There are times when all of us get down. Or as my Nana would have said, “blue.”
Things that always bring a smile to my face, though? Thanks for asking! I’ll share them with you…
1) Dlisted. Usually if I’m on my laptop with tears streaming down my face, I’m reading this Dlisted - and laughing hysterically. It’s a celebrity gossip blog, but it’s funnier, wittier and less out-and-out mean than Perez Hilton. (Plus, Perez’s overboard self-promotion started getting to me like 2 years ago, and now it’s just out of control.) Dlisted’s author, MichaelK, is my one-way best friend. Meaning, I basically can’t live without him but he has no clue who I am.
2) This video of my nephew, Alexander. I took this in January and now I can’t believe how little he looks in the video, and how different his voice sounds now. I just get a kick out of it every time I watch it.
3) Sunflowers. Since last year when we lost our beloved dog Bismarck, everytime I see sunflowers (real ones, photos, paintings, etc.), it’s like Bismarck is there, telling me he’s with me. I have seen them in the most unexpected places and at the most unexpected moments. And I know I am always surrounded by Bizzy’s unending love.
4) Watching my dogs do just about anything… play, sleep (and have dreams), beg for food, chase each other, ride in the car. Also, I just about float on air when people compliment my babies… like what happened the other day. A person in the car next to me at a stop light went nuts trying to get my attention, then mouthed to me through the car window, “They’re beautiful!”
Nine years ago, in 1999, Audrey and I headed to New York City for the summer. I had just finished my freshman year of college and was taking a course at NYU. Audrey was going into her senior year of college and interning for The View.
We lived in an NYU dorm, in a suite with two rooms and a common area. We had one of the rooms to ourselves, but didn’t know who would be in the other room.
We were fortunate enough to get matched up with a wonderful girl from California named Amy (and another girl, too, but she had a boyfriend in the city and was literally never around). Amy, Audrey and I became fast friends in the weeks we lived together.
Amy even came home to RI with us for the 4th of July weekend to celebrate with my family (the town my parents lived in at the time has the longest continually running Independence Day parade in the country, so it’s a big deal there).
Forgive my blue sunglasses… I was going with the red, white & blue theme of the day
One of my favorite memories from that summer in the city came on one hot, humid evening. Amy and I decided to eat dinner at a little outdoor cafe. Why we didn’t opt for an air conditioned spot in that 100 degree heat I don’t recall, but nonetheless, we sweated it out together as we enjoyed our meal that evening.
An older woman pushing a baby carriage started to walk past us on the sidewalk. She stopped and looked at us, and then said something like, “You know, I have to tell you, I was walking down the street looking at how hot and miserable everyone is, but the sight of you two sitting out here smiling and laughing together made me forget for a moment just how hot and humid it is outside.”
I don’t even know why, but that moment has stuck with me, and made me smile whenever I think of it. Maybe because it just reminds me what a great friendship is… it can make you forget the bad stuff around you as you enjoy each other’s company.
Since that summer, Amy and I have stayed in touch despite living on different coasts, and we have seen each other here and there over the years… but always when Amy happened to be on my coast.
Three years ago this November, it just so happened that we would be in NYC at the same time again… and so we made plans to meet up. I was particularly excited to see her because she was with the guy she had been dating for a few months. I had heard so much about him and I couldn’t wait to meet him.
Steve and I walked to the little coffee shop together (it was right near Audrey’s NYC apartment at the time) and met up with them. I could instantly see how happy the two of them made each other, and what a wonderful match it was.
So you can see why I was so happy to travel to Amy’s side of the country over the weekend to see this lovely couple tie the knot on Lake Tahoe, in one of the most glorious settings I have ever seen.
Find the newly married couple a la Where’s Waldo?!
The weather happened to be perfect. Everything was perfect. There was no humidity in the air.
And I was able to smile and laugh with my dear friend again - in person - as we celebrated her special, special day.
That’s another thing about enduring friendships… no matter how many wonderful memories you already have together, there is always room for more.
Three years ago today you came into this world on a gorgeous early Fall day in New York City. From the first moment I held you in my arms, I have adored and loved you as this little bundle of energy and joy. You always have a big smile on your face… and you are always up to something!
You have quickly gone from being the baby brother to the middle brother to the second-oldest brother. With one older brother and two younger brothers, you certainly make your presence known with your larger-than-life personality and never-ending spunk.
It broke my heart last year when you started calling me “Janie” rather than “G” because you were getting bigger and could finally pronounce my name. Now you have recently begun calling your big brother “William” rather than what you used to call him, “Mee-yum,” meaning you are growing up even more.
