triplets Archives | Page 4 of 11 |

Our Halloween Costume Ideas from the Past

October 30, 2010 By Laura 4 Comments

I don’t plan on having a big post on our Halloween/Hallowtide this year. But last night I got to thinking about some of our past Halloween costume ideas we’ve come up with, and I went digging through photos. Putting together costumes, is a creative process of sorts, so we thought this section of the blog was a good place for this.

There is SO much I could share with you from our pre-blogging days, because I have always taken lots of photos. But I haven’t always shot digital. The scanning of old photos, and cleaning up dust particles, etc, is not a process I enjoy. At all. But if I’m inspired enough to share with you some old stuff, I guess I will do it. As I just did!

I thought it would be fun, to share with you some of {A}’s Halloween costume photos from when she was little, as well as the triplet’s second Halloween, but first in costume. Naturally, we think they are all so cute. But then, they are all our kids. Maybe we’re bias. But something tells us you might get a chuckle or 2 as well, looking at these. Or we might at least get a smile out of you, and that’s good enough for us too.

kid-clown-costume
{A} in 1998, as a clown. She was 1 year old. I have to laugh at the ‘very best first walking shoes’ she has on. No, we didn’t do that too, for babies 2, 3 and 4. Turns out they are all walking and running just fine!
–

kid-genie-costume
In 1999, as a genie, and 2 years old. Is she not the cutest thing? My sister-in -aw made the costume for us. I helped cut fabric and stuff though. And I also made the bottle. I have to admit, I’m not into allowing my girls to jaunt around with bare midriffs anymore. But I wouldn’t give up this photo of her at 2 year old, in this costume, for anything. What a doll she was.
–

kid-pediatrician
In 2000 at 3 years old, she was her own pediatrician, at the time. lol. We have had a new pedi now since I was pregnant with the triplets, and the former one is no longer practicing, that I know of. But she was beyond ecstatic to learn that {A} was her, for Halloween that year. She (the pedi) showed everyone in the office that day, while {A} waited in her paper gown. lol I think this photo is still hanging in the office there.
–

kid-indian-girl-costume
In 2001, as an Indian, at 4 years old. I really loved this costume.

But this head shot, is one of my all-time favorite photos of her when she was little.
–

baby-farm-animal-costumes-triplets And then we had our little farm animals, in 2003. lol. They were 1 year old. Remember the Tom Armani costumes? The kids were a riot in them. We had so much fun this year. {S}, on the far right, was just on the verge of another hysterical laugh. He would always, get laughing so hard, he couldn’t compose himself. He still does that. He was a happy baby, all of the time, despite all he went through.
–

baby-cow-costume
Our big cow. He was as heavy as one too.
–

baby-lamb-costume

Our sweet little lamb.
–

baby-goat-costume
Our Billy Goat – always smiling.
–

{A} (big sister) was their loving farmer, who tended her little farm animals with such care.
–

We just had to show them all off, and trick or treating is always out of the question for us (with {S}’s severe peanut allergy)….so we thought we’d take them to the mall, and just pull them around. There was Halloween festivities going on there anyway, and it was warm, light, and safe.

And from that idea, our idea grew….

farmer-and-baby-farm-animals-triplets-big-sister We put a little picket fence around our farm animals, in their ‘choo-choo wagon’. They were the biggest attraction. People just stopped, and watched us, cracking up.

The funniest thing that night, that still gets us hysterical when we think about it, was that {S}, was the billy goat, and every time we looked back as we pulled him, he was chewing on the fence!! I was always laughing too hard, to get a photo.

Then we heard there was a costume parade judging contest at the other end of the mall. So we went down there and pulled them through. There was a big crowd, and then we had to go by this whole panel of judges at a table. They were all so smitten with our farm.

We won 1st Place, for Most Original Costume!

The judges thought our farm yard was very creative. The farmer and her little animals had a fun night, and then they went back to the farm and went fast asleep in their barn.

If you have blogged your kids in some of your favorite Halloween /Hallowtide costumes, leave us a link so we can come see them! If you haven’t, wouldn’t it be a fun post?

