Sun, Sun, Sun Here it Comes...

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...

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.

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...

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...

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!

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...

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??