Here Comes A New Shelmet

We made our way south to Wildwood, which is one of our favorite spots for games and rides. The first stop was the arcade. Zoe was quick to get her first prize, a Hello Kitty, and I had a turn in the crazy, money grabbing, cyclone box. Those things are definitely not as easy as they look. After that it was off to some rides. First up were the family favorites: The Seagull Cycle and the Ghost Ships. Both are awesome, but one of them can be a little scary. After those two it was on to the rest of the rides. Zoe was on the swings, the boats, the trucks. You name it and she road it. Those swings were the first time that she was ever on a ride by herself. She's getting so big! When we made it to the end of the boardwalk, she took a seat in one of the prop go carts. After I checked the sign and realized we could ride together, we got in line and took a spin around the track. She had a great time zipping around the track. It was an awesome, long day and we all sl...

No one was going down to the shore house for Memorial Day weekend, so we asked, packed our bags and braved the traffic to squeeze in an early beach trip. We were able to head down a day early, so after we arrived on Thursday, we ran right out to the beach. Zoe was so excited, that she spent the first few minutes dancing in her dress in front of the waves. Cheryl was smart enough to bring Zoe's suit to the beach, so after a quick change, it was straight into the freezing water. This involved a lot of single and double wave jumping. After a quick towel dry, it was time to play in the sand. This involved a little castle building and hole digging. Thankfully there were plenty of shells to use as decoration for the creations. This was followed closely by a round of Chasing the Gulls, a seasonal favorite with the under 10 crowd. Then, when attempting to look for even more shells to add to the castle, I found a shark tooth! In all my years of going to the beach, I had...

I know this goofy kid who, if asked, never wants to take a bath; however, once you get her into the tub, it is neigh impossible to get her out. She'll just sit and play with her toys, or tell herself stories, but when it comes time to get clean, she really likes it when she has silly hair. It's not the easiest thing to capture, but here's a little taste of what that's like. Of course, nothing lasts forever. So it doesn't take long for the jubilant, suds-haired child to go from that, to this. Don't worry kiddo, you'll be back in that tub in another week, whether you need it or not.

Nana and Poppy came up for a visit and we had a wonderful time. We went out to the Willow Grove Mall where Zoe was able to display her ability to ride on the carousel. It's nice that she is no longer scared of the rides that are more tame. She's also a super cheeseball in front of the camera. At least some of the time. We then got to head out for some frozen yogurt. Nobody shared, but Zoe did sample everyone's to make sure it was okay to eat. I'm not good at much, but I am pretty consistent between pictures. It was great to have a visit from the Floridians. Hopefully they'll come back soon for another visit.

For the past couple of days, Zoe has been all about going into the creek in the backyard. She really doesn't care about what she's wearing or what else is going on, she just wants to get down in the water. This is all wonderful news because I, too, love the creek. So we went down and did some exploring and I was able to capture a few snippets of the adventure. She also really enjoys going to our big, local playground that's just around the corner. There are a few different areas, and there are lots of things to climb on. Her favorites are the things you really aren't supposed to climb on. Just after that is the set of rings. She enjoys doing her impression of a bat getting ready for bed. Also, recently, there was a good bit of rainfall. Like most people, when it starts to rain, she wants to put on her raincoat over a bathing suit and go jump around in the puddles. Unfortunately, the largest amount of water collects just in the street. Fortunately, I'm ha...

So yesterday was Ben and Julia's birthday and, unfortunately, I was unable to attend. It would have been great to see the twins as they celebrate their special day, but more importantly, it was Star Wars themed! Cheryl was nice enough to take some pictures so that I didn't completely miss out on all of the Jedi action. It sounds like everyone had a great time. Ben and Julia are definitely two of Zoe's favorite people, and there's no question why. At the end of the day, they're just so happy to sit and enjoy a nice drink, just like their parents.