We have just returned home from a week of house/Peanut (aka dog) sitting for the Clark's while they enjoyed some family time down the shore, followed by a trip to Nashville, TN to celebrate Karen and Ken's 5th wedding anniversary. Alexa and I arrived on Saturday afternoon after an eventful drive. Alexa has been wearing Pull Ups (the name we all assoiciate with training diapers, kinda like, BandAids or Qtips) for several months now as we potty train. So, as it turns out Pull Ups are Huggies brand, Easy Ups are Pampers. I have consistently used Pampers diapers since Alexa's birth. Any changes have usually resulted in messes that noone wants to deal with. Having run out of Easy Ups, I had to run to the store to buy some, but before I could get to the store, I had to put her in swimmie diapers to get out of the house. (Swimmie diapers are not intended to absorb pee, they simply guard from other stuff getting into the water) Needless to say, we didn't make it to the store without a soaking wet carseat. While I attempted to clean the upholstry on the carseat, I put a spare seat in the car. Looking to save a few bucks, I used a coupon to purchase Pull Ups. Two nights in a row, Alexa (who still sleeps with me) peed through them all over my bed. I was so exhausted that I piled several towels on the bed, changed Alexa and went back to sleep. By now, I should have learned my lesson...We then leave for NJ and at the first rest stop Alexa announces, "I soaking wet." She had peed through another Pull Up and now the seat was, indeed soaked!!! I had to put a towel between her and the seat which made the straps no longer fit, "Mommy, you hurted me." I struggled for 15 minutes to adjust the straps on the spare seat since I was not familiar with it. Finally, we were on our way and I put in a call to Mike, who assured me he would have Easy Ups waiting for us in NJ!
Saturday night, we all relaxed and settled in to the Clark's house. Sunday we made a trip to Brooklyn to visit Jamie, Kate and Wyeth. We haven't seen Wyeth in nearly a year. This was the first real playdate Alexa and Wyeth had shared and it went great! We took a walk to the park and then went back home where Alexa and Wyeth played blocks secretly in Jamie and Kate's room for about an hour!
Saturday night, we all relaxed and settled in to the Clark's house. Sunday we made a trip to Brooklyn to visit Jamie, Kate and Wyeth. We haven't seen Wyeth in nearly a year. This was the first real playdate Alexa and Wyeth had shared and it went great! We took a walk to the park and then went back home where Alexa and Wyeth played blocks secretly in Jamie and Kate's room for about an hour!
there were several hugs and even a few kisses!
Friends!
We were pleased when Jamie and Kate told us that this was one of Wyeth's most successful playdates, that he was very engaged and interactive with Alexa. She seemed to really enjoy getting to tell Wyeth what to do as well!
On Monday, Alexa and I spent the afternoon at Van Saun Park in Paramus with Gramma and Aunt Eileen. Alexa had her first pony ride and despite her very serious expression, she really seemed pleased about the experience!
Waiting for her turn...
On Tuesday, Alexa and I met up with an old friend of mine, Mahnaz, at Imagination Station in Roxbury. Alexa was having a blast on the slide directing me to "catch" her and eventually telling me to back up so she could do it by herself. She was feeling so confident until some rotten little kids decided to run up the slide while she was coming down. There were tears and lots of mulch to be removed from her hair, but in a short while Alexa was back to monkeying around. She finished out the afternoon by showing off her bike riding skills on the bike path.
On Wednesday, I was terribly ill and thankfully the Clark's had returned from LBI to tend to Alexa's every need!!! Alexa played with Casey all afternoon, on the swing set and in the pool. Mike and Alexa went to dinner with Grandpa Stolarz and I stayed home with some white rice and steamed chicken, hoping for a better night than the last!
Thursday, although I was still not 100%, Mike, Alexa and Aunt Chrissy returned to Van Saun Park for some more pony rides and a visit to the zoo.
On Wednesday, I was terribly ill and thankfully the Clark's had returned from LBI to tend to Alexa's every need!!! Alexa played with Casey all afternoon, on the swing set and in the pool. Mike and Alexa went to dinner with Grandpa Stolarz and I stayed home with some white rice and steamed chicken, hoping for a better night than the last!
Thursday, although I was still not 100%, Mike, Alexa and Aunt Chrissy returned to Van Saun Park for some more pony rides and a visit to the zoo.
We also had a train ride, took a spin on the carousel and played for quite a while in the very large playground.
There was a great attraction at the zoo that allowed us to interact with parakeets. We took sticks of bird seed and walked among hundreds of these beautiful little birds as they landed on our arms and hands to eat.
We couldn't leave without one last pony ride. By the third time, Alexa was an old pro! I still didn't feel great and the odor of horse manure wasn't helping!
On Friday, Mike, Alexa and I went to Pt. Pleasant for the day. We intended to spend some time on the beach and then ride some rides on the boardwalk, one of Alexa's new favorite things! We played in the sand as the water was off limits due to strong rip currents. Mike dug a giant "pool" for Alexa just along the shore line. It would fill up when a large wave rolled in and Alexa would get a thrill from jumping into the water! I sunbathed a bit and enjoyed a delicious Italian Ice from the boardwalk!
building the 'pool'
After lunch, we took to the rides. The usual carousel, train ride and the "Crazy Bus." Then we returned to the beach for some kite flying!
The Crazy Bus has become one of Alexa's favorite rides, despite how sickening it makes me feel! This thing goes surprisingly high. She's a real dare devil these days! As a side note, Alexa has begun referring to all school buses as crazy buses, and sometimes she even points out crazy cars! Mike says this time Alexa was so excited once the ride got started, with a big smile on her face the entire time!
We rounded out Friday evening with dinner with Melissa, Ty and Brodie.
On Saturday, we headed to the Land of Make Believe in Hope, NJ with Gramma and Aunt Eileen. We were all pleasantly surprised by the expanded waterpark area. Mike, Alexa and I did a few loops around the lazy river which really helped to cool us off! We went on more rides and ate too much junk food, but we all had lots of fun! I had never been to this park so I didn't know what to expect. I think it was well worth the trip!
On Saturday, we headed to the Land of Make Believe in Hope, NJ with Gramma and Aunt Eileen. We were all pleasantly surprised by the expanded waterpark area. Mike, Alexa and I did a few loops around the lazy river which really helped to cool us off! We went on more rides and ate too much junk food, but we all had lots of fun! I had never been to this park so I didn't know what to expect. I think it was well worth the trip!
first ride of the day!
our little princess
At this point in the trip my camera battery had died and I wasn't able to find the charger! A bummer actually, since we met Melissa and the boys for a few hours Sunday at Seaside. After a few rides accompanied by Ty, Alexa actually rode on her first ride alone...the baby swings. She was THRILLED! She even went on a second time! We did capture a few cute shots on Mike's iPhone but I'll have to try to upload them on my laptop at some point.
On Monday morning we stopped by for a brief visit with Keith and Dana and then spent some time at the Morristown Arboretum. Alexa made a friend and was happy to share her tricycle with her. We relaxed in the evening with Karen, Ken, Matt and Casey and it was off to bed early to be rested for the drive home on Tuesday.
On Monday morning we stopped by for a brief visit with Keith and Dana and then spent some time at the Morristown Arboretum. Alexa made a friend and was happy to share her tricycle with her. We relaxed in the evening with Karen, Ken, Matt and Casey and it was off to bed early to be rested for the drive home on Tuesday.
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