Our annual mini-vacation to OCNJ

Last week we headed down to Ocean City, NJ, for three days. Despite the cool temperatures and winds, we all had a blast. The girls couldn't have had more fun on the beach, the boardwalk, at the zoo, and even in the hotel room. Hannah brought her own money (nineteen coins which added up to $1.83) and wanted to treat us to everything. She wound up buying some bracelets in a dollar store on the boardwalk. There are lots of pictures on this post!

This is us on the boardwalk the first evening that we arrived.

This is us last year. Delaney was not quite six months old.

One of the highlights of Delaney's time on the boardwalk was running free and having people tell her how cute she is. We, on the other hand, had to watch that she didn't get squashed by people on bikes. Scary!
This is the view from the Ferris wheel at sunset.
Hannah took her very first roller coaster ride, all by herself! I don't think she quite knew what she was getting into, but that thing FLEW. And I have never laughed so hard in my life. She had a look of sheer terror on her face for almost the entire ride, but every time she passed us, we would wave and yell and then she would smile wide. This picture is blurry because the ride was fast, but there she is in the pink!

Daddy reassured her with a kiss when she got off the ride.
We rode the train three times. It wound around the entire amusement pier two times and Delaney loved it. There were lots of sights, sounds, bright lights, and people to watch.

On Friday morning we ventured up to the boardwalk to rent a surrey. It was cold and windy so we really bundled up. Bryan and I got quite a workout when we had to peddle against the wind. It was a beautiful morning.

Some beach pics.

The Cape May county zoo is one of our favorite places to visit down the shore. Hannah was a bit grumpy by the end of the day and she did not want to be in this picture. You can see her legs behind me, though! (And Delaney wasn't too sure about that bear...)

Back at the Farm

This afternoon I took the girls back to Tabora Farms to cut some more flowers and to visit the hens that live there. We had fun in the field and in the store as well. Bryan and I laugh and laugh when we see Hannah tip-toeing (translation: running) in this picture with her purse and high heels. What a girly-girl!!!

"Look, Mom! Apples!"

Sweet Dreams

Delaney's nap schedule has been horrendous lately. Today I decided to let her skip her morning nap and see how long she could go before she really started to lose it. At 11:45 AM, I gave her some Sun Chips and some milk and, as she munched away happily, I left to clean the bathroom sink. When I returned just a few minutes later, the chips were gone and my baby was sound asleep. What a life.

First day of school!

Hannah started Pre-K today. She was excited to go and meet new friends. It's so hard for us to believe that next month she will be turning five years old. She looks so grown up!

A quick visit to Erie, PA

This weekend we drove up to Erie for a family funeral. Despite the sad circumstances, we managed to have lots of fun with Bryan's family.

I love this picture. From left to right is: Bryan's grandma Rita, Bryan's dad, Bryan, Hannah, and Bryan's Uncle Dave.

On Saturday we had a pool party at the house. Pictured here are some of Hannah's aunts and cousins.
This is Bryan with his sisters. Ali is next to Bryan and Nikki is on the couch. (Notice Delaney with her now-famous fish-face.) They will probably not appreciate this picture since they had both just woken up!

Craft time with Grandma!

We were able to steal a few hours to drive up to Chautauqua Lake for a visit and dinner. Hannah spent some quality time with Grandma making crafts and painting with Grandma's real artist paints. They made the puppy bag and the Ernie painting together.

Ducky Friends