasant way to start your day.
- Mama Mer overheard this snippet of Lucia's interpretation of motherhood when Luce was carrying around her baby doll: "I rock the baby. I'm baby's mama. We gonna go watch some football." How GREAT is that?
-* This is Luce's phrase of the month. Said with dramatic pauses in between each word: Oh_my_goodness. It is impossibly cute.

And the Winner Is...

2008-11-04T23:19:00.002-05:00

Change.
Well done America, well done.

Le Trick, Le Treat, Le Puff, Le Pant...

2008-10-31T19:54:00.004-05:00

Our little Pepe Le Pew had a delightfully llllong Halloween. Ellen's House kicked things off with a party last Saturday where Luce got to experience the joy of asking strangers to give her stuff for free. Then today I trotted her out to Mama Mer's office during lunch to show off her costume some more, and finally since Halloween actually falls on a Friday... Luce got the double feature trick or treat AND Friday night pizza party at the Dogwood. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to park myself on the couch and sink into a sugar coma.

Look Ma, No Hands!

2008-10-22T19:55:00.003-05:00

For your collective amusement, I thought I'd brake the "no pictures of Fran rule" and present you with this little gem. Nonne has been itching to see Mama Fran play this thing they call flag football. As you can tell, it is quite a hoot and I wind up face down in the ground... a lot. My little fan club (Nonne, Luce and Mama Mer) were very popular at the game since they came with eggrolls (as mentioned in several past posts) and buckeyes (a.k.a. the best cookies ever). Of course Lucia loved, loved, loved hanging out with Nonne and Mamas very much enjoyed watching the Red Sox with her over a glass(es) of wine (hey, remember when the Red Sox were in the playoffs?).
Current random acts of Luce cuteness:
- When she doesn't like something, she now says, "I don't like that game." For example, when protesting a diaper change, she'll cry and say, "I don't like that game!" or when we say, Lucia it's time for a tubby... "Noooo, I don't like that game!" Where do you think she got the idea that everything is a game?? Hmm.
- She's very much into playing dress up. Of course, Luce's moms are lame and only have a pile of hats and scarves for such activity. Luckily, she doesn't seem to mind.

I Don't Feel A Day Over 46...

2008-10-14T18:17:00.003-05:00

Thanks to all for the birthday well wishes! We had a fantastic weekend (thanks again for getting lost Columbus) puttering around the house and we even made it to a farm - two farms actually (Mer is standing over my shoulder and just corrected me). Our first farm trip was just to the local city farm around the corner from our house to pick out some pumpkins. Luce really got into the spirit of pumpkin picking and it was hard to leave.
****Breaking News From Tubby Town*****
Somebody has been shaving in front of my child and *it is not* me. Embarrassing detail perhaps but hey this is cold hard journalism. I have just returned from the tub front and had to report this news. So I get up there and run Luce's bath, she walks in and spies the Venus razor and makes a grab for it. I quickly pop the blade off, she takes the handle, proceeds to lift up her pant leg and begins to mock shave her legs. Then whilst in the tub she said, "shaving my legs is fun." WHAT?!?! Meredith claims innocence, so that leaves either Mimi or Ellen. Now, I doubt on Wednesdays Mimi and Luce sit around shaving legs... and Ellen has her hands full with 4 other kids, so that can't be it either. I am at a loss. Maybe Elmo had a shaving episode recently. Gah.
Where was I... oh yes, farms. After our pumpkin picking trip, we were fully prepared to take on the real deal. With Mimi in tow, we headed out to this place for a day of apple picking fun. Ok, so we didn't wind up with a single apple... but we did run into a large contingent of Mer's relatives which was far better than a piece of fruit. Lucia loved all the attention and had a grand ole time doing all sorts of things . Not a bad way to spend my birthday if I do say so myself. Finally, this gem was shot on the way home from the farm. The file is too big for Google (something they can't do??), so here it is for all the world to see.

Babies, Birthdays and Brides... Oh My!

2008-10-06T19:51:00.003-05:00

The Mothers Goose have soooo many updates this week... I don't even know where to begin. To conserve space, I think I'll try this entry old-school telegram style.