Thanks for stopping by. We hope you enjoyed seeing our kiddo’s costumes from the past, as mush as we enjoy revisiting these wonderful family memories.

Wishing you all a Happy Halloween / Hallowtide!!

Save

Just Some Things That Make Me Smile….| In Photos

October 24, 2010 By Laura 4 Comments

Me.

I’m always taking random photos, that I love to have because they made me smile. But they wouldn’t necessarily make a whole post. So I thought I’d try putting them in bunches sometimes, and doing a post now and then, about some of these little things that make me smile. Then I may happen to throw in a couple of others too, that were not random photos, but do indeed make me smile anyway.

Just a photo-happy little post.

So here are just some things, that make me smile……

birthday-pancake This beautiful pancake my husband and kiddos surprised me with on the morning of my birthday, even though they knew I would never eat it in a million years. They made it anyway, because ‘number breakfasts’ are a tradition in our home on birthdays, and they can’t let the tradition go, even on my day. I’m not big on eating much in the morning. That is chocolate frosting they worked with there, by the way. (In the morning?).

This pancake masterpiece sat in the fridge for about…well, the million years.

And then Michael ate it. Really.

I know.
–

0021 ….How happy my kids are, whenever they can spend time with their Papa.

Or maybe it’s, ….how happy my father is, whenever he can spend time with his grandkids.

Basically, it works both ways.

And it all makes me smile, because I love them all, and I love to see them all happy.

Anytime. All of the time.
–

003 When I can just watch them play…..

tea-and-rosary-time …..or focus on our faith, together……

rosary-and-tea
….over apple-cinnamon tea, and banana bread.
–

kitchen-aid-mixer My Kitchen Aid Mixer. And it’s Sender. <3 You just had to have known that was coming.

And oh yes…..we’ve used it lots already. You’ll be seeing!
–

0071
How silly my boy gets. Every day. He’s a clown, for sure.
–

0082 My new/used lens. We fit like a hand in a glove, Baby.

Or is it hand and a glove?

Well, you know what I mean.

We belong together.
–

0092
My God-Daughter. Ohhhh the smiles she has caused on my face. Her expressions of love for me have made me cry, 100 times over. Can you even get over the freckles? When I see her, I try to kiss every one. She’s so precious to me.
–

homeschooled-siblings Our Autumn family hikes. The crispness in the air, the crunching of leaves under our feet, appreciating the beauty all around us, that confusing scent in the air (….Old leaves? Or dog poo nearby?….lol)….and just chatting, laughing, and being together, going nowhere in particular.

These are just *some* of the things that make me smile.
I encourage you to ponder the things that make you smile, too. And if you can, take photos of those things! They’ll make you re-smile in later years, when you find them.

Thanks for the visit today, Friends.

Save

Heading Home from Martha’s Vineyard | Ferry Island Queen at Sunset

October 4, 2010 By Laura 2 Comments

Finally wrapping up the 3 kiddo’s birthday posts here! But I had to share with you all the gorgeous scenery on our ferry ride home, from Oak Bluffs back to Falmouth. It was dusk, and it couldn’t have been more beautiful.

marthas-vineyard-ferry-island-queen We did get to the ferry stop in plenty of time, and made me realize I probably could have chewed my Fettuccine Alfredo a little better, after all. But we just didn’t know how long it would take us to get back by foot. So a chew or 2, and then letting it just slide down, is pretty much what I did.
–

Waiting for the ferry. They were so tired, but still smiling!
–

The ferry pulling in. Time to head home from a beautiful day on Martha’s Vineyard.

My handsome boys…

–
My beautiful girls…

0061 –

<:swoon:>
–

I love my kids. <sigh>
–

Pulling into Falmouth port, after 45 minutes of being awestruck by God’s beautiful paintings in the sky.

I couldn’t get a good shot, but we all noticed a boat named “Bonaventure”. That’s the name of our church! We wondered what the story was behind the name of the boat. Was it too, named after the saint? Did the owner belong to our parish?

Michael letters tons of boats, every spring, and the names are always interesting. There’s a post right there! Funny stuff sometimes.

