Stardate 63561.17 - Andy Performs (and more!)

While we were all in NJ for vacation, Aunt Elaine and Uncle Dave invited everyone over to their place for sausages on the grill Saturday night (July 11th). There were over 20 of us, including the children. Luckily, they have a large patio with plenty of seating and a large lawn on the river for the kids to run around on.







The next day we were at Cheryl's parents' place and the kids slipped next door to play on the neighbor kids' playground.


That night (Sunday the 12th) Andy performed at a local open-mike night. Cheryl took Kate but as he took the stage after 9 PM I stayed home with Loren so she could have her normal bedtime. I think Cheryl's grandmother ended up turning off her hearing aids, but in general she seemed to like it.





The next day (Monday) was a great beach day, and we enjoyed flying a kite that our friends Chris and Lisa had left for us when they visited over the Fourth of July.





NYC

Stardate 63542.18 - Family Arrives

Last Wednesday (July 8) Steve, Rachel, Ethan, and Ellie arrived in NJ. That afternoon we went over to Cheryl's parents' place (where they were staying the week) for a cousin pool party.


Kate slept through the start of it.





The next day Andy and Jen arrived (they stayed with us). Here Loren shows us how much she loves Kate.


Everyone but me an Kate walked out for a little sunset view.





Highlands, NJ

Stardate 63532.33 - Highlands-Atlantic Highlands Trail

There is a pretty new trail between Highlands and Atlantic Highlands suitable for walking, jogging, or biking, with some secluded beaches and views out over the bay. We picked up a jogging stroller via Craigslist and Cheryl gave it a try with Loren on the trail.





At the end, in Atlantic Highlands, there is a playground where Cheryl let Loren have some fun.





Highlands, NJ

Stardate 63532.3 - Beach Vacation

Things have been so busy on vacation that we haven't even had a chance to post anything! So here are some pictures of the beach house we're renting and where we've been spending the past week.

Here Loren eats breakfast in the dining room (thanks to Aunt Marie for the sturdy chairs!).


Here is the living room with the famous (and large) green couch (thanks to my father-in-law Bill for helping me move it to the beach house).


Here is the small back yard by the driveway and part of the patio out back.


Here is the side yard.


Here Loren is playing hopscotch in the driveway. The house has off-street parking for 3, which is nice because we've heard that in the summer the streets get packed with cars and people have trouble parking by their homes (although we haven't really seen that yet).


Here is Kate enjoying a lunch of prunes.


Loren exiting the kitchen.


We have a lot of pictures we've taken, but I'm trying to quickly get something up on the blog this morning before the girls wake up, so I'll save them for subsequent posts.

Highlands, NJ

Photos from the beach

In the absence of our camera, here are some not-so-great photos from my iPhone to keep you up to date on our last couple of weekends. Last weekend Curt's dad and his girlfriend came for a visit. Loren enjoyed the dinosaur at Veterans Park in Highlands while we killed time waiting for a table at Inlet Cafe.


Grandpop, Grandma and Loren


Valerie and Kate



You know these two


Granddad and Kate


Loren on the bay while we waited for the check



The next morning Loren was up incredibly early for some reason. To get her out of the house I took her for a hike on the new Bayshore Trail. Here she explores the "deserted beach".


This weekend our friends Chris and Lisa came to visit with their daughter Lily. Here Loren and Lily hang out on the back porch.


This morning we went to the Highlands Farmers Market and the girls got cookies at Waterwitch Coffee and Tea.


Then we had a gorgeous afternoon on the beach in Sea Bright.

Stardate 63505.31 - Vacation

We're at the beach house for 2 weeks of vacation. I packed our older, Cannon Powershot S2 IS camera to leave at the beach since we never use it anymore, but neglected to check the data card slot first to ensure it contained a data card. It did not. So now we're going to have to take a little trip to a store over Fourth of July weekend (I'm sure it won't be crowded) to get a data card for the camera.

We've got friends visiting this weekend and then we go a few days before Cheryl's brothers roll into town for about a week. Then we'll finish up the vacation with just us before returning to the city and work.

Sorry no pictures! You will just have to wait until our shopping trip.

Highlands, NJ