I just love watching you blossom into the wide-eyed, joyful and wonderfull 3-year-old boy you’ve become. You are getting bigger and bigger so quickly, before my very eyes.
Happy 3rd Birthday to my special, special Ally-Cat (even though you now like to correct me whenever I call you that - “I’m not Awy, Janie I’m Awex”)!
I cannot wrap my mind around the fact that the little guy I touched in Audrey’s belly here:
… and whom I held for the first time here:
… is now a smart, witty, happy, funny, big 4-year-old kid:
Time has a way of flying by, doesn’t it?
I am so proud of my William, my godson. He is such a caring, sweet little man. I have loved him since the moment Audrey announced she was pregnant with him.
Yes, today is the 4th anniversary of William’s birth, and we celebrate the joy and love he has brought to our lives since that very day.
But today marks another important anniversary, as well… it is also the 4th anniversary of Audrey becoming a mother. And that, too, is something that needs to be celebrated.
I always knew that Audrey would be a phenomenal mother. She was always like a (very protective) second mother to me growing up, including me in things she did with her friends, and keeping tabs on me no matter where I was.
Watching Audrey experience her pregnancy with William was so beautiful. She couldn’t wait to meet her little guy, and the love she felt for that little miracle inside her belly was so evident. She simply glowed throughout those 9 months.
And when she welcomed William into the world, becoming a mother, that glow just got brighter and brighter.
It’s hard now to remember Audrey as a mother of one child. That time period was rather brief, as she became pregnant with Alexander just 3 months after William arrived! But that just shows how motherhood came so naturally to her. She knew that the love she felt for William would just multiply with another child… and she obviously has applied this same logic again and again, as she quickly became a mother of 4!
One thing I love about Audrey as a mother is that she has not lost any of her sense of humor. I have seen many new moms become so consumed with motherhood that they lose their ability to just relax and have fun. They practically become different people. This is not the case with Audrey.
Audrey is seriously one of the funniest people I have ever met. When we were younger and had to entertain each other in the car during long trips (there were no DVD players! The horror!), we would play a little game and see who could make the other laugh first. Audrey would always win. I cannot help but crack up whenever I’m with her.
So of course, it just makes sense that Audrey finds ways to laugh with her boys every day. They make her laugh. She makes them laugh. If one of them does or says something funny - especially unintentionally - we crack up together.
And that is one of the things I admire about Audrey… she finds such humor in motherhood; in the mundane and in the craziness alike. With 4 boys, one can imagine that life can get pretty hectic in her household. At any given moment, one or all of her boys might be playing chase around the house… or throwing Legos and blocks around the living room… or coloring anywhere but on construction paper… or building train tracks… or asking for - maybe demanding - a drink or snack.
But I have never seen Audrey get out-of-control frazzled with all the activity and/or destruction going around her. Instead, she’ll smile one of those sarcastic, isn’t-life-grand smiles (we call it the “Daddy face” - inside joke!) and once again, we’ll just crack up at the absurdity of it all. Because, really? 4 boys 4 and under? It’s absurd!
And I know Audrey wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Audrey gets a lot of comments on her blog like, “I don’t know how you do it!” Sometimes I don’t either. Her ability to multi-task and get everything done astounds me. How she can even think straight baffles me. And yet, she never, ever complains.
So many times people have told me, “You’re so smart to wait to have kids. They’re so much work.” (Many times, this comes from parents with one child!) I have never heard Audrey say anything like this. If anything, she’ll hold one of her boys in her arms, hug and kiss him (and get a hug and kiss back!) and say to me, “Doesn’t this make you want to have kids?”
You can imagine the (sometimes rude) comments Audrey gets from some people about how crazy she is for having so many children. But having a big family is something she has always wanted. She enjoys being surrounded by all the love that comes with having a big family.
Audrey’s boys adore her. And Audrey adores her boys. That glow she had when she was pregnant with William… that glow that just beamed brighter once he entered the world… it radiates from her times 4 now.
Today is a special day, indeed. While we celebrate the anniversary of William’s birth, we also celebrate the anniversary of Audrey’s journey into motherhood. It is a role she was clearly made for.
I just love to see my sister fill this role so beautifully, and I thought she deserved some recognition on this special day.
Audrey’s little guy Benjamin is obsessed with Dora.
There are a few words he says very clearly. Among them are: “Mama.” “Grandma.” “Puppy.” “Owk” (out). “No” (of course). And “Dora.”
So when I saw a big Dora doll at the store the other day, I knew I had to get it for him. I couldn’t wait to surprise him with it.
