Posted in Halloween on October 31, 2007| 12 Comments »
Happy Halloween!
Stay safe tonight with your kiddies and enjoy the night!
We have Elmo. A Lion. And a Jar of Honey roaming the streets tonight.
The boys are ecstatic.
Dad is beyond excited.
And I’m just basking in the fact that I have 3 boys (OK, 4 boys, thanks to my honey) that are anxiously awaiting 5:30pm to roll around.
It’s like Christmas around here.
Ahhh… Halloween.
Have a great night!!
And let’s hope the sugar highs wear off by tomorrow morning! 🙂
Posted in pictures, Wordless Wednesday on October 30, 2007| 18 Comments »
The confetti…
The Pap…
The trophy…
It was a perfect day for a trip to Boston for the Victory Parade! (Oh yeah, we went!)
Posted in boys, brothers, kids, life, memories, sisters, video on October 29, 2007| 25 Comments »
We don’t have a DVD player in our car. (I know, I know. I’m sure we’ll be one of the last people to get one.)
Matt and I decided not to get one installed when we bought our car. We thought the boys may become “addicted” and take on the who-cares-about-talking-to-mom-and-dad mentality when Cars/Free Willy/Little Einstein is on.
I just remember being a child and going on vacations with my family. All 4 kids in the family Dodge Caravan (with one of those varnished wood strips around the outside, of course).
No DVD.
No iPod.
No cell phones.
No portable games.
Just us kids. Having fun.
Sure, we would have the occasional fights. Mostly if someone was “on my side” of an imaginary line… but that was it.
We laughed. We sang (OK, it was mostly Jane and I putting on concerts while our brothers rolled their eyes and/or buried their heads under their pillows).
We played games. You know, like trying to see if you can get the alphabet on license plates. Or how many states can we find on different license plates. Or the how long do you think it will take to get there game?
Believe me, I don’t think car DVD players are a bad thing. We actually bring a portable one with us when we go on long trips to Pittsburgh or D.C. Or anywhere else.
But there’s something about talking with the boys. Singing the alphabet. Counting to 10. Playing the “I Spy” game.
There’s something special about that.
And we’re usually good for a pretty long period of time.
Well, until William touches Alex’s blanket. Or Alex takes William’s sippy cup.
And then it’s, “OK boys, who wants to watch a video!?”
– Audrey
Posted in contests on October 29, 2007| 517 Comments »
Rocks In My Dryer is hosting a Fall Y’all Bloggy Giveaway carnival on her Bloggy Giveaways site!
We’re joining in to give away a 3-item Victoria’s Secret beauty package. One lucky reader will win:
* One 8.4 fl. oz. bottle of Love Spell Hydrating Body Lotion and one 8.4 fl. oz. bottle of Love Spell Refreshing Body Mist from Victoria’s Secret
* One large pink vinyl tote bag from Victoria’s Secret
*Congratulations to the winner of our Fall Y’all Bloggy Giveaway – Gina from The Un-Pink Ladies!*
We also have amazing giveaways for you to enter going on over at Mama Loves Giveaways!
Posted in Weekly Review on October 28, 2007| 1 Comment »
Let’s go over what happened this week at Pinks & Blues with our weekly Pinks & Blues re-cap.
Of course, you knew all of this already because you’re a subscriber to the Pinks & Blues Lucky Loop, right!?
Posted in blogging, contests, Mama Loves Giveaways, Pinks and Blues, products on October 26, 2007| 9 Comments »
The Pinks & Blues Girls have so many exciting and fabulous giveaways going on over at Mama Loves Giveaways! You gotta check them out!
1) To celebrate our beloved Boston Red Sox playing in the World Series, we’re teaming up with Boston Accents Co. (a wicked awesome company) to give away 4 wicked awesome T-shirts!
And check out my (Sharon) post on New England Mamas – One K-razy Ride – about my incredible trip to my first World Series game evah!
2) Win a Double Daddy GoodFather Gift Combo from Dr. MOZ! This combo pack includes a GoodFather gift CD-ROM that teaches new fathers baby skills to a fun mobster parody modern men enjoy and a GoodFather gift T-shirt (size Med-3XL).
