Come On, Irene

 With a hurricane right around the corner, we figured we'd just put them in the staircase to sleep for the night and they'd be fine.

Sike.

What we DID do was uber-plan for this hurricane. We got sooo many emails from the township manager and phone calls from family and friends with great tips on how to preserve our refrigerator, exist without power, and ride it through the night. Irene was set to hit us on Saturday night, but we'd been making preparations since Wednesday. I don't think I had EVER heard winds that loud... they were sooo strong. Luckily, the kids slept through it all and no major damage was sustained at our home. But the power did go out at 11PM, and did not come back on for almost two days. Most of the day Sunday we had strong winds and occasional rain.

So we had a lot of time to do things like this:

 Glue macaroni onto paper. (See? I am a crafty momma sometimes!)

 Play puzzles in the sunlight.

 Jump over said puzzles and attempt to capture that in a blur.

This last pic I just had to take.... we filled up the bathtub on Saturday night just in case we needed extra water... I then decided to clean the jets out (we have a jacuzzi tub) and put in some bleach and dishwasher detergent. I pushed the button and came back two minutes later-- to this!

Overall, we were spared. My heart and prayers go out to those who are now living with the devastation. 

Oliver and the Safari

 Last Friday, my dad took Trenton on a day-long fishing trip. Knowing I'd have the whole day with just Ollie, I decided I'd take him to the zoo. The plan was to board the bus and hang out in New York for the day, seeing the animals at the Central Park Zoo.

Then Irene came.  As did the mass exodus of traffic from Manhattan. And suddenly, sitting on a bus did not seem like a good idea.

So, we went to Great Adventure's safari instead.

 I let Ollie get out of his car seat and come up in the front with me (he thought that was very cool). He watched earnestly while the emu pecked at this car. He did NOT want the emu to peck at our car, though.

 The elephants were one of the highlights. He really, really wanted to see elephants.
The rhino was a treat. Walked right in front of us.

 And then there were the giraffes... This one here kept licking the minivan in front of us. Ollie smiled and laughed when he figured out what was going on.

 But as the van moved away, and the giraffe looked around for another 'treat', Oliver became scared and did NOT want the giraffe to lick our car.
No problem. Just snap a picture and move on...

 I forgot how tall giraffes really are.

 We did lots of waving at the animals. I set up the safari map on the dashboard of the car and Oliver made good use of it. By looking at the pictures and following the road path, he could predict what we'd see next.
"Lions!"

 Heck yeah, stay in your car. Not that they'd scale the fence...

I only put the windows down to take pictures. Like this one of the "pretty birds" below.

  

Oliver sweetly recited Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, singing to these cubs below.

 

 I'd heard that it is best to go to the safari in the morning in the summer, as the animals have been recently fed, and it is not hot enough that they're out seeking shelter or shade. We did get to see everything on the map.

 Ollie didn't believe that this was really a kangaroo. Because it was not jumping.

 

Afterwards, we hit the park for just a bit. He got to go on this horsey ride (just made the 36 inch cut-off!) and the carousel.

 

He remembered that the last time we were here (with Katie, earlier this summer), we'd seen some sea lions and other animals within the park. So we walked over there and spent some time watching these animals play.

Oliver on the Sky Ride from Sheryl K. on Vimeo.

He's still talking about this trip. :)

Holy Heck-- Kindergarten Is Right Around the Corner

 Yes, this is the post where I get to freak out a little bit, because I'm starting to realize that he's going to kindergarten in a few weeks. And there is no turning back.

 I've spent most of August combing the circulars, looking for deals on glue sticks, and folders, and the 16 pack of crayons (not 8 or 24; not the big, thick "baby crayons"... don't worry, I finally found them at Kmart)... Got him a brand new backpack at Lands' End... yellow, like Bumblebee (the Transformer). It is kinda fun to shop for back-to-school stuff. Especially when it isn't too pricey...

 Today I found out his teacher's name, his bus route... He'll be going to kindergarten in the afternoon. We'll eat lunch and walk to the bus stop together. Then I'll come back and have to put Ollie down for a nap. And wait in a quiet house until he comes home again.
 

It seems like those are going to be the longest few hours of my days from now on.

I love you, buddy. I know  you are ready for this.
But is Mommy ready for it, too?

Mom's Family Reunion

 Last weekend, my mom's cousin Maryanne had a great backyard barbeque for all of her extended family. When I was a kid, we used to do things like this all the time. My mom's mom was one of 13 children, and most of them still lived in the area. Above, my mom is pictured with Maryanne on the left and my aunt Lillian on the right. She recently moved back to Jersey after a long stint in Texas.

 Even though the weather was rainy (as most of August has been), we still had a great time sprawling out in the backyard. Above, my brother talks with my Uncle Dave & some other cousins. Below, Uncle Alex plays for cousins Leon and Joanne, Aunt Sarah, and others.

 Uncle Alex's son Evan got his very first haircut at the party! Jen made him look quite dapper. Mind you, his father gave permission for this to happen... hopefully mom approved when they got home!
Below, Mom poses with Lillian and another sister, my Aunt Arlene.

 And above you have the Rummel/Chernick/Gibson side of the family, including Aunt Sarah. We all enjoyed the company, music, and food. Summer BBQs are the best!

Stay-cation 2011

 Spent a LOT of time at the beach with the Bluesteens this week!

This would have been the first year that they'd charge Justin to get on the beach in Avon, so I looked into other options. Island Beach State Park is only $10/car on the weekends, and is a beautiful beach. We spent two days there.

 Lots of boogie boarding, sandcastle building, and crab collecting.

 Attempts at group shots.

 We took them to Point Pleasant twice (see pictures here) in the evenings, and crabbing in Lavalette once.

 Not too many keepers, though. Hard to find the large ones. But the boys didn't care. They were just excited to work the hand traps, slop raw chicken around, and net crabs.

 Our final day at the beach resulted in this enormous wall being built... just before high tide. The kids kept it going and actually changed the flow of the water around it. 

Needless to say, we were sad to see them go!