Sunday, July 26, 2009

Paws Farm Nature Center




Our New Jersey explorations continued today as we decided to take Michael to a local Nature Center, which was a mixture of an indoor/outdoor play area and petting zoo. I had heard good things about it, so I was anxious to try it out.
Overall, I would rate it as just 'ok'. They had the typical cows and pigs and horses, along with some other rarer things like a wallaby and a peacock. They also had a lot of pretend play areas, where the kids could dress up, go shopping, etc. Although Michael could do most of the stuff, he probably would've had more fun if he were a little older. At least it was a way to get out of the house and do something without driving forever!


On an unrelated note....we went out to dinner later, and Michael actually scribbled with a crayon for the first time instead of just using it to beat on things!










Saturday, July 25, 2009

Blueberry Picking



Today we decided to explore the vast farmland of NJ and visit a pick your own farm. We found one that had some good ratings and was just minutes from the house, so we decided to check it out and get some nice fresh blueberries.


Once we got there, our first impression was, "Really? This is it?" It looked a little junky...thought we were in the wrong place. However, I have to follow this by saying that we are used to picking fruit outside of DC where everything is highly commercialized. Marion went to check it out and came back with the 80 year old guy who ran the place. Turns out he was super nice...and funny too! So we made our way out to the blueberry bushes and got to picking.


MAN did we pick a hot day! Poor little guy downed his water so fast. But he was a trooper! He even did a great job helping pick the blueberries and put them in the bucket. When he started pulling them all back out of the bucket and throwing them on the ground, that was our cue to leave.




So we left the farm with a good time had by all and some cute pictures (all centered around Michael of course). Now what to do with all these blueberries......






On a different topic....we've started letting Michael hold/play with his spoons and forks more often during mealtime in an effort to get him to self-feed. He's actually doing a relatively good job with it! Today, he even scooped up some food out of his bowl and put it in his mouth all by himself! He's growing up so fast...








Sunday, July 19, 2009

A Disappointing Break From the Madness

The house is coming along, slowly but surely. It is a work in progress, but we are eventually moving out more and more boxes. At least you can see the floor. I think all of us needed a little break from the madness though, so we decided to take the day off from organizing and take a much needed trip to check out a local beach. We decided to check out Point Pleasant, since there were some good reviews about it from neighbors.
All in all, I have to say the experience was a little disappointing. First of all, traffic was absolutely HORRIBLE and there was no parking...guess we should've expected that for a sunny summer weekend. In addition to that, you have to PAY to get on any NJ beach, and it's not cheap. What the heck!!!!! We weren't even going to swim, but we wanted the experience, so we sucked it up and got our walk on. This was Michael's first trip to the beach, and he was NOT a fan. He wanted nothing to do with the sand, and I think the sound of the waves scared him. AND the water stank like fish or seaweed or something. Needless to say, our beach walking was short lived.
He was NOT feeling the sand.

We headed up to the boardwalk instead and checked that out. They had a little amusement park area attached, so Marion and I took Michael on the little train so he could get something out of the experience anyway. A long day....think we'll be trying a different beach next time.

Train ride around the Amusement Park






Friday, July 17, 2009

Goodbye Dayton...Hello New Jersey!

The day has come...moving day!!! All the furniture is gone, Marion is already at our new house, and now I'm off to meet him in New Jersey with the dog, Michael, and my mom in tow. Luckily, Adam and Danielle served as a good midpoint, so we decided to crash there for the night. They were going out of town, but we even got an early enough start to hang out with them before they left. We took Michael to the pool at their complex, which he usually loves, but for some reason today he just wasn't feeling it. Then after they left, he wasted no time spitting up on their throw pillow and pulling all the books off their bookshelf. He wastes no time breaking in new places. After awhile, we decided he needed to expend some energy, so we took him to the play place in the nearby mall. I was impressed...it was huge! He would've been content to stay in there for hours. And I think mom had even more fun than he did!



So day one of the trip went quite smoothly, and Michael did a great job in the car, so I had high hopes for day two. Boy was I wrong. He slept for about 45 min total and screamed for the other 4 hours. NOT FUN! But we finally made it (after taking the long way, I'm sure, AND after paying an arm and a leg in tolls), to our new house filled with boxes. At least the boxes and paper entertained the litle kids and big kids alike. Take a look....who is the kid in these pics??

Monday, July 6, 2009

Fun in KY

On the way home from TN, we decided to spend a few extra days in Kentucky before we had to return to real life and packing. Michael got to spend more time with all of his grandparents and his Aunt Sara which was nice, and the Walkers got to see him again. We also got to celebrate Mom, Dad, and Kendra's birthdays while we were there (cake compliments of yours truly. :) ).


Saturday, July 4, 2009

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

Yes, I know this is late, but I'm trying to make up for it! We actually had a very nice 4th of July this year, so I thought it deserved a post, even if it was almost a month late.

After stopping in KY for a few days, we made our way down to TN to spend the 4th of July with Marion's family. Marion's grandma lives down there and has never seen Michael, so we thought it was important to go before we moved. I think she was glad we came. :)

Marion's uncle David made TONS of delicious food over the weekend, and Michael was the center of attention and a big hit as always. He even got to enjoy 4th of July festivities for the first time. We took him to the town parade in the morning which he liked, except for the extremely loud semi horn that blared right in his face. Then later, Marion set off fireworks at the house, and Michael didn't even flinch at the noise! He liked the fountain ones with all the colors. But what he liked best was throwing the Snap N Pops on the driveway. Way to teach him young Dad!

Thanks to the Sprouse family for all the hospitality. Here's a slideshow of some of the good times
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