Lucia has a new cousin STOP.

Lucia will soon have a new sibling STOP.

Auntie Jo Jo and Uncle Brett came for a visit STOP.

We ate cake for my pre-birthday celebration STOP.

Lucia had the first dance at Auntie Ashee's wedding STOP.

There are more pictures form Auntie Jo Jo's (and Auntie Mia too!) visit to come... but I was getting behind in the posts, and well, now I have to go watch the Red Sox so I'm out of time. Go Sox! Go Pats! Go Home Palin! (sorry, couldn't resist).

Playing around is hard work...

2008-09-26T13:06:00.002-05:00

Now that Fall is officially here (I saw my first orange/red tree on the way to work this week), we're trying to maximize our outdoor time with Luce. This past weekend Mimi came over on Saturday and before moms snuck out for a grown up dinner (woo!) we all enjoyed some time at the playground. As you can see, Lucia is getting to know her way around the apparatuseseses. Lucia also enjoyed helping Mama Mer make some banana bread... who knew baking could be a contact sport??

What Was She Thinking?!?!

2008-09-17T19:55:00.003-05:00

Let the record show that I think Mama Mer is one of the smartest people I know; however, sometimes she makes some questionable decisions. Case in point: during the beginning of last night's bed time routine, Mama Mer settled down on the couch with a stack of books to read with Lucia. I was working on the computer in the study, happily listening to them read together... and then they got to this book. I thought it was unusual, since it's not in our typical book rotation. Nevertheless, they seemed to be enjoying it... then as I was typing away on the keyboard, I realized I didn't hear Mama Mer reading anymore. I stopped typing only to hear the heavy, heavy sobs of Mama Mer coming from the couch. Being the sympathic wife that I am, of course I started laughing at her and ran over to finish the book while she tried to gain her composure... "It's *sob* just *sob* so *sob* sad!" I know better, so I read the ending VERY quickly, wiped away a tear of my own, and closed the book. Lucia thought all of this drama was most amusing and said, "I want to read it again!" I don't think so kiddo, this book is being put away for awhile.
Ok, gotta end on a high note: check out Lucia's happy food dance. I double dog dare you not to smile.

Sunday Muddy Sunday...

2008-09-09T20:47:00.003-05:00

I don't think this picture adequately captures what a mess my daughter was on Sunday. And after the events of the Pats game, her moms were a mess too... but back to Luce. After Hurricane Hannah paid a visit on Saturday, Mama Fran got to play her season opener flag football game in a giant mud bowl on Sunday. Actually, it turned out to be a beautiful day with just pockets of puddles on the field... all of which Lucia enjoyed immensely. My #1 and #2 fans were there to cheer us on and #1 fan wisely put #2 fan (you still following?) in mud clothes. Promptly upon arriving at the field, my daughter was knee deep in a mud puddle gleefully splashing and stomping around. It was quite a sight and I wish we'd thought to take a picture... but I was too busy losing a football game. Phooey. Back and home Lucia and I enjoyed playing in the backyard where I was able to snap a few shots of my pantsless, mud covered kid. On the cuteness front, Lucia has been saying some very funny things lately:
- She loves pointing out airplanes when she sees them, but lately she thinks it could also be a helicopter. This form of logical thought isn't limited to just air vehicles. We passed a construction site the other day and she said, "It's an excavator! or maybe a digger..." Clearly the girl likes to leave her options open.
- On Saturday morning when Mama Mer retrieved her from her crib, Lucia hollered, "Mama Fraaaannnnn, where are youuuuuu???" Totally unprompted. I could no longer try and sleep in after that display of cuteness.
- We're trying very hard to teach Luce that all of her actions have consequences and if she doesn't want a) to get scratched by Sadie b) a time out c) fall off the couch, etc. she needs to listen to us. I think Luce is slowing starting to understand (I hope?) because she's also telling us the truth when she does something bad (which we try and encourage because yes bad actions are bad, but telling the truth is good... man, parenting is confusing). Anyway, she'll now say things like, "I grabbed Sadie. Sadie scratch arm." or my current favorite when I came home from running errands I asked Mer how things were going, Mer said Luce had to have a time out because she tried to hit her. So I turned to Luce and said something like, "Oh why would you hit Mama? We don't hit..." and she pouted and replied, "I bite her too."

