So now that Carly is officially 2 YEARS OLD, it seems as if she has grown up overnight. We went to the doctor yesterday for her 2 year check up and she checked out just PERFECTLY! Weighing in at 28 lbs and 4 ounces and measuring at 35 1/2 inches tall, she is in the average weight percentile and the 90th percentile for height! I cannot believe that this once 7 lb 1 oz baby is grown up to be sooooo BIG! Her head, however is still tiny as can be- measuring in the 5th percentile! Little noodle– just like her Mommy and Sissy!!! Good thing that’s not a sign of brain power!!! LOL LOL
Anyways, the pediatrician said that developmentally Carly is advanced (thanks to following and mirroring her big sister) and there are no worries on her abilities to interact with friends and hold her own. (We did discuss her “bully” factor and when asked why she hits so much, the doctor responded only by saying, “She’s 2!!!”… Hopefully the bulliness will subside with age. Carly then counted to 15 for Dr. Plotnick and then when asked, she BELTED out her most favorite song reciting the ABC’s! What a little show-off!

I just love her and can’t wait to see what’s next with her growing up so very fast!!! I do, at times, miss that sweet, cuddly little baby, but I am so excited to watch her grow into a sweet girl with the beautiful, yet mischievious and devilish smile!!!

That’s right everyone!  Carly Anne is officially a BIG GIRL NOW!!!  Our sweet little girl celebrated her 2nd birthday on Friday and boy did we have some fun!  We started off the day with a Pizza Party with all of Carly’s friends!  We made our own pizzas, did a craft where we made paper bag puppets, busted a pinata, and of course enjoyed delicious cupcakes!  It was a whirlwind, but we all had a blast! 

Later that evening, we celebrated her birthday with our family.  Again, Carly was showered with gifts and spoiled rotten with what seems to be every Minnie & Mickey Mouse item known to man!  She even had a special birthday cake in the shape of Mickey’s Head– made with love by Mommy– oh, and did I mention that the cake was made twice?!?!  That’s right, I made the first cake and while I was in the shower, Carly decided to help herself– after all, it was her cake so who could blame her!!! LOL LOL 

All in all, we all had a wonderful day- especially the birthday girl who was spoiled rotten- as she always is!  Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate with us and be sure to check out pix from the big day!!! 

Well, the entire east coast has been hit with the snow storm of all snow storms… the Snowtorious Event hit our neighborhood with a vengeance– we got 38.3 inches of snow over the weekend!!! While being snowed in has its advantages– lots and LOTS of playtime with the girls, it also has it’s disadvantages– namely, cabin fever!!! The girls have been troopers though, and once the snow finally stopped falling, we got our chance to enjoy the winter wonderland. Avery went sledding down a FABULOUS hill courtesy of Daddy and then was able to go “snow climbing” once the plows came and made mountains of snow in the middle common grounds. Carly, although she did eventually venture out, just took in the snow by finding a little nook and staying there. She did get a few bites of snow and she thought that part of it was WONDERFUL!

Then, little did we know that another storm has made it’s way into our neck of the woods. As I write this entry, it is snowing outside yet again and the forecast is for another 10-20 inches to come our way! Talk about a Winter Wonderland! Oh well… we will continue to take it all in and enjoy being snowed in and have some lazy days. But not for long– we have a PARTY to plan!!! Our sweet little Carly turns 2 on Friday and we have a Pizza Party to get ready for! Lots of fun and excitement in the days ahead, but for now please enjoy all of the pix that I have added of our snowtime fun!!!!

This past weekend, we celebrated Mommy’s 30th Birthday!  The girls greeted me with (pretend) Cupcakes in Bed and a Happy Birthday song that would just melt your heart!  (well, Carly sang to me while Avery very matter of factly explained to me that it was too early to sing!)  I did however get to hear them both singing to me on my new iPhone when this was given to me at my party– this of course made me (and all of the other moms) cry–  not only because they are so cute, but also because it truly makes me realize how lucky I am to have such a wonderful family! 

We are now looking forward to our next big Birthday celebration for our sweet girl Carly!!!  That’s right– she will be turning 2 years old in less than 2 weeks!  I can hardly believe it!  We will be taking the next week or so to get ready for our little shindig to celebrate her birthday, so be sure to check back for more updates as we get closer to her BIG DAY!!!!

