Trouble? It's in the Bag...

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.

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?

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...