Vacation Act III - Ahhhhhhhhhhhh

2008-09-01T19:54:00.003-05:00

The final act of our vacation brought us back to Maine and the familiar fun of "camp" at the lake. This time it was the Martin/Triggs clan playing host and we were more than happy to take them up on their offer to visit. It goes without saying that Lucia enjoyed playing in the water all_day with an assortment of playmates. Swimming, dance parties, cake... Luce was in heaven (and her moms were pretty darn happy too). After we were sufficiently water logged we packed up the Thule rack one last time and headed over to Storyland - New England's answer to Disney for the toddler set. It was a very hot day and I think Luce was running out of vacation steam, but she managed to hold on through lunch and squeeze in some fun with her cousins to boot. As I've said before, 2 week vacations really are the way to go... and come to think of it, 3 day weekends aren't too bad either.

Vacation Act II - "To The Judge!"

2008-08-27T21:00:00.005-05:00

So after we left Maine, we had a little hitch in our vacation plans. Lucia came down with a nasty chest cold and when we should have been in the car headed out to Stockbridge, we wound up at Children's Hospital getting a chest x-ray. Despite her hacking, Luce remained in good spirits and a few nebulizer treatments later she was ready to depart for western Mass the next day. Thanks to our friend Kelby's blood ties to this guy we found ourselves in the beautiful guest quarters of the ancestral Sedgwick home - it couldn't have been more perfect. We've always wanted to visit Tanglewoods and at last we were able to get there! Our visit was worth the wait, despite a grumpy usher who was not kid friendly at all (luckily Cathy gave him the what-for). For the record, our children were perfectly behaved (they even surprised us) and we all enjoyed the musical setting.
While I'm sure the kids would have been perfectly happy to stay and play inside, we had a bunch of cultcha to shove down their throats: visiting Mass MoCA, the Berkshire botanical gardens, donning faux facial hair, and last but certainly not least, visiting with our old pal Jen and her ridiculously cute son Hayden. All in all, a fabulous addition to our August vacation. Once we packed up the car, we headed back home for a quick pit stop and then... you guessed it, back up to Maine for Act III.
P.S. Mama Mer wanted to be sure I captured Lucia's cuteness du jour so we won't forget:
- One of her favorite phrases right now is, "No, I don't want to." Lucia, would you like some more beans? "No, I don't want to." Lucia, can you give Mama a hug? "No, I don't want to." Lucia, time for night night. "No, I don't want to."
- During mealtime, if Luce is really enjoying her food (e.g. mac and cheese) she does a "happy food dance" where she wiggles her body back and forth grinning from ear to ear. She must get it from me, I often do this when I'm having pizza and a beer.
- She let's us know when she's frightened. She'll get the saddest look on her face and say, "I be scared!" Most recently this happened whilst watching a tornado appear on Elmo's World. In her defense, the tornado muppet was rather unsettling.

A Vacation in Three Parts: Act I - The Maine Event

2008-08-25T20:21:00.005-05:00

For those of you who have not yet done so... please take a 2 week vacation. Soon. In fact, go now. I don't think I have ever taken a 2 week vacation (save for summer school breaks and various unemployment stints) and it was glorious. We kicked things off by heading up to Maine of course. My folks played generous hosts to us for 6 days of R and R (that's ring around the roses) and tons of other activities. There were roller coaster rides, naked babies at the beach, nature walks, museum visits, more beaches, and fun at the playground. Whew. And this was only the beginning of our vacation! Lucia loved her extended stay at Casa Nonne and Papa and so did we. In fact, we liked it so much we came back after 7 days. More on that in Act III...

Random Acts of Cuteness...