So with the winter weather keeping us indoors for the most part, we have had lots of time to play games, do puzzles, and watch Princess movies.  The girls are very much into “learning” games… Avery is constantly counting EVERYTHING… and let me assure you things must all be the same for everyone.  If not, there is definitely some things that are worked out… LOL.  She has also been into sorting things throughout the house– toys, books, cards, etc.  Everything has it’s place and everything must be kept in order or else Avery will certainly set it all straight.  She also has informed me that she has decided to change her identity– she is no longer Avery– she is either Snow White or Ariel.  It depends on the day what princess she is– and each day is something different.  It’s really funny when we are out in public and she is insisting that she be called by her Princess name.  People look at me like I am crazy, but I think it’s awesome! 

Carly (who will be 2 in less than 3 weeks!!!!)  is growing up so quickly!!!! I am truly sad that I no longer have a baby, but I have a Big Girl (where, oh where did the time go?!?!?!)  This big girl continues to amaze me with the things that she learns each and everyday.  She knows her ABC’s and is always singing the ABC song.  We must sing it about 100 times a day… and to be honest, with her, it doesn’t get old.  It is the cutest thing!  She has a vocabulary that is undeniably advanced - and she speaks extremely clear  (well, at least I think so– for a 2 year old)– and she is the chattiest thing around.  Let’s just say that she definitely gets her point across!  She has also been experimenting with the potty.  I will not say that she is in anyway potty training, but she has watched Sissy enough that she wants to go and she actually does on occasion.  The only problem that we have is that she likes to take ALL of her clothes off when she goes PeePee and she refuses to put them back on.  We then have a streaker running through the house.  It is absolutely HILARIOUS– definitely a sight to see!  Can you tell I am a ridiculously PROUD Mommy! 

We have enjoyed lots of playdates with our friends over the last few weeks- playing dress up, doing crafts, making messes and having fun!  We are, however, looking forward to some more outside playtime as the weather gets better!  We have uploaded tons of pix to the website in the January folder for you all to check out– take a look and see what we’ve been up to….

HOLY HOLIDAYS!!!!  Christmas has passed and it sure was a whirlwind this year!!!

We kicked off our Christmas Holiday with the Riley’s Annual Christmas Eve mass and holiday party.  We had an absolute blast and there was fun had by all…. especially the girls who roped Uncle Scottie and Shannon into doing nothing but jumping on thier beds.  Needless to say, I think that Uncle Scottie and Shannon were exhausted!!!  Big Thank you to Gee and Bill for a wonderful time and the Christmas goodies for the Girls and Mommy and Daddy!  (P.S…. Carly’s Baby “talks” to us EVERYDAY!!! LOL)

We then came home and got ready for Santa.  Avery and Daddy set out Cookies and Milk for Santa and some Carrots for the Reindeer.  (Avery was adamant about the Reindeer being very hungry and needing a snack too!)  Then, as the girls slept in thier beds with visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads (cheesy, i know!)– SANTA and his crew made an appearance and left all kinds of goodies and presents under the tree!

The girls woke up and immediately went into overdrive once they realized Santa had come to town.  They tore through their presents and it was a sea of wrapping paper, laughter, screams and craziness.  Santa sure did a good job this year with knowing exactly what to bring!  All of the grandparents were here to take in the chaos along with Uncle Matt and Nicki!

Once things settled down here at the homefront, we got ready to go celebrate the holidays at Mema and G-Daddy’s house with Aunt Cristy, GJ, Alex and Nick.  Dinner was delicious and the kids got spoiled again with all of the presents at Mema and G-Daddy’s!  Carly’s big gift was a Mini-cooper car (which the girls couldn’t stop fighting over) and Avery got a Disney Princess Vanity!  The girls were definitely excited (as were Mommy and Daddy)  with the final gift of the evening from Mema and G-Daddy which was a SLEEPOVER for the girls and Alex and Nick!  This gave Mommy and Daddy a chance to go out and have fun with some of our friends and then get some much needed sleep after all of the chaos of the day!

The following day, Saturday, we had Christmas at DD’s!  Talk about being SPOILED!!!!  The girls got lots more goodies including a princess table and chairs set, lots of “crafty” things for the girls to play with (finger paints, markers, crayons, etc).  Carly got a Dora doll and nursery set and Avery got her favorite RUDOLPH movie– and the girls each got Princess Marshmallow Lollipop’s–(YUMMY!!!)  We ended the night with some family bowling with the Gallagher family, which was hysterical and an absolute blast!

Sunday, we had our Christmas with the Rogers family — Big thank you to Aunt Gail and Chris for dinner!  It was delicious!  The girls got some books– which the girls LOVE reading books, barbie ornaments, and some money to put away for a rainy day!

