Non-Beach Babes

We do a lot each week we are at the shore and only a small portion of it has to do with the beach. It's a very exciting time getting ready for visiting Grandma and this year I decided that the girls were ready to help pack their own things. Hannah jumped in immediately and packed nine (NINE!!) bags. That was okay, but not ONE of the bags contained any CLOTHES. These were all the toys that she decided she couldn't live without for seven days. Lizzie, as you can see, wasn't as enthusiastic about packing her own stuff:

 Cash joined us on this trip and I have to say that I was NOT looking forward to that. But it turned out that he was the best traveler of the three "kids" in the back seat:

Here's Rob, the girls and grandma Connie at the 101st Street Pavilion. Connie's spending the summer in New York City, but took a break to host us at her house:

Rob and I pitched in the cooking. Here he made his world famous Scampi, which was loved by everyone (except me, but I don't like shrimp and made my own seared swordfish). As usual Hannah helped prepare the scampi:

This is Lizzie and a friend at Reed's Beach. Reed's Beach is well known for the horseshoe crabs that crawl up to the shore to lay eggs and then get flipped over on their backs by the incoming or outgoing tide, and then get eaten by the seagulls. When I lived here I'd go there often and toss the crabs back into the ocean before they died. Lizzie wanted to do the same thing, but first, she is afraid of horseshoe crabs and second, they were all dead already:

Hannah took a different tack and just chased the seagulls away over and over again. And over and over again, again:

 

A new wrinkle in our shore trip was biking. We brought all of our bikes down to the shore and rode them every day. And by WE I mean everyone EXCEPT ME. I tried one, pedalled twice, fell off (actually it was more of a dive off) and gave my bike to Grandma Connie to ride:

Look at them go:

One of the highlights of the week is the big fish barbecue. We grill several different types of fish as well as dogs and burgers and serve it up with salads. It was delicious this year as always. And we enjoyed it with some family friends, Gail and Emma Jean

We also took some time (three times, actually) to celebrate Uncle Dude's birthday. Here he is getting some help blowing out the candles on some cheesecake:

Here's some of the grilling team for the evening. I was inside manning the fry pan for some more seared salmon and sword. Hannah things grilling is FUN, but about 35 seconds after this picture was taken she was dancing around the backyard and stuck her hand on the grill. Which meant I had to take a quick ride down to the CVS to get some burn cream. She was fine as soon as I got back with the burn cream and some candy:

Here's the other integral part of the grill team: Uncle Dude -- who I'm pretty sure is wearing the Giants shirt to appease the Garritys who may read this:

We brought a lot of memories home with us, but not much sand. Rob cleaned out the car and took it over to vacuum it so that it would not enter Pennsylvania with us. However I can tell you that quite a bit made it into our suitcases, shoes, shovels and pails. But it was a nice try:

Rob and I love to look at property that we can't (yet) afford. Here he is standing on the balcony of some condo in Diamond Beach that is being auctioned off for about $1million. Nice beach views. But, you know, I don't really like the beach:

It turns out that the dogs really did get along and Cash will be welcomed back on subsequent visits. He woke us up at 6 a.m. the first morning, but that was probably due to the excitement of zoo camp. Once he found out he wasn't going, he slept in until 8 like the rest of us (wanted to):

Lizzie and Rob dazzled everyone with their duet of "Linus and Lucy" while Hannah did her own interpretation:

Lizzie relaxing:

Hannah REALLY relaxing:

A nice picture of Grandma Connie and her girls:

A nice picture of Aunt Linda and Hannah:

 Here's today's arty photo -- Hannah dancing in the sunset over Reed's Beach:

Beach Babes

I'm not a beach person and Rob's not a beach person, yet somehow our children drag us to the beach just about every day we are at the shore. In fact, they are SO excited about the beach, that one of the first things we do when we get there is visit the beach and the girls run in the surf fully clothed. You'd think we'd learn after a couple years of this same behavior even though we tell them NOT to get wet, but THIS year, even I got in (to take photos, of course -- anything for my blog readers!) and the water was really warm. Very unusual for June at the shore. Anyway, here are my girls frolicking in the waves our first evening at the shore:

The waves were really good the week we were there, so we bought the girls boogie boards and sent them out into the ocean to see what they could do. I was there of course (taking pictures of course) but they didn't really need my help as they both caught on pretty quickly. Which was good because there was no way I was getting on one of those things:

 Lizzie in particular really loved it and could ride the waves all the way into shore. Hannah got bored after a few rides, but Lizzie rode that thing for at least an hour with this very same expression on her face every single time:

Here they both are. It took me a LOOOOOONG time to get this shot, so I hope you all appreciate it. They had very few rides where they were both on the boards, facing me and in some sort of active wave. A nanosecond after I took this picture Hannah wiped out and was DONE with her board:

 Now THIS part of the beach I can get into -- spending $40,000 for a couple of ice creams. Luckily you can see Grandma Connie in the background there and she paid for these ice creams. The day before, Lizzie had to give the ice cream guy $5 and she couldn't do it. She eventually threw the money at her sister and Hannah paid the guy. I think she takes after Rob, who hates to part with money more than anything in the world:

There was plenty of time to play in the sand. And plenty of sand to play in. Stone Harbor is replenishing their beaches so there was a lot more beach than the last couple of years we were there. Now there is about 20 pounds less, as that is about the amount that Rob vacuumed out of the back seat of our car:

Thanks to thunderstorms in the area (we had very little actual rain) the waves were fairly strong and plentiful. This next sequence of pictures shows Rob and Hannah jumping in and over the waves while Lizzie tries to get to them -- the undertow was pretty strong, too. Here's Lizzie on the left trying to get to Rob and Hannah on the right:

Here she's getting a little closer, but got hit by a wave. You'll notice how "helpful" Hannah is being:

Success!! Hannah cheers her sister's accomplishment. Lizzie hangs on to Rob for dear life:

All three of them hold hands and start jumping around in the waves. They had such a great time, I joined them, too. And spent most of my time sitting on the floor of the ocean because the waves kept knocking me over. That's how strong they were:

Lizzie at the beach (here with her ice cream face):

Hannah at the beach (here showing me what she'd do if we didn't buy her ice cream):

 And, of course, I do have to share some artsy beach photos, too. Here's the sunset at Reed's Beach:

The lifeguard boat at Stone Harbor:

Hannah and Rob discussing something very important (I'm guessing it had something to do with Justin Bieber or what was for dinner) as they walked together on the shoreline:

Summer Count Up, 2

This week was easy to document in pictures! In fact, I took SO MANY pictures that there will two posts later this week with photos from our extraordinary visit to the shore. But, here are some highlights of the week we spent at Grandma Connie's.

Day 5: I am happy to report that my bike got a great workout this past week. I am NOT happy to report that I was NOT the one riding it. Grandma Connie got on like she was a teenager and went tooling around the neighborhood with Sholto (Uncle Dude), Rob and the girls. I got on and pedaled twice. Then I fell on the pavement/grass and decided that a person who has balance so bad that she walks with a cane, probably should NOT be riding a bike. On the other hand, it was very humorous to watch Hannah and Liz re-enact my fall in slow motion:

 

Day 6: We taught the girls to boogie board at the beach. We were lucky (or not, if you're a nervous Mom) to have great weather for the beach. It never actually rained, but there were enough storms around so that the waves were really kicked up and came fast and furious. Both girls got really good at boogie-boarding in about 30 seconds:

Day 7: Hannah torturing the seagulls at Reed's Beach. Or else she was just running away from the gazillions of horseflies that were biting us as we walked out on the jetty and beach at sunset:

Day 8: One of Rob and my favorite things to do is to tour homes that we will never be able to afford. Here's a condo on the beach in Diamond Beach (south of Wildwood, north of Cape May). This condo was on the 7th floor and was one of 18 condos in the building being auctioned off. This one overlooks the private beach owned by the condo owners. There's also a pool, gym, game room, etc. etc. Luckily, I didn't much care for the color of the cabinets in the kitchen, so we moved on to look at other condos:

 Day 9: The girls bid a fond farewell to Zoo Camp, which is always a highlight of the week at the shore. The camp runs every morning, and the girls really get to explore the zoo, play games and learn things, without really knowing that they are learning:

Day 10: We got home and Rob tried to escape us a on my bike.I can't blame him though, as it took nearly four hours to get home since we had to stop for gas once, for Lizzie to use a bathroom once and then to get lunch because we'd been on the road for so many hours. It was good to be home for about 5 minutes, but I'm pretty sure we'd all love to be back again this week, too!