2008-08-05T20:35:00.004-05:00

Ok, so this whole potty training thing - - very amusing. We're taking the casual approach right now, so really she sits on her potty just to sit. Nothing exciting yet (god how my definition of exciting has changed). But she has taken a STRONG interest in underwear. Namely, ours. Here she is sporting a lovely pink pair she pulled from the dryer. I just know one of these days we're going to forget she's wearing them and head right out the door. Lucia has also discovered the joys of native corn on the cob and homemade playdoh. Both are very popular in our house right now. Other random acts of Lucia cuteness:
- she looked at a picture of me holding her (I have my back to the camera in the picture), she pointed to my hair and said, "Sadie!" Thanks kid.
- I picked her up after work the other day and she said, "Pretty shirt!" (it was your standard issue Fran work shirt, so I know she was lying).
- Mama Mer was holding her last night and Luce patted her head and said, "Pretty hair!" (it was your standard issue post-work Mer hair, so I know she was lying).
- Thanks to Uncle B, she has a new favorite toy. She carries it around and says, "I going on errands!"

Our much needed vacation is coming up soon, so if you don't hear from us in awhile it's because we're off "makin' memories" someplace.

And Just Like That She's A Kid...

2008-07-25T15:18:00.003-05:00

Not sure when it happened, but Lucia is now a full on kid. Not even so much a toddler, a kid... kid I say! I submit this picture as evidence your honor. Look at her! K-I-D. So what did our kid do this week? Well, it was the last week of Ellen's house so there was a graduation party for the 4 year olds and an after party at the local pub (hey, we're in Boston and that's what you do after a graduation). Ellen takes some much deserved vacation during August, so Luce will have to cope with her boring moms for a while. Poor thing. Boring or not, we do try and spice things up a bit -- look at what we found on our walk the other day! Speaking of heavy machinery, today we were leaving the library and there was a hydraulic/extension truck lift thingy (I need to work on my terminology) that was going up, up, up to the top of the building. The guy on the machine was waving to Luce and she waved back and said, "That's fancy!" Really, that's what she said.

What Are The Lemurs Doing?

2008-07-17T15:18:00.003-05:00

That my dear readers (sic) was the question of the weekend down in Ptown. Lucia would look at us (or Mimi since we brought her along for the weekend) and say, "What the lemurs doin'?" Having no idea what on earth she was talking about we'd come up with creative answers like, "Oh I'm sure the lemurs are taking a nap now." or "They're probably sitting in a tree having lunch." Come to find out, Lucia had seen a Kipper video at daycare with aliens called "Bleepers" and apparently yes, the bleepers look like the lemurs she sees at the zoo. Who knew? (well, Ellen knew... she knows everything).
So yes, we spent a lovely weekend at the tippy tip of the Cape to attend the wedding of some friends. Perfect weather for an outdoor wedding - right on the water too. Just perfect. Lucia loooooved the ocean, wasn't crazy about the pool, and tore up the dance floor for a song or two. She was in heaven out there- -"You mean there is a space dedicated JUST for dancing? And everybody else dances too? And people will ooh and ahh over my cuteness? HOORAY!" She was eating it up. Of course, this ding dong Mama didn't take a single picture in Ptown, so I'm hoping some better prepared folks out there (you know who you are) may be able to share their pics with me :-) Oh wait, I lied... I did take these shots. Way to go photojournalist Fran. I promise to take double the amount of Luce pics this weekend. Pinky swear.

The Ultimate Beach Bum...

2008-07-10T14:01:00.007-05:00

Lucia will surely kill me for posting this (when she's 13), but honestly, how could I not?? We've been busy little beach bums over the past few weekends, with the 4th of July proving no exception. It was Uncle Tony's 55th birthday, so we headed north to celebrate. Kids love birthdays, know why? cake, cake, frosting and cake. Oh, and ice cream too. Luce was in heaven. Not to mention her trip on the train, romping around with her cousins, hamming it up for Nonne and Papa and taking Zoe for walks with Auntie Mia. Mothers Goose capped off the weekend with an impromptu trip to L.L. Bean to see Daryl Hall (sans Oats) in concert. Thereby cementing our status as middle-aged, old bittys and extinguishing the last possible ember of hipster street cred I may have possessed. It was all worth it though when I was holding Luce and Daryl launched into this hit - she wriggled out of my arms and said, "I dance!"... which is exactly what I said back in 1982.