Trenton's Eighth Birthday

What do you do when your kid is old enough that he spends more time on his birthday with someone else than home with you? : /

First of all, you say a silent happy prayer for his teacher, who wisely gave him a 'no homework in one subject' pass (that shaved off 30 minutes!). Then you ask him where he wants to go to eat...

Asian Harbor, of course. They tried out the hand rolls. Shrimp/crab, cucumber, carrot... rice, wrapped up in seaweed. This kid eats like a big boy. 

 

For 'first dessert', he was surprised with tempura fried ice cream. He's never had that before.

And, seeing as it was a Thursday night, he was thrilled to be able to go to his Zumba class. Below, he hangs with Zachary and Justin. I brought in ice cream cones to fill with grapes, blueberries, and bananas for the whole class.

 They sang to him. He was embarrassed, but countered that with sticking his tongue out and making a silly face the whole time.

Buddy, we are amazed every day by how much you learn-- both in school and on your own. We were reading a Magic Tree House book the other night, and you asked me what the word 'trekked' meant. After reading the context clues and giving you some examples, you then called out to your dad to share with him a connection you'd made to the Lord of the Rings book you guys are reading together. You were so darn proud of yourself-- using your knowledge, about words, to make connections across texts. We are incredibly proud of you, too. You are a true leader, who loves to make others laugh. 

Love you, buddy.

 

Trenton's Eighth Birthday Party

HAPPY EIGHTH BIRTHDAY TO TRENTON!!!

In breaking with tradition, we had T's birthday party on location in Asbury Park, at the Silverball Arcade Museum this year. We've been there before, and Trenton absolutely loved being able to bring his friends and family along to share in the excitement.

Above, he plays air hockey with Daniel. Below, Brandon, T, and Ollie.

Noah and Matthew.... Jeremy, Harrison, and Brandon

 This party was super special, because we invited our family as well. Uncle Len, Uncle Jay, Grandma Konopack, Daddy, and Pop Pop all played and had a great time! And we had a surprise visitor: Mrs. Varley, Trenton's second-grade teacher! Below, she plays a special game of Pong with Trenton.

***

The party was on Saturday... it was over 60 degrees, but windy, and therefore Asbury was hoppin'.

The following day the temps were still warm, and the breeze was gone! So we decided to take the boys back to the beach, with their bikes, and spend the afternoon in the sun. Check out T's helmet-hair!

As you can see from the sign below, the beach replenishment project is well underway. It was fascinating to watch the barge float out in the ocean, and the pipes sucking up and spitting out water.

 This will mean additional cleaner sand at our beach this summer. Yay!

Big guy wanted to know why we haven't been to the beach "in a long time". :( Poor buddy.

It has just been too darn cold. But what a nice treat to be able to go and hang for a bit, right around your birthday this year. Right? :)

The Rest of February

I love taking pictures with natural light, preferably outside. And that wasn't happening in February. 

Lots of snow. Which meant lots of time inside, cuddling.

Boys, above, with Grandma.

Oliver, below, sleeping with Tin Tin and Smurf.

Baking cookies... checking out the turtles as they are fed lunch at the Environmental Center...

 
A night out with the Zumba ladies... always nice...

Miami

Right here folks, is the gorgeous South Beach of Miami

305 Fame, baby

Jim had a wicked good deal with Spirit Airlines to fly to Orlando! And then to Ft. Lauderdale! And then shuttle to Miami! To run the Miami Marathon!

But you know what? IT WAS ALL SOOOO WORTH IT.

We left on a Friday night and came home on Monday morning...

The guest house we stayed at, Villa Paradiso, was beautiful. We love staying at guest houses. This one had a kitchenette and would have worked well if we stayed for an extended period of time, for sure. But we ate out for each meal, and it was GREAT.

 

As you can see, I was supremely happy with the choice of beer.
We found a fantastic little Cuban place and ate there for dinner both nights. Beef, chicken, rice, fried plantains... it literally FLIED out of the kitchen after the order was placed.

The ocean-front boulevard was filled with restaurants and clubs, promising a good time to whomever walked through... We spent some time at The Clevelander (odd name, yes... perhaps someone had an Ohio obsession?)

 

And Jimmy Boy ran his race!
We agreed on a spot for me to wait and see him run past... here are some pics ;)
He finished in 4 hrs and 20 minutes. Although it was hot, he persevered.... and the rain storm that came through in the third hour must have been a welcome relief, as well!

 
Palm trees. Oddly large lifeguard towers.
Soft sand.
Multi-lingual speakers. Foreign tourists on Miami beaches. Topless sunbathers. Weed. Beer.
It was a fantastic 48 hours of hot sun and warm ocean water.

I'm deciding that this should be a yearly trip ;)