And still smiling. But trust me, they were dragging, and so were we.

On the way home, the kids said it was their best birthday ever. But they say that every year, and it hasn’t always taken much! I’m glad they are always so happy though.

It was a day with blessings written all over it, for sure. But the biggest blessing on this day, and every day, are the kids themselves. We will forever thank God, it was His will to bring them into this world, and into our life and family. Each of them are blessings, joys, and responsibilities that we never take for granted. We praise and thank God every single day, for them.

Thanks so much, for sharing in our celebrations of the kids birthdays! It’s a lot with the 2 dates so close to each other, and a 3 in 1! We’ll be moving on to other things now, in many sections of the blog here, and really great stuff, so stick around! And if you haven’t visited the Home page, I strongly suggest you do. ; )

Save

Surprise Destination – Martha’s Vineyard | Continuation of Triplets’ Birthday

September 29, 2010 By Laura 10 Comments

Continuing sharing the triplet’s 8th birthday here. Get ready for a whole lot of photos! (Let them all load before scrolling like crazy, ok?)

Following a birthday kick off at home in the morning (as posted in ‘They 8 and 8 and 8’…), we had big plans for the rest of the day! Well, you know, big in our world. It was going to be a great surprise for the kids. A whole new adventure, and I knew they would excitedly enjoy every second of.

But first, believe it or not, we had to deliver our home schooling package to the town, as this day was the deadline! Ugh. The office was in the complete and distant opposite direction of our adventure, so it was a mad rush, as we had transportation to catch!

In our travels, the kids tried to guess what we were doing, and eventually voted that they wanted to know, so they could be excited on the way. So I told them.

(Imagine the announcement here, Oprah-style:

“We’re going to Martha’s Vineyard!!” “We’re going to Martha’s Vineyard!!” “We’re going to Martha’s Vineyard!!” “We’re going to Martha’s Vineyard!!” “We’re going to Martha’s Vineyard!!” “We’re going to Martha’s Vineyard!!”

Ok enough. They were about as excited as that audience too!! And no, I don’t really watch Oprah much. But is there anyone in the world, who hasn’t seen that clip?)

Sometimes, knowing what you are about to do is half the fun! They chatted excitedly the rest of the way, all the way to………

marthas-vineyard … the Island Queen Ferry. We were indeed going to Martha’s Vineyard!

It was about as close to (and as exciting as) a cruise ship experience, that we were ever likely to have.

You’d think, where we live, we would have been to Martha’s Vineyard by now, if not 100 times. But we hadn’t. I think I do recall going as a kid with my family, though. But not since. Have you been? If not, you can ‘come along with us’ through these photos. And if you have, you’ll know it’s well worth the re-visit!

Just about to deport.

The sea was so calm that day, and the temps were mildly warm…..perfect for a nice cruise, and a beautiful day on the island.

They stood a lot of the time. They didn’t want to miss a thing.

A few days later, someone asked {S} if he saw any dolphins or whales out there, and he said,
“No. All I saw was a dead bass, and a jelly fish.”

This mother’s heart gushed at the sweet sight of this.
–

Another motherly heart sigh.
–

Pulling into port!!

–

marthas-vineyard-8
A little welcome from the shores.
–

An Osprey nest, perhaps?
–

We got walking on the island, and every where I turned around, there were fun photos to take. Who’s birthday was it, anyway?

–

Looking at the pamphlets available, there was one ‘must see’ that jumped out to us, and we were on a mission to find it.
(Dropping in on little shops as we went along of course.)

We found it!!

I can tell you, it was hot as hell in this old wood structure. (Or so I would imagine. Hopefully I’ll never know, for sure.) You could literally smell the warm wood. And believe it or not, so dark in there I had difficulty taking (good) photos. But it was so charming anyway!

Ready to go!!
–

The coolest thing about this carousel, was trying to get the brass ring, as the carousel went around. These next 2 photos are awful, and you’ll need to look carefully to see what I am talking about. But, do you see that thing {JM} and {A} are reaching towards? That’s a metal ring dispenser.

