M-I-C-K-E-Y

Mouse ears, that is. This was $10 Disney didn't get from us. I popped them on to take a picture, knowing that was about as long as a hat would last on her head.

Teacups

Disney World, Aug. 31, 2010. Mason's second trip, though first that he remembers.

Mutton Bustin'

From Fraser, Colorado at the High Country Stampede Rodeo. Video to come...

Christmas in July

All right, all right, I know I've been away WAY too long from this poor blog. Six months to be exact. Today, Sweet P is 11 -- ELEVEN!?!?! -- months old. Hard to believe, no?

So, like I said, I've been away too long. Many times I've thought, "Hey, I should update that blog..." and then I haven't. So, today, I offer you a present in the form of one of those corny Christmas letters my siblings and I love to hate. Without further ado, Christmas (letter) in July:

Dearest Friends and Family,

I write to you from New York City on the sixteenth day of 90-plus degree weather in this month of July. Our last correspondence seems so long ago. Since we've been in touch, much has happened in the world of the Mercier family.

February brought with cold and snow. A pair of snow days for Mason let Mommy re-live the fun that they could be. During Mason's mid-winter break, we made a trip to the Bronx Zoo, Piper's first, and visited the another old-reliable spot, the Dinosaur Museum. Ice-skating season continued at school and the end of the month brought Mason's stint as Star of the Week in PreK. Piper and I were regulars at school that week. We schlepped in with his "collection" of puzzles one day and his favorite food, mac n' cheese (with broccoli, natch!) another day.

In March, we made like tourists and took the kids to visit the Statue of Liberty. It was lots of fun, though Mason was more impressed by the wide-open space at her feet than the Statue itself. He and Dad-O played "pretend" baseball in the shadow. We didn't make it off the island in time to go to Ellis Island, and have vowed to go again -- this time with tickets to the crown in hand. March also found Piper and I jetting off to Colorado sans boys to visit my Grandpa Seeley. He passed away on March 15, but we were there for his final few days. I had a visit I'll never forget during that time and Piper learned to wave -- at the Colorado Spring Hospital, through the glass of the ICU doors. She wasn't able to go in and see him, but the first time they locked eyes, he sat up in bed and waved to her. She waved back. It was a tough trip, but so important to be there to say my goodbyes and to be with family after he had passed. He is in a much better place. Piper and I returned from that trip at month's end to spend another school break with Mason. Spring break meant another Bronx Zoo trip, an outing at The Met -- where Piper almost got us booted because she was laughing and squealing too loud -- and heading out to Coney Island for the aquarium and amusement park with some good friends. Easter came and went. There was much candy and many eggs to hunt in Central Park.

April brought more sad news from Colorado. My Grandma Woodman died on April 16 and so I packed up both kids and headed home again with my second "eu-google-ly" in as many months in hand. Again, it was so tough, but as a family we got through the weekend, shared some tears and most important, some laughs. In kid news, Piper went from scooting to downward-dog poses to crawling. She developed a super-speedy move for whenever the gate blocking her in the living room was opened. Mason cruised through the end of skating season and into beach season.

In May, I joined Mason on one of those beach trips, to Orchard Beach in the Bronx. It was so much fun to see him and all his classmates splashing in the water. It was a big month in karate class, too. At the dojo's annual gala, Mason was given a special award for his development in karate. He was so proud when they called his name to receive the plaque. As he told everyone who would listen, "Everyone got a trophy, but not everyone got a plaque." We celebrated with dinner at IHOP. He ate mac n' cheese and a pancake and now thinks this is the greatest place on earth. Piper went from crawling to pulling herself up and tried to do away with the gate problem by ripping it from its hinge a few times. We closed out the month with our first family trip to the beach -- this time the Rockaways -- and celebrating Dad-O's birthday.

June brought the end of the school year. There were Spring Concerts to attend and field days to take in. In mid-June, we joined our friends for a day trip to the country and went to their daughter's school function at her school farm. Seriously. And seriously fun ... even when you consider the six hours we spent in the car that day. Nothing beats some farm-fresh cooking and some fresh country air. Mason and Rob made a whirlwind trip to Colorado to enjoy the birthday festivities of our nephews. It was less than 24 hours that they were away, but even a microburst couldn't prevent them from attending. From what I hear, it was quite the shin-dig, complete with a bouncy firetruck slide and appearances by Spider Man and Sponge Bob. We continued our tourist run with a trip to the top of the Empire State Building. Mason said NYC looked like it was made of legos from up there. It did. Piper thought she was Marilyn Monroe when she stood on top of an AC on the 102nd floor and let her dress blow in the air. She wasn't, but she was much prettier.