Monday was a big playday!  We all went over to have a playdate with Lily and Emilie at Loras… the girls played so well and the mommies had a great time catching up!  The girls exchanged Christmas gifts and were spoiled yet again with all kinds of fun things!  Carly has been playing with her new puzzle non-stop, and Avery of course loves her new mirror (she can decorate it herself)– after all, she does love to look at herself! LOL  Avery then went over to play with her girlfriend Bianca!  She came home with a beautiful manicure and pedicure (courtesy of Mrs. Letty) and her belly was filled with lots of Junk!!! — Just the way she likes it!!!

Tuesday, we made a trip to Delaware to visit with GML and Pop.  It was a long trip, but we had a wonderful time visiting with Grandmom and Pop.  The girls explored every angle of the house and of course had the most fun playing hide and seek and jumping on the bed.  When we left, we weren’t in the car but a few minutes and everyone was fast asleep!  (not daddy though– he got to drive! :-))

So, as you can see, this holiday season has been CRAZY BUSY!!!  We had an absolute blast, but we are looking forward to some down time and relaxing days in the new year!   We have enjoyed all of the special time that we have been able to share with our Family and Friends and for those of you that we have not caught up with, we hope to catch up soon!  Until then, we wish everyone a happy holiday season and best wishes for the NEW YEAR!!!   Look out 2010— Here we come!!!!

This was then followed by a trip to get the girls haircut.  This was Avery’s 2nd, but Carly’s very 1st Haircut and she did great!  She was quite the little wiggle-worm, but all in all it was a huge success!  They both now look fresh and absolutely adorable for the Holidays!

On Thursday, we took a trip down to B’more (HON) to see the lights on 34th Street.  We had an absolute blast and the lights were amazing!  We loved the lights so much that we decided to then drive through Merriweather Pavillion for the Symphony of Lights.  The girls LOVED the lights and I am sure that this drive through the lights will become quite the family tradition!

Friday night the girls spent the night with DD and Penny so that Mommy and Daddy could get a break… which was much needed since little did we know a BLIZZARD was on the horizon!  Yep, that’s right… the BLIZZARD of 2009 hit this weekend and we got almost 2 feet of snow!  We were snowed in all day on Saturday, but had some friends over to play and enjoy being snowed in.  Mommy baked tons of Chocolate Chip cookies and we had a great time just taking in the Winter Wonderland!

On Sunday, we had hit our max with Cabin Fever so we ventured out for some playtime in the snow!  Avery absolutely LOVED the snow– and even more so loved Eating the snow!  Carly- not such a fan, but she did manage to get a few snowflakes in her hair!  We had fun sledding and throwing snowballs at each other and eating the snow, of course!

Needless to say, we have taken a TON of pix over the last few days, so be sure to check them out in the December folder!  Enjoy….

We are in full swing of the holidays– enjoying the sights and sounds of the season.  Seeing the lights and decorations through my sweet girls eyes is just the most heartwarming thing ever!  The girls cannot get enough of the Christmas lights and festive decorations- it’s becoming a nightly ritual to go somewhere and find some new lights to take in.  In our house, we have decorated our Christmas tree, Daddy decorated the outside of the house with lights and gotten some things ready for when Santa comes to town (which, did I mention, the girls are totally PSYCHED about!!!!).  

That being said, Santa should be making his annual visit through the neighborhood via Fire Engine sometime this week to give out candy canes to all of the kids and take pix with our little angels.  We are absolutely ready for when he comes- the girls are keeping their shoes and coats right at the front door so that there is no way we will miss him.  We are also planning a trip to the mall this week so that the girls can go visit Santa and sit on his lap and that way he will know exactly what’s on their Christmas list this year!   That is, if they have been good girls… LOL

Anyways, there has been a LOT of slacking on my part with updating the website and uploading new pix and for that I must apologize.  We have just been keeping busy gearing up for the holidays, visiting with family and friends, and getting ready for Santa.  I will do my best to update as the holidays draw near– and don’t worry, there will be PLENTY of pix and updates once Christmas time is here!

Avery:  Peanut Butter and Marshmallow sandwiches, going to Preschool, Riding her Big Girl Bike, Skittles, Samoa Girl Scout Cookies, Manicures/Pedicures, Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs movie, The Wizard of Oz movie, and Sleepovers with the grandparents.

Carly:  Turkey, Carrots, Apple Juice, Capri Sun, Baby dolls, Playing with Masey (Mason), Treats from Mrs. Gina, Do-Do’s (Doritos), M&M’s, Riding in the Buggy, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Playing Ring around the Rosy…. Oh, and of course a “Night-Night”– aka pacifier.

I know that this is short and sweet, but it’s late and I just wanted to give a quick update… SO, Stay tuned for some more fun facts and updates in the next few days…