Ocean City, New Jersey 2014

Watch out, Ocean City, Maryland! We are starting to get used to Ocean City, New Jersey! We had a great time last year and repeated that again this year. We love going to the beach in September! It's less crowded, less hot, and less expensive, which all adds up to more fun! We even rented the exact same beach house as last year. We got to hang out with Justin's parents for the first few days, including some pool time, some beach time, and some playground time. Next, my dad came for a few days, and then we chilled with just each other for a few days.

We spent plenty of time on the beach, where all of my boys demonstrated absolutely no fear of the ocean. The shovels I bought for them last year continue to be a great investment. They could just dig and dig for hours. One day, Alexander dug himself a hole right up close to the ocean, buried himself, and just lounged there for almost an hour, relaxing. Upon arriving at the beach, we discussed which ocean we were looking at, where we would land if we sailed across it, and what sand is made of. Thus, I decided it was an educational trip and should be counted as school days. (Kidding!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We managed to plan better this year, so we were able to get to the boardwalk rides when they were actually open. Again, the kids had no fear. Jack, Kai, and Noah were all right on the height marks for the next "level" of rides, so each of them were riding rides they were just barely tall enough for. I could not believe the rides that especially Noah, my baby was able to get on. They were all in heaven.

 

 

 

We also spent plenty of time at the local playgrounds, wandering the boardwalk, playing miniature golf, and playing games at the beach house.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'll miss you until next year, Atlantic Ocean!!

*Disclaimer: The photos are a mix of those taken by me, Justin, and my dad. 

Catching Up: August

We decided to start our school year extra early this year. August is just too hot for much outdoor play, so I'd rather be inside schooling, and save our days off for good weather. Here are my handsome students:

 I also took Alexander and Jack on a big boy camping trip with some of our extended family. It was a great success. I missed the little ones, but it was nice to be able to give my full attention to the big boys, and it afforded me the opportunity to allow them to do some things that they wouldn't have been able to do if my attention had been split. We went tubing down the river, thus conquering the bad memory of the previous time we attempted doing so when Alexander was about four years old, and fell in the river, got momentarily pulled under, and freaked himself and me out. They also got to slide down a natural waterslide, go on a few short hikes, ride bikes, throw rocks in the river, play soccer, roast marshmallows, and sleep in a tent! (All of the camping photos were taken by my dad.)

 

Catching Up: July

When I lived in Rockville with my dad and brother, I earned the distinction for using each of the three bedrooms in the house that weren't the master. I just liked switching things up! I hope my poor children aren't disturbed by bedroom inconsistency, because I seem to be continuing the practice. This room will be the office! No, now it will be Alexander's room. Now it will be Jack's room. And now we will move. Now Alexander will be here and Jack will be here. Hmmm. No, now Alexander will be in this room instead and Jack will be here. Now they will be together! And Kai will be here! No, there! And on... and on... and on. It hasn't stopped in this house, either. We started out with Alexander and Jack in one room, Kai in the second, and Noah in the master with me. Then we moved Kai in with the big boys and Noah into the second room. Later, we moved Kai back into the second room with Noah. This July we decided to move all four boys into the master. The room is big enough that we can fit two bunk beds (right now it's one bunk bed, one twin, and one toddler mattress on the floor), and four dressers. They seem to enjoy being together and they've actually gained some nice floor space to put together train tracks. They have a nice big closet where they can shove all of their dress-up clothes, and they have two sinks that they can nasty up with their toothpaste without bothering us adults. We'll see how well they like living dorm style as they get older, but it's working well for now.

Also in July, I took the boys down to Maryland for a visit with friends. It was our longest visit yet, and I love that they are getting big enough that I can manage something like this a little easier. Not easy, but easier. We visited some of our old favorite playgrounds, our favorite lake (which happens to be one of my "happy places"), saw some good friends, had a great pool fun day with my aunt, and the big boys even got to go to a minor league baseball game. We'll see you again soon, Maryland!

Hershey Park Candylane

This year for Christmas, Justin's parents gave us some money, which we decided to spend on a fun experience instead of another toy or thing, which we clearly don't need. We decided to try out Hershey Park's winter event, Candyland. We got there just after the park opened at noon and met Aunt Eileen there. After an immediate rush to the bathroom, our first stop was the official measurement station. Alexander was a Twizzler; Jack was a Hershey bar; Kai was a Hershey Kiss and Noah was a Hershey's Miniature. There number of rides that were opened was limited, and it was quite a bit more crowded than I expected. We spent an inordinate amount of time deciding where to go, using the bathroom, eating food, and putting on and taking off hats, gloves, and extra coats. However, we did manage to get the kids on a fair number of rides. Noah learned to say "riiiii" for ride, and was thrilled with everything we put him on. They started asking to go home around 6:00, but they said they had a really fun time. Over all, I think it was a good use of our Christmas gift from Justin's parents. Thanks, Mom and Dad! The kids had a great day!

Santa Visit

This year we traveled again down to Maryland to see Santa. You may notice a lack of continuity from our previous years visiting Santa, which I am ridiculously disappointed about. However, the boys and I had a fun visit with our cousins and a nice stay at Aunt Eileen's house. They enjoyed seeing Santa (and were unaware of any difference), although Kai was a bit nervous at first and asked me to talk to Santa for him. There were tons of crafts, old toys, games in the garden, and even a magic show. We even beat the snow by coming home early.