Grandma Wilson's 90th Birthday Party

Jim's maternal grandmother turned 90 years old this month. We were all very, very excited to celebrate with her and our extended family.

Her four daughters planned a party and invited all of Grandma's friends for cake and conversation. But the best surprise was the weather! It was a gorgeous day! Which certainly helped keep the boys entertained. 

 

 And here, folks, you have the entire family of Marianne Wilson. Not too shabby!

 And this is the .gif you get when you take about six shots in a row.

Hiking With Dad at the Reservoir

Jim took the boys on a hike at the Manasquan Reservoir. They had a fantastic time.

Here are some pictures from his phone. 

Finishing Out the Summer

We absolutely love our CSA deliveries and the fact that it gets us to cook in new and challenging ways... and gets the boys to eat new things! I used a kabocha squash (little green thing below) to create some gnocchi pasta. It was okay. We all ate it once and threw out the leftovers ;) I used the second squash to make pies. MUCH better use of the squash!

That's me and Ollie, at Five Guys. Eating fries. And burgers. 

He begs to go there all the time & I'm not sure why. So we had a little lunch together. 

Last year I get to do that with this kid...

This is what it would look like if you were underneath Trenton's foot:

 And this is what happens when your kid brother thinks there is a scary walrus in the room (wtf?) and demands that you climb down off of your top bunk and sleep next to him.
Awwwwwww

Point Pleasant's Festival By the Sea

 

The weather was gorgeous, and we were HUNGRY! Good thing there was a seafood festival in Point Pleasant today! The 34th annual Festival By the Sea clearly drew HUNDREDS of hungry people. There were dozens and dozens and dozens of vendors-- crafts, food, gifts, everything.
Boys had sushi; Jim had raw bar; I had crab cake sandwich and lobster roll (because how do you pick just one?)
And then, there was COTTON CANDY.
Family sized bag.

Cotton candy bliss, I tell you.

There was a sweet old lady who offered to take a picture of us, even though she "didn't know how to use that phone". We knew her finger was over the lens, but didn't have the heart to tell her. But the photo she took was priceless anyway ;)

 

Oliver was hell-bent on having a pony ride. But when we got to that area, the darn horses were "on break". Luckily, there was a beer garden nearby! We ran into my friend, Kim, and her family, and all laughed as Oliver danced to his rendition of Danza Kuduro.

 

When he eventually did get on that pony, you can bet he rode 'em like a real cowboy. Yee haw!

A fantastic afternoon, with sunshine and smiling faces, food, music and fun. We hope to be back next year! Restore the Shore, Point! We love you!

Epic Camp Out!

So, we finally did it. We finally spent the night in the clubhouse.

Weather was perfect-- cold enough for sleeping bags, but not too cold to freeze your head off. Put the blow-up mattress down and the bags on top.

I had first shift. Jim took the midnight to 6AM block.

Happy to say that no random animals joined in the fun. 

The moonlight was so dramatically bright. Even though we had flashlights, there was really no need.

Boys were soooo excited. :)

OK, So, Fall?

Remember those sunflowers? Well, they've now begun to wilt and lose their petals. Jim cut down two of them so that the boys could see the seeds up close. Now we'll preserve them in the garage for awhile, then decide what to do with the seeds.
One sign that summer is coming to a close.

Here is another:

If you are following me on Instagram, you'll find this picture with the following caption "WTF, #Kohls? IT IS STILL SUMMER!"

Technically, it is. And holycow were there a lot of Christmas decorations out in this store! 

It is quite enough that the crisp morning weather required us to wear sweatshirts. But then to be subjected to this? UGH. 

If you look closely here, you'll see our well-manicured backyard (thanks, honey). My berry vines are growing rapidly on the left there... I had to trellis them awhile back, because they were becoming unruly.  The roses, though, never cease to amaze me. Apparently they bloom twice-- once in June, then again in September. I'm still a novice when it comes to caring for them. But they don't look half bad right now. And we love gazing at them from out the back window.

 When T got home from school, there was just NO WAY that we were heading inside to do homework on such a beautiful day. So, I suggested we do it in the clubhouse.

 

Both boys hard at work.

Later, we went out to Manasquan to get some new soccer cleats for T. The kid is now a size 3 and a half... the shoes he was wearing were 2s! Afterwards, we headed over to Curtis Park to play. I took this picture below, after I attempted to unlock and enter the black Honda Pilot in the background... which was not my car...

Two Pilots on the same street! 

This is one popular vehicle ;)

Farmers Sportsman's Club Pig Roast

 

We had a glorious day this weekend to spend time with family at Jim's dad's sportsman's club's annual Pig Roast and picnic. The guys refined their corn hole skills while the kids played nicely and enjoyed the day.

 

 Above, Oliver stands next to the very big pig roasting stations. Behind him, pulled pork is being made!
Trenton was so creative-- making things out of sticks and grass that he found. Below, he shows off his bow, and a little stick-and-hoop game that he constructed.

 
We all had a great time!

Quick Visit with Andrea in OC

 
Here are some pictures from my quick visit with Andrea this weekend. She drove up from VA to visit her good friend Rea in Ocean City (that's NJ, not MD ;) And I drove down! Because I needed some baby-lovin'!
Little Evan is adorable, drooling like crazy, and quick to smile. And his big brother Isaac is very polite and engaging-- such a sweetheart.
After a great Jersey dinner, we headed out to the boardwalk and put the kids on some rides. I was completely impressed by the train ride-- it was elevated and took you outside the ride garage, too!
I sure miss my Red... little visits like this aren't enough, but they'll have to be! :)))