3) We have an ingenious product to give away to a mom or dad who never wants to lose a child’s bottle, sippy cup, pacifier or favorite toy again! It’s a Take-Along Tether, courtesy of Parent Pardners.
4) Win the ultimate Baby Girly-Girl gift basket (a SaraBear diaper basket, to be exact) filled with tons of goodies for pampering a little baby girl.
5) In honor of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, enter to win a special BabyDish “Hally Bag” Pink Ribbon Baby-Be-Ready Diaper Bag Survival Kit.
Posted in dogs, husbands, kids, lessons, life, memories, mom, pets, pictures on October 26, 2007| 26 Comments »
I didn’t want to fall in love with Seth.
I must admit, I tried very hard not to. I just couldn’t imagine opening my heart up again, knowing how much it hurts when it breaks.
It was a tough summer. Tough, actually, doesn’t even come close to describing it.
Discovering that our beloved 5-year-old big boy, Bismarck, had terminal cancer, and then losing him 8 short weeks later was thoroughly, completely and simply devastating for me, Steve and Ryder – and for our whole extended family, as well.
People would ask Steve and I if we were going to get another dog, but we couldn’t even think about trying to “replace” Bizzy. We decided that we would be a one dog family with our little baby girl Ryder.
Bizzy and Rydie had such a unique brother-sister relationship. They were best friends. Bizzy was such a protective big brother to Ryder, and never let another dog approach her without first scoping out the situation for himself. And Rydie looked up to her big brother so much, and learned so many things from him, like playing bally. We just couldn’t imagine bringing another dog into the family and confusing Ryder (yes, dogs come first in our family).
A little over a month after we lost Bismarck, we found out through Defenders of Animals that a 7-year-old lab mix named Seth needed a foster home. His family was moving and couldn’t take him.
Steve and I discussed it, and thought that fostering Seth would work out nicely. We weren’t ready to commit to adopting a new dog yet, but we would be happy about helping out another dog temporarily.
And that’s the mentality I tried to keep once we took Seth into our home. I gave him love, I paid lots of attention to him, I took him on walks and played with him… but I tried to keep myself from getting too attached.
Of course, Seth had a different plan. And I believe that Bismarck played a big part in that plan.
Ever since we lost Bizzy, I’ve asked him to send me signs that he is OK. I really do talk to him every day. And he has always given me those signs… the whisper in the wind, the sunshine in my hair. And I also believe that when I see sunflowers, that’s Bizzy saying, “Hi Mama! I’m with you!”
But I have also come to believe that Bizzy sent Seth to us.
Seth has so many characteristics that remind me of Bismarck. He loves affection. He love walks. He loves to snuggle on the couch – and snore. He sniffs food thoroughly before deciding to eat. He likes to tease Ryder by taking her toys. It’s almost like Bizzy knew that Seth would constantly be reminding us of him.
And Ryder and Seth have even developed their own unique relationship together. Different from the relationship that Ryder and Bismarck shared, but special all the same.
We have all fallen in love with Seth. And yes, he is now part of the family.
Permanently.
Yesterday Mom and I were out shopping and I spotted a greeting card with a huge sunflower on the front. I went over to the card and opened it. Inside it read simply: Thank you so very much
Was it Bizzy thanking me for being his Mama? Bizzy thanking me for embracing Seth?
Maybe a bit of both.
– Jane
Posted in dad, interview, life, memories, mom, pictures, press, sisters, summer, Throwback Thursday on October 24, 2007| 33 Comments »
When Dad has made Throwback Thursday appearances in the past – like here and here – people have commented that he looks like different celebrities. Depending on the photo, we’ve gotten Scott Baio, Al Pacino and Rod Stewart.
Although someone (C from The Island) did comment once that he looked like Dustin Hoffman.
That one we’ve heard before. Many times. In fact, at least once a week someone will come up to Dad and ask if he has ever been told he looks like Dustin Hoffman… and sometimes people insist he is Dustin Hoffman (especially in places like Martha’s Vineyard or New York City), even as Dad insists he’s not!
So this Throwback Thursday we’ll go back to the summer of 1995, when Dustin Hoffman came to Rhode Island to film a movie called American Buffalo, and Dad was literally picked off the street to be his stand-in during the filming of the movie.