 

Summer Count Up 1

Hi everyone!
Here's our (short) week in pictures, one for every day we've been celebrating summer. I'll still have longer posts (because I have already taken 83 pictures and we've only been at the shore two days and I'm sure you can't wait to see those!) too, but here's our recent week in pictures:

Day 1 -- We planted tomatoes and learned that Lizzie is not a gardener. She hated everything about getting her hands in the potting soil. Hannah, on the other hand, stood underneath the topsy turvy planter and let the water drain onto her head. Then I told her that the potting soil had manure in it. Interestingly Lizzie was more grossed out by that, than Hannah (who then took a shower!)

Day 2: Hung out with Dad on the hammock: 

Day 3: Waited while Dad and Cash drove us to Grandma's house at the shore. Here they are conferring about the GPS coordinates and if it was shorter to go the Schuylkill or the Commodore Barry Bridge:

Day 4 -- celebrated Father's Day with the best dad in the whole wide world (which is exactly what Hannah wrote in her card). You'll see he's a great dad because he's actually wearing the tie that Hannah made for him:

School's OUT!!!

A few years ago I hated the summer. I didn't like the heat and Hannah and Lizzie drove me crazy. I used to count down the days until preschool would start and I'd get a break. About two years ago that changed. For some reason I don't mind the heat (that could be the air conditioning in my house and the pool down  the road!) and either I've gotten used to Hannah and Lizzie's brand of craziness or they've grown out of it.
So I think I look forward to summer vacation as much as they do. We've got a lot of fun stuff planned for the summer: the usual trips to the shore and the Poconos and afternoons at the pool, but also some other fun stuff: a trip to NYC to visit Grandma Connie and then a trip to visit the Garritys in Somers. We'll be going berry/cherry picking at a local orchard, eating water ice, spending the day at Hershey Park, taking day trips to parks, camping, riding bikes, having picnics, fishing, climbing trees, going to the library etc. etc. etc. If it doesn't involve getting up before 8 a.m. we're IN!
I've even got a couple of surprises up my sleeve!
And, since I KNOW you are all drooling with jealousy I thought I'd take my blog along on the adventures, big and small. So I came up with this idea of posting one picture every day of summer (there are 74 days before Hannah and Liz have to get up for the the bus). Now, we all know that I'm not going to post a picture every day, so once a week -- probably Sunday -- I'll post one picture of what we're doing from the previous seven days. Since my blog is partly for the relatives and partly for me to remember just what the heck we've been doing around here I figured it would be fun to have a daily record of what's been happening.
So I'll start on Sunday.
Until then, here are some pictures of Hannah and Lizzie yesterday -- after they got off the bus for the last time this school year and headed to the backyard for our annual picnic.

Here's Hannah playing with her dolls. She had just asked me to babysit while she played on the swings. I charged her $15.00:

The girls enjoying our picnic of cheesy bread sticks with dipping sauces, juice and potato chips:

Lizzie actually enjoyed dipping her potato chips in the sauces. Hannah enjoyed the swings while I babysat:

Here Lizzie is still enjoying the chips. She ate just about the whole bag, first with the marinara sauce and then with the ranch dressing. It was quite impressive:

True Colors

This past weekend was Hannah and Lizzie's dance demonstration aka recital. They had a tiny cheering section of just Rob and I, but we were very loud and clapped much longer than anyone else (and by we I mean ME!)
They danced to "True Colors" and, as you can see in the video below they actually create a rainbow through the dance. Their costumes are tee shirts onto which have been sewn ribbons of all different colors. They work more ribbons in their hair, too. Their teacher, Miss Bridget, is SO creative and she made the costumes herself. And then she let the girls all keep them.
Here's a shot of them all on stage:

Hannah is wearing light blue on the right and Lizzie is wearing pink on the left. They are both in the front row in the beginning of the dance and (horrors!) end up holding hands at the end of the dance. Only Miss Bridget could get them to do that.
So here they are with their post dance flowers:

And a closeup on their gorgeous faces, because I did their stunning makeup and hair:

And now, here's the long awaited dance:

Simple Woman's Daybook

For June 1, 2011

Outside my window... For most of the day it was in the mid-90s and humid, but now it's clouding up and I'm seeing the underside of the leaves -- a sure sign that a storm is coming. The breeze even smells like a cold front coming through.

I am thinking... how happy I am that school is almost over. I have been loving my "free" time with Hannah and Lizzie in the summer. I don't really mind getting up early for school, it's the 1-hour daily yell fest (get dressed, brush your teeth, what do you want for breakfast, what do you want for lunch, you can't wear that to school, no, I have to brush your hair, no I don't know where your shoes are) that I will not miss over the summer.

I am thankful ... for a husband who took good care of the family while I was sick this past weekend.

From the kitchen... Summer dinner!! I made a chicken salad and a three-bean (actually two-bean, corn and olives!) salad.

I am wearing... white shirt, grey pants.

I am creating... the girls' story for their teachers. It's been a lot harder this year because I've had to be so creative in so many different ways that my brain cells are fried. It's called The Very Bored Princesses and the Ghost in the Girls bathroom, so at least I know what it's about!

I am going ... to the last service unit meeting of the Girl Scout year. I've already got 15 of my 18 girls re-registered for next year AND I'm already looking forward to the fun we'll have. I think we'll try overnight camping in the spring.

I am reading... "The One That I Want" by a writing colleague of mine, Allison Winn Scotch. So far I love it, but I've enjoyed all her books. I've downloaded several classics (Jane Eyre, Northanger Abbey) to read over the summer, too. They were free.

I am hoping... that the work I'm doing to lose weight continues to work. I'm not talking numbers yet, but suffice it to say something is working. YAY!!!

I am hearing... SpongeBob SquarePants (big sigh) I'm not a fan of the sponge, but my daughters like him.

Around the house... messy, cluttered and messy. I had hoped to clean this weekend, but got sick instead.

One of my favorite things... this website. These are women in my Twins Club, and every Monday that have links to the free stuff for my Kindle. Other days they will have freebies and coupons, etc. I visit them every day AND like them on facebook.

A few plans for the week ahead... Well there's the SU meeting tonight, dance tomorrow, 2nd grade picnic on Friday (I'm making cupcakes, bringing plates and helping the set up the lunch), then the Blues Barbecue and the girls Dance Demo this weekend. That sounds about right for the end of the school year!

Pictures I am sharing... A few days after my mom passed away I had a dream/vision (I was meditating, although I may have fallen asleep as I was on the couch at the time and that's mostly what I do on the couch!) in which she came to me and told me that when I needed her she'd send me a swallowtail butterfly with blue on it. As I am not a lepidopterist, I even had to look that particular species up. I looked for those darn butterflies for several days thinking eventually that it was all just a dream, with no meaning.

So, flash forward to the day before my children made their First Holy Communion. I was feeling quite sad and fragile, as this was the first major "thing" where she wouldn't physically be there. I decided that a rest on the hammock would be a great way to get out of cleaning my house my funk but that meant I had to physically get the hammock out of the garage, drag out the frame, etc. Hannah and Lizzie decided to help, which made it that much harder easier. So as I'm unrolling the hammock I notice that a butterfly -- a swallowtail butterfly -- had somehow gotten into the garage and gotten tangled in the hammock. We let it loose and the butterfly followed us as we walked over to the hammock stand in the backyard and put it all together. It crawled up and down our arms, onto our shoulders and would start to fly away, but then come right back. It even posed for a bunch of photos. And if you look really closely, you can see that it's got blue on its wings. After the butterfly's visit, the weekend got a whole lot better. :) And it's nice to know that Mom still keeps her promises.