You could try and grab one out of the dispenser, every time you went by.

marthas-vineyard-16
Most every ring was silver. But the one who got the ‘brass ring’, got a free ride!! It really added such a fun element to the whole carousel experience. There was also a dispenser on the inside of the carousel.

None of our kids got the brass ring. But hey…they are lucky enough, right?

More strolling around, just enjoying all of the charming little shoppes and restaurants.

marthas-vineyard-18
This place looked like fun!

–

Just a quick glance around, told me this place had some great games to play! And none of the smutty and/or violent animated graphics I deem inappropriate for my little one’s eyes.

marthas-vineyard-20 But nothing in this amusement arcade place, was more exciting than the site of PLINKO!! Seriously?? I could not have been more excited!! That was always my favorite game on the Price Is Right. We were good at it too!

I was busy playing myself, and not taking as many photos in here.

Racking up the tickets!
–

Oh what to get……decisions, decisions.
–

I am sure all of you parents out there, know how long this can take. Have mercy!
–

In the end, they all happened to settle on ‘silly bands’. It’s their first ones, believe it or not. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone wear them more than once or twice, since. But they sure do like to collect stuff~ Oh my gosh, do they ever. (All of them. Trust me!)
–

There are a lot of great signs at Martha’s Vineyard. Being in the sign business, we really notice and appreciatethese things. For anyone reading and not aware of these things, a sign is one of the top most important elements of your storefront business. It’s a first impression. It’s creates all kinds of sub-conscious messages about your business, and it definitely effects the flow of people that come in your door. Or not.

This sign, Sharky’s Cantina, drew us in. It was just a great sign. Well laid out, fun, high quality. So it gave those same impressions of the establishment as a whole, too.

The margarita might have been calling me in also.

But……there was just no room for us in there. It looked like a great place, but it was small, and packed with people. (Because of the sign. no doubt. ; ) See? ) We sat at a teeny-tiny table, in the very back corner, and I immediately felt trapped. Need-to-get-OUT!! I guess ‘Cantina’ was a clue there. But I was hyper-focused on the, well maybe the margarita. We had to find somewhere else to eat.

As we looked for somewhere else, we happened to look down a pathway, that really, really drew us in. As hungry as we were.…..

Walking through these gates, was seriously like walking straight into another world. Martha’s Vineyard as a whole, is pretty peaceful. But this…..this place….offered an indescribable feeling. All we could hear, were our own soft steps on the sidewalk, and the occasional tweeting of birds. As we walked along, I had to look back behind me to the gate I had just walked through, trying to figure out what just happened.

marthas-vineyard-32 The little walkway, led to a street lined with the quaintest little homes, that all seemed to surround a big green. Just looking down the little street, with the row of little houses, almost dumbfounded me. I almost felt like I was in Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood. Can you imagine that? I really wanted to go there, as a child.

This is the green that the we came upon, surrounded. What you see there in the center of the green is what is known as ‘The Tabernacle.’ We had to check it out.

It definitely had elements of a place of worship. It seemed like such a lovely place, to hold an outdoor Mass.

(To us, because we’re Catholic.)

As I looked around, I think I said, “This place is so cool, ” 20 times.

But it really was!!

One of the kids took note of the banner sign hanging, and read it out loud:

“Surely the Presence of the Lord is in this Place.”

Yes, surely. It seemed to us, that the ‘presence of the Lord’ was all over Martha’s Vineyard! The beauty of it all….how could one not feel God everywhere?

But, we didn’t see ‘the Tabernacle’ as us Catholics best know it. And thus, ‘the presence of the Lord’ as we know it, either.

Still, it was cool! And I did feel Him everywhere, all day.

I guess concerts and such are held there. I got the impression, some non-denominational celebrations as well.

Over yonder, from ‘the Tabernacle’ looked like what might be a Catholic Church. But the family was all talking about their ‘bellies grabbling’, and they all wanted to eat. We all needed to, really.