Here’s the article in The Providence Journal from June 20, 1995 on how it all went down:
Here’s Dad getting interviewed by NBC 10 (our NBC affiliate in RI) just after he was chosen (see Audrey and me in the background!?):
Here’s me (Jane) and Mom on the set with the REAL Dustin Hoffman (who is very funny and nice in person):
As a gift from the crew during filming, Dad and the other two stand-ins received their own director’s chairs. When Rhode Island Monthly magazine did an article on Dad, they had him pose with his chair (how “Hollywood” does Dad look here!?):
And here I zoomed in on a shot of the cast and crew. Can you pick out Dad and Dustin Hoffman? How about Dennis Franz? Oh, and see the young guy with the blue shirt and sunglasses? Audrey and I had the biggest crush on him that summer – but we thought he was SO old because… he was in college!
So that was our first little brush with Hollywood… what a fun summer it was! We have lots of other fun stories about Dustin Hoffman “sightings” (people mistaking Dad for Dustin Hoffman) that we’ll have to blog about some other time!
Pinks & Blues Girls Blog is your Throwback Thursday Headquarters!
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Posted in babies, boys, grandchildren, kids, Wordless Wednesday on October 23, 2007| 46 Comments »
Posted in Alexander, boys, kids, life, Packing, Vacation on October 23, 2007| 24 Comments »
We’re going to be heading to Pittsburgh soon to visit my in-laws. I can’t help but laugh to myself when I actually stressed about packing for Pittsburgh before I had kids and Matt and I were living and working in NYC.
I used to pack way too much… but none-the-less, I ended up using everything I packed.
Bunches of outfits (Prepping for every occasion.)
Heels. Boots. Sneakers (You never know where you may be going!)
Work-out clothes (In case I was inspired.)
Essentials (Hair dryer, Straightener, Shampoo, Conditioner, Brush, Toothbrush, Make-up.)
Coats or Bathing Suits (Depending on the season.)
I’d fit everything into maybe 2 suitcases. And if I forgot anything (which I usually did) I would just buy it there. One year I forgot my bathing suit. One year I forgot my puffer coat. No problem, just pick one up.
NOW.
Yes, now with kids. 3 in all. I laugh at the fact that I literally used to take an hour or so packing for myself. Just myself.
Now it’s all about the boys. And I mean that. It’s all about the boys.
Benjamin:
Formula/Bottles/Nipples/Binkies/Bibs/Food
Diapers/Wipes/Cream
Medicine
Clothes. Clothes. Clothes. He’s a spitter and teething… so I go through about 5 changes an hour a day.
Socks/Shoes
Fleece/Hat/Booties
Blankie (Oh… I can’t forget this blankie)
Einstein DVDs
And his Toys
Alexander:
Clothes (He likes to match William)
Diapers – bigger than Benjamin’s!
Socks/Shoes
Binkies (Oh help us if we forget the BINKIES!)
Blankies (3 of them to be exact and he KNOWS what ones are his)
Sippy Cups/Vitamins
Snacks/Cooler with Milk, Juice and Water
Jackets
Toothbrush (His is Thomas, not to be confused with William’s Cars’ Toothbrush)
Books (Anything to do with whale-sharks)
Toys (Whale-sharks and other whales of varying sizes)
William:
Clothes
Undies. Undies. Undies.
Sippy Cups (Blue ones, not Alexander’s green ones!)
Socks/Shoes
Camo Raincoat (He takes it everywhere)
Backpack (And if William brings his, Alexander MUST bring his)
Snacks (Of course, different than Alexander’s)
Same cooler (thank you boys!)
Hats/Coats
Books
Toys (Anything)
And let’s not forget:
Pack N Play
Portable Swing
Bags for trash!
All this for 3 boys.
And what’s in this for me?
Oh… I’ll throw a few things into a bag the morning we leave! And of course, will take WAY TOO much.
Ahhh… the delights of traveling with little kids.
And Dad’s on his own!
This blog is their place to share, laugh and connect with the rest of the blog world!
To learn more about The Pinks & Blues Girls, click here!
*Read all posts by Audrey HERE
*Read all posts by Jane HERE
*Read all posts by Sharon HERE
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