He immediately loved his life-sized Dora:
We decided to keep Dora at my parents’ house so he could play with it when he visits (which is mostly every day).
Of course, Benjamin has a 4-legged cousin who loves big, soft toys, too. And we already know she’s a bit of a thief (a cute one!) when it comes to objects she wants to snuggle with.
So it was really no surprise to find Ryder under the table at my parents’ house today with what she has decided is her new toy:
I guess it’s a good lesson in sharing for both of them, no?
4) Driving with the car windows down is just to darn cold now.
5) It gets dark by 7:30pm (boo). Even more depressing? Soon it’ll be dark by 5:30pm.
6) There are more and more leaves crunching under Ryder and Seth’s paws when they play outside. (Meanwhile, I like to pretend if I don’t make eye contact with the rakes in the garage, the leaves will rake themselves.)
7) Farmer’s Markets are coming to an end.
8 ) iParty’s Halloween commercials are playing non-stop.
9) It’s apples galore at the grocery store.
10) No more sleeping with the windows open - unless I invest in about 10 more comforters.
I do love the Fall. I love putting on cozy sweaters… going apple picking… the changing leaves… putting up the Fall decorations… Steve’s football games… Thanksgiving (four days of delicious eating!).
But I miss Summer. And while I look forward to the Christmas season, I know that the ugly winter months - January, February and March - are just around the corner.
But I will appreciate Fall while it’s here… and it’ll be here soon. The official first day is Monday, September 22nd.
How do you know Fall is here, besides the “official” date?
Even as a puppy, she never really chewed anything up or destroyed any of her toys. Instead, she’s always been something of a kleptomaniac.
Well, I guess it’s more that she likes to borrow things and snuggle with them.
I remember when she was a puppy, items would disappear around my apartment. Socks, shoes, bras (lots of bras), slippers… and when I found them I would usually find Ryder, too, her little head snuggled against them.
She never ruined any of these items; she just wanted to be with them.
To this day, she still does this. As a Lab, she is contractually obligated to present us with a toy whenever we enter the house. So if a shoe or a sandal is the only thing she can find at the moment she needs to bring us something, so be it. And usually said shoe or sandal will end up with her under her favorite spot, our dining room table.
Yesterday Audrey brought her 4 boys over for a little visit. William and Alex call my living room “Janie’s toy room” because it has two bins of dog toys in it. Playing in my “toy room” basically means that they take every toy out of the two bins and throw them at each other. At least they’re (mostly) soft. And of course, when they think we’re not looking, they’ll put some of the toys in their mouths and crawl around on all fours “like the puppies.”
In any case, this morning Audrey called while she was getting William dressed for school and asked if she had left William’s shoes at my house. I looked around the house and quickly found one of William’s shoes in my kitchen, next to one of mine.
I didn’t see his other shoe at first, but I had an idea about where it could be.
So I looked under the table and what did I see?
I mean, really. How cute is my baby girl?
Do you see why I have to give her at least, like, a million kisses each day?
This week, Crabmommy (who always makes me laugh) is dedicating her blog to a very serious and important cause - raising funds for the medical expenses of two young mothers.
A bit about the mothers and why they need our help (in Crabmommy’s words):
Carol Decker is a Washington mom who battled a devastating Streptcoccal pneumonia infection, resulting in the emergency c-section delivery of her second daughter. Immediately following the caesarean, Carol had both legs amputated below the knee, as well as her left hand, and she is blind, a condition that may or may not improve. She is now a new mom to 3-month-old Safiya, in addition to her elder daughter Chloe, and the Deckers are facing home rehab estimated at $80,000 that insurance will not cover. Read more about Carol here. Go to a great auction happening right now for Carol here.
Stephanie Nielson is an artsy vintage-inspired mom-blogger from Arizona. Stephanie and her husband Christian were recently severely burned in a private plane crash. Many of you may have heard of Stephanie by now sinceDesign Mom spear-headed “Nie Nie Day,” with auctions held for Stephanie all around the web. Stephanie has burns over 80% of her body. She also has 4 kids.
Crabmommy is hosting the benefit silent auction this whole week to raise funds. Some wonderfully generous vendors have donated items for the auction… throughout the week you will be able to bid on adorable handmade baby shoes, maternity wear, vintage fabric, Mabel’s Labels, diaper creams, handknitted baby sweaters, crocheted hats, jewelry, etc.
New items will be listed every day, multiple times a day through Sunday, Sept 21.
So please head over to Crabmommy right now, and spread the word, too!
