And here he is. Big Red. In the flesh ;) You'd be surprised how many people tell me, "Oh! Looks like he's got a bit of red in his hair!" Very observant! I think we've always known that his hair will be significantly lighter than any of our colors. T was dark, dark, dark as a baby (much like myself) and Jim was white-blonde. We think Ollie takes after his Great-Grandma Wilson, who had blonde hair with red highlights, much like this.
But look at that asymmetrical smile! Those top ones are coming down. He teeths on my shoulder every chance he can get. Got bite marks to prove it.
The outfit was a hand-me-down gift from a friend whose husband is a Cornell alumni. Too cute, right?
" Wha? A tag???"
You probably know that I'm not the kind of mother that dissuades my sons from playing with 'dirty things'. I actually found this twig, gave it to the baby, and then photographed him while he gnawed at it. Is that bad?
Get a good look at those trees. Yup, they're California Redwoods, for sure. Jim's parents are traveling along the Pacific coast this week and recently sent these to us. Enormous, right? Totally puts it in perspective to have someone stand in front of one.
May not be 2,000 year-old Redwoods, but they'll do for now. We spent the day with my parents. These pictures were taken at Bicentennial Park in East Brunswick. As a kid, it was one of my favorite parks to visit. I can vividly remember the wooden play structures, the swings with chains so long, it seemed as though you could pump your legs hard enough and almost flip over the top... The park backs up to Farrington Lake (where our wedding reception was held). Trenton wanted to go fishing (soon, buddy!) and Ollie had a stare-down with some ducks.
Rain is over, humidity is on the rise... Here comes SUMMER.
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Pictures below show Trenton "going to work" like Daddy.
Yeah, I know what the title of this post is... but how could I not begin it with these AMAZING shots that Jim took? It was hard to get many without anyone in the background, and I had to crop a few.
We had visited the contest last year, when I was prego and Trenton was still afraid to go into the water. What a difference a year makes... I did my best to shield Ollie from the sun and he actually fell asleep and took a good nap in the sling. He's getting up there on 20 lbs. and I'm not sure how much longer I can do that...
There is some great video footage here that shows the winners of this year's contest. The local news station was there (and again, I paraded Ollie around behind them as they filmed, trying to get my cutie on TV, but neglected to watch TV for the rest of the day, so I don't know if it worked). If you do watch the video above, know that I saw the woman taking these shots with a smaller video camera with a big microphone... The part where the two people are carrying a garbage can full of water up the beach-- we are right to the right of them. I think you can hear me shouting at T, actually ...
Making good use out of the cow costume from Halloween. Chick-Fil-A had Cow Appreciation Day today. Together with other kids from the MOMS Club, we ate a free lunch. Dressed as cows. Ha!
It is NOT summer until you take the kids to the rides at Point Pleasant. Thanks to RAINY June, we hadn't gotten there at all-- we won't go on the weekends when it is packed-- and it gets hard when you've got naptime until 3:45 and a baby that wants to be in bed, asleep, by 7:15.
Big boy above is now old enough to handle going up, up, UP in the helicopters. Jim said that, after giving his tickets to the lady at the gate, he ran up to the nearest helicopter, climbed OVER the rail, and fell headfirst into the front seat. Rather than waiting for help.
He had told me the night before that all he wanted to go on was the Crazy Bus. With his dad. So they did.
There is something about that boat ride... Between ringing the bell and putting your hand in the water, there's plenty to do as you travel aimlessly around in circles.
And who can forget the fish ride? T still calls it the Nemo ride. Only this time it had to be the RED fish (because Lightning McQueen is red. Duh.)
And now... drum roll please... Ollie's First Ride! Yaaaaay! Left with pretty much no other choices, we took to the train. Trenton flat out refused to go, so Jim stayed behind with him. Oliver LUUUVED watching the people go by and he even waved at a few. But the big thrill was biting on the bench in front of us (eww) and The White Pole. Did you know that you can hold onto the white pole and jump up and down while giving your mother a great arm workout as she tries to keep you within the boundaries of the train and from smacking your face?
Totally worth the trip. Two happy boys. Welcome, summer. Stay awhile, OK?
Some may think I be crazy to take two kids into New York City for the day. And they might be right. But one of the things I love best about living in New Jersey and the summertime is taking day trips into The City. Jim would rather not do so, which is fine, seeing as he has to go to work and bring home the money and such... And there were no other volunteers ...
So, for $26 round trip, we boarded the 8:08 bus outta town on Tuesday morning. That's less than tolls, gas, parking, etc., plus I get to entertain the kids rather than focus on driving (or sitting in traffic). Ollie slept most of the way, and Trenton was entertained by a stick he had found in the parking lot. He kept asking, "Are we at the zoo?" while staring out the window into Turnpike traffic. I told him when he saw animals, then we'd be at the zoo ;) We had talked about how this was the zoo that the movie Madagascar was based on and he was psyched to see lions, zebras, and hippos.... none of which are ACTUALLY AT THE CENTRAL PARK ZOO. Hello!? I didn't realize that.
Most of the animals were hiding from the sun and therefore out of view. Polar bears were swimming around, though, keeping cool in the water.
Ollie was a good sport, staying in the stroller for most of the time. While the rest of the visitors were watching the sea lions get fed, we had the bright idea to get lunch. Very smart, as there were only three high-chairs at the place... Afterwards, we walked up the block to the Tisch Children's Zoo. Ollie and Trenton liked the interactive exhibits there, especially the rabbits.
Inside a turtle egg.
Ahh, and then as we were leaving the zoo, it started to rain. So I did what any other smart-New-York-Tourist would do-- ran to the carousel! For $2 a pop, Trenton got to ride on a very TALL horse while I sat nearby and nursed Ollie. Sweet deal.
Then it was off to the Hecksher Playground and Sprayground. We've been there before and T remembered seeing pictures on the blog. He was already suited up and pretty hot at that point. I had to restrict where he could run off to, as I was trying to get Ollie to nap and keep an eye on T at the same time. How do people parent more than two kids? They must grow extra heads, somehow...
By 2:30, we were all in need of some ice cream. We were able to walk back to the Port Authority and meet Kevin on the way. He was just finishing up a call-back audition for a new play in Delaware-- let's hope he gets the part!
On the bus ride home, I reminded Trenton that he didn't have any "rest time" today and asked him if he felt a little tired. "No, Mom", was his response. Not five minutes later, he was passed out on the seat with a Lighting McQueen in each hand. I did my best to keep Ollie entertained and on my lap for the bus ride home. He only pulled the hair of the guy in front of us once. That's good, right?
The outfit was a hand-me-down gift from a friend whose husband is a Cornell alumni. Too cute, right?
" Wha? A tag???"
You probably know that I'm not the kind of mother that dissuades my sons from playing with 'dirty things'. I actually found this twig, gave it to the baby, and then photographed him while he gnawed at it. Is that bad?