July has been all about Camp Mom. That's what I'm calling the summer. I am working freelance from home and spending every waking moment with the kiddos. Piper is jabbering up a storm and cruising all over the place. She is even -- ever so tentatively -- standing on her own. We gave up on the old gate and got a new, more expensive one in its place. She has yet to take it off the wall. We are at the pool at least three times a week for swimming lessons. Mason is fearless and nearly swimming on his own. We have been to the Bronx Zoo (again) where Mason and his friend, Kellyn, rode a camel. We have been to the Prospect Park Zoo, where they milked (fake) cows. We have been to the Queens Zoo, where we took in some really exotic animals, like elk and antelope! We have been to Jersey to visit friends. We have flown kites on Governor's Island. We went to Orchard Beach and had a great day. Found out Piper loves to crawl in the surf, and that it's a big pain to get home from there! Mason's graduated to a Yellow Belt in karate. He tells everyone he's almost a Master.

All in all, we're blessed. It was a tough spring, but the kiddos have given us plenty to smile at. As Grammy says, our hearts are beginning to be happy again.

From our family to yours, a very happy August. Hoping for a little more time to blog in this "new year."

Love from The Merciers

"Tree" months

Piper hit the three-month mark today. As you can see, she's a growing girl -- and now bigger than her bear!



We celebrated the day by decorating the Christmas tree ... well, we would have done that whether we had a three-month birthday to celebrate or not, as we always do it the day after Thanksgiving.

Mason LOVED breaking out all the ornaments this year and asked about each one -- who it belonged to and where it came from. He did a great job finding a special spot on the tree for each and every one of them.



Dad-O (with Piper propped on his other shoulder, no less) gave him an assist for the finishing touch.



Mommy had to pose them in front of the tree ... and under the tree! Too bad we already had the Christmas cards printed, because this one is a winner.

Breaking out the baby monitor

Last night was Piper's first in her own room -- and by own room, I mean of course the one she shares with Mason.

She looked so tiny in her big ol' crib, but she was getting way too big for her little ol' bassinet!



Mason, as you can see, was pleased to have a roommate!

Community Meeting

Every Wednesday morning, Mason's school has a community meeting where each class is expected to participate by sharing something with the group. I have yet to attend one -- as Rob is the usual dropper-offer, but here are some scenes from yesterday's meeting courtesy of another mother and the Pre-K teacher, lisa. They sang "We Went to the Animal Fair." Mason is on the left side in the front.







And the video:

Halloween

Running low on time, but here's the album I threw up on Facebook. I'll try to post more later...

A Sweet Pea and a Tiger

Siblings

Catching Up

So, we've hit the due date and I haven't had a whole lot of time to post lately. That might have to do with a little something called nesting, but I digress.

Here's what the Mercier clan has been up to in our last few weeks of only-child life...

Heading out to Staten Island to take in a (Staten Island) Yankees game with the CU Alumni group:



Pal-ing around Central Park and taking in the scenes and kiddie rides at Victorian Gardens:



Mommy and Mason took one last big "adventure" as a duo -- heading out to Prospect Park to take in the zoo:







Then heading over to the carousel for a quick spin ... and some ice cream!:



A different kind of adventure -- heading to N.J. and Ikea to get a new big-boy bed for our soon-to-be big brother:



Our first visit to the *new* Yankee Stadium:





Never underestimate the power of the rally cap. Yankees are down, Mason dons his (again) and voila ... back-to-back eighth-inning homers propel the Bombers to victory:



And last but not least ... welcoming Grammy to the city and spending a fun day with her in Central Park (while Mommy was at her zillionth doctor's appointment!)



Hopefully the next time we check in, we'll have some big news about a new little one!

Wedding Extravaganza, Part Deux

Uncle Kirty and Auntie Julie tied the knot last Friday. Once again, Mommy and Macey played the parts of bridesmaid and ring bearer, respectively.

Thursday night marked the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner -- and also the only time the WHOLE family was together. Dr. Auntie Meg's residency graduation coincided with Kirt and Julie's big day, so we took time to take a family picture (the Bean is even prominently visible!)