So we continued on our quest for a restaurant, which really got to be quite the task! There were little places around, but by this point in the day, I really wanted the kids to eat some ‘real food’, as I like to call it. (In other words…healthy.) Time was ticking, we were all dragging by now, and pretty warm too! When finally, we settled on an Italian Restaurant. By the time we got in, got a table, and ordered, we were in a slight panic waiting for the food, worried we would miss the last ferry at 6:45, to home-land! So we were scoffing down our meals by the time we got our food. Can you imagine missing the last ferry of the day? An overnight at MV was not at all in the budget, and we had nothing with us!

Can I just say, Fettuccine Alfredo is not easy to eat quickly!

Nor is high-tailing it to the ferry with a belly full of it!

(The fettuccine was what I ordered. The kids made healthier choices on their own, thankfully.)

I just had to grab a shot of this place. It’s an Inn. Michael knows some folks who stay there every year.

See? No heavy fettuccine in those bellies. “Hey, wait for me!!”

We did make it to the ferry in plenty of time. We ended up sitting and waiting for it. But we were happy to just sit, and chill. No rush anymore. Just a sweet evening ferry ride for us all, at dusk. SO BEAUTIFUL! The cool evening breeze……the smell of the sea…..the colors in the sky…….God everywhere, still. Not to mention our beautiful children, I was especially, especially thankful for on this day.

So….I took lots more photos on the ferry ride home. And that, my friends, will be the final Trio Birthday post, coming up next. You just have to see how perfect it all was.

Now tell me, have you ever been to Martha’s Vineyard? Once? Many times? For a day or an extended stay? Recently or a long, long time ago? As I said, I think I had been as a child. Michael never had. Nor our kids, of course.

But we’ll all be going back.

Save

They 8, and 8, and 8… | The Triplets Turn 8!

September 21, 2010 By Laura 4 Comments

00_triplets-birthday
As many of you know, our trio babies had yet another birthday at the end of August, and they turned 8.

EIGHT!!

I really wish they would knock it off. :\

You know. The whole growing and growing and getting another year older thing.

I think it’s the food?

They eat a lot!! More than me. They love to eat. And eat. And eat.

And then they get bigger, and older, and smarter.

It seems to be a phenomenon of some sort.

I just wish they would stay little babies.

But, we always love a reason to celebrate!

And x3 is even better!

Which brings me to my excuse about all of the photos coming. Well you all know how many photos you take on your child’s birthday; with the cake, and the gifts or party, and what have you. So imagine having 3 to celebrate on the same day. My shutter finger is plum-tuckered-out by the end of the day! But it sure is fun! Anyway, I tried to be easy on you, and make some composites, so your scrolling finger didn’t get plum-tuckered out too. I also am diving up their birthday posts, so this is only the first post on their birthday, which may not be all that exciting, for you. But oh how it all was for them.

If you’ve been coming around here long enough, by now you know that a birthday-number breakfast just comes with the birth-day. It’s Daddy’s specialty.

They love pancakes. They had way more than their number. 😉 They had like…8 pancakes after they ate their number. And sausages. And juice.

triplets-birthday-2 They never ask for a thing for their birthday, except a balloon. At one point or another, each one of them says, “Do you think I can get a balloon on my birthday?”

It’s the least we can do.

But we do a little more. We’re simple people, but come on. Everyone deserves surprises on their birthday.

I can’t tell you how perfect these little kits were for each of them. They were thrilled. And have gotten a whole lot of fun out of them since.

Big sister had surprise gifts for them too. A little something she bought for each of them. Then, she also gave them her big Magnetix kit from when she was their age, that they have wanted so badly. (So, like a Yankee gift. Lol) She was so sweet, because we had no clue she had any of this stuff for them. She loves planning surprises.

We totally lucked out with the cake thing this year! They all really wanted the same kind of cake. “Coffee cake”, as they call it. It’s cinnamon struesel.

I resisted asking them, “Nothing with chocolate?? Are you sure?”

“PLEEEEASE!!?? ANYONE? “

It’s so easy to make these 3 happy. We could have been done right there. But……we had so much more in store for them for their special day. A big surprise we knew would really make their 8th birthday very memorable.

It’s all coming up, right here.

Save

We won 1st Place, for Most Original Costume!

Amazon Affiliates