Friday was wedding day. After a relaxing morning of family time -- we took Mason to see Up! at the movie theater Mommy frequented as a teenager (weird!) -- followed by a nap, it was time to head to the church.

Mason was utterly mesmerized when he saw his Auntie Julie before the wedding. As Grammy said, he looked like one of those cartoon characters with stars in their eyes and just said "She's so beautiful." And who could argue!!?!?!



After refueling with some chocolate milk behind the scenes, it was time for the big game ... er, moment.



Mason showed off his professional ring-bearing skills, by practically dragging his counterpart, Evan, down the aisle. He was pretty anxious to get to Uncle Kirty, who had a surprise waiting at the alter -- a new car, which he then used to drive over Mommy's tummy as Julie came marching down the aisle.



After the I-Dos were said and the licensed was signed, it was time to party and party Mason did ...



With his uncles...



With Aunt Patty, who he drug onto the dance floor...



And of course, with his Auntie Julie...




And Uncle Kirty...



Congrats to them both! All of our pictures are here, and here's the photographer's official pics.

Wedding Extravaganza, Pt. I

Macey and Mommy have been in Colorado for a full week now, and between the wedding-weekend madness, the jet lag, getting adjusted to life in the 'burbs and the remote home office, Mommy hasn't a lot of time to post!

Uncle Clint and Auntie Meg got hitched last Saturday and are off enjoying their Mexican honeymoon now.

The wedding weekend began with a trip to see the Rockies play the Astros at Coors Field. Despite Mason's best efforts -- and rally cap -- the home team did not pick up the win. We did, however, have lots of fun and Mommy got some cool sun burn lines in the four inches between the bottom of her shorts and the top of her knees.

Friday night was the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner before the big day rolled around Saturday. Mason looked pretty dapper in his tux upon arriving at the church, which was in downtown Denver. There was only one slight problem, though: He arrived with one shoe missing! Papa trekked back toward the car and found it lying in the middle of the street. It was rescued and the show went on without a hitch, as Mason escorted one of Clint and Meg's nieces, Caroline, down the aisle.

Once Clint and Meg sealed the deal with a kiss, we all got ready to party. In my humble, and totally unbiased opinion, Mason stole the show (as much as he could with a beautiful, happy couple taking center stage!). Check out his dance moves:



Sweet Caroline was in honor of, well, sweet Caroline, who was pretty sure Clint was really her boyfriend and not Meg's! All the nieces and nephews had a great time dancing. We could barely get Mason off the dance floor. He didn't want dinner. He didn't want cake. Finally, it was a Capri Sun that did the trick, but then he was back out there again.



As the night wore on, he got a little tuckered out.



Then, he finally crashed on an antique sofa in the room just over from where the party was a roarin'.



As a finale, here are the official Mercier family portraits from the evening, the before and after, if you will...



For anyone interested in the entirety of the weekend's action, check out our Snapfish Album.

Daycare Kiddos

Melissa and her brave staff took eight of the kiddos to the Children's Museum last Friday night. All us mommies and daddies picked them up from there and spent a little time playing. Here are some shots from the action:



Mason, as you can see, refused to take part in the group shot. It might have had something to do with this group lining up by the door, awaiting their parents' arrival and eventual dismissal. As I was already there, he wanted to keep playing. To wit, here he is running all over the museum, wearing the fire fighter's hat he picked up sometime before I got there. Also, note the stickers on his cheeks? Well, when I took those off later that night, they left little sticker-shaped rashes that lasted all weekend. Oops!



Zachary and Lilly...



Kellyn and Zion



One more shot, though not from CMOM. This one is from our usual Tuesday night trek to karate class. They're getting pretty good! I thought they looked pretty cute all bundled up and waiting on the stairs while the stroller was parked.

Catching up with...

Mason's secret twin, Malka, who we've known since they were about six months old and partners in crime in the baby room at Nursery North. We stopped by to visit Malka and her Eemah on Saturday so the toddlers could get some playtime in, and us mommies could stare at Malka's new baby brother.

Here they are giving each other a big ol' hug, while Mason tells Malka that she's his "bestest buddy."

It's so cool that even though we don't get together as often as we'd like, whenever we do, they're "bestest buddies" all over again!